Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 105 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

meres eee - Ci wr i —————————————_- - _hl SL Ss ~ > ..7 oe. Old Rube, the Hunter. ons ama ? cm " Cae ER ORS ES SRR + ot the place that is yours by right. do this, and all will be well. will not take the pipe, give him the skin of arrows, and come back to me.” band of the chief, and ran down the moun- tain side at the long lupe peculiar to the Indian, disappear among the lodges. Passing on to the central square to the opening before the council lodge, he began to call in a loud voice. A _ gray-haired chief asked him what he would have. “ Let the Hawk come forth and face me.” “What would my young brother do with the head chief? He has much work to do.” “Tet him come forth,’ demanded the other. The chief turned to a boy, and sent him to. the Hawk. He came soon, crowned with the eagle-feathers of the chief, and de- manded the business of the embassador. “IT. come from Meton, who has been driven forth from his lodge. I bring you his word. See what I hold in my right hand. It is a pipe. Its stem was cut, and its bowl carved by the medicine-men, many years ago. If you will take this, after I have told you the message of Meton, all will be well; but if, refusing to do this, you claim the other, it is here for you.” “Who is this Meton?” demanded the Hawk, angrily. “I do not know the man.” “Have you forgotten? Then I will tell you. He is one who was head chief of the village, whose place you have taken.” “T remember that there was such @ Let them bered them. He found that more than But if he half the fighting element of the village _ were away. influence of the old chiefs more than ‘in The young Crow took them from the | the young and hot-blooded portion of the They saw him cross the plain and | had no fear of the result. | ee | heads of the iw ®esting within a foot of his own, and u a tremor betrayed to them his situdtidt. Indeed, while they were pulling off the robes, he rolled a little closer to the wall, so as to remove his body from too close contact with the hides. | “Where is the white prisoner?” asked one. “ Next lodge,” replied the other. “Well done,” thought Rube. “ Thet is 8 good beginnin’.” “ What did he do to Meton? eh ?” His strength had been ‘in the community. Those who remained were the bravest and best of the tribe, and he He found that he had seventy men on whom he could rely, and that somewhat more than that number were opposed to him. He did not wonder that the exile had grown bold, and defied him, Night came, and found them ready. Huge fires had been lighted, not close to the village, but some rods away, so that, though the village lay in darkness, a broad “Try to take away the prophetess.” “Q©ouldn’t come to council, but hunting. | What has been done ?” | The other, in his concise way, gave an account of the proceedings at the council, and things which had transpired since then. From their talk, he came to a correct under- standing of the state of things in the vil- lage. The old hunter determined to see Char- lie. He judged rightly that the Indians would be busy in preparing for the fight, and he was in no fear of being taken. His disguise was perfect; none could have told him from an Indian. The two talked on for half an hour, giv- ing the spy a detailed account of the events of the day. Then a horn sounded, and they rose hurriedly, flung back the robes, and ran out of thelodge. Crawling on his hands and knees, Rube followed them to the door of the lodge, and looked out. Just then one of them remembered something forgotten in his haste, and turned quickly back for it. Rube had just time to draw from either way. It was rather sharp prac- tice, and as good as a stockade in the way of those coming from outside. Charlie was in his prison-lodge, not bound, but guarded. The lodge itself was in the very center of the village, and, for that reason, in the deepest gloom. Ida had left him not an hour before, and he sat with his head bowed upon his knees, treasuring every loving word, and look, and touch, in his heart. He had heard the preparation for the coming battle, and longed to be in it. Indeed, he sent forthe Hawk, and beg- ged that he might join in the fight, promis- ing to return to his prison when it was over. He did not care to fall into the hands of Meton. The Hawk had promised that, in case the battle went hard with them, he should be released, and arms were put into his hands. He thanked him, and the chief departed. Something touched him ; he turned quick- ly. In the dim light he could see that a part of the bark was being forced aside, and a dusky face looked in. Then it closed again, and he was alone. Rube was in the camp. He had crawled in at that uncertain time, between darkness and light, when we see things in a sort of hazy indistinctness. The Indians were col- lected in groups, in the open spaces between the lodges, and he could make out that they expected an attack, from whom he could not tell. He saw a lodge that looked desolate, and, lifting the curtain, he looked in. It was empty of human beings, and creeping in, he found a pile of buffalo-robes in one cor- chief, but the council have said, let his name be forgotten, for he is a chief of the tribe ne more.” “Have you nothing more to say ?” * Nothing.” “Will you not smoke the pipe ?” “0.” The embassador took the rattlesnake ‘kin from his blanket, and held it out to ue chief. He took it, and broke the .trows one by one, saying : “As I break these arrows, so I will bieak the power of the exiled wretch you have named, if he comes to make good his threats. Say to him that the Hawk fears him not. Say to him that my young men are eager for battle, and they will sweep him frem the earth, if he rouses them to anger. Let my young brother take good back his head, when he camein. He found what he sought, his hatchet, and rushed out, brushing against Rube as he passed. That worthy individual followed him again, and could see the Indians hurrying from all sides toward the center. Here the head chief stood. Around him were grouped the chief men of the tribe, the gray-haired patriarchs, who had called the young warriors in order to give them good counsel before the battle, Now was his time. Creeping out, while all eyes were directed upon the chief, he got between the two lodges, and went to work with his knife. He had just finished his task, and was about to speak to Charles, when a hand was placed upon his arm, and a voice whis- pered his name, or rather the name of the person he represented. Rube knew enough of the dialect of advice. Ke has been led away by this bad one. Let him come back to the tribe while there is yet time.” The other made a haughty gesture, as if to reject the overture. “My brot.er is wrong,” continued the chief. “ Let him go to those who are on the mountain, that if they will come to the village to-day, all shall be well with them. But if they ref) se, they suffer for it.” The young nan turned away and re- turned to the ills. The Hawk looked after him silentys,, and then went to the door of Ida’s lodge and called her. She came out, and he sold her what had passed, and that they might expect an attack from Meton that night. She advised him to pre- pare for it, and put guards about the camp on every side. He called his men together, and num- rrr SSS SSS? Oe over his nerves, that he lay quietly, with the if possible, he com | Lf] the Crow to be able to converse properly, though he was somewhat concise in his lan- guage. “ Meton thought you were dead,” said the Indian, who was no other than the young brave whom Meton had sent on the embas- say, and who now returned in the character of aspy. The quick-witted hunter saw this at once, and understood why the chief had) thought him dead. So he merely grunted. | “Who stay in this lodge ?” Rube told him the truth. ‘Come ’way from lodge,” said the othe. “Tell you what Meton send me for.” Crawling away from the lodge a shor ner. Lying down close to the wall of the wigwam, he drew these over him, and lay quietly. He was not one to be caught with- out a chance of escape, so he cut out the bark in a square, close to his head, so that he could easily push it out, and waited. In addition to this, he cut a small hole, from which he could look out upon the camp. Everybody was arming, and he knew that a battle was coming, but with whom he could only surmise. Soon two Indians came into the lodge and took off some of the robes, spread them on the ground, and lay down with their heads resting on the | pile. Had it been light in the tent, it would | have been an impossible thing for Rube to distance, still lying prostrate, he told Rube escape. | that the chief had sent him to find ous Such control had this remarkable man which lodge contained Ida and Charlie, and, Ebooks: band of light encircled it on every side, over which every one must pass who came ; | | Ce eee ee |