CHAPTER V.
ARCHIE FINDS A NEW UNCLE.
For an hour and a half after Frank left him, Archie walked up and downthe banks of the brook, pulling out trout of a size and weight thatastonished him. When nearly two hundred splendid fish had been placedupon his string, he put his line into his pocket, leaned his poleagainst a tree where he knew he could find it again if he should happento want it, mounted his horse, and rode slowly toward the rancho,keeping a good lookout on every side for his cousin, and wondering whathad become of him. It was getting late. The sun had sunk below thewestern mountains, the shadows of twilight were creeping through thevalley, and Archie began to fear that Frank was in a fair way to passthe night among the grizzlies. He did not find him at the rancho; Adamhad not seen him, and neither had Dick, who, upon finding that Archiehad returned alone, pulled off his sombrero, and scratched his headfuriously, as he always did when any thing troubled him.
"Where's the boy that fit that ar Greaser?" he asked, with some anxietyin his tone.
"I am sure I don't know," was the reply. "He went into the mountains tohunt up an elk for supper, and I haven't seen him since."
"The keerless feller!" exclaimed the trapper.
"He'll have to camp out all night if he doesn't come back pretty soon,"continued Archie. "Won't he have a glorious time among the bears andpanthers? I wish I had gone with him, for I know he will be lonesome."
"You can thank your lucky stars that you stayed at home. Thar's a heapwusser things in the world than grizzlies an' painters."
The tone in which these words were spoken made Archie uneasy; and whenDick drew old Bob and the Captain off on one side, and held a whisperedconsultation with them, he began to be really alarmed. He had never seenthe trapper act so strangely. Heretofore, when Frank had got intotrouble, Dick had always said: "I jest know he'll come out all right;"but he did not say so now. Archie could see that there was something inthe wind that he did not understand.
While the Captain and his men were conversing, a trapper galloped up tothe porch, and hurriedly ascending the steps, communicated in a whisperwhat was plainly a very exciting piece of news, for an expression ofanxiety overspread the Captain's face, old Bob thumped the floorenergetically with the butt of his rifle, and Dick once more pulled offhis sombrero and dug his fingers into his hair. Almost at the samemoment a second horseman approached from another direction, and he hadsomething to tell that increased the excitement. The Captain listenedattentively to his story, and then gave a few orders in a low tone toDick and Bob, who shouldered their rifles, sprang down the steps, andstole off into the darkness like two specters. They had not made manysteps before Archie was at their heels.
"Now, then, you keerless feller, jest trot right back to the houseagin," said Dick.
"If you are going out to look for Frank I want to go too," repliedArchie. "I can keep up with you."
"Go back," repeated the trapper; "you'll only be in the way. Thar'sgoin' to be queer doin's in this yere valley, an' you'll see enough tomake you glad to stay in the house."
"What's up here, any how?" asked Archie, as he mounted the steps thatled to the porch where Adam Brent was waiting for him.
"Indians," was the reply.
"Indians!" repeated Archie, who now thought he understood what thetrapper meant when he said that there were things in the world more tobe dreaded than bears and panthers. "You surely don't expect troublewith them?"
"That's what they say," replied Adam, coolly. "I heard Captain Portertell father that they would be down on us, like a hawk on a Junebug,before we see the sun rise again."
"Well, I--I--_Eh!_" stammered Archie, almost paralyzed by theinformation.
"Oh, it's the truth. In the first place, they changed their camp verysuddenly this afternoon, and without any cause; and since then theyhaven't showed themselves in the valley. That's a bad sign. When youknow there are Indians about you, and you can't see them, look out forthem, for they mean mischief. But when they are all around you, and youhave to watch them closely to keep them from stealing every thing you'vegot, there's nothing to fear. In the next place, one of Captain Porter'strappers, who was out hunting this afternoon, said that he crossed thetrail of a war party, numbering at least five hundred men. Anothertrapper brought the information that there is a large camp of Indiansabout ten miles back in the mountains, and that the braves are all inwar-paint. Father says it is plain enough to him that they havedetermined upon a general massacre of all the settlers in the country.There'll be fun in this valley before morning, and you'll hear soundsand see sights you never dreamed of."
