Running Fox

“ The next moment Running Fox entered the sacred lodge.
Once inside, the lad hesitated, for his heart suddenly became filled with superstitious fear. He had heard many stories about the fierce Medicine-Spirits whom his people blamed for the remarkable success of Standing Wolf and his warriors, and he had little doubt that something terrible was about to happen to him. Then he suddenly recalled the words of Spotted Deer, ”You have seen the mysterious Medicine People. Nothing can harm you. ”

“ Running Fox spent the following day in an agony of suspense. He neither saw or heard anything of Spotted Deer, and by the time night came the miserable lad had worried himself into a frenzy of despair. ”

“ He went at once to find old Sky Dog, the venerable Delaware medicine-man. When Running Fox arrived at the medicine-lodge and drew aside the huge bear robe that hung before the entrance, he saw the aged medicine-man sitting upon the ground before a small fire. He was tossing small handfuls of dried sweet-grass upon the embers, and droning some sort of medicine-song. ”

“ When Standing Wolf speaks he must be answered. Come, speak fast or I will teach you how to obey.”
“I will answer you,” Running Fox said, angrily. “Standing Wolf, you have asked me something. Well, I will tell you what you wish to know. My people keep their men to fight the brave Shawnees. My people send their boys to kill the Mohawks.”
It was a reckless speech, and Running Fox immediately realized that he had sealed his doom as he looked into the angry eyes of Standing Wolf. For a moment the great Mohawk war-chief looked upon him in unconcealed amazement. ”

“ Now I will tell you what to do. I will shoot my arrow. Then if Quenisehquney jumps in to fight you must send your arrow into him. By that time I will be ready with another arrow.”
“I am ready,” said Spotted Deer. “See, there are his eyes. He sounds mad.”
Running Fox discharged his arrow. They heard it strike, and then a terrifying scream rang through the night. A moment later a long dark form crouched before them. They heard the tail swishing rapidly among the ferns, and read a warning in the flashing eyes.
“Do something!” cried Running Fox, as he prepared another arrow. ”

“ Then came Quenischquney, the panther, and Wisawanik, the squirrel, and Gokhos, the owl, and the terrible Wischalowe, the rattlesnake, whom the Delawares called “The Frightener.” When they all were assembled, the bear was made the leader.
“Running Fox, we have come here to help you,” said this strange medicine-creature. “You have stood the test, and now we are going to help you. You are setting out to do a hard thing. If you do exactly as we tell you, you will go through with it. What I have to say is short. You know that my people are brave and powerful. ”

“ Running Fox made his way cautiously along the edge of the plateau, taking advantage of whatever cover offered itself, and advancing against the wind. When he finally came within bow-shot of the bait he saw that it was an elk. Then he sat down to watch and listen. After he had waited a long time without seeing or hearing anything of the bear, he went forward to examine the elk. It was an old bull that apparently had died from old age. Running Fox was surprised to find that almost one whole side of the animal had already been eaten. ”

“ Running Fox warned him. “This country is filled with our enemies. We must keep watching.”
Running Fox turned toward the west, as he believed that the Mohawks were somewhere to the eastward. Besides, if his enemies should discover his trail he hoped to mislead them into believing that he and Spotted Deer were Shawnees, for he knew that those people lived in the great wilderness to the westward. The Delawares continued to travel until long after darkness had fallen, and finally stopped in a dense forest of pines. ”

“ There seemed no hope that either of the swimmers would escape with his life.
Running Fox, however, finally reached the end of the rapids alive. When he found himself afloat in calm water he could scarcely believe his good fortune. His first thought was for Spotted Deer. He was nowhere in sight. What had become of him? There seemed but one answer. He had been pulled down by the Bad Water Spirits. Running Fox looked toward the rapids, and his eyes glowed savagely. Then he saw something bobbing down through the waves, and a great hope entered his heart.
“Fight, Spotted Deer! Fight! ”

