AN INVITATION
A roar went up from the assemblage at this remark of Joseph. The men
laughed and whistled and hooted until the din was almost deafening.
Through it all Joseph stood quietly, but with white face and clenched
hands. Robert was for challenging everyone present to fight at once and
it was with difficulty that he was restrained by his cooler headed
brother.
Finally the noise somewhat subsided. The men ceased their jeering and
turned to Joseph once more. Walt appointed himself spokesman.
“So you captured The Swallow, did you?” he said sneeringly.
“That’s what I told you,” replied Joseph quietly.
“Would you mind letting us look at him?” asked Walt with pretended
politeness. At the same time he winked at the others in the crowd.
“Certainly you may see him,” agreed Joseph. “Suppose I do prove to you
that I captured The Swallow. Will you believe my other story then?”
“We’ll believe anything,” laughed Walt, good-natured once more at the
prospect of making sport of Joseph. Certainly he had thought that the
boy was idly boasting about the horse or he never would have undertaken
the risk he now was incurring.
“Come along, then,” exclaimed Joseph, and with Robert and Deerfoot
walking beside him, he started toward the place where the ponies were
tethered. Walt became a bit uneasy now as he saw how ready Joseph was to
carry out his suggestion. Perhaps he had captured The Swallow after all,
and if so Walt fully understood that he would find himself in a very
embarrassing position.
Robert and Joseph conversed eagerly as they went along. “I knew that
when we started on the thirteenth of the month bad luck would follow
us,” exclaimed Robert. “Just see what has happened! We were defeated and
disgraced by a handful of Indians, and then you get mixed up in a
quarrel and are called a liar and I don’t know what else. I felt sure we
ought not to have started on that day.”
“Don’t be silly, Bob,” laughed Joseph. “We have had some hard luck, I’ll
admit, but we’ve had some good luck, too. At least I have. Just think of
my capturing the most famous horse in this part of the country and now
owning him all for myself.”
“How can you be sure it is The Swallow?” demanded Robert.
“Deerfoot said it was.”
“Perhaps he was mistaken.”
“No mistaken,” exclaimed Deerfoot. “That Swallow, sure.”
“I hope so,” said Joseph fervently. “I’m in for it if there has been any
mistake.”
They had now come within a short distance of the spot where the horses
had been fastened. Joseph at once turned to face the crowd following
him. Many more had collected by this time so that more than a hundred
men were gathered together to see the result of the argument. Most of
them favored Walt, if only for the reason that they had fled as eagerly
as he and they had no desire to be publicly acclaimed as cowards.
“Wait here a moment,” exclaimed Joseph. “I’ll go get The Swallow, and
ride him out here for you to see.”
“We can’t wait more than two days,” called Walt as Joseph made off. The
crowd laughed at this remark, for Walt was considered a great wit.
“You didn’t wait very long for Black Hawk to arrive the other day,
either, did you, Walt?” shouted Robert, incensed at the treatment to
which his brother was being subjected. The crowd also laughed at this
and Walt’s face once more flushed with rage.
“Did you wait yourself?” he cried angrily.
“Not I,” replied Robert cheerily. “I came home just as fast as you did.
The only difference is I admit it and you don’t.”
The crowd enjoyed this conversation tremendously and was hoping for more
of it, but just at this moment Joseph appeared. As the spotted pony
trotted into view from behind a clump of trees a murmur of admiration
ran through the gathering. “That’s him, all right!” exclaimed a
raw-boned pioneer standing next to Robert. Nods of affirmation were seen
on all sides and exclamations of envy were heard as well.
Robert looked for Walt to see what he had to say now, but he looked in
vain. Walt had disappeared. He had recognized The Swallow instantly, for
he had often seen the famous pony and knew him well. Realizing that he
was beaten he slipped quietly away in the crowd and hastened to his tent
to be alone and unseen.
“Where’s Walt?” cried Joseph, looking in vain for the trapper.
“He had an engagement, I guess,” laughed one of the men, after a vain
search had been made for the missing man. “Maybe we can find him
though,” suggested one of the others.
“Let him go,” exclaimed Joseph. “All I want to know is whether this pony
is The Swallow or not.”
“He certainly is,” cried the whole assemblage with one accord. They
gathered about Joseph and his new mount, curiously inspecting this horse
that had made itself so famous on the prairies. Everyone now was on
Joseph’s side and every man vied with one another in saying pleasant
things. Even Robert was pacified and he took great pride in the sudden
fame which his brother had acquired.
