Hepaused,leaningforwardinhisexceedingearnestness,withhisbronzedfacelinedbyswellingveins,hiswholepersonmaderigidbythemurderousthought。
Thehehissedbetweenhisteeth:\"WhatshallwedowiththeseChristianIndians？\"
Piperaisedhiswar—club,struckitupontheground;thenhandedittoHalfKing。
HalfKingtooktheclubandrepeatedtheaction。
Bothchiefsfavoredthedeathpenalty。
\"Feed\'emtotherbuzzards,\"croakedJimGirty。
SimonGirtyknittedhisbrowinthought。ThequestionofwhattodowiththeconvertedIndianshadlongperplexedhim。
\"No,\"saidhe;\"letusdriveawaythemissionaries,burnthevillage,andtaketheIndiansbacktocamp。We\'llkeepthemthere;they\'llsoonforget。\"
\"Pipedoesnotwantthem,\"declaredtheDelaware。
\"ChristianIndiansshallneversitroundHalfKing\'sfire,\"criedtheHuron。
SimonGirtyknewthecrisishadcome;thatbutfewmomentswerelefthimtodecideastothedispositionoftheChristians;andhethoughtseriously。
CertainlyhedidnotwanttheChristiansmurdered。Howevercruelhislife,andgreathismisdeeds,hewasstillaman。Ifpossible,hedesiredtoburnthevillageandruinthereligiousinfluence,butwithoutsheddingblood。Yet,withallhispower,hewashandicapped,andthatbytheverychiefsmostnearlyunderhiscontrol。HecouldnotsubduethisgrowingChristianinfluencewithoutthehelpofPipeandHalfKing。Tothesesavagesathingwaseitherrightorwrong。Hehadsowntheseedofunrestandjealousyinthesavagebreasts,andthefruitwasthedecreeofdeath。AsfarastheseIndianswereconcerned,thisdecisionwasunalterable。
Ontheotherhand,ifhedidnotspreadruinovertheVillageofPeace,themissionarieswouldsoongetsuchagrasponthetribesthattheirholdwouldneverbebroken。Hecouldnotallowthat,evenifhewasforcedtosacrificethemissionariesalongwiththeirconverts,forhesawinthegrowthofthisreligionhisowndownfall。Thebordermustbehostiletothewhites,oritcouldnolongerbehishome。Tobesure,hehadaidedtheBritishintheRevolution,andcouldfindarefugeamongthem;butthisdidnotsuithim。
Hebecameanoutcastbecauseoffailuretowinthemilitarypromotionwhichhehadsomuchcoveted。Hehadfailedamonghisownpeople。Hehadwonagreatpositioninanalienrace,andhelovedhispower。Toswaymen——Indians,ifnotothers——tohiswill;toavengehimselfforthefanciedwrongdonehim;tobegreat,hadbeenhisunrelentingpurpose。
HeknewhemustsacrificetheChristians,oreventuallylosehisownpower。HehadnofalseideasabouttheconvertedIndians。Heknewtheywereinnocent;
thattheywereathousandtimesbetteroffthanthepaganIndians;thattheyhadneverharmedhim,norwouldtheyeverdoso;butifheallowedthemtospreadtheirreligiontherewasanendofSimonGirty。
Hisdecisionwascharacteristicoftheman。Hewouldsacrificeanyone,orall,toretainhissupremacy。HeknewthefulfillmentofthedecreeaslaiddownbyPipeandHalfKingwouldbeknownashiswork。Hisname,infamousnow,wouldhaveanadditionalhorror,andeverberememberedbyposterityinunspeakableloathing,inunsofteningwrath。Heknewthis,anddeepdowninhisheartawokeanumbedchordofhumanitythattwingedwithstrangepain。Whatawfulworkhemustsanctiontokeephisvauntedpower！Morebitterthanallwastheknowledgethattoretainthisholdovertheindianshemustcommitadeedwhich,sofarasthewhiteswereconcerned,wouldtakeawayhisgreatname,andbrandhimacoward。
