The Bashful Jacob
It was useless for the burly Jacob to frown and scowl, and shake a
threatening fist at Black Bill. The latter took not the slightest
notice, save that the reflection from the camp fire, falling upon his
dusky features, showed a certain twinkling of the eye which was somewhat
unusual.
"You, Bill Huskins, yer ain't no friend of mine ef yer get to talkin',"
growled Jacob at last, seeing that grimaces made no difference, and had
no effect upon his comrade. "I gives yer fair warnin' that that tale
ain't to be repeated. These here mates of ours ain't got no interest in
it. 'Sides, it's time we war in our blankets."
"I dunno," exclaimed Tom warmly, holding his fingers to the blaze. "I
dunno so much about that, Jacob. There's men here as would be glad to
listen. It might come to you or ter me ter marry one of these here days,
and then ef a kid of ours was snatched by the red-skinned varmint, we'd
get to and remember a yarn, and maybe find something in it to help us.
Jest you sit still and chew a plug of 'bacca. Bill, fire away. It aer
only Jacob's 'tarnal bashfulness."
"My, you should ha' seen him when he rid up with young Joe Rivers beside
him," said Bill, nothing loath to tell the story, and grinning widely
at the irate Jacob. "Jest put yerselves in his place fer a few seconds.
Here was Jacob, not so old as he aer now by a goodish bit, riding back
to join an outfit he'd left jest a few hours afore, and left too with
words hot and fiery agin the boss. There's only two ways of lookin' at a
thing like that. It aer right down cheek, or it aer murder that brings a
man back. I've seen men as was fired from an outfit, and went away
peaceful. But they got to thinkin' that they war injured. They sat
broodin' over the matter, till their danders was properly up, and then
they rode back to face that 'ere boss and have it out with him. Guess it
looked as ef Jacob thar had rid back fer a ruction, and old man Staples
as was our boss must have thought the same. Any way, he sees Jacob
comin', and then gets his hand down close to his shooter. I war ridin'
in from the opposite direction, and when I caught a sight of Jacob, I
slipped outer my saddle and got round the end of the shanty. Bullets
gets flyin' on sich an occasion, and a man ain't no use when he gets in
their way. He can't easily stop 'em. They has a way of layin' him out."
There was a chorus of approval from the assembled hunters, and even
Jacob gave a nod. Indeed, his growling and his grimaces had all been a
part of his dissembling. To the looker-on it seemed that there must be
something about this part of the yarn with which he disagreed, something
perhaps likely to lead to his own embarrassment. But he could enjoy the
recollection of his action with regard to the boss with whom he had
exchanged heated words.
"It war cheek," he agreed. "Gee! Now that I comes to think of it, he'd
have been in the right ef he had shot me down without a word and without
waitin'."
"He wasn't sich a bad feller," continued Bill. "Old man Staples had a
softish heart under as rough a skin as ever I saw. He dropped his hand
to the butt of his gun, as I've said already, and kinder worked his way
along till he stood behind one of the big corner posts of the stockade.
Then he took a close look at Jacob and at the boy. Yer should ha' seen
our mate over thar. He climbs outer his saddle extry slow. Guess he was
wonderin' how he was to get to at the matter. Then he walked straight up
to Staples.
"'Yer ain't got no cause to fear me, boss,' he says. 'I ain't here to
quarrel. As man to man I tell you that you're over rough with your
tongue, and that there's few but blacks that could stand it. I'm here to
ask fer help.'
"That took Staples' breath away. 'Help!' he calls out, as ef he was
puzzled. 'A few hours ago you rid away as hot as anything, and then I
was the last man, according to your own words, that you'd come to for
anything in the way of help. What's it mean?'
"'It isn't fer me I want it,' says Jacob. 'It's fer the kid's mother and
father.'
"Wall, when the matter were put before old man Staples and the boys, yer
may reckon there wasn't much jawin'."
Bill looked round the circle, and there came an emphatic nod from each
of the men.
"I'll give 'em all due credit," admitted Jacob warmly. "Old man Staples
and every one of the outfit was hot to get to at Hawk Eye. Yer don't
have to ask hunters and cattlemen twice when thar's a rescue to be
tried, specially when it's a kid that's been taken, and the Injun
critters has something ter do with the matter. Reckon the chance of a
fight with them varmint would draw any man from the ranches."
