第13章

FinallyJimwenttoconsultGlickhican。HefoundtheDelawareatworkinthepotatopatch。TheoldIndiandroppedhishoeandbowedtothemissionary。A

reverentialandstatelycourtesyalwayscharacterizedtheattitudeoftheIndianstowardtheyoungwhitefather。

"Glickhican,canyoutellmewhynoIndianshavecomeherelately？"

Theoldchiefshookhishead。

"DoestheirabsencesignifyilltotheVillageofPeace？"

"Glickhicansawablackbirdflittingintheshadowofthemoon。ThebirdhoveredabovetheVillageofPeace,butsangnosong。"

TheoldDelawarevouchsafednootherthanthisstrangereply。

Jimreturnedtohiscabindecidedlyworried。HedidnotatalllikeGlickhican\'sanswer。ThepurportofitseemedtobethatacloudwasrisingonthebrighthorizonoftheChristianvillage。HeconfidedhisfearstoYoungandEdwards。Afterdiscussingthesituation,thethreemissionariesdecidedtosendforHeckewelder。HewastheleaderoftheMission;heknewmoreofIndiancraftthananyofthem,andhowtomeetit。IfthiscalmintheheretoforebusylifeoftheMissionwasthelullbeforeastorm,Heckeweldershouldbetherewithhisexperienceandinfluence。

"FornearlytenyearsHeckewelderhasanticipatedtroublefromhostilesavages,"saidEdwards,"butsofarhehasalwaysavertedit。Asyouknow,hehasconfinedhimselfmostlytopropitiatingtheIndians,andpersuadingthemtobefriendly,andlistentous。We\'llsendforhim。"

AccordinglytheydispatchedarunnertoGoshocking。InduetimetheIndianreturnedwiththestartlingnewsthatHeckewelderhadlefttheIndianvillagedaysbefore,ashad,infact,allthesavagesexceptthefewconvertedones。

ThesameheldtrueinthecaseofSandusky,theadjoiningtown。Moreover,ithadbeenimpossibletoobtainanynewsinregardtoZeisberger。

Themissionarieswerenowthoroughlyalarmed,andknewnotwhattodo。TheyconcealedtherealstateofaffairsfromNellandheruncle,desiringtokeepthemfromanxietyaslongaspossible。Thatnightthethreeteacherswenttobedwithheavyhearts。

Thefollowingmorningatdaybreak,Jimwasawakenedfromasoundsleepbysomeonecallingathiswindow。Hegotuptolearnwhoitwas,and,inthegraylight,sawEdwardsstandingoutside。

"What\'sthematter？"questionedJim,hurriedly。

"Matterenough。Hurry。Getintoyourclothes,"repliedEdwards。"Assoonasyouaredressed,quietlyawakenMr。WellsandNellie,butdonotfrightenthem。"

"Butwhat\'sthetrouble？"queriedJim,ashebegantodress。

"TheIndiansarepouringintothevillageasthicklyasflyingleavesinautumn。"

Edwards\'exaggeratedassertionprovedtobealmostliterallytrue。Nosoonerhadtherisingsundispelledthemist,thanitshoneonlonglinesofmarchingbraves,mountedwarriors,hundredsofpackhorsesapproachingfromtheforests。

Theorderlyprocessionwasproofofaconcertedplanonthepartoftheinvaders。

Fromtheirwindowsthemissionarieswatchedwithbatedbreath;withwonderandfeartheysawthelonglinesofduskyforms。Whentheywereintheclearingthesavagesbusiedthemselveswiththeirpacks。Longrowsofteepeessprungupasifbymagic。Thesavageshadcometostay！Thenumberofincomingvisitorsdidnotlessenuntilnoon,whenafewstragglinggroupsmarkedtheendoftheinvadinghost。Mostsignificantofallwasthefactthatneitherchild,maiden,norsquawaccompaniedthisarmy。

