The Forest Runners: A Story of the Great War Trail in Early Kentucky

by Joseph A. Altsheler

  Yellow Panther turned aside, but he followed the tall figure with a lookof the most vindictive hate. Like Braxton Wyatt, he felt that somethingwas wrong, but what it was he did not yet know. Big Fox mingled freely inthe village life throughout the day, and never once did he make a mistake.All the Indian ways were familiar to him, and when he talked with thewarriors about the Northwestern tribes, he showed full knowledge. Old GrayBeaver was delighted with him. The deference of this splendid youngwarrior was grateful to his heart.

  That night the three belt bearers, calm and unconcerned, lay down in thegreat lodge that had been assigned to them, and slept peacefully. Far inthe darkness, Yellow Panther and Braxton Wyatt crept to the side of thelodge and listened. They heard nothing from within, and at last the Miamicarefully lifted the buffalo hide over the entrance. His sharp eyes,peering into the shadows, saw the three belt bearers lying upon theirbacks and sleeping soundly. Apparently they were men without fear, menwithout the cause of fear, and Yellow Panther, letting the tent flap fallsoftly back, walked away with Braxton Wyatt, both deeply disappointed.

  They did not know that a pair of hands had lifted the tent flap ever solittle, and that a pair of keen eyes were following them. The wonderfulinstinct of Henry Ware had warned him, and he had awakened the moment theylooked in. But his eyes had not opened. He had merely felt their presencewith the swish of cold air on his face, and now, after they haddisappeared among the lodges, he wished to deepen the impression the beltbearers had made. Then he and his comrades must go back to Paul and JimHart, who lay out there in the forest, patiently waiting.

  The next morning Big Fox, Brown Bear, and The Bat saw three Miami beltbearers depart with peace belts for the Shawnee village, but as forthemselves, they would remain a while longer, enjoying the Miamihospitality.

  In an open space just north of the village, Miami boys were practicingwith the bow and arrow, shooting at the bodies of some owls tied on thelow boughs of trees. Warriors were looking on, and the belt bearers, BigFox, Brown Bear, and The Bat, joined them. By and by some of the warriorsbegan to take a share in the sport and practice, using great war bows andsending the arrows whistling to the mark. At last the chief, YellowPanther, himself handled a bow and surpassed all who had preceded him inskill. Then, turning with a malicious eye to Big Fox, he said:

  "Perhaps the Shawnee belt bearers would like to show how well they can usethe bow. Surely they are not less in skill than the Miamis?"

  His look was full of venom. Shawnees, though armed now with rifles, weregood bowmen, and whatever he suspected might be confirmed by the failureof the belt bearers to show skill, or not to shoot at all. He held in hishand the great bow that he had used, and, barring the malice of his eyes,his gesture was full of politeness.

  Big Fox did not hesitate a moment. He stepped forward, took the bow andarrow from the hand of Yellow Panther, glanced at the great owl at whichthe chief had shot, and then walked back fifteen yards farther from it. Amurmur of applause came from the crowd. He would shoot at a much greaterdistance than Yellow Panther had shot, and the chief and Braxton Wyatt,too, who had drawn near, frowned.

  Big Fox glanced once more at the body of the great owl, and then, fittingthe arrow to the string, he bent the bow. An involuntary cry of admirationcame from a people who valued physical strength and skill when they sawthe ease and grace with which he bent the tough wood. Not in vain hadnature given Big Fox a figure of power and muscles of steel! Not in vainhad nature given him an eye the like of which was not to be found on allthe border! Not in vain had he achieved surpassing skill with the bow inhis life among the Northwestern Indians!

  There was silence as the bow bent and the arrow was drawn back to thehead. Then that silence was broken only by the whizz of the featheredshaft as it shot through the air. But a universal shout arose as the arrowstruck fairly in the center of the owl, pierced it like a bullet, and flewfar beyond.

  Big Fox turned and handed back the bow to Yellow Panther.

  "Is it enough?" he asked gravely. "Can the Shawnee belt bearers use thebow and arrow?"

  "It is enough," replied the chief, seeking in vain to hide his chagrin.

  "It wuz great luck," whispered The Bat to Brown Bear, a little later,"that the challenge to the bow an' arrow should a-been made to perhaps theonly white in all the West who could a-done sech a thing."

  The belt bearers spent a second night in the same lodge, and on themorning of the third day they announced that they must depart for theirown village. Gray Beaver hospitably, and Yellow Panther craftily, urgedthem to stay longer, but Big Fox replied that the Shawnees were going on agreat hunt into the Northwest before the winter came, and the belt bearerswould be needed. Braxton Wyatt knew nothing of the projected hunt, but forthe present he was silent. Throughout the contest he had shown at adisadvantage against the diplomacy of Big Fox. Now the belt bearerscourteously invited him to return home with them, but he declined,replying that he would not depart for some days. He did not say it aloud,but nothing could have induced him to go with the belt bearers.

