Hugh Pendexter

“ He tried to cry out, but the words froze on his snarling lips; and the next moment he was bowled over with inexorable fangs buried in his throat.
Into the fire and through it again leaped the huge beasts, their short-haired coats of black making each a four-legged devil, their blazing eyes and dripping jaws unlike anything the Potawatomi ever had encountered in the wide forests. On the edge of the mad mélange of screaming warriors and mouthing brutes danced the imp of a boy, shrieking commands and encouragement, and shooting with bow and arrow whenever a warrior rolled clear of the fray. ”

“ Old Tassel drew back as if it were a deadly serpent. Wheeling on the owner of the ax, Sevier invited:
“You pick it up for him. He is old and his bones are lame. You are young and strong. You love war. Yours is the voice that raises the red war-whoop. It is your ax and my blood is on it. You pick it up!”
The startled warrior glared from the chief to the borderer, then dropped his gaze and folded his blanket about him and drew back.
“Ho! Dragging Canoe’s brave cries for the white man’s blood but will not take back his own ax when there is white blood upon it!” ”

“ Yanking and pulling on the pole, Putnam ducked under the flap of skin. As he crawled into the free air he carried the end of the pole with him.
As he gained the bushes the lodge wilted to the ground and began to turn inside out. Finding his rifle, the ranger braced his heels and pulled the wreckage of the lodge toward him, thereby exposing the dead sorcerer. His whitened face and red poll were in fearful contrast. As one man the row of savages and the Frenchman rose to their feet, glaring at the dead man, then slowly shifted their gaze to the gray scalp at their feet. ”

“ Ching-a-ling gritted his teeth, then confessed:
“That hell-cat, Maria. Knifed me without any reason.”
“She had a reason. You talk straight, or I'll finish what she commenced,” growled the mountain man, his frosty eyes displaying lurid lights. “You was troubling her, damn you!”
“I say no, Senor Misery!” cried Ching-a-ling, his eyes watching the hand resting on the belt-knife. “That is not the way to talk to Manuel Vesequio. I did but ask the girl to marry me. Is that a crime? Is a man to be killed every time he asks a woman to become his wife?” ”

“ Then he was bustled off to his cell, his soul sick unto death and his face so distorted by misery that even the guard, hardened to all phases of human despair, sought clumsily to cheer him. Which one was dying? His wife, so trusting, his only friend? Or was it the youngster, who wept when they led him away?
This awful half intelligence gave him superhuman strength, daring, and cunning, and enabled him to accomplish the almost impossible feat of getting away from the prison in broad daylight. The same strength that had brought him to the hillside should take him home to the death-bed. ”

“ It was tingling to young blood to know a fate worse than death might be descending the river at any time. Let the Sioux war-parties range ever so wide of our domain, and yet, night and day, we felt their presence, we few Northmen and our Chippewas.
The slamming of a door to one of the men's huts outside the stockade at night became the discharge of a Sioux gun; a frightened mob would come hammering at the gate and frantically demanding admittance, old Tabashaw, the chief and thorough scoundrel, in the lead. ”

“ All these thoughts of raids and reprisals, of white striving to outdo red in cruelty, may seem to harmonize but ill with that soft June morning, the flight of the red-start, the song of the oriole and the impish chatter of the squirrels. Beech and oak urged one to rest in the shade; the limpid waters of the river called for one to strip and bathe.
To heed either invitation incautiously invited the war-ax to be buried in the head. However, we of the border always had had the Indian trouble, and each generation had taken its pleasure with a wary eye and ready weapons. ”

“ Then a mighty cry behind me caused me to turn, and if there wasn't old Tiberius coming along after me like a madman, his machine jumping and swaying, and he with reins in his teeth, a big gun in each hand, yelling through the leather like a fiend. I had never seen him aroused to that pitch before. He had tossed her lordship to the sailors and was back to play in my drama. And as the heat of it got into my blood, mingled with a passionate liking for the old chap, I added my war-cry to the general effect and insanely urged my brutes onward still faster. ”

“ The tavern-keeper, too, was no longer visible, and with nothing to detain him Jackson took the trail to the south, his heart as light as his moccasined feet.
What recked youth in love-time even if the fate of the Anglo-Saxon race in America were at stake! Ever thus does youth help shape the course of political evolution, help win a world without realizing the achievement, and only ask in the midst of astounding events that the heart of a simple maid be won. ”