Jimappraisedthenumberatsixorsevenhundred,morethanhadeverbeforevisitedthevillageatonetime。TheyweremostlyDelawares,withmanyShawnees,andafewHuronsamongthem。Itwassoonevident,however,thatforthepresent,atleast,theIndiansdidnotintendanyhostiledemonstration。

Theywerequietinmanner,andbusyabouttheirteepeesandcamp—fires,buttherewasanabsenceofthecuriositythathadcharacterizedtheformersojournsofIndiansatthepeacefulvillage。

Afterabriefconsultationwithhisbrothermissionaries,whoallwereopposedtohispreachingthatafternoon,Jimdecidedhewouldnotdeviatefromhisusualcustom。Heheldtheafternoonservice,andspoketothelargestcongregationthathadeversatbeforehim。Hewassurprisedtofindthatthesermon,whichheretoforesostronglyimpressedthesavages,didnotnowarousetheslightestenthusiasm。Itwasfollowedbyabroodingsilenceofaboding,ominousimport。

Fourwhitemen,dressedinIndiangarb,hadbeenthemostattentivelistenerstoJim\'ssermon。HerecognizedthreeasSimonGirty,ElliottandDeering,therenegades,andhelearnedfromEdwardsthattheotherwasthenotoriousMcKee。

Thesemenwentthroughthevillage,stalkingintotheshopsandcabins,andactingasdomenwhoareonatourofinspection。

SointrusivewastheircuriositythatJimhurriedbacktoMr。Well\'scabinandremainedthereinseclusion。Ofcourse,bythistimeNellandheruncleknewofthepresenceofthehostilesavages。Theywerefrightened,andbarelyregainedtheircomposurewhentheyoungmanassuredthemhewascertaintheyhadnorealcauseforfear。

JimwassittingatthedoorstepwithMr。WellsandEdwardswhenGirty,withhiscomrades,cametowardthem。Therenegadeleaderwasatall,athleticman,withadark,strongface。Therewasinitnoneofthebrutalityandferocitywhichmarkedhisbrother\'svisage。SimonGirtyappearedkeen,forceful,authoritative,as,indeed,hemusthavebeentohaveattainedthepowerheheldintheconfederatedtribes。Hiscompanionspresentedwidecontrasts。

Elliottwasasmall,sparemanofcunning,vindictiveaspect;McKeelooked,asmighthavebeensupposedfromhisreputation,andDeeringwasafitmatefortheabsentGirty。Simonappearedtobeamanofsomeintelligence,whohadusedallhispowertomakethatpositionagreatone。Theotherrenegadesweredesperadoes。

"Where\'sHeckewelder？"askedGirty,curtly,ashestoppedbeforethemissionaries。

"HestartedoutfortheIndiantownsontheMuskingong,"answeredEdwards。

"ButwehavehadnowordfromeitherhimorZeisberger。"

"Whend\'yeexpecthim？"

"Ican\'tsay。Perhapsto—morrow,andthen,again,maybenotforaweek。"

"Heisinauthorityhere,ain\'the？"

"Yes;butheleftmeinchargeoftheMission。CanIserveyouinanyway？"

"Ireckonnot,"saidtherenegade,turningtohiscompanions。Theyconversedinlowtonesforamoment。PresentlyMcKee,ElliottandDeeringwenttowardthenewlyerectedteepees。

"Girty,doyoumeanusanyillwill？"earnestlyaskedEdwards。Hehadmetthemanonmorethanoneoccasion,andhadnohesitationaboutquestioninghim。

"Ican\'tsayasIdo,"answeredtherenegade,andthosewhoheardhimbelievedhim。"ButI\'maginthisredskinpreachin\',an\'hevbeenallalong。Theinjunsaremadclearthrough,an\'Iain\'tsayin\'I\'vetriedtoquiet\'emany。Thismissionaryworkhasgottobestopped,onewayoranother。NowwhatIwaitedheretosayisthis:Iain\'tquiteforgotIwaswhiteonce,an\'believeyoufellarsarehonest。I\'mwillin\'togooutermywaytohelpyougitawayfromhere。"

