Silver Lake

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by R. M. Ballantyne


  CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

  THE MASSACRE.

  We must return now to Robin Gore and his wife, who, on the morning onwhich we re-introduce them to the reader, were standing in the tradingstore of Fort Enterprise, conversing earnestly with Black, the Indian,who has been already mentioned at the beginning of our tale. The wifeof the latter--the White Swan--was busily engaged in counting over thepack of furs that lay open on the counter, absorbed, apparently, in anabstruse calculation as to how many yards of cloth and strings of beadsthey would purchase.

  "Well, I'm glad that's fixed, anyhow," said Robin to his wife, as heturned to the Indian with a satisfied air, and addressed him in hisnative tongue, "it's a bargain, then, that you an' Slugs go with me onthis expedition, is't so?"

  "The Black Swan is ready," replied the Indian, quietly, "and he thinksthat Slugs will go too--but the white hunter is self-willed; he has amouth--ask himself."

  "Ay, ye don't like to answer for him," said Robin, with a smile;"assuredly Slugs has his own notions, and holds to 'em; but I'll askhim. He is to be here this night, with a deer, I hope, for there aremany mouths to fill."

  Black Swan, who was a tall, taciturn, and powerful Indian, here glancedat his wife, who was, like most Indian women, a humble-looking and notvery pretty or clean creature. Turning again to Robin, he said, in alow, soft voice--

  "The White Swan is not strong, and she is not used to be alone."

  "I understand you," said Robin; "she shall come to the Fort, and belooked after. You won't object to take her in, Molly, when we're away?"

  "Object, Robin," said Molly, with a smile, which was accompanied by asigh, "I'll only be too glad to have her company."

  "Well, then, that's settled; and now, Black Swan, I may as well tell youwhat coorse I mean to follow out in this sarch for my child'n. You knowalready that four white men--strangers--have come to the Fort, an' arenow smokin' their pipes in the hall, but you don't know that one on 'emis my own brother Jefferson; Jeff, I've bin used to call him. Jeff'sbin a harem-scarem feller all his life--active and able enough, an' goodnatur'd too, but he never could stick to nothin', an' so he's binwanderin' about the world till grey hairs have begun to show on him,without gettin' a home or a wife. The last thing he tried was stokin' asteamboat on the Mississippi; but the boat blew up, pitched a lot o' thepassengers into the water, an' the rest o' them into the next world.Jeff was always in luck with his life; he's lost everythin' over an'over again but that. He was one o' the lot as was blowed into thewater, so, when he come up he swamed ashore, an' come straight away hereto visit me, bringin' three o' the blowed-up passengers with him. Thethree are somethin' like himself; good for nothin'; an' I'd rather havetheir room than their company at most times. Hows'ever, just at thistime I'm very glad they've come, for I'll leave them in charge o' theFort, and set off to look for the child'n in two days from this. I'lltake Walter and Larry wi' me, for brother Jeff is able enough to managethe trade if redskins come; he can fight too, if need be. The Gorefamily could always do that, so ye needn't be afraid, Molly."

  "I'll not be afraid, Robin, but I'll be anxious about ye."

  "That's nat'ral, lass, but it can't be helped. Well, then," continuedRobin, "the five of us will start for the Black Hills. I've bin told bya redskin who comed here last week that he an' his tribe had had ascrimmage with Hawk an' the reptiles that follow him. He says thatthere was a white boy an' a white girl with Hawk's party, an' from hisaccount of 'em I'm sartin sure it's my Roy and Nelly. God help 'em!`but,' says he, `they made their escape durin' the attack, an' wefollowed our enemies so far that we didn't think it worth while toreturn to look for 'em, so I'm convinced they made for the Black Hills,nigh which Hawk was attacked, an' if we follow 'em up there we may find'em alive yet, mayhap.'"

  Poor Robin's voice became deeper and less animated as he spoke, and thelast word was uttered with hesitation and in a whisper.

  "O Robin, Robin!" exclaimed Mrs Gore, throwing her arms suddenly roundher husband's neck, and hiding her sobbing face in his breast, "d'yethink they can _still_ be alive?"

  "Come, Molly," said Robin, commanding his feelings with a great effort,"han't ye often read to me that wi' God all things is possible?"

  The poor woman thanked God in her heart, for up to that day Robin hadnever once quoted Scripture in his efforts to comfort her.

  "Was Wapaw with Hawk when they were attacked?" inquired the Black Swan.

  "Wapaw is dead," said a deep voice, as the huge form of a western hunterdarkened the little doorway, and the next moment Slugs strode into thestore, and quietly seated himself on the counter.

  "Dead!" exclaimed Robin, as he shook the hunter's proffered hand.

  "Ay, dead! Have ye no word of welcome for a chum after a month'sabsence?" said Slugs, holding out his horny hand to the Black Swan, whogravely grasped and shook it.

  "You redskins are a queer lot," said Slugs, with a grin, "yer as stiffas a rifle ramrod to look at, but there's warm and good stuff in 'ee forall that."

  "But what about Wapaw?" inquired Mrs Gore, anxiously; "surely he's notdead."

  "If he's not dead he's not livin', for I saw Hawk himself, not fourweeks ago, shoot him and follow him up with his tomahawk, and then heardtheir shout as they killed him. Where did he say he was goin' when heleft you?"

  "He said he would go down to the settlements to see the missionaries,an' that he thought o' lookin' in on the fur-traders that set up a fortlast year, fifty miles to the south'ard o' this."

