diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/65527-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65527-0.txt | 4442 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 4442 deletions
diff --git a/old/65527-0.txt b/old/65527-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 087f25c..0000000 --- a/old/65527-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4442 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Dead Shot, by Albert W. Aiken - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Dead Shot - The White Vulture - -Author: Albert W. Aiken - -Release Date: June 6, 2021 [eBook #65527] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: David Edwards, Martin Pettit and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (Northern Illinois - University Digital Library at http://digital.lib.niu.edu/) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEAD SHOT *** - -+-------------------------------------------------+ -|Transcriber’s note: | -| | -|Obvious typographic errors have been corrected. | -| | -+-------------------------------------------------+ - - -DEAD SHOT; - -OR, - -THE WHITE VULTURE. - -A ROMANCE OF THE YELLOWSTONE. - -BY ALBERT W. AIKEN. - - -NEW YORK: BEADLE AND ADAMS, PUBLISHERS, 98 WILLIAM STREET. - - - - -Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by -BEADLE AND ADAMS, -In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - -(P. N. No. 2.) - - - - -THE - -WHITE VULTURE - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -FORT BENT AND THE WAGON-TRAIN. - - -It was at the close of a bright May afternoon; the last rays of -the sinking sun shone down gayly upon the broad prairie, through -which, like a great yellow serpent, rolled the turbid waters of the -Yellowstone river--a river that took its rise at the base of the -Rocky Mountains and then flowed eastward, until it poured its current -into the great Missouri. Just at the junction of the Yellowstone and -the Powder rivers, the sun’s rays shone down upon the whitewashed -walls of Fort Bent, a frontier post, located at the confluence of -the two rivers, to guard the wagon-trail to Montana. The advance of -civilization has now caused the fort to be removed, but at the time -at which we write it was the last halting-place for the wagon-trains -bound for any of the small settlements nestled here and there upon the -golden-streaked rocks of Montana. After leaving Fort Bent, the trail -run by the banks of the Yellowstone, two hundred miles or so, then -turned abruptly north toward the Rocky Mountains. This was called the -southern trail. The northern route was by the bank of the Missouri. - -Fort Bent was garrisoned by a single company of United States troops--a -hundred men or so. Under the shelter of the fort, a few trading-houses -had sprung up, designed to supply the wants of the emigrants in powder, -ball, blankets, or any of the little articles necessary for a journey -of three hundred miles through the wilderness. For, as we have said, -after leaving Fort Bent, the way led through the fertile valley of the -Yellowstone, a valley abounding in rich grasses, the little clumps of -timber that fringed the river being filled with game, the stream itself -well stocked with fish--a country that only needed the strong right -arm of civilization to bloom and blossom like a fruitful garden. - -The wagon-trail through this lovely country was not without its -dangers. Near Fort Bent, the fierce Mandan tribe of Indians flourished; -their hunting-grounds stretching from the Big Horn river to the little -Missouri. Sometimes, too, wandering bands of the Sioux, the ruthless -marauders of the Missouri, extended their forays as far as the Powder -river. Deadly foes were they of the Mandan tribe. - -And then, after following the wagon-trail along the bank of the -Yellowstone, passing where the Big Horn river emptied its waters, -swollen always by the melting snows of the Rocky Mountains, into the -first named stream, we enter upon the dominion of the Crow nation, -the Indian kings of the north-west--the tribe whose warriors wear the -claws and teeth of the grizzly bear as necklaces around their necks, -sign and symbol of their prowess--the greatest fighting men of all the -tribes that roam the great wilderness of rock and prairie from the Gulf -of California in the south, to the Columbia and Missouri rivers in the -north--the warlike tribe that has fought the powerful “Blackfeet” for -ages, and yet more than held their own against them--the tribe whose -war-cry is a terror to the gold-diggers of Southern Montana. - -And so, after passing the junction of the Big Horn and the Yellowstone -rivers, the old mountain men, the prairie guides, prepare for danger; -and few wagon-trains, unless large in numbers, pass through the valley -and turn northward to Montana, without losing stock or men on their -passage. - -Now that we have described the scene of our coming story, we will -return to Fort Bent, where a wagon-train is at the moment resting, -preparatory to daring the dangers of the march through this wilderness. - -The fort and its vicinity presents a lively scene. The soldiers are -chatting with the members of the train, inquiring the news from the -East and eagerly perusing the newspapers that have been brought by the -emigrants. - -The train was composed of some twenty wagons, containing, perhaps, -sixty souls all told, men, women, and children. There were twenty-three -men in the party, besides the two guides, a force sufficient to beat -off any ordinary Indian attack, if handled skillfully, of which there -could be but little doubt, for the two guides--the captains of the -train--were men skilled in Indian warfare, and had a reputation as -Indian-fighters second to none on the upper Missouri. - -The two guides stood together by the foremost wagon, leaning on their -rifles, surveying the scene before them with a listless air. They were -known as Abraham Colt and David Reed--called Abe and Dave, commonly, by -their friends. Abe was the elder of the two, a man of about forty-years -of age. Tall and straight, he stood nearly six feet high; but weighed -not more than a hundred and fifty pounds--all muscle, bone and sinew, -no useless flesh about him. A professional prize-fighter would have -looked at him in admiration. From his earliest boyhood he had been -accustomed to the wild life and dangers of the prairie. His father -had been a guide before him, and had reared his son to his calling. -The father had died on the prairie, shot through the temple in a Crow -attack on a wagon-train--had died in his son’s arms, almost instantly -after receiving the ball. From that hour Abe had sworn an oath of -vengeance against every red-skin in whose veins ran the blood of the -Crow nation. - -The story of the death of Abe’s father, and of the oath of vengeance of -the son, was of course well known to all the frontier-men; and he was -looked upon as a sort of a hero, for, since his father’s death, which -occurred some twenty years before the time at which we write, Abe had -encountered the braves of the Crow nation in many a desperate fight on -the prairie trail by the Yellowstone; and in every contest the guide -had been victorious; every time the Crows had attacked a train in which -Abe acted as guide, they had been repulsed with great slaughter; his -presence seemed to be fatal to them. - -Abe would never have been taken by a stranger for the famous -Indian-fighter; there was no sign of the desperado about him. His face -was well browned by the prairie winds and the rays of the sun; his -eyes were large, and gray in color; his chin was shaven as smooth as a -young girl’s; his features were strongly marked and the deep wrinkles -about the eyes and mouth told of hard service and troubles. He was -dressed Indian fashion, in a hunting-shirt of deer-skin, trimmed with -porcupine-quills; leggings of the same material, fitting tightly to the -leg; moccasins, ornamented with little leaden tags, curiously shaped; -upon his head he wore a cap, formed of a portion of a coyote’s skin, -with the tail hanging down behind. His hair, black as an Indian’s, -was worn short and curled in little ringlets tight to his head. He -was a picture worthy the pencil of the artist as he stood leaning -carelessly upon his rifle, gazing upon the little groups before him. -One approaching him from the rear would have taken him from his dress -to be an Indian chief. - -His companion, the other guide, was a young man, probably not over -twenty, called David Reed. His history was a strange one. A party of -United States troops, some nineteen years before the time of which we -write, had surprised a party of Blackfeet Indians encamped near the -head-waters of the Missouri. The savages had been on a raid against -the white frontier settlements on the upper Missouri, and the soldiers -had followed in pursuit. They surprised the Indians and a bloody fight -ensued; the Indians were outnumbered and nearly exterminated. After -the fight, the soldiers found a baby boy snugly wrapped in a blanket -near the Indian camp. From his dark complexion and from the outline of -his features, they concluded that he was a half-breed, possibly the -child of one of the Indian braves by a white wife, because it is a very -common thing for the Indians to carry off white girls in their frontier -raids and force them to become their wives. Why the child should have -been carried with the war-party contrary to the usual custom of the -savages puzzled the old Indian-fighter, who acted as guide to the -soldiers. He carefully examined the encampment, and finally discovered -the footprints of a woman. It was evident, then, that there had been -a squaw with the party, and possibly that squaw was one of the white -wives that the great chiefs sometimes have; though why the chief should -carry her on a marauding expedition was a mystery. - -The soldiers took the child back with them to their post; the infant -was apparently a year old. The captain in command of the troops acted -as sponsor to the child thus strangely found in the desert, and called -it David Reed. - -The infant grew apace. Years passed on: the child became a man and -adopted the profession of prairie guide, and was noted on the upper -Missouri as one of the surest shots and best guides in all the upper -valley. - -In appearance, he was a fine-looking fellow, standing about five feet -nine, well proportioned and well built; his face was pleasing; there -was something noble about it--an air of native dignity, akin to that -of the red-skins; his eyes were large, jet-black and full of fire; his -nose long and straight; the chin, square and well formed, firm-set -lips, that showed resolution and strength of purpose; his bronzed face, -the high cheek-bones and jet-black hair, that slightly curled at the -ends, worn long and floating down over his shoulders, alone showed the -Indian blood. - -He was dressed roughly. A red shirt, thrown open carelessly at the -neck and exposing his finely-formed throat; a pair of dark butternut -homespun pantaloons that had been cut open at the side and fitted into -the leg, Indian fashion; a pair of moccasins, which, from the peculiar -trimming, an old Indian-fighter would have pronounced to be of Sioux -manufacture; a belt of untanned deer-skin girded around his waist, -supporting a broad-bladed hunting-knife and a serviceable-looking -revolver, and we have the pen-picture of Dave Reed. - -Reed had met the “Crow-Killer” in Montana, some three years before -the time at which we commence our story. A singular friendship had -sprung up between the two men, and from that time they never had -separated. Lucky was the wagon-train that obtained the services of the -“Crow-Killer” and young Dave Reed, as his friends called him, for a -trip across the upper plains! - -“Does that fellow there belong to our train?” asked Dave of the -“Crow-Killer,” directing his attention to a man who stood apart from -all the rest near the bank of the river. - -“Whar?” asked “Crow-Killer,” turning his eyes in the direction -indicated. - -“That one there, wrapped up in the blanket as if he had the chills,” -and Dave pointed to a man standing near the river, with his back to -the two guides. The stranger was wrapped in a dirty red blanket which -completely covered him. On his head he wore a common black felt hat, -from under which long black locks fell down over his shoulders, -forming a striking contrast to the red blanket. - -Abe took a long look at the motionless figure. - -“Well, do you know him?” asked Dave. - -“Nary time!” answered Abe. “He looks like an Injun, durned if he don’t. -He’s a powerful big feller, I should judge.” - -Just then the stranger turned round and exposed a face a few shades -darker than that of Dave’s, but not dark enough to proclaim the owner -to be an Indian, or, if he was one, one much lighter in color than the -generality of his race. The face of the stranger was an odd one; high -cheek bones, the dark color, the flashing black eyes, no sign of a -beard--all these would proclaim him an Indian; yet, the long black hair -curled slightly at the ends, and was much finer than the usual coarse -locks of the red-skin. - -As he faced toward the two guides, the eyes of the stranger wandering -listlessly over the talking crowd, Abe got a good full view of his face -and started in astonishment. - -“What’s the matter?” questioned Dave. - -“That man’s face!” answered Abe, still staring intently upon the -stranger. - -“Well, what of it?” - -“Why, he’s the perfect image of you!” - -Dave now started in surprise, and turned his keen glance upon the -stranger. As Abe had said, save that the unknown was darker in color, -there was, indeed, a wonderful resemblance between the two men--the -same long black hair, curling at the ends--the same flashing black -eyes, the same expression on the face, almost the same size, and -features marvelously like those of the young guide. - -“Yes, he does look like me,” said Dave, surveying the stranger with a -puzzled air. - -“Like you! You couldn’t be more alike if you were run in the same -mold,” said the “Crow-Killer.” - -“It is very strange, to say the least.” Dave spoke thoughtfully. - -“Strange, you bet!” answered Abe, tersely. - -And yet, at this very moment, to a close observer, there was something -else stranger than all, and that was the resemblance in the general -expression of the features that both Dave Reed and the stranger bore to -Abe, the “Crow-Killer.” Their eyes were black and his were gray, and -yet they _looked_ alike. Had they been clad alike, a stranger would -have taken the three for father and sons. - -“He looks like an Injun, and yet he is too light colored for one,” said -Dave. - -“Yes,” responded the “Crow-Killer,” watching the unknown with a keen -glance, “he ain’t one of our party I know. I guess he’s a stranger hyar -too, for he don’t seem to know any of the folks round. He don’t look -exactly like an Injun, but he may be one with white blood in him; that -would account for his light color.” - -“I’ll go over and find out who he is,” said Dave. - -“Go it, young hoss!” answered the “Crow-Killer,” “that’s a good idea.” - -One of the corporals attached to the post at this moment approached the -two guides. - -“Who is that chap over thar? do you know him?” asked the guide. - -The corporal took a good look at the motionless figure, wrapped in the -gaudy blanket. - -“I don’t know him; a stranger in our ranche, I reckon.” - -“You have never seen him before then?” said Dave. - -“I think not. I guess he’s one of the Mandan Injuns come in to get some -whisky or something of that sort.” - -“He ain’t no Mandan,” said Abe, after another good look. - -Dave bent his steps toward the stranger. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE GREAT FIGHTING MAN OF THE CROWS. - - -Although the stranger was apparently indifferent to all that passed -around him and seemed half asleep, yet his quick eye had noticed the -two guides in conversation, noticed the glances they had cast toward -him, and had rightly concluded that they were speaking of him; then, -when he saw Dave walk toward him, he quietly turned his head in the -direction of the river as if seeking an avenue of escape in case of -danger. As if satisfied, he turned his attention again to the crowd -near the fort. Dave came up to him. - -“How are you, stranger?” said the guide. - -“Well,” answered the unknown, in a deep, guttural voice that instantly -proclaimed its owner to be a red-skin. - -“Is the chief a Mandan?” questioned the guide. - -“No,” was the laconic answer of the stranger. - -“Sioux?” - -“Yes.” - -“What tribe?” - -“Yancton!” responded the stranger, who, Indian fashion, was sparing of -his words. - -“What brings the chief to Fort Bent, so far away from his home?” asked -Dave. - -“Ah-ke-no is a chief of the Sioux; he fought the Mandan braves on the -Powder river. In the dark he lost his brothers, he traveled north -to the wigwams of blue-coated braves. He is at peace with his white -brothers; he is hungry and would eat; he is thirsty and would drink. -Ah-ke-no is a great chief of the Yanctons!” - -The savage uttered his story with a stolid face, while the quick -flashing of his eyes changed into a dull gleam. - -“Did my brother come on foot?” asked Dave. - -“The chief is not a mud-turtle,” answered the savage; “he does not -crawl when he can fly like the eagle. My white brother will look,” -and the chief pointed to a small, open space between the fort and the -river, where a white horse, strangely marked with small patches of -black in the flanks, and of matchless beauty, tethered to a stake, lay -upon the ground. - -The guide gazed upon the steed with unbounded admiration. He had seen -many a horse of wondrous beauty, but never one to compare with that -milk-white steed of the chief. - -“My brother’s horse is handsome,” said Dave. - -“The chief is a great brave among his warriors; he rides on the wind. -The mustang never lived that could overtake the “White Vulture”!” - -“Your horse?” questioned Dave, wondering at the name. - -“The chief has said,” responded the Indian, with savage dignity. - -“If my brother is hungry, come to the fort and eat,” said Dave. - -“My brother is good; the blue-coats have fed the Sioux chief; his -hunger is gone.” - -“Will you return to your people now?” questioned the guide. - -“As fast as the crow flies to his nest; his braves mourn him as dead -and gone to the happy hunting-grounds, but the scalp of the Sioux -chief will never hang in the smoke of a Mandan lodge,” and the savage -drew his tall form up proudly. Then, bending his eyes on the train, he -asked: “Does my white brother hunt with the white wigwams, that go to -the setting sun?” and with his eyes he indicated the emigrant-wagons as -he spoke. - -“Yes, I am their guide,” answered Dave. - -“And the tall chief, who wears the hide of the coyote,” indicating Abe, -who was in conversation with the corporal, as he spoke, “does he hunt -with my brother?” - -“Yes; we are the chiefs of the train,” said Dave, wondering at the -curiosity of the Indian. - -“What is my tall white brother called?” asked the red-skin, pointing to -Abe. - -“Abe Colt.” - -“Crow-Killer?” questioned the savage, with a slight uneasiness -perceptible in his manner. - -“Yes,” answered Dave, secretly wondering that his companion’s name -should be so well known to the Yancton Sioux; “you have heard of the -‘Crow-Killer’ then?” he asked. - -“The deeds of a great brave on the war-path travel like the white -clouds, when the winds blow over the prairie. The ‘Crow-Killer’ is a -great chief,” answered the Indian, a peculiar gleam in his dark eyes, -as he looked upon the famous Indian fighter. - -“Does my brother go soon?” asked Dave. - -“When the moon comes, the Sioux chief rides like the wind for the Big -river, (Missouri); his warriors wait for him, and the singing bird -that sings for the chief, sings not when the wigwam is empty and the -nest is cold.” Then the Indian gazed upon the crowd with the same -stolid glance as before. - -Dave having gained all the information that he could, rejoined Abe and -the corporal. - -“Wal, who and what is he?” asked Abe. - -“He says he’s a Sioux of the Yancton tribe, separated from the rest of -his braves in a fight with the Mandans on the Powder river; and that he -came here for food and drink,” answered Dave to Abe’s question. - -“Well, now I think of it,” said the corporal, “I remember hearing the -boys saying something, this morning, about an Indian coming in, hungry, -and they giving him food.” - -“A Yancton Sioux, eh?” said Abe, half to himself. - -“Yes; what do you think of him?” asked Dave. - -“Wal, I don’t exactly know,” replied the “Crow-Killer,” thoughtfully; -“but ef I were to meet that Injun, a hundred and fifty miles west from -hyar, I’d say he was a Crow an’ be willin’ to bet my life onto it.” - -“A Crow!” cried Dave. - -“That’s so, hoss; though I noticed he’s ripped off the trimmings of -his moccasins and leggins, so as to make ’em plain and disguise his -tribe. Now, if he were a Sioux, why does he come skulking hyar in -_disguise_--that’s what I want to know?” - -Just then the “Crow-Killer” was interrupted by a horseman dashing into -the little village from the upper trail leading up the bank of the -Yellowstone. The horse was covered with lather, showing that he had -been ridden hard; the horseman, a sturdy-looking fellow but pale as -death in the face, drew rein in the center of the little square formed -by the fort, the trading-houses and the wagon-train; then tumbled from -his horse exhausted. A crowd gathered around him. - -“What’s the matter?” “What is it, stranger?” were the questions poured -in upon him by the bystanders. - -“The devil’s to pay!” gasped the stranger. “The Injuns are up again on -the Yellowstone trail, thick as grasshoppers in summer.” - -“What Injuns?” yelled half a dozen excited voices. - -“The Crows!” replied the stranger, who thereupon proceeded to tell -his story. He had left Montana with a party, composed of two wagons -loaded with furs, and ten men; they had not seen signs of Indians until -after passing Great Falls and striking across to the Yellowstone; -then they came across an Indian trail, which one of the trappers -pronounced to be that of a war-party and about three days old; but, -as the trail led directly southward across their line of march they -did not anticipate any danger. But, on the first night after striking -the Yellowstone river, they were attacked by a large party of Crow -Indians; the trappers fought bravely but they were overpowered and -forced to leave their wagons and seek safety in flight. How many of his -companions had escaped he knew not; but he, possessing a very swift -horse, had succeeded in passing the line of the encircling savages and -in escaping by reason of the fleetness of his horse; but, in escaping -from the Indians, he had been compelled to leave the lower trail and go -northward, and had been five days in reaching the fort, which, had he -come straight by the bank of the Yellowstone, he might easily have made -in four. - -Dave and Abe had listened intently to the tale. - -“Stranger, I believe you said the red devils were Crows?” - -“Yes,” answered the trapper. - -“What chief mought be at the head on ’em? Do you know?” asked Abe. - -“Yes; Dick Sawyer, my partner, recognized one of the chiefs, an’ he -seemed to be the head one of the party. He said it was the ‘White -Vulture,’” said the trapper. - -“You don’t say so!” and the “Crow-Killer” indulged in a low whistle -of astonishment. “Why, he’s the biggest fighting man in all the Crow -nation. They _do_ say he’s a perfect ‘painter’ on the war-trail. I -never see’d him yet, but I’d like to!” and there was a strange tone -in the old hunter’s voice, and a strange glitter in his eyes, as he -uttered the words. His fingers, too, clenched tighter around the long -barrel of his rifle, and there was an expression upon his face which -boded danger to the Crow chief. - -“I didn’t see much of him,” said the stranger, “’cos I were in pretty -considerable