CHAPTER VI
THE RUINED VILLAGE
The military council, presided over by Timmendiquas, sat long in theCouncil House, and about the moment it had concluded its labors, whichwas some time after midnight, Henry and Shif'less Sol skipped away fromthe village. Wyandot warriors had passed them several times in thedarkness, but they had escaped close notice. Nevertheless, they wereglad when they were once more among the trees. The forest had manydangers, but it also offered much shelter.
They rejoined their comrades, slept heavily until daylight, and whenthey scouted again near the Wyandot village they found that Timmendiquasand his force were gone, probably having started at the dawn andmarching swiftly. But they knew that they would have no trouble infinding so large a trail, and as long as they were in proximity of thevillage they traveled with great care. It was nearly night when theyfound the broad trail through the woods, leading north slightly by east.All five were now of the belief that the destination of the savages wasDetroit, the British post, which, as a depot of supplies and a rallyingpoint for the Indians, served the same purpose as Niagara and Oswego inthe East. To Detroit, Wyandots, Shawnees, Miamis, and all the othersturned for weapons and ammunition. There went the renegades and theremany Kentuckians, who had escaped the tomahawk or the stake, had beentaken captive, including such famous men as Boone and Kenton. It was aname that inspired dread and hate on the border, but the five were fullof eagerness to see it, and they hoped that the march of Timmendiquaswould take them thither.
"I hear they've got big forts thar," said Shif'less Sol, "but ef wedon't lose our cunnin', an' I don't think we will, we five kin spy among'em an' read thar secrets."
"There are many white men at Detroit," said Henry, "and I've no doubtthat we can slip in among them without being detected. Tories andrenegades who are strangers to the British officers at Detroit must becontinually arriving there. In that lies our chance."
Later in the night they approached the Wyandot camp, but they did notdare to go very close, as they saw that it was everywhere guardedcarefully and that but few lights were burning. They slept in the woodstwo or three miles away, and the next day they followed the trail asbefore. Thus the northward march went on for several days, the greatWhite Lightning of the Wyandots and his warriors moving swiftly, andHenry and his comrades keeping the same pace six or seven miles in therear.
They advanced through country that none of the five had ever seenbefore, but it was a beautiful land that appealed alike to the eye andear of the forest runner. It was not inferior to Kentucky, and inaddition it had many beautiful little lakes. Game, however, was notabundant as here were the villages of the Indian tribes, and the forestswere hunted more. But the five found deer and buffalo sufficient fortheir needs, although they took great risks when they fired. Once theshot was heard by a detachment of the Shawnees who also were after game,and they were trailed for a long time, but when night came they shookthem off, and the next morning they followed Timmendiquas, as usual,though at a much greater distance.
Their escape in this instance had been so easy that they took enjoymentfrom it, but they prudently resolved to retain their present greatdistance in the rear. The trail could not be lost and the danger wouldbe less. The course that Timmendiquas maintained also led steadily ontoward Detroit, and they felt so sure now of his destination that theyeven debated the advisability of passing ahead of the column, in orderto reach the neighborhood of Detroit before him. But they decidedfinally in the negative, and maintained their safe distance in the rear.
As they continued northward the Indian signs increased. Twice theycrossed the trails of Indian hunting parties, and at last they came to adeserted village. Either it had been abandoned because of warfare or toescape an unhealthy location, but the five examined it with greatcuriosity. Many of the lodges built of either poles or birch bark werestill standing, with fragments of useless and abandoned household goodshere and there. Paul found in one of the lodges a dried scalp with longstraight hair, but, obeying a sensitive impulse he hid it from theothers, thrusting it between two folds of the birch bark.
They also found fragments of arrows and broken bows. The path leadingdown to a fine spring was not yet overgrown with grass, and theyinferred from it that the Indians had not been gone many months. Therewas also an open space showing signs of cultivation. Evidently maize andmelons had grown there.