"'Yer kin count on every man jack of us,' sings out Staples; 'and,
Jacob, you and I'll agree to be friends fer the time being. Shake
hands,'" continued Bill. "'Thar's seventeen of us here, and we'll call
in at Romney's ranch on the way across to Rivers's shanty, and pick up
his crowd. He's sure to have some twenty to thirty, so we'll be nearly
fifty when we're ready. Now, boys, get to and pack grub and ammunition.
We'll be off in ten minutes.'
"It war quick work, mates," said Bill, looking round for the approval of
his fellows. "But men of an outfit same as that aer pretty nigh always
ready fer something. Thar was enough dried flesh in the camp to feed
fifty men fer more than a week, and of course we had heaps of powder and
lead. Men don't take to ranching in an Indian country onless they have
good guns, and plenty of the proper stuff to put in 'em. And so, within
a quarter of an hour we war ridin' away, nineteen of us in all, counting
Jacob and Joe, and with our mate thar and the boss he'd rowed with so
lately riding ahead, chattin' as ef thar'd never been a word between
them. That's how chaps of our sort act when thar's trouble in the air,
and someone is askin' fer help."
The dark-featured scout looked into the fire for a while, and took a
breathing spell, while his mates nodded their approval. They knew
thoroughly well the truth of Bill's statement. Out on the wide plains
of America men quarrelled just as they did in the cities. Indeed their
quarrels were rather more frequent than amongst men working under
different surroundings, and often enough resulted in severe wounding, or
in the death of one of the contestants. But they could and did sink the
most pressing personal quarrels when duty called, and to these rough
men, inured to every sort of hardship, there was no duty that appealed
so forcibly as one where the rescue of a fellow white was concerned. A
woman sought for their help. That in itself was sufficient. That call
was so strong that there was not a man in the plains who could ignore
it, and not one, who, if he were coward enough to be deaf to such a
call, could continue to live in friendship with the hunters and
cattlemen. He would be branded as a craven, and forced to ride from the
country. Remember, in considering this, that these hunters of whom we
write were the descendants of men who had fought for and won America,
and that their sons to-day form a part of that nation which is the
wonder and envy of the world.
"At Romneys we was extry lucky," said Bill. "It happened that he'd
fitted out a big outfit, and there war thirty-three men, counting Romney
himself and one son. At Rivers's shanty we picked up the other boy,
leaving Allen hisself to ride back ter Romney's with his wife, for it
warn't safe for them to remain behind in a ruined stockade. Then we set
to ter follow Hawk Eye, and Jacob thar warn't long in lickin' up the
trace. My, this talkin' do tell on a feller. Just get to at it fer a
bit, Jacob boy. Yer ain't no need ter fear. I'll take on agin when ye've
got right into the business."
It was a clever manoeuvre on Bill's part. As he was telling his yarn
he had kept an eye on the burly scout, and noticed, with a grin of
delight, that Jacob could not restrain his own interest. Indeed it was
only natural that the narration of deeds which he had himself helped to
carry out should rouse any hunter, nor was it wonderful that Jacob,
forgetting his former behaviour, and surliness, should at once comply
with Bill's request.
"He's put it right, yer may take it, mates," he said in his slow manner.
"It warn't long afore we dropped on Hawk Eye's traces, and then we set
out to follow slowly. In a general sorter way we knew that the varmint
had his camp thirty miles west of Rivers's shanty, but, in course, he
war often moving. An Injun don't stay long in one country. As soon as
beasts begin to get few he moves, onless thar's other attractions."
"Sich as scalps," interrupted Steve.
"Or men and women to be murdered without a chance of gettin' hurt
yourself," added Jacob bitterly. "That's what makes us chaps hate them
critters wuss than pisen. Ef they fought us alone, and with all their
cunning, we shouldn't want ter grumble, 'cos all's square and fair in
this sorter warfare; but when they gits to killing women and children,
then it makes a man's blood boil. I reckon it aer bound to be warfare
between white and red man to the bitter end, till the red varmint aer
cleared outer existence. Wall, I was sayin', we picked up Hawk Eye's
trace, and rid after him easy. Fer we knew he'd have moved. It stood to
reason that he would expect ter be followed, fer wheniver thim critters
has stolen a child before, us hunters and scouts has never rested. It
ain't likely neither."
"It ain't, yer bet," came emphatically from Tom. "The bosses on the
ranches has a hard time ter get men when thar's sich a case. A chap kin
camp out on the plains with his mates, and spend not a dollar. He don't
need ter work fer a time, and kin shoot all his food. So, when them
Injuns has done a thing same as this, the boys give up work. They settle
down to life in the open, and they turn to huntin' the critters till
they're wiped out. Git on with it."
