Adventure Magazine Cover — page 124: what you’re looking at

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

IIO chief’s offer, but his finesse was sharpened because of the girl’s peril. He replied— _ “After I have taken Medicine Hair back ta her father.”’ 7 This gave the Cat great pleasure. He pictured himself basking in the glory of his new sons the recipient of homage, the possessor of many scalps. He loudly an- nounced he would give a feast for the mighty Chippewa and forthwith directed his wives to prepare an abundance of stink- ing meat, corn and beans. The Indians scattered in all directions to make ready for the festival. Black Cat hurried off to see his commands were obeyed, and, witha glance at me, the Pillager walked beside him I remained before the hut. The door swung open a crack, then wide open, and Miss Dearness confronted me, her eyes searching mine anxiously. “When can we start from this place?” she whispered. “Very soon—in a few days.” “A few days!” she faintly exclaimed. “Something tells me we must start at once.” “The Pillager would say it is your medi- cine,”’ I bantered. “Tt is instinct. It has never failed me since I came to the Indian country. Let us start tonight!”’ “But that would invite danger. We must make a pretense of looking the villages over for trade purposes,” I protested. “Tf there is any vital, any immediate danger, of course we will start at once and fight for it. Now tell me just what has happened.” “Nothing has happened,” she slowly re- plied, her eyes staring into mine and yet not beholding me. ‘But I’m afraid—I am horribly afraid—different from anything I ever felt in my life—I’m never afraid of death.” With this she closed the door, leaving me standing there gaping like a zany. CHAPTER Ix AT THE MINNETAREE VILLAGE | aah next morning Flat Mouth and I went to Miss Dearness’ hut and, on her joining us at the porch, asked her to make ready for a trip to the Minnetaree villages a few miles above, situated on the Knife River. To attempt leaving the country without visiting these ‘Big Bel- lies,” as the trade had named them, would Adventure be to incur the wrath of Le Borgne and throw discredit on our story of represent- ing the N..W. Company and its plan to set up an opposition to the already estab- lished H. B. trader. The girl was afraid. Her bearing was calm and collected enough, but there were transient flashes in her big blue eyes, a curious trick of glancing sidewise through half closed lids, that bespoke a furtive fear. However, she readily agreed we must visit the upper villages to sustain our réle. She only insisted that we make all haste to have it over with. As I was anxious to go and return before Le Borgne came back, I directed Flat Mouth to engage men to cross our horses, promising them some handsome pipes when the traders arrived with their assortment of goods. The Mandans proved to be as expert in handling the horses in the river as they had been in collecting the driftwood. Hitching a line to a nag’s mouth, a brave would take the end between his teeth and swim ahead while others swam alongside and behind the animal. In this way the three were taken across quickly and drifted down-stream scarcely at all. When we landed from the bull-boat and mounted our horses, we were surrounded - by the entire village, every one being anxious to gaze on the white woman with the medicine hair. Miss Dearness would have drawn her capote over her head but the Pillager urged her not to, declaring that the belief she was a magician would help us much. So she rode between us with her oriflamme of a head glinting in the early sunlight and making me think of a maple turned red by the first frosts. Flat Mouth improvised a legend which he sung as we slowly made our way through the crowd. It was to the effect that beams of sunlight became imprisoned in the girl’s hair when she was born, and that their struggles to escape created the powerful medicine she possessed. Big Man walked by my side and in- formed me a hunting party of a hundred braves was due to arrive home after a three days’ trip and that, if we would postpone our visit to the Minnetarees, we could procure some fresh meat. feared lest the Minnetaree chief, Le Borgne, would be with this party, but Flat Mouth explained that the Minnetarees hunted to the southwest of the Knife and the Gomicbooks I immediately — (E@)