CHAPTER NINE.
The _Rainbow_ was some time making her way down the river, and we may besure that Lettice and Cicely watched her till her white canvas was nolonger to be seen amid the tall trees which lined its banks; and thatVaughan's eyes, at all events, as he stood on the poop, gazed back tilltheir figures faded from sight. Roger was too much engaged in thenavigation of the ship to take more now and again than a hurried lookastern: he knew his duty too well to neglect it, even for that; forthere were shoals to be avoided, and sails to be trimmed to catch thefickle wind.
Hampton Roads were not reached till dark, when the _Rainbow_ had tobring up till the following morning. A bright look-out was kept duringthe night lest any Spaniard or other stranger might enter the harbour,and, finding a solitary ship, venture to attack her. At dawn, anchorwas weighed, and the breeze being fair, Old Comfort Point was rounded,and the _Rainbow_ steered northward up the broad Chesapeake. The leadwas kept going, for Captain Layton desired to keep as close to the shoreas prudence would permit; while Vaughan noted down each point and bay,and the mouth of every stream and inlet they passed.
"Dost know the look of this coast, Ben?" asked Roger, as he saw Tarboxgazing eagerly at the shore.
"Ay, marry do I, sir," answered the old sailor; "for we sailed up anddown it for many a league in the _Sally Rose_, and I thought when I cameto see it again I should not forget it."
"But you said the same when we sailed up James River," remarked Roger.
"And it is my belief that I once went up that also, with brave SirRichard Grenville in his pinnace; but I was somewhat mazed about thematter, and when Nicholas Flowers, who had been with me in the _SallyRose_, said he knew the place, I thought I must know it too; but now Icome to see this coast, I find out that I was then wrong and am nowright," answered Ben.
"You hav'n't got Nicholas by your elbow now to prompt you, so keep asharp look-out, and be sure that you are right this time," said Roger.
"Ay, that I will, sir," answered Ben; "and every league we make good,the more sure I am that I am right."
"I believe that honest Ben is not mistaken, and that we may have abetter hope of success than ever before," said Roger to Vaughan, when hejoined him on the poop. The ship continued running on all day; but thewind was light, and her progress, consequently, slow. Towards eveningshe brought up in a deep bay, in which Ben declared the _Sally Rose_ hadcome to an anchor on her downward passage. The next morning shecontinued her course, and had run on with a brisk breeze for some hours,when Ben shouted out--"That's the bay, sir, where Dick Sponson and I,when we had Batten with us, found the _Sally Rose_, after he had escapedfrom the Indians; it is three days' pull, in a heavy boat with the windagainst us, to the northward of this, where we took Batten on board. Ishould know the place again almost as well as I know Dartmouth harbour.It was about six miles inland of that where our shipmates were killed.If we sail on at the rate we are now going, we shall reach it beforenoon to-morrow, always provided the wind don't head us."
This information was, at all events, satisfactory, and Ben was sopositive that Roger could not but believe him. Ben added, that, to hisbelief, a short distance farther on there was a river, up which thelong-boat might pull for many a league, and that he calculated it wouldtake them into the very heart of the country where Batten, according tohis account, had been. As they sailed on, Ben, every now and then,exclaimed--"I mind that point, for we were becalmed off it for the bestpart of a day."--"Yes, that hill is just where I thought to findone."--"We pulled up yonder stream to get a fresh store of water, andhad to pull down it again pretty quickly, with only half our casks full,by reason of a party of Indians."
