Steve makes a Suggestion
Two strides from the rocky bank took Steve into deep water, where he
struck out for the drifting canoes, his long and powerful strokes
cleaving a path for him through the river. Behind him he left his
father and Silver Fox dumfounded at his sudden action, and almost
inclined to follow. But they had another matter to occupy their
attention, for Steve had been very wary. He had soon realised that the
enemy were in two parties, and guessed that the four redskins making
for the hidden canoes were unaware of the presence of the trappers.
It was important that they should still remain in ignorance, and,
mindful of this, the young fellow had made not a sound as he departed.
The bush and the thick leaves of the tree had hidden him from the
keen eyes of the enemy, while his presence in the water was hidden by
the thick bank of osiers. So careful had he been, in fact, that the
redskins had no suspicions, and as their brothers on the far bank set
up their hideous war-whoop, the four who were stealing towards the
canoes sent back answering whoops, and thinking that longer caution
was unnecessary, they dashed towards the bank of reeds.
Crash! They were met with a volley, aimed from the tree and the reeds,
and hardly had the reports died down when Jim's voice was heard.
"Two of the varmint's down," he bellowed. "After the others."
Like a hound let loose from the leash this active trapper threw down
his musket and dashed through the reeds, his tomahawk in his hand,
while Mac went bounding after him, his coon-skin cap fallen from his
head, and his red hair blowing out behind him.
"Afther thim, the blackguards!" he cried, waving to Jim.
"Steady! Take the man to the right," shouted Tom suddenly, swinging
his smoking musket over his shoulder and reaching out for the weapon
which Steve had suspended to the tree. Up went the heavy stock to his
shoulder, the barrel poked out through the leaves and for one brief
second followed the crouching figure of one of the redskins, who was
making off through the forest. A loud report startled the silence, and
as Tom dropped the barrel the Indian leaped into the air, a discordant
shriek burst from his lips, and in a second he was rolling over and
over in the long grass and brambles for all the world like a rabbit
which has been shot when bolting.
"My brother has the eye of a hawk, even as has his son," said Silver
Fox, busily ramming down a fresh charge and powdering the pan of his
long musket. "Three of our number picked out one of these enemies,
and he died at once. Another was struck by a single bullet, and he
lies there, close to the reeds. The fourth will be slain within a
little while. Listen, my brother, there is noise on the far side of
the river."
There was indeed a commotion. For a little while the twenty or more
warriors over there had kept up their awful whooping, and as their
comrades on the near side had responded, the shouts and whoops became
even greater. But now that the rifles of the trappers had spoken
so suddenly and unexpectedly, the babel became even worse. Painted
redskins showed up openly on the bank, frantically waving their
muskets, while two stood in the water ready to reinforce the man who
was swimming out to the drifting canoes.
"They are as much startled and taken aback as are we," said Tom
Mainwaring. "Keep steady here, Silver Fox, and let us see what we can
do for the young hawk. My son will reach the canoes almost at the same
time as that redskin, and a bullet from us might help. Ah, they are
firing." While he spoke he rammed fresh charges into the two muskets
with feverish energy, his eyes all the time roaming from the surface
of the river to the figures on the far bank. As he had said, it seemed
more than likely that Steve would reach the canoes as soon as the
redskin, for his long powerful strokes were taking him through the
water at a rapid pace, and as if fortune had decided to help him a
slight breeze which had since got up came sweeping along the river and
drifted the two craft towards him.
"Stay here, my brother," whispered Silver Fox suddenly. "There are
others who are attempting to reach the canoes. Silver Fox will help
the young Hawk."
He dropped from the tree as light as a feather, and when Tom looked
down there was the Indian stealing along through the trees, his musket
trailing and one hand busily engaged in sweeping the ground before
him. This redskin had not lived the life of his race for nothing. He
knew that even in the excitement of all that was occurring there would
be ears on the far side of the river listening for sounds of an enemy,
and he was well aware that a broken branch, the crushing of some
piece of brittle drift wood, would give the enemy on the far shore
an inkling of what was happening. To him it was as simple as playing
to creep through the forest like a snake. Even Tom, who knew his
intentions and the direction he had taken, could not follow his track.
There was not even a swaying branch to show where he was.
