"KEEP TO THE TRAIL"
It was an interesting scene on which the three youths looked. There were
a dozen Winnebago warriors lolling and smoking in camp, while two of
their number were preparing their supper, by half-broiling it over the
blaze and coals. Fred and Terry stood in silence by the side of
Deerfoot, gazing upon the strangers with a curiosity such as no other
sight could have inspired.
A small tree interfered somewhat with the view of Fred, and he took a
step forward. Immediately the Shawanoe put out his arm and shook his
head to signify that that would not do; they were as close as was safe.
Then Fred shifted his position a little to one side, as you feel like
doing in a public hall when a column is in front of you. To this
Deerfoot offered no objection, and the lad was satisfied.
"Begorrah, but there's the spalpeen!" whispered Terry, in some
excitement, pointing his finger toward the camp, and with no thought of
the uselessness of such an act.
The others knew that he referred to the Wolf, who had caused them so
much trouble, but they had already seen him. He was standing at one end
of the group, with folded arms, while he scowled, and the firelight
fell upon his features with such directness that the scowl could be
plainly seen. He appeared to be looking at the two warriors busy with
the fire, though more than likely his gaze fell indifferently upon them
and the rest, all of whom were in his field of vision.
The tomahawk showed in his girdle, but of course he was without any
other weapon, and Terry could not avoid a smile when he noted it and he
had to say something despite the displeasure of Deerfoot.
"Do ye observe his left eye and the end of his nose where one of me
blows landed? What could be foiner than the swell that ye see there? He
will naad to use no black paint for siveral days, as me grandfather--"
At this point Deerfoot deliberately placed his hand over the mouth of
the speaker, abruptly ending what he proposed to say.
Now, nothing could be clearer than that if the Winnebago party were in
such plain view of the three youths, the latter in turn were liable to
be discovered by them. They were standing beyond the circle of
firelight, where the darkness screened them from sight, and, if one of
the red men should look in that direction, he could not have seen them;
but there was the probability that any moment one of the warriors might
start out to reconnoiter their surroundings, in which event, discovery
was almost certain. Besides, the exuberant spirits of Terry Clark taught
Deerfoot that it was unwise to trust him in such a delicate position.
Altogether, the time spent in watching the Winnebagos was barely ten
minutes. During that period, some of those reclining on the leaves got
up, walked about and sat down again; others kept their feet, and one
stepped to where the two were busy with a steak of some kind that they
were broiling over the coals, as though his hunger was making him
impatient.
But the Wolf never stirred a muscle, and Terry afterward insisted that
he did not wink his eyes, so motionless was he. The same scowl added
hideousness to the painted face, and it was easy to understand that his
meditations were of any thing but a pleasant nature.
Turning his back upon the camp, Deerfoot motioned for them to go back.
They did so, he following on their heels until not the faintest glimmer
of the fire could be seen. Then he led them by a round-about course to
the trail beyond the camp, and explained his wishes.
He was now free to admit that there was reason to believe the Winnebagos
intended an assault upon the three hunters among the foothills of the
Ozark, and who were unsuspicious of such danger. Of course the Shawanoe
had no direct knowledge that such was their purpose, but he was so
convinced that he meant to take the utmost precautions against it.
He therefore proposed that he should linger near the camp until he could
learn of a verity what their intentions were. If they meant to attack
the Hunters of the Ozark, then he would hasten to give warning to
Linden, Hardin and Bowlby, who, re-enforced by the three youths, would
be strong enough to beat off an Indian party twice as strong.
In the meantime, Deerfoot wished Terry and Fred to push toward the camp
with all the speed of which they were capable, he promising to follow as
soon as he could. They had walked almost the entire day with scarcely a
halt on the road, but he wished them to keep on into the night so long
as they could. They would need nothing to eat before morning and between
sundown and sunup they ought to make a long advance on their journey.