hurry to git for the open country, but he’s a heap on -fight, I should say for he cleaned us out in about twenty minutes, an’ -we made a tough old fight of it, too.” - -“Do you think any the rest of your friends escaped?” asked the captain -in command of the fort, who had been an attentive listener to the -trapper’s story. - -“Wal, I don’t exactly know,” said the trapper, scratching his head -thoughtfully. “I guess my partner, Dick Sawyer, would get shet of them, -if any in the party would, ’cos he had a powerful running hoss--an -animal that was jist chain-lightning on the go. It were a hoss from the -south. Dick give a couple of hundred for him, an’ that’s a fancy price, -you know; but he were awful fast, an’ jist as handsome a critter as I -ever laid eyes on. An’ I kinder think that if any of the party got away -’sides me, it were likely to be Dick an’ his white hoss.” - -“A white horse?” asked Dave, a sudden suspicion coming into his mind. - -“Yes,” answered the trapper, “a hoss jist as white as milk, ’cept it -had a patch or two of black upon its flanks, an’ the prettiest beast -you ever saw.” - -Could it be possible, that the Crow chief had the bravado to come into -the fort in disguise, and right after his attack upon the trappers? -Dave looked around for the Indian; he had disappeared! The guide -quietly left the little knot of people and went toward the bank of -the river. The white horse was gone; the Indian as well. Far in the -distance, on the trail leading up the river, Dave saw the stranger -mounted on the white steed, riding at full speed. - -“Curse you, red-skin!” he muttered; “you’ve been after no good. I’ll -meet you one of these days, and I’ll put a bullet through you, though -you do look enough like me to be my brother.” - -The young man rejoined the little knot of people around the trapper, -who were eagerly discussing the particulars of the late attack. - -Dave drew Abe aside, and told him his suspicions. Abe heard all with a -grave shake of the head. - -“I had an idea that that Injun was a Crow,” he said. “Some way or other -I can generally tell ’em: but, though I hate the whole nation and never -yet spared a Crow that I got within rifle range of, yet I should -dreffully hate to put a bullet through this fellow, for he looks so -much like you.” - -“You think then that I am right in my suspicions?” - -“Sart’in, you’ve hit the right nail on the head. That Injun was the -‘White Vulture,’ the greatest fighting-man of all the Crow nation, -though he’s a mighty young brave.” - -“He can’t be older than I am,” said Dave. - -“No, I should say he wasn’t. I first heard tell on him about three -years ago, when I were up trading in the Blackfoot country. A party -of Blackfeet made a raid down into the Crow region, an’ at the first -on it, they whipped the Crows right out of their moccasins; they took -this ‘White Vulture’ prisoner, tied him to a tree to torture him a -little, but, before they lit the fire under him they amused themselves -by seeing how near they could come to his head throwing hatchets and -scalping-knives at him in their devilish fashion. Well, some way they -hadn’t tied him very strong and one of the hatchets, thrown carelessly, -cut one of the thongs that bound him. In a twinkling he burst the rest -of the bonds, seized one of the hatchets, laid about him right an’ -left, killed five of the Blackfeet braves almost instantly and then -made a rush for life and escaped, although the whole party gave chase. -Then, after he got back to his tribe he collected a few warriors and -hung about the rear of the retreating Blackfeet, picking off a man hyar -and there, until at last their retreat became a rout and they hurried -north as if the devil himself was at their heels. Well, I were in the -Blackfeet country when the party got back, an’ of course I hearn all -about it. The next year, the ‘White Vulture’ returned the visit of the -Blackfeet and raided all through their country, with a small party -too, hardly losing a man. From that day to this his fame as a great -brave has been increasing; the Crow Indians themselves regard him with -superstition; they think he’s a great medicine-man; they don’t believe -that the bullet was ever run that can kill him; in fact, to-day he’s -the head-chief and the greatest fighting man in all the Crow nation.” - -“I’m afraid that if he ever comes again within range of my rifle I -shall convince the Crows that there’s a bullet in my pouch that will -settle him,” said Dave, with a grim smile, tapping the butt of his -rifle. - -“Do you know, Dave, that I don’t want to meet the ‘White Vulture’?” -said the “Crow-Killer” solemnly. - -“Why not?” asked Dave, in amazement. - -“Because I should have to kill him, and that I don’t want to do. -Strange, too, that up to to-day we have never met. The last time he -attacked a wagon-train between here an’ Fort Benton, I was to go as -guide with that same train, but at the last moment, just as we were -starting, I had a sort of feeling which said, ‘don’t go!’--a sorter -voice that seem to whisper, ‘don’t go,’ right in my ear. I didn’t go, -but got another man in my place; I thought I was acting like a fool at -the time; wal, that train was attacked an’ the stock all run off; an’ -the Crows were led by this same ‘White Vulture.’” - -“Well, that was strange,” said Dave. - -“It were more than strange,” replied the old guide, in a solemn tone, -“I’ve got a notion somehow that it isn’t fated that we shall ever meet -in fight, an’ then ag’in, I get the idea that if we ever do meet, it -will be the death of one of us.” - -“It’ll be the ‘White Vulture’ then that’ll go under. I’ll bet my life -on it,” cried Dave. - -“I don’t know that, Dave, I don’t know that; he’s a good fighter, quick -as a cat an’ savage as a painter. They do tell me that he’s the best -runner in his tribe an’ a sure shot with the rifle. If we meet in a -fair fight, I think he’s got the advantage of me. The Indian owes me a -debt of vengeance for I killed his father.” - -“You did?” said Dave. - -“Yes.” By this time they had reached the open prairie, just beyond the -wagons; there they paused. - -“Sit down,” said Abe, “and I’ll tell you all about it.” - -The two guides sat down upon the grass. Abe closed his eyes for a -moment thoughtfully, as if striving to remember the past. After a -moment of silence he spoke: - -“Of course you’ve heard, Dave, that my father was killed out here on -the Yellowstone trail by these Crows, and died in my arms?” - -“Yes,” said Dave, “I have heard the story.” - -“An’ I suppose hearn, too, how I swore to be revenged upon all the red -devils of the Crow nation?” - -“Yes, I heard that also.” - -“Wal,” said the guide, “I did a good deal in wiping ’em out in fair -fight, but the bitterest revenge that I took wasn’t in fair fight. It -were about two years after my father’s death, an’ the border folks an’ -the Injuns had already begun to call me the ‘Crow-Killer,’ that a large -lot of the Crows came into Fort Benton to sign a treaty and have a big -talk with the Injun agents. I was at the fort at the time an’ the Crows -were mighty anxious to get a look at their devil as they called me. Of -course as they were there on a peace-mission, I couldn’t very well take -their top-knots, but I wanted to, for the blood were hot in my veins in -those days. Being on a peace-talk, they had brought their squaws with -them, an’ among the squaws was the prettiest Injun I ever saw. She were -called ‘Little Star,’ an’ she were a star! Although she were a Crow, -I fell in love with her, an’, as it ’bout always happens in just such -cases, she fell in love with me. She was to be the wife of one of the -young braves, named ‘Rolling Cloud’; the ‘White Vulture’ is his son. -Wal, the ‘Little Star’ an’ I used to meet nights, outside the fort; -she were dead gone on me--I were called a handsome feller then--an’ -were willin’ to leave her tribe an’ go with me. Wal, I loved the gal, -Injun though she was, an’ I took her. One morning both she an’ I were -missin’. We went down the river, an’ I married her, Injun fashion, for -thar wasn’t no minister nigh. Wal, my takin’ the gal riled the Crows -awfully. I pitched my shanty with a little settlement on the Missouri, -an’ for two years I were happy. There were some things happened in -those two years, but I don’t care to speak of them. At the end, about, -of those two years I came back one night an’ found my cabin destroyed -an’ my wife gone, an’ from that day to this I have never hearn word of -her; but in an Injun fight out hyar, I met the ‘Rolling Cloud.’ We had -a fair tussle an’ I downed an’ knifed him, an’ as he died he muttered -something ’bout the ‘Little Star,’ which makes me think the Crows know -something of my wife’s fate.” - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE HEIR TO RATTLESNAKE GULCH. - - -For a moment or two after Abe finished his story there was silence. -The old guide closed his eyes and leaned back upon the grass. It was -not often that he spoke of the past, and the remembrance of that past -brought a flood of bitter memories to his mind. - -Dave, too, was thinking. He had heard some of the particulars of the -life of the “Crow-Killer,” which were current topics in Southern -Montana and along the Missouri; but that the great enemy of the Crow -nation had married a daughter of that tribe was news to him. The “some -things” that had occurred during the married life of the “Crow-Killer,” -which he had not explained and barely mentioned in his story, puzzled -Dave; it was evident that there was a mystery connected with the past -life of Abe Colt, and that the “Crow-Killer” imagined that the Crows -held the threads of that mystery, which one day they might unravel. - -The thoughts of the two guides were interrupted just then by the -approach of two members of the wagon-train. The two men were father and -son; their names were, respectively, Eben and Richard Hickman. Eben was -a man probably forty-five years of age, large and powerfully built, -with an ill-looking, treacherous face, shifting, light-blue eyes, -yellow hair and beard, his cheeks thin and hollow, and an expression of -greed and cunning upon his features. The son, Richard, resembled the -father in looks and build, only with a far better-looking face. His -hair was cut short, and the expression upon his features was not an -unpleasant one. - -The father, Eben, was in business in a little mining town in Southern -Montana, known as Spur City; the son had just come from the East, to -join the father, who had met him at St. Paul. - -“When do we start?” asked Eben Hickman, of the guides. - -“To-morrow morning at four,” answered Dave. - -“Do you think there is danger from Indians on the way?” - -“I can’t say; you heard the news the trapper brought, didn’t you?” -asked Dave. - -“Yes,” answered Hickman. - -“The red devils are on the war-path, but I don’t expect that they can -trouble us much, because we’re too many for them. They’ll probably try -it, but we’ll flax ’em if they do,” said Dave. - -“You think there _is_ danger of an attack then?” questioned the elder -Hickman. - -“Sart’in!” answered Dave, “jist as sure as we are hyar at Fort Bent -to-day.” - -“The Indians always attack at night, I believe?” said Eben. - -“Yes, generally,” answered the guide, curtly. He had taken a dislike to -the Hickmans, both father and son, a dislike he could not well explain. - -Eben Hickman stood for a moment as if in thought, then turned to his -son. “Come, Richard, we may as well look after our ammunition.” So the -two walked back toward the fort. - -“Ammunition, blazes!” said Abe, emphatically. “If thar’s any fighting -to be done, I guess both of those chaps will be more likely to be -behind a wagon than facing the Injuns.” - -“That’s what I think,” cried Dave; “I hate the sight of both those -fellows, I don’t exactly know why, but I s’pose it’s because I think -they’re a couple of cowards.” - -“I think thar’s another reason, Dave,” said Abe, in his quiet way; “a -pretty good reason, too, an’ that reason’s a female.” - -“Eh?” stammered Dave, getting as red in the face as a blushing girl. - -“Jus’ so!” responded the “Crow-Killer.” “Guess I ain’t blind _yet_, -Dave. It’s a mighty suspicious sign when a young gal likes to leave the -wagons an’ ride alongside of the guides, an’ hear stories ’bout buffler -huntin’ an’ Injun fightin’ an’ sich like.” - -“Why, you don’t think that Miss Leona cares any thing ’bout me, do -you?” asked Dave, anxiously. - -“Wal, it’s hard to say; thar’s no tellin’, sometimes, ’bout these gals. -I’m death on readin’ Injun sign, but a woman gits me. But, I look at -it in this way: when I see the print of a moccasin on the prairie, -it’s nat’ral to conclude that some one’s been thar; when I see a young -gal likes to be in the company of a young feller, an’ seems to take -pleasure in being with him, I don’t think I’m fur off from the trail to -say that she likes him. Now that’s just the way this case stands, as -near as I can fix it.” - -“But, I say, Abe, you’ve forgot one thing: she’s a well brought-up -girl, been educated and all that sort of thing, an’ my bringin’ up has -been rough; mighty little schooling I’ve been through,” and the young -guide shook his head thoughtfully. - -“You’re a durned sight better educated than I am,” said Abe, “an’ -I reckon I can hold up my head with any man on the upper Missouri; -besides, _that_ ain’t every thing; a man must have brains too. This -Miss Leona is a sensible gal, I take it; she wants a _man_ to fall in -love with--a man with muscle an’ nerve, fit to fight his way through -the world, not a dandy chap that would faint at the sight of an ax or -at the smell of gunpowder, but a man she can look up to, one that can -protect her, care for her an’ love her all at the same time.” - -“Yes, I think you are right there; she seems to be a very sensible -girl,” replied Dave. - -“That’s so,” responded Abe. “I’ve had my eyes open ever since we left -St. Paul; she can’t bear the sight of that Dick Hickman, though he’s -been trying to be mighty sweet on her. I’ve seen it! She gits out of -his way as much as she can, though he’s always arter her. I should -think the feller would have sense enough to see that she can’t bear -him, but there’s some men in this world haven’t got as much sense as an -owl. You see, as I haven’t had any Injun sign to look arter, I’ve been -amusing myself by watching the humans round me.” - -“You think, then, that the girl likes me?” asked Dave, anxiously. - -“Sart’in, I’d go my pile onto it, an’ I ain’t got much to go an’ can’t -well aford to lose that little, but I’d bet high on it.” - -“But I’m a poor man,” urged Dave. - -“Jus’ so, but ’arter we get to Montana we’ll try the gold-diggin’s, an’ -who knows we mought make a big strike thar. If the gal does love you, -why she’ll wait a little while for you, an’ if she won’t wait, why she -don’t love you an’ the quicker you forget her the better; that’s sense, -now I tell you.” - -“Well, Abe, I believe it is; I have not tried to make the girl love me, -but I will try now, and if she does love me, that’s all I ask for in -this world”--and the young guide’s face shone with a smile of happiness -as he leaned upon his elbow and thought of the golden locks of the -pretty Leona, to him the prettiest girl in all the world. - -“You’re right, Dave,” said the “Crow-Killer,” thoughtfully, “a good -woman’s love is a treasure in this world; years have gone by since -I lost my little Injun wife, but I haven’t forgotten her. Thar’s -a mystery about her death, for I suppose she was killed when the -red-skins burnt my cabin, but I ain’t sure of it. She _may_ be alive, -even now, up in the Crow nation. One of these days I’m goin’ to take a -party up thar an’ see if I can’t diskiver the truth. Thar’s something -else, too, that I want to know; thar’s a sort of suspicion in my mind -that thar’s a reason why I an’ the ‘White Vulture’ shouldn’t come -together. I want to capture a Crow Injun, an old chief, one as old as -myself, if I can, an’ if he’ll only speak the truth to me, he can tell -me of some things connected with the Crow nation that I want to know.” - -We will now leave the two guides and follow the Hickmans, father and -son, as they walked toward the fort. - -“That fellow Dave is not over civil,” said the son. - -“No,” responded the father, “I don’t think that he bears either of us -any great love.” - -“I think I can guess the reason,” said Richard, with a sneer. - -“That is not difficult to guess,” responded the father, a sneer also -upon his lips. “The fellow has a fancy for Leona.” - -“Exactly what I think,” said Richard. - -“And from what I have seen, I rather fancy that the girl is not -indifferent to him,” continued the father. - -“I know that she likes him,” responded Richard, savagely, “I see it -plain enough. Don’t she ride by his side nearly every day at the head -of the train? Hasn’t he been bringing her flowers from the prairie, and -don’t she always stick tight in the wagon whenever he’s out on a scout -or a hunt, and the moment he returns, don’t she always get tired of -being in the wagon and want to ride? Why, it’s as plain as the nose on -my face. I tell you, father, what little sense Dave Reed has got is all -tangled up in Leona’s red hair. Curse him! for _I’ve_ taken a fancy to -the girl, and she don’t seem to care any thing more about me than she -does of the dirt under her feet.” - -“I am sorry to say, my son, that I think you have spoken the truth. I’m -very sorry for it, for I wanted the girl to fall in love with you,” -said the father, a crafty smile upon his thin features. - -“Well, I know that,” responded the son, moodily. “It was you that put -it into my head to make love to her. I shouldn’t have thought of her as -a wife but for you. What did you want me to make love to her for?” - -“Ah!” and the father shook his head, “that requires an explanation.” - -“Well, suppose you explain; I’m tired of working in the dark. I’d like -to know what you are driving at.” - -“Very well,” and then the father looked carefully around him to see if -any one was within hearing, but no one was near. “You know that I left -the East a year ago to try my fortunes in Montana. In going across the -plains, I made the acquaintance of a man named Daniel Vender--” - -“Vender! Why that is Leona’s name,” interrupted the son. - -“Exactly; Daniel Vender was her father. On the march we shared the same -wagon, and became very intimate. He told me all about himself and his -plans. He came from the town of Greenfield in Massachusetts; he had -left a daughter behind him there--he had been seized with the Western -fever, as they call it; had converted all his valuables into cash, and -was going to Montana to embark in mining. If he succeeded and liked -the country, it was his intention to send for his daughter and make -Montana his home. He took quite a liking to me--we were both about the -same age--and proposed to me to join with him in a claim. Well, you -of course know, Dick, that I had very little money; so I was glad to -join with him. We arrived in Montana safe, and as we couldn’t find a -claim to suit us at first, we bought out a trader’s stock and started a -store at Spur City. We did first rate, and in a few months had doubled -the money we put into it. Then there came a chance to buy a claim in a -new mine, just struck, about twenty mile west of us, in a place called -Rattlesnake Gulch. The way we worked the store was that Vender put in -nine parts of the money and I one. We bought the claim in the same way; -so you see that I only had one-tenth interest in it. Well, about two -months ago Vender was suddenly taken sick. His sickness did not last -long, for in four days from the time he was taken down he died. This -would have been a very bad thing for me, for the store and the mine -were both making money, but Vender left a will, deeding to me all his -property.” - -The son looked at the father with a peculiar glance. - -“He forgot his daughter in his will entirely then?” he asked. - -“Yes.” The tone of Hickman’s voice was hard and dry. - -“Wasn’t that rather strange?” questioned the son. - -“Perhaps some people might think so,” was the reply, a sly but furtive -look appearing in the shifting blue eyes. - -“What did the people around there think of it?” - -“Oh, nothing was said about it. There wasn’t any one in the whole place -except myself knew that he had a child; and besides, as he distinctly -said in his will that he left all his property to his _cousin_, Eben -Hickman, what could people say?” asked the father. - -“His cousin?” cried the son, in astonishment. - -“Yes, that was me, of course. Vender and I came to the town together; -he was a quiet sort of a fellow, kept himself to himself, made very few -friends and spoke not at all of his private affairs; therefore no one -knew any thing about him; no one disputed the will, and I came into -possession of all his property,” and the cunning eyes twinkled with -delight as he spoke. - -“Let me see. I believe you’re quite clever with the pen, ain’t you?” -asked the son, with a grin. - -“Oh, tolerably clever!” and the old villain chuckled with delight as he -thought of the wrong he had done the dead man. - -“But, how did you fix it about the witnesses? I should have thought -_that_ would have bothered you.” - -“Oh, no! I got two drunken miners to affix their names to it; things in -the law way are rough out here; no one made any objection to the will, -or, in fact, made any inquiry about it at all. I took possession, and -of course hold the property now.” - -“How much is the whole thing worth?” asked Dick. - -“About fifteen thousand dollars,” answered the old man. - -“Then this girl, this Leona Vender, is the real heir to--” - -“The mine known as Rattlesnake Gulch--exactly,” said the father. “As -soon as I had the estate fixed up and properly made over to me, I wrote -East for you to come on; and the very same day that I received your -letter telling me when you would start, I received a letter from this -girl Leona, of course directed to her father, telling him when she -would start to join him; and she was to come just one week after you. -By her letter, I guessed that Vender had sent her money to come on -with--perhaps told her of his success and of his prospects. Now, this -letter struck me cold. Of course if she ever arrived at Spur City, she -would instantly expose me, and the chances are that, if she ever does -get there, proclaims her relationship with Daniel Vender and denounces -me as an impostor, the citizens of Spur City will give me a taste of -Judge Lynch, for justice is very speedy in the mountain region when -they once get their hands in.” - -“What do you think of doing?” asked the son, anxiously. - -“In the first place, let me see what I have done, so as to make the -case all complete,” said Eben. “I wrote you that I would meet you at -St. Paul. I did so. The girl, in her letter, said that she also would -come by that route. That was the reason why we waited a week there; -you remember you wondered at my delay. Well, I was waiting for her. -I kept close watch. At last she came; I found out all about her, and -made arrangements to come in the same wagon-train. Now, then, this was -my calculation. I was pretty sure that Vender had never written his -daughter any thing about me. I took pains to be introduced to her. I -noticed that she manifested no surprise at the mention of my name, -which convinced me that my suspicions were right and that she had -never heard of me. If you remember, I cautioned you not to say any -thing about Spur City, or that I knew any thing of the place, to any of -our companions. My first plan was this: I thought that the girl on the -journey might take a fancy to you; if she would only fall in love with -and marry you, why then every thing would be all right, for, of course -she wouldn’t want to prosecute her father-in-law for forgery, and the -whole affair would be settled forever.” - -“Yes,” responded Dick, dryly, “but she isn’t a-going to take a fancy -to me. I think, father, that she would be just as likely to fall in -love with you as with me. That cursed guide has got her eye; his -copper-colored skin and Indian-looking head have taken her for all -she’s worth.” - -“He might be got out of the way,” suggested the father, a treacherous -gleam in his eyes. - -“Yes, but not by violence; he’s an ugly customer to handle. Besides, -I don’t think the girl would like me any way, the little red-headed -minx--” - -“Gold! golden hair, you know,” interrupted the father. - -“It’s near enough to red, any way, but that of course ain’t neither -here nor there; the girl don’t like me; there’s no use beating about -the bush in this matter. We might as well fix it out straight, and I -don’t think she would ever like me, even if this guide, Dave Reed, was -out of the way altogether.” - -“As you say, we might as well understand the matter,” rejoined the -father. “One thing is certain--that girl must go into Spur City your -wife, or not go into it at all.” There was menace in this speech of -Eben Hickman, which boded no good to the orphan girl. - -The two walked on thoughtfully for a few moments, the father watching -the son’s face from under his yellow eyebrows. At last, Dick spoke: - -“I don’t see very well how you can make the girl marry me, unless she -wants to, and if she don’t want to, as is very evident, I don’t see how -you’re going to keep her from going to Spur City.” - -The elder Hickman looked around again carefully; no one was near; then -lowering his voice almost to a whisper he asked: - -“You heard my conversation with the guide, didn’t you?” - -“Yes, what of it?” asked Dick. “What has that to do with us?” - -“A great deal! You heard him say that there was danger of an Indian -attack, and that the Indians generally attack at night?” - -“Yes, I heard that too; but, come to the point; what do you mean?” -asked Dick, impatiently. - -“Why, Indian bullets respect no one. If the savages attack us in the -night, they are just as likely to kill her as any one else.” - -The son did not fully read the father’s language. - -“Yes, but she will be in a wagon, protected somewhat, and she may -escape unharmed.” - -The father put his mouth close to his son’s ear. - -“_If the Indians attack us, she will be killed!