Lionel Lounsberry

“ On up the trail came the redskins at full speed, yelling like demons, and feeling confident of their prey.
As the leaders rushed over the ridge they beheld a sight that was wholly unexpected to them.
There over half a mile away was flying along the trail the horse upon which Emma Foshay was mounted, and right in their path, to bar their way, upright, determined, and at bay, a revolver in each hand, and but his head and shoulders seen above the rocks, stood Kit Carey. ”

“ He made no response, but stood in deep, seemingly painful thought, which, by a sudden intuition, Jennie Bernard seemed to read, for she said quickly:
"Oh! this will cause trouble all along the frontier, for the Sioux will listen to no reason as to the killing of those three evil men."
"The Snow Flower speaks the truth; but her lips must not tell the story, no Indian or pale face must know. The Red Hatchet will hide his bad braves in an unknown grave, their trails shall be covered up, and no one must know, only the Snow Flower and the Red Hatchet." ”

“ The great chief has spoken well, and may his words come from his heart, for a war between his people and mine will but end in death to his braves, the destruction of their homes, the sorrow of their wives and children. The words of Sitting Bull shall be told to the great white chief of my people, and his friendship made known. The great chief has a good memory, and we are friends. ”

“ Of the camp of the Cheyennes under their soldier captain, Kit Carey, he did not know, and not until he suddenly heard wild cries and beheld a party of horsemen dash out of a ravine in pursuit, did he realize that he had a deadly foe near.
"It is the White War Eagle! He is like a wolf on a trail," the Chief Red Hatchet said to his fair captive and braves, as he beheld at the head of the Cheyenne soldiers their gallant captain, Kit Carey, coming on in hot pursuit. ”

“ Hardly had her horse been reined to a sudden halt, when the chief spoke in good English:
"Let the Snow Flower speak! Is the Red Hatchet the friend, or the foe, of the pale faces?"
Ever courteous Kit Carey had raised his hat, and now at the words of the imprisoned Sioux chief, spoken most impressively, he had looked straight into the face of the young girl with a strange expression.
"The Red Hatchet is my friend, the friend of our people. Oh, sir! I beg you not to do him harm!" ”

“ The result is known, and Red Hatchet was rejoiced to see the first volley tell upon the soldiers.
But then came the rebound, a boomerang that recoiled upon himself, for the gallant soldiers of the Seventh were not to be driven like frightened buffalo before the hunter, were not to be slaughtered like sheep in a fold, for they rallied at once, and far above the din came the ringing words from the lips of Kit Carey:
"Men of the Seventh! remember the gallant Custer! Men of the Seventh, avenge Custer!" ”

“ Miss Bernard, when an Indian has his war-paint on he is sullen and ferocious, and knows no friendships. Treachery is a virtue in his eyes, gratitude is forgotten, and a scalp of a pale-face, whether it be from an infant, woman, or soldier, is a prize that a redskin will risk his life to obtain. ”

“ For some miles Herbert Bernard rode along, his eyes, like the good frontiersman he was, ever on the alert for a foe, and watching every sign that was visible, for he well knew that there were times when every man might be against him, and in spite of a friendly feeling for the Indians, a prowling brave might open fire upon him from an ambush. ”

“ Carey, it is you in the guise of a Sioux chief?" cried Captain Wallace of K troop, riding forward and grasping his hand. "It is dangerous work for you, Lieutenant Carey, to ride upon the Seventh Cavalry rigged out as a Sioux chief in full war-paint."
"I joined the Sioux, Captain Wallace, to learn what Big Foot and his band were up to, and I have news for Colonel Forsythe," was Kit Carey's response. ”

“ Crow Dog seemed to feel that he had made a mistake in stating that Sitting Bull was along with the party, so replied with the quick cunning and ready lie of the redskins:
"Sitting Bull has been to see a chief who is ill."
"And did Crow Dog with fifty mounted braves, all in war-paint, go with him?"
"The great chief is here," said Crow Dog, anxious to withdraw from the questioning to which he had been subjected.
And over the ridge rode Tatanka Yotanke, the greatest chief of his tribe, a man with intelligence, courage, viciousness, and implacable hatred toward his foes, the whites. ”

“ But his long stooping posture had unsteadied the nerves of Red Hatchet, and his bullet, though well aimed, simply cut a button from over the heart of Kit Carey.
That first shot was the signal that brought a volley, for concealed beneath their blankets the warriors had their rifles and revolvers, and full upon the surprised soldiers poured a terrible, death-dealing volley.
Brave men fell dead and dying ere they could draw a weapon, while with one terrific war-cry the Indians made a rush for their tepees. ”

“ All day long the avenger watched the body of the young officer and his slayer, not daring to venture near, or leave his hiding-place, and then, to his joy, he saw the Indian soldier come in sight, followed by a party of cavalry, and, dashing up to the spot, carry off the body of the officer, while the Cheyenne scout quickly removed the scalp of the dead Brule, though he could give no account of his killing. ”