Hebrieflyreviewedhisstirringlife。Singularlyfittedforaleader,inafewyearshehadrisentothemostpowerfulpositionontheborder。Hewieldedmoreinfluencethananychief。Hehadbeenopposedtotheinvasionofthepioneers,andthisalone,withouthissagacityorhisgeneralship,wouldhavegivenhimcontrolofmanytribes。Buthatredforhisownpeople,coupledwithunerringjudgment,aremarkableabilitytoleadexpeditions,andhisinvariablesuccess,hadraisedhimhigherandhigheruntilhestoodalone。HewasthemostpowerfulmanwestoftheAlleghenies。HisfamewassuchthattheBritishhadimportunedhimtohelpthem,andhadactually,inmorethanoneinstance,givenhimcommandoverBritishsubjects。
Allofwhichmeantthathehadagreat,eventoughaninfamousname。Nomatterwhathewasblamedfor;nomatterhowmanydastardlydeedshadbeencommittedbyhisdepravedbrothersandlaidtohisdoor,heknewhehadneverdoneacowardlyact。Thatwhichhehadcommittedwhilehewasdrunkheconsideredashavingbeendonebytheliquor,andnotbytheman。Helovedhispower,andhelovedhisname。
InallGirty\'seventful,ignoblelife,neitherthealienationfromhispeople,thehorrortheyascribedtohispower,northesacrificeofhislifetostandhighamongthesavageraces,noranyofthecrueldeedscommittedwhileatwar,hurthimatitheasmuchasdidthissanctioningthemassacreoftheChristians。
Althoughhewasavengeful,unscrupulous,evilman,hehadneveractedthecoward。
HalfKingwaitedlongforGirtytospeak;sinceheremainedsilent,thewilyHuronsuggestedtheytakeavoteonthequestion。
\"LetusburntheVillageofPeace,driveawaythemissionaries,andtaketheChristiansbacktotheDelawaretowns——allwithoutspillingblood,\"saidGirty,determinedtocarryhispoint,ifpossible。
\"Isaythesame,\"addedElliott,refusingthewar—clubheldouttohimbyHalfKing。
\"Me,too,\"votedMcKee,notsodrunkbutthatheunderstoodthelightninglikeglanceGirtyshotathim。
\"Kill\'emall;killeverybody,\"criedDeeringindrunkenglee。Hetooktheclubandpoundedwithitontheground。
Piperepeatedhisformerperformance,asalsodidHalfKing,afterwhichhehandedtheblack,knottedsymbolofdeathtoJimGirty。
ThreehaddeclaredforsavingtheChristians,andthreeforthedeathpenalty。
SixpairsofburningeyeswerefastenedontheDeaths—head。
PipeandHalfKingwerecoldlyrelentless;Deeringawoketoabrutalearnestness;McKeeandElliottwatchedwithbatedbreath。Thesemenhadformedthemselvesintoatribunaltodecideonthelifeordeathofmany,andthesituation,ifnotthegreatestintheirlives,certainlywasoneofvitalimportance。
SimonGirtycursedallthefates。Hedarednotopenlyopposethevoting,andhecouldnot,beforethosecruelbutjustchiefs,trytoinfluencehisbrother\'svote。
AsJimGirtytookthewar—club,Simonreadinhisbrother\'sfacethedoomoftheconvertedIndiansandhemutteredtohimself:
\"Nowtremblean\'shrink,allyouChristians！\"
Jimwasnotinahurry。Slowlyhepoisedthewar—club。Hewasplayingasacatplayswithamouse;hewasgloryinginhispower。Thesilencewasthatofdeath。Itsignifiedthesilenceofdeath。Thewar—clubdescendedwithviolence。
\"FeedtheChristianstotherbuzzards！\"