"Goaway？"echoedEdwards。

"That\'sit,"answeredGirty,shoulderinghisrifle。

"Butwhy？Weareperfectlyharmless;weareonlydoinggoodandhurtnoone。

Whyshouldwego？"

"\'Causethere\'sliabletobetrouble,"saidtherenegade,significantly。

EdwardsturnedslowlytoMr。WellsandJim。Theoldmissionarywastremblingvisibly。Jimwaspale;butmorewithangerthanfear。

"Thankyou,Girty,butwe\'llstay,"andJim\'svoicerangclear。

ChapterXXI。

"Jim,comeouthere,"calledEdwardsatthewindowofMr。Wells\'cabin。

Theyoungmanarosefromthebreakfasttable,andwhenoutsidefoundEdwardsstandingbythedoorwithanIndianbrave。HewasaWyandotlightlybuilt,litheandwiry,easilyrecognizableasanIndianrunner。WhenJimappearedthemanhandedhimasmallpacket。Heunwoundafewfoldsofsomeoilyskintofindasquarepieceofbirchbark,uponwhichwerescratchedthefollowingwords:

"Rev。J。Downs。Greeting。

"Yourbrotherisaliveandsafe。WhisperingWindsrescuedhimbytakinghimasherhusband。LeavetheVillageofPeace。PipeandHalfKinghavebeeninfluencedbyGirty。

"Zane。"

"Now,whatdoyouthinkofthat？"exclaimedJim,handingthemessagetoEdwards。"ThankHeaven,Joewassaved！"

"Zane？ThatmustbetheZanewhomarriedTarhe\'sdaughter,"answeredEdwards,whenhehadreadthenote。"I\'mrejoicedtohearofyourbrother。"

"JoemarriedtothatbeautifulIndianmaiden！Well,ofallwonderfulthings,"

musedJim。"WhatwillNellsay？"

"We\'regettingwarningsenough。Doyouappreciatethat？"askedEdwards。

"\'PipeandHalfKinghavebeeninfluencedbyGirty。\'Evidentlythewriterdeemedthatbriefsentenceofsufficientmeaning。"

"Edwards,we\'repreachers。Wecan\'tunderstandsuchthings。Iamlearning,atleastsomethingeveryday。ColonelZaneadvisedusnottocomehere。Wetzelsaid,\'GobacktoFortHenry。\'Girtywarnedus,andnowcomesthisperemptoryorderfromIsaacZane。"

"Well？"

"Itmeansthatthesebordermenseewhatwewillnotadmit。WeministershavesuchhopeandtrustinGodthatwecannotrealizethedangersofthislife。I

fearthatourworkhasbeeninvain。"

"Never。Wehavealreadysavedmanysouls。Donotbediscouraged。"

Allthistimetherunnerhadstoodnearathandstraightasanarrow。

PresentlyEdwardssuggestedthattheWyandotwaswaitingtobequestioned,andaccordinglyheaskedtheIndianifhehadanythingfurthertocommunicate。

"Huron——goby——paleface。"Hereheheldupbothhandsandshuthisfistsseveraltimes,evidentlyenumeratinghowmanywhitemenhehadseen。

"Here——when——high——sun。"

Withthatheboundedlightlypastthem,andlopedoffwithaneven,swingingstride。

"Whatdidhemean？"askedJim,almostsurehehadnotheardtherunneraright。

"Hemeantthatapartyofwhitemenareapproaching,andwillbeherebynoon。

IneverknewanIndianrunnertocarryunreliableinformation。Wehavejoyfulnews,bothinregardtoyourbrother,andtheVillageofPeace。Letusgointotelltheothers。"

TheHuronrunner\'sreportprovedtobecorrect。ShortlybeforenoonsignalsfromIndianscoutsproclaimedtheapproachofabandofwhitemen。EvidentlyGirty\'sforceshadknowledgebeforehandoftheproximityofthisband,forthesignalscreatednoexcitement。TheIndiansexpressedonlyalazycuriosity。

