The Border Watch: A Story of the Great Chief's Last Stand, Page 5

  CHAPTER III

  THE HOT SPRING

  Bending low, they ran again swiftly forward toward the south. A greatcry rose behind them, the whoop of the warriors, a yell of rage anddisappointment. A dozen shots were fired, but the bullets either flewover their heads or dropped short. The five did not take the trouble toreply. Confidence had returned to them with amazing quickness, and themost confident and joyous of all was Tom Ross.

  "I had the big medicine that time," he exclaimed exultantly. "It's luckyI found the silver sixpence in my pocket, or that hound would have hadthe savages trailing us forever."

  Henry was cooler now, but he did not argue with him about it. In fact,none of them ever did. Both he and Sol were now noting the heavens whichhad become more overcast. The clouds spread from the horizon to thezenith. Not a ray of sunlight showed. The wind was dropping, but farinto the southwest the earth sighed.

  "It's the rain," said Henry. "Let it come. It and all this blacknesswill help our escape."

  Low thunder muttered along the western horizon. There were three or fourflashes of lightning but when the rain came presently with a sweep, boththunder and lightning ceased, and they ran on clothed in a mantle ofdarkness.

  "Let's stay close together," said Henry, "and after awhile we'll turn tothe east and bear back toward the village. Nobody on earth can trail usin all this gloom, with the rain, too, washing out every trace of ourfootsteps."

  Henry's judgment was good. Now that the hound was gone they shook offthe savages with ease. The rain was coming down in a steady pour, and,as the twilight also was at hand, they were invisible to anyone fiftyyards away. Hence their speed dropped to a walk, and, in accordance withtheir plan, they turned to the right. They walked on through dark woods,and came to a smoother country, troubled little by rocks and underbrush.The night was fully come, and the rain, that was still pouring out of ablack sky, was cold. They had paid no attention to it before except forits concealment, but, as their figures relaxed after long effort, chillstruck into the bone. They had kept their rifles dry with their huntingshirts, but now they took their blankets from the packs and wrapped themabout their shoulders. The blankets did not bring them warmth. Theirsoaked clothing chilled them more and more.

  They had become inured long since to all kinds of hardships, but onecannot stand everything. Now and then a spurt of hail came with therain, and it beat in their faces, slipped between the blankets and downtheir necks, making them shiver. Their weariness after so much exertionmade them all susceptible to the rain and cold. Finally Henry called ahalt.

  "We must find shelter somewhere," he said. "If we don't, we'll be sostiff in the morning we can't walk, and we'll be lucky to escape chillsand pneumonia, or something of that kind."

  "That's right," said Shif'less Sol. "So we'll jest go into the inn,which ain't more'n a hundred yards further on, git dry clothing, eat abig supper, have a steaming hot drink apiece of something strong an'then crawl in on feather beds with warm dry blankets over us. Oh, I'llsleep good an' long! Don't you worry about that!"

  "Solomon Hyde," said Long Jim Hart indignantly, "ef you don't stoptalkin' that way I'll hit you over the head with the barrel uv my rifle.I'm cold enough an' wet enough already without you conjurin' up happydreams an' things that ain't. Them contrasts make me miserabler thanever, an' I'm likely to get wickeder too. I give you fair warning'."

  "All right," replied Shif'less Sol resignedly. "I wuz jest tryin' tocheer you up, Jim, but a good man never gits any reward in this world,jest kicks. How I wish that rain would stop! I never knowed such a coldrain afore at this time o' the year."

  "We must certainly find some sort of shelter," Henry repeated.

  They searched for a long time, hoping for an alcove among the rocks orperhaps a thick cluster of trees, but they found nothing. Several hourspassed. The rain grew lighter, and ceased, although the clouds remained,hiding the moon. But the whole forest was soaked. Water dripped fromevery twig and leaf, and the five steadily grew colder and moremiserable. It was nearly midnight when Henry spied the gleam of wateramong the tree trunks.

  "Another spring," he said. "What a delightful thing to see more water.I've been fairly longing for something wet."

  "Yes, and the spring has been rained on so much that the steam is risingfrom it," said Paul.

  "That's so," said Jim Hart. "Shore ez you live thar's a mist like asmoke."

  But Henry looked more closely and his tone was joyous as he spoke.