ChapterXXIII。
\"Ihavebeenherebefore,\"saidJoetoWhisperingWinds。\"Irememberthatvine—coveredstone。WecrawledoverittogetatGirtyandSilvertip。There\'sthelittleknoll;here\'stheveryspotwhereIwashitbyaflyingtomahawk。
Yes,andthere\'sthespring。Letmesee,whatdidWetzelcallthisspot？\"
\"BeautifulSpring,\"answeredtheIndiangirl。
\"That\'sit,andit\'swellnamed。Whatalovelyplace！\"
Naturehadbeenlavishinthebeautifyingofthisincloseddell。Itwasaboutfiftyyardswide,andnestledamonglittle,woodedknollsandwallsofgray,lichen—coveredstone。Thoughthesunshonebrightlyintotheopening,andtherainhadfreeaccesstothemossyground,nostormywindseverenteredthiswellprotectedglade。
Joereveledinthebeautyofthescene,evenwhilehewastooweaktostanderect。Hesufferednopainfromhiswound,althoughhehadgraduallygrowndizzy,andfeltasifthegroundwasrisingbeforehim。Hewasgladtolieuponthemossygroundinthelittlecavernunderthecliff。
Uponexaminationhiswoundwasfoundtohaveopened,andwasbleeding。Hishuntingcoatwassaturatedwithblood。WhisperingWindswashedthecut,anddresseditwithcoolingleaves。ThensherebandagedittightlywithJoe\'slinseyhandkerchiefs,andwhileherestedcomfortableshegatheredbundlesofferns,carryingthemtothelittlecavern。WhenshehadalargequantityoftheseshesatdownnearJoe,andbegantoweavethelongstemsintoakindofscreen。Thefernstalkswerefourfeetlongandhalfafootwide;theseshedeftlylacedtogether,makingbroadscreenswhichwouldservetowardoffthenightdews。Thisdone,shenextbuiltafireplacewithflatstones。Shefoundwildapples,plumsandturnipsontheknollabovetheglade。Thenshecookedstripsofmeatwhichhadbeenbroughtwiththem。Lancegrazedonthelonggrassjustwithouttheglade,andMosecaughttworabbits。WhendarknesssettleddownWhisperingWindscalledthedogwithinthecavern,andhungthescreensbeforetheopening。
Severaldayspassed。Joerestedquietly,andbegantorecoverstrength。
Besidestheworkofpreparingtheirmeals,WhisperingWindshadnothingtodosavesitneartheinvalidandamuseorinteresthimsothathewouldnotfretorgrowimpatient,whilehiswoundwashealing。
Theytalkedabouttheirfutureprospects。AftervisitingtheVillageofPeace,theywouldgotoFortHenry,whereJoecouldfindemployment。Theydweltuponthecabintheywouldbuild,andpassedmanyhappymomentsplanninganewhome。
Joe\'sloveofthewildernesshadinnowisediminished;butablowonhisheadfromaheavytomahawk,andaviciousstabintheback,hadlessenedhiszealsofarthatheunderstooditwasnotwisetosacrificelifeforthepleasuresofthepathlesswoods。Hecouldhavethelastwithoutthedangerofbeingshotatfrombehindeverytree。HereasonedthatitwouldbebestforhimtotakehiswifetoFortHenry,therefindemployment,anddevotehisleisuretimetoroamingintheforest。
\"WillthepalefacesbekindtoanIndianwhohaslearnedtolovethem？\"
WhisperingWindsaskedwistfullyofJoe。
\"Indeedtheywill,\"answeredJoe,andhetoldherthestoryofIsaacZane;howhetookhisIndianbridehome;howherbeautyandsweetnesssoonwonallthewhitepeople\'slove。\"Itwillbesowithyou,mywife。\"
\"WhisperingWindsknowssolittle,\"shemurmured。