“What’ll you sell him for?” was the question frequently put to Joseph;
but in answer, the young pioneer every time shook his head and merely
smiled. “Money couldn’t buy this horse from me,” he exclaimed.
Supper time soon came and the gathering then scattered. The two brothers
and Deerfoot were left to themselves, and the Indian was soon busily
engaged in preparing the evening meal. When this was over, the three
volunteers settled themselves around their fire and discussed all that
had happened to them recently. They also talked of what might be in
store for them in the approaching days, and wondered what their fortunes
would be.
“What do you suppose our next move will be?” inquired Joseph.
“I heard this afternoon that we were to join General Whiteside’s men in
a few days,” replied Robert. “He went out to the battlefield yesterday,
you know, and is to push on after Black Hawk.”
“What is General Atkinson to do?”
“He is the one that is going to join General Whiteside. I supposed, of
course, we would go with him.”
“We stay here,” said Deerfoot.
“What for? How do you know?” queried Robert.
“Stillman’s men stay here, guard supplies.”
“How did you find that out?” asked Joseph curiously.
“Me know, that’s all,” replied the Indian, and both boys were aware that
further questioning was useless. They also were convinced, too, that
Deerfoot was probably right. Seldom it was that he made any statement of
which he was not absolutely sure.
“They’ll leave us here because we disgraced ourselves, I suppose,”
exclaimed Robert bitterly. “I don’t blame them either, but I tell you it
makes me mad. I wish I could get just one more chance.”
“Don’t worry, Bob,” urged Joseph. “You’ll probably get another chance,
all right. We’ll all have to make up for the way we acted.”
“Where do you think Black Hawk is now, Deerfoot?” exclaimed Robert
impulsively. He half rose to his feet as though he intended to start in
pursuit of his enemy that very moment.
“Sit down, Bob,” laughed his brother. “You’re not thinking of starting
after him now, are you?”
“Just as soon as I can,” said Robert eagerly. “Where is Black Hawk now?”
“He go north,” replied Deerfoot. “Four lakes probably.”
“Is that far from here?”
“Very far,” said the Indian. “Much swamps, too.”
“That’s probably just what will happen, all right,” agreed Joseph.
“Black Hawk will go up into the swamps and hide there and then we’ll
have some fun driving him out again.”
“Maybe he starve,” suggested Deerfoot.
“Hasn’t he any supplies?” asked Joseph.
“No think so. He not able to raise corn last year. He no get any now.”
“That’s very true,” said Joseph. “Perhaps General Atkinson intends to
starve him out.”
“That’s not my way, though,” exclaimed Robert. “I’m for going right into
the swamps or any other place where he may lead us. Finish it up and get
it over with as soon as we can, is my idea.”
“I don’t know,” argued the more cautious Joseph. “Starving him out may
take longer, but it is just as good a way in the end and we won’t lose
half as many men.”
“Still,” laughed Robert, “I don’t suppose any of the officers are going
to ask us for our opinion in the matter, so there isn’t much use in our
talking about it.”
“You’re right, Bob,” agreed Joseph. “Who is this coming?” he exclaimed a
moment later. Some man was making his way through the darkness toward
their fire. It was impossible to see who it was and the prowler came all
the way up to the fire without being recognized. It was then discovered
that the visitor was Walt.
“I’ve come to apologize to you, Joseph,” he said, after he had made
himself known. “I acted badly this afternoon and I know it. I’m sorry
and I want you to shake hands with me and forgive me if you can. Will
you do it?”
“Of course I will,” exclaimed Joseph at the same time putting forth his
hand.
“I did lie,” continued Walt. “I acted like a coward, too, and you showed
me up for what I was. I was mad at you for doing it at the time, but I
got to thinking it over and decided that I deserved it all. From now on
I’m going to try to make up for it, and I want your friendship and that
of your brother, and Deerfoot’s, too. Do you think I stand any chance of
getting it?”
“You certainly do,” said Robert heartily. This red-headed boy had a
quick temper but he had also a correspondingly warm heart. He saw that
Walt meant what he had said, and that was all that Robert needed. He
shook hands warmly with the trapper. Deerfoot in silence also offered
his hand.
“Now,” said Walt. “I’m going to ask another favor of you three. I have
been ordered to carry some dispatches for General Atkinson. He told me
to select my own party and I want you three as members of it. Will you
go?”
“Will we go!” exclaimed Robert. “Of course we’ll go and the sooner the
better. When do we start, Walt?”
“The first thing in the morning. Just sit down a minute and I’ll tell
you about it.”