Far Past the Frontier

by James A. Braden

  CHAPTER VII.

  On Into the Wilderness.

  Great as the shock of the sudden attack and his narrow escape was, Reegave only a little yell of surprise and anger, and ran in the directionfrom which the shot had come, drawing his pistol as he went. He found noone. Though utterly regardless of the danger he might be in by thusexposing himself, he made a careful search.

  "Land o' livin', boy, ye'll be meat for the redskins before ye've crossedthe frontier, if ye don't be keerful!" cried the woodsman, quickly comingup, springing from tree to tree, and thus always keeping their protectingtrunks between himself and the point from which the mysterious shot hadbeen fired. "What is the varmint pepperin' away at ye so, for?"

  "I haven't the least idea, for I don't know who it is," Ree answered.

  But he was glad the woodsman's frank manner left no room to suspect himof treachery, although there had been grounds for this suspicion in thecircumstance of the shot having been fired just as his own rifle and thatof his friend had been discharged.

  John had remained on guard beside Jerry and the cart, watchful for anysign of their strange enemy, completely mystified by the attack.Presently he joined Ree and the hunter who were searching for the trailof the would-be assassin. Tracks were found at last (high up on the rockyhillside)--those of a white man, for he wore boots; but they were veryfaint and Ree declared he would waste no time in attempting to followthem.

  "But I do believe, John," he said, "that the shot which wounded NorthWind was intended for me, and the fellow who shot, then, fired againto-day."

  "You are thinking of Big Pete; I know you are!" John answered. "But I amsure you are mistaken, Ree. Why it was miles and miles away that NorthWind was shot, and there hasn't been a day since then but what we couldhave both been killed, perhaps, by some one hidden along the road."

  The woodsman, when he had heard the story, coincided with John's opinionand Ree said nothing more, though he was not convinced that he waswrong.

  The brisk talk of the stranger turned the boys' thoughts to othersubjects as the journey was resumed. He was by no means a disagreeablefellow. His real name was "Thomas Trout," he said, but he was everywhereknown as "Tom Fish." He had tramped over all the hills and valleys formiles around and seemed to know the country thoroughly. He accepted theboys' invitation to eat dinner with them, and gave a share of the poundedparched corn he carried in a pouch at his belt, in return for venison andcoarse corn bread, John having baked the latter on a flat stone besidetheir camp-fire, the previous night.

  When in the afternoon, Tom Fish left the boys he told them they would belikely to see him at Fort Pitt, and gave them many directions as to wherethey had better "put up" while at Pittsburgh, as he called the place,such being its new name at that time.

  John declared he would not sleep a wink that night, but remain on guarduntil morning. "For we must be prudent," he said, in a very sober tone,which from him sounded so funny that Ree laughed outright.

  And yet John was probably as prudent a boy as Ree; for the latter was soalmost entirely fearless that he rushed into danger in a way not prudentat all, and many severe lessons which he learned afterward did not makehim cautious as he should have been.

  The night passed without one disturbing incident and the rising sun foundthe boys on their way once more; before its setting they reachedPittsburg.

  "Fort Pitt," as they were accustomed to call the straggling hamlet, stoodat the foot of the hills at the confluence of the Allegheny andMonongahela rivers. Because of its location it was an important place andeven at the time of which this is written (1790) was a point muchfrequented by traders, trappers and hunters.

  It was with a feeling of awe, that Ree and John drove into the town, andnoticed its old fort, its brick and log buildings and general air ofpioneer hospitality. People stared at them, and some called to them inthe familiar way of the border; but everyone was good-natured and helpfuland almost before the boys knew it their horse had been unhitched and fedand they themselves were eating supper in a long, low brick buildingwhich served as a sort of public house.

  From the first it had been the young travelers' intention to sell theirhorse and cart at Fort Pitt and secure passage for themselves and goodson some flat-boat going down the river. They spoke of the settlementwhich General Putnam and others had made at a place they called Marietta(still known by that name) as their destination, and gave a general ideaof their plans to the men who talked with them as they gathered about thebig fire-place in the evening. They found they would probably be able tosecure transportation down the Ohio within a few days, in company with aparty of emigrants who had been building boats for the trip, expecting togo to Kentucky.

  When the young travelers started out next morning to find a purchaser forold Jerry, however, they discovered that at that time of year, the demandfor such property was far from brisk. As they walked along the mainstreet or road, they chanced upon Tom Fish, who hailed them in his rough,but happy way, and they told him just how they were situated.