"I wonder why they went away?" said Long Jim to Shif'less Sol. "You'vemade two guesses--unhealthiness or danger from Injuns. Now this sitelooks purty good to me, an' the Injun tribes up here are generallyfriendly with one another."
"Them's only guesses," said Sol, "an' we'll never know why. But I takeit that Delawares lived here. This is just about thar country. Mebbethey've gone North to be near Detroit, whar the arms an' supplies are."
"Likely enough," said Henry, "but suppose we populate this village forto-night. It looks as if rain were coming on, and none of us is fond ofsleeping out in the wet."
"You're talkin' wisdom," said Shif'less Sol, "an' I think we kin find aplace in the big wigwam over thar that looks like a Council House."
He pointed to a rough structure of bark and poles, with a dilapidatedroof and walls, but in better state of preservation than any of thewigwams, probably because it had been built stronger. They entered itand found that it originally had a floor of bark, some portions of whichremained, and there was enough area of sound roof and walls to shelterthem from the rain. They were content and with dry bark beneath them andon all sides of them they disposed themselves for the night.
It yet lacked an hour or so of sunset, but the heavy clouds alreadycreated a twilight, and the wind began to moan through the forest,bringing with it a cold rain that made a monotonous and desolate patteron leaves and grass. The comrades were glad enough now of their shelterin the abandoned Council House. They had made at Pittsburg a purchasewhich conduced greatly to their comfort, that is, a pair of exceedinglylight but warm blankets for everyone--something of very high quality.They always slept between these, the under blankets fending off the coldthat rose from the ground.
Now they lay, dry and warm against the wall of the old Council House,and listened to the steady drip, drip of the rain on the roof, andthrough the holes in the roof upon the floor. But it did not reach them.They were not sleepy, and they talked of many things, but as thetwilight came on and the thick clouds still hovered, the abandonedvillage took on a ghostly appearance. Nearly all the wall opposite thatagainst which they lay was gone, and, as it faced the larger part of thevillage, they could see the ruined wigwams and the skeleton frames thathad been used for drying game. Out of the forest came the long lonesomehowl of a wolf, some ragged, desolate creature that had not yet foundshelter with his kind. The effect upon everyone was instantaneous andthe same. This flight from the Indians and the slaying of the greathound by Tom Ross with his silver bullet came back in vivid colors.
But the howl was not repeated and the steady drip of the cold rainremained unbroken. It gathered finally in little puddles on the floornot far from them, but their own corner remained dry and impervious.They noticed these things little, however, as the mystic and ghostlyeffect of the village was deepening. Seen through the twilight and therain it was now but a phantom. Henry's mind, always so sensitive to thethings of the forest, repeopled it. From under his drooping lids he sawthe warriors coming in from the hunt or the chase, the women tanningskins or curing game, and the little Indian boys practicing with bowsand arrows. He felt a sort of sympathy for them in this wild life, alife that he knew so well and that he had lived himself. But he camequickly out of his waking dream, because his acute ear had heardsomething not normal moving in the forest. He straightened up and hishand slid to the breech of his rifle. He listened for a few minutes andthen glanced at Shif'less Sol.
"Someone comes our way," said Henry.
"Yes," said Shif'less Sol, "but it ain't more'n two or three. Thar, youkin hear the footsteps ag'in, an' their bodies brushing ag'in' the wetbushes."
It was not necessary to tell them to be ready with their weapons. Thatwas a matter of course with every borderer in such moments. So the fiveremained perfectly still in a sitting position, every one with his backpressed against the bark wall, a blanket wrapped around his figure, anda cocked rifle resting upon his knees. They were so quick that in thedarkness and falling rain they might have passed for so many Indianmummies, had it not been for the long slender-barreled rifles and theirthreatening muzzles.
Yet nobody could have been more alert than they. Five pairs of trainedears listened for every sound that rose above the steady drip of therain, five pairs of eyes, uncommonly keen in their keenness, watched thebushes whence the first faint signals of approach had come. Now theyheard more distinctly that brushing of clothing against the bushes, andthen a muttered oath or two. Evidently the strangers were white men,perhaps daring hunters who were not afraid to enter the very heart ofthe Indian country. Nevertheless the hands still remained on theirrifles and the muzzles still bore on the point whence the sounds came.