SoonseveralDelawarescoutsappeared,escortingalargepartyoffrontiersmen。

ThesementurnedouttobeCaptainWilliamson\'sforce,whichhadbeenoutonanexpeditionafteramaraudingtribeofChippewas。Thislastnamedtribehadrecentlyharriedtheremotesettlers,andcommitteddepredationsontheoutskirtsofthewhitesettlementseastward。ThecompanywascomposedofmenwhohadservedinthegarrisonatFortPitt,andhuntersandbackwoodsmenfromYellowCreekandFortHenry。Thecaptainhimselfwasatypicalborderman,roughandbluff,hardenedbylongyearsofborderlife,and,likemostpioneers,havingnomoreuseforanIndianthanforasnake。Hehadledhispartyafterthemarauders,andsurprisedandslaughterednearlyallofthem。

ReturningeastwardhehadpassedthroughGoshocking,wherehelearnedofthemutteringstormrisingovertheVillageofPeace,andhadcomemoreoutofcuriositythanhopetoavertmisfortune。

Theadventofsomanyfrontiersmenseemedagodsendtotheperplexedandworriedmissionaries。Theywelcomedthenewcomersmostheartily。Bedsweremadeinseveralofthenewlyerectedcabins;thevillagewasgivenoverforthecomfortofthefrontiersmen。EdwardsconductedCaptainWilliamsonthroughtheshopsandschools,andtheoldborderman\'sweather—beatenfaceexpressedacomicalsurprise。

"Wal,I\'llbedurnedifIeverexpectedtoseearedskinwork,"washisonlycommentontheindustries。

"WearegreatlyalarmedbythepresenceofGirtyandhisfollowers,"saidEdwards。"Wehavebeenwarnedtoleave,buthavenotbeenactuallythreatened。

Whatdoyouinferfromtheappearancehereofthesehostilesavages？"

"Ithardly\'pearstomethey\'llbotheryoupreachers。They\'reagintheChristianredskins,that\'splain。"

"Whyhavewebeenwarnedtogo？"

"That\'snatural,seein\'they\'reaginthepreachin\'。"

"WhatwilltheydowiththeconvertedIndians？"

"Mightyonsartin。Theymightletthemgobacktothetribes,but\'pearstomethesegoodInjunswon\'tgo。Anotherthing,GirtyisafeeredofthespreadofChristianity。"

"ThenyouthinkourChristianswillbemadeprisoners？"

"\'Pearslikely。"

"Andyou,also,thinkwe\'ddowelltoleavehere。"

"Ido,sartin。We\'restartin\'forFortHenrysoon。You\'dbettercomealongwithus。"

"CaptainWilliamson,we\'regoingtostickitout,GirtyornoGirty。"

"Youcan\'tdonogoodstayin\'here。PipeandHalfKingwon\'tstandforthesingin\',prayin\'redskins,especiallywhenthey\'vegotallthesecattleandfieldsofgrain。"

"Wetzelsaidthesame。"

"HevyouseenWetzel？"

"Yes;herescuedagirlfromJimGirty,andreturnedhertous。"

"Thatso？ImetWetzelandJackZanebackafewmilesinthewoods。They\'relayin\'forsomebody,becausewhenIaskedthemtocomealongtheyrefused,sayin\'theyhadworkasmustbedone。Theylookedlikeit,too。IneverherntellofWetzeladvisin\'anyonebefore;butI\'llsayifhetoldmetodoathing,byGosh！I\'ddoit。"

"Asmen,wemightverywelltaketheadvicegivenus,butaspreacherswemuststayheretodoallwecanfortheseChristianIndians。Onethingmore:willyouhelpus？"

"IreckonI\'llstayheretoseethethingout,"answeredWilliamson。Edwardsmadeamentalnoteofthefrontiersman\'sevasiveanswer。

Jimhad,meanwhile,madetheacquaintanceofayoungminister,JohnChristybyname,whohadlosthissweetheartinoneoftheChippewaraids,andhadaccompaniedtheWilliamsonexpeditioninthehopehemightrescueher。