Thus he ran on, recognising all the main features of the shore. Theship, however, did not reach the bay he had expected, and, accordingly,had to stand off the shore and bring up at night in a more open positionthan would have been chosen; but, as the weather was calm, that matterednot. Early the next morning, however, the bay he had indicated wasreached, and some time before dark the ship came off the very spot whereBatten had been taken on board. He knew it by the easy landing theshore afforded, and by two tall trees which leant over one towards theother as if affording mutual support. The spot for which Audley andCaptain Layton and his son had been so eagerly looking was at lengthreached; as, however, it did not afford a secure anchorage, theydetermined to stand on in hopes of finding the mouth of the river intowhich they intended to run and bring up. It proved to be not more thana couple of leagues to the northward. Roger having gone ahead in theskiff to sound, piloted the ship to an anchorage just inside the mouth,where she could lie secure from any storms which might blow without, andat the same time too far from the shore to be assailed from thence byany hostile Indians; while her guns would enable her to defend herselfagainst any attack which might be made in canoes, should the nativesprove hostile. It being now nearly dark, nothing could be done on shoretill the next morning. The night was perfectly calm; the starsglittering overhead were reflected on the mirrorlike surface of thewater. The forest extending down to the shores of the deep bay in whichthe ship lay formed a dark wall round her, from which, ever and anon,came strange sounds; but no human voices were heard to denote that thecountry was inhabited. Still, a strict watch was wisely kept, for thesilence which reigned was no proof that the savages were at a distance.
Meantime, preparations were made for the proposed expedition; thecaptain would willingly have led it, but Roger persuaded him to remainon board and look after the ship. "Half a dozen men, with you tocommand them, will be of more avail than a score without you," heobserved; "we may thus take twenty with us and leave enough in charge ofthe boat."
To this the captain at length assented, knowing well that he could notmove as fast, nor endure as much fatigue as his younger companions. Atdawn the boat shoved off, each man carrying provisions for a week'smarch, with a further supply in the boat, to be ready should theyexhaust their stock before they could return to her. Twenty men,besides the two leaders and Oliver Dane, were to form the expedition.The rest were to remain in the boat. Quitting the river, Ben Tarboxpiloted them to the very spot where he and his companion had receivedBatten on board their boat.
"That is the direction from whence we saw him coming," he said, pointingto the north-west; "and by his account he had been making, as far as hecould judge, pretty straight for the shore, as he had the sun, when itrose, directly in his eyes, and he thus knew that he was holding on tothe eastward."
"Then we will march in the direction from whence he came," said Roger."On, lads!" he exclaimed, having given his last orders to the crew tolie off the shore at anchor, and to allow no Indians on board under anypretext till his return. The forest was tolerably open, and the boat'scompass enabled them to keep the course they desired. No wigwams wereseen, nor cultivated fields, nor did any natives make their appearance.Now and then a deer started from before them: Roger and Vaughan were toocareful leaders to allow their men to chase the animals, lest thenatives might take the opportunity of setting upon them while thusseparated. "Better empty insides than cloven skulls, lads," observedRoger; "ere long we shall have a deer crossing our path near enough tobring it down without the risk of being taken at a disadvantage."
The men, seeing the wisdom of this, marched forward without complaint.Night coming on, they camped in the centre of a tolerably wide space ofopen ground, near which, at a little distance, ran a stream from whencethey could obtain a supply of water, while the bushes which grew near itafforded them fuel. Here also they might hope to get a shot at someanimal coming down to drink, which would give them fresh meat and enablethem to husband their provisions. Vaughan had often carried afowling-piece amid the woods and hills of Devonshire, and was the bestshot of the party; he accordingly volunteered to watch for a deer,keeping near enough to the camp to obtain assistance if required. Itwanted but half an hour to sunset, at which time animals were mostlikely to come down to drink. Oliver, also carrying a gun, went withhim. But few trees
or shrubs grew on the banks of the stream, which ranfoaming and bubbling over a stony bed, with rocks on either side. Asthe time was short, they had at once to select a convenient shelter: thebest they could find was between a rock and a thick bush, which overhungthe stream. Here, leaning against the bank, they could command theopposite shore, which shelved gradually to the water, as it did alsosome way lower down.
