J. B. Naylor

“ Douglas strode up and down in front of her.
“What am I to do?” he asked himself. “How perverse is fate! I have found her at last—but lost her forever. Poor girl! She is innocent; she was forced into the hateful marriage, no doubt. But I cannot love another’s wife. If I abandon her, she will destroy herself and her child. She means what she says. If I take them with me, I shall risk their lives and my own. And Fort Meigs is no place for her. It may fall into the hands of the British. In that case, the savages will massacre every person within the walls. ”

“ A Winnebago broke through the lines of militia and dropped dead within the camp. A tall militiaman sprang forward to scalp the prostrate savage—but received a death-wound.
“Served him right!” snarled Joe Farley, who was loading and firing with the rapidity and precision of a piece of machinery. “Tryin’ to make an Injin of hisself—the heathen!”
The left flank began to give way before the desperate and persistent foe. Ross Douglas and Bright Wing were fighting side by side, in that quarter. A half-dozen warriors sprang through the broken lines, brandishing their arms and yelling fiendishly. ”

“ Ross cried.
Bradford continued to smile as he said:
“You are young—therefore you are indiscreet. [107] I have saved your life; I would be your friend. But if you don’t desire my friendship, I can turn you over to the tender mercies of those red fiends, who are hungering to tear you limb from limb. Even now they are grumbling about my interference. I may lose my life for my temerity. You’re ungrateful.”
“If you regret your act of mercy and fear for your own safety,” Douglas sneered, “call your savage hounds and tell them to do their worst. I can die fighting.” ”

“ Bradford and La Violette did all they could to cheer and encourage him—but in vain. Like a water-logged vessel, he drifted this way and that in the eddy of conflicting emotions—and made little progress toward the haven of health.
Out of patience, at last, Bradford said to him:
“Look here, young man! Do you want to get well? If you do, you’ve got to rouse yourself. Shake off your lethargy and be a man. You’re acting the baby. I’m ashamed of you.”
Ross proudly straightened his thin form. ”

“ Snow began to fall in fine, downy flakes. Still the four black forms—now a part of the general blackness—glided onward, slowly and cautiously.
“I say we’ve got far enough,” Farley ventured at last, in a soft whisper.
Douglas was about to turn and make reply, when Bright Wing suddenly gave a grunt of warning and dropped to the ground. His companions followed his example. A hoarse growl rumbled up from Duke’s deep chest, as he crouched like a tiger preparing for a spring. The next moment the sound of light footfalls came to the ears of all. ”

“ All is mystery—chaos. Bradford’s an impenetrable sphinx, but she—she’s an inexplicable riddle. She’s no ignorant savage; she’s an intelligent, educated white woman. What then? She’s not Tenskwatawa’s daughter—that’s plain. But who is she? What does she among the Indians? Bradford, even, bends to her will. She regards the savages as her people; she’s hand and glove with the English. Evidently she hates all Americans. ”

“ When the Shawnee chief had left her presence, La Violette threw herself upon her couch and sobbed bitterly:
“Yes, I must save him—save him by giving him his liberty, by parting from him forever! Oh, [258] it is hard—cruel! For I love him—I love him! But he must not die—and die he will, if he remains here longer. The warriors are determined to take his life; they cannot be restrained. He must leave to-morrow night, at the latest. Oh, Ross—Ross! My love—my love! You will never know how I worship you—never!” ”

“ Hours slipped by, but Bright Wing did not dare to leave his hiding-place. He realized fully the dangers that beset him, and he shuddered, thinking of his white friends. He must give them warning. But how? He thought of many reckless plans, but abandoned each in turn.
Midnight passed—and morning was drawing nigh. Again the town was astir. The Wyandot heard the buzz of myriad voices, and knew what it meant. The allied tribes were preparing for the attack. He stretched his cramped limbs and cautiously descended to the ground. If he was to give warning, he must be off at once. ”

“ The hound’s hoarse growl of rage sent terror to the heart of more than one dusky brave, and his gleaming fangs cut short more than one exultant war-whoop. Ross loaded and fired his gun with a speed and accuracy [340] born of years of practice. The smoke of battle was in his nostrils; the lust of slaughter was in his brain. The savages slowly retreated until they reached a place suited to their tactics. There they promptly rallied and sought to outflank the Americans. The battle raged furiously on all sides. British re-enforcements arrived upon the scene. Retreat became an impossibility. ”

“ Blood drenched the dead grass. Curses and groans commingled; and over all rose the weird voice of Tenskwatawa—upon an eminence a short distance away—chanting his war-song.
Major Daviess and Colonel White fell mortally wounded. Captain Spencer and his lieutenants were all dead; and Captain Warwick was dying. Colonel Owen dropped at the governor’s side. He was mounted upon a white horse at the time; and as Harrison had ridden a white horse on the previous day, undoubtedly the Indians mistook the aide for the commander. Dead and dying braves and soldiers lay thick upon the hotly contested field. ”

“ Ross answered in a tone of deep disgust. “She’s no squaw—not a half-breed, even. She’s a vision of loveliness. If she be mortal, she’s a pure Caucasian. Who is she?”
“Tenskwatawa’s daughter,” replied Bradford, his bright eyes twinkling mischievously.
“The Prophet’s daughter—bah!” was the scornful rejoinder. “Do you expect me to believe so transparent a falsehood? Do you think me blind? She’s a Caucasian, I tell you. Her eyes, her complexion, her hair—all indicate the fact.”
“You forget there are red-headed Indians,” Bradford suggested.
“I forget nothing. I have seen red-haired savages. ”