Meanwhile Steve had made good progress, and was within a few strokes
of the canoes. Could he reach the one in which Talking Bear lay before
the Indian came up with it? No! There was a commotion in the water
on the far side of the frail craft, a red hand gripped the gunwale,
and as he looked the hideous painted face of the Indian came into
full view. His leg was thrown over the edge, and in a twinkling he had
taken his place, panting with his exertions, the water dripping from
his body and streaming from his scalp-lock and his feathered headdress.
[Illustration: "COME NEARER THAT I MAY KILL YOU EASILY," HE SAID]
"Come nearer that I may kill you easily," he said, gripping his
tomahawk and leaning towards Steve. "Come nearer, pale face, for if
you would flee I will dive in after you."
Steve made no answer, and indeed took little notice of the man.
Without pausing in his course, he surged nearer to the canoe, and then
suddenly dived beneath the water as if he were making for the farther
side. And very fortunately for him the rain of the previous night had
coloured the river a deep brown, so that it was almost impossible to
detect the whereabouts of anyone beneath the surface. The Indian stood
upright for a moment, staring into the water. Then he leaned one hand
on the far side of the canoe, and waited, his keen tomahawk poised in
the air, ready to strike the instant the pale face appeared.
"He will come up just beneath me," he said in guttural tones. "I will
see how far I can cleave this pale face. Pah! who but a pale face
would attempt such a manoeuvre? By taking his eyes from me for even a
second he throws his life away. His scalp is mine and shall hang from
my belt ere his comrades have time to fire at me. Ah! That was one of
their bullets."
A look of scorn passed across his ferocious features as a missile sent
from Silver Fox's weapon screamed past his ear. A miss was a miss to
this redskin warrior. He had no time for sentiment, for consideration
as to how near he had been to losing his life.
"Surely the pale face will rise," he exclaimed, his equanimity
somewhat upset by the fact that Steve had not yet appeared. "It is
long since he dived. His breath cannot last much longer. Ah! Perhaps
he turned back towards the bank when under the water."
He swung round to the other side, his draggled feathers and hair
swishing a cascade of water on to the surface of the river. But there
was no sign of Steve, nothing to tell where he had got to, nothing but
the frantic calls of his comrades on the bank.
"Look behind you. Look to the smaller canoe," they bellowed, for
their keen eyes had been watching the contest, and not a movement had
escaped them. "Dive! Leave the canoe!"
The Indian started, swung his head round, and then stood as if
transfixed. For the cunning of a redskin had for once been outmatched
by the astuteness and coolness of a pale face. Steve knew well enough
that the man who reached the canoe first would have the game in his
hands, and realised that were he to venture to the surface on either
side of the craft taken possession of by the Indian he would be
immediately tomahawked. An instant before he plunged beneath the
water a better plan had flashed across his brain.
"There is a spare musket in the store canoe," he said to himself. "If
I can only reach it."
Two strokes beneath the surface took him under the larger canoe and
away to the stern of the smaller one. He rose silently to the surface,
and as the redskin peered into the river, expecting him to rise at any
instant, our hero gripped the gunwale, lifted his head and shoulders
clear of the stream and groped with one hand for the musket. It was
there, just where he had left it, and in a very little while he had it
to his shoulder. It was not the place he would have chosen for a shot,
for it is no easy matter to hang to a frail canoe with the gunwale
tucked as it were beneath one arm, and lift a heavy musket to the
shoulder. However, Steve was not the lad to miss such an opportunity,
particularly when the safety and lives of his companions depended on
his success. He steadied himself with an effort, brought the barrel
in a line with the Indian, and as the latter threw his hands over his
head and leaped for the water, he took a steady pull on the trigger.
Instantly a frantic cheer burst from the near bank, while Steve slid
from the store canoe and clambered into the other.
"Well done, boy! Bravely done, Steve. Look out for those other
redskins. Paddle in if you can."
"Git yer fire iron filled," bellowed Jim. "Yer can't paddle away from
the critters. Ram in a charge."
But the backwoodsman had forgotten that Steve had been under the
water. Everything on him was thoroughly drenched, and no doubt some
moisture had leaked into his powder horn. He looked down at it, saw
that it was useless to reload, and then plunged a paddle into the
water.