“ She has been well educated by her parents I cannot but admit. Yet, she is as wild as a deer, too, for she goes about the country like an Indian, ropes cattle as only a cowboy can, runs like a Comanche, and is not only armed, but can use her weapons. I am so glad to find I was all wrong about my belief that she loved that Red Hatchet; but her protection of him deceived me. But must this beautiful girl be left to the mercy of these red fiends, for between the Bernard home and the Bad Lands, where lie thousands of Indians, there is no barrier. ”

“ In their retreat in the Bad Lands, the hostiles watched the situation through their scouts and emissaries visiting the "Friendlies," as the Indians who had not openly declared war were called, endeavoring to lead them to follow in their footsteps, and strike at the pale-faces a blow to be long remembered.
The chiefs, feeling their influence on the wane, were urging on the Ghost Dance, and doing all in their power to ferment further trouble. ”

“ The Red Hatchet wears a double face now. He is the friend of the pale faces, yet not the foe of his people. He will not be a traitor Sioux, and only when in war-paint and feathers can he talk to his braves as one who is not a coward, and urge them not to strike the blow that will destroy them. ”

“ Before dawn the plateaus of the Bad Lands arose before him, and he seemed to know well his way, for he did not hesitate, but held straight on into the country of the hostiles, where it was certain death for a pale-face to go; the horseman was not an Indian, but Herbert Bernard, who had boldly made his venture to rescue Jennie from the Sioux chief, in whose keeping he had made the sad mistake of intrusting her. ”

“ The Eagle-that-Kills is welcome in the council lodge of the red men. He has been their friend ever since the days when he was their pale-face chief. The Sioux have followed him many moons ago upon the trail of the pale-faces, and they listen to his voice in silence, they know that he speaks wisdom. ”

“ It was true that Sitting Bull had called his redskins to the rescue, yet the gallant officer and the Indian guard were in full flight, well mounted, and could have, perhaps, escaped with their prisoner.
Not until the last desperate moment would Kit Carey have dealt death upon the Sioux chief.
But an Indian officer had been stung to madness by a wound, there were hundreds of Sioux warriors pressing on in hot haste to the rescue, and many men were mounting to aid in tearing their loved leader from his captors. ”

“ But he was sustained by Kit Carey's decided response, almost vehement in fact:
"Yes, and when there are many more Indians made good in the same way this whole frontier will be the better for it. It is their nature to be savage, to rebel against restraint, and yet when they do unbury the hatchet they are not put down as they should be, with a lesson that will last them for all time, and which will do more to teach them civilization than anything else that can be done. ”

“ Had she been in doubt before of her feelings she could not be longer after that ride with Kit Carey, and it was no wonder that, as she was whirled eastward on the train, that she felt a dread of evil, that death would take away the one man among men in all the world to her. ”

“ But Kit Carey did not fire as he had intended, for to his surprise, he beheld the Indian chief riding slowly up the trail toward him, while the one whom he had supposed was his captive was cantering off in the other direction.
But the Indian was a chief, and in full war-paint, and that meant trouble, if the two met.
He was in a locality where his life was at stake, within the danger line for miles, and a shot might bring hundreds upon him.
"This will be better than my rifle, though I would have fired to save her," he muttered, and he took his lasso coil from his saddle. ”

“ What Jennie Bernard had told Kit was a cause of great uneasiness to him, for he knew that the Red Hatchet wielded immense influence with the young braves of his tribe, and was fermenting trouble, hoping to win fame for himself, for there is a wondrous amount of ambition, conceit, and pride in an Indian's nature, equal to that among some of our own pale-face warriors. ”

“ Then a chief spoke for all, and said:
"We have no weapons. The Great Father has broken faith with us, for we are poor, sick, and hungry, with no arms to kill game for our squaws and children."
"It is not so, chief, for you are all thoroughly armed, and you have surrendered to us, and you must give up [Pg 83] your weapons at once," was the stern response of Colonel Forsythe.
"We have no arms to give up. Let the pale-face warriors take us as we are." ”

“ Violet's face flushed, while she said, in a low tone:
"As it is not intended to be a secret, Miss Foshay, I will tell you that I am engaged to Lieutenant Carey."
"Engaged to——" and Emma Foshay could say no more, while the entrance of a servant with a telegram prevented both Violet and Ella Dewhurst from seeing how livid the face of the young girl became.
"For me?" said Violet, with a calmness she did not feel, as she took the telegram from the servant.
Breaking open the envelope, she read aloud:
"Do not be alarmed at rumors that Carey is dead. ”

“ As they drew up in a circle around his home, Kit Carey leaped from his horse, and the chief and the young officer met face to face in the door.
Quickly fell the words of the officer, spoken in the Sioux language:
"The great chief, Tatanka Yotanke, has broken faith with the Great White Chief Father, for his people even now are starting on the war-path. Sitting Bull is my prisoner. He must go with me dead or alive." ”

“ Suddenly the strange medicine chief, wearing the white [Pg 160] beaver robe [8] of honor, entered the sacred precincts of the medicine tepee, and said in a low voice:
"The Moon Eyes has come to see by night what the Sun Gazer cannot behold in the darkness. The Moon Eyes has come from the foes of our people, and he wears the ghost shirt to kill, and the red tomahawk."
The Sun Gazer, for such was the name of the Brule medicine chief, at once welcomed the stranger to the tepee, and the two talked long and earnestly together. ”