Adventure Magazine Cover — page 170: what you’re looking at

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

168 black once we git to the Lower Sandusky village. Better they treat us now, the worse they'll treat us when we make the village. I won’t need much killing. But you’re younger an’ stronger. You'll be stubborn an’ die hard. [’m nigh to eighty. Forty- odd year ago they’d had a rare time with me. My pride would a held me up. Now they won’t git much fun out of my dying.” “Merciful heavens!’ hoarsely whispered Knight, and he turned to stare at the leap- ing, gesticulating figures circling the scalp poles. , The older man casually explained: “Of course I tried to git killed along with Ben an’ Tom. Didn’t have no luck. Chief there is Cap’n Jimmy, his white name. Red name’s Little Beaver. If you see the slimmest chance for ducking out, grab it. Don’t make over your back track. Strike west an’ lose yourself. If you live to hit the Scioto, travel southwest to the Ohio and follow it down to Massie’s Station.* Asa fact you'll prob’ly be overhauled mighty sharp an’ sudden. But that’s all right if they don’t take you alive. That’s the prime pint I always tried to ding into our set- tlers. Never be took alive. Now see me! Trussed up like this! ’Low I'll raise the chief’s dander. Sometimes you can git them mad enough to swing an ax and cheat them- selves out of the torture.” He threw back his head and in the Huron dialect loudly called out: “Ho! Ho! They say a chief runs back whipped from a red path. They say he throws away his warriors like a foolish man. Has a wolf stepped over his gun and spoiled his medicine? His young men break away and bring twoscalps. Where are the scalps Little Beaver has taken?” The chief stared at him ferociously. A man near-by reached forward and struck him across the mouth. Bryant philosophically remarked: “Well, it didn’t work that time. Mebbe next time.” A man brought water in a kettle and held it up for Knight to drink, but gave the old man none. The latter mused: “Still treating you like a brother. wait.” “Pll not wait. Pll try to escape the first time my hands and feet are untied,” mut- tered the Virginian. Because of their two wounded men and * Manchester, Adams County, Ohio. But HUGH PENDEXTER the loot taken from two cabins on the Sandy the band covered not more than a dozen miles a day. During the three days they traveled up Symmes creek Bryant was loaded with plunder while Knight was com- pelled to carry nothing. He gladly would have shouldered the old man’s burden, but the later explained: “Best this way. If you git a glimmer of a chance to scoot you'll need all your strength. I couldn’t make a race of it if I iDotted bine shows jroute of Knight as | captive after had half a mile start. I've lived my years an’ I’ve sent a sizable number of them on ahead of me.” He paused and lifted his head the better to watch two men busy with something on the opposite side of the smalt fire. Then he was whispering, “They’re fixing black paint.” “Black paint!” gasped Knight. said I’d be painted black.”’ “Not yet. They’ll keep you to show at the village. Got to make some showing to offset the men he’s lost. The women folks would be mad if a prisoner wasn’t fetched in. Here they come. Keep a bold face.” Two men briskly advanced bearing a bowl taken from some settler’s cabin. This was filled with a rough paste made from charcoal and water. The other Wyan- dots gathered around to witness the cere- mony. A man released Bryant’s legs and jerked him roughly to his feet. The old man belligerently demanded: ‘‘Are you women to be afraid of a man about to talk with ghosts? Untie my hands. You are young and foolish men. You do not know how to paint a man who will do you great honor by the way he will die. Are you afraid?” The Indians approved of this sturdy bearing. He was old, just a shell of a man, “Vou GOMIIGIOO S (C@