CHAPTER XXIII
THE CAVERN OF THE WATER SPIRITS
"WE must get away from here right soon," announced Kenton, after he hadasked the boys a few questions concerning the adventures that had beenmet with on the long and dangerous journey across country from the Ohioto the region of the Great Lakes.
"Whatever you say, we will do only too gladly," declared Bob; and Sandynodded his head eagerly, to denote that he was of the same mind.
"Very good," remarked the borderer, who had been thinking over matterseven at the time he questioned the boys. "And, as it happens, we knowof a fine hiding-place not a great way off, where we can keep thesefellows safe during the time we must stay around the Seneca town."
"Troth!" remarked Pat O'Mara, immediately; "'tis a jewel av a place.They till me they have kept house in the same both toimes whin comin'up till the counthry av the Great Lakes, to say phat the crafty ouldsarpint Kiashuta might be about. By the greatest luck in the worrld Iran acrost Abijah Cook here, and was introduced to the cavern. 'Tis agrand place I'm tilling ye, me boys; and bad cess to the ridskin thativer discovers the same."
"Come, let us depart without any more delay," said Kenton, impatiently;for he knew that there was more or less danger lest one of the medicinemen find some excuse to return to the sacred oak, and thus make adiscovery that must cause the Seneca village to buzz like an enormoushive of bees, with scores of warriors rushing forth to scour the wholeneighborhood for signs of the bold palefaces.
The four Frenchmen evidently did not enjoy the prospect by which theywere confronted. Still, they were soldiers of fortune enough to acceptthings as they came along. Who could tell what the next shuffle of thecards might bring forth? The first often became last, and the under dogmight find himself in a position to make terms as victor.
That their air of indifference was assumed even the boys felt sure.They could detect the cautious looks cast around by the leaders of theFrenchmen, and understood how eagerly they would seize upon a chance toescape.
Nor were the three white men in doubt as to what such a catastrophemight mean for them; since it must bring a mob of cruel foes howlingat their heels like a pack of timber wolves eager for the blood of thewounded stag.
Quitting the wonderful oak that had, perhaps, witnessed these strangecouncils of the red men for centuries past, all plunged into the forest.
The French trappers were fastened together with a hide rope whichKenton happened to have wrapped about his waist.
Guarded by men with ready rifles, and followed by the two boys andBlue Jacket, the prisoners knew they would show their good sense byrefraining from any demonstration.
Crafty Larue might have sought to delay the march by pretendedstumbles, but he did not exactly like the manner of Kenton. Possibly heknew something of the fiery nature of the rash borderer, and feared toarouse his anger.
As they thus threaded the mazes of the deep woods, winding in and outwhile following certain trails made doubtless by wild animals, not aword was spoken. Kenton had warned the prisoners that talking wouldnot be allowed under any circumstances.
He himself wished to ask a score of important questions of the boys,knowing that, since they had been hidden in the oak tree during theholding of the great palaver, they must know much that he yearned tograsp. But he could wait until they were in a position of safety beforemaking his inquiries.
"I hope we are nearly there," whispered Sandy in the ear of hisbrother, for, to tell the truth, the boy was nearly exhausted after thegreat strain of the last week, and then those two long hours up in thetree, when he could hardly breathe freely, for fear of betraying theirhiding-place to the watchful enemy.
Pat O'Mara was close enough to catch the low words, or else he guessedwhat Sandy must have said. At any rate, he dropped back a pace or two,and managed to remark in his genial, consoling way:
"Whist now, be aisy, me boy; 'twill not be long afore we reach ourdistination. And thin, by the powers, ye can rist as long as ye plaise.Do be lookin' out that ye lave the trees alone, and save the skin avyour nose," he added, as Sandy, forgetting to be as careful as usual,in his desire to hear what Pat had to say, ran full into a saplingthat he failed to see in time, and consequently suffered to the extentof several scratches on his face.
It was almost marvellous the way those forest rangers managed to passin and out of the dense forest like so many shuttles in the hands ofan expert weaver. The moon was utterly missing now, and even the lightof the stars failed to penetrate beneath that thick canopy of mattedbranches overhead, so that they stalked along in almost completedarkness.
But they were at home under such conditions. The woods were an openbook to Kenton. He read the pages as readily as any Indian who evercrouched in the war-dance, or lifted his voice in the whoop of a foray.They used to say that Kenton possessed the eyes of a cat, so that hecould see when other men were blind. And perhaps they were right, forhe certainly led his little troop in and out with marvellous skill.
Some ten minutes later Bob heard the music of a waterfall ahead.
"Phat do yees think av that?" asked Pat O'Mara a moment later, as theystood on the bank of a fairly large stream, and looked up at the sheetof water that shot over the ledge above, to fall in a white tumblingmass into the pool at their feet.
"It is beautiful," observed Bob, who, however was wise enough to knowthat Kenton would not have brought them hither simply to admire thecataract.
"Back of that sheet of water there is a cavern," said the leader, asthey stood on the shore. "I have been many times to the great Niagara,and a friendly Onondaga chief took me back to the wonderful shelf ofrock that is hidden by that wall of falling water. So I suspected thatthere might be just such a fine hiding-place here. Many months ago,when I was up in this country on a mission for Governor Dunmore ofVirginia, I investigated, and found it to be true. Follow after me andyou shall see."