  "Boys," he said, "I believe we're in luck, great luck. I think that's ahot spring."

  "So do I," said Shif'less Sol in the same joyous tone, "an' ef it is ahot spring, an' it ain't too almighty hot, why, we'll all take pleasanthot baths in it, go to bed an' sleep same ez ef we wuz really on themfeather beds in that inn that ain't."

  Sol approached and put his hand in the water which he found warm, butnot too hot.

  "It's all that we hoped, boys," he exclaimed joyfully. "So I'm goin' toenjoy these baths of Lucully right away. After my bath I'll wrap myselfin my blanket, an' ez the rain hez stopped I'll hang out my clothes todry."

  It was really a hot spring of the kind sometimes found in the West. Thewater from the base of a hill formed a large pool, with a smooth bottomof stone, and then flowed away in a little brook under the trees.

  It was, indeed, a great piece of luck that they should find this hotbath at a time when it was so badly needed. The teeth of both Paul andSol were chattering, and they were the first to throw off their clothesand spring into the pool.

  "Come right in and be b'iled," exclaimed the shiftless one. "Paul hasbragged of the baths o' Caracally but this beats 'em."

  There were three splashes as the other three hit the water at once. Thenthey came out, rolled themselves lightly in the warm blankets, and feltthe stiffness and soreness, caused by the rain and cold, departing fromtheir bodies. A light wind was blowing, and their clothes, hung onboughs, were beginning already to dry. An extraordinary sense of peaceand ease, even of luxury, stole over them all. The contrast with whatthey had been suffering put them in a physical heaven.

  "I didn't think I could ever be so happy, a-layin' 'roun' in the woodswrapped up in nothin' but a blanket," said Shif'less Sol. "I guess thebaths o' Rome that Paul tells about wuz good in their day, which wuz amighty long time ago, but not needin' 'em ez bad ez we did, mebbe, themRoman fellers didn't enjoy 'em ez much. What do you say to that, Paul,you champion o' the ancient times which hev gone forever?"

  The only answer was a long regular breathing. Paul had fallen asleep.

  "Good boy," said Shif'less Sol, sympathetically, "I hope he'll enjoy hisnap."

  "Hope the same fur me," said Long Jim, "'cause I'm goin' to foller himin less than two minutes."

  Jim Hart made good his words. Within the prescribed time a snore, notloud nor disagreeable, but gentle and persistent, rose on the night air.One by one the others also fell asleep, all except Henry, who forcedhimself to keep awake, and who was also pondering the question ofTimmendiquas. What were the great chief's plans? What vast scheme hadbeen evolved from the cunning brain of that master Indian? And how werethe five--only five--to defeat it, even should they discover its nature?

  The light wind blew through all the rest of the night. The foliagebecame dry, but the earth had been soaked so thoroughly with water thatit remained heavy with damp. The night was bright enough for him toobserve the faces of his comrades. They were sleeping soundly andeveryone was ruddy with health.

  "That was certainly a wonderful hot bath," said Henry to himself, as helooked at the pool. He moved a little in his blanket, tested his musclesand found them all flexible. Then he watched until the first tinge ofgray appeared in the east, keeping his eyes upon it, until it turned tosilver and then to rose and gold, as the bright sun came. The day wouldbe clear and warm, and, after waiting a little longer, he awakened theothers.

  "I think you'd better dress for breakfast," he said.

  Their clothing was now thoroughly dry, and they clothed
themselves anew,but breakfast was wholly lacking. They had eaten all the venison, andevery man had an aching void.

  "The country hez lots o' deer, o' course," said Shif'less Sol, "but jestwhen you want one most it's pretty shore that you can't find it."

  "I'm not so certain about that," said Henry. "When you find a hot springyou are pretty likely to find a mineral spring or two, also, especiallyone of salt."

  "And if it's salt," finished Paul, "we'll see the deer coming there todrink."

  "Sound reasonin'," said Tom Ross.