Archie was astounded--not only at the news he had heard, but also at thefree and easy manner in which it was communicated. He was trembling inevery limb with suppressed excitement and alarm; and here was this newfriend of his standing with his hands in his pockets, and talking abouta fight with the Indians--which would be delayed but a few hours at themost--with as much apparent indifference and unconcern as if it had beensome holiday pastime. But then Adam was accustomed to such things. Thehouse in which he lived has been used as a fort in days gone by, andwhen trouble was expected with the savages, the settlers, for milesaround, would flock into it for protection. It had withstood more thanone siege, and Adam, before he was strong enough to lift a rifle to hisshoulder, had heard the war-whoop echoing through the valley, and hadmolded bullets and cut patching for the men who were standing at hisfather's side, defending the house against the assaults of the savages.Archie could have told of things that would have made Adam's hair standon end. He had ridden in the cars and on steamboats; and he had held thehelm of the Speedwell in many a race around Strawberry island, when thewhite caps were running, and the wind blowing half a gale. Adam, inthese situations, would have been as badly frightened as Archie was now.
While the latter was thinking over what he had heard, and wishing thathis friend could impart to him some of his indifference and courage, Mr.Brent, who, with his men, had been engaged in collecting the valuablesin the house, and loading them into a wagon for transportation to thefort, approached, and said to his son:
"Adam, get your rifle and ammunition, and go down to the fort and staythere until I come. Archie, you had better go with him."
Archie thought this good advice. If the Indians had really determined onmaking a descent into the valley--and he knew that Mr. Brent had had toomuch experience to be deceived in such matters--the sooner he found aplace of safety the better it would be for him. He had been considerablydisappointed because he had not been allowed an opportunity to assistthe settlers in their fight with Don Carlos and his men, but he hadnever expressed a desire to take part in a battle with the Indians. Hetrembled at the thought; and he was almost afraid to ride through thegrove with Adam. He held his rifle in readiness for instant use, and sonervous and excited was he, that it might have been dangerous for even afriendly trapper to approach him unexpectedly. He and Adam reached thefort, however, without encountering any of their enemies; and thenArchie drew a long breath of relief, and began to feel more likehimself.
Every one of the hundred soldiers comprising the garrison was hard atwork; and so were the trappers. Some were engaged in repairing thepalisades, some were covering the roofs of the buildings with earth, toprevent the savages from setting them on fire with lighted arrows,others were cleaning and loading the weapons, and every thing was donewithout the least noise or confusion. Not a word was spoken above awhisper; the men moved about with cautious footsteps, and a personstanding at a distance of fifty yards from the fort, could not have toldthat there was any one stirring within its walls. One thing thatsurprised Archie was, that among all these men, who had fought theIndians more than once, and who knew just what their fate would be ifthe fort proved too weak to resist the attacks of their savage foes,there was not one who seemed to be in the least concerned. There weresome pale faces among them--pale with excitement rather than fear--buttheir manner was quiet and confident, and Archie began to gathercourage.
Hi
s first care was to look up a place of safety for his horse. Thegarrison being composed entirely of cavalrymen, there was plenty ofstable room in the fort, and Archie soon found an empty stall, in whichhe tied the mustang; and after strapping his revolvers around his waist,and filling his pockets with cartridges for his rifle, he went out tolook about the fortifications. He found Adam in the soldiers' quarters,sitting beside a fire, and engaged in running bullets. He kept himcompany for a while, but he was too uneasy and excited to remain long inone place, and finally he went out again, and resumed his wanderingsabout the fort. He watched the soldiers at their work, looked at theloop-holes, and tried to imagine how he should feel standing at one ofthem when the bullets and arrows were whistling about his ears, and thefort was surrounded by hundreds of yelling Indians thirsting for hisblood, and at last he found his way out of the gate to the prairie whereFrank had run the foot-race a few hours before. How lonesome the placeseemed now, and what an unearthly silence brooded over it! Archie felthis courage giving away again, and aroused himself with an effort.
