HOPE AND DESPAIR.
There was a grand pow-wow of chiefs in the camp of the hostiles, though
old Red Cloud, his loyalty doubted by many, and held against his will,
was not allowed to be there.
The two "garmols," Kicking Bear and Short Bull, had called the council,
to make a report which Sun Gazer, the medicine chief, had urged during
the day of what should be known, as it was for the good of all.
There were present in the council lodge, the well-known Chiefs Little
Wound, Two Strike, Big Road, Big Turkey, He Dog, High Pipe, Lone Wolf,
No Water, and at last in stalked Red Hatchet, who was fast coming to
the front as a leader, and had the ambition to become head chief.
Two Strike was the one to open the council, and what he said fell with
startling force upon all present, especially upon Red Hatchet, whose
eyes blazed furiously as he heard that the pow-wow was called to make a
charge against him.
The fact was Kit Carey, in his character of Moon Eyes, had poured
poison into the ear of old Sun Gazer against Red Hatchet.
He had found it impossible to get a word with Jennie Woodbridge without
exciting suspicion, for every redskin was suspicious of another in that
mixed assemblage, and so he had tried to get possession of the young
girl by a very clever trick.
So old Sun Gazer had been secretly informed that the moon revealed the
fact to Moon Eyes that there was a white maiden a captive in the camp,
and held as a secret by a chief high in authority.
After consulting his oracle Moon Eyes made known that Red Hatchet was
the chief, and that he had captured the daughter of a pale-face, who
was the firm friend of the Indians.
All this was cunningly put, and old Sun Gazer at once was urged to
report to Red Cloud.
But as that chief was under a cloud he made his report to Little Wound
and Two Strike, and the chiefs were promptly summoned to the council.
All, excepting Red Hatchet, were really startled by the tidings that
there was a captive in camp, and one who was the daughter of a man who
had ever been the friend of the redskins.
When the information had been given that a chief had brought her, then
Two Strike demanded that the guilty one declare himself at once.
Then Red Hatchet arose in his majesty, and said that he it was who had
brought the captive there, and placed her in the keeping of his mother.
He said that she had been sent there by her people, to prevent her from
running away with their worst foe, the white captain, the War Eagle,
who was like a hound on the track of the Sioux.
He asserted that the settler had shown his trust in his red friends,
his love for his redskin brother, himself, by giving his daughter to
his keeping, and that he preferred she should become the wife of a
Sioux chief, rather than that of the pale-face soldier, their untiring
enemy.
The words of Red Hatchet made a decided impression, and he was not slow
in discovering it, so went on to say that as the captive was there, if
the chiefs thought best, she would be given into the keeping of Sun
Gazer, the medicine chief, to hold until they should utterly crush
their pale-face foes, when she was, as his, Red Hatchet's wife, to
become an adopted daughter of their tribe.
This the chief agreed to, and so it was that Kit Carey's plot met with
success thus far, as Jennie Woodbridge was taken to the tepee of the
medicine chief, where no warrior dare enter under penalty of death.
But it so happened that Kit Carey had his eyes open to what was going
on, and he saw the captive taken there by Two Strike and Little Wound,
and as old Sun Gazer was asleep, he, Moon Eyes, was bidden to guard her
securely, which he most faithfully promised to do.
Poor Jennie did not understand this change, from the care of the Chief
Red Hatchet's mother, to that of the medicine man, and was dreading
some terrible fate, when the flap of the tepee was raised, and she
heard a voice say in a whisper:
"Do not distress yourself, Miss Bernard, for you have one near to serve
you."
"Who are you?" cried Jennie, hardly believing what she heard could be
true.
"I am known in the army register as Captain Carey, Miss Bernard; but
in the hostiles' camp I am supposed to be Moon Eyes, a Brule medicine
chief."
"Oh, what peril you are in!" came in almost a moan from the lips of the
young girl.
"I think not as much as you suspect; but cheer up, and be ready to
take advantage of anything that may occur to aid your escape. I need
not urge you to retain your presence of mind, for you have a wonderful
nerve--good-night!" and the pretended medicine man was gone, leaving
Jennie Woodbridge in a flutter of excitement, and bordering between
hope and despair.