"Cover me with your guns," he shouted. "If they come up I will club
them with the butt. My powder is saturated. Ah, here come the bullets."
Something screeched past his nose, and as he listened he heard the
mass of lead thud with a dull and heavy sound against a tree on the
bank. Then followed a dozen shots, one of which penetrated the side
of the canoe, while a second chipped a big corner from the end of his
paddle. A third lodged on the rock by which he and his comrades had
disembarked, and, ricochetting from it, flew off into the forest with
a scream which was even more disconcerting than was the sound made by
the bullets which had been so near to striking him.
"Bend low! Keep under as much as you can," shouted Tom. "Now, boys,
pick off some of those rascals."
The burly backwoodsman had taken his stand beside a small tree,
keeping the trunk between himself and the enemy, and now his musket
shot up to his shoulder; he took a steady aim at one of the figures
on the far bank and calmly pulled the trigger; for Judge Mainwaring
was not the man to lose his accustomed coolness, even though his only
son was in danger. Jim and Mac followed his example, while Silver
Fox stared for a moment at the foremost of the two redskins swimming
towards Steve. He dropped his musket suddenly, fell on his face and
slid down the steep bank into the water. None of those on the far side
saw his figure as he carried out the movement, and the wary native
gave them no opportunity after that till he had covered many yards.
Then as his head popped up from the surface the enemy on the farther
side set up a deafening howl, shouting warnings to their brother.
"Keep up the firing," said Tom, coolly. "Silver Fox will settle that
fellow and Steve will get clear. Hah! I doubt whether they are in time
to warn the rascal."
"They ain't," responded Jim, shortly. "He don't hear. The water's in
his ears and I reckon he ain't a notion what's happening."
It appeared indeed that this was actually the fact, for in spite of
the bellows of the redskins on the far bank their comrade still forced
his way through the water, evidently unaware that he would soon have a
second opponent to deal with. Suddenly the water swirled in front of
him, a hand shot out of the muddy depths and the fingers closed about
the tomahawk which the man carried between his teeth. Then, as the
draggled feathers of Silver Fox's head-dress emerged from the water, a
blade gleamed in the air. There was a dull crash, a shrill cry and the
contest was over. Silver Fox was swimming back to his friends, the
third Indian having meanwhile retreated to the other bank.
"Jest keep on pepperin' the varmint," sang out Jim. "They've given us
a good chance, and I reckon we've made a few of the critters sit up.
Keep at it, boys, so that they can't fire too strong at Steve and Fox."
Five minutes later Steve steered the leading canoe into the gap made
in the big bed of osiers, and having pulled in the second, with its
precious store of trade goods, leaped lightly ashore.
"I rather fancy we have had the best of that little action," he said
with a smile. "Talking Bear is the only one who has suffered. He was
hit in the head, and must have been killed instantaneously.
"That's one to them 'ere varmint, then," growled Jim. "How many air we
to put down on our side?"
"The two who swam out, and three others on the far bank, that makes
five," said Tom, counting them on his fingers.
"Sure, have ye forgotten the others?" asked Mac. "There was two kilt
by the first volley, and one that Tom fetched over with Steve's gun."
"There was that," admitted Jim, grimly. "Then there was the other
fellow. He skipped through the forest at a powerful rate, and I doubt
that we should ha' got him ef it hadn't been for this here Mac. Tell
'em how you worked it, lad."
Thus called upon, the short and sturdy Irishman pulled his cap from
his head and flushed as red as his own hair.
"Sure, Oi've a way of runnin'," he said. "Whin this redskin took off
through the forest Oi wint afther him as quick as Oi was able."
"And?" questioned Tom.
"And that's all. Sure Oi was up wid him before ye could wink, and thin
we rushed at one another. Thrust an Oirishman to pick up a bhit of
sthick whin a row's in the air. Oi caught holt of a fallen branch as
Oi ran, and when he jumped at me wid his tomahawk, faith I laid him
flat with the branch. He's kilt."