You will probably wonder why (the situation being such as was explained
by Deerfoot), he did not keep company with the lads and help them in
their forced march to the mountains. One reason was that he was
convinced in the first place that a demonstration would be made by the
Winnebagos against the Hunters of the Ozark, and he wanted to get both
boys--especially Terry--out of the neighborhood as soon as he could; for
their presence hampered his own actions. The safest place for them was
in the strong cabin to the southward, and they could not get there too
soon.
Yet they would certainly travel as fast in his company as by themselves,
and Fred and Terry, therefore, could not see why he should stay behind
instead of going with them; yet Deerfoot the Shawanoe never took a step
of that kind without the best reason for it, as you will admit when it
is made clear to you. To give this explanation would require such a long
diversion from the thread of my story that you would be impatient.
Before I am through with the history of Deerfoot, you shall know not
only the reason for his course but for several other things that have
been referred to in the stories told about him.
The confidence of Fred Lincoln and Terry Clark in the wonderful young
Shawanoe was so perfect that they did not question any decision, no
matter how little they failed to see its reason. If what he asked was in
their power, they would bound at the chance of doing it, just as they
did now.
He had a parting warning to give.
"Let my brothers make sure that they do not lose the trail; they must
look at the ground often: when they do not see the path they must stop
and await the rising of the sun; they can not reach the cabin too soon,
but they can never reach it by going wrong; _keep to the trail_!"
The circuitous route which they had taken under the guidance of
Deerfoot, had brought them back to the path at a point fully a hundred
yards beyond the camp-fire, which had been started in the small open
space only a few rods from the path. So far as they knew there was
nothing now between them in the way of a direct advance to the cabin of
their hunters.
"Fred," said Terry, after they were fairly under way, and while he
almost stepped on the heels of his friend; "Deerfoot thinks we won't go
more than five or six miles; let's show him that we ain't such babies as
he thinks."
"I feel as you do; I propose that we keep it up all night."
"Will ye be kind enough to raich yer right hand over your lift shoulder
and shake wid me on the same?"
Instead of doing precisely as asked, Fred laughingly turned about and
shook hands with his friend, whom he loved and for whom he was ready at
any time to risk his life. They were on their mettle and they meant to
show the young Shawanoe that they were capable of doing much more than
he seemed to believe. They intended that when, after a few hours, he
started to overtake them, he would find that he had a good many miles
further to travel than he supposed.
Had Deerfoot known of their thoughts he would have smiled and been
pleased. He wanted them to do their best and he was willing, should it
prove to be safe, to allow them to keep up the delusion that their gait
could bear any comparison with the speed of which he was capable.
Meanwhile, the boys started in earnest to carry out their intention.
Their only fear was that they might be hindered by the difficulty in
keeping to the trail; for though the full moon was again overhead, and
though many of the leaves had fallen from the trees, little light was
there to help them.
But for a time, at least, the difficulty was much less than they
expected. The path, though it continued to lead over rough places and
around obstructions, sometimes up-hill and sometimes down, was still so
clearly marked that Fred Linden went forward with scarcely a halt or any
hesitation.
Though there are men who have walked their five and six hundred miles
with little rest on the road, it is a severe task for any one to keep it
up through an entire day and night, as you can soon become convinced by
making the experiment; but Fred and Terry were sturdy, strong-limbed
fellows, born and bred on the frontier, who were capable of standing a
great deal. When, therefore, they meant to astonish Deerfoot by their
progress during the night, they felt no distrust of their ability in
that direction.
There was no reason why they should put any restraint on themselves, and
they talked quite cheerily, Terry indulging now and then in some of his
quaint remarks. But a tired boy does not feel like keeping up a lively
conversation for any length of time, and so it came about that after
awhile they walked steadily forward, for miles at a time, without
exchanging more than a few syllables. Terry could see the figure of his
friend with his rifle over his shoulder always a few feet in front,
there being just enough light in the gloom to keep his form in sight,
while Fred heard the steady tramp, tramp behind him, sometimes keeping
pace with his own and sometimes falling "out of step."
"Helloa! this is too bad!" suddenly exclaimed Fred, coming to an abrupt
halt; "I guess this ends our tramp for to-night."