\"Why,youarelearningeveryday,andevenifsuchwasnotthecase,youknowenoughforme。\"
\"WhisperingWindswillbeafraid;shefearsalittletogo。\"
\"I\'llbegladwhenwecanbeonthemove,\"saidJoe,withhisoldimpatientdesireforaction。\"Howsoon,Winds,canwesetoff？\"
\"Asmanydays,\"answeredtheIndiangirl,holdingupfivefingers。
\"Solong？Iwanttoleavethisplace。\"
\"LeaveBeautifulSpring？\"
\"Yes,eventhissweetplace。Ithasahorrorforme。I\'llneverforgetthenightIfirstsawthatspringshininginthemoonlight。ItwasrightabovetherockthatIlookedintotheglade。Themoonwasreflectedinthedarkpool,andasIgazedintotheshadowydepthsofthedarkwaterIsuddenlyfeltanunaccountableterror;butIoughtn\'ttohavethesamefeelingnow。Wearesafe,arewenot？\"
\"Wearesafe,\"murmuredWhisperingWinds。
\"YetIhavethesamechilloffearwheneverIlookatthebeautifulspring,andatnightasIawaketohearthesoftbabbleofrunningwater,Ifreezeuntilmyheartfeelslikecoldlead。Winds,I\'mnotacoward;butIcan\'thelpthisfeeling。Perhaps,it\'sonlythememoryofthatawfulnightwithWetzel。\"
\"AnIndianfeelssowhenhepassestohisunmarkedgrave,\"answeredWinds,gazingsolemnlyathim。\"WhisperingWindsdoesnotlikethisfancyofyours。
LetusleaveBeautifulSpring。Youarealmostwell。Ah！ifWhisperingWindsshouldloseyou！Iloveyou！\"
\"AndIloveyou,mybeautifulwildflower,\"answeredJoe,strokingthedarkheadsonearhisown。
Atendersmileshoneonhisface。Heheardaslightnoisewithoutthecave,and,lookingup,sawthatwhichcausedthesmiletofadequickly。
\"Mose！\"hecalled,sharply。Thedogwasawaychasingrabbits。
WhisperingWindsglancedoverhershoulderwithastartledcry,whichendedinascream。
NottwoyardsbehindherstoodJimGirty。
Hideouswashisfaceinitstriumphantferocity。Heheldalongknifeinhishand,and,snarlinglikeamadwolf,hemadeaforwardlunge。
Joeraisedhimselfquickly;butalmostbeforehecouldlifthishandindefense,thelongbladewassheathedinhisbreast。
Slowlyhesankback,hisgrayeyescontractingwiththeoldsteelyflash。Thewilltodowasthere,butthepowerwasgoneforever。
\"Remember,Girty,murderer！IamWetzel\'sfriend,\"hecried,gazingathisslayerwithunutterablescorn。
Thenthegrayeyessoftened,andsoughttheblanchedfaceofthestrickenmaiden。
\"Winds,\"hewhisperedfaintly。
Shewasasonefrozenwithhorror。
Thegrayeyesgazedintoherswithlingeringtenderness;thenthefilmofdeathcameuponthem。
Therenegaderaisedhisbloodyknife,andbentovertheprostrateform。
WhisperingWindsthrewherselfuponGirtywiththeblindfuryofamaddenedlioness。Cursingfiercely,hestabbedheronce,twice,threetimes。Shefellacrossthebodyofherlover,andclaspeditconvulsively。
Girtygaveoneglanceathisvictims;deliberatelywipedthegoryknifeonWind\'sleggins,and,withanotherglance,hurriedandfearful,aroundtheglade,heplungedintothethicket。
Anhourpassed。Adarkstreamcreptfromthequietfigurestowardthespring。
Itdyedthemossandthegreenvioletleaves。Slowlyitwounditswaytotheclearwater,drippingbetweenthepaleblueflowers。Thelittlefallbelowthespringwasnolongersnowywhite;bloodhadtingeditred。
Adogcameboundingintotheglade。Heleapedthebrook,hesitatedonthebank,andloweredhisnosetosniffatthewater。Heboundedupthebanktothecavern。