“ Bradford returned huskily, a shade of sadness in his voice, “nor do I fear for my own safety. I don’t value life—I don’t fear death. And I’ll save you or perish with you. But you must listen to reason; you must do my bidding. Just at present I have great influence with the Indians. I’ll exert it to the utmost in your behalf. But you and your vicious dog have sorely punished your assailants. Two warriors are dead and several others are wounded. Their comrades thirst for revenge. ”

“ And I would as lief die as remain longer a prisoner! She loves me? Yes. But she will not aid me to escape—of course not. She would rather see me die before her eyes, than resign me to another. What a fool I was to try to recover my [259] gun! But I was crazy with disappointment. Ah! Duke, old fellow, you seem to realize the gravity of the situation. Three times we have contended against these red demons. They’ll not spare us this time. Well, at least I can die like a man; you can die like a hero. I wouldn’t care so much—though life is sweet—were it not for Amy and La Violette. ”

“ I trust that in your possession—whatever its magic power—it may not work the evil to our country, it has done in the hands of the Prophet. Tenskwatawa—a wizard, a sorcerer, a cowardly cur. Hiram Bradford—an English agent among the Indians, a spy among the Americans, your foe—your friend. La Violette—an untutored savage, a refined and intelligent white woman. What characters for a romance—a drama! And yet they are actual inhabitants of these Western wilds. ”

“ All thought of rebelling against the rule of the self-elected chief and self-appointed prophet was at an end. The kingly presence and sturdy eloquence of the one, coupled with the serpentine grace and mesmeric power of the other, had the desired effect upon the minds of the ignorant and superstitious redmen. The threatened revolt was at an end.
“Well, what do you think of Tecumseh?” remarked Bradford, as he approached the spot where Douglas was standing.
“He’s every inch a warrior,” Ross replied quietly.
“And every inch a man,” was the quick rejoinder. ”

“ At last the Prophet removed his hands from her shoulders and, bowing his head, muttered brokenly:
“It is well. Where her heart is, La Violette should be. She is a paleface maiden; she loves a paleface brave. She shall be the light of his lodge—as she has been the light of Tenskwatawa’s life.” ”

“ You want your face to be the first he shall see when he regains consciousness—your voice to be the first he shall hear. Ah! Love may make cowards of men; but it makes angels of women.”
After Bradford left the cabin, La Violette kneeled upon the bare ground at the sleeping man’s side and gazed long and earnestly into his face, moving her lips as though in prayer. ”

“ You kept me a prisoner against my will—you kept me from the woman I love. You have wounded me—starved me—frozen me. Now you shall die—die!”
Douglas’s hands were clenched as though he held an enemy by the throat.
“Ugh!” ejaculated Long Gun. “The Great Spirit has robbed the young paleface of his senses. [210] Like a dog dreaming of the chase, he fights in his sleep.”
The Shawnee understood but little Ross said, but read aright the meaning of the wounded man’s tone of voice and expression of countenance.
“Silence!” Bradford commanded sharply. ”

“ The next day, the allied tribes at Wildcat Creek packed their scanty effects and set out for the village of the Miamis, upon the Mississinewa.
Now let us return to the escaped captive and his friends.
The sun was several hours high when Ross awoke. The sky was clear; the morning air crisp [182] and biting. The young man stretched his limbs and drank deeply of the sweet, invigorating atmosphere. The grateful odor of cooking meat greeted him. A brisk camp-fire blazed at his feet; and suspended over it, by means of a tripod of green sticks, was a hunk of venison, roasting. ”

“ Pottawatomie chief. His hands were clenched; his features, black with rage. The Prophet kept his gaze fixed upon the ground and gave no heed to the angry chief’s presence.
“Tenskwatawa is a Shawnee squaw!” Winnemac thundered.
“He promised us success; we received defeat. He said the palefaces were crazy; but they were in their senses, and fought like devils. He told us that we should rejoice over the destruction of the White Chief’s army; we mourn for our young men slain. He assured us that we should not taste death; we feasted upon it. Tecumseh is a brave warrior; Tenskwatawa is a squaw! ”

“ To return to Tecumseh, he’s the noblest Indian I’ve ever met. He is the soul of honor—the personification of manly courage. His word is as good as his bond. His people trust him, love him. Had he been at the Prophet’s Town there would have been no battle. He wished to avoid a conflict until he was ready for it. But a general Indian war is coming—inevitably. The Americans will be arrayed on one side; the Indians and British on the other. The Americans will fight to hold what they have gained; the savages, to regain what they have lost ”

“ After your escape from the savages—at Franklinton, you remember—you told me that Hiram Bradford had confessed all to you. As a spy, I should let him go; for his scheme failed—and his attempt upon my life was in another war. But a deserter once is a deserter forever;”—fiercely—“and the penalty is death! ”

“ During my absence, La Violette is to remain here. Do you understand?”
Tenskwatawa nodded stiffly.
“Heed my words, then,” Bradford continued savagely. “If you drag her away from here in my absence—and thus defeat my plans—I will choke the life out of you, the first time I meet you. Beware!”
The cowering Prophet looked the impotent rage he felt, but did not open his lips. As he left the cabin Bradford chuckled huskily:
“I have cowed him. The miserable coward—he is afraid to say his life is his own!” ”