"Howlonghaveyoubeenout？"askedJim。

"Aboutfourweeksnow,"answeredChristy。"Mybetrothedwascapturedfiveweeksagoyesterday。IjoinedWilliamson\'sband,whichmadeupatShortCreektotakethetrailoftheflyingChippewas,inthehopeImightfindher。Butnotatrace！TheexpeditionfelluponabandofredskinsoverontheWalhonding,andkillednearlyallofthem。IlearnedfromawoundedIndianthatarenegadehadmadeoffwithawhitegirlaboutaweekprevious。PerhapsitwaspoorLucy。"

JimrelatedthecircumstancesofhisowncapturebyJimGirty,therescueofNell,andKate\'ssadfate。

"CouldJimGirtyhavegottenyourgirl？"inquiredJim,inconclusion。

"It\'sfairlyprobable。Thedescriptiondoesn\'ttallywithGirty\'s。Thisrenegadewasshortandheavy,andnotedespeciallyforhisstrength。Ofcourse,anIndianwouldfirstspeakofsomesuchdistinguishingfeature。

Thereare,however,tenortwelverenegadesontheborder,and,exceptingJimGirty,one\'sasbadasanother。"

"Thenit\'sacommonoccurrence,thisabductinggirlsfromthesettlements？"

"Yes,andthestrangethingisthatoneneverhearsofsuchdoingsuntilhegetsoutonthefrontier。"

"Forthatmatter,youdon\'thearmuchofanything,exceptofthewonderfulrichnessandpromiseofthewesterncountry。"

"You\'reright。Rumorsoffat,fertilelandsinducethecolonisttobecomeapioneer。Hecomeswestwithhisfamily;twooutofeverytenlosetheirscalps,andinsomeplacestheaverageismuchgreater。Thewives,daughtersandchildrenarecarriedoffintocaptivity。Ihavebeenonthebordertwoyears,andknowthattherescueofanycaptive,asWetzelrescuedyourfriend,isaremarkableexception。"

"Ifyouhavesolittlehopeofrecoveringyoursweetheart,whatthenisyourmotiveforaccompanyingthisbandofhunters？"

"Revenge！"

"Andyouareapreacher？"Jim\'svoicedidnotdisguisehisastonishment。

"Iwasapreacher,andnowIamthirstingforvengeance,"answeredChristy,hisfacecloudingdarkly。"Waituntilyoulearnwhatfrontierlifemeans。Youareyounghereyet;youareflushedwiththesuccessofyourteaching;youhavelivedashorttimeinthisquietvillage,where,untilthelastfewdays,allhasbeenserene。Youknownothingofthestrife,ofthenecessityoffighting,ofthecrueltywhichmakesupthisborderexistence。OnlytwoyearshavehardenedmesothatIactuallypantforthebloodoftherenegadewhohasrobbedme。Afrontiersmanmusttakehischoiceofsuccumbingorcuttinghiswaythroughfleshandbone。Bloodwillbespilled;ifnotyours,thenyourfoe\'s。Thepioneersrunfromtheplowtothefight;theyhaltinthecuttingofcorntodefendthemselves,andinwintermustbattleagainstcoldandhardship,whichwouldbelesscrueliftherewastimeinsummertoprepareforwinter,forthesavagesleavethemhardlyanopportunitytoplantcrops。Howmanypioneershavegivenup,andgonebackeast？Findmeanywhowouldnotreturnhometo—morrow,iftheycould。Allthatbringsthemouthereisthechanceforahome,andallthatkeepsthemouthereisthepoorhopeoffinallyattainingtheirobject。Alwaysthereisapossibilityoffutureprosperity。Butthisgeneration,ifitsurvives,willneverseeprosperityandhappiness。Whatdoesthisborderlifeengenderinapioneerwhoholdshisowninit？Ofallthings,notChristianity。Hebecomesafighter,keenastheredskinwhostealsthroughthecoverts。"