  "Don't sell the nag, then; come right along with me. I'll show you theway into a country full of Injuns and game enough to suit ye, in shortorder; an' ye won't have to pay no passage down river. Why, there's jesthe spot ye're lookin' for west o' here--rivers an' little lakes, an'fish an' game--no end o' game. Good place for tradin' too; Injun townsevery forty rods or so."

  The woodsman then went on to tell the boys that several years earlier, afort, known as Fort Laurens, had been erected on the Tuscarawas river, inthe woods beyond Pittsburg. He was planning to go in that direction, fora purpose he did not state, and would willingly act as guide. Hecautioned the boys, however, that there was little sign of a broken roadfor them to travel upon and that Fort Laurens had long been abandonedbecause of the hostility of the savages. But the confidence of the youngtraders that they could make friends with the Indians, and Tom's glowingaccounts of the country of which he spoke, caused them to look with favorupon his proposition.

  "We will think about this matter," said Ree, "and let you know. You willbe here a day or two?"

  "Yaas, a day or two," said Tom Fish. "But don't let me influence ye; it'smighty reesky business you kittens is bent on."

  "It seems to me like a good plan," Ree reflected aloud, when he and Johnwere alone. "If we went to General Putnam's settlement we would stillfeel that we must go up the Muskingum river to reach the Indians andprofitable trading, and would have to build a raft or buy a boat to carryour goods. Moreover, people here say that within a few years the countryall about Pittsburg will be settled up and that land will becomevaluable."

  "Whatever you say suits me," said John with a laugh; and then and thereRee gave him a talking to for being so ready to accept the judgment ofanother, instead of having thoughts and opinions of his own.

  But one or two ridiculously low offers the boys received for their horseand cart, and the discovery that they could not find room on the boatdown the Ohio except at a fancy price, resulted in their decision to joinTom Fish. They talked all day of the subject, but when they went to bedthat night, they knew that not for many months to come would they sleepagain within the borders of civilization.

  A frosty November morning ushered in another day, and early as they wereastir Ree and John found the little town wide awake. Tom Fish wassky-larking all about saying good-bye to friends, and just a little underthe influence of whiskey. It seemed that everybody knew him; and peoplehaving found out from Tom what they had not already found out fromothers, about the venturesome lads from Connecticut, quite an assemblagegathered to wish the travelers good luck.

  A repeated suggestion which had been made to the boys was that theyshould abandon their cart and take with them only such goods as theycould carry by using old Jerry as a pack-horse. It was true that for aportion of the distance they proposed to travel, there was a rough road,but beyond Fort McIntosh, at the mouth of the Beaver river, they wouldhave no road but the rough Indian trail. But Tom Fish said he "reckonedold Colonel Boquet's road was st
ill there," and that they should take thecart; and they did so.

  Tom had joined the boys as their clumsy vehicle creaked along a muddystreet, a little more serious than usual, because of some news he hadheard, he said, but boastful as ever.

  "I was talkin' to a big seven-footer in the tavern last night," hesaid--"A feller that had a grudge ag'in' me once. He never liked me tillI threw him over a house one day;--threw him clean over a house. It makesme larff!"

  John laughed, too, at this, but he said: "Tom Fish, you weigh a goodthree stone (forty-two) more than I do, but I believe I could throw youin a wrestle. When we stop for dinner, I am going to put you on yourback!"

  A laugh long and loud came from the woodsman's throat. "Why, what aplayful kitten ye be!" he exclaimed. "Why, I could toss ye up in the airand ketch ye nigh a dozen times whilst ye were only thinkin' of throwin'me."

  "I'd like to see you try it," cried John.

  "Put aside your nonsense, you two, until noon, now do," Ree laughinglyurged, "and tell us, Tom, of that Colonel Boquet whose road we are tofollow."

  "Waal, that's quite a yarn," said Tom Fish. "But le' me see now; le' mesee. It was back when I was jes a young buck, 'long 'bout '64, that thisColonel Boquet, who was a mighty decent citizen for a Frenchman, made uphis mind to get a whack at the pesky Injuns which had been killin' an'scalpin' an' burnin' an' robbin' all along the border of Pennsylvania an'Virginia an' Lord knows where all.

  "Waal, the state of Pennsylvania an' the state of Virginia helped himwith sojers an' he mustered scouts enough so that in all he had nigh onto2,000 men. He marched 'em straight into the woods, the whole caboodle on'em, clearin' a road as he went, an' takin' along a lot o' sheep an'cows, and provender for the sojers without end. He went straight alongtill he come to the Muskingum river, an' there he camped out, makin' ashow with all his men an' pack-horses an' everything, that scared theMingoes an' the Delawares half to death for fear he'd stay right therean' build a town amongst 'em.