Jacob glared at Tom. He realized that he was slow, but here was an
excuse. Tom had deliberately interrupted him.
"He warn't thar when we came to his camp," he said deliberately. "And
his ashes was stone cold, showing that the squaws had stamped them out
the instant he arrived back. They may have left at once, thar warn't no
sayin', sence the ashes war cold. But me and old man Staples put our
heads together, and come to the conclusion that they hadn't hustled. Yer
see, Hawk Eye had rid thirty miles hard, and his hosses must have been
done. Then it takes a time to pack up an Injun village. Them critters
don't leave their squaws and children behind, same as we would ef we was
fightin' against white people. They know that their own red brothers
would slaughter the lot ef the fighting happened to be against them. And
they ain't never given us whites a chance to show what we're made of.
They can't believe that we would leave women and children alone, and
even feed them ef need be. Howsomever, he warn't there, so the next
business was to find out whar he'd gone to."
"Yer may put it down fer sure it's the mountains," said Staples, who'd
seen a heap of Injun fightin'. "Thar's other red tribes up thar in the
gullies, and ef Hawk Eye can set up a friendship with them, or make 'em
believe that we're comin' to attack the hull lot, then in course we have
got a precious lot of work before us. What do you say?"
"I said I was with him. But we couldn't afford ter make a mistake, and
so we divided, thirty of us ridin' slow towards the mountains, while
twelve followed Hawk Eye's trail across the prairie. It ran clear from
the village away from the mountains."
"It did," interrupted Bill, agreeing emphatically. "I war one of them
twelve, and I'll tell yer what happened to us. We rid fifteen miles
straight off over the plain till we came ter a river. It war jest a bit
of a thing, twenty feet wide, and pretty shallow. On the far side yer
could see whar the Injuns had climbed out of the water, fer the grass
was all beaten down. Guess they war travelling with all their horses,
and the wigwam poles war slung in their usual way, trailing behind.
Wall, there war the marks of the poles on the ground. They ran on for a
mile, then stopped altogether."
There was a chuckle from more than one of the scouts. The trick played
by the Indians was so simple that none of them could possibly have been
taken in. Each one knew that it was an old Indian custom, when
travelling, to sling the wigwam poles to the horses, letting the ends
trail on the ground behind, and loading their belongings, including
their women and children, on the poles, converting them, in fact, into a
species of wheelless cart.
"They jest hooked up the poles, turned, and came back to the river in
course," said Tom with a significant look.
"They did that. The hull crowd of the critters rid their horses fer five
miles up the stream. Then they took to the grass again, and their trail
cut clear up fer the mountains. We didn't need to follow too closely. We
knew that Jacob and his crowd would hit upon the tracks higher up, and,
sure enough, when we come up with 'em that evenin' they was camped
beside the trace. Next day we rid on up a gully, still followin' the
tracks, and that second evenin' hit upon the spot Hawk Eye had chosen.
He war an artful cuss. Ef ever thar war one, it war him. He warn't
cornered, don't yer think it. But he war thar, almost within shoutin'
distance. Now, Jacob, yer kin come in agin."
"Yer kin guess whar they was," said the latter shortly. "Hawk Eye and
his women and children had taken to a cliff that was as steep as a wall,
and higher than any yer ever saw. He knew, in course, that we would
follow, though, accordin' to his nature, he'd played every sort of
cunning trick to throw us off the trace. And when we got thar, he sat up
on the face of his cliff grinnin' at us. Guess he thought he war dead
safe. Along with him he had his women and children--the hull tribe, in
fact. Yer could jest see the tips of their wigwams laid out back of a
flat place near the top of the cliff. Above them thar was jest red rock,
with a broken edge at the top. But don't get thinkin' we could come at
them from that direction. There was a hull crowd of the critters on the
sky line, letting us take a square look, jest to kind of remind us that
they war ready in case we war inclined ter do a bit of climbing
ourselves."
"It war a tarnation tough job, it war," admitted Jacob, scrubbing his
bristly chin with the back of a hand which was huge, to say the least
of it, and burned, by the sun and exposure, to a dirty-brown colour.
"Yer was beat fer the moment, so to say," suggested Steve, stirring
himself and stretching his legs. "But yer wasn't fer givin' in."
"We warn't," came stolidly from Jacob. "It stands to reason we wasn't
goin' back to the ranches with the kid still in the Hawk Eye's wigwams.