Vaughan was beginning to get weary of waiting, when he saw a couple ofdeer moving amid the tall grass and brushwood which covered the countryfor some distance on the opposite side: Oliver saw them also.Recollecting the way Gilbert and Fenton had been entrapped, he thoughtit possible that the Indians might be attempting to play them a similartrick. The deer trotted forward, and the wind coming from them, theydid not discover their enemies, and reaching the bank, began to drink.Vaughan and Oliver raised their pieces, and as the deer lifted up theirlong necks, they fired together and both fell dead. A shout of triumphraised by Oliver brought several from the camp to the spot, who dashingacross the river, the deer were soon cut up, and several pieces ofvenison were quickly roasting before the fire.
Their success encouraged them to hope that they might obtain ample food,and be able to prosecute their search much further than they hadintended. The sound of the shot, however, and their fires, mightattract the natives to their neighbourhood; and a very vigilant watchwas therefore kept during the night. Somewhat to their surprise,however, it passed away quietly, and the next morning they resumed theirmarch. They were passing the borders of a thick wood, nearly knee-deepin grass, when Roger felt his foot strike against a hard substance whichemitted a hollow sound, as it gave way before him. Stooping down, herose with a human skull in his hand, white and clean. He and Vaughanexamined it: the top showed a deep cleft. Others at the same time criedout that they were walking among bones.
"Some Indian battle has taken place here," observed Roger.
"That is no Indian skull," said Vaughan, "but that of a round-headedEnglishman. The blow which killed him, it is clear, was inflicted by anIndian tomahawk."
The men, who had been searching about, now brought up from among thegrass several other skulls, each one giving the same indubitableevidence of the manner in which the owner had been slain.
"This must be the very place where Batten saw the crew of the _SallyRose_ slaughtered," observed Vaughan. "It proves that we are on theright track, and should warn us to be cautious in our advance, lest thenatives play us the same trick."
Further search produced altogether ten skulls, the number, it wasconcluded, of the unfortunate party cut off. Their clothing and armshad evidently been carried away, the bodies alone being left as a feastfor the vultures and armadillos. The incident was not encouraging;Roger, however, quickly revived the spirits of his party by remarkingthat all they had to do was to keep a watch on every side, and not to becajoled by any tricks the Indians might attempt to play them.
Having already provisions for a couple of days, they pushed on bravely,and would have continued even longer than they had intended, had theynot unexpectedly arrived on the banks of a broad river, to cross whichwithout a boat would prove a difficult matter and a dangerous one,should Indians attempt to stop their landing on the opposite bank. Theyagreed therefore that their best course was to proceed up the river, andto borrow canoes, should they find them--as they had no doubt that itwas the river at the mouth of which their ship lay, they could withoutdifficulty return to her, provided they could find canoes of sufficientburden to carry them; and if not, they might descend the stream by araft--no very hazardous undertaking to men such as they were.
It was high time to meet with Indians, and they hoped soon to do so,provided they could establish friendly relations with them, for by theirmeans only could they obtain the information they required. Theytherefore marched on merrily, and having the river on their right, theyhad now only one side to guard. As the land was level and not thicklytimbered, they could keep close to the water. As Batten had not spokenabout a river, they concluded that he had not been carried to the northof the stream along which they were making their way, and that thereforethey must be in the neighbourhood of the district in which he had beenheld captive. As they had cooked the remainder of their venison attheir last halting-place, they judged it wise not to light a fire lestthey might attract Indians to their camp at night, who might at allevents disturb their rest. Thus Roger and Vaughan thought they mightprobably have passed Indian villages without being discovered. Theycame to two or three small streams, through which they waded, though thewater was above their waists, while Ben Tarbox carried Oliver on hisshoulders.
At length, however, another stream was reached too broad and deep to becrossed in this fashion; a ford might exist, they thought, further up,and they accordingly were proceeding along the bank when Roger's eyefell upon a canoe hauled up on the shore some way ahead. This wouldafford them the means of crossing, they hoped; but on reaching her itwas found that she was formed of birch bark, that her side was batteredin, and that she was indeed little better than a sieve. She was of noavail, therefore, for their purpose.
