The Trail of the Seneca

by Burt L. Standish

  CHAPTER III--THE WARNING

  "Now just-one more!"

  "Oh, look a'here! that's what you've been saying for a half hour ormore! You see where the sun is, don't you!"

  "All right, then, I don't care; but there's-a regular whale almost on myhook and it's too bad to-disappoint him," the first speaker returned.Even as he answered, however, he drew in the long, heavy fishing pole heheld and followed his companion's example in winding his line on abroad, flat stick notched at both ends.

  It was time, indeed, that the day's sport be ended. The autumn sun wasscarcely visible through the branches of the trees to the west. The air,so soft and warm at mid-day, was growing cold, and six miles or more laybetween the young fishermen and the homely but snug log cabin which wastheir home, and whose pleasant fire and comforts the nipping wind nowmade doubly attractive.

  Those of you who have read "Far Past the Frontier" or "Connecticut Boysin the Western Reserve" will have recognized in the two fisher lads thusintroduced Return Kingdom and John Jerome, once more in the Ohiowilderness to complete their home-making after the trying times of thepreceding spring and winter, ending, as you know, with the recovery ofthe hidden fortune which cost so many lives and for which so manysearched in vain.

  Of course it was John,--slight of figure but strong, tough and wiry as awolf, and full of fun as a lively young fellow of eighteen or so couldbe, who had shown such reluctance to put away his line and yield nolonger to the temptation to try for "just one more."

  Of course it was Ree Kingdom, tall and broad shouldered, who pointed outthe fast-setting sun and recognized the necessity of starting homewardbefore darkness hid the way. Somehow it always was left to Ree to guideand direct. His quiet manner, energy, resourcefulness and thoughtfulnessmade him naturally the leader. He was very little older than hislifelong friend, Jerome, but the latter was always willing that Reeshould be the captain in all their various enterprises. And yet it maywell be said that John was a very agreeable and helpful private in allundertakings, whether in matters of work, matters of sport andrecreation, or matters involving their common safety in this wildcountry of Ohio where they had set about to establish their home and atthe same time carry on a profitable trade with the Indians.

  "We might have crossed over and had a look at the Delawares' HarvestFestival," said John, stretching himself preparatory to beginning thehomeward journey.

  "Still, the art of minding your own business is often worth cultivating.It's a pretty good idea, sometimes," Kingdom answered with a smile, andpicked up a paddle to shove the canoe off into deeper water. Just as hedid so a piece of dried mud, such as would weigh an ounce or two,dropped into the little craft directly in front of him.

  "Hello, here! Hello, Fishing Bird!" exclaimed John who, as he was facingthe reed-lined shore, was the first to see whence the bit of dried earthcame, and recognized at once an old friend from the Indian town.

  "How now, Fishing Bird? We thought you were busy with the HarvestFestival that Lone-Elk planned so grandly. How come--"

  Kingdom's greeting, rapidly following John's, was interrupted by theIndian placing a finger to his lips and shaking his head most earnestly.

  "Paleface brothers listen, Paleface brothers not make any noise at all.Hear all Fishing Bird will say," the Delaware began in a subduedundertone, keeping himself almost wholly concealed by the tall grass andreeds at the water's edge.

  "No! look other way!" he urged, speaking rapidly but low, as both thewhite lads turned toward him. "Maybe Lone-Elk watching. Lone-Elk saysLittle Paleface is a witch and must be killed. Big Buffalo isdead--found dead by Little Wolf in the bushes by the water--and nowLone-Elk says a cloud that was Little Paleface bewitched touched BigBuffalo with a tomahawk and so he died. So must Little Paleface goaway--go far, heap far away. Go soon--right now! Lone-Elk come quick.Bye."

  A slight rustling of the grass was followed by silence. For a second theyoung white men waited, their faces turned away from the shore as theIndian had asked. When they no longer heard him, however, they quicklylooked about, but only to find themselves alone. As quietly as he hadcome and as suddenly, had the Delaware disappeared.

  Considerably perplexed and more than a little astonished, the boyslooked at each other inquiringly.

  "Real nice," said John. "It appears that I'm a witch and that I touchedBig Buffalo with a tomahawk and killed him! What d'ye think of that,now!"

  A smile which was more brave than merry was on John's face, but Ree'sbrow was wrinkled by deep thought.

  "There's a chance that Fishing Bird has stretched this thing--that it'snot half as bad as he makes out," Kingdom returned at last. "But theworst of it is, we don't know. Hang it all, why did he have to rush offso after telling just enough to make us want to know more? Yet we've gotto give him credit for what he has done, and the only safe thing is totake full account of all he said,--take full account of all of-it tillwe find out just what it's worth, at least."

  "What d'ye say to going across to their town and finding out just whatthat Seneca's up to, Ree? Pretend, of course, that we haven't heard athing unusual; just dropped in to look at the Festival and say 'howdy.'"

  But Kingdom shook his head to this proposal at once.

  "If there's going to be trouble it will catch us soon enough without oursetting out to hunt it," he said. "Fishing Bird was in dead earnest andafraid lest he be caught or suspected of giving warning. That's thereason he left so quickly. No, John, the thing for us to do is to maketracks in good order toward the little log house and keep our eyes openevery minute."

  "And I killed Big Buffalo--just to think that I killed that ugly,prowling, malicious old rascal! Faith, 'twould make me laugh if--if--"

  John's musing exclamation was unfinished. With a swift stroke of thepaddle Kingdom sent the canoe sweeping through the water with suddenliveliness and the lad who, under the name of "Little Paleface," mustanswer to the charge of witchcraft, could only seize a paddle, also, touse as a rudder and likewise assist in hurrying the light bark craftonward.

