Beadle's Dime Library, No. 13 — page 30: what you’re looking at

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30 The New York Library. “ The lives of those with us and our own be- ing at stake, how shall we escape the toils of our enemies?” Pathaway asked. “T thought,” answered Nick, “ pervidin’ we reached this place, we should be safe ; but you obsarve that sata calkilations isn’t allers to be depended on. A nice hidin’ spot is this under common carcumstances; but as luck’ll have it, Hendricks knows the way down yon- der rocks. Turn your eyes to that crag that stands out so square and bold. Well, ’twas on that that I see the two men, Hendricks and Bill Brace, appear with their torches on a sar- tin night that ve mentioned afore. Iremem- ber how they looked wavin’ ’em, to make the lare fall upon the basin and on the surround- in’ rocks. He wore a red sash, Cap’n Dick did. Arter stannin there a minute, grim and onnat’ral, as ’twere, they vanished from sight, to start up ag’in presently, more to the right, where you see the peaks gradooated one above another, like stgirs. They toiled down siow and keerful, did Brace and Hendricks, with the four ruffians ahind ’em bringin’ the lovely gal. I can very well recollect how the torches sunk and rose ag’in, as they wound down the rough “T would like to know,” said Pathaway, ear- nestly, “‘ what became of that woman ?” “T’m wanderin’ from my subjeck,” answer- ed Nick, hurriedly. ‘ You want to know what shall we do? I'll give ye my ’pinion, then I'll hear your’n, Bear in mind, colonel, that you’ve been fired at, which couldn’t happened if you hadn’t been seen. Wels, that’s a aia- kivery, | allow, so that we’re no longer hid, but found. Now, what can we do, hemmed up in this little pocket, with Ingins and whites prowlin’ in the rocks all round us ?” “ And I might ask, too, what we shall do in the open eountry with the whole pack on our trail ?” “ We can’t trust to speed,” said Nick, slow- ly. “No, no; speed won't do; we must put eunnin’ ag’in cunnin’. If our enemies are wise as sarpents, we must be wiser. We must blind their eyes.” “Were you andI alone interested in this matter, we should have little to fear ; but there are other lives, Nicholas—Sebastian and poor Andrew Jeanjean.” Nick was in the act of replying, when a fig- ure emerged from the narrow pass and ap- prasenes them. It was Multnomah, the Shos- oné chief. His countenance was grave, his manner dignified. “Has Doubledark forgotten the words of the Shoshoné?” he asked. ‘ Does he scorn to go where the birds build their nests ?” “I come here, Ingin, because I thought the place little known to white or red-skin, and would be a good spot to leave the hosses, least- wise. ‘The words of Multnomah are not like the wind that blows on unheeded ; they’re laid ap here.” Nick touched his head. “ Seven-Plumes has told his young men, his women and children, that there will be a sealp- dance at his village before many days. The Blackfeet boys are gathering sticks to light warns Fev “Let ’em gather ’em!” retorted Nick, con- tracting his brows. ‘They’d better put ’em under kiver to keep ’em dry ; forit’ll be long, in my ’pinion, afore they use ’em on flesh o’ mine. e Master of Life didn’t make me for fire-wood; if he had, I should been drier and more combustible. As for the matter o’ skulp, mine was made to be carried on my head, and not on a pole; leastwie, not on sich a pole as the varmints parade their trophies on. I don’t feel consarned for myself; for I know that both savage and civilized fear this long bit o’ iron which can carry death a hundred rods, I’ve p’inted it many and many a time, and it never let out its fire and smoke for nothin’; when it’s voice was heerd, I know’d where to look for the bullet. It hasn’t made all its speeches yet; there’s them not fur off as it must reason with and talk to in its own ’riginal wa Pid a The name of Doubledark is feared by his enemies,” replied Multnomah. *“ But look at the rattlesnake, who carries poison in his head, and is terrible when he bites; where is his power when he is beset by the ants; he writhes and darts his tongue in vain ; his ene- mies are so many that he cannot contend with them, and dies in agony. A cloud hangs over Black