Three white men, dripping with rain, emerged from the forest. They wereclad in garb, half civilized and half that of the hunter. All were wellarmed and deeply tanned by exposure, but the attention of the five wasinstantly concentrated upon the first of the strangers, a young man ofmedium height, but of the most extraordinary ugliness. His skin, evenwithout the tan, would have been very dark. His eyes, narrow andoblique, were almost Oriental in cast and his face was disfigured by ahideous harelip. The whole effect was sinister to the last degree, butHenry and his comrades were fair enough to credit it to a deformity ofnature and not to a wicked soul behind. The two with him were a littleolder. They were short, thickly built, and without anything unusual intheir appearance.
The three strangers were dripping with water and when they came into theabandoned village they stood for a few moments talking together. Thentheir eyes began to roam around in search of shelter.
"They'll be coming this way soon," whispered Henry to Paul, "becauseit's about the only place large enough to keep three men dry."
"Of course they'll come here," Paul whispered back; "now I wonder whoand what they are."
Henry did not reply and the five remained as motionless as ever, fivedusky figures in a row, sitting on the bark floor, and leaning againstthe bark wall. But every sense in them was acutely alive, and theywatched the strangers look into one ruined lodge after another. Noneoffered sufficient shelter and gradually they came toward the CouncilHouse. Always the man with the harelip and ugly face led. Henry watchedhim closely. The twilight and the rain did not allow any very clear viewof him, just enough to disclose that his face was hideous and sinister.But Henry had a singularly clear mind and he tried to trace themalignant impression to the fact of physical ugliness, unwilling to doinjury, even in thought merely, to anyone.
At last the eyes of the three alighted upon the old Council House, andthey came forward quickly toward the open end. They were about to enter,but they saw the five figures against the wall and stopped abruptly. Theman with the harelip bent forward and gazed at them. Henry soon saw bythe expression of his face that he knew they were no mummies. He nowthrust his rifle forward and his hand slipped down toward the trigger.Then Henry spoke.
"Come in," he said quickly; "we are white like yourselves, and we claimno exclusive rights to this Council House, which is about the only realshelter left in the Indian town. We are hunters and scouts."
"So are we," said the man with the harelip, speaking grammatically andwith a fair degree of courtesy. "We are hardened to the wilderness, butwe are thankful for the shelter which you seem to have found before us."
"There is room for all," said Henry. "You will observe the large dryplace at the south end. The bark floor there is solid and no matter howthe wind blows the rain cannot reach you."
"We'll use it," said the ugly man, and now his teeth began to chatter,"but I confess that I need more than mere shelter. The rain and coldhave entered my system, and I shall suffer severely unless we have afire. Is it not possible to build one here near the center of theCouncil House? The dry bark will feed it, until it is strong enough totake hold of the wet wood."
"It is the Indian country," said Henry, and yet he pitied him of theharelip.
"I know," replied the man, "I know too that all the tribes are on thewar path, and that they are exceedingly bitter against us. My name isHoldsworth, and I am from Connecticut. These are my men, Fowler andPerley, also from the East. We're not altogether hunters, as we haveseen service in the Eastern army, and we are now scouting toward Detroitwith the intention of carrying back news about the British and Indianpower there. But I feel that I must light the fire, despite all Indiandanger."
He shook violently and Henry again felt sorry for him. So did the restof the five. These three had become their comrades for the night, and itwould not be fair to prevent the fire that the man so evidently needed.
"We can see that what you say is true," said Henry, "and we'll help youkindle a blaze. These friends of mine are Tom Ross, Jim Hart, SolomonHyde, and Paul Cotter. My own name is Henry Ware."
He saw the ugly man start a little, and then smile in a way that madehis disfigured lip more hideous than ever.