Along,mournfulhowlbrokethewilderness\'squiet。
Anotherhourpassed。Thebirdsweresilent;theinsectsstill。Thesunsankbehindthetrees,andtheshadesofeveninggathered。
Thefernsontheothersideofthegladetrembled。Aslightrustleofdeadleavesdisturbedthestillness。Thedogwhined,thenbarked。Thetallformofahunterroseoutofthethicket,andsteppedintothegladewithhiseyesbentuponmoccasintracksinthesoftmoss。
Thetrailhehadbeenfollowingledhimtothisbloodyspring。
\"Imighthevknowedit,\"hemuttered。
Wetzel,foritwashe,leaneduponhislongriflewhilehiskeeneyestookinthedetailsofthetragedy。Thewhiningdog,thebloodywater,themotionlessfigureslyinginalastembrace,toldthesadstory。
\"Joean\'Winds,\"hemuttered。
OnlyamomentdidheremainlostinsadreflectionAfamiliarmoccasin—printinthesandonthebankpointedwestward。Heexamineditcarefully。
\"Twohoursgone,\"hemuttered。\"Imightovertakehim。\"
Thenhismotionsbecameswift。Withtwoblowsofhistomahawkhesecuredalongpieceofgrapevine。Hetookaheavystonefromthebedofthebrook。HecarriedJoetothespring,and,returningforWinds,placedherbesideherlover。Thisdone,hetiedoneendofthegrapevinearoundthestone,andwoundtheotheraboutthedeadbodies。
Hepushedthemoffthebankintothespring。Astheloverssankintothedeeppooltheyturned,exposingfirstWinds\'sadface,andthenJoe\'s。Thentheysankoutofsight。Littlewavessplashedontheshoreofthepool;therippledisappeared,andthesurfaceofthespringbecametranquil。
Wetzelstoodonemomentoverthewaterygraveofthemaidenwhohadsavedhim,andtheboywhohadlovedhim。Inthegatheringgloomhisstalwartformassumedgiganticproportions,andwhenheraisedhislongarmandshookhisclenchedfisttowardthewest,heresembledamagnificentstatueofdarkmenace。
Withasingleboundheclearedthepool,andthenspedoutoftheglade。HeurgedthedogonGirty\'strail,andfollowedtheeagerbeasttowardthewest。
Ashedisappeared,along,lowsoundlikethesighofthenightwindswelledandmoanedthroughthegloom。
ChapterXXIV。
Whenthefirstruddyraysoftherisingsuncrimsonedtheeasternsky,WetzelslowlywoundhiswaydownaruggedhillfarwestofBeautifulSpring。Awhitedog,wearyandfootsore,limpedbyhisside。Bothmanandbeastshowedevidenceofsevereexertion。
Thehunterstoppedinalittlecaveunderaprojectingstone,and,layingasidehisrifle,begantogathertwigsandsticks。Hewasparticularaboutselectingthewood,andthrewasidemanypieceswhichwouldhaveburnedwell;
butwhenhedidkindleaflameitblazedhotly,yetmadenosmoke。
Hesharpenedagreenstick,and,takingsomestripsofmeatfromhispocket,roastedthemoverthehotflame。Hefedthedogfirst。Mosehadcrouchedcloseonthegroundwithhisheadonhispaws,andhisbrowneyesfasteneduponthehunter。
\"Hehadtoobigastartferus,\"saidWetzel,speakingasifthedogwerehuman。ItseemedthatWetzel\'swordswereaprotestagainstthemeaninginthoselarge,sadeyes。
Thenthehunterputoutthefire,and,searchingforamoresecludedspot,finallyfoundoneontopoftheledge,wherehecommandedagoodviewofhissurroundings。Thewearydogwasasleep。Wetzelsettledhimselftorest,andwassoonwrappedinslumber。