_” - -Dick started in surprise; he understood his father now. - -“But the danger of detection!” he cried, in a low tone. - -“None at all. In the confusion of a night attack, who can tell whether -a shot is fired outside the camp or within it?” asked the father. - -“Very true; but, suppose the Indians do not attack us?” - -“Then I’ll think of some other way before we reach Montana.” - -The precious pair of villains walked back to the fort, having come to -an understanding. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE GIRL WITH THE RED-GOLD HAIR. - - -The glowing sun had set in the west--a huge ball of fire that seemed -to sink into the ground. The shade of night had fallen and darkness -veiled in the distant prairie. Supper had been prepared and eaten by -the emigrants and some had begun to arrange to retire for the night. - -The moon, three-quarters full, was rising slowly, casting its clear, -pure light over the vast plain, chasing the darkness away and dancing -in little waves of light on the yellow and swift-flowing waters of the -Yellowstone. - -The fires of the emigrants threw out their uncertain and flickering -light upon the faces of the little groups that surrounded them. All -were speaking of the dangers of the journey before them, and many a -tale of Indian warfare and border peril were rehearsed around the -watch-fires of the wagon-train. - -By the wagon that stood nearest to the river’s bank a little group of -four people were seated; three women and one man. The man was called -Grierson; one of the women, the elder one, was his wife; the other, who -resembled her strongly in features, was her daughter, Eunice by name. -The mother and daughter were dark eyed and dark haired, presenting -a decided contrast to the last of the group, who was a young girl, -who did not look over sixteen. She had one of those sweet, innocent, -childish faces that win favor at the first glance--a face once seen, -never to be forgotten--there was something so odd, so striking about -it. The face was little, but a perfect oval, with a high, white -forehead, dark-blue eyes, full of life and expression, dimpled cheeks, -slightly tinged with a crimson flush, that relieved the white, pearly -skin, a little chin exquisitely shaped, full, pouting lips, red as -ripe cherries, a long, straight nose, and then, the great charm of -the head--the red-gold hair that hung in profusion, in little tangled -ringlets, clinging elfishly together almost down to her little shapely -waist. In figure she was a little sprite of a girl, exquisitely -proportioned, with the daintiest little feet and hands. In brief, she -was innocence and grace personified. Such was Leona Vender, the fairy, -who had tangled up the honest heart of Dave Reed, the guide, in the -silken meshes of her red-gold hair. - -The Grierson family were neighbors of the Venders in Greenfield, and -hearing how well Daniel Vender had made out in the Far West, had -determined to try their fortune in Montana and had made preparations so -as to set out at the same time as Leona. Leona of course was very glad -of their company, particularly as Eunice, the daughter, had been her -school companion and was her dearest friend. - -Leona, although looking like a mere child of fifteen, was in reality -nineteen years of age. Eunice, her friend, was one year older. - -“Well, wife,” said Grierson, rising from his seat near the fire, “I -guess I shall go to bed. We start at four in the morning, and as we -make a long march to-morrow, we shall need all the rest we can get. -Girls, don’t sit up late.” - -“No, father,” answered Eunice, speaking for both. - -Grierson and his wife retired to the shelter of the wagon. - -Leona was gazing dreamily out upon the surface of the rolling river, -whereon the moonbeams danced like so many silver sprites. Eunice -noticed her abstraction. - -“A penny for your thoughts, Leona!” she cried, stroking down the -curling locks of her friend’s hair. - -Leona started a little; a faint smile came to her lips, as she answered -in a low voice: - -“Perhaps my thoughts are not worth a penny.” - -“Oh, Leona!” cried Eunice, “what a little humbug you are! Not worth a -penny! Well, now, if I were thinking of what _you_ were thinking of, -and you should say what I did, I should have answered that my thoughts -were worth a great many pennies.” - -Leona smiled again, then looked shyly at her friend. - -“How can you know what I am thinking of? I hardly believe I know -myself,” said Leona. - -“Let me word your thoughts, then, for you. A tall, manly figure; long -black hair, curling, oh! so romantically down over his shoulders; -a pair of jet-black eyes; an honest, handsome, earnest face--and -the--the--well, the wish that he might think of somebody as somebody -thinks of him. Come, confess, ain’t I right?” and Eunice put her arms -around the slender figure by her side and drew the shapely little head -with the silken curls down upon her shoulder. - -“Yes,” came in a whisper from the lips of Leona. - -“There!” cried Eunice, triumphantly, “I knew that I was right, and, you -little cheat, to try to deceive _me_!” - -“But, Eunice,” rejoined Leona, “I don’t know that he cares any thing -for me.” - -“Then you must be blind!” exclaimed Eunice, impulsively. “Why, I can -see that he worships the very ground you walk on. When we are riding -with him at the head of the train, he never takes his eyes from you -for a single moment. Now, he’s something like a lover; he’s never -obtrusive, yet always near at hand to do you service. If he don’t love -you, then you will never be loved by mortal man, and your fate will be -to die an old maid.” - -“Are you sure that he loves me?” asked Leona, dreamily, her fingers -pushing the little curls back from her forehead. - -“Of course I am! I only wish some such nice-looking fellow would fall -in love with me. I wouldn’t let him grieve himself to death for want of -a loving word.” - -“But, he has never said that he loves me, although I own from his -actions that I thought he did,” replied Leona. - -“Very likely. He’s bashful; he’s not one of your city chaps, that have -such a good opinion of themselves that they think every woman they meet -is in love with them. He’s an honest fellow--as brave as a lion and as -true as steel. I tell you what it is, Leona, if you don’t give the poor -fellow some encouragement, I shall set my cap for him myself, for I -give you fair warning that I am half in love with him already.” - -“Why, Eunice!” and Leona looked into her friend’s face, half in -reproach. - -“There now, don’t be frightened. I shan’t take your lover away from -you--probably for the best of all reasons, and that is, that I couldn’t -get him if I wanted him!” - -“But, if he loves me, why don’t he tell me so?” demanded Leona. - -“Why?” cried Eunice. “Because he’s a bashful goose like you are. When -we are riding at the head of the train, you and he say scarcely a word -to each other, while the other guide, the one they call Abe, and I, -have had fine chats together.” - -“Why, no!” said Leona, in her earnest way, “you are quite wrong; he has -told me all about his life--how he was born here on the frontier and -has always lived on the prairie--how he has hunted buffalo, and some -dreadful stories about the Indians.” - -“And I dare say that you listened to him with those large eyes of yours -opened to their widest extent, and that, with every word he spoke, you -loved him more and more.” - -“Yes,” murmured Leona, softly. “I do love him, and I know I shall never -love any one else as I love him.” - -“Well, then, the sooner you understand one another the better; but, -Leona, do you think that your father will consent?” - -“Oh, yes!” answered Leona, “I am sure of it; he loves me too well to -refuse. Besides, when he sees Mr. Reed, I feel sure he can not help -liking him.” - -“Oh! you poor little kitten!” cried Eunice, twining Leona’s red-gold -ringlets around her fingers; “because you like him, you think everybody -else must.” - -“Here is Mr. Reed coming,” added Eunice, quickly. “Now you have a fine -chance for a walk along the bank of the river--a moonlight walk--and if -you are not both great gooses, you ought to be able to find out whether -you like one another or not.” - -The manly figure of Dave came into the circle of light thrown out from -the fire. - -“Good-evening,” he said, as he advanced. - -“Good-evening,” replied both the girls. - -“Oh, I’m glad you have come, Mr. Reed. Leona has been wanting an escort -for a walk up the bank of the river in the moonlight, and I am too -tired to go.” Eunice cast a merry glance at Leona’s scarlet face as she -spoke. Dave did not notice Leona’s confusion; he was only too happy to -be able to enjoy the society of the fair young girl, to him the dearest -girl in all the world. - -“I shall be happy to offer myself for an escort,” he answered. - -“And she would be happy to accept the offer,” cried Eunice, “and you -too,” she added, mentally, “if you would offer your_self_.” - -“There is no danger, I suppose?” Leona said. - -“Oh, no!” replied Dave, “we will only go a little way beyond our -picket-line, and then we can return.” - -Abe, as captain of the train, had thrown out regular pickets, as though -on the prairie. - -Leona got a cloak of dark cloth from the wagon, wrapped it around -her, took the offered arm of Dave, and the two walked off in the path -leading up the river. - -“Now, if they don’t discover whether they love each other or not, -before they come back, then they ought to be ashamed of themselves!” -cried Eunice to herself, as she looked after their retreating figures. - -Leona and Dave walked on arm in arm; they passed the picket-guard by -the river, and got beyond the limits of the camp. - -Dark clouds had begun to gather on the hitherto clear sky, and every -now and then one would sail across the moon, shading the earth in -darkness for a few moments; then the moon would shine out clear again -till another cloud followed. - -No sounds were stirring on the still night-air save now and then the -shrill cry of some little earth insect, burrowing beneath the feet of -the lovers. - -“Do you think there is danger of the Indians attacking us before we -reach Montana?” asked Leona. - -“It is difficult to say,” replied Dave. “We are a large party, and -the Indians seldom attack unless three to one. They don’t care about -fighting if they can help it. If a large war-party should happen to -come across our trail, why then of course they would trouble us; but we -are not likely to meet any large parties; and the small ones will try -and run off our stock if they can, but they’ll keep out of rifle-range.” - -“If there should be an attack, you would be exposed more to the savages -than any of the rest, would you not?” asked Leona. - -“Of course, my partner Abe and myself, being captains of the train, -are expected to front all the danger--that is what we are paid for,” -returned the guide. - -“It is a terrible risk you run,” said Leona, with a half-shudder at the -thought of the possible danger. - -“Well, Miss Leona,” said Dave, in his honest, straightforward way, “we -must all die some day, and from what little I have seen of the world, I -should say that we were always in danger. When a train is attacked that -I’m with somehow I never think of the chance of my getting killed. The -fact is, I’m always too busy looking out for the safety of the train. -And if there’s anybody got to die by the hands of the red devils, why, -better me than a man who has wife, sisters and daughters that love him. -You know, for I have told you, that I am alone in the world, and if I -should go under and these red heathen take my top-knot, there wouldn’t -be any one in the world to grieve for me.” - -A cloud at the moment was passing over the moon, which shaded the earth -in darkness, or Dave, if he had looked at Leona’s face, would have seen -that her eyes were filled with tears. - -“You are wrong,” Leona said, in her low, sweet tones. “There is some -one in the world that would mourn for you.” - -Dave thought for a moment, then he spoke: - -“Yes, I forgot the ‘Crow-Killer.’ I believe he does love me like a -brother, although he is old enough to be my father, and until a short -time ago we had never met.” - -“Then there are two that would mourn for you, for there is another -besides him.” Leona was blushing scarlet at her own boldness. Dave -detected a meaning in her tone and words that sent a thrill of joy to -his heart; and Leona, feeling his arm tremble within hers, knew that -she was understood. When two people love each other, and wish each -to know of that love, as a general thing it don’t take very long for -them to discover the truth, and so, as they walked on in the darkness, -walked on beside the winding river, Leona and Dave knew that they -loved. Oh, happy moment, when the first love fills the heart, that -before had been vacant! - -Dave was the first to break the silence. - -“Leona,” he said, “I’ve wanted for a long time to tell you how much I -cared for you, but I never found the courage to do so until now. I’m -only a poor guide, but if you’ll give me your love, I’ll work hard and -build up a home for you that one day you won’t be ashamed to share.” - -“I should never be ashamed of any home where you are, David,” replied -Leona, looking up into her lover’s face, with those trusting blue eyes, -so full of innocence and love. “I can not give you what you ask, for it -is not mine to give--it is yours already.” - -David Reed had never felt so happy, and so the lovers walked on, -weaving bright hopes for the future--that future which always looks so -bright to those who love. - -Dave, so engrossed by the sweet girl at his side, had not noticed a -dark figure that moved when they moved, and halted when they halted; -and now, as the lovers sat down by the river-bank, hand in hand, and -whispered low words of love and of eternal faith, the shadowy figure -extended itself flat on the prairie a hundred yards or so from them, -and became invisible in the gloom. - -A few hundred feet from where the lovers sat was a little thicket of -dwarfed oak trees. Concealed behind the thicket from the view of the -fort and the wagon-camp, stood a white horse, spotted on the flanks -with patches of black. ’Twas the horse of the Indian who had called -himself a chief of the Yancton Sioux. As the moon was again obscured -by clouds, forth from the little thicket came the Indian himself. -Snake-like he crawled toward the lovers, who, listening only to -each other, did not dream that danger was nigh. On came the savage, -noiseless as a cat. In his hand he carried a long scalping-knife; his -face was bedaubed with war-paint, vermilion and white. Every second -brought the creeping savage nearer and nearer to the unconscious pair. -He had accomplished half the distance between the thicket and the -lovers, when for a few moments the moon again struggled forth and threw -its beams over the prairie; the savage sunk down in the grass. When -the moon was again obscured, he recommenced his onward passage. But -if his approach had been unnoticed by the lovers, ’twas not so with -the shadowy form on the prairie. That watcher evidently had seen the -Indian, for, imitating his motions, he made his way noiselessly through -the grass, also toward the lovers. When the savage got within ten feet -of Leona and Dave, he paused for a moment, gathered himself together -like a cat--he had not noticed the dark form in his rear, so intent -was he on his prey--sprung upon Dave and aimed a lightning stroke at -his back; but, at that very moment, Dave moved a little to the right, -to kiss, for the first time, the upturned lips of Leona--a movement -that saved his life, for the knife of the Indian, missing his body, -only cut through the loose red shirt. The force of the shock, though, -sent Dave headlong off the bank into the river. In a moment the Indian -seized Leona, raised her in his arms and was about to fly across the -prairie, when the dark shadow which had trailed him in the grass, and -which was none other than Abe, the “Crow-Killer,” sprung upon him. The -Indian relinquished Leona, who sunk to the ground, to grapple with the -“Crow-Killer.” His only object now was to escape, but the grasp of the -old Indian-fighter was not easily shaken off. They closed in a fearful -struggle; the moon once more shone forth, and they beheld each other’s -features; the surprise was mutual. - -“The ‘Crow-Killer’!” cried the savage, in the Crow tongue. - -“White Vulture!” exclaimed Abe. - -“Yes, son of ‘Little Star’,” cried the Indian. - -For a moment the grasp of the “Crow-Killer” relaxed; the savage tore -himself away and fled across the prairie toward the thicket, where -stood his horse. Abe drew a revolver and leveled it at the flying -Indian; a moment he covered him with the shining tube; he was in easy -range, and the “Crow-Killer” was a dead shot; a moment he held the life -of the White Vulture at his mercy; then he slowly dropped the revolver -from the poise, muttering: - -“Not by my hand! his blood must not be on my head!” - -Dave speedily gained the bank, nothing hurt by his involuntary bath, -and they all returned to the camp. Abe charged both Leona and Dave to -say nothing of the attack as it would only create useless alarm. The -Indian having gained his white steed fled in the darkness. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE CROWS ON THE WAR-TRAIL. - - -Early on the following morning the emigrants broke camp and started on -their march up the Yellowstone trail. Abe and Dave rode on before. - -“That was a bold move of the Injun last night,” said Dave. - -“Yes,” answered Abe; “I expected that he might be lurking nigh our -camp, arter I saw him in the afternoon. That was the reason that, when -you and the gal headed for the prairie, I followed. I kinder thought -that you would be so took with the gal’s bright eyes that you wouldn’t -be able to look out for yourself,” and the old hunter indulged in a -dry chuckle. - -“I own that it was careless, but I didn’t think that the red devils -would ever dare to come so near our camp and the fort.” - -“Jus’ so; but this ’ere ‘White Vulture’ has got a white man’s head on -his shoulders as to judgment and dash, combined with the deviltry and -cunning of the Injun. Why, if it hadn’t been for me, he’d have carried -off the gal as sure as my name’s Abe Colt. It was a bold thing an’ it -would have been successful if luck hadn’t ’a’ gone ag’in’ him.” - -“One thing, Abe, puzzles me,” said Dave. - -“An’ what is that?” asked the “Crow-Killer.” - -“How he escaped after you clinched with him?” - -The old hunter paused for a moment before he answered but after a -little while, he spoke: - -“Wal, he said something that staggered me. I let up on the grip an’ -then he slipped through my fingers jus’ like an eel.” - -“What did he say?” asked Dave. - -“Not much; only that he was the son of ‘Little Star,’” replied Abe, a -peculiar expression appearing upon his features. - -“And ‘Little Star’ was the Crow girl that you married!” cried Dave in -astonishment. - -“Jus’ so. If you remember, I told you I had a kind of a sort of a -feelin’ that it was ag’in’ my nature to hurt the ‘White Vulture,’ -although he belonged to the tribe, not a red sucker of whom I ever -spared when I got within rifle-range of ’em.” - -“Then the ‘Little Star’ must have been carried to the Crow nation and -married to one of their chiefs,” said Dave. - -“That air likely; but a Crow warrior that I met onc’t at Fort Benton -on a peace talk, a brother of the ‘Rolling Cloud’--that’s the father -of the ‘White Vulture,’ that I killed--walked up to me an’ asked if I -were the ‘Crow-Killer.’ Wal, I expected a tussle thar an’ then, but he -only looked at me, an’ said in the Crow language: “The ‘Crow-Killer’ -is a great chief; he is as strong as the white bear; he killed the -‘Rolling Cloud,’ but the Crow chief has a son, the ‘White Vulture,’ an’ -he will take the scalp of the ‘Crow-Killer’; it will dry in the smoke -of his lodge, an’ the Crow nation will be glad. The ‘Crow-Killer’ is a -great brave, but when he is tied to the torture-stake, the Crows will -speak words in his ear that will make him howl like a dog--words that -will burn like fire;” then the chief walked away. Now, I’ve puzzled -considerably to know what those words air. I s’pose it’s something -’bout my Injun wife, the ‘Little Star,’ but I hadn’t any idea then that -the ‘White Vulture’ was her son, an’ it kinder considerably started me -when I hearn he was. I’ve a sort of suspicion now what them words air -a-goin’ to be, that’s goin’ to make me squeal. But then ag’in, thar’s -another thing that gits me: I never hearn of this chief--this ‘White -Vulture’--having any brother, but still t’other one mought have died. -Anyway, one of these days I shall find out all about it.” - -“Yes, you’ll find out easy enough; just let the Crows get hold of you--” - -“Jus’ so!” interrupted Abe, with a shrewd smile, “but I ain’t in a -hurry to have that happen. My top-knot is well enough as it is, an’ -I don’t intend that any Crow shall lift my ha’r if I can prevent it. -I’ll give ’em pretty considerable of a tussle first. But, I say, you -took a long walk last night; did you an’ the little gal come to an -understanding?” - -“Yes,” answered Dave, a smile lighting up his features. - -“Wal, I thought it probable that you settled matters; but, I say, Dave, -don’t give the red devils a chance at you ag’in.” - -“Don’t fear; but I did not think that there was the slightest danger. -I don’t believe that there’s another red-skin on the plains that would -have dared to attempt it.” - -“We ain’t seen the last of him yet,” said Abe, gravely. “If we don’t -have a big fight afore we reach the head-waters of the Yellowstone, -then I’m a sucker an’ no Injun-fighter.” - -“I agree with you,” said Dave, “but it will take a big party to clean -us out. We ought to be able to whip a couple of hundred red-skins at -the least.” - -“That’s so, Dave. This fellow being around the fort looks mighty -suspicious; he was on a spying expedition to see how big a party we -were. He’s a long-headed Injun, is this ‘White Vulture’; he knows if he -can only flax out the ‘Crow-Killer,’ it will be a big feather in his -cap among his nation. An’ my opinion is, that he’ll try mighty hard to -do that; so we must keep our eyes open. I reckon they won’t trouble us -until after we get past the Big Horn river, but, arter that time look -out for lightning. In about two days, if I don’t miss my calculations, -we’ll have Injuns all around us, thick as fleas in a Mexican ranche.” - -So, on went the wagon-train--Abe and Dave keeping a sharp look-out over -the rolling prairie. - -At noon the train halted for a couple of hours for rest and food. At -two o’clock, the train was again in motion, the vigilance of the guides -increasing as they progressed further into the prairie waste. - -During the noon halt, Dave had found time to exchange a few words with -Leona. He frankly and without reserve told her that danger was at hand, -that the train was liable to be attacked at any moment, and that at the -first sounds of alarm for herself and companions to lay down in the -wagon, the sides of which would afford some protection. Leona’s cheeks -paled a little, more, though, at the thought of her lover’s danger than -at her own. - -“You will be careful, Dave,” she said; “be careful for my sake.” - -“Yes,” he responded; “don’t fear, Leona. I shall come through all -right; only look out for yourself, that’s all, because it I thought -that you were needlessly exposed, it would take away half my courage.” - -Leona, like a good girl, promised to be careful. - -The danger of an Indian attack was known now to all the emigrants, and -as the train rolled on, the men looked carefully to their weapons and -prepared for the expected encounter. - -Abe and Dave were ahead as usual, their keen eyes eagerly and carefully -scanning the broad expanse of the prairie before them. - -So far, even the watchful glance of the old Indian-fighter had not -detected a single sign of Indians being near. No fresh trails were upon -the prairie. - -Early that morning, before the march, he had carefully examined -the hoof-prints left by the horse of the Indian chief, commencing -at the little thicket; the trail led across the river and off in a -south-western direction, but this did not relieve the mind of the -guide; he knew the Indians too well; he conjectured that the party -under the lead of the ‘White Vulture’ were probably encamped somewhere -near the Big Horn river, and that their intention was to follow the -river north and thus strike the course of the train. - -At six that afternoon the train halted for the night; they had made -forty miles since leaving the fort. Fires were kindled, the river-bank -supplying plenty of fuel. Then arrangements were made for passing the -night; the wagons were drawn up in a semicircle, the ends of which -rested on the river-bank; the beasts of burden were unharnessed and -brought within the circle--a wise precaution, for the first attempt on -the part of the Indians in an attack is always to stampede the cattle. -These once dispersed and scattered over the prairie, the emigrants of -course can not advance or retreat, and if the savages are unsuccessful -in their attack on the wagons and are beaten off, at least they have -the satisfaction of gathering in the stampeded stock. - -The wagon-train “packed,” the next movement of the guides was to throw -out pickets and divide the men into “watches” for the night. Arms -were looked to and all preparations made to resist a night attack. -Instructions were given to the pickets, who were relieved every two -hours, to fire their rifles at the slightest alarm. The guides slept by -turns, and one was always on the alert, passing from picket to picket, -noiselessly as a panther, and ever and anon gliding like a ghost -through the darkness of the prairie beyond the picket-line, watching to -detect the presence of the foe. - -The night passed slowly away without a single signal of danger. - -As the first gray streaks of dawn began to appear, Abe, returning from -a prolonged scout on the prairie, met Dave who had just woke from an -hour’s nap. - -“Well, any sign?” - -“Nary sign. Thar hain’t been a red devil within a mile of us last -night, I’ll bet,” replied Abe. - -“Can they have thought we are too strong for them and given us up?” - -“No, I don’t think that,” responded Abe, thoughtfully. “I tell you, -this ‘White Vulture’ is jist as smart as they make ’em. He knows that -we of course suspect that an attack would be made, ’cos we saw him. -Now, of course, he knows that we’ll be on our guard ag’in’ the attack; -so he just waits; he lets two or three days go by; we don’t see any -Injun sign; we git careless--don’t keep up our watch--don’t look for -an attack--an’ _then_ he comes down onto us like a panther, claws an’ -all. Two days more, at the rate we are going at, will bring us to where -the trail crosses the Yellowstone an’ strikes off to the north-west to -Codotte’s Pass. Wal, now, in ’bout three days, when we’re between the -Yellowstone an’ the Missouri, heading for the Missouri, he’ll go for -us.” - -“There is sense in what you say,” said Dave. - -“Sartain, I’m a nigger if thar ain’t; but though I think I’ve got the -Injun’s plan down to a p’int, I ain’t a-going to be caught napping -afore we leave the Yellowstone, ’cos he may go for us at any moment; -therefore I shall keep my eyes open.” - -Breakfast was prepared and the emigrants, after partaking of it, again -took up their line of march. - -We will now return to the “White Vulture” we left flying for his life -across the prairie. Mounted on the milk-white steed, that was indeed -a horse of matchless action, he crossed the Yellowstone and rode in a -south-western direction. His way lay across a rolling prairie dotted -here and there with little clumps of timber. Ever and anon he turned in -his saddle and listened for the sounds of pursuit. Satisfied at last -that no one was on his trail, he drew rein beside one of the little -clumps of timber; dismounted, tethered his horse to a stunted oak, -then taking from his pouch some dried buffalo-meat, cured in the sun, -he made a scanty meal, then after a careful scout around his immediate -neighborhood, he laid himself down upon the prairie and slept. The -white steed, that had evidently been reared among the Indians and -understood their customs, slept calmly by the side of its master. - -As the first cold gray streaks of light appeared in the east, the -Indian chief awoke, mounted his horse and rode off, this time shaping -his course almost directly west. On he rode, from the early dawn until -the sun’s warm rays showed the noon at hand; then he halted by the -side of a little hollow in the prairie from which a spring gushed -forth, gave his horse water, partook again of the buffalo-meat, let his -horse graze for an hour or so on the fresh young grass and then again -pursued his way. - -Two hours more of hard riding brought the “White Vulture” to the bank -of the Big Horn river, to an Indian encampment. - -Some hundred warriors of the Crow nation had there tethered their -horses, while the braves themselves lay upon the grass, or walked -listlessly up and down by the turbid stream, now swollen high by the -spring rains. - -From the fact that no squaws were with the party, nor lodges, nor -dogs--those usual accompaniments to stationary Indian encampments--one -acquainted with their customs would instantly have pronounced them -to be on the war-path. And if further evidence was wanted, the -gayly-painted faces of the warriors, bedecked with crimson, yellow, -black and white tints in all the hideous fashions of the savages when -on the war-trail, would have confirmed it. - -The “White Vulture” dismounted from his horse, tied him to a shrub, and -with stately steps walked to the river’s bank, where, under the shade -of an oak tree, sat ten warriors, evidently the principal chiefs of the -party. The “White Vulture” sat down in the circle. - -“My brother is late,” said an old chief, who was known among the Crows -as the “Thunder-Cloud,” probably from his dark color; he was one of the -oldest and best warriors in all the Crow nation. - -“Yet the ‘White Vulture’s’ horse is like the wind; he could not come -before.” - -“Has the great chief been on the war-trail?” asked another brave. - -“The ‘White Vulture’ has been to the lodges of the blue-coated whites, -on the Powder river; he has seen the white wagons start for the great -mountains. If his brothers will open their ears the ‘White Vulture’ -will speak.” - -Then the chief gave a detailed account of his visit to Fort Bent and -what had occurred there. When he spoke of the riches of the emigrant -wagons, the eyes of the Indians sparkled with greed, but when he spoke -of the number of fighting men attached to the train, their brows grew -dark, and when he told them that the famous Indian-fighter, the terror -of all their nation, the dreaded “Crow-Killer” was with the train, -their faces showed their disappointment and their unwillingness to -encounter the old guide. - -After the “White Vulture” had finished his story, there was silence -in the Indian council. To tell the truth they feared to attack the -train. They had sent some thirty of their warriors with the two wagons -of furs captured from the trappers to their chief village, which was -situated on the head-waters of the Missouri, near the base of the Rocky -Mountains. - -“My brothers are silent,” said the “White Vulture,” a perceptible sneer -curling his lip; “will they attack the white wagons, or will they fly -from the ‘Crow-Killer’ like the hawk from the eagle? Will they yield -their hunting-grounds to the tread of the white man’s foot, or will -they fight and die like warriors for what is their own?” - -The braves looked at the bold speaker. No one in the circle could -gainsay the caution or the prowess of the “White Vulture.” At length -one of the braves spoke: - -“The ‘Crow-Killer’ is a devil; the Great Spirit watches over his life.” - -Then the “White Vulture” told of his encounter with the “Crow-Killer”; -he had not related it before. The chiefs listened attentively. At last, -after a long deliberation they determined to attack the train and -invested the “White Vulture” with supreme command of the expedition; -hitherto he had shared it with two others. - -The “White Vulture” gave the order for the band to move, and in a few -minutes the warriors were in the saddle. The whole party crossed the -Big Horn river and rode slowly off in a north-western direction, that -in time would bring them to the Yellowstone river. - -The old chief “Thunder-Cloud” rode by the side of the “White Vulture.” - -“The ‘White Vulture’ felt the grasp of the ‘Crow-Killer’?” asked the -old chief. - -“Yes; his arms are like the oak: they twined around the ‘White Vulture’ -like the snake around the bird.” - -“Yet the ‘White Vulture’ did not lose his scalp to the ‘Crow-Killer’?” - -“The chief remembered the words of his father, the ‘Rolling Cloud.’ He -told his son that if he ever met the ‘Crow-Killer’ and was in danger -from him, to say that he was the son of ‘Little-Star.’” - -“Did my brother say so?” - -“Yes!” - -“And the ‘Crow-Killer’?” questioned the old chief. - -“He started as if he had been struck by the forked light of the Great -Spirit; his arms lost their strength; the ‘White Vulture’ escaped from -them and came back to his brothers; the charm was good.” - -Then as they rode on, the “White Vulture” told the old chief of the -beautiful pale-face girl whose hair was the color of the red metal that -the Blackfeet sometimes found in the sands of the mountain streams and -molded into bullets--bullets with which they had slain many a brave -chief of the Crow nation--how her eyes in color were like the lodge of -the Great Spirit above and as soft as the eyes of the deer. - -“My brother would take the white singing-bird to his wigwam,” said the -old chief; “it is good; she shall rear young braves, that in moons will -be great warriors of our tribe, for the ‘White Vulture’ is the great -fighting-man of the Crow nation.” - -And so onward rode the Crow warriors on the war-trail. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -ONE AGAINST EIGHT. - - -’Twas the third afternoon after their leaving Fort Bent that we again -visit the emigrant train. - -Although, as yet, Abe had seen nothing to warrant the supposition -that Indians were near at hand, yet somehow he felt assured that such -was the case; the old Indian-fighter had lived too long in the Indian -country and knew their ways too well for him to feel safe after seeing -the “White Vulture” at the fort. - -The train moved slowly; the horse of the “White Vulture” was fleet; he -could easily have joined the warriors and led them back to the attack, -during the time the train had been on the march from Fort Bent. - -The wagons had just started from their noon rest; this was their last -day’s march by the Yellowstone; they would camp that night by the side -of the river, and in the morning turn northward toward the Missouri. - -The old hunter had thought the matter over carefully; he was convinced -that the Indians were not before but behind him, probably following on -his trail. To test the truth of this, all the morning he had lagged -behind, leaving the train in the care of Dave. At one time he had been -at least a mile behind the rest, offering a tempting opportunity to -the trailing savages to swoop down upon and capture him, which might -seem to them an easy task, but would have been in reality a hard and -difficult one, as the guide was well armed and mounted on a roan horse -of great speed and endurance. But somehow, if there were savages in -the rear as the scout expected, they did not take advantage of the -opportunity to capture the famous “Crow-Killer.” This was a puzzle to -the old Indian-fighter; he pored over the fact; he could not account -for it. Finally, an idea struck him; his face brightened up, and he -drew a long breath of relief. - -“What a cussed fool I’ve been!” he cried to himself, slapping his thigh -vigorously as he rode along behind the train. “Thar’s brains at the -bottom of it, in course! If they went for me, naterally I’d make a -fight--a noise, and alarm the train; their idea is not to alarm us, but -come down suddenly an’ bag us all like a blessed lot of turkeys--that -is, if we let them do it. Why, I mought ’a’ knowed that, if I had as -much sense as a yaller dog. That’s the identical idea, blamed if it -ain’t!” And then the old hunter chuckled to himself, “Guess I mought as -well interfere in that air leetle arrangement. I ain’t had a skirmish -for some time, an’ I mought as well get my hand in. I mought as well -tell Dave what I’m up to.” So, patting the gallant roan on the neck, he -urged her forward, passed the train and joined Dave, who was riding on -ahead, keeping a sharp look-out upon the country before him. - -The two canvassed matters for awhile, when Dave said: - -“But, are you sure, Abe, that there are Injuns back of us, on our -trail? They may be on the other side of the river, or ahead between us -and the Missouri.” - -“You talk reason, Dave, but did you notice, jest after we started this -morning, we roused a leetle flock of ducks out of the Yellowstone?” -asked the “Crow-Killer.” - -“Yes, I did notice it.” - -“Wal, I was behind the train, an’ I noticed that after we passed, -the ducks settled back again to the river. Wal, ’bout half an hour -arterwards that same flock of ducks flew over our heads, going to the -north-west. Wal--whatever disturbed those ducks were about half an -hour behind us, or, say, in distance, ’bout four miles. Now, when we -disturbed the ducks they flew up an’ then flew back, but this time they -flew off. _That_ convinces me that they were disturbed by a large party -of Injuns, perhaps shot at by them with arrows. What do you think?” - -“I think you are right, Abe, and probably to-night we shall be -attacked,” replied Dave, his eyes growing earnest in their look and -his brows contracting as he thought of the danger to which his beloved -Leona must soon be exposed. - -“Wal, Dave, I ain’t fit Injuns since I were knee-high to a grasshopper -for nothing, an’ I intend to find out whether my guess is true or not.” - -“What are you going to do?” - -“The Injuns haven’t let me see them because they have seen me, that’s -the idea. They have probably got one or two on ahead as sort of scouts, -an’ then the main body follers in the rear, so as not to tumble on -us in case we happen to stop suddenly. The chief in command, who is -probably the ‘White Vulture,’ is holding ’em back so as to surprise us -at the right time. Now, I’m goin’ to drop back an’ not let ’em see me. -I’ll jist dismount, tie old roan here behind some bushes to hide her, -lay low in the grass until Mr. Injun comes along, for of course he will -come, having nothing to excite his suspicions; then I’ll jist pop him -over, take his scalp-lock an’ leave him as a warning to the rest of the -red devils.” - -“But, suppose there should be two or three in the advance?” said Dave. - -“Wal, I’ve got six shots in this ’ere revolver of mine an’ I guess I -could even settle for an agent away from ’em. I’ll leave my rifle on -the roan, so in case they push me hard I’ll have another shot. Jist you -keep on with the train, camp at the bend where we camped last trip. -Don’t be alarmed for me. If I don’t come back, carry the train on to -Montana, conclude that these durned crows have wiped me out at last, -an’ jist settle the account with them whenever you meet them.” - -So, with a hearty pressure of Dave’s hand, the “Crow-Killer” turned his -horse off one side and let the train pass him. - -The wagon soon rolled by; then the “Crow-Killer,” selecting a little -thicket on the river’s bank, dismounted and hid himself and horse -behind it. He tied his rifle on the saddle so that he could easily free -it, then examined the charges of his revolver, loosened his bowie-knife -in its sheath, and being prepared for the coming fight, coolly extended -himself at full length upon the grass, having first arranged the bushes -before him so as to command a view down the river. - -The minutes flew rapidly; no sign of any Indians yet. The old hunter -grew a little impatient. - -“Consarn ’em!” he muttered, “why don’t they come? ’Pears to me they’re -acting dreadful cautious. Ah!” - -The exclamation was caused by something moving on the prairie far in -the distance. - -The hunter watched it attentively; it was too distant for him to -distinguish distinctly what it was. - -“Looks like a horse,” said Abe. “’Tain’t possible, though, ’cos if it -were a stray horse, the Injuns would have gobbled it up long ago. I -shall soon know, at any rate.” - -Then the animal, coming on at a rapid pace, mounted one of the distant -swells of the prairie and proved to be a large wolf. He came rapidly -on, and at quite a distance scented the hunter and gave him a wide -berth, sheering off to the north-west. - -“Wonder if he wasn’t frightened by the Injuns, now?” questioned the -hunter to himself; “’spect he was. Sho! what’s that?” - -A little flock of ducks came flying over his head from down the river, -evidently alarmed at something. - -“That’s Injun sign, sure,” chuckled the “Crow-Killer”, and he again -examined his revolver, making sure that the caps were down firm on the -nipples. - -“Now, then, old roan, I guess you and me’ll have a fight afore we’re an -hour older,” said the hunter, addressing his horse as if he had been a -human. - -Far in the distance Abe could discern two mounted figures; they were -approaching but slowly; but as they came on, the keen eyes of the guide -could see that they were Indians. - -“I was right! The White Vulture is a smart feller for an Injun, but he -ain’t the match for the ‘Crow-Killer’ yet. Let me see: thar’s two of -them to settle. I wonder if they’ll be within revolver range ’fore they -spy me? Guess they will. Hello! thar’s another red-skin ahead on foot.” -And in truth, there strode a stalwart warrior a couple of hundred yards -before the others; he was evidently the advance scout. - -“Three!” cried the “Crow-Killer”; “wal--the more the merrier. I guess -I’m good for ’em.” - -The single Indian in advance was coming on with a long, tireless -stride, his eager eyes fixed upon the wagon-trail imprinted on the -prairie-grass before him. Then behind the single savage on foot and the -two mounted ones, the hunter saw five more Crows on horseback. A low -whistle escaped from the lips of the Indian-fighter as he beheld the -newcomers. - -“Sho! thar’s a heap onto ’em; guess I’ll have to make a runnin’ fight; -eight ag’in’ one--tall odds even for the ‘Crow-Killer.’ Hello! thar’s -the ‘White Vulture’ or his hoss--same thing, ’cos of course he’s on his -back.” And as the hunter had said, at the head of the last five Indians -rode the “White Vulture,” mounted on the milk-white steed. - -The “Crow-Killer” thought over his plan of action and speedily decided -what to do. Little time for thinking had he, for the Indian on foot -was even now within rifle range; and his long, loping stride carried -him rapidly forward. He was a thick-set, muscular young brave, -brawny-chested, but with the misshapen lower limbs peculiar to all the -“Horse Indians,” who, from infancy, spend nearly all their lives on -horseback, and rarely use their legs for locomotion, unless in some -case like the present, where, in trailing a foe, there was much less -chance of being detected by that foe on foot than on the back of a -steed. - -The face of the young brave was gayly decked with the war-paint, as was -also his bare breast. In his hand he carried a short carbine, such as -are carried by the United States troops. It was evidently a trophy of -victory wrested from the “blue-coated chiefs,” as the Indians generally -designate the soldiers who wear the blue of Uncle Sam. - -The sight of the carbine raised the old hunter’s anger. - -“Guess, afore long, I’ll fix you so you won’t steal any more carbines!” -muttered the “Crow-Killer,” as, raising his revolver, he “drew a bead” -on the savage, who still came rapidly on, unconscious of his danger. - -“I’ll plug him, then I’ll mount old roan and go for the rest. Arter -he’s out of the way ’twill only be seven ag’in’ one. I’ll teach ’em to -foller my trail, the red skunks, durn ’em!” - -A moment the old hunter glanced along the shining tube, then a motion -of his finger--crack! the sharp report of the revolver rung out on the -stillness of the prairie--the savage stopped, trembled, clutched his -breast with his hand convulsively and then fell forward on his face, -dead--shot through the heart. - -“Another Crow gone to kingdom come!” the guide muttered, coolly -recharging the empty chamber of his revolver. - -The two mounted Indians, seeing the fall of their comrade, hearing -the sharp, whip-like crack of the revolver, and detecting the little -puff of white smoke that curled upward from the ambush of the guide -and floated lazily on the air above his head, instantly paused, -then in a second flung themselves from their horses’ backs into the -prairie-grass, where they nestled like so many snakes watching for -their foe; their well-trained horses stood motionless. The party of -five behind, who had also seen the fall of the foremost savage, quitted -the backs of their horses and joined the two Indians concealed in the -grass. - -“Durn ’em!” ejaculated the hunter, “do they think that my rifle will -carry to all creation?” for the Indians were far beyond rifle-range. - -For some ten minutes there were no signs of life upon the prairie; the -hunter remained motionless in his covert, watching for some movement -upon the part of the foe, and the Indians remained quiet, their -horses taking advantage of the occasion to graze upon the fresh young -prairie-grass. - -“What are they up to? Some deviltry, I’ll bet,” said the guide to -himself. “Gosh! if they don’t make a movement soon, I shall have to, -for the whole b’ilin’ of ’em will be up presently an’ I don’t calculate -to fight a hundred of them all to onc’t. Hello! the fun’s commenced.” -This remark was occasioned by the singular behavior of one of the -Indian horses. As said, the animals had been feeding quietly upon the -grass, but now one of the horses detached himself from the rest and -proceeded to walk slowly away, taking a course that would describe a -semicircle around the “Crow-Killer.” - -He had fought the Indians too long to be deceived by this, one of the -most common of their tricks. He knew that clinging to the horse and hid -from his view by the body of the animal was one of the Crow warriors. -Indeed, his keen eyes, trained from infancy to prairie-life, and -possessing a range of vision wonderful in its extent, could detect the -red hand of the warrior, where it clung to the horse’s mane, and the -end of the foot of the Indian on the horse’s back. - -The trapper and his horse were concealed from the view of the savages -by a little clump of timber in the shape of a crescent, the ends of -which rested on the river, so that when the Indian, concealed behind -the horse, got abreast of the place where the guide was concealed, he -was none the wiser regarding the hidden foe who had slain his comrade. -The Indian behind the horse described a complete semicircle around the -hiding-place of the “Crow-Killer,” and took a position just beyond -rifle-range, by the river’s bank above him. Then the same maneuver was -executed by three other savages, except that the first savage of the -three stopped his horse within a few hundred yards of the Indian by -the river’s bank, the second savage a few hundred yards from him, and -the third Indian a few hundred yards from the second, so that by this -maneuver the “Crow-Killer” was completely encircled on three sides by -the Crows. The Yellowstone, there rapid and deep, cut off his escape on -the only side left unguarded by the Indians. - -“Wal, Abe, you’re in for it!” soliloquized the guide; “the red devils -kinder think that they’ve got their beaver. If they’d only come within -range, I’d pick ’em off one by one, but they ain’t a-goin’ to do that. -Jerusalem! I’ve got to git out o’ this or they’ll lift my ha’r for me; -the rest of the red suckers will be up pooty soon; then they’ll make -a dash an’ close in onto me. I mought kill a few onto ’em, but in the -end they’d wipe me out sart’in, an’ I don’t cal’late to let ’em do -that jist yet. Hello, durned if they ain’t beginnin’ to close in on me -already.” - -The hunter had spoken the truth; the Indians, hidden by the bodies -of their horses, were gradually closing in upon the “Crow-Killer.” -Already, in the guide’s judgment, the savage who held the position near -the river above him was within rifle-range. - -“Now for it!” thought Abe, as he slid his revolver into his belt, and -rising from his lying attitude in the bushes, he stole cautiously to -his horse’s side, unfastened her, loosened the rifle, quietly mounted; -then gathering the reins in a little knot, patted the roan on the neck, -shut his teeth firmly, touched the mare in the flank with his heels and -dashed through the covert of the bushes upon the open prairie. Rifle in -hand and urging his horse to its highest speed, he rode straight for -the Indian before him, disregarding the two savages above and the four -below him, one of whom was the “White Vulture.” - -The Indian before the “Crow-Killer,” as he came dashing on, leveled -his carbine from under his horse’s neck and fired. The aim was false, -however, for the ball went wide of the guide; then he urged his horse -forward in a course parallel with the river, attempting to keep the -body of it still between him and the hunter and escape. - -The other savages, swinging themselves into their saddles, came rapidly -on toward the “Crow-Killer,” encircling him on all sides. Some of them -below him had made a wide détour from the river so as to head him off -if he succeeded in killing or escaping the savage before him. But, the -“Crow-Killer” had a plan, and soon he put it into execution. He gained -every moment upon the savage before him. The red brave rode for life, -expecting every moment to hear the sharp crack of the white-man’s -rifle and feel the deadly ball. Wildly he urged his mustang onward, but -the roan mare of the “Crow-Killer” was fleeter far, and steadily, foot -by foot, the hunter gained upon him. The Indians on both sides of the -guide, from the courses they were taking, gained also upon their foe, -and soon were so nearly within range that they opened fire upon him. -The balls whistled through the air, but all fell short. - -The “Crow-Killer” gave a quick glance to his left up the river. There -were but two Indians between him and the train. The time for escape -had come. Both Indians were within range. Quick as thought, he turned -in the saddle, leveled at the nearest chief and fired; the savage -perceived the motion, attempted to shield himself behind his horse, -but too late; the ball struck him in the shoulder and hurled him out -of the saddle to the ground. Then the guide wheeled the gallant roan -to the left and rode full tilt at the remaining red-skin between him -and freedom. The Indian, sheering off to the north, brought his gun to -his shoulder and fired; the scout had perceived the motion and swerved -his horse to the left a little; the ball cut through the hunting-shirt, -just grazing the shoulder. With a yell of defiance the guide drew his -revolver, leveled at the Indian, who was now almost within point-blank -range, and fired. The Crow, perceiving the intention of the white man, -pulled up the head of his horse, who received the ball in his temple -and fell over on his side dead, almost crushing the rider in his fall. -The wily savage by the action saved his life. - -Over the prairie went the “Crow-Killer,” urging the tireless roan to -her topmost speed; behind him came the Indians, wild with rage, but -they had lost ground by the cunning maneuver of the “Crow-Killer,” -and he gained on them every moment. One horse alone of the party was -the equal of the roan in speed, and that horse was rode by the “White -Vulture,” but he did not pursue the dreaded “Crow-Killer,” being far in -the rear. Great brave though he was, he may have feared to encounter -the enemy of his tribe, or perhaps he remembered that the “Crow-Killer” -had spared his life, and thus he returned the favor. - -After a sharp pursuit the guide had the satisfaction of beholding the -Crows rein in their horses and give up the chase. - -“Wal, considerin’ that it were one ag’in’ eight, I hain’t made a bad -fight,” said the “Crow-Killer,” as he rode on up the bank of the -Yellowstone. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -THE NIGHT ATTACK. - - -The train had reached the bend in the river where Abe had decided to -camp, and was preparing supper when the guide overtook them. - -The emigrants had heard the shots, and, under Dave’s direction, had -prepared for attack. - -The “Crow-Killer” was surrounded by eager questioners when he -dismounted. - -In a few words he told the emigrants that they were in danger of an -attack every moment, but that beyond a doubt they could easily beat -off the savages. The old guide was a shrewd judge of human nature; -by the time he got through his little speech, he had fully persuaded -his companions that they were more than a match for the Indians. -So the emigrants partook of their supper cheerfully, and then made -preparations for the night. - -The Hickmans, father and son, were talking earnestly apart from the -rest. - -“Well, father,” asked Dick, “have you decided what to do?” - -“Yes,” answered the old man, “I’ll fix it to-night. We have got to get -her from the wagon some way, for we can never attempt to put her out of -the way with Mrs. Grierson and her daughter with her in the wagon. We -must think of some plan to get her out.” - -“I’ve got an idea. The guides, you know, say that we’ll be attacked -to-night. Now, the moment the Indians commence the attack, I’ll set -fire to the wagon-covering; I’ll wet it first with whisky, then it -will burn like mad; of course the women will be frightened out; then -you’ll have a chance to fix Miss Leona. What do you think of the idea?” -asked the son. - -“There couldn’t be any thing better,” replied the father, rubbing his -hands with delight. - -“Well, ’tain’t a bad idea and it’s very simple; so you just keep your -eyes open and watch your chance.” - -“All right,” replied old Eben, “I shall look out.” - -And then the devil’s pair, father and son, mingled in one of the little -groups near the fires. - -The shades of night gathered over the prairie; the pickets were posted, -and the cattle corralled in the center of the little circle formed by -the wagons and the river. - -Anxious hearts were in the camp that night. Many a cheek lost its -ruddy hue and paled as the owner thought of the danger that, like a -dark cloud, hovered over them. Miles were they away from home and -friends, surrounded by the red fiends thirsting for the blood of the -“pale-faces.” Many a prayer went up to Heaven from white lips, that the -Great Power above would protect them and guide them safe to their far -western home. - -The night wore on; no signs of danger had yet been seen, even by the -keen-eyed guides. - -“What do you think, Abe?” asked Dave, as the two stood together, beyond -the picket-line on the eastern side of the camp, watching the prairie -before them. The night was dark and the moon shone not over the prairie. - -“What do I think? Wal; I think that in less than an hour we’ll have the -toughest fight that we’ve been in for many a long day,” replied the -“Crow-Killer.” - -“You think so?” asked Dave, anxiously. His thoughts were of Leona. - -“Sart’in” responded the old guide; “the Crows mean mischief, or else -I’m a sucker!” - -Just then the prolonged howl of a coyote sounded faintly in the -distance over the prairie. - -“Do you hear that?” cried Abe, in a whisper, clutching the arm of Dave, -nervously. - -“Yes, it’s a wolf, attracted probably by the scent of our camp,” -replied Dave. - -“Jus’ so,” said Abe, still in a hoarse whisper, a singular expression -upon his features. - -The sound had come from the east, seemingly down the river. - -“I shouldn’t be surprised if thar were more nor one wolf,” said Abe, -listening intently. - -“Why, yes, of course,” replied Dave, “they generally go in packs.” - -Just then another howl was borne faintly to their ears on the night -wind, this time coming from the north. - -“Do you hear that?” asked Abe; “that wolf travels considerably fast; -he’s made ’bout three miles in two seconds; shouldn’t be surprised if -next time he howls it should come from the westward,” and then, as if -in confirmation of the guide’s words, the howl was repeated, and this -time it did come from the west. - -“’Pears to me,” said Abe, in his shrewd way, “that those wolves are -acting all together, and they’re howling to let each other know whar -they air.” - -“We are surrounded by them!” cried Dave. - -“Gospel truth, an’ every one of those ’are wolves is a big Crow Injun!” -said the “Crow-Killer.” - -“I believe you’re right!” exclaimed Dave. - -“I know I am. They’re closin’ in upon us; we’ll have bloody work afore -we’re an hour older or else I’m a sucker. Let’s take a leetle scout -down by the river; they’re all on horseback, an’ by keeping to the -little timber, we can easily avoid them; they won’t be apt to attack -for an hour or so yet, an’ if we run into ’em an’ have a leetle tussle, -why, I guess we can git out of it, an’ at any rate it’ll give the camp -fair warning an’ spoil the Injuns’ idea to surprise us.” - -So, noiselessly the two guides stole down along the river, keeping -close watch before them for the advancing Indians. We will leave them -to pursue their scout and return to the camp of the emigrants. - -It was half an hour after the departure of the two guides on their -scout that the two Hickmans stood together, near the wagon that -contained Grierson’s family and Leona. - -“Look here, father,” said Dick. “I go on picket up the river in about -ten minutes; there isn’t any danger of an attack. I don’t believe -there’s an Indian within ten miles of us, so that idea of ours won’t -work.” - -“What shall we do then?” asked the father. - -“I’ll tell you. After I go on the picket, you go to the wagon and ask -Leona if she don’t want to go out for a walk as far as where Dave Reed -is on duty. Tell her that the guides are convinced there isn’t any -danger and he’d like to say good-night to her before she goes to sleep. -She’ll jump at the chance; then you just take her up the river, past my -post, and I’ll contrive not to see you when you go by me. Now when you -get her a couple of hundred yards beyond where I am, you suddenly shout -‘Indians!’ and rush back to the camp. I’m on picket-duty, and of course -if I hear an alarm and see anybody coming in I shall think it’s an -Indian and fire at it. Then I’ll put for camp, and when in the morning -they find her dead, why, it will be an unfortunate mistake--that’s -all.” And the scoundrel told the details of his infernal plot against -the life of the orphan girl with perfect coolness. - -“But, suppose they accuse us of intending to kill her?” said the old -man. - -“Who will dare to? who will have a reason to? We are all strangers to -each other; no one will know that there is a motive for the deed. Men -don’t commit crimes for nothing, you know. It will be set down by all -as a blunder, not a premeditated act. It’s the most natural thing in -the world for me, after you give the alarm, to fire at the first thing -that approaches me.” - -“Yes,” said the old man, convinced that the scheme was a good one. “Be -careful; don’t make a mistake and hit me in the darkness.” - -“Oh, no!” cried the son, “you just keep near the river; you can easily -run faster than she can.” - -And so the plot was arranged. - -The pickets were relieved and Dick Hickman took his post to the west of -the camp by the river. Then the elder Hickman went to the wagon that -contained Leona. The poor girl had not thought of sleep; she was too -anxious for the safety of her lover. She accepted the invitation to go -out to Dave’s post with gladness, and the assurance of the old villain -that all danger was over relieved her mind of a heavy load. - -Eben Hickman and Leona, passed beyond the wagon-line, and walked into -the darkness of the prairie. Dick at his post saw them coming and laid -down flat on the ground, so that he would escape Leona’s notice. - -Old Hickman and Leona passed on beyond the picket-line and walked a -hundred yards or so out on the prairie. - -“Are we near his post?” asked Leona, the dense gloom and stillness of -the prairie waste striking a dread fear to her heart. - -“Yes, just beyond us,” answered the man, “don’t you see him?” and he -pointed before them in the darkness. - -Leona strained her eyes and gazed through the gloom. - -“Yes,” she said, after a moment’s anxious gaze, “I see him now,” and -then, with a light heart, she was about to proceed, when Hickman laid -his hand upon her arm; she could feel that he was trembling violently. - -“You see him? where?” and the voice of the old man trembled with fear. - -“There!” she answered, pointing straight before her. “Don’t you see -those forms in the darkness?--there are three or four with him, and -some one on horseback!” - -“My God!” shrieked the old man, in terror, “the Indians!” and then he -would have turned to fly, but the red warriors swooped down upon them; -with a lightning stroke a savage cleft his head with a tomahawk, and -struck him dead to the ground. Another grim warrior, bending from the -saddle, seized the almost fainting Leona in his arms, and raising her, -held the maiden before him. Her screams rung shrill on the night-air; -then came the quick reports of shots fired to the eastward of the camp: -’twas the signal for the attack. The picket-guards fired their rifles, -then ran for the wagon train. - -Dick Hickman heard the exclamation of his father and the scream of -the girl, but first thought it was only the execution of the plan -contrived; then he heard the rush of the Indians and the struggle -attending the killing of his father, and realizing that the Indians had -come in reality, he fled hastily for the camp. - -The attack had now begun in downright earnest. Abe and Dave had scouted -down the bank of the river until they detected the advancing Indians, -then skillfully withdrawing without being observed, they had returned -and alarmed the camp, so that when the Crows made their dash, intended -for a complete surprise, to their astonishment they found the emigrants -fully prepared to receive them. - -The Indians, contrary to their wonted custom, dashed in among the -wagons, and fought the emigrants hand to hand. The contest was long and -bloody, but the whites were fighting for all that was dear to them in -the world, and made a most desperate resistance. Being, too, armed far -superior to the Indians, gave them an advantage, though outnumbered. -Their revolvers did terrible service, thinning the ranks of the Crows -with dreadful effect. The emigrants, too, had the advantage of the -cover of the wagons. Abe and Dave fought like demons. The Indians -gave way before the two guides, who, on horseback, wielding their -heavy rifles like reeds, brought the butts of them down with terrible -effect upon the heads of the red assailants. The “White Vulture” led -on the Crows with desperate bravery, but, at last, the Indians, having -lost nearly a third of their force, reluctantly drew off and left the -emigrants in possession of the field. - -It was a hard-earned victory, for six of the emigrants had been killed -outright, and hardly a man escaped without some wound. - -Abe and Dave instantly exerted themselves to place the camp again in a -proper state for defense. - -The old Indian-fighter knew full well that the Crows, though defeated -for the present, might renew the attack at any moment. - -The bodies of the slain Indians were rolled into the river; the -emigrants, killed in the fight, were placed in a wagon until they could -be given decent burial. - -“A tough fight, Abe,” said Grierson, who had manfully done his part in -the struggle. - -“What will be the next movement do you suppose?” asked an emigrant. - -“Wal, I ’spect they’ll kinder hem us in here, an’ try an’ starve us -out,” said Abe. - -“They can’t do that,” cried Grierson, “we have plenty of provisions.” - -“For us, yes,” answered the “Crow-Killer,” “but for the cattle, no. -The four-footed beasts will want fodder, an’ if we drive ’em outside -our wagon-line, we’ve got to fight for it.” - -“Then how to feed the cattle is the question,” said Grierson. - -“That’s so, an’ that’s jist what the red skunks are cal’lating on. If -they’d only stampeded our beasts last night, they’d had us.” - -“That was the reason that you had ’em tied so securely,” broke in an -emigrant. - -“Sart’in; now you’re talkin’. We’ve got to stand a siege here, I -reckon,” said Abe. - -The gray streaks of the coming day were now seen in the eastern clouds, -and the dense gloom vanished rapidly from the face of the prairie. - -Abe divided the camp into watches, as before, attended in person to the -wounded men, and imposed watchfulness upon the guards. - -As the morning advanced, the emigrants looked out with anxious eyes for -traces of the foe. - -Far beyond rifle-range on the prairie, the Crows had formed a cordon -of men around the camp of the emigrants, so as to cut off all hope of -escape. - -Abe looked at them with an evil expression in his dark eyes. - -“If I don’t wipe out some of your big chiefs afore I’m a day older, -then I’m a sucker,” and he shook his fist savagely toward the foe. - -Abe then directed the breakfast to be prepared. - -“We can’t fight unless we eat, and thank gracious, we’ve got enough for -the humans if we haven’t for the beasts.” - -So the women went busily to work getting the breakfast. Then, for -the first time, the absence of Leona was discovered. Of course, Mrs. -Grierson and Eunice had noticed her absence from the wagon, but thought -she had taken refuge in some other one, but now it was discovered that -she was not in the camp! - -Dave was excited and alarmed. - -Abe, in his cool way, inquired all the particulars of the affair. -Eunice, awake when Leona had left the wagon, of course knew that she -had left it with the elder Hickman, for the purpose of seeing Dave. -Inquiry was then made for Hickman, and he was announced as among the -missing. Dick, the son, was questioned, but he professed ignorance of -his father’s fate. Leona and his father both dead, he was the sole heir -to Rattlesnake Gulch; so he determined to hold his tongue, and thus -avoid unpleasant questions. - -But one conclusion could be drawn, and that was that possibly the elder -Hickman had taken Leona, ventured beyond the picket-line, and fallen -into the hands of the savages. - -“Well?” said Dave, in a calm voice, though his lips trembled as he -spoke. Dave and Abe had walked off together. - -“Dave, boy, your gal’s in the hands of the Crows; thar ain’t any -mistake ’bout it. That cussed fool Hickman took her out onto the -prairie, an’ both on ’em got gobbled up;” and the “Crow-Killer’s” face, -more than his words, expressed the grief he felt at his friend’s loss. - -“Abe,” said Dave, in a tone of earnest determination, “I’ll rescue her, -if she’s alive, from the hands of the Crows, or if she’s dead, I’ll -avenge her!” - -“An’ I’m with you, boy, to the death!” cried the “Crow-Killer,” -extending his hand. A moment the two men grasped each other’s hands; -’twas a solemn compact, and from that time the Crow nation had two -unrelenting enemies instead of one. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -A SCOUTING EXPEDITION. - - -After the emigrants had partaken of their breakfast, Abe thought of a -plan to give the beasts something to eat; the grass within the little -camp had long since disappeared, but outside of the wagon-line there -was plenty. The question was how to protect the cattle from the Indians -while they grazed. - -Abe directed a passage-way to be made by pulling two of the wagons -apart; then he dispatched five of the cattle at a time to feed, while -he, Dave and Grierson, who was an excellent shot, mounted and rode on -before the cattle. The first five cattle that went out, the Crows -made a dash for, but Abe, the moment they got within range, shot the -first in the shoulder and checked the advance, the rifles of the whites -having so much greater carrying powers than the guns of the Indians, -gave them a decided advantage. - -Then the Crows tried their favorite maneuver of hiding themselves -behind their horses, riding by at full speed and firing at the cattle. -The whites speedily stopped that by shooting the Indian horses, and -after the Crows had lost three animals they gave up the attempt and -left the beasts of the emigrants to eat in quiet. - -“Wal, thar’s another idea of the red-skins blocked,” cried Abe. “I -guess they won’t starve either us or our cattle.” - -“But we can not advance,” said Grierson, “while they surround us.” - -“Of course not,” replied Abe, “but they’ll get tired of squatting down -out thar an’ watching us, ’fore long, see if they don’t. Another p’int, -I ain’t a-goin’ to stay quiet hyar an’ let ’em alone. ’Fore long, I’ll -worry ’em a little, see if I don’t.” - -And so, after all the cattle were fed, Abe and Dave held a private -consultation. - -“Dave,” said the “Crow-Killer,” “I think I’ll take a leetle scout out -among the Crows an’ see what they are arter.” - -“Shall I go with you?” asked Dave. - -“No, you remain hyar in command of the train, but, arter I’m gone, if -the Crows on the north and east don’t appear to be up to any thing, -you fust select a little party, say five or six good men, and ambush -yourself, about a half a mile beyond the bend, in the timber on the -river-bank. I’m goin’ to take advantage of the timber on the bank to -walk into the Crow camp an’ see what they’re up to; an’ when I’ve found -out all I can an’ git ready to leave, I’ll fix things so as to lead -some of the red devils right into your ambush.” - -“Be careful, Abe; don’t run heedlessly into danger,” said Dave. - -“Sart’in, I have the highest respect in the world for my top-knot, an’ -I ain’t inclined to part with it yet. You bet, none of the painted -sarpints get it, without a big tussle. Another thing I’m arter. I -want to find out whether the little gal is alive or not. I ’spect, -of course, that you want to find that out, yourself, but, Dave, it’s -better that I should go. I know thar ain’t any hope of snatching her -out of the red-skins’ hands jist now; but I can find out, I guess, -whether she’s alive or dead. You know, Dave, thar isn’t a man in the -north-west that knows the Crows as well as I do. Are you willin’ -to stay behind, look after the camp, an’ let me go?” and the old -Indian-fighter laid his hand kindly on the shoulder of the young guide -as he spoke. - -“Yes, Abe,” said Dave, his voice choked with emotion; “you are right. -It is better that you should go than I; for if I saw her in the hands -of the red devils, I should do something, not only to endanger my own -life but hers. Go, therefore, in Heaven’s name. I will faithfully obey -all your instructions.” - -“That’s jist as it ought to be,” cried Abe, wringing his hand warmly. -“All I’ve got to say is this: I’m going to take advantage of the timber -to crawl up the bank of the river and sneak into their camp, for from -what I saw on the prairie, I’m satisfied that their head-quarters is up -the river. Now it ain’t likely that they’ll keep a very strict guard, -’cos they’ve been fightin’ all night, an’ besides, they won’t expect -a visit. If I can only get near enough to hear their talk--you know I -know the Crow language as well as I do my own--why then, I shall find -out what they’re goin’ to do, an’ perhaps what’s goin’ to become of the -little gal. Jist you ambush your men ’bout half a mile above an’ lay -low in the bushes till you see me. I’ll lead some of the red imps right -into your fire. That’s all I’ve got for to say.” - -Then the guide went to the bank of the river, crawled under a wagon and -disappeared in the little thicket beyond. - -Noiselessly and carefully, Abe, the “Crow-Killer,” threaded his way -through the thicket, his ears ever on the alert to catch the slightest -sound before him; his keen eyes piercing the dense wood, eager for a -sight of the foe. - -The line of the savages was some three hundred yards from the camp. -Abe, calculating that he must now be near it, proceeded onward with -increased caution. In a few steps more he came to where the little -thicket ended, and an open glade, perhaps a hundred feet in space, -intervened; beyond that, the thicket commenced again; and on the grass -by the thicket sat a Crow chief. He was evidently on the watch, and yet -his watch was any thing but strict. The savage did not dream of danger -and sat lazily cutting the grass around him with his tomahawk, while -his eyes were vacantly fixed upon the distant prairie. - -To cross the open glade, so near the savage camp, was a dangerous task, -but to cross it with the Indian sitting there on the watch was clearly -an impossibility. - -The old Indian-fighter surveyed the ground before him, long and -earnestly. - -“Jerusalem!” he muttered, “that durned red Injun is right in my track; -if I could get by him, guess I could walk right into the Crow camp, -without trouble, but how in creation am I to git across that glade? The -cuss has got a carbine t’other side of him too. ’Pears to me, these -Crows must have been making a raid on some of Uncle Sam’s wagons. Oh! -you long-legged red imp!” and he shook his fist at the unconscious -savage, “I’d like for to get hold of your top-knot.” - -“Wal,” soliloquized the “Crow-Killer,” “I can’t cross the glade, that’s -sart’in; now let’s see if I can’t get round it some way.” - -First he looked to his right; before him was the open prairie; no hope -there, of course. Then he looked to the left; there rolled the river. -His eyes fell upon the little growth of timber on the opposite bank, -which grew down to the edge the same as did that in which the hunter -lay concealed. - -“Thunder!” he cried, again communing with himself, “I mought have gone -up on the other bank of the river, but then,” and he thought the matter -over carefully, “I should be as bad off as I am now, for I couldn’t -cross the river ag’in, without being seen any more that I can cross -this glade. Jerusalem! whar are my ideas?” The guide racked his brains -for a method to cross this hundred feet of open space guarded by the -Indian. Just then the savage opened his mouth and indulged in a loud -yawn. - -“Oh! if he’d only go to sleep for jist two minutes, jist that long, an’ -I’d send him to kingdom come, quicker’n a wink.” - -But the savage, beyond yawning, evinced no desire or disposition to -sleep. - -The hunter bit his lips in desperation; his eyes wandering vacantly -around, fell again upon the opposite bank of the river. Suddenly a -smile stole over his features; he had an idea how to cross the glade, -or if not to cross it, how, in military parlance, “to turn the enemy’s -position.” - -As we have said, the trees on the opposite side, as well as on the one -on which the guide was hid, grew down to the edge of the bank; but, -from the edge of the bank to the water of the river was at least six -feet, the river being low; the washing of the rapid-rolling waters in -time of the spring freshets and at other periods of high water had -worn away the earth of the bank and tunneled it out to quite an extent -underneath the brink. - -“I’ve got it!” said the “Crow-Killer” in triumph; “if this ’ere bank is -hollowed out underneath like t’other one, all I’ve got to do is to get -down to the edge, get under the bank and crawl along till I reach the -timber again; the bank will hide me snug as can be.” - -So the “Crow-Killer” quietly withdrew from his position at the edge of -the timber and wormed his way, snake-like, to the bank of the river. -Then he carefully lowered himself off the bank into the soft clay-earth -fringed by the rolling waters. - -Then noiselessly he crept along, bent almost double, under the -overhanging bank. - -The “Crow-Killer” safely accomplished his purpose, reached the timber -on the other side of the glade without exciting the suspicions of the -savage. The position of the enemy was turned. - -The guide took the precaution to go some distance beyond the glade, -before he left the shelter of the overhanging bank--that had so kindly -shielded him--and took to the thicket. - -“’Pears to me,” he said, musingly, “that I onc’t hearn one of the -sodgers at Fort Benton say that it was bad policy for an invading army -to leave a strong post of the enemy in their rear. Now, as I suppose -I stand for the same as an invading army, it would be bad policy for -me to let that ’are Crow hold his position without a try to boost him -out of it, ’cos if I _should_ happen to get into any leetle difficulty -beyond hyar with the Crows, my only chance of escape is by this -timber, ’cos, on the prairie, their horses would run me down, easy as -fallin’ off a log. Tharfore, it’s very clear to my mind that the first -thing to be done is to put that Crow out of the way.” - -Through the timbers cautiously stole the guide; he was now approaching -the Indian in the rear. He had formed so true a calculation of the spot -upon which sat the Crow chief, that, after five minutes’ continued -progress he could distinguish the dusky figure on the outskirts of the -timber. - -“Thar’s the red devil!” muttered the hunter. Just then he happened to -step upon a dried twig, which snapped beneath his tread. Noiselessly -and with the quickness of the lightning’s flash, the “Crow-Killer” sunk -at full length upon the ground. - -The quick ear of the Indian caught the sound of the breaking twig, and -he lazily turned his head in the direction of the noise. The action -was prompted by curiosity only, not alarm, for he had no suspicion of -danger; he looked for the foe before not behind him. - -A moment or two the Indian kept his eyes fixed in the direction of the -“Crow-Killer.” All was still, however, no sound came from the little -thicket. - -The Indian, at last satisfied that the noise came from some little -animal or bird within the thicket, again resumed his watch down the -river. - -“Wal,” the “Crow-Killer” whispered, “that were a narrow escape. If that -Injun had as much sense as a pig, he’d have found out what made that -’are noise. Bah! talk ’bout Injun sense and skill! Thar never were an -Injun yet that could come up to a white man trained in their ways; they -ain’t got the head on their red bodies for to do it. A moment ago, I -thought it were a difficult question to decide, whether he’d take my -top-knot or I’d take his’n, but thar ain’t any doubt ’bout it now; he’s -a gone sucker, as sure as my name’s Abe.” - -Then drawing his keen-edged hunting-knife, with a stealthy step the -old hunter crept upon his foe. The Indian, unconscious of danger, and -wearied from the toil of last night’s fight, sat upon the grass, idly -reclining upon his elbow, his carbine by his side, his eyes fixed -vacantly upon the open prairie - -With a spring like that of the panther leaping upon his prey, the old -hunter sprung upon his foe, and while one broad hand, clutching the -brawny throat of the savage, stifled his cries, the other drove the -broad-bladed knife deep into his bosom. A single convulsive movement of -the savage’s limbs, a stifled gasp in the throat, and the soul of the -Crow chief had fled to the happy hunting-grounds. Another brave of the -Crow nation had fallen by the hand of the Avenger. - -A strange expression was in the eyes of the old “Crow-Killer” as he -knelt by the side of the dead warrior. - -“A young brave,” he muttered, gazing on the features of the -Crow--tinted with the gay war-paint--that a few moments before had been -radiant with life, health and strength, yet now were rigid in death. -“Probably this was his first expedition,” he continued, “the first -time that he has decked his face with the war-paint and gone on the -war-trail ag’in’ the whites; yet I don’t know that; the ‘White Vulture’ -isn’t much older than this chap, an’ he has seen many a bloody fight. -’Tain’t for nothing that they call him the ‘greatest fighting-man of -the Crow nation.’” - -The scout took another long look at the youthful features of the dead -warrior, from the wound in whose breast the blood was streaming freely. - -“It seems a pity to kill the red devils arter all; yet when I think of -the wrong they have done me, cuss ’em!” and the guide shut his teeth -together vindictively. “When I think of my father, dead, killed by -these red dogs--when I think of my little Injun wife that they stole -away from me, an’ then, when I think of my two boys, my twin boys--if -they had lived they’d have been about the age of this feller now--it -makes me feel so bitter, that I really believe if I had the power I -could wipe out the whole durned Crow nation, with as little remorse as -I would feel for killin’ a wolf. One of these days, I ’spect I’ll find -the truth about my wife and those twin babies. It makes me feel right -bad sometimes, when I think that, maybe, the Crows didn’t kill my two -boys, but have reared ’em up an’ made ’em Crow warriors, taught ’em to -fight ag’in’ their father, an’, some day, I may meet an’ kill ’em or -they me. I think I should know ’em though, ’cos they must look like the -mother an’ something like me.” And then the old hunter was silent for -a moment; then he took the body of the Indian, placed it carefully with -its back against a tree, facing it toward the prairie. - -“Thar,” said Abe, “if any of the red skunks on the prairie pass by -they’ll think he’s on his post, all right; they won’t see that he’s -done fer unless they come mighty close. Now then,” he said, picking up -his rifle from where he had laid it in the thicket, “now I think I can -walk right into the Crow camp without any trouble; I must be careful, -though, I don’t stumble on ’em afore I know it, ’cos a fight is the -last thing that I want to git into now.” - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -THE CROWS IN COUNCIL. - - -The “Crow-Killer” now made his way again to the river-bank, struck the -stream at the place where he had left it, descended under the bank and -then turned up the current--his footprints being in water, of course -were soon washed from sight. - -“Thar,” he thought, with a sly chuckle, “I guess the Crows will have -some difficulty to foller me. If they find the dead Injun, then they’ll -track me to the river an’ then they’ll be bothered. They won’t think -for a single moment that I’ve gone up-stream right into their camp, -’cos that’s foolhardy, but, bless their stupid souls, the bold game is -the one that wins in the long run. No, of course they’ll imagine that -I’ve gone down the river an’ they won’t dare to track me very far in -that direction for fear of gettin’ within range of our rifles. I think -I’ve fooled ’em ’bout as cute as it can be done. They’ll get sick of -tackling the ‘Crow-Killer’ ’fore long, I reckon; if they don’t, they’re -bigger fools than I take ’em to be.” - -So up the river, hid by the overhanging bank, cautiously went the -“Crow-Killer.” It was necessary to again ascend the bank in order -to get within ear-shot of the Indians; but how to do it without -leaving the marks of his feet upon the soft clay bank was a puzzle. -Circumstances favored him. Right before him a stunted oak grew out of -the bank and overhung the stream; grasping the trunk with his hands, -light and quick as a cat, Abe lifted and swung himself up over the -bank, his feet finding a resting-place on the bottom of the tree-trunk -and thus leaving no mark. - -The bank thus again gained, he plunged once more into the thicket. - -After advancing a few steps, he heard the sound of horses pawing the -ground, a sure proof that he was near the camp. - -Cautiously he stole forward a few steps more, when the thicket ended -suddenly, and before him extended another little glade, not tenanted -by a single savage as was the other, but by a score or more of the red -braves. Extending himself flat on the ground, the guide, snake-like, -wormed himself forward among the tangled underbrush, until he arrived -at the very edge of the thicket, where he could not only command a full -view of what was going on, but could hear nearly every word that was -said. As he conjectured, he looked upon the main camp of the war-party. - -On the prairie, close to the timber, the horses of the party, the wild -Indian ponies, hardy and savage as their masters, the red chiefs, were -tethered. - -Some thirty warriors were in the little glade; the rest of the party, -as the scout had surmised, were watching the camp of the emigrants. - -All of the thirty warriors, excepting some eight, who appeared to the -practiced eyes of the “Crow-Killer” to be the principal chiefs, were -scattered over the prairie edge of the little glade near the horses, -nearly all reclining on the ground. - -The eight chiefs, among whom was the “White Vulture,” were seated near -the middle of the glade in a circle, apparently holding a council. So -the scout judged, and also that the council had just commenced, as the -calumet, from which the smoke lazily curled, was being passed from -mouth to mouth. - -“Now then,” thought the guide, “we’ll see what the red devils are -arter.” Then his eyes wandered anxiously over the Indians near the -horses. - -“What on earth have they done with the little gal? I can’t see her -anywhar. Can the red-skins have murdered her?” and used as the -“Crow-Killer” was to scenes of blood, he shuddered when he thought of -Leona lying dead on the prairie and the beautiful red-gold hair hanging -at the belt of some savage chief as a trophy of victory. - -The pipe was passed around, and when it had completed the circle, the -old warrior, the uncle of the “White Vulture,” who was called the -“Thunder-Cloud,” spoke. - -“My brothers are in council; their hearts are brave like the great -white bear; their tongues are straight as the arrow. Will the chiefs of -the Crow nation attack the white wagons again, or will they go to their -lodges in the great mountains?” - -Then up rose a brawny savage, hideously streaked with black paint. -It was the same Indian who had, on the previous night, captured the -hapless Leona. He was known among the Crows as the “Black Dog.” - -It was very evident to the scout, from “Black Dog’s” speech, that he -was a rival of the “White Vulture.” - -The “Black Dog” advocated an immediate descent upon the train--declared -that the whites were whipped and would fly before another attack--in a -covert way insinuated that the chiefs in favor of returning home were -cowards--a course which gained the “Black Dog” no friends, but made him -enemies, for the majority of the Crows were fully satisfied that the -emigrants, headed by the dreaded “Crow-Killer,” were more than a match -for them. - -Then the “White Vulture” spoke. - -“My brothers,” he said, “have listened to the words of the ‘Black Dog’; -he has said that some of the hearts of the Crow chiefs were white--that -they feared the pale-faces. My brother, the ‘Black Dog,’ is a great -warrior, a great chief,” and the lip of the “White Vulture” curled in -scorn. “While the other chiefs of the Crow nation can show wounds from -the fight with the white wagons, my brother, the ‘Black Dog,’ can show -none. He has no wounds, but he has a pale-face squaw, that he took in -single fight. My brother is a mighty warrior.” - -It was evident that all the chiefs sided with the “White Vulture,” as a -sneer was upon every lip. The “Black Dog’s” brows were dark with rage. -In a voice trembling with suppressed passion he answered the “White -Vulture.” - -“The ‘White Vulture’ speaks with a forked tongue; his heart is black -toward his brother. The ‘Black Dog’ has no wounds because the Great -Spirit smiled on him and the pale-faces could not harm him. Though he -has no wounds, yet he gave wounds; the white-wagon braves shrunk before -him like the grass before the wind. The ‘Black Dog’ is not a snake; he -crawls not on the ground; but his way is like the eagle. The ‘Black -Dog’ is not blind like an owl, he would not have run his head against -the white wagons to slaughter the braves of the Crow nation. The -‘White Vulture’ is a great chief; the snakes that crawl in the grass -and the dogs that lick the hand that feeds them, say he is the ‘great -fighting-man of the Crow nation;’ yet the squaws at our lodges, at the -great mountains, will mourn for the braves that fell by the hands of -the white warriors, by the Yellowstone, when the ‘White Vulture’ led -them.” - -Astonishment was visible upon the faces of the other chiefs, the -“White Vulture” alone excepted, at this speech. The face of the “great -fighting-man of the Crow nation” was like marble, no trace of anger -appeared upon it at the bitter speech of his foe. The “Crow-Killer” -watched the scene eagerly. - -“He’ll give the ‘Black Dog’ a lick under the short ribs, the fust thing -he knows on. He a fighter, wah!” and the expression of contempt was -evidently intended for the Dog chief. “If the ‘White Vulture’ goes for -him, I’ll bet my pile on him every time.” - -The “White Vulture” arose from his seat to answer the speech of the -“Black Dog”; all the chiefs looked on with evident anxiety; that a -storm was brewing that might end in blood was evident to all. - -“The ‘White Vulture’ has listened with his ears open to the words of -the ‘Black Dog’,” began the chief. “The chief has said that the ‘White -Vulture’ led the braves of the Crow nation to death: what is death to a -warrior? Nothing! Does the ‘Black Dog’ know the reason why the braves -of the white wagons beat the red chiefs? If not, the ‘White Vulture’ -will tell him. The red braves were to creep upon the white wagons as -the panther creeps upon his prey; then they were to spring upon the -whites as quick as the forked light comes from the hand of the Great -Spirit--the red chiefs were closing in upon the white wagons, but they -were not ready for the attack, when the squall of a squaw, the mighty -capture of the ‘Black Dog,’ gave warning to the whites that their foes -were near. If the ‘Black Dog’ had not captured the white squaw the -Crows would have beaten the pale-faces.” - -A low murmur went round the circle; all agreed with the “White -Vulture,” save, of course, the “Black Dog,” who, with his hand clutched -instinctively on his knife, glared upon his foe. - -“My brother talks straight!” said the “Thunder-Cloud.” - -Then, calm as a statue, the “White Vulture” went on in his speech: - -“My brothers gave me the command of the expedition; it was good; they -are great chiefs, as brave as the white bear and wise as the beaver.” - -All the chiefs bowed assent; the compliment pleased them. Human nature -is the same, whether embosomed in the red breast or the white. The -“Black Dog” alone looked surly; he saw clearly that the chiefs were all -against him, and his heart swelled with rage to see his foe triumph. - -The “White Vulture” continued: - -“The ‘Black Dog’ has said that the squaws of the Crow nation will mourn -and sing the death-song for the young braves that the ‘White Vulture’ -led to their graves. The ‘Black Dog’ lies!” and the accusation came -forth with terrific force from the lips of the chief. “The squaws -in the Crow lodges by the big mountain will mourn for the braves -slaughtered by the ‘Black Dog’ for the sake of the white squaw.” - -The face of the “Black Dog” was purple with passion. In a voice hoarse -with rage, and drawing the sharp scalping-knife from his girdle as he -spoke, he addressed the “White Vulture”: - -“If the great fighting-man of the Crow nation does not fear, he will -follow the ‘Black Dog’.” - -And with a stately step the warrior, knife in hand, marched toward the -thicket wherein the “Crow-Killer” was concealed. The “White Vulture” -understood the challenge to mortal combat, and drawing his knife he -followed the “Black Dog.” The rest of the chiefs remained seated in the -circle awaiting the result. - -The “Black Dog” headed directly for the spot where the “Crow-Killer” -lay. - -“Jerusalem!” muttered the “Crow-Killer,” as the warriors came toward -his hiding-place, “if they keep on, they’ll settle me. I’ll kill that -skunk first any way, an’ save the ‘White Vulture’ the trouble.” - -The scout drew his knife, but the “Black Dog” turned off abruptly to -the right and entered the thicket not far from where the scout was -ambushed. Behind stalked the “White Vulture.” - -Some thirty feet from where the “Crow-Killer” lay, was a little space -unincumbered by bushes. To this spot the “Black Dog” led the “White -Vulture.” - -The “Crow-Killer,” from his hiding-place, commanded a full view of the -scene, by merely turning his head. - -“Sho!” he muttered, “it will be as good as a circus; but if the -‘White Vulture’ don’t settle that fellow’s hash, I ain’t any judge of -fighting,” and then with eager eyes he looked upon the scene. - -The two chiefs surveyed each other for a moment, their long, keen-edged -blades glittering in their hands. Then the “Black Dog” advanced upon -the “White Vulture” and began the attack. A moment they swayed from -side to side, like pugilists, the glittering eyes watching for a weak -spot in their opponent’s guard; then suddenly the “Black Dog” made -a desperate hinge at the breast of the “White Vulture.” The chief -avoided it by skillfully jumping back, and before the “Black Dog” could -recover himself, with a quick downward motion he slashed the “Black -Dog” across the face, cutting a terrible gash from the forehead to the -chin, from which the blood streamed freely. Maddened with the pain and -blinded by the blood which streamed into his eyes, the “Black Dog” -made a desperate push on his nimble opponent as if to crush him by his -weight; the “White Vulture,” quick as a cat, avoided the thrust, by -stepping to one side, and then, as the “Black Dog” passed by him in his -mad rush, he lunged at him and made a terrible wound in his side. The -“Black Dog” fell on his knees, the blood streaming from the two wounds; -his strength was going fast--the wound in his side was mortal. Twice -he attempted to rise and twice he sunk back on his knees. The “White -Vulture” stood at a little distance with folded arms and regarded him -with a calm smile. A third time the “Black Dog” essayed to gain his -feet, his eyes still glaring vengeance upon his foe. With a mighty -effort the chief arose and stood erect. A single instant only did he -keep his feet; and then his strength failing, the knife dropped from -his nerveless hand and he sunk to the ground, dead. - -For a few moments the “White Vulture”--who had not received even a -single scratch in the encounter--regarded the foe who had fallen by his -arm. Calmly he looked upon him, then approached, took the body of the -dead Indian in his arms, carried it to the river’s bank and committed -it to the waters, then he carefully washed off the blood-stains caused -by handling the body, from his hands and breast, cleaned his knife and -returned to the camp. - -“He’s chain-lightning!” said Abe, who had not lost a single incident of -the exciting scene. - -The “White Vulture” strode into the circle of chiefs, and took his -former seat. They all surveyed him earnestly, but no trace of the -deadly conflict through which he had just passed was upon his person. - -“Brothers, listen,” he said, as he resumed his seat. “The Great Spirit -is angry with the ‘Black Dog’ for having caused so many young braves to -be slain by the white-wagon braves; the ‘Black Dog’ fell into the swift -waters and the Crow nation will see him no more. The ‘White Vulture’ -will take the pale-face squaw of the ‘Black Dog,’ and he will give his -brothers his share of the fur-wagons. Is it good?” - -The chiefs gravely nodded assent; it was not well for any of the braves -of the Crow nation to cross the will of the “White Vulture.” - -The scout in his hiding-place was struck with a sudden idea. - -“Durned if I don’t believe he picked the quarrel with the ‘Black Dog’ -just to get hold of this ‘white squaw’; _that’s_ why he wiped him out. -He’s a cute Injun,” soliloquized the guide. “The ‘white squaw’ must be -Miss Leona, ’cos thar ain’t any other female missing. I’m afraid that -the ‘Black Dog’ won’t be the only man he’s got to wipe out afore he can -have the ‘white squaw.’ But, whar on earth is the gal? I can’t see her -anywhar. She must be in the timber.” - -And so the “Crow-Killer” watched the Indians eagerly, keen to discover -their plans. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -OLD ABE ON A CRUISE. - - -After a very brief debate, the Crow chiefs decided to give up the -attack on the wagon-train and return to their homes, being fully -satisfied there was but little chance of success in continuing the -fight with the pale-faces. - -Not a single word was said respecting the fate of the “Black Dog”; -all accepted the story of the “White Vulture” that the Dog chief had -fallen into the swift waters; and though of course the braves were too -sensible not to know that the “White Vulture” must have had some agency -in the matter, yet the explanation was reasonable and probably would -satisfy the friends and relatives of the dead brave at home. - -The council broke up, and braves were dispatched to call in the -warriors to prepare for the march. Hardly had they departed when two -mounted Indians, bearing the body of the young brave slain on his post -in the little glade by the “Crow-Killer,” dashed into the camp. - -The warriors crowded around and examined the body with wonder. That a -foe should dare to slay one of their pickets, and accomplish it, too, -without exciting the slightest alarm, was a puzzle to them. - -The old chief, the “Thunder-Cloud,” carefully examined the body; he -could see no other wound save the single knife-thrust through the -heart--a blow evidently driven home by a powerful and practiced arm. - -There was silence in the throng. - -“The ‘Crow-Killer’!” said the old chief. He had often seen the deadly -effects of the old Indian-fighter’s arm, and rightly guessed who had -slain the young brave. - -Within half an hour, the “Crow-Killer,” from his hiding-place, had the -satisfaction of seeing the red braves gather in their warriors, mount -their horses and depart, taking a course that led to the west; but no -sign did he see of Leona. Yet it was evident from the words of the -chiefs, that she was a prisoner in their hands. - -“I’m sart’in that she’s in their hands,” he reflected, as the last of -the red chiefs disappeared from the little glade and was hid from his -eyes by the thicket which cut off his view of the distant prairie to -the west. “Now, the best thing I can do is to get back to the wagons as -soon as possible. I’ll send Dave on with the train to Montana, and then -I’ll trail the red devils an’ try an’ sneak the little gal out of their -clutches. That will be no easy matter, I’m afeard; but, thar’s nothin’ -like tryin’. I’ve been wanting to go to the Crow nation for a long -time; now hyar’s a chance. First, to rescue the little gal; second, to -find out ’bout my Injun wife. The sooner I’m off for camp the better.” - -Carefully through the timber the guide retraced his steps. - -When the “Crow-Killer” reached the glade where he had slain the Crow -warrior, he halted for a moment in the timber at its edge. - -“’Pears to me,” he said, talking low to himself, as usual, “that the -other side of this leetle opening in the timber would be just the place -for Dave to ambush himself. I’m downright sorry that I hain’t had a -chance to lead a dozen or so of the red devils into his fire, but, what -can’t be cured must be endured, as I’ve hearn say. Guess I’ll find out -whether Dave’s thar or not.” - -Putting his hands to his mouth, Abe gave a short quick bark like a -coyote. - -In a second the bark was repeated on the other side of the glade from -the thicket. - -Fearlessly the “Crow-Killer” stepped from the timber into the open -space, and as he did so, Dave, rifle in hand, stepped from among the -bushes on the opposite side of the glade while behind him appeared some -four of the emigrants. - -“Are the Indians near?” questioned Dave, as he met the “Crow-Killer” in -the center of the little opening and wrung him warmly by the hand. - -“Nary Injun,” responded the old hunter. “They’ve taken the back track -an’ gone off, bag an’ baggage, for the mountains.” - -“And Leona?” anxiously questioned the young guide. - -“I hain’t seen her,” said Abe. - -The expression of disappointment upon the manly features of Dave was -painful to behold. The old guide hastened to relieve his mind. - -“Don’t look or feel downhearted, man. Though I hain’t seen her, yet -I’ve hearn of her.” - -“You have?” cried Dave, eagerly. - -“You bet! But ’tain’t much consolation for you. She’s in the hands of -the Crows, an’ they’re carrying her off for the mountains.” - -Then the “Crow-Killer” told Dave all that he had witnessed from his -hiding-place. When he had finished his story, Dave for a few minutes -was silent, apparently in deep thought. - -“Abe, what shall I do?” he asked, at length. - -“I s’pose you want my honest advice,” said the “Crow-Killer.” - -“Yes,” responded the young guide. - -“Wal, the case is jist hyar; the Crows are carrying the gal off to -their lodges in the mountains, in the Crow nation, probably to the -village of the ‘Thunder-Cloud.’ When they get thar, of course they’ll -celebrate their capture of the fur-wagons; then they’ll probably marry -the little gal to the ‘White Vulture’; that’s the programme, I think.” - -“But, if we with a small party follow them instantly, we might be able -to rescue Leona from their hands,” said Dave, eagerly. - -“Small chance of that, Dave,” replied the “Crow-Killer,” shaking his -head gravely. “The Injuns are sixty or seventy strong, an’ they won’t -let the grass grow under their feet now, till they reach home. If we -follered an’ come up with ’em, the chances are, ten to one, that we’d -all be wiped out. Besides, Dave,” and the “Crow-Killer” laid his hand -on the young man’s shoulder, “you forget the wagon-train. We’ve pledged -our word to take the train safe to Montana, to guide it an’ fight for -it, an’ you know, Dave, a man ain’t got much left in this world arter -he loses his word. It’s a hard thing, I know. You love the little gal, -an’ it’s a hard thing to go on an’ leave her helpless, as it ’pears, in -the hands of these red devils; but, thar’s women and children in that -’are train, an’ our word is pledged to put ’em through to Montana.” - -“I know it! I know it!” cried the young man, wrestling with the agony -of pain that thrilled through his heart, as he thought of the peril of -his Leona, the only woman in the world that he had ever loved. “I know -our word is pledged, but, to think of Leona being borne away helpless -in the hands of these red demons! Oh, Abe! show me some way that I can -at least risk my life in an attempt to save her.” - -“Don’t take it so hard, Davy, lad,” said the “Crow-Killer,” in a voice -that showed his deep feeling for the young hunter. “I’ve got a plan in -my head that I think will help us a little. Two days’ travel due north -will bring the train to Fort Benton. At Fort Benton you can get guides -to take our places. Now, this is the way we’ll fix it. I’ll speak to -the emigrants, explain how the matter stands, an’ ask ’em to let me -off _now_. I don’t think they’ll hesitate for a minute to do it; then -I’ll foller the Crows. I know the country as well as I do my own hand; -I’ve been in the village of the ‘Thunder-Cloud’ before, though it were -years ago. You carry the train on to Fort Benton, get the guides thar -for ’em, then strike down the Missouri. The Injun village is ’bout a -hundred miles, as the crow flies, from the fort; it lies in a leetle -plain, between the Missouri and the mountains. The country is all -timbered and fine for scouting. It will take you two days to reach Fort -Benton, an’ then two days more to get to the Injun village. When you -get near the village, you foller the river all the time. Jist hide your -horse in the timber an’ scout in on foot. I’ll keep a look-out for you. -Now, what do you think of the plan? My idea for you to go on with the -train an’ let me foller the Crows is ’cos I know the country out thar -so much better than you do, an’ I can see exactly how things air, afore -you come.” - -“I agree with you!” cried Dave, shaking the old hunter’s hand warmly. -“I will go on with the train, and then will join you on the Missouri. I -feel sure we shall save her from the hands of these red devils.” - -“Yes, an’ cunning alone can do it, for in that country of theirs, the -Crows can whip ten times their number easy; but if we use our heads I -think we can flax ’em.” - -To the men of the train, Abe briefly explained his plan to rescue -Leona from the hands of the Crows. The emigrants willingly gave their -consent to his departure, for not a man was there--Dick Hickman alone -excepted--but would have risked their lives for the captive girl. So -the wagon-train again proceeded on its march for golden Montana. - -With a hearty shake of the hand, Abe and Dave parted--Dave riding on -with the train, and Abe, mounted on the trusty roan mare, heading -westward on the trail of the Crows. - -“Guess I needn’t to hurry myself much,” said the “Crow-Killer,” as, -holding his steed by the spot where the Indians had been camped, he -watched the white-topped wagons as they disappeared in the distance -over the rolling prairie. - -Finally the last one was lost to sight, and he remained alone upon the -prairie. - -“I reckon I shan’t bother myself much to foller their trail,” -soliloquized the old guide. “The Injuns, of course, are going to the -village of the ‘Thunder-Cloud,’ an’ I think I could find that in the -darkest night I ever did see. So I’ll ride on slowly an’ not worry -myself. It’s ’bout two days’ journey, if the Crows travel fast, an’ I -kinder think they will. So, old hoss, you an’ I will take it easy.” - -And so the hunter journeyed on leisurely. For the first five miles -the trail led by the bank of the Yellowstone; then the river turned -abruptly to the south, and the trail, parting from it, led across the -prairie, westward. - -At sundown the hunter selected a convenient clump of timber, let his -horse feed on the fresh young prairie-grass, made a scanty meal from -a store of sun-dried beef and some hard crackers that he carried, -soldier-fashion, in his saddle-bags; then, after a careful survey of -the country around, went to sleep. - -Early at sunrise on the following morning the “Crow-Killer” awoke, made -another scanty meal, mounted his horse and again rode on the trail. - -The savages had not even taken the trouble to conceal their tracks, -confident, doubtless, in the number of their band and the improbability -of any one following in pursuit. So the old hunter had but little -trouble in following the plainly-defined trail. - -On the evening of the second day, thinking that he was within ten miles -of the Indian camp, the old guide dismounted and halted for the night. - -The third morning’s light found him again in the saddle. - -The surface of the country had greatly changed, and showed that he was -at the base of the Rocky Mountains; though on the east bank of the -river, beyond the timber that fringed the stream, commenced the vast -prairie that extended eastward to the junction of the Yellowstone and -the Missouri rivers, and which is commonly called the valley of the -Yellowstone, as fertile a spot of land as the sun ever shone upon. - -The “Crow-Killer” recrossed the river, made a circuit around the -Indian village so as to approach it from the north, as Dave would come -up the bank of the river from the north and it would clearly be an -impossibility for the guide to meet him if he remained south of the -Indian village. - -The “Crow-Killer” accomplished his purpose; he could easily tell the -position of the village, by the smoke arising from it and floating on -the clear mountain air. - -The guide carefully hid his horse in a thicket on the river’s bank, -some three miles from the Indian settlement, and then carefully -approached it on foot. - -The country was rough and uneven, and, as the “Crow-Killer” had said, -excellent for scouting. The village lay in a little hollow, near the -Missouri, surrounded on all sides, except the one washed by the river, -by hills heavily timbered. - -The scout had got within a mile or so of the village--he could tell -its position by the smoke--and was proceeding cautiously along through -a little glade between two rocky hills, when he was suddenly startled -by a noise in the shrubbery right before him. Hardly had he stopped, -and before he could turn to retreat, forth from the thicket came a huge -grizzly bear, who made directly for the hunter. Abe did not dare to use -his rifle, for the report would bring the Indians upon him--flight was -his only hope, for a man stands but little chance for his life in a -close encounter with the brown monarch of the Rocky Mountains. - -Luckily a tree was near at hand, a good-sized oak. Dropping his rifle, -the “Crow-Killer” sprung for the tree, and soon ensconced himself in -its lower branches. - -The grizzly came to the foot of the tree and looked upward; then, to -Abe’s dismay, forth from the thicket marched dismay, forth from the -thicket marched another grizzly, if any thing larger than the first. - -“Wal, I’m in for it!” thought Abe. “I’d rather fight the Injuns than -these durned brutes. If I ain’t in a pesky difficulty then my name’s -not Abe.” - -The second grizzly joined the first at the bottom of the tree, and then -both beasts looked up at the hunter and licked their jaws as if they -expected he would soon fall into them. - -Luckily for the man, as it proved, the oak was a small tree, and but -one of the bears could ascend it at a time, for the grizzly is a -tree-climber as well as his brother, the black bear. - -Abe watched the grizzlys closely; he knew their habits well; these were -evidently hungry, and would soon ascend the tree for their prey. - -How repulse the attack of the brutes? All of the bear kind have very -tender noses; the grizzly ascending the tree could not very well begin -an attack until he reached the limbs. So the hunter drew his sharp -knife, cut a heavy club from a convenient branch, and trimming it of -its limbs, awaited the bear’s approach. - -Bruin stood upon his hind legs a moment, and then, hugging the -tree-trunk in his strong paws, began his slow ascent. - -As the ugly creature came within reach, Abe dealt it a terrific blow -with the club on the tender snout, that brought a howl of agony from -the mountain king and drove him back. Again he came on; again the -strong arm of the “Crow-Killer” brought the heavy club down upon his -nose; this time a shower of blows followed the first, and the bear, -howling with agony, relinquished the assault and descended hastily to -the ground, where he rolled around and rubbed his nose with his great -paws, evidently in extreme pain. - -The hunter chuckled with delight. - -Then the second bear, not understanding the cause of his companion’s -defeat, ascended the tree; the same reception that the first bear met -with was accorded to the second, and he, too, speedily retreated from -the shower of blows rained down upon his tender snout. - -The two bears held a sort of a consultation at the foot of the tree, -rubbing their noses in a comical way, and evidently greatly astonished -at their defeat, and then, as if fully satisfied, they trotted off to -the thicket from which they came, and left the “Crow-Killer” master of -the field. - -The guide had great difficulty to refrain from saluting the departing -brutes with a yell of triumph, but the near neighborhood of the Indians -checked him. - -After being fully satisfied that the grizzlys really had retired, Abe -descended from his perch, picked up his rifle, and again resumed his -advance toward the Crow village. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -A RAID INTO THE CROW VILLAGE. - - -Three days had passed since the “Crow-Killer” had arrived at the Indian -village. On the afternoon of the second he was joined by Dave, who had -ridden night as well as day from Fort Benton. - -The two scouts had taken up a position in a thicket, on one of the -hills overlooking the Crow village, and distant from it about a half a -mile. From their post they could see all that passed in the Indian town. - -From the strict watch kept around one of the lodges apart from the -rest in the northern section of the village, and from the fact that -the “White Vulture” seemed to be the only chief that visited it, the -“Crow-Killer” came to the conclusion that Leona was there confined. - -The Indians had celebrated their capture of the fur-wagons in their -usual manner, and it was evident that with the furs they had also -captured some “fire-water,” for half the braves were crazy drunk, and -several murderous affrays already had taken place between the drunken -savages. It had required all the efforts of the “White Vulture” and the -older chiefs to prevent a general fight taking place. - -“Well, Abe,” said Dave, as the evening of the third day drew on, “have -you devised any plan yet, so that we can penetrate into the village and -at least make an attempt to rescue my poor Leona?” - -“Go easy, Dave,” said the “Crow-Killer,” in his usual calm way; “I -ain’t a-goin’ only to attempt to rescue the little gal, but I’m a-goin’ -to do it--that is if Heaven is willin’, an’ I don’t know why it -shouldn’t be, when the object is so good. If you’ve noticed, the ‘White -Vulture,’ jist ’bout dusk, generally walks along past the lodge--where -I think the little gal is--an’ goes into the woods beyond it. I s’pose -he likes to get away from the rest of the drunken crowd. Now, my idea -is, we’ll leave this ambush, steal down an’ hide in the thicket jist -beyond the lone lodge; when the ‘White Vulture’ comes into the thicket, -we’ll jump upon, gag and bind him, taking care not to let him cry -out; then we’ll strip him of his toggery, an’ you put it on. You look -so much like him, now that he’s got the war-paint off, that with a -little red daubed on your face--an’ we’ll be apt to find that in his -pouch--none of the red devils will detect you. Then I’ll put on his -blanket, which will hide me, fix my face up a leetle, and we’ll walk -bold as can be, right into the camp. You shall walk right into the hut; -I’ll foller you; the braves at the door will take you for the ‘White -Vulture’ an’ they won’t say nary word. When he goes within the lodge, -I notice the guards always go away, and so we’ll have the coast clear. -We’ll not wait, but take the gal and break for our horses. The Crows -won’t be apt to discover that thar’s any thing wrong, for an hour or -two, an’ by that time we’ll be in the saddle, goin’ down the Missouri -like lightning, how’s that?” - -“Excellent!” cried Dave. “It can not fail!” - -“Don’t be too sure. I’ve seen the best laid plans fail; thar’s a good -deal in luck, arter all,” said the “Crow-Killer,” sagely. - -Cautiously the two left their ambush, and by a circuitous route, gained -the timber on the north of the village. - -A little path from the open glade, wherein the huts were located, -into the thicket, went some thirty or forty feet and there stopped, -as though the person or persons that made it had been in the habit of -going so far and no further. - -“You see,” said the “Crow-Killer,” pointing to the little path, “hyar’s -where he comes. All these big chiefs go away from the rest at times; -the other Injuns think that they go into the woods to talk with the -Great Spirit, but, that’s all humbug. Now, we’ll put ourselves jist -inside the thicket, an’ when he comes, we’ll jump for him. Now for a -gag.” Then the old hunter took a small piece of wood, tore a piece of -flannel from his shirt, and wound it round the wood, thus forming a -ball; then, with his knife he cut a long strip from the tail of his -hunting-shirt. “That will do to bind it in his mouth. Now for our -ambush.” - -Then the two men hid themselves carefully in the thicket--one on each -side of the little path. - -Just as the shades of night were descending over the Indian village, -the two guides in ambush heard the sound of approaching footsteps. - -A second more and the tall form of the “White Vulture” entered the -little thicket. - -Three steps he made within the wood; then, with the lightning dash of -the panther, the “Crow-Killer” sprung upon and bore him over backward -upon the earth, his broad hand clutching him by the throat and checking -his utterance; but the “White Vulture,” though taken by surprise and -unarmed, showed no disposition to cry for help. A moment he struggled -with his foe, but the iron weight of the “Crow-Killer” was upon him, -and then, after this brief effort, as if satisfied that resistance was -useless, he lay motionless and silent, while the two guides stripped -off his hunting-shirt--which was curiously trimmed with the fur of the -grizzly bear--and his leggins from him; the gag had been placed in -his mouth and firmly secured there; then they bound his arms and legs -together tightly with their belts. - -The warrior bore the treatment without resistance. - -The “Crow-Killer” wrapped himself in the blanket of the chief. Dave -put on the hunting-shirt and leggins. In the Indian’s pouch, as the -guide had anticipated, they found red paint, with which they stained -their faces, each acting as artist to decorate the other. - -Casting a final glance at the prostrate warrior, the two whites left -the little thicket and stalked toward the village. Dave had placed -the head-dress of the “White