"I've heard the names," said the stranger. "The woods are immense, butthere are not many of us, and those of marked qualities soon becomeknown. It seems to me that I've heard you were at Wyoming and theChemung."
"Yes," said Henry, "we were at both places. But since we're going tohave a fire, it's best that we have it as soon as possible."
They fell to work with flint and steel on the dry bark. The two men,Fowler and Perley, had said nothing.
"Not especially bright," said Holdsworth to Henry in a whisper, as henodded toward them, "but excellent foresters and very useful in the workthat I have to do."
"You can't always tell a man by his looks," replied Henry in the sametone.
It was not a difficult matter to light the fire. They scraped off theinside of the bark until they accumulated a little heap of tinder. Itwas ignited with a few sparks of the flint and steel, and then the barktoo caught fire. After that they had nothing to do but feed the flameswhich grew and grew, casting a luminous red glare in every corner of theold Council House. Then it was so strong that it readily burned the wetbark from the dismantled lodges near by.
The cold rain still came down steadily and the night, thick and dark,had settled over the forest. Henry and his comrades were bound toconfess that the fire was a vivid core of cheer and comfort. It thrustout a grateful heat, the high flames danced, and the coals, red andyellow, fell into a great glowing heap. Holdsworth, Fowler and Perleytook off nearly all their clothing, dried their bodies, and then theirwet garments. Holdsworth ceased to shiver, and while Fowler and Perleystill fed the fire, the five resumed their places against the wall,their rifles again lying across their knees, a forest precaution socustomary that no one could take exception to it. Apparently theydozed, but they were nevertheless wide awake. Holdsworth and his menreclothed themselves in their dry raiment, and when they finished thetask, Henry said:
"We've three kinds of dried meat, venison, bear and buffalo, and you cantake your choice, one kind, two kinds, or all kinds."
"I thank you, sir," said Holdsworth, "but we also carry a plentifulsupply of provisions in our knapsacks, and we have partaken freely ofthem. We are now dry, and there is nothing else for us to do but sleep."
"Then we had better put out the fire," said Henry. "As we agreed before,we're in the heart of the Indian country, and we do not wish to send upa beacon that will bring the savages down upon us."
But Holdsworth demurred.
"The Indians themselves would not be abroad on such a night," he said."There can be no possible danger of an attack by them, and I suggestthat we keep it burning. Then we will be all the stronger and warmer inthe morning."
Henry was about to say something, but
he changed his mind and saidsomething else.
"Let it burn, then," he acquiesced. "The flame is hidden on three sidesanyhow and, as you say, the savages themselves will keep under covernow. Perhaps, Mr. Holdsworth, as you have come from the East since wehave, you can tell us about our future there."
"Not a great deal," replied the man, "but I fear that we are notprospering greatly. Our armies are weak. Although their country isruined, war parties under Brant came down from the British forts, andravaged the Mohawk valley anew. 'Tis said by many that the Americanscannot hold out much longer against the forces of the king."
"Your words coming from a great patriot are discouraging," said Henry.
"It is because I cannot make them otherwise," replied Holdsworth.
Henry, from under the edge of his cap, again examined him critically.Holdsworth and his men were reclining against the bark wall in thesecond largest dry spot, not more than ten feet away. The man was ugly,extremely ugly beyond a doubt, and in the glow of the firelight heseemed more sinister than ever. Yet the young forest runner tried oncemore to be fair. He recalled all of Holdsworth's good points. The manhad spoken in a tone of sincerity, and he had been courteous. He had notsaid or done anything offensive. If he was discouraged over the patriotcause, it was because he could not help it.
While Henry studied him, there was a silence for a little space.Meantime the rain increased in volume, but it came straight down, makinga steady, droning sound that was not unpleasant. The heavy darknessmoved up to the very door of the old Council House, and, despite thefire, the forest beyond was invisible. Holdsworth was still awake, butthe two men with him seemed to doze. Shif'less Sol was also watchingHoldsworth with keen and anxious eyes, but he left the talk to his youngcomrade, their acknowledged leader.