Aboutnoonheawoke。Hearose,stretchedhislimbs,andthentookaneasypositiononthefrontoftheledge,wherehecouldlookbelow。Evidentlythehunterwaswaitingforsomething。Thedogslepton。Itwasthenoondayhour,whenthestillnessoftheforestalmostmatchedthatofmidnight。Thebirdsweremorequietthanatanyothertimeduringdaylight。
Wetzelreclinedtherewithhisheadagainstthestone,andhisriflerestingacrosshisknees。
Helistenednowtothesoundsoftheforest。Thesoftbreezeflutteringamongtheleaves,therain—callofthetreefrog,thecawofcrowsfromdistanthilltops,thesweetsongsofthethrushandoriole,wereblendedtogethernaturally,harmoniously。
Butsuddenlythehunterraisedhishead。Anote,deeperthantheothers,alittletoostrong,camefromfardowntheshadedhollow。ToWetzel\'strainedearitwasadiscord。Hemanifestednomorethanthisattention,forthebirdcallwasthesignalhehadbeenawaiting。Hewhistledanoteinanswerthatwasasdeepandclearastheonewhichhadrousedhim。
Momentspassed。Therewasnorepetitionofthesound。Thesongsoftheotherbirdshadceased。BesidesWetzeltherewasanotherintruderinthewoods。
Moseliftedhisshaggyheadandgrowled。Thehunterpattedthedog。Inafewminutesthefigureofatallmanappearedamongthelaurelsdowntheslope。Hestoppedwhilegazingupattheledge。Then,withnoiselessstep,heascendedtheridge,climbedtherockyledge,andturnedthecornerofthestonetofaceWetzel。ThenewcomerwasJonathanZane。
\"Jack,Iexpectedyouaforethis,\"wasWetzel\'sgreeting。
\"Icouldn\'tmakeitsooner,\"answeredZane。\"AfterweleftWilliamsonandseparated,Igotturnedaroundbyabandofseveralhundredredskinsmakin\'
fortheVillageofPeace。Iwentbackagain,butcouldn\'tfindanysignofthetrailwe\'rehuntin\'。ThenImakesforthismeetin\'place。I\'vebeengoin\'forsometenhours,andamhungry。\"
\"I\'vegotsomebarreadycooked,\"saidWetzel,handingZaneseveralstripsofmeat。
\"Whatluckdidyouhave？\"
\"IfoundGirty\'strail,anoldone,overheresomeeighteenortwentymiles,an\'folleredituntilIwentalmostintotheDelawaretown。Itledtoahutinadeepravine。Iain\'toftensurprised,butIwusthen。Ifoundthedeadbodyofthatgirl,KateWells,wefetchedoverfromFortHenry。Thet\'ssad,butitain\'tthesurprisin\'part。IalsofoundSilvertip,theShawneeI\'vebeenlookin\'fer。Hewasallknockedan\'cutup,deader\'nastone。There\'dbeensomethin\'ofascrapinthehut。IcalkilateGirtymurderedKate,butI
couldn\'tthinkthenwhodidferSilver,thoughIallowedtherenegademighthevdonethet,too。Iwatchedroundan\'seenGirtycomebacktothehut。HehadtenInjunswithhim,an\'presentlytheyallmadeferthewest。Itrailedthem,butdidn\'tcalkilateit\'dbewisetotacklethebunchsingle—handed,solaidback。AmileorsofromthehutIcameacrosshosstracksminglin\'withthemoccasin—prints。AboutfifteenmileorfromtheDelawaretown,Girtylefthisbuckskins,an\'theywentwest,whilehestucktothehosstracks。Iwasontohisgameinaminute。IcutacrosscountryferBeautifulSpring,butI
gottheretoolate。IfoundthewarmbodiesofJoeandthetInjungirl,Winds。
Thesnakehedmurderedthem。\"
\"IallowJoewonoverWinds,gotawayfromtheDelawaretownwithher,triedtorescueKate,andkilledSilverinthefight。Girtyprobablywassurprised,an\'runafterhehadknifedthegirl。\"