"I am getting to be a regular coward," said he, to himself. "If Frankwere here he would be ashamed of me. I'd like to know where he is, andwhat he is doing. I hope he has made his camp where the Indians will notstumble upon it. There's the Captain going back to the house. If it issafe there for him, I guess it is safe for me, too."
Archie shouldered his rifle, and hurried off in the direction theCaptain had gone. He passed through the grove in safety, and when hereached the house he found that Mr. Brent and his men were still engagedin collecting all the movable property, and hauling it to the fort. Theformer knew that all his stock, barns, and crops would be destroyed, andit was his desire to save as much of his household furniture aspossible.
Archie leaned his rifle in one corner, and worked with the rest untilthe wagon was loaded, and then sat down on the porch to await its returnfrom the fort. He wished he had gone with it before many minutes hadpassed over his head, for scarcely had the wagon disappeared when heheard a stealthy step behind him, and, upon looking up, he saw threetrappers standing close at his elbow. Although he was startled by theirsudden appearance, he was not alarmed, for he thought that he recognizedthem as some of the men belonging to Captain Porter's expedition; but asecond glance showed him that they were strangers. He sprang to hisfeet, and, boldly confronting the men, waited for them to make knowntheir business. They looked at him closely for a moment, and then one ofthem said to his companions:
"That's him, aint it?"
"I reckon it is," replied another. "Now, my cub, no screechin' orfussin'. If you make the least noise, you're a goner."
Archie did not hear all this warning, for, while the trapper wasspeaking, he had seized the boy in an iron grasp, and pressed a brawnyhand over his mouth to stifle his cries for help; another tore hisrevolvers from his waist; the third caught up his feet and held themfirmly under his arm; and, before Archie could fairly make up his mindwhat was going on, he was being carried rapidly across the valley towardthe mountains. Astonished and enraged, he struggled furiously for atime, but all to no purpose; he was held as firmly as if he had been ina vice; and, exhausted at last by his efforts, he lay quietly in thegrasp of his captors, wondering at this new adventure, and trying invain to find some explanation for it. He was not kept long in ignorance,however, for in a few minutes the trappers had carried him across thevalley, through the willows that skirted the base of the mountains, andinto a deep, thickly-wooded ravine, and set him down in front of acamp-fire, before which stood a tall, fierce-looking man leaning on hisrifle.
Archie was so bewildered that, for a minute or two, he could not havetold whether he was awake or dreaming. He swallowed a few times toovercome the effect of the choking he had received, rubbed his eyes, andlooked about him; and all the while the tall trapper stood regardinghim, with a savage smile on his face, while his three companions seatedthemselves beside the fire, and coolly proceeded to fill their pipes.
"It's him, aint it, Bill?" asked one, at length.
"Yes," replied the person addressed, still looking fixedly at hisprisoner, and evidently enjoying his bewilderment, "it's him. Seems tome you might have a good word to say to your uncle, seein' it's so longsince we've met one another."
"My uncle!" exclaimed Archie, now for the first time recovering the useof his tongue.
"Sartin. You aint agoin' to deny it? You aint agoin' back on me, areyou? I've been through a heap since I seed you last--I've been chawedup by bars an' catamounts, an' been shot at by Injuns an' white fellers,an' mebbe I've changed a leetle. I never did brag much on my good looks,but I'm your uncle, fur all that."
"You!" almost shouted Archie, gazing in amazement at the trapper's dark,scarred face; "you my uncle! Not if I know who I am, and I think I do.Do you take me for a lunatic, or are you crazy yourself?"
"Nary one, I reckon. I take you fur my nephew--Adam Brent--an' I knowwhat I'm sayin'."
"Well, if Adam has such a looking uncle as you are, I am sorry for him.You've made a great mistake. My name is Winters, if it will do you anygood to know it."
"No, I reckon not," replied the trapper, who seemed to be greatlypleased at his prisoner's pluck and independence. "I reckon you're AdamBrent."
"I guess I ought to know what my name is, hadn't I?" exclaimed Archie,angrily. "Who are you, anyhow, and what business have you to take meaway from my friends?"
"I'm your uncle--Bill Brent--Black Bill fur short; an' as fur thebusiness I have in takin' you prisoner, it's the business every man'sgot to right the wrongs that's been done him. That's what's the matter."
