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。\"