TheserenedaysoftheVillageofPeacehadpassedintohistory。Soonthatdepravedvagabond,theFrenchtrader,withcheaptrinketsandvilewhisky,madehisappearance。Thiswasallthatwasneededtoinflamethevisitors。

Wheretheyhadbeenonlyboldandimpudent,theybecameinsultingandabusive。

TheyexecratedtheChristianindiansfortheirneutrality;scornedthemforworshipingthisunknownGod,anddenouncedareligionwhichmadewomenofstrongmen。

Theslaughteringofcattlecommenced;thedespoilingofmaizefields,androbbingofcorn—cribsbeganwiththedrunkenness。

AllthistimeitwasseenthatGirtyandElliottconsultedoftenwithPipeandHalfKing。ThelatterwastheonlyHuronchiefopposedtoneutralitytowardtheVillageofPeace,andhewas,ifpossible,morefierceinhishatredthanPipe。ThefutureoftheChristiansettlementrestedwiththesetwochiefs。

GirtyandElliott,evidently,werethedesigningschemers,andtheyworkeddiligentlyonthepassionsofthesesimple—minded,butfierce,warlikechiefs。

Greatlytothereliefofthedistractedmissionaries,Heckewelderreturnedtothevillage。Jadedandhaggard,hepresentedatravel—wornappearance。HemadetheastonishingassertionsthathehadbeenthricewaylaidandassaultedonhiswaytoGoshocking;thendetainedbyarovingbandofChippewas,andsoonafterhisarrivalattheircampinggroundarenegadehadrunoffwithawhitewomancaptive,whiletheIndianswestofthevillagewereinanuproar。

Zeisberger,however,wassafeintheMoraviantownofSalem,somemileswestofGoshocking。HeckewelderhadexpectedtofindthesameconditionofaffairsasexistedintheVillageofPeace;buthewasbewilderedbythegreatarrayofhostileIndians。Chiefswhohadonceextendedfriendlyhandstohim,nowdrewbackcoldly,astheysaid:

"Washingtonisdead。TheAmericanarmiesarecuttopieces。ThefewthousandswhohadescapedtheBritisharecollectingatFortPitttostealtheIndian\'sland。"

Heckeweldervigorouslydeniedalltheseassertions,knowingtheyhadbeeninventedbyGirtyandElliott。HeexhaustedallhisskillandpatienceinthevainendeavortoshowPipewherehewaswrong。HalfKinghadbeensowellcoachedbytherenegadesthatherefusedtolisten。Theotherchiefsmaintainedacoldreservethatwasbafflingandexasperating。Wingenundtooknoactivepartinthecouncils;buthispresenceapparentlydenotedthathehadsidedwiththeothers。Theoutlookwasaltogetherdiscouraging。

"I\'mcompletelyfaggedout,"declaredHeckewelder,thatnightwhenhereturnedtoEdwards\'cabin。Hedroppedintoachairasonewhosestrengthisentirelyspent,whoseindomitablespirithasatlastbeenbroken。

"Liedowntorest,"saidEdwards。

"Oh,Ican\'t。Matterslooksoblack。"

"You\'retiredoutanddiscouraged。You\'llfeelbetterto—morrow。Thesituationisnot,perhaps,sohopeless。Thepresenceofthesefrontiersmenshouldencourageus。"

"Whatwilltheydo？Whatcantheydo？"criedHeckewelder,bitterly。"ItellyouneverbeforehaveIencounteredsuchgloomy,stonyIndians。Itseemstomethattheyareinnovacillatingstate。Theyactlikemenwhosecourseisalreadydecidedupon,andwhoareonlywaiting。"

"Forwhat？"askedJim,afteralongsilence。

"Godonlyknows！Perhapsforatime;possiblyforafinaldecision,and,itmaybe,forareason,theverythoughtofwhichmakesmefaint。"

"Tellus,"saidEdwards,speakingquietly,forhehadeverbeenthecalmestofthemissionaries。

"Nevermind。Perhapsit\'sonlymynerves。I\'mallunstrung,andcouldsuspectanythingto—night。"

