Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 729 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

ye OseAGie ww 4 =P aese see ~~ a) bis lodge. It was just after there had been much fighting, and the big white chiefs were counting how many of their braves had come back on their own legs, or the backs of their horses. Shooting Backward tried to count them, too, but his tongue was not nearly long enougb, It grew weary, and the end began to bleed, but as he looked, he saw that the long-knives bad only be- gun to come in sight, They kept coming, filling the broad trail from side to side. They kept coming until Shooting Backward turned dizzy with seeing so many faces: and each one was that of a strong warrior!” ‘* Well?’ and there was strong impatience in the voice as it pronounced the word, ‘* When the chief came home, be called up the tribe, and counted them. It was not bard todo. He could almost have held his breath that long. And then, as now, Shooting Backward asked his heart this: ‘How long would my people last, if war should break forth, and all those long-knives were to come after the red-men? ” The old chief bent his head, but there was a keen, anxious glow in his sunken eyes as he peered through his brows at the spectral figure outlined upon that pillar of smoke, ‘‘That was many years ago, my son, and the long-knives you tried to count then, are dead and in their graves by this.” ‘‘ But they have left children to take up the arms they laid down. Have the white faces grown fewer since then, great father?’ ‘*No; they are still more numerous than then,” ‘** And the red-men are grown much less! Is it wisdom to talk of war, even with the Messiah ou our side, father?” slowly demanded the chief, ‘True, we can fight, and fight bard. But—so ‘we can die!” There was a pause at this. The light grew dimmer, and the vision seemed on the point of fading away. To those anxious eyes, the face of the Messiah appeared to frown darkly, as though this persistent questioning had given him deep se he bey were picked warriors, chosen quite as much for that as for their wisdom in council, but hardly one of their number but cowered and shrunk back before that frown, real or fancied, And even the old chieftain of the Grosventres, moved a little nearer to the medicine-man, who rey retained his kneeling position, with bowed ead. Once more the light grew clearer, and the vision regained its former distinctness of out- line. And once again the voice of the Indian Messiah came floating down to those waiting ears, “There is truth and faith in your heart, ciieftain of the Grosventres, else the Messiah would waste no further time trying to clear away the mists from your brain. As it is: open wide your ears, my red children, for the words now trembling upon my lips can be spoken but once. ‘ You ask, how can the few fight the many, xe hope to win a complete victory? JI, essiab, reply: have perfect faith, and the end issure! To all who believe, eternal life shall be given, but those who doubt and are of little faitb, they shall perish, even as the thrice- accursed pale-faces must die! When the chosen day dawns, the Messiah will come to his red children, and bis strong band will lift them up, clear of the earth, beyond all danger. And as his voice gives the signal, a mighty wave of melted rocks shal] sweep over this land, from salt water to salt water, burying beneath its might every white-face, every red- man who calls himself a Friendly, eve ne of mixed blood who has not turned all within bis veins to pure red, through blind faith in the coming Messiah! So the Great Spirit hath said, _ and so bis son now tells you!” ‘‘Then there will be no fighting against the long-knives, father?” ventured Shooting Back- ward, ‘* Not after the Messiah comes with the death- song upon bis lips, Before that—before the un- believers grow so few that tbe son of the Great Spirit will not be ashamed to show his face to his red children, there may be fighting, There will be fighting, | may say! And while that fighting lasts, many Will die, both of white and red peo- ple. The pale-faces will stay dead, but when the Messiah calls, each one who wore a red skin ‘in life, will return from the grave, to live again. I tell you this, my children, and the Messiah knows not bow to lie!” __ There was a brief period of silence, then the ‘Voice came agalD: | . © Have you won light enough, Shooting Back- Ward?” “ Yes, great father,” meekly bowed the chief, the ‘** The light will last until I have shown the | go, to bear their share of the battle, even as our great truth to my people, and they will see so clearly that never an unbeliever will be found in alimy tribe, I promise this; I, Shooting Back- ward?” Before any of the other Indians could shape a question, even if they were urged to such a course by a lingering doubt, the spectral light began to fade, and that curious figure to melt into air, as it seemed, Red Leaf lifted his head, and with it his arms, His hands reached out toward the fading light, and a low, inarticulate chant came from his lips. If words were used, none of those present save himself could understand them, The light grew dimmer, then faded into noth- ingness. Beyond where the illumined column had been seen, were now visible the white rocks, showing faintly in the starlight. Nothing else. It was as though all that bad passed was but a curious dream! When bis chant came to an end, Wahb-pa-doo- tah rose to bis feet, glancing at each face by the ruddy glow of the fire in turn, His eyes rested longest upon the still kneeling figure of the young Shoshone, however, and after a slight hesitation, he passed over to where Silverblade was, gently touching one of the bent shoulders, A slight shiver was the only response, and the face was not uncovered until after Red Leaf spoke: ‘“The Messiah has gone to make happy the eyes and ears of more of bischildren, son of Wee- namoo, But you baveseen, and you have heard: are you still an unbeliever, my son?” Slowly that lately proud head was lifted, and for a moment the medicine-man sbrunk back from those eyes: they looked so sunken, so dif- abe from the orbs he had noted so often of ate, Silverblade almost timidly glanced toward the point where tne vision had shown itself, but the dim rocks alone met his eyes. And as though this broke the spell which bad fallen over him, mind and body, after so rashly tempting the vengeance of the Indian Messiah by doing his level best to prove bim an impostor by making him death’s subject, Silverblade sprung to bis feet, reeling dizzily for a single breath, but then rallying, looking more lke bis usual self as he made reply: ~**T have seen and heard. I know now, what I so long tried to believe in vain, There is a Messiah! I have seen bim! 1 bave beard his voice! My doubts are gone, never to return while breath lasts! From this time on, until the coming of the Messiah to his whole people, I am bis! Lama Ghost Dancer!” Red Leaf turned abruptly away from those glittering eyes, possibly because he feared the young Shoshone was still sane enough to read aright, the vicious smile which he could not en- tirely keep from curling his painted lips, ‘And you, my children?’ be asked, flashing his greenish-gray eyes from face to face, ‘** You have seen and beard, The Messiah bas more than made good the word Red Leaf passed, before you left your people. Are youcontent? ‘‘ We are more than content,” bowed Shooting Backward, ‘‘ Wab-pa-doo-tah is our father next to the Messiah himself. His praises shall ring in the earsof our people, and our pappooses shall learn to bow their beads in worsbip at sound of his honored name,” ** Wah-pa-doo-tah is but a single mouth-piece out of the many chosen by the Messiah to pre- pare his red children for his return to earth, If praise is due, pay it unto our great father, not to his poor son,” The medicine-man stooped to pick up bis drum and stick, then made a sign which the Indians readily interpreted, They mice extinguished the fire, and having secured tkeir weapons they fell into line behind tke prophet, who led them by the most direct route back to where stood the Medicine Lodge. The camp-fire here was quickly veprantahed, and as the Indians showed signs of filling their pipes for a smoke, and doubtless a sober discus- sion of the strange vision which had been vouch- safed them that evening, Red Leaf lifted a hand in token of a wish to add a few words, ‘You have heard the Indian Messiab talk, my children, and you know that bis words are very good. Jf so many other chiefs bad not been waiting to learn the truth from his own lips, in so many different places, hundreds of miles apart, doubtless he would have -aid even more, ‘‘Among other things, he would have told you, what I tell you now, as his mouth-piece; that the first fighting will surely be among the different agencies of the great Sioux people, Aud there tueir brothers from the North must brothers from the West aud the far South will come, ‘It is there the great and wise Sitting Bull lives?” ‘* And Sitting Bull is the chief who is to re- present the Messiah until the day of his com- ing. It will be Sitting Bull who gives the si nal for fighting, and Sitting Bull to whom all true believers in the Indian Messiah must look for orders, Go tell your people, then take them at once to join the mighty medicine-man of the Sioux! So speaks the Indian Messiah, through his mouth-piece, Wah-pa-doo-tah!” ended the prophet, as be turned away to vanish from view inside his lodge, | CHAPTER V, THE INDIAN MESSIAH AND HIS MOUTH-PIECE, Rep LEAF paused for an instant in front of the tepee before parting the skin flap which served as a door, and when his fantastically- arrayed figure had vanished from their sight, the Indian delegation saw that his medicine- staff bung across the entrance, ‘‘Our father is weary: he wishes to sleep,” muttered Shooting Backward, in subdued tones, At the same time, Red Leaf was peering through the little slit in front of the lodge wait- ing to make sure biz silent signal was seen and would be honored. Not that he really enter- tained any doubt, but he was trained to leave nothing to chance which might be bettered by forethought or cool etn ee: ‘*Goodt” he told himself in a silent whisper, as his practiced eyes read those faces by the ruddy glow of the camp-fire, ‘ They are fixed for a long pow-wow together, and when they do give thought to sleep, they’d sooner rouse the Old Boy bimself than do aught to break the slum.bers of their medicine-man. Ha! ha! ha!” Only for the Jittle light which found a way through the smoke-opening in the top of the lodge, all would have been utter darkness in- side, but Red Leaf had a fine sense of ements and without risking even the light of a match, he toox only a few seconds in which to complete bis preparations, One blanket was lightly rolled up, an end be- ing brought around the wooden dru This was placed upon a buffalo-robe, and another blanket cast over all, Then, topping the drum with his feathered head-dress, Red Leaf felt that bis preliminary work was complete. **1t served my purpose in daylight, so I reck- on it ‘11 do to-night,” he muttered, barely above his breath, ‘* The red fools will suffer anything short of death before calling me, but if they shouild—well, even then they'd never dare ris more than a single peep into the Medicine Lodge, SO long as my staff hangs across the door!” Still in almost utter darkness, Red Leaf re- moved the greater part of his insignia as medi- cine-man, leaving his 1nuscular person less gaudy and attractive, from a savage point of view, but far better suitted for night travel through a rough section, He felt of his pistols, making sure the cylin- ders worked easily, gave a touch to the silver- hafted knife in its beaded sheatb, paused for @ final look at the Indian delegation gees around tke cheery camp-fire, then sunk to the ground and crept noiselessly under the skin wall, opposite the entrance to bis lodge. The sky was unclouded, but the dying leaves which still clung to the brancbes overhead formed a sufficient shade, and witbout a sound to betray his passage, Red Leaf crept away from the tepee, following in the tracks he had left a number of hours earlier, while his de- luded followers devoutly believed his body was bound by a trance and his spirit receiving pre-. cious words from the Great Spirit, When at a safe distance from the Medicine Lodge, Red Leaf rose to his feet, drawing a long breath of r lief, hke one who cast aside an irksome burden, ‘‘Tt’s fun up to a certain point; but after that is once passed—ugh /” breaking off with a shiver of disgust, fing! og out bis hands as though cast- ing away something disagreeable, if not actu-_ ally dangerous. ‘‘If I couldn’t steal off for a free breath, now, I’d have to play the devil with those red-skinned idiots! Id burst out in their faces, and give them—well, it wouldn’t be good medicine, at any rate!” As though this brief outburst had greatly re- lieved bis mivd, Red Leaf pressed forward, beading toward the rocky range, from the base of which the Indian delegation had witnessed such a wondrous vision, A There was little of the inspired prophet in this muttering, chuckling, gesticulating fellow, just then, True, he wore a portion of the medicine