Adventure Magazine Cover — page 131: what you’re looking at

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

War Wampum camp for many miles and had found no signs of white men. It was all the more baffling to realize the two men had been killed when hunters, as well as scouts, were thick in the forest. It was as bewildering as had been the appearance of the four painted scalps in the eastern trail after the scouts had passed over it and had found it clean. Those scalps had been mounted by Indians. Now these two men, one who would have been a strong ally, were dead—killed by arrows. Again the evidence pointed to a red man’s work. With the merriment silenced and the disappointment forgotten the savages wait- ed while the Wolf and his scouts trotted after the hunter to vanish in the timber. The last to disappear was Ninivois, second to Pontiac, perhaps, in his influence over the northern tribes. | for breakfast!’ Meekly growled, his eyes filling with trouble. “If it could only have been held back for two or three hours! Something’s wrong with our medi- cine.”’ “Tt’ll spoil their drinking, I’m afraid,” Ballou gloomily remarked. “Not a bit. They'll need their milk to make their hearts strong. Just wait and hear what Pontiac says about it.” Savage joy shone in the Conestoga’s eyes as he observed the consternation his coup had caused. And he softly sang: “Scarlet is its head, A Fox woman is wailing.” ie THE camp continued silent until Ae a scout reappeared. His wailing =* voice told the chiefs and warriors _that the Weasel had spoken with a straight tongue. At last Ninivois stalked from the woods. Behind him walked men with two stretchers as further testimony to the exactness of the Weasel’s statement. Sleep- ing Wolf and his scouts completed the pro- cession, singing a melancholy death song. Pontiac hurried on to the scene and was the first to greet Ninivois, saying: “Their bones shall be covered very deep. There is bad flesh around Sandusky.” The stretchers were placed on the ground by the central fire. Sleeping Wolf removed the blankets and revealed the stark forms of the Rat and his companion. Ninivois already had examined them to learn the nature of their wounds, and with lips 125 clamped tight stood with folded arms while Pontiac and Take investigated. When the war-chief straightened and stepped back Ninivois advanced and removed the arrow from the Rat’s neck and held it up and tersely exclaimed— “Ottawa.” | Take of the Hurons touched the two shafts that had killed the Fox and grimly remarked— “Ottawa.” The Weasel pressed forward and held up the bow brought in on the Rat’s stretcher and added— “Ottawa.” “Does Ninivois and Take believe that one of my children fired those arrows?” demanded the vibrant voice of Pontiac. “Who knows who fired the arrows, great Pontiace”’ retorted Ninivois gloomily. ‘‘We only know they are Ottawa hunting- arrows and that the bow is an Ottawa bow.” “Ottawa arrows can be made, or found. No man in this camp killed these two men. If the arrows were Huron, or Shawnee arrows, would my brother say a Shawnee, or a Huron fired them? We all know he would not. Sadness fills my brother’s heart, and yet he knows, as all my Ottawas know, that the Rat was the friend of Pon- -tiac and was coming to bring me Fox warriors who did not follow Ninivois. The death of the Rat makes Pontiac’s heart very heavy. What will Tamaque say when he comes and finds the Rat has gone among the ghosts and no longer wants the white woman? If Pontiac does not give the guns and end a trade the Rat began then Tamaque will turn back to the Ohio and refuse to help us. Is there any Ottawa so foolish as to drive fresh warriors away from Detroit when the fort is about to sur- render? We do not believe so. Pontiac will do this toward covering the bones of the Rat. He will give the guns to Tamaque and turn the white woman over to Ninivois.” He paused and was gratified to observe that his offer was making a deep impression on his lieutenant. Ninivois already com- manded all the Fox braves who had shown a willingness for war. The Rat had sufficient influence to bring more of the tribe to Pontiac’s aid, including all the breeds who had refused to follow the Fox chief. In parting with the fifty new guns Pentiac would be making a gift; for he could COnniclboooks (C@