We'd kinder sworn to get done with the job, and in course we war fer
stayin'. But there warn't a single sarcumstance as seemed likely to help
us. Yer could look round that 'ere gully, and thar you was same as
before. Jest the plains runnin' away from under your feet right out into
the open, a bit of a rocky hill to the right standin' all alone, and
then the cliff, the face of a mighty big mountain. Yer might say as we
could ha' ridden round, mounted from the far side, and then come along
ter the Injun camp. But Hawk Eye knew what he was doin'.
"Thar ain't no use thinkin' of the far side,' said old man Staples when
we asked him. 'It's too rough fer hosses, and if we was to go afoot we
should be dropped upon by other tribes of the varmint. That 'ere Hawk
Eye climbed up that cliff. That's what we've got to do, so the sooner we
sets to work to find the path he followed the nearer we aer ter rescuing
the kid.'
"Wall, it war a teaser, and no mistake. Yer couldn't get near enough to
Hawk Eye's post to take a clear look but yer was fired at by his
critters, and, sence they had guns in plenty, it war precious warm work,
so warm that old man Staples called us off.
"'Best form a camp and get to watchin' the varmint,' he said. 'My idea
is that we take up a post on this here hill. It'll show Hawk Eye that we
ain't fer leavin', and I've a sorter notion that when we git higher we
shall have a chance of seein' more, and perhaps of gettin' a sight of
the path used by the Indians.'
"It war sound advice, and in course we followed it. We rid our hosses to
the hill that stood all alone by itself, within five hundred yards of
the cliff, and then me and Bill thar was sent ahead to locate a path
easy fer the hosses. We found it after a goodish bit, and went up. It
was steep, in course, too steep fer hosses as a general rule. But them
critters we rode out on the ranches was as clever as cats, and hills
didn't frighten 'em. This one war a goodish deal higher than ye'd have
thought, lookin' at it from below; and when we war on top thar was Hawk
Eye's camp as plain as possible. Thar was grass, too, fer our hosses,
and a spring throwing water into a hollow, from which it trickled down
the side of the hill.
"'Jest the likeliest place that ever was,' says Bill thar. 'I'll go down
and call up the others.'
"It war nigh sundown before we was all located in the camp, and in
course we warn't able to eat and smoke and sleep as ef we war in a
friendly country. There ain't never no knowing what an Injun'll be up
to, and so old man Staples war right when he posted ten of us as a
lookout, with ten more to relieve in two hours' time, and so on, through
the night. As to Hawk Eye, he and his critters didn't seem to take no
notice of our movements. They let their fires die down soon after
sunset, and then thar warn't a sound from 'em. But they wasn't
sleepin'."
"Yer bet!" came sharply from Tom. "I've lived in this here country, man
and boy, and most times thar's been Injuns around. Wall, it aer pretty
near always war to the knife between them and whites. It ain't that we
don't want ter live peaceful with them. We do. But they can't kinder see
a white man anywhar but they want to take his scalp. Seems we're nateral
enemies. Anyway, I guess that that 'ere Hawk Eye and his braves wasn't
fer bein' so quiet and harmless as they seemed. We ain't forgot that
Joe, with Jacob to help him, had blowed some ten of them to pieces. Yer
ain't goin' ter kid me that Injuns could forgit or forgive that."
There was an exclamation from most of the scouts. It was an obvious
point to them, one and all. Their close acquaintance with Indians and
their methods told them, without shadow of doubt, that Hawk Eye would
neither forgive nor forget the injury he had suffered, but would strive
to the utmost of his power to retaliate.
"They was jest laughin' in their sleeves," proceeded Jacob. "Seems that
they was hopin' we would camp somewhars near at hand, 'cos Hawk Eye and
his braves had been pretty busy. Back away over the top of the mountain
thar was a hollow which was big enough ter shelter a hull nation of
Injuns, and, ef only we could ha' seen the critters, it war thar that
Hawk Eye and his braves was on the night we climbed ter the top of our
hill. Thar was a mighty palaver, it seems, and when we woke in the
mornin', and the light allowed us to look out, thar was the result of
all their talkin'. Thar was three hundred red varmint skirmishin' about
round the hill, and Hawk Eye and his men scrambling down their cliff,
whilst their womenfolk was dancing a kinder war dance on the top. It war
a fair surprise. It jest took our breath away."
"Gee! That war serious," interjected Steve. "Hawk Eye had patched up his
quarrels with the other tribes, I suppose, and had persuaded them to
come in to wipe the hull party of whites out. Wall, seein' as you and
Bill aer here, yer wasn't wiped out. Yer managed to slip between the
fingers of the critters. But it war a tight fix. Injuns aer that
cunnin', and they never want sleep when thar's a scalp to be taken. Yer
was flummoxed, Jacob."