Archie very deliberately seated himself upon the ground, rested his chinon his hands, and looked up at the outlaw. "I know you now," said he,"and I have no desire for a more intimate acquaintance. Do you rememberthat, one night, in the latter part of June, a fellow about my agewalked into your camp, and you and your cowardly companions robbed himof his horse?"
"I'll allow I haint forgot it," replied the outlaw.
"Well, that fellow was my cousin. He and I were on our way toCalifornia, with Dick Lewis and Bob Kelly, and an uncle, who looks aboutas much like you as you look like a white man. You've got the wrong buckby the horn, if you take me for Adam Brent. He is at the fort, and amongfriends, where he is safe. I left him there not more than an hour ago."
"Now jest look a-here, Adam," said Black Bill; "that story won't godown--not by no means. If I hadn't never seed you afore, it might do yousome good to talk to me in that fashion; but I know you as well as Iknow any of my mates here. I've got you now, an' I'm goin' to hold fastto you."
"But what do you intend to do with me?" asked Archie.
"I'm goin' to do jest what I told your father I should do when I got myhands on you: I'm goin' to make you jest sich a man as I am."
"You'll have a good time of it, and you can't do it. It is my intentionto be of some use in the world, and I'd like to see you or any body elsedrag me down as low as you are. But I tell you that I am not Adam Brent,and neither am I any relative of his."
"Hold your hosses. I know jest what I am about, an' all your talkin' an'fussin' won't do you no 'arthly good whatsomever; so you might jest aswell shut up. I'm goin' to make a renegade of you. Arter you have beenwith me a few years, you'll larn to hate white folks as bad as I do, an'will fight 'em like any Injun, I told your father that I would make himsorry for all he's done agin me, an' I'm goin' to keep my word. Jack,jest tie his hands behind his back, an' then we'll trot along. I'vespent the most of my time, durin' the last ten years, hangin' aroundthis yere valley, watchin' fur a chance to get hold of you," continuedthe outlaw, while his companion was confining Archie's arms with a thongof buckskin, "but the ole man tuk mighty good care to keep you out of mysight. The fust time I sot eyes on you, since you was six years old, wasto-day, at the fort, when them fellers run that race; but I knowed youin a minute. I've got you now, an' the next time your father sees you,you will be like me--half Injun an' half trapper, an' an enemy of yourown race
."
Archie had learned something during this interview with the outlaw, andnow thought he could understand why Mr. Brent had been so careful neverto allow Adam far out of his sight. In years gone by--perhaps when theywere young men together--he had done something to incur the displeasureof this unnatural brother, who had resolved to be revenged upon him bydragging his son down as low as he was himself. But the outlaw's planswere not working as smoothly as he imagined. He had made a mistake inthe boy; and Adam, of whom he had been trying to make a prisoner for tenyears, was still safe under the protection of his father.
"He is barking up the wrong tree, if he only knew it," said Archie tohimself; "but I don't think I shall trouble myself to tell him so again.The way he eyed me the last time I told him I wasn't Adam Brent, makesme think that it wouldn't take a great deal to induce him to use hisbowie on me; and that would be disagreeable. Never mind; I am not afraidthat I shall long remain a prisoner, while Dick and Bob are alive."
When Archie's arms had been securely bound, two of the outlaws starteddown the ravine in Indian file, and the others, one of whom was BlackBill, seized their captive by the shoulders, and assisted him over logsand through the bushes in a way that would have called forth from him astubborn resistance, if his arms had been free. The trappers seemed tobe in great haste; and whenever Archie stumbled in the darkness andpitched forward, they did not stop, but hurried on as fast as ever,leaving him to regain his feet if he could, or be dragged along theground behind them. He wondered if this was a fair sample of thetreatment he was to receive as long as he remained in the hands of theoutlaws. It did not seem to him that he could endure it long, but he didendure it until ten miles had been accomplished, and then, to hisintense amazement and alarm, he suddenly found himself on the outskirtsof an Indian village. His captors kept straight ahead with him, untilthey arrived at the council ground, and there they left him to take careof himself, and went forward to join the circle of chiefs seated aroundthe fire.
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