CHAPTER IV
BAD NEWS
"I'M afraid you are right, Roger," Dick replied, as the two pioneerboys hastened to be among the first to meet the rider when he camejogging into camp.
That something had, indeed, happened was easy to see from the dejectedmanner of the messenger. His face bore a deeply chagrined look, asthough there was some reason for his feeling ashamed.
He had evidently pushed his horse hard all day, for the animal was wornout, and reeking with sweat, despite the fact that there was a decidedchill in the air.
The man dropped wearily from his hard saddle. He came very nearfalling, for, after sitting in that constrained attitude for manyhours, his lower limbs were benumbed, so that for a brief time he didnot have the full use of them.
By this time Captain Lewis had heard the clamor, and come out of histent to ascertain what had happened.
Possibly he may have supposed that it was only a visit from some of theMandans on an errand connected with their now friendly association withthe whites. Then again, the commander may have wondered whether one ofthe hunting parties had arrived with some unusual species of game, suchas none of the explorers had ever seen before.
When, after striding forward to join the crowd, he saw the dustymessenger, a frown came upon his ordinarily pleasant face. CaptainLewis knew that something must have gone amiss, or the man who, withtwo companions, had started over the back trail several days beforewould not have returned to camp in this way.
"What does this mean, Mayhew?" he demanded, as he came up, the othersparting to allow a free passage, though naturally the two boys stuck totheir posts, because they had an especial interest in whatever storythe returned messenger might be about to relate.
"Something has happened, Captain Lewis, I'm sorry to tell you, and notat all to my credit," replied the man, trying to calm himself, thoughit was evident that he was laboring under great stress of emotion.
"Were you attacked on the way?" asked the President's privatesecretary, who had been entrusted with most of the responsibility ofthe excursion, and therefore felt more keenly than any one else thepossibility of failure.
He had taken great pains to keep a daily account of the trip up to thatpoint, and this diary he had sent to the head of the Government in thecare of the three men, one of whom now stood before him with dejectedmien.
"We believed we had taken all ordinary precautions, Captain," themessenger continued, making a brave effort to confess his fault asbecame a man; "but, in the darkness of the night, they crept upon uswithout any one being the wiser. My horse gave the alarm with a whinny,and, as I awoke, it was to find that the camp had been invaded byseveral enemies."
"Could you not see whether they were Indians or otherwise?" asked thecommander, as though a sudden suspicion had flashed through his brain.
"It was very dark, and our eyes were not of much use, sir," themessenger told him in reply. "We purposely refrained from buildinganything but a small cooking fire, and that was in a hole so its lightmight not betray us to any wandering Indians. But they were not red menwho attacked us; of that I am assured."
"Why are you so certain of that?" inquired Captain Lewis.
"We were all struggling with the intruders, who had evidently thrownthemselves upon us just as my horse gave the warning whinny," themessenger explained. "I am positive that my hands did not clutch thegreased body of a redskin, when I tried to throw him. Clothes hecertainly wore, such as all frontiersmen do. I could feel the deerskintunic, with its fringed edges. Besides, I tore a handful of his beardout in my struggles."
"No more proof is needed!" declared Captain Lewis. "They must havebeen some of the French half-breeds. But go on, Mayhew, have you otherdistressing news for us? What of your two companions; I hope they didnot meet their fate there in the darkness?"
At that the man's face lighted up a trifle. He had told the worst, andthe rest would come easier now.
"Oh, no, indeed, sir, none of us were badly injured, strange as itmight appear," he hurriedly explained. "Bruised we certainly were, andgreatly puzzled at both the attack and its sudden ending, that left usstill alive; but we were at least thankful it had been no worse!"
"And then what did you do?" continued the leader of the expedition.
"We stood guard with our guns ready the remainder of the night, sir,but we were not again disturbed. It was toward morning that I made asudden discovery, which is what has brought me back to the camp toreport, while my two companions kept on with your documents intendedfor the President."
Captain Lewis drew a deep sigh of relief. That was the first intimationhe had received that his precious communications had been saved.
"Then explain why you have returned, if the papers were saved!" hedemanded, as though puzzled.
"You forget, sir, that I was entrusted with another paper, which youordered me to personally hand to the grandfather of the two boys whojoined us."
When Mayhew said this, Dick and Roger knew that a new trouble haddescended upon their heads. He must have lost the paper in some mannerand yet neither of the lads was able to understand how it could havehappened.
"Do you mean to say the paper they set such store on is missing?"Captain Lewis demanded.
"I had it securely hidden in a pocket inside my tunic, Captain,"replied the humbled messenger; "but, when I came to look for it, itcould not be found. When morning came we spent a full hour scouringthe vicinity, but it was useless. And there had not been a breath ofwind to carry a paper away. It must have been taken from me while I wasstruggling with that unknown man."