Very carefully did the little band check off the number of the slain,
their pleasure damped by the thought that only nine had fallen. For
the reader must recollect that these constant conflicts between pale
face and redskin were waged without mercy. To expect it from any of
the unfriendly tribes was to expect something which no redskin had
ever possessed. These inhabitants of the forest wildernesses were
trained to ferocity. The history of their tribal wars, of their
contests with French and English colonists, is one long tale of
atrocities, of frightful cruelties, of sudden attacks upon absolutely
defenceless settlements, of merciless butchery of women and children,
and of unheard of tortures practised on any who might happen to be
spared for a while. Was it wonderful that the white man, with his
natural inclination to peace and goodwill, and his abhorrence of
unfair fighting and of torture, should be driven in time to fight as
did these redskin fiends? Mercy on their part to a fallen enemy was a
mistaken virtue. Clemency was rewarded in the majority of cases by the
foulest treachery. The redskin who was set free to return to his tribe
after an unsuccessful attack too often would turn upon his deliverer
when danger was unsuspected, and within an hour of receiving kindness
from him, would murder him and his defenceless family, and make off
through the woods, triumphant at the thought of scalps so easily
obtained.
No. This was always war to the death. A wounded man was as good as
dead, for no quarter was asked for or given. Every additional man
brought to the ground was an advantage to the weaker side, and a
greater inducement to those who had lost him to wreak vengeance on
those who had brought about his downfall. Such was the barbarous
nature of forest warfare when Steve went on the trail.
"Jest nine of the skunks," said Jim, staring across at the farther
bank. "That leaves the critters jest about twenty. Reckon we ain't out
of this here muss yet."
"But we are better off by far," cried Tom. "Supposing the division of
these redskins had been the other way. Supposing there had been some
twenty-five on this side, and only four on the other."
"We hadn't a chance. Reckon we should ha' been wiped clean out by
this," said Jim, with emphasis. "Yer can't shoot down twenty-five,
however well yer may be posted. They'd have rushed us, most likely,
and then it would have been all up. As it air we're well out so far,
and I say as we owe it to this here Steve and to Silver Fox. Ef this
young feller hadn't slipped into the river and swum to the canoes,
them varmint would have been over here by now. I reckon it war a 'cute
idea to get a hold of that musket and shoot. How'd yer come to do it,
Steve?"
"Well, I didn't see a chance of getting possession of the canoes in
any other way," said Steve modestly. "If I had come up alongside after
diving, he would have killed me."
"As easy as you'd kill a fly," cried Jim. "You may take that as
sartin."
"Then I thought of the gun, and struck out under the water in the
direction of the smaller canoe."
"There was never a more astonished Indian," interrupted Tom. "Steve,
you've done well. All here agree with what I say. I'm glad you've
shown such 'cuteness. It does credit to my teaching, and I've done my
best to let you learn the life of a backwoodsman. But let us talk of
something else. We are not cut of the mess yet, by a long way. But we
have a litt'e time in which to breathe and look round. What will those
rascals do now, and how are we to get away up the river?"
He turned to Jim, as the most experienced of the hunters, and waited
patiently for him to answer. It was, indeed, a question which required
consideration, and even an experienced hunter and trapper, such as
Hunting Jim undoubtedly was, could not come to an instant decision.
"Reckon it air one of them points as wants a deal of figuring," he
said, as he scratched his head and stared across the river. "Yer may
bet as them critters is watchin'. They've got under cover, 'cos they
found as our firin' was better'n they thought. But they're thar. Them
bushes covers the hul crowd of 'em. Suppose we get to work at their
canoes first of all, and that'll give me a chanst to think out this
here matter."
Setting Silver Fox to watch the opposite side of the river, the four
trappers crossed to the osiers, taking good care to keep well out of
sight. They found the five canoes lying side by side, and at once drew
their tomahawks with a view to cutting holes in the sides and bottoms.
In fact, they were about to commence on the work when Steve gave a
sudden exclamation.
"Suppose we wait a little, father," he said eagerly.
"Wait! Supposin' them critters cross higher up?"
It was the wily Jim who asked the question, staring at Steve with
a grim smile on his lips. "Ah. Them varmint wants to make us think
they're stayin' over yonder. Them bullets came close."
Three reports rang out from the far bank as he spoke, and the shots
flew through the osiers, stripping a shower of flat leaves from the
reeds.