  "They was willin' to do most anything to get rid of him, an' there wasonly one thing that he would hear to. He give 'em jes' ten days to trotinto his camp every prisoner they had in all their towns far an' near,an' told 'em that if ary a one was held back, he'd march on every peskyvillage an' knock 'em sky high an' burn 'em down.

  "Waal! them Injuns was so scared, they commenced gettin' their prisonerstogether right off, and they trotted two hundred on 'em up to the frontdoor of Colonel Boquet's tent inside them ten days. An' there was doin'sfor sartin then!--Pow wows among the sojers who found all sorts ofrelations that the Delawares or the Wyandots or the pesky Mingoes hadcarried off, an' pow wows among the men, an' the women an' the childrenthat was brought out o' their captivity like the Children of Israel.

  "Then Colonel Boquet marched 'em all back to Fort Pitt an' he sent for mean' told me what he'd done, an' asked me what I thought on it. I wasscoutin' out of Fort Pitt then, and I jes' shook his hand an' says:'Colonel Boquet ye're a reg'lar rip-snorter.'"

  "Did you ever hear of the terrible Captain Archer, the outlaw of wartimes?" asked the fun-loving John, inventing the name to see what Tomwould say; for he had his own opinion as to Colonel Boquet having askedThomas Fish what he thought of that Indian expedition.

  "Cap. Archer? Old Cap. Archer! Well I rayther guess I knew him, an' if heain't forgot it, he carries a little lead pill out of my old steel bottleof Injun medicine, clean to this day. Yaas, many a scrimmage I had withold Cap. Archer."

  John was for carrying his questioning further, though he could hardlykeep from laughing, but Ree shook his head, unwilling to make fun of onewho was so kind to them.

  The travelers made excellent progress that morning, finding a very fairroad for that rough country, along the river. They met occasionalsettlers and hunters and whether he knew them or not, Tom Fish alwaysstopped to talk and always asked whether everything was quiet along theborder. Many shook their heads, and spoke gloomily of the outlook forpeace with the Indians remaining long unbroken.

  From a couple of friendly Indians they met, Ree secured a quarter ofvenison in exchange for a cheap trinket, and although he accompanied theperformance with a great deal of bragging, Tom did show the boys that hewas a past-master in the art of broiling venison steaks. The fine dinnerthey had as a result, set his tongue wagging more than ever, however, andJohn Jerome was more than anxious to take some of the vanity out of him.

  They had camped upon a hillside sloping down to the river--the Ohio. Theday had come on bright and warm as Indian summer could be, and John hadthrown off his coat.

  "Now, Mr. Fish," he said with a laugh, "You see the river down there?I've been thinking there may be some one of the same name as yourself inthat water, and I've a mind to send you to visit your relations."

  The merry laugh of the hunter rang shrill and clear.

  "Be ye? Oh, be ye?" he cried, jumping to his feet. "If it wa'n't ferhurtin' ye, I'd throw ye clean across to yon hillside!" and he pointed toa spot nearly a mile away, across the river.

  "It's a good thing for you there are so many leaves on the ground tobreak your fall," John answered, rolling up his sleeves.

  "Don't wrestle so much with your mouths," Ree admonished them.

  "Why, I could handle both of ye; come on, the two of ye to onc't!" thehunter cried.

  But the next moment he found in John, alone, about as much of a task ashe cared to undertake. For two minutes they heaved and tugged, John'swiry frame seeming to be all around the woodsman, who was by no meansclumsy, though he could not put him down. Then they broke apart and for aminute made feints at one another, each hoping to secure an advantage.

  At last the hunter's arms shot out, his hands seized John's arms soquickly, and he lifted the boy off his feet and keeled him over with suchdexterity, that the lad lay sprawling on his back almost before he knewwhat was happening.

  The glee of Tom Fish was quite ridiculous. He danced about and almostscreamed with laughter.

  "It is your turn, Ree," said John good-naturedly.

  "Whenever our friend is ready," Ree responded.

  "Come on! Come on!" Tom cried. "Oh, what frisky kittens ye be!"

  Peter Piper, the half-breed, had taught Return Kingdom a trick or two atwrestling. And now he allowed the hunter to lift him off the ground, thenhe let his muscles relax, his dead weight falling in his opponent's arms.Suddenly getting his feet to the ground in this way, he sprang againstthe hunter's muscular frame with such rapidity of thought and motion thathe was able by a tremendous lightning-like effort to jerk one of theman's legs from under him, sending him down, while he, himself, cameuppermost.

  "Ye're pretty fair," Tom Fish muttered; but it was plain to be seen thatsomething he very little expected had happened to him.