“ He realized that he was looking upon the hunting grounds of his enemies, the fierce and warlike Mohawks. Somewhere in the great silent wilderness that stretched for unknown leagues beyond the headwaters of the river was the Mohawk village in which lived the famous war-chief, Standing Wolf. Running Fox knew that to learn the secret which would enable his people to triumph over their enemies he must find and enter the hostile camp. ”

“ The Delawares bounded through the woods like frightened deer, for they knew that the Mohawks were close at their heels. Then they heard something that filled them with dread. The dogs were baying fiercely on their trail.
“Listen, the Mohawks have sent their dogs after us,” Running Fox cried, savagely. “They will follow us like wolves. It will be hard to get away.”
“Well, if they come up with us, we will stop and kill them,” said Spotted Deer. ”

“ That night as they sat beside a small fire broiling the grouse which Running Fox had killed their thoughts turned to the wolf pack.
“I have heard the hunters tell about those wolves,” said Running Fox. “They are very large and very fierce. They have fought with many of our people. My father killed some of them when he was hunting along the river.”
“Why are they down in this country?” inquired Spotted Deer. “This is not the time for them to come down here. I have heard the hunters say that in the time of growing things they travel far beyond the country of the Mohawks.” ”

“ No, we are in a dangerous country, and we must not let them know about us. If they see us it will be hard to get near their camp. The fox does not jump at the bear when he steals to his lodge for meat.”
“That is true,” agreed Spotted Deer. “Well, I will be very cautious.”
“Pretty soon those warriors will come back,” said Running Fox. “We must watch sharp.”
As the evening shadows were settling upon the forest the Mohawks returned with the missing canoe. They passed close to the shore, and the Delawares had a splendid view of them. ”

“ It is a great thing to do. If he lives through it I will give away many good presents. I have finished.”
The Delawares greeted the announcement with words of approval. Several prominent warriors made speeches praising the lad for his courage, and urging him to kill many Mohawks. Then old Sky Dog sang a number of sacred medicine-songs, and fastened a small buckskin bag containing sacred herbs about the neck of Running Fox to protect him from harm. ”

“ Acting upon the impulse of the moment he placed his hands to his mouth, and gave a perfect imitation of the call. Running Fox sprang up at the sound.
“What was that?” he inquired, anxiously.
“I am talking with Gokhos,” laughed Spotted Deer.
“You are very foolish,” said Running Fox, as his eyes flashed angrily. “Warriors do not cry out like children when there are enemies about to hear. Perhaps what you heard was a signal. I have heard my father tell how the Mohawks use the voice of Gokhos to call one another. You have done a bad thing.” ”

“ The Delawares feared that in another moment their suspicious foes might decide to investigate the sound. Discovery seemed near at hand. They realized that they must do something to quiet the fears of their enemies. There was not a moment to spare. The lads looked anxiously into each other’s eyes. Then the bird resumed its noisy search for food. One of the warriors prepared to send an arrow into the willows. At that moment Running Fox discovered the bird scratching among the leaves. ”

“ Now you will see something. I am going to kill that man. I am going to bring our brothers, the Minsi. Pretty soon you will hear them. Now you must watch me.”
The next moment he bounded past his astonished tribesmen, and advanced fearlessly upon the Mohawk chief. The latter shot an arrow at him, but it flew harmlessly past his head. Then, as Running Fox laughed and pointed to the medicine-trophy which hung upon his breast, Standing Wolf uttered a yell of rage and rushed forward, war-club in hand. Before he had taken two strides Running Fox drove an arrow through his heart. ”

“ Still there was one whom he found it difficult to deny. It was his friend, Spotted Deer, a lad of his own age, and his constant companion through all the happy years of boyhood. They had invariably shared every adventure, and the thought of being barred from the first real war-journey drove Spotted Deer into a frenzy of despair. He argued, he coaxed, he reproached, but Running Fox refused to yield.
“No, my brother, I will not listen to your words,” declared Running Fox. “A warrior must know how to fight before he leads his friends into danger. I have never faced an enemy. ”