Rock ; before morning it will gather to stempest call your people and fly.” The Shoskone spoke earnest.y, almost au bars 7s “Yos, Pd mada ay wy siad for that, Ingin, and was proposin’ it to the colonel when you come. I shall count on you, and I trust you won’t desart us, for we need your quick evs and your true rifle. The hosses must be leit ; they’ll be as safe here as anywhere. What could the poor animiles do where we’re goin’? Nothin’ ; they’d be a bother to us and no good to themselves ; for pasturage is mighty scarce, I allow, up thereaway.” Nick pointed to the North, then joined Sebastian and those that were with him. This conversation took place on the east side of the basin, and so far within the shadow of the inaccessible wall, that Peron occupy- ing the cliffs at the west would have been gift- ed with unusual sharpness of eyesight to see them. Multnomah awaited the return of the trapper silently ; and when he came, moved noiselessly toward the cul-de-sac, and was fol- lowed without questioning. They had walked but a short distance, when Pathaway recollect- ed that his hunting-knife had ge from its sheath while he was talking with Nick; he went back to recover it. As 2 stooped to take it from the ground, he saw a narrow niche in the wall of the rock, in which lay a smal! package. Curiosity impelled him to take it , it was a beaver-skin wrapped carefully about something. He unrolled it ; the wrapper con- tained, much to his surprise, the long, dark, shining tresses of a woman’s hair. Holding up the silky threads to the faint moonlight, he examined them with mute eagerness, but nut without many internal queries, Upon what head grew those wavy Yoska? hat uand sarah and deposited them there? Did this strange waif pertain to the old mystery of Black Run, or was it a memento of some later tragedy ? It seemed to him that he had seen tresses as soft and glossy. His lips moved ; he murmured something—it might have been & name. Hearing a footstep, he thrust the hair be- neath his frock ; and turning, with a start, be- held Nick Whiffles; he was embarrassed, and the hunter thought annoyed; the latter met his steady look with suddenly-heightened col- or, as if detected in an act that might be con- strued into weakness. Neither spoke immedi- ately. Nick was the first to break si- lence. “JT didn’t know it was the natur of a white man to take skulps,” he said, with manifest disturbance. ‘I allowed, colonel, that you had a dispersition above cruelty ; and not eru- elty, neither, but trifles, as ‘twere. Give it to me.” The trapper hesitatingly extended his hand. “ You yourself do not appear to be entirely regardless of trifles,” answered Pathaway, smiling. “It’s mine,” added Nick. gravely. “If ‘twas a young gal’s, ’twould be diffrent ; but bein’, as I said, mine—” ‘Yours!’’ interrupted Pathaway. ‘‘Come, Nicholas, it’sabsurd to say that locks like these grew on that weather-beaten head of yours!’’ ‘’'Twas a good many years ago, when I's a boy. You see colonel, my hair was long’s a woman’s then, and softer nor sewing-silk.’’ Nick did not raise his eyes to meet the re- rds of the hunter, but kept them persistent- y averted. ‘Your curls have faded since that time !’’ returned the latter, laughingly. ‘‘They are almost yellow now, and each individual hair has remarkably increased in diameter.”’ “It’s mine, not’stannin’, and not mine, nei- ther, but my sweetheart’s. "Member well enough when she cut ’em off. ‘ <a te sez I, ‘give me a lock o’ your hair,’ sez I. And with that I gave her one o’ those meanin’ looks that was my natur when I’s younger, and which thawed her amazin.’ ‘ You may have ’em all,’ sez she, sighin’ as gentle as a nussin’ dove. With that she took a pair of sheers—no, ‘twasn’t a pair sheers, neither.” He paused and stimulated his memory by the friction of five digits upon his head, as if accuracy was of the first importance. “Oh Lord! no. "Twas a knife she whipped it off with. "Twas a little more nor I wanted for present use, but I know’d ’twould keep, so I wrapped it in a beaver-skin, and arter carryin’ it some years, tucked it into that niche for safe keepin’; and if you hain’t no objections, searcely, I'll trou- may for’t.” ick reached forth his hand again, but with- out trusting his eyes to encounter those of his friend. “T'll give you a trusty hand, Nicholas, and that’s far better than a package of girl's hair.” Pathaway grasped extended member, and shook it eordially. “ Your ingenuous face, Nick Whiffles, sells the truth when your ingenious tongue tells a lie. Give it up at once, my friend. Confess that this is a memento of the torch-light trag- edy ?”’ “ Pshaw! why should I care about a wisp of yvoman’s hair? It’s no more to me nor s0 much straw! Keep it, colonel, if you’re so minded, and wear it next your heart. “Twas a squaw it come off of, and a right jaunty critter she was, on’y her mouth was a couple o’ sizes too large, her nose rather flat, and er figger squat and dumpy. But the ribbons, not stuff, beads and brooches that she used to wear, was costly in the extreme.” “No deubt! no doubt!” answered Patha- way, dryly. And the two, by mutual consent, hastened to rejoin those they had left. CHAPTER XXV. FLIGHT AND PURSUIT. The parties issued from the narrow Niek and the Shoshoné whispered together, then the latter orept away, and was gone some time. He came back and conferred earnestly with the Sapper in the language of his people. “ The chief says,” said Nick, interpreting te Pathaway, “that the Blackfeet are round us, movin’ this way and that, smellin’ arter our trail like dogs. To escape, we shall need eye and ear, a quick hand, a cautious foot, and si- lence. Portneuf, keep near Andrew Jeanjean, and see that he don’t sing, and that he walks as the rest of us do. The critter’s docile, and easily controlled. Colone!, look out for In- dian Joe, for I obsarve that he’s more sulky nor common.” The Shoshoné bent his tall figure, and moved toward the west, the parties treading in his footsteps. They passed over ground bro- ken and volcanic, now surmounting rocks and crossing chasms, now winding to the right, now to the left, now stealing along the brink of pre- cipitous crags, and apelly descending by ax abrupt slope to a sparsely-timbered valley. All this was not effected without painstaking and several alarms; nor was the distance, when accomplished, lo The murmuring of water was heard, sud side a running stream. “ Hist !” said Nick. The parties became as motionless as trees. “Tt is a squirrel runnin’ over the leaves,” said Nick, in answer to a questioning glance from Sebastian. “T hear nothing,” said the boy. “Your young ears are not like mine,” he replied. ‘ What is it?” asked Sebastian, anxiously. “The leaves rustlin’; but whose afeard of the rustlin’ o’ leaves?” Thento Multnomah, © he same suppressed tones, “ Ingin, stay ere ” Nick glided away with his long rifle at a trail. Sebastian watched him with nervous eyes, and saw him stoop lower and lower as he receded, The darkness finally shut him from view. ach listened breathlessly for the sound of his footsteps, but they sent back no tell-tale echo, The Shoshoné stretched himself upon the earth, and was lying with his ear to the ground, giving as little sign of vitality as if life. had departed. All waited in expecta- tion, but of what they scarcely knew. Pre- een there was a bound like the spring of a panther, then a commotion among the leaves, as of persons struggling. But this was of short continuance ; the disturbance was quick- ly over, and Nick shortly stood before them. e nodded to the Indian, who gave a peculiar apprcbative sound from the depths of his chest. “O Uncle Nick!” gasped Sabastian. “Tt couldn't be helped, little ’un, and one from the war-path will never be missed where there’sso many. The voice of the rifle couldn’t ae Sones hereabouts ; it speaks too loud for ety.” At that moment, an object floated down the étream ; every eye was riveted upon it. Part of a red fuce, some feathers, and a tufted sealp- lock, were for a brief time visible. “ One diffikilty the less !” said Nick, quietly. “ He was a foolish young warrior, to follow Doubledark,” said the Shoshoné. “ His eyes were blinded, or he’d known the trail of Dou- bledark is a long trail.” “You're right, Ingin; thus far, my trail has been long for them as looked for me to my hurt. "Twould been short enough if the heathen had had their way; but I’ve an aye it KS ultnomah stopped be- (e(e) (ECON MUCE| 8 NON@) i