  They began the search. About a hundred yards east of the hot spring theyfound one of sulphur water, and, two hundred yards further, one of salt.Innumerable tracks beside it showed that it was well patronized by thewilderness people, and the five, hiding in a clump of bushes at a pointwhere the wind would not betray them, bided their time. Some smallanimals came down to drink at the healing salt spring, but the five didnot pull a trigger. This was not the game they wanted, and they neverkilled wantonly. They were waiting for a fine fat deer, and they feltsure that he would come. A great yellow panther padded down to thespring, frightening everything else away and lapped the water greedily,stopping now and then for suspicious looks at the forest. They longed totake a shot at the evil brute, and, under the circumstances, everyone ofthe five would have pulled the trigger, but now none did so. The panthertook his time, but finally he slunk back into the forest, leaving thesalt spring to better wilderness people than himself.

  At last the sacrifice came, a fat and splendid stag, walking proudly andboldly down to the pool. He sniffed the morning air, but the wind wasnot blowing from the fire toward him, and, with no feeling of danger,he bent down his regal head to drink. The five felt regret that so noblean animal must give his life for others, but hunger was hunger and inthe wilderness there was no other way. By common consent they noddedtowards Henry, who was the best shot, and he raised his rifle. Itreminded him of the time far back, when, under the tutelage of Tom Ross,he had shot his first stag. But now, although he did not say it tohimself or even think of it, he was Tom Ross' master in all the arts ofhunting, and in mind as well.

  Henry pulled the trigger. The stag leaped high into the air, ran a fewyards, fell and was still. They dressed his body quickly, and in a halfhour Long Jim Hart, with all the skill and soul of a culinary artist wasfrying strips of deer meat over the coals that Shif'less Sol hadkindled. There was danger of Indians, of course, but they kept a sharpwatch, and as they ate, they neither saw nor heard any sign.

  "It is pretty sure," said Henry, "that no savage was lingering aboutwhen I fired the rifle, because we would have heard something from himby this time."

  "You are shorely right," said Shif'less Sol. "Jim, give me anotherstrip. My appetite hez took a fresh hold ez I'm eatin' now with a freemind."

  "Here you are, Sol," said Long Jim. "It's a pow'ful pleasure to me tosee you eat my cookin'. The health an strength uv a lazy man like youwho hez been nourished by my hand is livin' proof that I'm the best cookin the woods."

  "We all give you that credit, Jim," said Shif'less Sol contentedly.

  After breakfast they took with them as large a supply of the meat asthey could carry with convenience and regretfully left the rest to thewolves and panthers. Then they began their journey toward the Wyandotvillage. Their misadventure and their long flight from the terriblehound had not discouraged them in the least. They would return directlyto the storm center and keep watch, as well as they could, upon themovements of Timmendiquas and his allies.

  But they chose another and more easterly course now and traveled all daythrough beautiful sunshine and a dry forest. Their precautions of thenight before had served them well, as the rain and cold left no trace ofill, and their spirits rose to heights.

  "But thar's one thing we've got to guard ag'in'," said Shif'less Sol. "Idon't want to be tracked by any more dogs. Besides bein' dangerous, itgives you a creepy uncomf'table feelin'."

  "We'll keep a good watch for them," said Henry.

  As they saw no reason for haste, they slept in the woods another night,and the next night thereafter they approached the Indian village. Theyhung about it a long time, and, at great risk, discovered that a newmovement was on foot. Timmendiquas would soon depart for a journeyfurther into the North. With him would go the famous chiefs, YellowPanther of the Miamis, and Red Eagle of the Shawnees, and the renegades,Simon Girty, Braxton Wyatt and Blackstaffe. They would have a retinue ofa hundred warriors, chosen from the different tribes, but withprecedence allotted to the Wyandots. These warriors, however, werepicked men of the valley nations, splendidly built, tall, lean and fullof courage and ferocity. They were all armed with improved rifles, andevery man carried a tomahawk and hunting knife. They were also amplysupplied with ammunition and provisions.

  The five having watched these preparations by night when they could comeclose to the village, considered them carefully as they lay in a densecovert. So far they had not been able to discover anything that wouldindicate the intention of Timmendiquas, except that he would marchnorthward, and there were many guesses.

  "I'm thinking that he will go to Detroit," said Henry. "That's thestrongest British post in the West. The Indians get their arms andammunition there, and most of the raids on Kentucky have been made fromthat point."

  "Looks ez likely ez anything to me," said Shif'less Sol, "but I'mguessin' that ef Timmendiquas goes to Detroit he won't stop there. He'sa big man an' he may then go westward to raise all the tribes o' theGreat Lakes."

  "It may be so," said Henry.