"Heckewelder,tellus？"Jimasked,earnestly。

"Myfriends,IprayIamwrong。Godhelpusifmyfearsarecorrect。IbelievetheIndiansarewaitingforJimGirty。

ChapterXXII。

SimonGirtylolledonablanketinHalfKing\'steepee。Hewasalone,awaitinghisallies。RingsofwhitesmokecurledlazilyfromhislipsashepuffedonalongIndianpipe,andgazedoutovertheclearingthatcontainedtheVillageofPeace。

Stillwaterhassomethinginitsplacidsurfacesignificantofdeepchannels,ofhiddendepths;thedimoutlineoftheforestisdarkwithmeaning,suggestiveofitswildinternalcharacter。SoSimonGirty\'shard,bronzedfacebetrayedtheman。Hisdegeneratebrother\'sfeatureswererevolting;buthisownwerestriking,andfellshortofbeinghandsomeonlybecauseoftheircraggyhardness。Yearsofrevolt,ofbitterness,ofconsciousnessofwastedlife,hadgraventheirsternlinesonthatcopper,masklikeface。Yetdespitethecrueltythere,theforbiddingshadeonit,asifareflectionfromadarksoul,itwasnotwhollyabadcountenance。Tracesstilllingered,faintly,ofamaninwhomkindlierfeelingshadoncepredominated。

InamomentofpiqueGirtyhaddesertedhismilitarypostatFortPitt,andbecomeanoutlawofhisownvolition。Previoustothattimehehadbeenanablesoldier,andagoodfellow。Whenherealizedthathisstepwasirrevocable,thatevenhisbestfriendscondemnedhim,heplunged,withangeranddespairinhisheart,intoawaruponhisownrace。Bothofhisbrothershadlongbeenborderruffians,whoseonlyprotectionfromtheoutragedpioneerslayinthefarawaycampsofhostiletribes。GeorgeGirtyhadsosunkhisindividualityintothesavage\'sthathewasnolongerawhiteman。JimGirtystalkedovertheborderlandwithabloodytomahawk,hislongarmoutstretchedtoclutchsomeunfortunatewhitewoman,andwithhishideoussmileofdeath。Bothofthesemenwerefarlowerthantheworstsavages,anditwasalmostwhollytotheirdeedsofdarknessthatSimonGirtyowedhisinfamousname。

To—dayWhiteChief,asGirtywascalled,awaitedhismen。Aslighttremorofthegroundcausedhimtoturnhisgaze。TheHuronchief,HalfKing,resplendentinhismagnificentarray,hadenteredtheteepee。Hesquattedinacorner,restedthebowlofhisgreatpipeonhisknee,andsmokedinsilence。Thehabitualfrownofhisblackbrow,likeashaded,overhangingcliff;thefireflashingfromhiseyes,asashininglightisreflectedfromadarkpool;hisclosely—shut,bulgingjaw,allbespokeanature,loftyinitsIndianprideandarrogance,butmorecruelthandeath。

Anotherchiefstalkedintotheteepeeandseatedhimself。ItwasPipe。HiscountenancedenotednoneoftheintelligencethatmadeWingenund\'sfacesonoble;itwasevencoarserthanHalfKing\'s,andhiseyes,resemblinglivecoalsinthedark;thelong,cruellinesofhisjaw;thethin,tightly—closedlips,whichlookedasiftheycouldrelaxonlytoutterasavagecommand,expressedfiercecunningandbrutality。

"WhiteChiefisidleto—day,"saidHalfKing,speakingintheIndiantongue。

"King,Iamwaiting。Girtyisslow,butsure,"answeredtherenegade。

"Theeaglesailsslowlyroundandround,upandup,"repliedHalfKing,withmajesticgestures,"untilhiseyeseesall,untilheknowshistime;thenhefoldshiswingsandswoopsdownfromtheblueskyliketheforkedfire。SodoesWhiteChief。ButHalfKingisimpatient。"