The four prisoners held back. They did not like the idea of bravingthe wrath of those descending waters. Perhaps there may have been somesuperstitious fear connected with their hesitancy, for the Indians hadlegends concerning this same cataract, and believed that the spiritsof the departed came hither, to sing again the war chants and songs oflove that they had known when on earth.
But there was nothing left for the Frenchmen to do but obey, when thosegrim keepers urged them on. Life was sweet, even to such recklessrovers, and so, overcoming their reluctance, they obeyed the directionsgiven, and passed in safety behind the sparkling, water curtain.
"Keep against the rock, all!" said Kenton, who was in the lead.
Sandy stumbled; but, as usual, Bob was quick to throw out a helpinghand, so that the other was saved a plunge over the edge of the rock,which must have resulted in a good ducking, if nothing more serious.
"Now stand still," came the voice of their leader from a point close athand. "I have torches handy, and, as soon as I can get at my tinder,you shall have light."
Presently, as they stood patiently waiting, holding on to the prisonerslest they be tempted to make a dash for liberty in the dark, they heardKenton striking his flint against the steel. Then a tiny blaze sprangup, which in turn was communicated to a long splinter of fat pine,taken from a tree, they afterwards learned, that had been lately rivenby a thunderbolt, and hence was scrupulously avoided by the Indians.
When the torch lighted up the cavern the boys found that, owing to theformation of the rocks, it was next to impossible for any one outsideto see signs of human occupancy. Besides, should a Seneca warriordiscover a strange weird glow behind the water curtain, he would verylikely fall on his face in the full belief that the spirits wereholding council there, and that the fire was not of this world, butfrom the land of the great Manitou.
"Here you can rest, my brave boys," said Kenton, kindly. "We haveplenty of meat, and there is no lack of fuel. The smoke of the fireescapes through crevices in the rocks above. See, yonder are beds ofleaves and stripped hemlock. After we have eaten, and you have told mewhat you heard w
hile hidden in the oak, you must lie down to rest. Asto the rescue of Kate, we will make our plans later."
A fire was soon started, the same supply of pine wood doing service.And, under such singular conditions, the two young pioneers ate thefirst good meal they had enjoyed for more than a week.
Afterwards Bob sat beside Kenton while the borderer plied him with manyquestions. Of course Bob was not always able to give as intelligentan answer as he would like, since his ignorance of the Indian tonguehad prevented his understanding much that had been said by Pontiac andthe other head chiefs during the council; but Kenton, in his customaryshrewd way, managed to guess at what was lacking.
"It is all plain to me, Bob," he said, later on. "Pontiac is at his oldgame, and hopes to weld all the various tribes from the Alleghanies tothe Mississippi in a grand confederation in favor of the French, whomhe loves, and against the English colonists, whom he despises. TheSacs, his own people, the Pottawottomies; the Foxes; the Delawares;even the Illinois tribes he is sure of; also the Shawanees. He longs toadd the Six Nations, or Iroquois, to the list. That is why his silvervoice is heard in the land of the Senecas," he added bitterly.
"But the Iroquois are the friends of the English?" Bob exclaimed.
"Yes," Kenton went on, a frown mantling his fine face. "They have been,in the past; but the artful French have long tried to undermine thisold established friendship. They constantly seek opportunities to makethe Onondagas, the Oneidas, the Mohawks, the Cayugas, the Tuscaroras,and the Senecas believe that the English governor of Virginia isplaying them false, and speaking with a double tongue."
"But they have not wavered, up to now," said Bob. "Surely they hate theFrench so much that they will refuse to join with them in warring onour settlements, just because the lilies of France seek to run a lineof trading posts all the way down the Mississippi?"
"We believe that is true with most of the tribes; but the Senecas haveacted in a suspicious way," returned the borderer. "That is why we twocame up to this northern country. News reached Boone that Pontiac wassending his wampum belt to the Seneca chief, Kiashuta, with word thatthe owner expected to personally follow it up, and address a greatgathering of the various tribes under the famous Seneca council oak."
"If that was Kiashuta with whom Pontiac departed, I greatly fear he isleaning toward the teaching of the great plotter," Bob declared.
"Yes, he has little love for the English, the more the pity," Kentonadded; "but, left to himself, the Seneca would have been swayed by hisfellow chiefs of the Six Nations. Now that he has heard the fiery,persuading voice of Pontiac, I fear he, too, will be ready to dig upthe hatchet that has been buried these many years, and go with hisyoung braves on the warpath, burning and slaying."
Sandy had already thrown himself down on some of the hemlock boughs,and was far gone on the road to slumberland. The warmth of the cavern,together with his more satisfied mind, and the good supper of which hehad just partaken, combined to make the lad very sleepy.
Nor was Bob averse to following his example when he found that Kentonhad no more important questions to ask. He did not inquire as to whatplans the other might have already budding in his mind, looking to thestealing of their captive sister from the clutches of the Senecas.
Kenton was a man to be trusted when he had such a task on hand. Hewould sleep on it, and, with the coming of another day, no doubt theymight hear just how he expected to go about entering the village of theSenecas, and robbing Black Beaver's wigwam of its latest tenant, thepaleface girl whom the young chief had stolen to replace the daughterso mourned by the old squaw, his mother.
The Pioneer Boys on the Great Lakes; or, On the Trail of the Iroquois Page 26