The Cabin on the Prairie Part 25

Mr. Payson now called to take leave of the widow, and ask if Tom would like to return with him. He was much pleased with the arrangement, expressing anew his sympathy with her in her bereavements, and, charging her to cling to the consolation of the gospel, he and Tom took their departure, the latter tenderly kissing his mother and Robert as he bade them good by.

"You must come often and see your mother," said Mrs. McElroy, cordially; "you know we shall be like one family hereafter; and not only Robert and your mother will be lonesome without you, but the rest of the children will be glad to have you join them in their amus.e.m.e.nts and studies," to which a.s.surance Alice and Willie looked their approval. As the wheels of the missionary's buggy rumbled out of the square, Mrs. Jones said with a sigh,--

"What a change has come over my flock within a few days! my husband, and Sarah, and dear little Bub murdered by the Indians, and Charlie, also, I suppose I must say, although there is something peculiarly trying in the mystery that hangs over his fate."

"You do not really know, then, what became of him," observed Mrs.

McElroy.

"No; and this uncertainty is agonizing. Perhaps he was captured by the Indians, and may be at this very moment suffering the most barbarous treatment from them; or the dear boy may have been devoured by a wild beast, or he may be starving in the wilderness. This suspense concerning him is too much to bear;" and she looked anxiously out of the window.

But the hour for dinner had arrived, and Mrs. Jones and Robert went down with the others to dine. As they entered the dining-room, the general directed their attention to the corner of the room; and there, wrapped in his blanket, sat an Indian, whom Mrs. Jones, after the first start of surprise, recognized as Long Hair.

"Mrs. Jones," said the general, "perhaps you can find out what the red-skin wants. He isn't very communicative with me, but seems anxious to see your Tom."

"I am glad to meet you," said Mrs. Jones, kindly, to the savage. "Have you anything of importance to communicate?"

But Long Hair appeared as if something had gone wrong with him, and sat in moody silence.

"Will you not speak to me, Long Hair?" asked Mrs. Jones. "You know I've always treated you well--have I not?"

"White squaw good to Injin. Sojer say Injin lie; sojer call Long Hair dog; tell him go way."

"Some of your men have ill-treated Long Hair, I'm afraid," said Mrs.

Jones to the general.

"Well," said the general, "I'll see that they don't do it any more;"

and, wis.h.i.+ng to propitiate the tawny brave, he added, "perhaps Long Hair would take some dinner with us." But the Indian wasn't so easily appeased, and said,--

"Long Hair no beggar-dog; Long Hair shoot deer, shoot racc.o.o.n, catch fish, plenty!"

"But," interposed Mrs. Jones, "didn't you bring some venison to my cabin one day, and did I refuse it, Long Hair?"

"White squaw good," he repeated; "Long Hair never forget. Long Hair sick; white squaw medicine him. Long Hair kill deer for white squaw."

"Yes," said Mrs. Jones; "you were sick, and I took care of you, as I ought to; and you have been very kind to me and mine, and I shall never forget it."

Under her gentle influence, the Indian was persuaded to partake of the food placed before him. He ate with a voracity which showed that he had been long fasting, and his appearance indicated that he had seen hards.h.i.+p and danger. Mrs. Jones was satisfied that his coming portended something to her, either good or evil; and, from his reserve, she feared it might be the latter, and the better to draw out of him the tidings, whatever they might be, related the circ.u.mstances attending her husband's death, referring to the murder of Sarah and little Bub, and the disappearance of Charlie, adding, that she supposed he was also killed. The Indian listened in silence till she spoke of Charlie and little Bub, and then, with energy, exclaimed,--

"Charlie no dead! Bub no dead!"

"But Bub must be dead," said Mrs. Jones; "for I saw him shot by Yellow Bank."

"No; Injin speak truth."

"What makes you think so?" asked she, astonished.

Long Hair made no reply; but drawing from beneath his blanket a little shoe, he placed it on the edge of the table; then, by its side, he laid an old battered jackknife.

"Why, Long Hair!" cried Mrs. Jones, deeply agitated; "that's Bub's shoe, and Charlie's knife. Where did you get them?" a ray of hope springing up in her heart.