"To—daydecidesthefateoftheVillageofPeace,"answeredGirty,imperturbably。

"Ugh！"gruntedPipe。

HalfKingventedhisapprovalinthesamemeaningexclamation。

Anhourpassed;therenegadesmokedinsilence;thechiefsdidlikewise。

Ahorsemanrodeuptothedooroftheteepee,dismounted,andcamein。ItwasElliott。Hehadbeenabsenttwentyhours。Hisbuckskinsuitshowedtheeffectofhardridingthroughthethickets。

"Hullo,Bill,anysignofJim？"wasGirty\'sgreetingtohislieutenant。

"Nary。He\'snotbeenseenneartheDelawarecamp。He\'safterthatchapwhomarriedWinds。"

"Ithoughtso。Jim\'sroundin\'upatenderfootwhowillbeabadmantohandleifhehashalfachance。IsawasmuchthedayhetookhishorseawayfromSilver。HefinallydidfertheShawnee,an\'almostputJimout。Mybrotheroughtn\'ttogivereintopersonalrevengeatatimelikethis。"Girty\'sfacedidnotchange,buthistonewasoneofannoyance。

"Jimsaidhe\'dbehereto—day,didn\'the？"

"To—dayisaslongasweallowedtowait。"

"He\'llcome。Where\'sJakeandMac？"

"They\'reheresomewhere,drinkin\'likefish,an\'raisin\'hell。"

Twomorerenegadesappearedatthedoor,and,enteringtheteepee,squatteddowninIndianfashion。ThelittlewirymanwiththewizenedfacewasMcKee;

theotherwasthelatestacquisitiontotherenegadeforce,JakeDeering,deserter,thief,murderer——everythingthatisbad。Inappearancehewasofmediumheight,butveryheavily,compactlybuilt,andevidentlyasstrongasanox。Hehadatangledshockofredhair,abroad,bloatedface;big,dulleyes,liketheopeningsofemptyfurnaces,andanexpressionofbeastliness。

DeeringandMcKeewereintoxicated。

"Badtimeferdrinkin\',"saidGirty,withdisapprovalinhisglance。

"What\'sthatteryou？"growledDeering。"I\'mhereterdoyourwork,an\'I

reckonit\'llbedonebetterifI\'mdrunk。"

"Don\'tgitcareless,"repliedGirty,withthatcooltoneanddarklooksuchasdangerousmenuse。"I\'monlysayin\'it\'sabadtimeferyou,becauseifthisbunchoffrontiersmenhappentogitontoyoubein\'therenegadethatwaswiththeChippewasan\'gotthetyoungfeller\'sgirl,there\'sliabletobetrouble。"

"Theyain\'tagoin\'terfindout。"

"Whereisshe？"

"Backthereinthewoods。"

"Mebbeit\'saswell。Now,don\'tgitsodrunkyou\'llblaballyouknow。We\'velotsofworktodowithouthavin\'tocleanupWilliamson\'sbunch,"rejoinedGirty。"Bill,tieupthetentflapsan\'we\'llgittocouncil。"

Elliottarosetocarryouttheorder,andhadpulledinthedeer—hideflaps,whenoneofthemwasjerkedoutwardtodisclosethebefrilledpersonofJimGirty。Exceptforadiscolorationoverhiseye,heappearedasusual。

"Ugh！"gruntedPipe,whowasgladtoseehisrenegadefriend。

HalfKingevincedthesamefeeling。

"Hullo,"wasSimonGirty\'sgreeting。

"\'PearsI\'montimeferthepicnic,"saidJimGirty,withhisghastlyleer。

BillElliottclosedtheflaps,aftergivingorderstotheguardtopreventanyIndiansfromloiteringneartheteepee。

"Listen,"saidSimonGirty,speakinglowintheDelawarelanguage。"Thetimeisripe。Wehavecomeheretobreakforevertheinfluenceofthewhiteman\'sreligion。Ourcouncilshavebeenheld;weshalldriveawaythemissionaries,andburntheVillageofPeace。"