Adventure Magazine Cover — page 130: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

124 the camp during the drinking bout. Al- ready middle-aged warriors were depart- ing to the woods to select some hidden yet accessible spot where all but the bows and muskets could be concealed. For fear their weapons might be snatched from them the police would be armed only with clubs. Because of the chance that rain might fall before the spree was finished, and spoil bow-strings and ruin primings, it had been agreed that all bows and musk- ets should be stored in Pontiac’s cabin. The winners were heaping gifts of beaded bags, pipes and knives upon the gambler who had won, and the line of cleavage between the fortunate and the disappointed was sharpiy drawn. The hunters began to return with game for the feasting. To the accompaniment of a Chippewa drum an elderly warrior was improvising a song in honor of the successful gambler. Ballou and Meekly repeatedly glanced at the sun. Now the elderly warrior had his song ready for rendition, and as his voice began a recital of praise all voices were hushed. The singer had given the name of the gambler and was eulogizing him with no small praise when a peculiar, quavering cry stilled his voice. Men sprang to their feet and stared toward the long timber line.” The cry was repeated, and a warrior yelped sharply and pointed. All beheld him now, one of the hunters making a belated re- turn. He was approaching from the north- west side of the camp and was running in a most eccentric manner, bounding from side to side, and occasionally stooping and tossing handfuls of dried grass above his head. Pontiac and Take ceased their conference. Ninivois hurried toward the great leader. “Who is it?” sharply demanded Ninivois, shading his eyes the better to behold the grotesquely dancing figure. “The Weasel. One of my Hurons,” said Take. Pontiac announced: “The Weasel has found something. He is telling us he has found something we should know now.” The hunter, now satisfied he had the camp’s undivided attention, ceased his zig-zag running and sped straight for the fires, his voice taking up the shrill yell of discovery. What was more disturbing to Pontiac and his warriors was the mourn- ful howl the hunter added after each stac- a Adventure cato yell. He had found something which would be bad news for his companions to learn. Pontiac called out for Sleeping Wolf to see that some of his scouts were armed and to hold them in readiness. The hunter, a young Huron, kept up his yelling and howling until well within the camp. Take cried out to him: ‘The Weasel makes a noise as if he had seen a ghost. Pontiac’s ears are open. Give us your talk.” “There are two dead men in the woods! There are two dead men in the woods! Their heads are red!” {OU announced the hunter. “Does the Weasel know who the dead men are?” calmly asked Pontiac. “One is a man from the Fox tribe. is shot with two arrows.” He paused as if to get his breath, in reality to score the highest dramatic effect. War- He riors and chiefs waited for his next words. , “Has the Weasel run away from his tongue?” harshly demanded Pontiac. “The other man is the Rat! He has an arrow thrqgh his throat! Both heads are red” (7. e., scalped), was the astounding . Climax. Even Pontiac could not conceal the shock — this intelligence inflicted. For several mo- ments he dared not trust his voice. Finally he said: ‘“‘The Weasel has been asleep and has had a bad dream. Or he has found some milk in the woods and is drunk.” “The Rat and a, Fox man are dead in the lake trail,’’ insisted the Weasel. “It is no dream. The Weasel has tasted no milk.” “Let Sleeping Wolf take men and follow the Weasel back to the trail,’”’ commanded Pontiac. “If the Rat and one of my men have been killed it is very bad,” spoke up Nini- vois. ‘TI will go with them.” “Tf they are dead their bones shall be covered,” cried Pontiac. He drew his blanket over his head and returned to his hut to meditate on this new misfortune, and to. speculate on its effect on his followers. He was deeply troubled by the mystery of it all. There were no Indians nearer than the Long House who were not thoroughly in sym- pathy with the war he was waging. Sleep- ing Wolf’s scouts had ranged about the COnnicloooks (C@