"You know," said Henry at length, "that some great movement among theIndians is on foot."
Holdsworth stirred a little against the bark wall, and it seemed toHenry that a new eagerness came into his eyes. But he replied:
"No, I have not heard of it yet. You are ahead of me there. But theIndians and British at Detroit are always plotting something against us.What particular news do you have?"
"That Timmendiquas, the Wyandot, the greatest of the western chiefs,accompanied by the head chiefs of the Shawnees and Miamis, and a body ofchosen warriors is marching to Detroit. We have been following them,and they are now not more than twenty-five or thirty miles ahead of us.I take it that there will be a great council at Detroit, composed of theBritish, the Tories, the Western Indians with Timmendiquas at theirhead, and perhaps also the Iroquois and other Eastern Indians withThayendanegea leading them. The point of attack will be the settlementsin Kentucky. If the allied forces are successful the tomahawk and thescalping knife will spare none. Doesn't the prospect fill you withhorror, Mr. Holdsworth?"
Holdsworth shaded his face with his hand, and replied slowly:
"It does inspire fear, but perhaps the English and Indian leaders willbe merciful. These are great matters of which you tell me, Mr. Ware. Ihad heard some vague reports, but yours are the first details to reachme. Perhaps if we work together we can obtain information that will beof great service to the settlements."
"Perhaps," said Henry, and then he relapsed into silence. Holdsworthremained silent too and gazed into the fire, but Henry saw that histhoughts were elsewhere. A long time passed and no one spoke. The firehad certainly added much to the warmth and comfort of the old house.They were all tired with long marches, and the steady droning sound ofthe rain, which could not reach them, was wonderfully soothing. Thefigures against the bark walls relaxed, and, as far as the human eyecould see, they dropped asleep one by one, the five on one side and thethree on the other.
The fire, well fed in the beginning, burned for two or three hours, butafter awhile it begun to smolder, and sent up a long thin column ofsmoke. The rain came lighter and then ceased entirely. The clouds partedin the center as if they had been slashed across by a sword blade, andthen rolled away to left and right. The heavens became a silky blue, andthe stars sprang out in sparkling groups.
It was past midnight when Holdsworth moved slightly, like one halfawakening from a deep sleep. But his elbow touched the man Fowler, andhe said a few words to him in a whisper. Then he sank back into hisrelaxed position, and apparently was asleep again. Fowler himself didnot move for at least ten minutes. Then he arose, slipped out of theCouncil House, and returned with a great armful of wet leaves, which heput gently upon the fire. Quickly and quietly he sank back into his oldposition by the wall.
Dense smoke came from the coals and heap of leaves, but it rose in astrong spire and passed out through the broken part of the roof, thegreat hole there creating a draught. It rose high and in the night, nowclear and beautiful, it could be seen afar. Yet all the eight--five onone side and three on the other--seemed to be sound asleep once more.
The column of smoke thickened and rose higher into the sky, andpresently the man Fowler was at work again. Rising and stepping, withwonderful lightness for a thick-set heavy man, he spread his openblanket over the smoke, and then quickly drew it away. He repeated theoperation at least twenty times and at least twenty great coiling ringsof smoke arose, sailing far up into the blue sky, and then drifting awayover the forest, until they were lost in the distance.
Fowler folded the blanket again, but he did not resume his place againstthe wall. Holdsworth and Perley rose lightly and joined him. Then thethree gazed intently at the five figures on the other side of the smoke.Not one of them stirred. So far as the three could see, the five wereburied in the most profound slumber.
Holdsworth made a signal and the three, their rifles in the hollows oftheir arms, glided from the Council House and into the forest.
As soon as they were lost in the darkness, Henry Ware sprang to hisfeet, alive in every nerve and fiber, and tingling with eagerness.
"Up; up, boys!" he cried. "Those three men are Tories or English, andthey are coming back with the savages. The rings of smoke made thesignal to their friends. But we'll beat them at their own trick."