“ Weymouth Mass leisurely got to his feet; then seized the unsuspecting mountain man by thigh and shoulder, raised him above his head and said to the gaping circle:
“Good night.”
“Damn you, Weymouth! Let me down,” roared the mountain man. “I've got my knife out! I'll cut your head off!”
“If you do, it'll simply prove what a fool rum can make of a man,” grunted Weymouth, still walking slowly into the timber.
“Set me on my feet,” shortly commanded Old Misery. “I'm harmless as Bill Williams. Don't seem to be any fun left in the world. Mebbe it's because those old cusses found gold.” ”

“ The houses scattered along the foot of the mountain were neat and painted and suggested homes of an agricultural community; for it was an old town with five years of history behind it.
Old Misery went to a hotel and while eating breakfast heard much loud laughing from the adjoining barroom. Finishing his meal he stepped into the bar to learn the cause of the merriment. Half a dozen men appeared to be making sport of a tall, thin man whose long face was both melancholy and wistful. His garments looked as if he had picked them up from mining-camp dumps. He carried no weapons. ”

“ If Tunkan, whose rocks are painted red, is not helping me why does Red Cloud wait? Why does he not bring us a fight? How many warriors must he have behind him before he dares to charge two white men? Are there no Strong-Hearts, or Crow-Owners, or old men of the White Horse Band, with him?”
The shrill notes of a turkey-bone whistle split the silence of the timber. Instantly there was a deafening chorus of ferocious cries, the crash of guns and the thudding of arrows. The mule gave a convulsive twitch and Gilbert was hoarsely whispering:
“Mule's dead, Dad. Shot through the head.” ”

“ Murty and Clay were types of the fearless men who ventured far beyond the frontier. They risked their lives just as did the half-wild "mountain-men," as the trappers were styled. But while the same vital element of dauntless courage held trader and trapper to their hazardous callings, the latter was often sustained by his lust for adventure, his love for penetrating the unknown; the trader was a sullen rock, stubbornly holding his place and risking all for dross. The only bond between Murty and his partner was their mutual love of profits. ”

“ Instantly the bushes rose in the air, revealing human forms beneath them—warriors with bushes tied to their heads. A cloud of arrows hissed into camp and stung the sleepers, biting several to death; and the hoarse war-cry of the Crows completed the camp's dismay. On the west side of the pocket commenced the same mode of attack, while down at the mouth of the narrow cañon sounded the loud battle yell of white men.
With a backward squirm Lander gained the side of the medicine-lodge and raising a flap rolled inside. ”

“ At times the devil couldn't guess his mind; again he was transparent as rain-water. He lived with whims and usually surrendered to his moods. If his mood required astuteness, he stood head and shoulders above the average savage. If it required the simple reaching forth and taking, a dog after a bone could not be more precipitate in action and obvious in purpose. If his yearning for good luck, as symbolized by the robes, should outweigh his animalism, he would sell the girl. If his lust for her was the dominating thought when I came to make a trade, all the white robes on the plains would fail. ”

“ A buffalo bull with a broken leg had been wounded by a Sioux; for days the hunters would hug the fort. Or the buffaloes stampeded, or large flocks of swans rose in alarm from the river above us; it was break open the gun cases and serve out powder and ball. The wind from the south brought smoke; only a Sioux fire could have made it. An old woman dreamed a Sioux warrior stuck his head in her hut and counted the men there; the children and women are hurried inside the stockade. Horsemen riding and raising a cloud of snow can only be Sioux warriors on a winter path. ”

“ The effect on Le Borgne was immediate. His eye flickered with fear. The woman was getting on his nerves. He wished himself back in his hut with the door barred, as shown by his instinctive glance in that direction. Yet he could not spend the rest of his life in a hut. It was intolerable to anticipate months and perhaps years of the woman's nagging—her accusations of cowardice. Let even a mad woman repeat a thing long enough, and he would lose something of his standing in the tribe. While he must not touch her, he should be protected by his medicine. ”

“ Kirst was still mounted and bleeding from a dozen wounds. His long rifle was being swung for a club.
My first view of him was as he splintered the butt on an Ottawa head. He bawled in triumph. The Ottawas, expecting no diversion so near the village, were armed only with their knives and axes. A fellow leaped on to the horse and tried to stab him from behind, and one immense hand reached back and caught him by the neck and held him in midair, and squeezed the life from the painted body, and then hurled him among the remaining warriors. ”

“ Do you think I love thoughts of bloodshed? Do I risk my neck as a spy because I enjoy it? It is my duty. It is for my mother's country. I'm French. You' can't have the paper. I dare you to touch me.”
“You—you young hussy!” groaned Putnam, bewildered by her rapid change of front. “What you need is a good birching. You little fool! Do you think Loudoun'll spare that slim neck of yours if he knows the desperate chance you're trying to force on him?
“No, I can't search you. But I can take you to Fort William Henry and the sutler's wife shall search you.” ”