  "Ay, just so," said Slugs; "I was puzzled to know what he was doin'thereaway, and that explains it. He's dead now, an' so are thefur-traders he went to see. I'll tell ye all about it if you'll give mebaccy enough to fill my pipe. I ran out o't three days agone, an' ha'bin smokin' tea-leaves an' bark, an' all sorts o' trash. Thank 'ee;that's a scent more sweet nor roses."

  As he said this the stout hunter cut up the piece of tobacco which Robinat once handed to him, and rolled it with great zest between his palms.When the pipe was filled and properly lighted, he leaned his backagainst an unopened bale of goods that lay on the counter, and drawingseveral whiffs, began his narrative.

  "You must know that I made tracks for the noo fur-tradin' post when Ileft you, Black Swan, about a month ago. I hadn't much of a object; itwas mainly cooriosity as took me there. I got there all right, an' wassittin' in the hall chattin' wi' the head man--Macdonell they calledhim--about the trade and the Injuns. Macdonell's two little child'n wasplayin' about, a boy an' a girl, as lively as kittens, an' his wife--agood-lookin' young 'ooman--was lookin' arter 'em, when the door opens,and in stalks a long-legged Injun. It was Wapaw. Down he sat in fronto' the fireplace, an' after some palaver an' a pipe--for your Injuns'llnever tell all they've got to say at once--he tells Macdonell that therewas a dark plot hatchin' agin' him--that Hawk, a big rascal of his owntribe, had worked upon a lot o' reptiles like hisself, an' they had madeup their minds to come an' massacre everybody at the Fort, and carry offthe goods.

  "At first Macdonell didn't seem to believe the Injun, but when I toldhim I knowed him, an' that he was a trustworthy man, he was muchtroubled, an' in doubt what to do. Now, it's quite clear to me thatHawk must have somehow found out or suspected that Wapaw was goin' to'peach on him, an' that he had followed his trail close up; for in lessthan an hour arter Wapaw arrived, an' while we was yet sittin' smokin'by the fire, there was a most tremendous yell outside. I know'd it forthe war-whoop o' the redskins, so I jumped up an' cocked my rifle. Theothers jumped up too, like lightnin'; an' Mrs Macdonell she got hold o'her girlie in her arms an' was runnin' across the hall to her own room,when the door was knocked off its hinges, and fell flat on the floor.Before it had well-nigh fallen I got sight o' somethin', an' let drive.The yell that follered told me I had spoilt somebody's aim. A volleywas poured on us next moment, an' a redskin jumped in, but Wapaw'stomahawk sent him out again with a split skull. Before they couldreload--for the stupid fools had all fired together--I had the door up,and a heavy t
able shoved agin it. Then I turned round, to load agin;while I was doin' this, I observed poor Macdonell on his knees besidehis wife, so I went to them an' found that the wife an' girl were stonedead--both shot through the heart with the same ball.

  "As soon as Macdonell saw this he rose up quietly, but with a look onhis face sich as I never see in a man 'xcept when he means to stick atnothin'. He got hold of his double-barrelled gun, an' stuck a scalpin'knife an' an axe in his belt.

  "`Git on my back, Tommy,' says he to his little boy, who was cryin' in acorner.

  "Tommy got up at once, an' jumped on his dad's back. All this time theredskins were yellin' round the house like fiends, an' batterin' thedoor, so that it was clear it couldn't stand long.

  "`Friends,' said he turnin' to me an' Wapaw, an' a poor terrified chapthat was the only one o' his men as chanced to be in the house at thetime, `friends, it's every man for himself now; I'll cut my way thoughthem, or--'. He stopped short, an' took hold o' his axe in one hand,an' his gun in the other. `Are ye ready?' says he. We threw forwardour rifles an' cocked 'em; Macdonell--he was a big, strong man--suddenlyupset the table; the savages dashed in the door with sich force thatthree or four o' 'em fell sprawlin' on the floor. We jumped over thesebefore they could rise, and fired a volley, which sent three or four o'the reptiles behind on their backs. We got into the bush without ascratch, an' used our legs well, I can tell 'ee. They fired a volleyafter us, which missed us all except poor Tommy. A bullet entered hisbrain, an' killed him dead. For some time his father would not drophim, though I told him he was quite dead; but his weight kept him fromrunnin' fast, an' we heard the redskins gainin' on us, so at lastMacdonell put the boy down tenderly under a bush. Me and Wapaw stoppedto fire an' keep the reptiles back, but they fired on us, and Wapawfell. I tried to lift him, but he struggled out o' my arms. Poorfellow! he was a brave man; and I've no doubt did it a-purpose, knowin'that I couldn't run fast enough with him. Just then I saw Hawk comejumpin' and yellin' at us, followed by two or three dozen redskins, allflourishin' their tomahawks. Macdonell and me turned to die fightin'alongside o' our red comrade, but Wapaw suddenly sprang up, uttered ashout of defiance, an' dashed into the bush. The Injuns were after himin a moment, and before we could get near them a yell of triumph told usthat it was too late, so we turned and bolted in different directions.

  "I soon left them behind me, but I hung about the place for a day or twoto see if Macdonell should turn up, or any of his men. I even went backto the Fort after the reptiles had left it. They had burned it down,an' I saw parts o' the limbs o' the poor wife and child lyin' among thehalf-burned goods that they weren't able to carry away with them."

 

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