Fire Cloud; Or, The Mysterious Cave. A Story of Indians and Pirates.

by Samuel Fletcher

  CHAPTER II.

  Carl Rosenthrall was a wealthy citizen of New York. That is, rich whenwe consider the time in which he lived, when our mammoth city waslittle more than a good-sized village, and quite a thriving trade wascarried on with the Indians along the river, and it was in this tradechiefly, that Carl Rosenthrall and his father before him, had madenearly all the wealth which Carl possessed.

  But Carl Rosenthrall's business was not confined to trading with theIndians alone, he kept what would now be called a country store. Astore where everything almost could be found, from a plough to a paperof needles.

  Some ten years previous to the time when the events occurred which arerecorded in the preceding chapter, and when Hellena Rosenthrall wasabout six years old, an Indian chief with whom Rosenthrall hadfrequent dealings, and whose name was Fire Cloud, came in to themerchant's house when he was at dinner with his family, and asked forsomething to eat, saying that he was hungry.

  Now Fire Cloud, like the rest of his race, had an unfortunate likingfor strong drink, and was a little intoxicated, and Rosenthrall notliking to be intruded upon at such a time by a drunken savage, orderedhim out of the house, at the same time calling him a drunken brute,and making use of other language not very agreeable to the Indian.

  The chief did as he was required, but in doing so, he put his hand onhis tomahawk and at the same time turned on Rosenthrall a look thatsaid as well as words could say, "Give me but the opportunity, andI'll bury this in your skull."

  The chief, on passing out, seated himself for a moment on the stoop infront of the house.

  While he was sitting there, little Hellena, with whom he had been afavorite, having often seen him at her father's store, came runningout to him with a large piece of cake in her hand, saying:

  "Here, No-No, Hellena will give you some cake."

  No-No was the name by which the Indian was known to the child, havinglearned it from hearing the Indian make use of the name no, no, sooften when trading with her father.

  The Indian took the proffered cake with a smile, and as he did solifted the child up in his arms and gazed at her steadily for a fewmoments, as if he wished to impress every feature upon his memory, andthen sat her down again.

  He was just in the act of doing this when the child's father came outof the dining-room.

  Rosenthrall, imagining that the Indian was about to kidnap hisdaughter, or do her some violence, rushed out ordering him to put thechild down, and be off about his business.

  It was the recollection of this circumstance, taken in connection withthe fact that Fire Cloud had been seen in the city on the day on whichhis daughter had disappeared, which led Rosenthrall to fix upon theold chief as the person who had carried off Hellena.

  This opinion, as we have seen, was encouraged by Captain Flint forreasons of his own.

  The facts in the case were these.

  Rosenthrall, as Captain Flint had said, although for a long time oneof his best customers, knowing to, and winking at his unlawful doings,having been elected a magistrate took it in to his head to be honest.

  He had made money out of his connection with the smuggler and pirate,and he probably thought it best to break off the connection before itshould be too late, and he should be involved in the ruin which heforesaw Captain Flint was certain to bring upon himself if hecontinued much longer in the reckless course he was now pursuing.

  All this was understood by Captain Flint, and it was as he explainedto his men, in order to get the upper hand of Rosenthrall, and thusprevent the danger which threatened him from that quarter, he hadcaused Hellena to be kidnapped, and conveyed to their grand hidingplace, the cave in the side of the mountain.

  Rosenthrall at this time resided in a cottage on the banks of theriver, a short distance from his place of business, the groundssloping down to the water.

  These grounds were laid out into a flower garden where there was anarbor in which Hellena spent the greater part of her time during thewarm summer evenings.

  It was while lingering in this arbor rather later than usual that shewas suddenly pounced upon by the two Indians employed by Captain Flintfor the purpose, and conveyed to his vessel, which lay at anchor ashort distance further up the river.

  Captain Flint immediately set sail with his unwilling passenger, andin a few hours afterwards she was placed in the cave under the safekeeping of the squaw who presided over that establishment.

  If the reader would like to know what kind of a looking girl HellenaRosenthrall was at this time, I would say that a merrier, moreanimated, if not a handsomer face he never looked upon. She was thevery picture of health and fine spirits.

  Her figure was rather slight, but not spare, for her form was compactand well rounded, and her movements were as light and elastic as thoseof a deer.

  Her complexion was fair, one in which you might say without any streakof fancy, the lily was blended with the rose.

  Her eyes were blue and her hair auburn, bordering on the golden, andslightly inclined to wave rather than to curl.

  Her nose was of moderate size and straight, or nearly so.

  Some would say that her mouth was rather large, but the lips were sobeautifully shaped, and then when she smiled she displayed such anexquisite set of the purest teeth, setting off to such advantage theruby tinting of the lips, you felt no disposition to find fault withit.

  We have spoken of Hellena's look as being one of animation and highspirits, and such was its general character, but for some time past ashadow of gloom had come over it.

  Hellena was subject to the same frailties which are common to her sex.She had fallen in love!

  The object of her affections was a young man some two or three yearsolder than herself, and at first nothing occurred to mar theirhappiness, for the parents of both were in favor of the match.

  As they were both young, however, it was decided to postpone theirunion for a year.

  In the meantime, Henry Billings, the intended bridegroom, should makea voyage to Europe in order to transact some business for his father,who was a merchant trading with Amsterdam.

  The vessel in which he sailed never reached her place of destination.

  It was known that she carried out a large amount of money sent bymerchants in New York, as remittances to those with whom they haddealings in Europe. This, together with certain facts which transpiredshortly after the departure of the vessel, led some people to suspectthat she had met with foul play somewhere on the high seas; and thatnot very far from port either.

  Hellena, who happened to be in her father's store one day when CaptainFlint was there, saw on his finger a plain gold ring which she wassure had belonged to her lover.

  This fact she mentioned to her father after the captain had gone.

  Her father at that time ridiculed her suspicions. But he afterwardsremembered circumstances connected with the departure of the vessel,and the movements of Captain Flint about the same time, which taken inconnection with the discovery made by his daughter, did seem tojustify the dark suspicions created in the mind of his daughter.

  But how was he to act under the circumstance? As a magistrate, it washis business to investigate the matter. But then there was the dangershould he attempt to do so, of exposing his own connection with thepirate.

  He must move cautiously.

  And he did move cautiously, yet not so cautiously but he aroused thesuspicions of Captain Flint, who, as we have seen, in order to securehimself against the danger which threatened him in that quarter, hadcarried off the daughter of the merchant.