“ And it's the blessed truth that those Alexander Selkirks had been cast away with dim memories of the Civil War for nearly fifty years: the curtain had rung down for them when the North talked of drafting soldiers. The children and grandchildren had been taught to read from old hymnals and Webster's spelling-book. Their literature consisted of a few ragged volumes of the vintage of the first half of the nineteenth century. They feared the outside world. Every child had been marked with an abnormal dread of the menace that crouched beyond the narrow horizon. And yet they hungered for news! ”

“ For the second time in his life Stanley experienced the sensation of being pursued by an implacable foe. To Bub all was well as long as he could maintain his lead; not so for his companion. The very knowledge that the cool, mysterious depths of the forest contained a man grimly following his trail unnerved the city bred youth in a degree, and although he believed Big Nick could not discover their escape for some time, yet he repeatedly glanced over his shoulder as if expecting to see the evil face. ”

“ It usually flies through the heavens in fiery-shape and all other witches and demons scatter at its approach; jealous yet afraid of it. It was no Fire-Panther that Big Bear had seen, but the Raven Mocker hurrying to be in at a death.
"Kalanu Ahyeliski!" gasped the Whistler, staring wildly up into the forest tops. "Keep it away!"
"I have no medicine," shivered Big Bear.
"Stay with me, or the Mocker will eat my heart. If you stay it may keep away. If you bury me quick it can not get me."
"I have no medicine," repeated Big Bear, fighting mightily to overcome his impulse to flee. ”

“ Rewarding an idler's attack on a blind bull as if he had penetrated deep beyond the old Sioux war-road and had brought back a dozen packs of prime furs to trade! The unexpected invitation not only brought Bad Ax, proudly flourishing his bloody weapon, but all the others, whom I had refused during the morning while Chabot was drinking with the express. I went down with him and, to make matters worse, he drank with them. The condescension of the fool was disgusting. Once you drink with a man whom you wish to feel your inferior he will proclaim himself your equal. ”

“ The rear of the lodge was too sacred for warriors to trespass upon, as their presence would embarrass the sorcerer in performing his ghastly tricks. Once more the lodge commenced to sway back and forth, its sides bellying out as if a tempest were trying to uproot it. The sorcerer set up a yelping defiance as if daring the wind-gods to do their worst.
As Putnam crawled nearer, a lean brown hand darted out from under the flap and snatched a rattle from the ground. Then came the voice of the rattle on the inside ”

“ Fortune is what a man squeezes out of them. To get his satisfy he must squeeze each month very hard. If he can't get love he gets gold. If neither love nor gold he can at least get red-blooded life. Fortune may play tricks with him; m'm'selle may turn from him, but life, real and burning, can always be his."
"Yes, yes; of course," mumbled Lander, in a poor mood for the comforts of philosophy. "Now you must leave me. Deliver the letter to Susette in the morning. I must hurry to Bridger's store and get the mule." ”

“ Polcher passionately cried:
“The white man lies. Echota is the white town. Ayuhwasi Egwahi is a red town and the path to it is red.”
“Dog of a mixed-breed!” thundered Sevier, levelling a finger at him. “Your soul shall curl up and become as nothing. Killer of great war-eagle out of season, your bones shall rattle in blackness! You dare deny the law of the Cherokees!”
The one shaman present shivered, his eyes glistening with fear, and, unable to witness the blazing scorn the blue eyes were pouring into Polcher, drew his blanket over his head. ”

“ So did Old Misery. The boy had come to the bunk when he believed Misery was asleep and had rested a hand on his forehead. Old Misery almost felt ashamed as he recalled and thrilled over such intimate solicitude.
One night while studying his medicine the notion struck him that had he had a son it would be this Gilbert. He nourished the fancy, a bit ashamed, as if it were a weakness, yet encouraged the idea. A mountain man wasted no time in placing a hand on a “pard's" head unless it was placed there violently. ”

“ Making sure that the priming of my long Deckhard rifle was dry, I crawled out into the thicket and stood erect. As far as the eye could roam stretched the rich bottom-lands and the low ridges, covered with the primeval growths of giant walnuts, maples, oaks and hickory. Small wonder that the heart of the homeseeker should covet such a country.
Groves of beeches, less desired by settlers, were noisy with satisfied squirrels. From river to ridge the air was alive with orioles and cardinals and red-starts. ”