  Big Fox noticed that neither Yellow Panther nor Braxton Wyatt made anyopposition to their going, and it was a fact that he did not forget,drawing from it his own inference. His power to read the faces of men wasscarcely inferior to his wonderful skill in reading every sign of theforest.

  Gray Beaver, and behind him a rabble, accompanied the Shawnee belt bearersto the edge of the woods, and there the aged chief said graciously to BigFox:

  "My son, my heart is warm toward you, and I am glad to have seen you inthe lodges of the Miamis."

  "Farewell, Gray Beaver," said Big Fox.

  Then he and his two comrades turned, and disappeared like phantoms in theforest, so swiftly they went.

  Autumn had made further advance. The dying leaves were falling fast, andthe wilderness was more open. A crisp wind blew in the faces of the threebelt bearers--now belt bearers no longer, but Henry Ware, Tom Ross, andSolomon Hyde, white of skin and white of heart. They sped forward on fleetfoot many miles, and it was Shif'less Sol who spoke first.

  "Shall we stop at this spring," he said, "an' wash the paint off ourfaces? I want to look like a white man agin, jest ez I am. I don't feelnat'ral at all ez an Injun."

  "Neither do I," said Tom Ross, "I don't like to change faces, an' righthere I wash mine."

  The three stooped down to the spring, and as they rubbed off the paintthey felt their right natures returning.

  "I'm thankful I wuz born white," said Shif'less Sol. "Why, what is it,Henry?"

  Henry Ware had raised his head in the attitude of one who listens. Hiseyes were intent and nostrils distended like those of a deer that suspectsan enemy.

  "We're followed," he said. "I thought we would be."

  "Yellow Panther, uv course!" said Tom Ross, with emphasis.

  "Of course! And like as not Braxton Wyatt is among those who are withhim."

  Sol Hyde looked at Henry. There was a queer light in the eyes of theshiftless one.

  "Do we want 'em to ketch us?" he asked.

  "I think we'd better wait and see."

  It was in no tone of boasting that either spoke. Three borderers such asthey could shake off the pursuit of any men who lived.

  "S'pose we lead 'em on a while," said Tom Ross.

  Henry nodded, and the three ran in a sort of easy trot toward thesoutheast. They took no trouble to hide their trail, and as the forest atthis point was free from undergrowth, they were visible at a considerabledistance. This easy trot they kept up for hours, and the extraordinarypowers, or intuition, of Henry Ware told him that the Miamis were alwaysthere, a quarter of a mile, perhaps, behind. But the three men were nevertroubled. There was no fear in their minds. This was only sport to them.

  They crossed brooks and little creeks, and at last, when they came to oneof the latter a little larger than the others, Henry Ware said:

  "I think it's time to bother 'em now. We'll wade here."

  They entered the creek, which had a hard, pebbly
bed, and walked rapidlyagainst the stream for at least a quarter of a mile. Then they emerged indense undergrowth, and turned backward in a course parallel to that bywhich they had come. But before going far they sank down in a densethicket, and lay quite still. Then they saw the Miami band pass--fifteenor sixteen warriors, led by Yellow Panther, with Braxton Wyatt trailing atthe rear. "The renegade!" said Shif'less Sol savagely, under his breath.

  The band passed on, but the three borderers did not stir. They knew thatthe trail would be lost presently, and some, at least, of the warriorswould come back seeking it.

  Fifteen minutes, a half hour, passed, and then they heard distantfootsteps. Henry Ware, peering above the bushes, saw a face that belongedto a white youth, and suddenly a daring project formed itself in his mind.Braxton Wyatt was alone! Other members of the Miami band must be near, butthey were not in sight, and, above all, Braxton Wyatt was for the presentalone! Only a few minutes were needed!

  "Watch what I do!" whispered Henry Ware to his comrades--he knew thattheir keen minds would need no other hint.

  Braxton Wyatt came back, looking on the ground, his rifle lying looselyacross his shoulder. He dreamed of no danger. The three suspected beltbearers must be fleeing fast. Moreover, Yellow Panther and his Miamifriends were near. He walked on, and the fiend he served gave him nowarning.

  He came to a dense clump of bushes, and turned to go around it. There wasa sudden rustling in those bushes, and he looked up. A terrifying formthrew itself upon him and bore him to the ground. A heavy hand was clappedupon his mouth, and the cry that had risen to his lips died in his throat.He looked up and saw the face of Henry Ware. Beside him stood two otherswhom he knew--Tom Ross and Shif'less Sol. He became blue about the lips,and expected a quick death.