All were on their feet in an instant--in fact, only Jim Hart and Paulhad fallen asleep--and they ran silently into the forest in a directionopposite to that which the three had chosen. But they did not go far. AtHenry's whispered signal, they sank down among some dense bushes wherethey could lie hidden, and yet see all that passed at the Council House.The water from the bushes that they had moved dropped upon them, butthey did not notice it. Nor did they care either that the spire of smokestill rose through the roof of the old Council House. Five pairs ofuncommonly keen eyes were watching the forest to see their enemies comeforth.
"I saw the fellow make the big smoke," said Shif'less Sol, "but I knowedthat you saw, too. So I jest waited till you give the word, Henry."
"I wanted them to go through to the end with it," replied Henry. "If wehad stopped the man when he was bringing in the leaves he might havemade some sort of excuse, and we should have had no proof at all againstthem."
"Them's false names they gave o' course."
"Of course. It is likely that the man who called himself Holdsworth issomebody of importance. His manner indicated it. How ugly thatharelipped fellow was!"
"How long do you think it will be before they come back?" askedShif'less Sol.
"Not long. The Indian force could not have been more than a mile or soaway, or they would not have relied on smoke signals in the night. Itwill be only a short wait, Sol, until we see something interesting. NowI wish I knew that harelipped man!"
Henry and his comrades could have slipped away easily in the darkness,but they had no mind to do so. Theirs was a journey of discovery, and,since here was an opportunity to do what they wished, they would notavoid it, no matter how great the risk. So they waited patiently. Theforest still dripped water, but they had seldom seen the skies abrighter blue at night. The spire of smoke showed against it sharp andclear, as if it had been day. In the brilliant moonlight the ruinedvillage assumed a
nother ghostly phase. All the rugged outlines ofhalf-fallen tepees were silvered and softened. Henry, with thatextraordinary sensitiveness of his to nature and the wilderness, feltagain the mysticism and unreality of this place, once inhabited by manand now given back to the forest. In another season or two the lastremnant of bark would disappear, the footpaths would be grown up withbushes, and the wild animals would roam there unafraid.
All these thoughts passed like a succession of mental flashes throughthe mind of the forest dreamer--and a dreamer he was, a poet of thewoods--as he waited there for what might be, and what probably would be,a tragedy. But as these visions flitted past there was no relaxation ofhis vigilance. It was he who first heard the slight swishing sound ofthe bushes on the far side of the Council House; it was he who firstheard the light tread of an approaching moccasin, and it was he whofirst saw the ugly harelipped face of a white man appear at the forestedge. Then all saw, and slow, cold anger rose in five breasts at thetreacherous trick.
Behind the harelipped man appeared Perley and Fowler, and six savagewarriors, armed fully, and coated thickly with war paint. Now Henry knewthat the sinister effect of Holdsworth's face was not due wholly to hisharelip, and the ugliness of all his features. He was glad in a waybecause he had not done the man injustice.
The three white men and the six Indians waited a long time at the edgeof the woods. They were using both eye and ear to tell if the five inthe old Council House slept soundly. The fire now gave forth nothing butsmoke, and they could not see clearly into the depths. They must comenearer if they would make sure of their victims. They advanced slowlyacross the open, their weapons ready. All the idealist was gone fromHenry now. They had taken these three men into what was then theirhouse; they had been warmed and dried by their fire, and now they cameback to kill. He watched them slip across the open space, and he saw inthe moonlight that their faces were murderous, the white as bad as thered.
The band reached the end of the Council House and looked in, utteringlow cries of disappointment when they saw nothing there. None of thefive ever knew whether they had waited there for the purpose of givingbattle to the raiding band, but at this moment Paul moved a little inorder to get a better view, and a bush rustled under his incautiousmoccasin. One of the savages heard it, gave a warning cry, and in aninstant the whole party threw themselves flat upon the earth, with thewall of the Council House between themselves and that point in theforest from which the sound had come. Silence and invisibility followed,yet the forest battle was on.
The Border Watch: A Story of the Great Chief's Last Stand Page 8