The existence of a canoe in that place went to show that the nativeswere not far off; still Roger and Vaughan determined to cross, as theywere unwilling to get farther from the main stream. They set to work,therefore, to cut down a number of small trees to form a raft. Whilethey were thus engaged, Vaughan with his usual companion, Oliver Dane,proceeded a little higher up along the bank in search of game, Rogercautioning them not to go far. In a short time Oliver came back, sayingthat he had caught sight of an Indian in a canoe, spearing fish amidsome rapids which ran across the stream; but as the fisher had not seenhim, they might easily go back without being discovered.
"If we can avoid alarming him, and get him to come to us, which he maydo, by seeing only two persons, it may prove a favourable opportunityfor obtaining information," observed Vaughan; "we must proceedcautiously, however, and I will keep out of sight while you make signsto the fisher."
They accordingly crept along behind some thick bushes which effectuallyconcealed them from the person in the canoe. At length they reached thespot, whence Vaughan could see the fisher. "Why," he whispered toOliver, "that is a young girl; but though hot dress is that of anIndian, she appears to me, at this distance fairer than even thePrincess Pocahontas--a graceful young damsel, too. See, she has struckanother fish, and is hauling it in. Do you, Oliver, go and showyourself on the bank; sing as you have been wont to do on board, andbeckon to her; it will calm any alarm she might be inclined to feel, andshe will come more readily than were she to see me."
Oliver did as he was bid. The girl just then caught sight of him, andas she did so, she laid down her lance and seizing a paddle, with acouple of strokes sent her canoe out of the rapids into the smootherwater below them; then, lifting a bow with an arrow, drew it to thehead. Just then Oliver, having found his voice, began to sing the firstair which came into his head. The maiden stood balancing herself in herfrail bark, motionless as a statue, listening with eager ears to thenotes which reached her, then, slowly withdrawing her arrow, let it fallwith her bow into the canoe. Oliver sang on, observing the effect ofhis music, and beckoned as he had been directed. She quickly understoodhim and sinking into her seat, with rapid strokes she urged the canoetowards the bank, her countenance turned with an eager and wonderinggaze at his face. She came on till the bow of the canoe almost touchedthe shore; then, standing up, she beckoned him to come down to her fromthe top of the bank, when with another stroke of her paddle she broughtthe canoe close to him.
"Who are you? whence do you come?" she asked eagerly. Oliver knewenough of the Indian language to understand her, though scarcely enoughto reply. He pointed therefore down the river, intimating that he camethus far in a big ship, though he said nothing of his companions. Sheappeared to comprehend him, looking up all the time eagerly as before inhis face; then she put out her hand close to his as if comparing thecolour; hers indeed was the light
est of the two. Next she pointed toher face, which though sunburnt, was not so dark as his. Hercountenance showed the thoughts which were passing rapidly through hermind. At last she inquired his object in coming thither. He told herthat it was to seek for some friends, white people, who were supposed tobe in that part of the country. She stood with her finger on her browfor a minute or more, as if meditating what to do; then, having made upher mind, she took his hand and signed to him to step into the canoe andsit down. Oliver was a brave lad, and without hesitation he complied.No sooner was he on board than with one stroke of her paddle she sentthe canoe away from the bank, directing its head up the stream towardsthe rapids down which she had descended. As she got near them shehanded him another paddle, and intimated to him that he was to use it inascending the rapids. He had frequently paddled about in James River inIndian canoes, and was therefore able to obey her. On seeing this, sheuttered an expression of approbation. Vaughan, who had watched theseproceedings with much interest, saw his young companion, and the Indiangirl paddle on till they had reached smooth water above the rapids, whenthey darted away at a rate which quickly took them out of sight.
"He is a brave fellow to go thus unhesitatingly, and I trust that noharm will befall him; he probably was afraid of frightening the youngdamsel or he would have called to me, to ask my advice." Such was thetenour of his thoughts, as he made his way back to where he had left therest of the party. Roger was highly pleased when he heard of Oliver'scourage in going thus alone with the Indian girl, and agreed withVaughan as to the motive which induced him to accompany her.