\"\'Pearssotome。Joehadtwoknifecuts,an\'onewasanoldwound。\"
\"Yousayitwasabadfight？\"
\"Musthevbeen。Thehutwasallknockedin,an\'stuffscatteredabout。Wal,Joecouldgosomeifheonctgotstarted。\"
\"I\'llbethecould。HewasthelikeliestladI\'veseenformanyaday。\"
\"Ifhe\'dlasted,he\'dbeensomethin\'ofahunteran\'fighter。\"
\"Toobad。ButLord！youcouldn\'tkeephimdown,nomorethanyoucanlotsofthesewildyoungchapsthatdriftouthere。\"
\"I\'llallowhehadthefeverbad。\"
\"Didyouhevtimetoburythem？\"
\"Ihedn\'ttimefermuch。Isunktheminthespring。\"
\"It\'saprettydeephole,\"saidZane,reflectively。\"Then,youandthedogtookGirty\'strail,butcouldn\'tcatchupwithhim。He\'snowwiththerenegadecutthroatsandhundredsofriledIndiansoverthereintheVillageofPeace。\"
\"Ireckonyou\'reright。\"
Alongsilenceensued,。Jonathanfinishedhissimplerepast,drankfromthelittlespringthattrickledunderthestone,and,sittingdownbythedog,smoothedouthislongsilkenhair。
\"Lew,we\'reprettygoodfriends,ain\'twe？\"heasked,thoughtfully。
\"Jack,youan\'thecolonelareallthefriendsIeverhed,\'ceptin\'thatboylyin\'quietbackthereinthewoods。\"
\"Iknowyouprettywell,andain\'tsayin\'awordaboutyourrunnin\'offfrommeonmanyahunt,butIwanttospeakplainaboutthisfellowGirty。\"
\"Wal？\"saidWetzel,asZanehesitated。
\"TwiceinthelastfewyearsyouandIhavehaditinforthesamemen,bothwhite—liveredtraitors。Youremember？FirstitwasMiller,whotriedtoruinmysisterBetty,andnextitwasJimGirty,whomurderedouroldfriend,asgoodanoldmanaseverworemoccasins。Wal,afterMillerranofffromthefort,wetrailedhimdowntotheriver,andIpointsacrossandsays,\'Youorme？\'andyousays,\'Me。\'YouwasBetty\'sfriend,andIknewshe\'dbeavenged。
Millerislyin\'quietinthewoods,andvioletshaveblossomedtwiceoverhisgrave,thoughyouneversaidaword;butIknowit\'struebecauseIknowyou。\"
Zanelookedeagerlyintothedarkfaceofhisfriend,hopingperhapstogetsomeverbalassurancetherethathisbeliefwastrue。ButWetzeldidnotspeak,andhecontinued:
\"Anotherdaynotsolongagowebothlookeddownatanoldfriend,andsawhiswhitehairmattedwithblood。He\'dbeenmurderedfornothin\'。AgainyouandmetrailedacowardandfoundhimtobeJimGirty。Iknewyou\'dbeenhuntin\'
himforyears,andsoIsays,\'Lew,youorme？\'andyousays,\'Me。\'\"Igiveintoyou,forIknewyou\'reabettermanthanme,andbecauseIwantedyoutohavethesatisfaction。Wal,themonthshavegoneby,andJimGirty\'sstilllivin\'andcarryin\'on。Nowhe\'soverthereafterthempoorpreachers。Iain\'tsayin\',Lew,thatyouhaven\'tmoreaginhimthanme,butIdosay,letmeinonitwithyou。Healwayshasagangofredskinswithhim;he\'safraidtotravelalone,elseyou\'dhadhimlongago。Twoofus\'llhavemorechancetogethim。Letmegowithyou。Whenitcomestoafinish,I\'llstandasidewhileyougiveittohim。I\'denjoyseein\'youcuthimfromshouldertohip。AfterheleavestheVillageofPeacewe\'llhithistrail,camponit,andsticktoituntilitendsinhisgrave。\"
Theearnestvoiceofthebackwoodsmanceased。Bothmenroseandstoodfacingeachother。Zane\'sbronzedfacewashardandtense,expressiveofanindomitablewill;Wetzel\'swascoldlydark,withfatefulresolve,asifhisdecreeofvengeance,oncegiven,wasasimmutableasdestiny。Thebig,hornyhandsgrippedinaviselikeclaspbornoffiercepassion,butnowordwasspoken。