"We war. We got extry silent eatin' breakfast, and jest waited ter see
what they would be doin'. But we wasn't going ter be taken easy. Old man
Staples war a fine fellow, though I say it, and he soon fixed us up with
boulders and tree stumps, so that we had a stockade all round us. Then
we set to work to hunt fer likely places where a man could climb, and
filled 'em with the biggest boulders we could find.
"'That ain't enough,' said Staples, when we'd done. 'An Injun could
crawl over them, and most likely he'd have his knife into one of our
boys before he knew it. We'll lay a trap for them.'"
"A trap! A kind of ambush?" asked Seth.
"Ef yer likes ter call it that, yes. Reckon Staples had got the idea
from young Joe, and thought he'd give Hawk Eye and his critters a second
turn of powder ef they was fools enough ter come and take it. So he sets
us ter work jest as dusk war fallin', and right behind each one of the
barriers we'd formed on the paths up the side of our hill we dug a hole
with our knives, or formed it with rocks. Then we put in a goodish
charge of powder--perhaps four handfuls in each hole--for Romney's men
had brought along a spare keg. Thar was canes growing on that hill of
ours, and it war Bill's idea about the train. We let one of the canes
down into the centre of the hole with its charge of powder, and filled
in rocks all round, stamping them down. Then it warn't difficult to fill
the centre of the canes with powder, and take a train from thar, under
cover of leaves, to where it was wanted. Last of all, we fixed a shooter
at each place, tied firm ter pegs driven into the ground, and rigged
twine across whar the critters was likely to come, fixin' the ends to
the triggers of the shooters. It war a proper idea.
"Gee! It war," admitted Steve, his praise unstinted. "I'm jest burnin'
to hear what happened. That old man Staples were shrewd."
"He war," admitted Jacob warmly, a fact to be commented on, considering
the fact that the two had had a bitter quarrel. "That dodge of his saved
us a heap of worryin', 'cos, though we set guards, in course, they
hadn't need to be extry careful, for them mines we'd laid was pretty
sure to keep out the Injuns."
"They attacked that night?" asked Tom.
"Wrong! They set to and had another palaver. Them critters always makes
me think of the time I war a boy, and war sent to the settlement for
some eddication. In course I was often rowin' with other boys, same as
most lads do. Wall, ef my memory ain't serving me a bad trick,
we didn't so often get to with our fists right away at the
commencement of the ruction. Thar was ginerally a deal of jawin'.
'Touch-me-agin-and-I'll-knock-yer-down' sort of thing. Then, when our
blood was hot enough, we'd set to at one another, and, gee! warn't them
scuffles warm!"
Jacob sat back at the recollection, opened an enormous mouth, and
laughed--a laugh which was a bellow, and which exposed a set of big
strong teeth, blackened by much smoking. A kick from Bill brought him to
his senses.
"We ain't talkin' of schools," he reminded Jacob. "Git in at the
business. Them critters had a palaver. Gee! Ef you ain't slow enough fer
a funeral. It's enough ter make the boys swear."
There was indignation on Jacob's face for the moment. Then his mouth
broadened out into another smile. "Yer do git impatient," he said in his
sleepy way; "but I ain't fer tantalizing anyone. Them critters had
another palaver. Reckon they smoked the pipe of peace between
themselves, arranged what was to be done with the scalps they war going
to take, and then dug up the hatchet. They was round us as thick as bees
on the following morning, and we could see them climbing down from Hawk
Eye's camp on the cliff ledge. Then, since it's dead clean up agin Injun
nature to begin an attack of that sort without a bit of talking, they
sent Hawk Eye and three other chiefs to parley with us.
"'You kin clear out, safe and sound, and without us touchin' a haar of
yer heads,' he says, 'so long as yer leave the one as fired that train
down at the shanty. We don't want no struggling, so you'll hand over all
guns and knives too.'"
There was a giggle from the circle of scouts, and a derisive laugh from
Seth.
"My!" he cried gaily, "them varmint do take the white man fer a fool!
Yer agreed to them terms, in course?"
"We warn't wantin' to have our scalps raised jest then," came Jacob's
slow and satirical reply. "An Injun aer that ontrustworthy that it
wouldn't ha' done to take Hawk Eye's word at all. 'Sides, there war Mrs.