“ Running Fox examined the signs. He agreed with Turning Eagle that one of those who had slept there was a prisoner.
"It must have been Spotted Deer," declared Running Fox. "Now we must try to find him. Come, we will follow those people."
He led the way along the trail. For some distance it was plain and easy to follow, and Running Fox marveled at the carelessness of his foes. It appeared that the travelers had little fear of being pursued.
"The Shawnees are like foolish old women," said Yellow Wolf. "They leave many signs." ”

“ Then you must take the longest claw from each foot, and keep them about you.”
“Running Fox, I am smaller and weaker than all these great people who have talked to you,” barked Wisawanik, the squirrel. “However, I am also more nimble, and better at hiding. If you wish to travel safely to the village where Standing Wolf lives, you must be nimble and good at hiding. If you will kill one of our chiefs who wear the black robes, and carry his scalp with you, you will be able to hide so well that your enemies will not be able to find you.” ”

“ Running Fox, or "Cut Finger," as the white people called him, he knew to be a morose and reckless young man, and probably possessed of some evil spirit, for at times he was quite crazy. Once he had forced his pony into the cooking-lodge of Bear Paw for no reason at all, and Bear Paw, in a rage, had snatched up his rifle and fired, putting a bullet through the bridle hand of Running Fox, who lost two fingers and gained a new name. ”

“ At first Standing Wolf paid little attention to him, and prepared to carry out his revenge. However, at the very moment when Running Fox was tied to the torture stake misfortunes began to fall upon the camp. First an old man fell and broke his leg. Then a child of one of the women who was participating in the attack on Running Fox died suddenly while the mother was in the act of beating the prisoner. As a climax the medicine-bundle fell from its tripod in the sacred lodge, as the warriors were dancing about the stake. ”

“ Running Fox declared, gloomily. “I believe the Mohawk camp is close. There is only one thing to do. We must keep moving around until we find it. We will wait here until the next sun comes. Then we will look around some more.”
The following day they again scouted carefully through the woods in search of the Mohawk camp. This time, however, they remained together and turned toward the north. Running Fox felt convinced that the village was somewhere in that direction, and as he was the leader Spotted Deer was content to rely upon his judgment. ”

“ He believed that it might be dangerous to remain near the river, as he knew that hostile scouts often followed the waterways under cover of darkness. Besides, he was still upset by the actions of the war-eagle, and he determined to take every precaution. He finally decided to camp beside a little spring, high up on the mountainside.
Having killed a grouse earlier in the day, Running Fox broiled it over the embers of a tiny fire, which he was careful to conceal between two large rocks. ”

“ As he was running off he cried over his shoulder: 'As long as the world lasts the asps' eyes will go down in the heads of foxes from generation to generation.'
And so it has been; and if you look at the eyes of an asp you will see that they are all burnt; and though thousands of years have gone by since the fox was going about playing tricks upon everybody he met, the asp still bears the traces of the day when the sly creature cooked the salmon. ”

“ Spotted Deer cried, joyfully, as soon as the Mohawks had passed out. “I believed the Mohawks killed you, and I wanted to die. Now my heart is filled with songs. Tell me how you come to be alive.”
“I cannot tell you that,” Running Fox said, confusedly. “I believed I would be dead by now, and here I am alive. It is very mysterious.”
CHAPTER XV—A BATTLE WITH THE CHIPPEWAS
For a long time the lads were kept in continual doubt as to whether they were to live or die. Then they unexpectedly found a friend in the young son of one of the Mohawk medicine-men, a man of great influence with Standing Wolf. ”

“ Whoever is afraid of Standing Wolf must leave his weapons, and go with the women and children. The rest of us will stay here, and meet the boastful Mohawks. Now, my brother, let me see who is afraid to stay.”
Not even the youngest boy responded. The Delawares answered the challenge with a great shout of defiance that seemed to shake the hills. Then they began to sing their war-songs, and parade about the camp. In a few moments they called for Running Fox to address them. ”