  Heading into a long arm of the lake extending northward, the boystouched shore at last at a little point of high ground which projectedthrough the mass of rank grass, reeds and bushes bordering the water atthis point, and continued on foot among trees and underbrush. Kingdomshouldered the canoe while John carried their rifle, paddles and goodlystring of fish.

  There was not much opportunity to talk and each lad was busy with hisown thoughts. However, when after a long walk overland they reached aconsiderable' stream, by the aid of which they could complete theirjourney in the more comfortable manner the canoe afforded them, John wasnot long in breaking the silence.

  "Ree," he said, with rather more earnestness and show of temper than wasusual with him, "I shouldn't be surprised if they come for me tonight.Confound the ignorant beasts!"

  "I've been thinking so," was the answer, "and I'm afraid they will."

  "The cabin ain't in as good shape as it used to be; the logs dry and theroof drier! And honest to goodness, Ree, I don't see what we're going todo about it; I can't help but feel but that I'm to blame for the mess,somehow, though what I ever did to get Lone-Elk down on me I don't know,blamed if I do!"

  "Why, you're nothing of the kind, John! Get all such foolishness out ofyour head. And what we're going to do about it is to be ready for them!I guess we can take care of ourselves now that we know what's likely tohappen. Actually, the thing that bothers me most is just the thought ofwhere we'd have landed but for Fishing Bird letting us know. If everthere was an all white heart in a red skin, it's his, and there's nodoubt about it."

  "And tomorrow we will find out from some one from the village or otherIndians that happen to pass, just how the land lays--that is, if--if wedon't find out sooner," John replied with a grim smile. "And BigBuffalo's dead! I can hardly believe it, by thunder! I guess it was theSeneca that killed him, if anybody did. Don't you s'pose Lone-Elk killedhim, Ree?"

  "Can't tell. Off-hand I'd say it couldn't have been any one el
se. It'sbeen common talk this long while that Lone-Elk and Big Buffalo didn'thitch up worth a hill o' beans, but--and hang it all, it's this thatmakes the whole thing so bad a mess--we simply don't know."

  This phase of the curious situation in which they found themselves--thisair of mystery and uncertainty connected with the report and warningwhich had reached them, afforded a more fertile subject for discussionby the two boys than did the question of their own personal safety. Thelatter was a matter which must await developments, and neither boy yetrealized how serious the situation was. Their quickly made agreement tohold the fort and face the trouble bravely had, for the time, disposedof that question.

  But the death of the Delaware who had always been so hostile to them,and the mysterious trick of fate by which, though dead, he was still thedirect cause of trouble coming just when all their plans were goingforward so smoothly, and just when they were in every way getting alongso comfortably, gave occasion for much speculation and exchange ofideas.

  "It's not so hard to understand why Lone-Elk should want to get rid ofus and to make trouble for us," said Kingdom reflectively, "because allsummer he has been talking war and stirring things up generally."

  "And even hinting that we were sending word of what all the Delawareswere doing straight to Mad Anthony at Fort Pitt," John broke in warmly."Fishing Bird it was that told us that, too."

  "Still I'd like to know just what took Big Buffalo off his pins," wasRee's reply, and so the conversation continued with no conclusion beingreached excepting only that there was going to be trouble and it must bemet and faced just as it had been confronted and finally overcome somany times before.

  It may have been, indeed, most likely was, the very fact that always inthe past they had come out of the most perilous difficulties withoutpermanent injury, which made the two boys slow to appreciate the gravityof their present position--a position of the greatest danger; far fromall human assistance and with all the Indians who hitherto had beentheir friends now turned against them.

  The little house of logs perched on the eastern bluff directly above theriver would no doubt have seemed a very lonesome spot and insecureenough to other eyes, as the boys approached it in the autumn twilight,but not so to them. With its surroundings of small but well cultivatedfields in the valley below, its big, comfortable looking woodpile at theedge of the woods and the cheerful welcome of Neb and Phoebe, their twohorses, whinnying their greeting from the rude log stable, it was apleasure to them to be safely there once more.

  It was home. The stout log walls would soon shut out the darkness and,they believed, the danger, holding them snug and warm with the firelightand the pleasant smell of their cooking supper within.

  John looked after the horses at the barn while Kingdom built up the firein the cabin and soon had the fish deliciously frying and severalextremely generous slices of coarse corn bread toasting on the hearth. Apot of maple tea--(maple sugar boiled in water--an Indian drink)simmered from its hook above the blaze, and a bark tray of nuts, crackedand ready for dessert, was in waiting on the table.

  "Better have everything shut tight," suggested Ree as John came in.

  "That's what I've done," was the answer, "not a knot-hole open.But--well, now that we are home and so jolly comfortable, does it notseem to you just as if Fishing Bird's coming and all that he said wasjust some nasty dream and not really so at all? Does to me. I don'tforget it for more than a minute at a time, but I feel as if I'd wake uppretty soon and find I'd just been sleeping on my back."

  "Well, it's too bad," was the answer.

  "We've got too much else to do to be bothered this way," John returned.

  "I've been thinking," Ree went on, "that Captain Pipe may give thatSeneca to understand a thing or two and prove to be our friend again,just when we most need him, as he has done more than once before. Stillwe've got to look alive every minute till the trouble's over, and so youput the supper on the table, John, and I'll just take a little lookaround the house and cast my eyes about the clearing for a minute."