Rivers. Ef we left the camp and returned to our ranches without the boy,
and without the gal as Hawk Eye had stolen, thar was the mother to face;
and, I give you my word, thar warn't one of us in that crowd as wouldn't
have been dead ashamed ter do so. In course we refused. Old man Staples,
as knew the Injuns like a book, answered Hawk Eye with the same sorter
blarney.
"'You git right back to yer camp,' he says, 'and bring along the kid.
Then, ef she ain't been harmed, and ef all them braves of yours down
below has gone off quietly to their wigwams, we'll git back to our homes
without hurtin' yer; but, ef thar's been damage done, and ef yer ain't
slippy about quittin', we'll make yer feel sorry all your lives that yer
was ever born.'
"That war Staples's style of talkin', and it fair tickled the Injuns. It
war the sort of thing they'd have said theirselves, and so they could
relish it. But it didn't bring them no nearer to our scalps, and, sence
sittin' down below wouldn't help neither, they made up their minds to
have a turn at the job that very night. Wall, reckon forty of the
critters came creepin' up somewhares about half-past two in the early
mornin', and you kin guess what happened. One of the parties found our
barrier before the others reached the boulders blocking the path they
was following. Them strings worked as ef they was part of a machine,
and, I tell yer, the sparks flew. The explosion didn't give Hawk Eye and
his chiefs any chance of larnin' what had happened, 'cos the critters
that came up agin the mine wasn't left to be axed any questions.
"In course it made 'em even more careful, and when another of the mines
had exploded, and cleared out a second party, the braves was called
back, and them chiefs got to at another palaver. And next mornin' the
terms they offered us was a little easier. We could go, so long as we
left only our shooters and knives. They'd dropped wantin' the boy, yer
see; fer in course it war Joe who had fired the train down at his
father's shanty. But Staples let 'em see that we was even more
determined than before. 'You kin get back to yer friends,' he says, 'and
tell 'em this: We want the gal you stole, and we want a brave and a
squaw from each tribe. We'll take good care of them; but they'll be like
hostages. Ye'll have 'em back, safe and sound, once we've reached the
ranches.'
"That fairly roused the Injuns, mates, and within an hour of Hawk Eye
leaving us after the palaver the best part of three hundred of the
critters galloped up to the hill, and started climbing it as fast as
they was able. And this time the daylight helped them, fer they knew
we'd laid mines, and was on the lookout for the strings. Still, one or
two of 'em was careless, and got blowed sky high. The rest came on with
a rush, and for a time it war warmish. We was bunched together behind
our barricades, and, as I said right away at the beginnin' of the yarn,
we give them proper pepper. But they was too many, and it soon come to
hand-to-hand fightin'. Wall, we beat the critters, and, jest to finish
the yarn without more talkin', we got that kid, and took her safe back
to the mother. Blow'd if I ain't sleepy. Time we was turned in. Good
night, mates, I'm goin'."
The ponderous Jacob showed astonishing celerity. It was the first time
that any had seen him rise so quickly under similar circumstances,
though, to be sure, the burly fellow could move quickly enough when
needed, as he had already proved that day.
"Hold hard, sonny!" cried Tom, detaining him with a firm hand. "That's
too short an ending. Yer was surrounded. That's whar we got to. Let's
have the rest quietly, and not thrown in all in a hurry."
"I ain't goin' ter say no more. I'm off ter my blanket," came the stolid
answer.
"And that's jest whar I come in," cried Bill suddenly. "Yer remember
Jacob lad was fer moving earlier on. That's when I began to help him.
This time he's clean shut up, so I'll have to take the yarn to the very
end. Jacob thar says it war hand-to-hand fightin'. In course, when the
business was over, and we had time to take a look round, there was a
goodish few of us as had been wounded. Two of our chaps was killed,
while I guess we'd laid out thirty of the Injuns. But that ain't all. It
war gettin' dusk when them critters was driven off, and you kin guess as
it took a while to decide how many of our mates had been hurt, and to
tend to those that needed it. It warn't fer half an hour, perhaps, that
old man Staples sings out fer Jacob.
"'Whar is the man!' he asks, kind of anxious, fer he seemed to have
taken a sudden and violent fancy to him. 'Whar is he?'
"And when we come to search high and low there wasn't a sign of the
critter. He war clean gone."
"Gone!" exclaimed one of the men. "Whar? What fer?"
"Ha! That's what I'm a-comin' to," grinned Bill. "It aer that part of
the yarn as wild hosses couldn't drag from Jacob. But he has got to hear
it. Jest sit right down on him, Tom, and hold him. Gee! Ef his
bashfulness don't beat me altogether."