"Long Hair went find Charlie; travel much; peep in wigwam much; no find. Long Hair say Charlie no killed; Charlie no taken prisoner; Charlie hid near cabin. Long Hair look all 'bout near cabin; see Charlie hand put down so," spreading his fingers, "in mud at spring; den Long Hair say, Charlie thirsty; been spring for water; find trail; find knife in trail, near big tree; find shoe near big tree; Bub hid in tree; then Long Hair push bush way; see hole in tree. Long Hair hear Injins coming; Long Hair crawl in tree quick; no Charlie there; no Bub there; find these in tree;" taking from his blanket a handful of nuts, and some potatoes, and a crust of bread, and some trinkets that must have fallen from Charlie's pocket; "den Long Hair see Injins come, one, two, tree, ten, twenty, many; come all round, crawling, crawling; get near cabin; Injin think n.o.body in cabin, 'cause get near; rifle shoot from cabin, one, two, tree, many rifle; scare Injin; Injin run like deer; Long Hair wait to see if Injin come again; no come; shoot from cabin at Long Hair; come out tree; get behind tree quick; make peace sign at cabin,--no bleeve Long Hair; try shoot at him; Long Hair come way--come to fort!"

"Well, that's strange," said General McElroy; "from Long Hair's account, there seems to be a number in the cabin; it must be that all the settlers were not ma.s.sacred, and have returned, and taken possession of the cabin; we must send a force to their relief."

"But where are Charlie and Bub?" asked Mrs. Jones of the Indian.

"Long Hair don't know; think in cabin."

"How many persons, should you judge from the firing, were in the cabin?" inquired the general.

"Long Hair don't know; no trail."

"What does Long Hair mean by that?" asked Mrs. McElroy of her husband.

"He means that there is no appearance of any of the settlers being about the cabin," said the general, "which makes the matter still more incomprehensible; for if any of the settlers had come back, Long Hair would have traced them. Isn't that it, Long Hair?" The Indian nodded a.s.sent. "And yet he says that there were many guns fired," continued the general; "so many that quite a force of the a.s.sailing Indians were panic-struck, and fled. How was the firing done, Long Hair? As if by persons that were used to handling the rifle?"

"One, two, tree, bery good; hit Injin some; shoot at Long Hair good; much hard get way; to the most, much poor--shoot here, shoot dere, shoot everywhere!"

"But what makes you think the children are in the cabin?" asked Mrs.

Jones; for, mother-like, her thoughts were constantly recurring to them.

"Trail go towards cabin," replied the sagacious red man; "couldn't follow trail; shoot Long Hair if he follow trail."

"I think that Long Hair is right," said the general, striking the table with the flat of his hand: "your boys were born to be heroes, madam. If I mistake not, that Charlie and Bub of yours were the defenders of that cabin against the savages. And yet," he added, doubtfully, "that is simply absurd; it's beyond the power of two little boys to perform such a feat; for you recollect, ladies, that Long Hair said that not only a number of guns were fired, but at the same time; and to conclude that two little boys should fire off a score of guns, more or less, simultaneously, is to a.s.sent to a physical impossibility. The truth is, the deeper I go into this matter, the more I'm puzzled. What is your opinion of it, Long Hair?"

"Long Hair no sense; no tell; mind much dark;" and the Indian seemed mortified that his sagacity was for once at fault. "No white settlers in cabin; Charlie and Bub in cabin; much gun fire; hurt two, tree Injin; scare much Injin--don't know."

"He means that he is certain that no settlers have returned to the cabin," explained Mrs. Jones, "but that Charlie and Bub are there; while as to who shot off so many fire-arms, he is as much in the dark as ourselves."

"Well," said the general, rising, "there is one way to clear up this mystery. I'll send a trusty detachment there at once to open the secrets of the cabin."

Long Hair rose at this, and said,--

"White chief send sojer to cabin, right way, bimeby, quick?"

"Yes," replied the general, "and I should like to have you go with them as guide."

"No," answered the Indian, sententiously; "Long Hair go 'lone; Long Hair always go 'lone;" and, starting at a quick pace, he was speedily out of sight.

CHAPTER XXI.

"PULL THE STRING, BUB."

The high state of excitement into which Charlie had been kept by the startling events connected with the ma.s.sacre, and his ingenious defence of the cabin, brought about a reaction; great la.s.situde alternated with feverish symptoms. He felt obliged to watch during the long hours of night, and caught such s.n.a.t.c.hes of sleep as Bub's performances allowed by day.