Adventure Magazine Cover — page 106: what you’re looking at

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92 and left the six men to keep watch on us. But if we attempted to ride north we must pass through the bulk of their band. Miss Dearness came up to us, and I told her how the Sioux had thrown most of their men to the other side of the grove. She promptly said: “Tt doesn’t make sense. If they didn’t dare attack when all together what good will it do them to divide their forces?” “They will wait until dusk and creep in from both sides fe ‘And be shooting into each other,” she shot in. “Or stay out on the plain and wait for us to try and break through,” I concluded. “But if they don’t dare attack in force they must know we can stay here as long as they can stay out there. We can creep to the river and fish. We can make some kind of a raft and cross, or float down- stream. We can stay right here and eat our horses. The rivulet furnishes water. And there is a chance that some of our Chippewas may come up the river and give them battle. There’s more to it than a waiting campaign. They’re anxious to cage us up here until what? Whatever it is the time will be short.” She spoke in English and I translated it to the Pillager. His small eyes sparkled appreciatively and he declared: “Medicine Hair sees beyond the woods and hill. She can cail and send away a voice. She can send her eyes far up the river and over the plain. Look! Tell me what that means!” He was pointing to the south and at first I could make out nothing. Then I spied it, a thin stream of blue smoke. The girl promptly said in Chippewa: “The Sioux know help is coming. They will not attack until their friends come. That will be some time before morning. Soon the others will send up a smoke.” The meaning of the smoke was very obvious. Net a half-breed hunter, not a man at any post in our department who could not have read it. Even Probos would have understood. Yet the Pillager, a master at such things, heard her as if she had been an oracle. “Can the Medicine Hair’s eyes, when she calls them back, tell how many Sioux there are at the bottom of that smoke?” he humbly asked. ““As many as were here before you killed Adventure any,” she calmly replied. Then in English to me: “It’s reasonable to believe they belong to the same party and split up in two equal bands. So long as he believes in my manito, so much the braver will he be.” The chief began talking to himself in a guttural and almost audible voice and fell to fingering his bow nervously. His emotion was occasioned by the sight of the Six warriors out in front. They were beyond arrow range, and only by luck could a ball score any damage. They began running back and forth, and we saw they were heaping up dry grass. They paid no attention to us, being intent solely on answering the signal. With a leap the Pillager was on his horse and riding towards them, his bow held with arrow notched. He was not singing now, and as if in a trance the girl and I watched his progress. got into our heads we instinctively clasped hands. Back and forth scuttled the Sioux. Forward rode the Pillager. Then one of them chanced to discover him and, with a shout of fear, turned and made for his pony. I saw him go down with a Sioux arrow buried to the feathers in his back. With screams of rage the others snatched up their weapons, opened fire and then mounted their horses. With a whoop the Pillager charged at them, and they sep- arated in haste to let him pass through, but, when a bit beyond the fallen warrior, he brought his pony round on two hoofs and was making for the timber, swinging very low from the saddle as he rode. For a moment the speed of his mount was checked, then picked up a rattling pace, and the chief was sitting erect, waved some- thing round his head and sounded his ter- rible scalp-cry. “By heavens! But that was a coup worth counting!” I fiercely exclaimed. With a little shudder the girl reminded: “They could have come through the woods while we stood here. We’ve been very careless and 23 She ceased abruptly and stared down at our clasped hands. I was as much surprized as she. Cer- tainly I was no more conscious than she of having taken her hand. It was three years since I had taken a white woman’s hand. In no way was the experience dis- pleasing. | : ‘“‘Hle may need help,”’ she said, releasing As the drama of the situation Eomicbooks.co mn