Fire Cloud Part 10

But Lightfoot was not the only friend that h.e.l.lena had secured since her capture. She had made another, and if possible a firmer one, in the person of Black Bill.

From the moment h.e.l.lena entered the cavern, Bill seemed to be perfectly fascinated by her. Had she been an angel just from heaven, his admiration for her could hardly have been greater. He could not keep his eyes off of her. He followed her as she moved about, though generally at a respectful distance, and nothing delighted him so much, as to be allowed to wait upon her and perform for her such little acts of kindness as lay within his power.

While h.e.l.lena was relating the story of her wrongs to Lightfoot, Black Bill sat at a little distance off an attentive listener to the narrative. When it was finished, and h.e.l.lena's eyes were filled with tears, the darkey sprang up saying in an encouraging tone of voice:

"Don't cry, don't cry misses, de debble's comin arter ma.s.sa Flint berry soon, he tell me so hisself; den Black Bill take care ob de white angel."

This sudden and earnest outburst of feeling and kindness from the negro, expressed as it was in such a strange manner, brought a smile to the face of the maiden, notwithstanding the affliction which was crus.h.i.+ng her to the earth.

"Why Bill," said h.e.l.lena, "you don't mean to say you ever saw the devil here, do you?"

"Never seed him, but heer'd him doe, sometimes," replied Bill.

Now, h.e.l.lena, although a sensible girl in her way, was by no means free from the superst.i.tion of the times. She believed in ghosts, and witches, and fairies, and all that, and it was with a look of considerable alarm that she turned to the Indian woman, saying:

"I hope there ain't any evil spirits in this cave, Lightfoot."

"No spirits here dat will hurt White Rose (the name she had given to h.e.l.lena) or Lightfoot," said the Indian woman.

"But the place is haunted, though!" said h.e.l.lena.

"The spirits of the great Indian braves who have gone to the land of spirits come back here sometimes."

"Do you ever see them?" asked the girl, her alarm increasing.

"Neber see dem, but hear dem sometime," replied Lightfoot.

"Do they not frighten you?" asked h.e.l.lena.

"Why should I be afraid?" said Lightfoot, "are they not my friends?"

Lightfoot perceiving that h.e.l.lena's curiosity, as well as her fears were excited; now in order to gratify the one, and to allay the other, commenced relating to her some of the Indian traditions in relation to the cavern.

The substance of her narrative was as follows:

She said that a great while ago, long, long before the palefaces had put foot upon this continent, the sh.o.r.es of this river, and the land for a great distance to the east and to the west, was inhabited by a great nation. No other nation could compare with them in number, or in the bravery of their warriors. Every other nation that was rash enough to contend with them was sure to be brought into subjection, if not utterly destroyed.

Their chiefs were as much renowned for wisdom, and eloquence as for bravery. And they were as just, as they were wise and brave.

Many of the weaker tribes sought their protection, for they delighted as much in sheltering the oppressed as in punis.h.i.+ng the oppressor.

Thus, for many long generations, they prospered until the whole land was overshadowed by their greatness.

And all this greatness, and all this power, their wise men said, was because they listened to the voice of the Great Spirit as spoken to them in this cave.

Four times during the year, at the full of the moon the princ.i.p.al chiefs and medicine men, would a.s.semble here, when the Great Spirit would speak to them, and through them to the people.

As long as this people listened to the voice of the Great Spirit, every thing went well with them.

But at last there arose among them a great chief; a warrior, who said he would conquer the whole world, and bring all people under his rule.

The priests and the wise men warned him of his folly, and told him that they had consulted the Great Spirit, and he had told them that if he persisted in his folly he would bring utter ruin upon his people.

But the great chief only laughed at them, and called them fools, and told them the warnings which they gave him, were not from the Great Spirit, but were only inventions of their own, made up for the purpose of frightening him.

And so he persisted in his own headstrong course, and as he was a great brave, and had won many great battles, very many listened to him, and he raised a mighty army, and carried the war into the country of all the neighbouring nations, that were dwelling in peace with his own, and he brought home with him the spoils of many people. And then he laughed at the priests and wise men once more, and said, go into the magic cave again, and let us hear what the Great Spirit has to say.

And they went into the cave, as he had directed them. But they came out sorrowing, and said that the Great Spirit had told them that he, and his army should be utterly destroyed, and the whole nation scattered to the four winds.

And again he laughed at them, and called them fool, and deceivers.

And he collected another great army, and went to war again. But by this time the other nations, seeing the danger they were in, united against him as a common enemy.

He was overthrown, killed, and his army entirely cut to pieces.

The conquering army now entered this country, and laid it waste, as theirs had been laid waste before.

And the war was carried on for many years, until the prophesy was fulfilled that had been spoken by the Great Spirit, and the people of this once mighty nation were scattered to the four winds.

This people as a great nation are known no longer, but a remnant still remains scattered among the other tribes. Occasionally some of them visit this cave, to whom alone its mysteries are known, or were, Lightfoot said, until she had brought Captain Flint there in order to escape their pursuers.

"Is the voice of the Great Spirit ever heard here now?" enquired h.e.l.lena.

Lightfoot said the voice of the Great Spirit had never been heard there since the destruction of his favorite nation, but that the spirits of the braves as he had said before, did sometimes come back from the spirit-land to speak comfort to the small remnant of the friends who still remained upon the earth. To those she belonged.

This narrative of the Indian woman somewhat satisfied the curiosity of h.e.l.lena, but it did not quiet her fears, and to be imprisoned in a dreary cavern haunted by spirits, for aught she knew, demons, was to her imagination, about as terrible a situation as she could possibly be placed in.

CHAPTER X.

When there were none of the pirates in the cave, it was the custom of Lightfoot, and h.e.l.lena to spread their couch in the body of the cavern, and there pa.s.s the night. Such was the case on the night following the day on which Lightfoot had related to h.e.l.lena the sad history of her people.

It is hardly to be expected that the young girl's sleep would be very sound that night, with her imagination filled with visions, hob goblins of every form, size, and color.

During the most of the forepart of the night she lay awake thinking over the strange things she had heard concerning the cave, and expecting every moment to see some horrible monster make its appearance in the shape of an enormous Indian in his war paint, and his hands reeking with blood.

After a while she fell into a doze in which she had a horrid dream, where all the things she had been thinking of appeared and took form, but a.s.suming shapes ten times more horrible than any her waking imagination could possibly have created.

It was past midnight. She had started from one of these horrid dreams, and afraid to go to sleep again, lay quietly gazing around the cavern on the ever varying reflections cast by the myriads of crystals that glittered upon the wall and ceiling.

Although there were in some portions of the cavern walls c.h.i.n.ks or crevices which let in air, and during some portion of the day a few straggling sunbeams, it was found necessary even during the day to keep a lamp constantly burning. And the one standing on the table in the centre of the cave was never allowed to go out.

As we have said, h.e.l.lena lay awake gazing about her.

A perfect stillness reigned in the cave, broken only by the rather heavy breathing of the Indian woman who slept soundly.