"One thing is certain," he observed, "that it will be useless for us tocontinue making the raft, as we must either wait Oliver's return here,or follow him up along the stream to the place to which the girl hasconveyed him."
Vaughan agreeing that this was the best thing to do, the men wereordered to get into marching order. After passing the spot near therapids where the Indian girl had taken Oliver into her canoe, the groundbecame very rough, a high and rugged ridge making their progress, ladenas they were, exceedingly difficult. Still, they felt bound to followOliver, for the maiden's friends might not be disposed to treat the ladas kindly as she might, supposing him to be alone and unprotected--whereas the appearance of an armed band such as theirs was might overawethem, and show them that it was their interest to be on friendly termswith their visitors. Vaughan and Roger leading the way, the menscrambled over the rocks after them, keeping as close as they couldabove the river, that, should the canoe return with Oliver, they mightnot fail to see her.
Having at length surmounted the ridge, they found themselves lookingdown into a broad and pleasant valley, watered by another small rivulet,by the side of which appeared an Indian village and a considerablenumber of people moving about, while a group, in the midst of which theydistinguished Oliver and the young girl, was collected in front of thelargest wigwam. The principal figure was an old Indian, who by hisdress, and the ornaments on his head, they knew must be a chief. Thegirl was apparently endeavouring to explain to the old chief how she hadfound the young paleface.
"They see us," cried Roger, as he and Vaughan with their men appeared onthe top of the ridge; "keep your weapons lowered, lads, we must donothing to alarm them. Stay here, and I will go down and make friendswith the old chief--that fair damsel will, I doubt not, be on our side--they will be less likely to be alarmed by seeing one person approachalone."
As he was speaking, many of the Indians ran into their wigwams, andbrought forth their bows and arrows, and other weapons. Those about thechief, however, remained perfectly quiet, merely turning their eyes inthe direction of the strangers. Roger therefore advanced without anyanxiety towards the chief, who stood waiting his arrival. Going up tothe old man he took him by the hand, and explained in the choicestlanguage he could command the object of his, and his companions' visitto that part of the country. The chief replied that he had gathered asmuch from what the girl had told him, and that he had heard some daysbefore of the appearance of the white-faces on their shore. Rogerexpressed his surprise at this, when the Indian remarked that they hadbeen seen on landing, and that their progress had been watched day afterday, but as they had done no harm they had been allowed to proceed."Our people are not fools," observed the old chief, "and we knew wellthat the further you proceeded into the country the more easily we coulddestroy you if we deemed it necessary."
Roger knew by this that the precautions he had taken had not beenuseless. His object being to win over the chief, he did not boast ofhis power to resist the attack; the well-armed party on the top of thehill would produce more effect, he knew, than anything he could say. Henow turned to Oliver and his companion. On looking at the maiden, hehad no doubt, from the form of her features and her fair complexion,that she was of English parentage, though not a word of English had sheuttered. His curiosity to know how she was thus living among theIndians was very great; on this point, however, she could give him noinformation. She had lived always with them, and she believed that theold chief was her grandfather; from the latter, therefore, only could hehope to obtain an answer to his questions. The old chief was, however,evidently not disposed to reply to him; the maiden was one of theirtribe, and such she must always be, he answered at length; so Roger sawthat it would be wise not to press the matter just then. Heaccordingly, feeling satisfied with what the chief had said, asked if heknew aught of a white man who had long been in that region, or of twoyouths who had lately been brought thither.
"Wise men do not reply till they have time to consider the object of thequestions put to them," answered the chief; "if you come as friends, asfriends we will receive you, and give you the best our country affords.You may invite your companions down into the valley, they need fear nodanger."
"It is not our habit to fear danger," answered Roger, "but we haveconfidence in your friendship; when danger is threatened, we know how todefend ourselves." Having made this remark, which had its due effect,he hastened back to Vaughan, and after a short consultation, they agreedto accept the chiefs invitation, but to keep a strict watch, in case oftreachery.
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