Fartothewestsomewhere,abefrilledanddedizenedrenegadepursuedthewildtenorofhisways;perhaps,evennowsteepinghissoulinmorecrime,orstaininghishandsadeeperred,butsleepingorwaking,hedreamednotofthisdeadlycompactthatmeanthisdoom。
Thetwohuntersturnedtheirsternfacestowardthewest,andpassedsilentlydowntheridgeintothedepthsoftheforest。Darknessfoundthemwithinrifle—shotoftheVillageofPeace。Withthedogcreepingbetweenthem,theycrawledtoapositionwhichwould,indaylight,commandaviewoftheclearing。Then,whileonestoodguard,theotherslept。
Whenmorningdawnedtheyshiftedtheirpositiontothetopofalow,fern—coveredcliff,fromwhichtheycouldseeeverymovementinthevillage。
Allthemorningtheywatchedwiththatwonderfulpatienceofmenwhoknewhowtowait。Thevisitingsavageswerequiet,themissionariesmovedaboutinandoutoftheshopsandcabins;theChristianindiansworkedindustriouslyinthefields,whiletherenegadeslolledbeforeaprominentteepee。
\"Thisquietlooksbad,\"whisperedJonathantoWetzel。Noshoutswereheard;
notahostileIndianwasseentomove。
\"They\'vecometoadecision,\"whisperedJonathan,andWetzelansweredhim:
\"Iftheyhev,theChristiansdon\'tknowit。\"
Anhourlaterthedeeppealingofthechurchbellbrokethesilence。TheentirebandofChristianIndiansgatherednearthelargelogstructure,andthenmarchedinorderlyformtowardthemaplegrovewheretheservicewasalwaysheldinpleasantweather。ThismovementbroughttheIndianswithinseveralhundredyardsofthecliffwhereZaneandWetzellayconcealed。
\"There\'sHeckewelderwalkingwitholdmanWells,\"whisperedJonathan。\"There\'sYoungandEdwards,and,yes,there\'stheyoungmissionary,brotherofJoe。
\'Pearstomethey\'refoolishtoholdserviceinthefaceofallthoseriledInjuns。\"
\"Wuss\'nfoolish,\"answeredWetzel。
\"Look！Bygum！AsI\'malivin\'sinnertherecomesthewholecrowdofhostileredskins。They\'vegottheirguns,and——byGum！they\'repainted。Looksbad,bad！Notmuchfriendlinessaboutthatbunch！\"
\"Theyain\'tintendin\'tobepeaceable。\"
\"Bygum！You\'reright。Thereain\'toneofthemsettin\'down。\'PearstomeI
knowsomeofthemredskins。There\'sPipe,sureenough,andKotoxen。Bygum！
Ifthereain\'tShingiss;hewasfriendlyonce。\"
\"Noneofthem\'sfriendly。\"
\"Look！Lew,look！RightbehindPipe。Seethatlongwar—bonnet。AsI\'mabornsinner,that\'syouroldfriend,Wingenund。\'Pearstomewe\'veroundedupallouracquaintances。\"
Thetwobordermenlaycloseunderthetallfernsandwatchedtheproceedingswithsharpeyes。TheysawtheconvertedIndiansseatthemselvesbeforetheplatform。ThecrowdofhostileIndianssurroundedthegladeonallsides,excepton,which,singularlyenough,wasnexttothewoods。
\"Lookthar！\"exclaimedWetzel,underhisbreath。Hepointedofftotherightofthemapleglade。Jonathangazedinthedirectionindicated,andsawtwosavagesstealthilyslippingthroughthebushes,andbehindtrees。Presentlythesesuspiciousactingspies,orscouts,stoppedonalittleknollperhapsanhundredyardsfromtheglade。
Wetzelgroaned。