"Perhaps they guess we are about to destroy their canoes," whispered
Tom. "But I admit that they are likely to attempt to swim across
unseen, and come down upon us. We should make nothing of such a
crossing, and you may be sure that they would not. They would cut
down a few reeds to carry their muskets and their powder, and would
soon get to this side. If they try that game, we must slip away at
once, and we can rely on Silver Fox to give us a warning. Look for
yourselves. The river runs without a bend for a very long way, and our
look-out would detect any such movement."
"That air right. Reckon you've put it square, Judge," said Jim.
"What's this young Steve got to say? You was supposin'."
"I suggested that we should leave these canoes for a time. At any
moment we can destroy them, for a few slashes with a tomahawk will do
all that is required."
"That air so. What then?"
"One moment," answered Steve. "Supposing we were to get aboard our
canoes and put out into the river, what would happen?"
"Happen? Reckon you'd soon hear from them ere critters. Ef yer think
of doin' a thing like that, Steve Mainwarin', why you ain't the son
of Judge here. Ef yer want to get killed so badly, best paddle clean
across an' invite them fellers to wipe the hul party out properly. It
ain't in reason," he went on, hotly. "Ef we was aboard, all packed
together, they'd pick us off like birds."
"If they could see us," ventured Steve, smiling at Jim's excitement.
"Ef they could see us! Thunder! Do yer think there's a redskin as
wouldn't be able, even at night. 'Sides, the moon'll be up soon after
the night comes, and with the light they'd have, shootin' would be
easier. Jest shake yerself, Steve."
He looked severely at the young trapper, and then turned as Tom broke
in upon the silence which had followed the old backwoodsman's words.
"You wait a little, Jim," said the burly Englishman. "Steve has given
us a hint more than once in the past twenty-four hours. Try him again.
I'll be bound he's got something under that hunting cap of his. He's a
regular young conspirator. What is it, Steve?"
"Just this. We are stranded here I take it. We cannot move into the
river, for the Indians would shoot us down. They cannot easily cross,
for we have their canoes, and I am sure that they have no others
hidden along the river. That is why they sent four men along this
side, with instructions to paddle the whole lot across. Until the
night comes they can do very little. But once it is dark they will
send half their number over, and then we shall be in danger of attack.
So it comes to this. They can afford to wait, and, in fact, must do
so. We cannot. If we wait they will be across before the night is an
hour old, and then with a party on either side, even though they have
no canoes, they will have us."
Tom nodded emphatically, while Jim scratched amongst the osiers with
the soft toe of his moccasin.
"That air so," he drawled. "Then what's the ticket?"
"We must move. I thought that with these canoes to help us we might
manage to get away. Now, Jim, don't open your mouth as if you would
like to swallow me. Do you think these reeds would keep out a bullet
if piled fairly close together?"
For a second the trapper looked closely at the osiers, feeling them
with his hand. He tore one out by the roots, and then gripped it
between his teeth.
"They're soft and pulpy inside," he said, a light gathering on his
face. "Reckon, as they stand, a bullet would rip through 'em as if
they was only cotton. See that! Ain't I right?"
Another series of reports had suddenly rung out from the far side, and
again the leaden messengers tore through the osiers.
"Jest as ef they was cotton," he repeated. "But ef yer was to pile
'em close together, then I reckon a bullet would find it hard to get
through. Steve, you ain't such a duffer as I thought, not by a long
way. What're yer after?"
"Just this," laughed Steve, for his nimble brain had hit upon a plan
which might help the whole party. "We have five canoes here. We can
break up two of them, and by jamming the sides into two of the others
can raise the gunwales from the water. Then we can pack them with
reeds. They'll take a lot without sinking, for these stalks are very
light and buoyant. Once we're ready we can float them out between us
and the redskins, and then they can fire till they're tired."
Jim threw his cap in the air, and, unmindful of the fact that the
action immediately brought a shower of bullets, danced and capered
in the reeds. He was a queer and light-hearted trapper. For all his
sagacity and cunning, he was but a boy, and behaved like one when
anything out of the way happened.
"Cap'n," he cried, gripping Steve by the hand. "I ain't fit to lead
this party no longer. Reckon you've won the place. Boys, we air goin'
ter do as Steve says, and get the laugh on them critters."