  "Listen!" said Henry Ware, and every word that he said was burned intoBraxton Wyatt's wretched soul. "You are not to die, not at this time. Butyou are to do what we say. Go back there, under those trees by the bigrock, and when Yellow Panther and the other Miamis come up, tell them thatyou have lied! We were the belt bearers, and you are to say to YellowPanther that you knew us as real Shawnees, but you were so anxious forthe war that you denied us. Tell it as if it were true. Don't tremble!Don't look once at these bushes! Our three rifles will be aimed at you allthe time, and if you say a single word that will make them suspect, wefire, and you know that no one of us ever misses. Do as we say!"

  He was released, the heavy hand was taken away from his mouth, and hiscaptors disappeared so suddenly and silently in the bushes that it wasalmost unbelievable. Then Braxton Wyatt rose to his feet and trembledviolently. Though he could not see them now, he must believe. He couldfeel that powerful grasp yet upon his arms, and that heavy hand yet uponhis mouth. He knew, too, as well as he knew that he was living, that theunseen muzzles were there, trained upon him. As Henry Ware truly said, noone of the three ever missed, and he had no chance.

  He stopped his trembling with an effort of the will and walked to the rockunder the trees, thirty or forty yards away. Already he saw Yellow Pantherand the other Miamis coming, and he rebelled at the deadly menace from thebushes. But the love of life was strong within him. He looked at YellowPanther, who was approaching with five or six warriors, and then he triedto form a rapid plan. He would talk with the chief, saying at first whathis terrible enemies wished, and then, gradually drawing him away, hewould tell the truth, and thus achieve the destruction of the three whomhe hated and feared so horribly.

  Braxton Wyatt raised one hand and wiped the perspiration from his face.Then, when a deadly fear struck him, he composed his features. Henry Warehad said he must tell a tale that seemed true. There must be no suspicion.The fatal muzzles were trained on him, he well knew, and the sharpest ofeyes and ears were watching. He longed to cast one look at the bushes,only one, but he dared not for his life. It was forbidden!

  Yellow Panther was at hand now, plainly showing annoyance. The lost trailcould not be found, and wrath possessed him. He looked at the renegade,and uttered his discontent.

  Braxton Wyatt longed more than ever to tell; they were there so near, itseemed he must tell; but the deadly rifles held him back. No one of theirbullets would miss!

  "Yellow Panther," he said, and his voice faltered, "let us abandon thetrail and go back."

  Yellow Panther looked at him, astonished by words and manner alike.

  "Go back!" he said. "Did you not tell me that they were false, that therewere no such warriors in the Shawnee village?"

  Braxton Wyatt trembled, and the cold sweat came again on his forehead. Ifonly those rifles were not there in the thicket! A mighty power seemed todraw him about for one look, only one! But he did not dare--it wasdeath!--and with a supreme effort he wrenched himself away.

  "I was wrong," he said. "I was eager for war, eager to see the Shawneesand Miamis go together against the white settlements in the south--soeager that I forgot the men. But I remember them now."

  "Have you a crooked tongue?" asked Yellow Panther.

  "No, no!" cried Braxton Wyatt, in mortal terror of the three rifles. "Ihad, but I have not now! I am telling you the truth! As I live I am,Yellow Panther! I was anxious for the war, anxious as you are, and itbrought a cloud before my eyes. I could not remember then, but I remembernow! The men were true Shawnees, and the Shawnee nation does not wish togo on the great war trail this year."

  Yellow Panther looked at him with indignation and contempt, and hesitated.Braxton Wyatt trembled once more. Would the chief believe? He mustbelieve! He must make him believe, or he would die!

  "I wished to tell you before we started, Yellow Panther," he said, "but Ifeared then your just anger. Now we have lost the trail, and I must saveyou from further trouble. Why should I tell you this now if it is nottrue? Why else should I avow that I have spoken false words?"

  Yellow Panther looked at the unhappy figure and face, and believed.

  "It is enough," he said. "We will go back to our own village. Come!"

  He spoke to his warriors, and they returned swiftly on their own tracks tothe Miami village. Braxton Wyatt went with them, and he dared not lookback once at that fateful clump of bushes.

  When they were gone far beyond sight, Henry Ware, Tom Ross, and Shif'lessSol rose up, looked at each other, and laughed.

  "That wuz well done, Henry," said Shif'less Sol lazily. "I never knowed apurtier trick to be told. He's clean caught in his own net. If he wuz totell the truth now to the chief, Yellow Panther wouldn't believe him."

  "And if he were to believe him, Yellow Panther, in his anger, wouldtomahawk him," said Henry Ware, "No, Braxton Wyatt will not dare totell."

  "And now we may take it easy," said Tom Ross. "But I wouldn't like to bein your place, Henry, ef ever you wuz to fall into the hands uv YellowPanther an' that renegade."

  "I'll take care that I don't have any such bad luck," said Henry. "And nowwe must find Paul and Jim."

  Serenely satisfied, they resumed their journey, but now they went at aslower gait.