"This is indeed a strange story you bring back with you, Mayhew,"continued the leader of the expedition, looking keenly at the other,who met his inquiring glance as bravely as he could. "Stop andconsider, did you hear anything said that might give the slightest clueconcerning the identity of the thieves?"
"But one word, sir, and that was a name," came the ready answer. "Theman with whom I was grappling, as we rolled over and over on theground, suddenly let out a loud cry. I plainly heard him say the oneword 'Alexis!' And then he suddenly threw me aside, for he was verypowerful."
"And did the fighting cease immediately?" asked Captain Lewis, quickly.
"Yes, sir, the others seemed to take that word as a signal, for thenext thing I knew my companions were calling out to ascertain whether Ihad been seriously hurt. I found that they also had been bruised, andone had a knife wound in the arm, but not of a serious nature."
The captain turned toward Dick and Roger.
"You have heard what Mayhew says, my boys," he remarked. "Does itafford you any sort of clue as to the meaning of this mysterious attackin the dark, and the seizure of the paper you were sending home?"
"I am afraid it does, Captain," Dick replied.
"You recognize the name, then, do you?"
"It is that of the grown son of Francois Lascelles," replied Dick; "therascally French trader who has bought up the claim against our parents'holdings down near the settlement of St. Louis."
"Then it is possible that they followed you all the way up here,and, having obtained the assistance of some equally desperate bordercharacters, laid a cunning plot whereby they meant to win by foulmeans, where fair could not succeed! What puzzles me most of all ishow they could know that Mayhew carried the paper. I should dislikevery much to believe we had a traitor in our little camp!"
The captain looked around at the assembled men with a seriousexpression on his face, which caused some uneasiness among thesoldiers, frontiersmen and voyageurs who made up the expedition. Theyhad always shown themselves loyal to their commanders and, when thefinger of suspicion pointed their way, all felt the disgrace keenly.
Mayhew it was who came to their relief.
"I could never believe, sir, that any one here could be sotreacherous," he hastened to say, as though anxious to take the entireburden of responsibility on his own broad shoulders, in which he provedhimself to be at least a man. "I have been seriously thinking it overas I rode a
ll day long, and believe I can see how it may have beenknown that I carried the boys' packet."
"Then explain it, Mayhew; for I must confess that the whole thing is agreat puzzle to me," Captain Lewis told him.
"When they saw us depart they knew, of course, that you would besending a report of the progress of the expedition to the Governmentat Washington, sir. They must have also surmised that the boys wouldhave influenced Jasper Williams to sign the paper that would free theirhomes, and that one of us must be carrying it to St. Louis. Do you notthink that is reasonable, Captain?"
"Yes, but tell me how they could have picked _you_ out as the onebearing it?" asked the other, impatiently.
"The only explanation I can give is that they must have been in hidingnear us at the time we camped," continued Mayhew. "I remember takingthe packet out, so as to fasten it in my pocket anew, since it wasnot as secure as I desired. I believe some one was watching from thebushes near by, and saw me do it. Then, while we struggled there on theground, he managed to tear open my tunic, and, while half-choking me,snatched the paper away."
"And giving a prearranged signal at the same time to tell of hissuccess," remarked the captain, this time nodding his head in theaffirmative, as though he had come around to the same way of thinkingas Mayhew.
"The fighting ceased as if by magic," declared the messenger. "Oneminute all of us were struggling as for our lives; then that cryrang out, and immediately we found ourselves deserted. We heardretreating footsteps, a harsh laugh, and shortly afterwards the distanthoofstrokes of horses being ridden rapidly away."
"And you slept no more, but stood on guard, not knowing but thatthe unseen and mysterious foes might return to finish their work?"suggested Captain Lewis.
"It was well on toward morning at the time, sir, for we had slept. Ithink they took a lesson from the redskins, who always make it a pointto attack a camp just before the coming of dawn. They believe that mensleep heavier then than earlier in the night."
"You talked it over with the other men after the paper was missed, didyou," continued the commander, "and decided that, while they continuedon their long journey, it was your duty to return and report your loss?"
"I was broken-hearted over it, sir; but it was my duty. If I havebeen neglectful, I must stand the consequences. But we saw nothingsuspicious, and did not dream of danger until it burst so suddenly uponus."
"I shall say nothing about that until I have consulted with CaptainClark, who, you know, is the military leader of the expedition. Haveyour horse rubbed down, and secure food and refreshment for yourself,Mayhew. I must talk with these boys now."
The Pioneer Boys of the Yellowstone; or, Lost in the Land of Wonders Page 7