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

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The Long Knives But they’ve got you surrounded unless you float down the river.” “Good! We ask no more. faith. Now let’s to work. dark very fast.”’ ‘‘Just one thing more,” he insisted. “You must give me time to return to the village before you cut and run. They’d have my hide off in a jiffy if they thought Id helped you.” ‘You shall leave before we’ve finished. You shall have time to reach and speak with them before we run,” I promised. The darkness was hastened by the obscur- ing clouds; by the time we had passed a short distance beyond the clump of trees our range of vision was much lessened. The woods up-river were a blurred mass, and _ the broad cornfields a vague, smooth car- pet. Any savages spying on us from woods or corn must leave their coverts and ven- ture into the open if they would observe us closely. We discovered no signs of them closing in; Ball said they would be content to locate us by the sound of the pick and shovel. We worked rapidly, Durgin being worth the two of us, and soon we had our friend wrapped in his blankets and in- terred. ‘Two peeled wands were set in place to mark the grave. “Keep picking and shoveling like we hadn’t finished,” mumbled Durgin. “‘T’m to have time to reach the village be- fore you run for it,” Ball anxiously re- minded us. : “Start now,” said Durgin. far as the trees with you.” I knew the nature of his errand and pro- ceeded to make much noise with the shovel. Occasionally I spoke aloud after the two left me. It was difficult to distinguish their forms, for they kept between me and the trees. A few stars were in the west, but these would soon be blotted out by the on- sweeping clouds. As I paused to rest a_bit and listen for a spying step a savage stood at my side and gave me a rare start. ‘Which way do the white men run?” he whispered. “The Night Walker! Down the river— to Detroit. There’s a canoe under the bank where two trees rest on the ground.” “Shawnee men are behind the fallen trees. They crept down from the woods up-stream. I have filled my mouth with water and have blown it into the air to bring rain. I have swallowed the smoke of We'll keep It’s growing “ll go as : me. 125 my tobacco and have pointed my pipe to the clouds, and have waved my arms to make them chase after the hidden sun and make the darkness very thick like a black cloth. My white brother will be caught and tied if he goes for the canoe. The Naight Walker will bring it down here, and the Shawnee men will not hear him. When you hear a fish splash you will go down the bank and find it.” “You go with us?” “You will see me before you reach the mouth of the river. Shawnees and Dela- wares will not see me with you. When you see me in Detroit do not open a bag of talk. I shall be a warrior ready to fight against the Thirteen Fires.” He glided toward the river-bank, confi- dent that his conjuring had brought the clouds to hide our flight. I knew he was on the ground, working his way like a snake to the edge of the bank, but even at short range I could not see him. I pounded the spade and talked aloud. Finally Durgin came back and began feeding New Eng- land hymns to all listening ears. ‘““Ready to run for it?” he whispered. I explained the change in our plans and directed him to gain the bank and wait for And as he made off and as I could feel the red spies crawling in closer I clattered the pick and shovel and talked as if ad- dressing my companion. It seemed an interminable time that I waited to hear the soft splash of a fish. I~ feared the Night Walker had overesti- mated his cunning and had found the task of moving the canoe too delicate. I knew he would not permit himself to be discov- ered near the canoe; nor did I believe he would risk coming back to us to confess failure. His way would be to resume his rdle of hostility to all Americans and later explain that his cunning was not at fault, but that the medicine voice had warned him not to touch the canoe. That he would desert us while we were in danger never once entered my mind. But at last it came, audible only to listen- ing ears close to the bank. Bowing low, I softly ran to the bank, slipped down its steep slope and all but landed on Durgin’s broad back. He was kneeling and holding the canoe ready to push off. There was no sign of our flight being dis- covered as I steadied the craft and whis- pered to the New Englander to get aboard COMmicloo S ©