Vulture” upon his head, when he became a -perfect likeness of the Crow chief. - -On went Dave with a slow and stately step, followed by the -“Crow-Killer.” They reached the little isolated lodge. The braves, -mistaking Dave for the “White Vulture,” took but little notice of -him, and left their post as soon as he entered the little lodge. The -“Crow-Killer” quickly followed, as if by order of the chief. - -By the dim light of the fire that blazed fitfully in a corner of the -lodge, Dave discerned a female figure reclining on a low couch of -bear-skins; the face was hidden by the hands, but the red-gold locks, -that hung down over her shoulders, told who the female was. - -She raised her head, hearing his approach; and beholding, as she -thought, the hated painted face of the “White Vulture,” she shrunk from -him. - -“Leona, do not scream!” said Dave, in a voice tremulous with emotion. - -She did not scream, but murmured, “Saved--saved!” - -“Yes, if human aid can save you,” said Dave, earnestly, pressing her to -his breast. - -“Come,” commanded the “Crow-Killer”; “no time to lose.” - -No time indeed! for an Indian whoop rung out on the still air. Dave -started, and Leona clung tighter to the breast of her lover. - -Then there was a rush of footsteps by the lodge. - -“Shall we venture?” said Dave. - -“We mought as well,” replied Abe. - -Then again came another prolonged whoop, this time answered by a dozen -others, seemingly in rage. - -“By ginger!” and the “Crow-Killer” started in astonishment, “the ‘White -Vulture’!” - -“Impossible!” cried Dave; “he could not have got the gag out of his -mouth. Let us make the attempt to escape at once.” - -“All right,” replied Abe; “come on.” As he lifted the skin, another -series of war-whoops, coming from the north, from the direction of the -little thicket where they had left the “White Vulture,” caused him to -pause. - -“What is the matter?” asked Dave, in alarm. - -“Matter enough!” said the “Crow-Killer,” earnestly. “The path between -us an’ the thicket is filled with the red-skins.” - -“Do you think they have discovered the ‘White Vulture’?” cried Dave. - -“I don’t know,” replied Abe, despondingly, “but I’m afeard they have.” - -“Oh, Dave!” cried Leona, clinging to her lover, “will they separate us? -Oh, I would rather die than lose you!” - -“Hope for the best, Leona,” said Dave, softly, yet in a voice tremulous -with emotion. - -“Do you think we can escape?” she asked, looking up into the guide’s -face with those large blue eyes, so beautiful, so full of love and -trust. - -“I don’t know,” said Dave, sadly, “Heaven alone knows. We’ll do the -best we can; but, if the red-skins have discovered us, I’m afraid that -nothing on earth can save us.” - -The “Crow-Killer” had been listening anxiously at the door of the -lodge. The war-whoops had ceased, and a dead silence reigned in the -Indian camp. - -“Well, Abe?” questioned Dave. - -“I don’t hear any thing more,” said Abe. “After all, maybe it was only -some of the Injuns in one of their drunken sprees; but what they were -doing up hyar, beyond the lodge, puzzles me. At present they’re right -between us an’ the wood; so we can’t stir without running into their -clutches.” - -Just then another chorus of yells rung out on the air; the Indians were -apparently approaching the lodge, as the yells were getting nearer and -nearer every moment. - -“Dave!” cried the “Crow-Killer,” “I’m afeard we’re gone up; the Injuns -are coming nearer every moment.” - -“Can we not fight our way through them?” cried the young guide, in -desperation. - -“Nary chance for that,” and the “Crow-Killer” shook his head sagely. -“If we are discovered, better not make any resistance; we shall only -enrage ’em without doing us any good. If we fight ’em, we’re sure -to be overpowered, ’cos they’re a hundred to one; they’ll only kill -us outright; while, if we submit, they’ll shut us up as prisoners, -till they get ready to torture us, and we then stand some chance of -escaping. Just think, Dave, you an’ I dead, what will become of the -little gal?” - -Then came on the night-air the sound of hurried footsteps, approaching -closer and closer. - -“They’re coming!” cried the “Crow-Killer.” “I’m afeard, Dave, that it’s -all up with us; the devils seem to be heading right for the lodge.” - -“Can we not cut a hole and escape through the back of the lodge?” said -Dave, eagerly. - -“That’s jist what I were a thinking ’bout; but the cussed red-skins -seem to be all around us. I guess we mought as well keep quiet awhile, -’cos they may not be after us, arter all--thar’s no tellin’. Maybe it’s -only some of the drunken Injuns.” - -But, as if to give the lie to the hunter’s words, the Indian war-whoop -rung around the lodge, showing it to be completely surrounded by the -Crow warriors; then came the sound of many footsteps approaching the -door of the wigwam. The “Crow-Killer” stepped back a few paces, folded -his arms and waited for the entrance of the foe. - -Dave was in despair; he had dared every thing to save the girl he -loved, and now, at the very moment of success, after penetrating to -the Indian village--after gaining access to the prison of the captive -girl--to be baffled by the red-skins was terrible. Oh, how he wished -for a giant’s strength to crush the yelling red demons that surrounded -him! But, no avenue of escape was open; resistance was useless; fate -was against and had crushed him. - -A few minutes the scouts waited in breathless suspense; they could hear -the footsteps of the Indians as they moved around the lodge, but as yet -they had not attempted to enter. - -“The red sarpints are mighty afeard, I should think, if they have -discovered us, not to come an’ go for us,” said Abe, listening to the -sounds without. - -“Pray Heaven!” exclaimed Dave, “that they do not suspect that we are -here.” - -“Wal, if they don’t know that we are hyar, I would like to know what in -thunder they’re cavorting round hyar for.” - -Another torrent of yells broke forth upon the air. - -Leona clung tighter to her lover’s breast. - -“Oh, they will kill you,” cried the poor girl, more eager for her -lover’s safety than for her own. - -“We must all die some time, Leona,” said Dave, sadly, imprinting a -farewell kiss upon her lips, now colorless with dread. - -Again the yells echoed around the lodge and footsteps approached the -door. - -“They’re comin’, sart’in,” said the “Crow-Killer,” coolly. - -Then the skin that served as a door was torn away, and the tall form of -the “White Vulture” stalked into the lodge, followed by the Crow braves. - -As the hunter had thought, the “White Vulture” had contrived to slip -the gag from his mouth, and it was his war-whoop summoning the Crows to -his assistance that had first startled the guides. - -The “White Vulture” surveyed the scene before him for a few moments in -silence. - -The guides, on their part, spoke not. The “Crow-Killer” stood, with -folded arms, and looked upon his foes, while Dave supported the slight -form of Leona. - -“The ‘Crow-Killer’ is a great warrior, to dare to come into the lodges -of his foes,” said the “White Vulture.” “The Great Spirit has given him -into the hands of the Crow nation, and he shall die like a chief.” - -Then, at a motion from the “White Vulture,” the Indians proceeded -to bind Dave and the “Crow-Killer,” who submitted without -resistance--which would, indeed, have been hopeless. Leona, almost -fainting, was taken from Dave’s side, and then the two whites were -removed to another lodge, near the center of the village, and placed -under a strong guard. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -“THUNDER-CLOUD’S” REVELATION. - - -“Wal, we’re in for it,” said the “Crow-Killer,” philosophically. “But, -if they will only give us time, we may trick ’em yet,” he said. - -“Yes, but they will not give us time; they are too afraid of us to -linger in their vengeance.” - -“You’re right, Dave; I expect they’ll settle our hash in short order. -Wal, I’ve been fighting the Crows ’bout twenty years now; I’ve shed the -life’s blood of many a Crow chief, and they can only take my life in -return; so the odds are on my side,” said the “Crow-Killer.” - -At that moment the old chief, the “Thunder-Cloud,” followed by two -other warriors entered the lodge. - -“Take the young brave to the lodge of the ‘Thunder-Cloud.’” The Indians -assisted Dave to rise from the skin-couch upon which he had been placed. - -“Let the ‘Crow-Killer’ open his ears and hear the words of the Crow -chief,” continued the old brave. - -The two Indians conducted Dave from the lodge, through the village, to -the hut of “Thunder-Cloud.” Just at the entrance, the party was met by -the “White Vulture,” who looked at the warriors in astonishment. - -“Who has dared to take the pale-face from the lodge where the ‘White -Vulture’ placed him?” questioned the chief, angrily. - -“The ‘Thunder-Cloud’ would talk with the ‘Crow-Killer’ alone,” -responded one of the Indians; “he has a secret to tell the pale-face -that will make the great chief howl like a dog.” - -“It is well; the ‘Thunder-Cloud’ is a great chief; let my brothers go -on,” replied the “White Vulture” as he walked away. The Indians placed -Dave in the lodge and left him to solitude and the bitterness of his -own reflections. - -The “White Vulture” walked slowly through the village, paused at the -hut wherein was confined the “Crow-Killer”--listened for a moment at -the door, and then as if hearing something to excite his curiosity, he -noiselessly stole round to the back of the lodge, extended himself upon -the ground and listened to the conversation going on within. - -After the Indians had departed with Dave, the “Thunder-Cloud” gazed -with a look of curiosity upon the massive form of the great enemy of -his nation--the famous “Crow-Killer”--as he lay extended on the bed of -bear-skins. - -The hunter’s face was stoically indifferent as he gazed upon the old -chief. - -After a long silence, the old chief stirred up the little fire burning -within the lodge, which threw a glimmering, uncertain light around. - -“The ‘Crow-Killer’ is a great chief,” said the old warrior, breaking -the silence. - -“What does the ‘Thunder-Cloud’ want with the ‘Crow-Killer’?” asked the -guide, speaking in the Crow tongue. - -“Many braves of the Crow nation have been sent to the happy -hunting-grounds by the knife and the bullet of the ‘Crow-Killer.’” - -“The ‘Thunder-Cloud’ speaks truth,” replied Abe. “I’ve done for enough -Crows to keep the race on short allowance for braves.” - -“The ‘Crow-Killer’ is a great warrior; he steals like a snake into -the lodges of the Crows and he overcomes the great chief, the ‘White -Vulture,’ in single fight; the blood of the Crow braves is red upon his -hands; their spirits cry from the white clouds for vengeance. It is -good; the chiefs of the Crows listen; their ears are open, they hear -the wail of their slaughtered brothers; the ‘Crow-Killer’ is a great -chief, he will die before the sun comes over the big river.” - -“The chief speaks with a straight tongue; the ‘Crow-Killer’ has done -all that the chief has said; he is a great warrior and the Crows are -dogs that howl and run before him; no Crow chief dares to meet the -‘Crow-Killer’ in single fight. He has slain every Crow warrior that -has faced him. The ‘Thunder-Cloud’ had a brother; that brother, the -‘Rolling Cloud,’ fell by the knife of the ‘Crow-Killer’; he stole -away the singing bird of the Crows, and the ‘Little Star’ sung many -moons in the wigwam of the white chief. The ‘Crow-Killer’ does not -fear death; he is not a dog to howl with fear; he will be tied to the -torture-stake and he will laugh at the Crow warriors that run from him -when he is free and dance around him when he is tied. The Crows are -dogs and the ‘Crow-Killer’ spits upon them!” - -The veins upon the forehead of the Indian swelled purple with rage, as -he listened to the taunts of the demon of his race--taunts hurled at -him in his own tongue. At last, the Warrior found his voice: - -“The ‘Crow-Killer’ talks big; let him open his ears and the -‘Thunder-Cloud’ will speak words that will make him howl like a dog. -The ‘Crow-Killer’ will not die like a chief at the torture-stake; -he will die here in the wigwam of the Crow--die by the knife of the -‘Thunder-Cloud’; but, before the red chief strikes the pale-face, he -shall listen to words that kill.” - -The “Thunder-Cloud” approached nearer to the “Crow-Killer,” and then, -with a glance of deadly hatred, he spoke again: - -“The ‘Crow-Killer’ has said that he stole away the ‘Little Star’ and -that she sung many moons in his wigwam by the big river. The white -chief speaks truth. He did steal the singing bird of the Crow nation; -she sung in his lodge, and when the ice in the big river melted, the -‘Little Star’ gave the ‘Crow-Killer’ two young braves. The white chief -was proud of his pappooses, but the Crows had not forgotten the singing -bird, and when the leaves and grass began to die, the ‘Thunder-Cloud’ -led the warriors of the Crows to the big river to the lodge of the -‘Crow-Killer’ and took his squaw and his two pappooses. Then they -traveled to the Crow villages, but when all was dark they halted by the -bank of the big river; there the Blackfeet surprised the Crow camp; the -Crow braves fought like the white bear, but the Blackfeet were like the -blades of grass on the prairie and took the ‘Little Star’ and the two -pappooses of the ‘Crow-Killer’; but the blue-coated white braves came -upon the Blackfeet and took their scalps. Then the Blackfeet warriors, -flying with the ‘Little Star’ and the pappooses, were set upon by the -Crow braves, who again took the ‘Little Star’ and the young braves -but, after the fight, one of the pappooses was gone.” The old hunter -started in astonishment. - -“Either the Blackfeet braves or the blue-coated whites had taken one -of the pappooses, but the Crows had the ‘Little Star’ and the other -pappoose. They carried them to their lodges by the big mountains. -The ‘Little Star’ would not marry the ‘Rolling Cloud,’ and she was -killed by the Crow nation; but the young pappoose--the pappoose of the -‘Crow-Killer’ and the ‘Little Star’--was reared and made a warrior of -by the Crows. He is now the ‘great fighting-man of the Crow nation.’ -Does the ‘Crow-Killer’ understand? the ‘White Vulture’ is his son! -That son, to-night, has given him into the hands of the Crows. The -‘Crow-Killer’ has killed many a young warrior of the Crow nation, but -the red chiefs will be avenged, for the ‘Crow-Killer’ will die and know -that his son is a great Chief of the Crow nation, and that son hates -and will kill the whites. Has my brother heard?” - -And the old chief looked down upon the guide with a glance of triumph. -Busy thoughts were in the mind of the ‘Crow-Killer.’ He replied not to -the Crow, and looked at him with an expression of contempt. - -“My brother is silent. Have the words of the ‘Thunder-Cloud’ taken away -his tongue? Let the ‘Crow-Killer’ listen again. When the light comes -over the big river, the ‘Thunder-Cloud’ will come back, and the knife -of the Crow chief will drink the blood of the ‘Crow-Killer.’ The chief -has said; it is good.” Saying which, the Indian stalked from the lodge. - -In a few minutes Dave was brought back by the two guards, and again -placed within the hut; then the Indians withdrew and laid themselves -down before the door. - -The “Crow-Killer” repeated the story of the “Thunder-Cloud” to Dave; -the mystery of the birth of the young guide was all made plain, as well -as the wonderful resemblance between him and the “White Vulture”; they -were brothers! - -“Wal, it’s fate,” finally exclaimed Abe; “I don’t rebel ag’in’ it. -I confess, though, I’d like to have a chance to tell the Crows what -I think about ’em afore I die. It kinder makes me feel proud to -think, too, that a son of mine is their great chief. Blood will tell; -the white blood, my blood, has made him what he is--the biggest -fighting-man in all the Crow nation.” - -“We have not many hours before us,” said Dave. - -“No, our time is ’bout up; the old chief don’t dare to let us die in -public, now that we know this secret. He’ll probably send the Indians -that guard the lodge away on some pretense, an’ then quietly finish us.” - -And so we’ll leave the two guides to their reflections and return to -Leona. The poor girl was in despair; she thought to herself that she -alone was to blame for the danger of her lover, for, if it had not been -for her, he would never have come, and would have escaped the certain -death that now awaited him. - -“Oh!” she cried, in agony, “why did I ever see him--why should I cost -him his life?” - -Some time had passed since the Indians had removed the two guides from -the lodge; she dreaded every moment lest she should hear the sounds -that would announce to her the death of her lover; but, the Indian -village was still as death. - -Suddenly the poor girl heard the sound of footsteps approaching the -lodge; ’twas but a single man; the skin of the doorway was presently -pushed aside, and the tall form of the “White Vulture” stood before the -helpless maid. In terror she gazed upon the Indian; by the dim light -of the flickering fire she could distinguish his features, now utterly -divested of paint, and for the first time she noticed the wonderful -resemblance that the Indian chief bore to her lover. - -“Why does the Singing Bird weep?” asked the “White Vulture,” in soft -tones, and speaking English plainly, and with a very slight Indian -accent. - -“Because I am unhappy,” truthfully answered the maiden. - -“Why? No harm shall come to the white squaw.” - -Leona shook her head sorrowfully, as if in doubt. - -“The wigwam of the ‘White Vulture’ is empty; will not the white bird -come and sing in the lodge of the Crow chief?” - -“What, I?” For the first time Leona guessed the fate that was intended -for her, and her heart sunk within her at the very thought. - -“Yes, you! The ‘White Vulture’ is a great chief of the Crow nation; he -loves the Singing Bird of the whites; he would take her to his wigwam; -she shall not work like the red squaws: she shall be the Singing Bird -of the greatest chief in the Crow nation. Will the white squaw come?” - -“No! no! I can not!” cried Leona, looking pleadingly into the face of -the “White Vulture.” - -“The Singing Bird loves another?” asked the “White Vulture,” in his -calm, clear tones. - -“Yes,” replied Leona. - -“Is the Singing Bird sure that she loves another?” continued the chief. - -“Yes, I am sure,” said Leona, wonderingly. - -“The white squaw loves the young guide who looks like the red chief, -and is a prisoner in the village of the Crows?” - -“Yes,” answered Leona, mournfully but firmly. - -“It is good; does the white hunter love the Singing Bird?” said the -chief. - -“Yes, loves her as his life.” - -“Does the white squaw know that the young hunter will die by the hands -of the Crows before the sun rises over the big river?” - -Leona hid her face in her hands, sobbing. - -“The Singing Bird says she loves the white hunter; if she loves him, -will she save him from death?” - -Leona, through her tears, gazed in astonishment up at the stolid -features of the Indian. - -“I save him? How?” she cried. - -“The white hunter’s life belongs to the ‘White Vulture.’ If the ‘White -Vulture’ says ‘Go free,’ no warrior in the Crow nation will dare say -‘No.’ If the Singing Bird will promise to come and sing in the lodge of -the ‘White Vulture,’ the white hunter shall return to his people.” And -the Indian bent his full, dark eyes upon her as he spoke. - -A few moments Leona hesitated; she could save her lover’s life by -sacrificing her own, for she knew full well that death would soon claim -her as his own should she remain in the wilderness. Her lover had -risked his life and was now to fall a sacrifice in endeavoring to save -her; she could save him, and as she loved him better than she did her -own life, she resolved upon her own sacrifice. - -“Set him free and I promise to do whatever you will.” - -“The Singing Bird is wise,” responded the “White Vulture,” in the same -calm tone as before; no trace of feeling could be discerned upon his -face. “Let the Singing Bird follow me.” - -Then from the Indian lodge went the “White Vulture,” and Leona followed -him. - -The chief led the way through the village, which seemed deserted, as -it really was--as all the braves, with the exception of the two who -watched the lodge wherein the whites were confined, were assembled at a -grand council at the upper end of the tillage. - -The chief, passing the lodges, reached the little thicket where the -“Crow-Killer” and Dave had captured him a few hours before. - -“The Singing Bird will wait for the chief’s return and not stir?” -questioned the “White Vulture.” - -“Yes,” replied Leona, now passive in her agony. - -“It is good--wait!” responded the chief. - -Then the “White Vulture” left the girl, walked back through the -village and halted at the door of the lodge wherein were confined the -two guides. The two braves on watch at the entrance drew off to a -respectful distance as the chief entered the hut. - -The two hunters, by the dim light thrown from the fire, could discern -who their visitor was, and they exchanged a glance of meaning as the -elder looked upon his son and the younger hunter upon his brother. - -Noiselessly and without a word the “White Vulture” drew his keen-edged -scalping-knife, stepped across the lodge and slit the skins that -formed the back of the lodge so as to make a passage through them; -then passing through, he beckoned the hunters to follow. Their hands -alone were bound; they obeyed the gesture in wonder. The “White -Vulture” cautiously led the way back of the lodges to the outskirts of -the village to the little thicket; there he halted and brought Leona -forth from the wood; with a cry of joy she rushed to her lover’s side, -clinging to him in a passionate frenzy. - -“The Singing Bird has saved the life of the white hunter by consenting -to sing in the lodge of the ‘White Vulture.’” - -“Never!” cried Dave. “I will not accept life on such conditions!” - -The “Crow-Killer” regarded the “White Vulture” with a puzzled look. - -Without a word, the Indian chief removed the thongs that bound the arms -of the whites. - -“The ‘White Vulture’ is the great fighting-man of the Crow nation; he -has heard the words of the ‘Thunder-Cloud’--his ears were open; father! -brother!” and as he spoke he clasped them by the hand. “‘Little Star’ -looks down from the happy hunting-grounds upon her son. See!” and he -led the way, followed by all, to one side of the thicket where stood -three horses. “Mount and ride for the Big Fort. The ‘White Vulture’ -will die a Crow, but he will never more shed the blood of the whites. -Will my father, my brother, think of the chief sometimes, and will the -Singing Bird, when she sings in the happy wigwam of my brother, think -of the ‘White Vulture’ who is desolate and alone? Away! Ride fast, for -the Crow braves must not know that I have saved my father, my brother, -and the Singing Bird.” - -Soon all were mounted, and walking their horses at first, till they got -beyond ear-shot of the village, they then pushed the animals to their -utmost speed, taking the hiding-place of the “Crow-Killer’s” roan mare -and Dave’s horse on their way. - -The “White Vulture” watched them until they disappeared in the -distance; then he turned and retraced his steps through the village, -entered the lodge by the slit he had cut in the rear, and then went out -through the door, passing the two braves, who still kept watch. - -When the “Thunder-Cloud” entered the lodge to execute his vengeance -upon the hunters, he found, to his astonishment, that they had -disappeared! - -A terrible commotion was the result of this, and hot chase was given, -but it was a useless chase, and the Crows believe to this day that the -“Crow-Killer” was aided by some evil power in his escape. - - -Abe, Dave and Leona reached Fort Benton in safety, and then proceeded -to Spur City, where young Dick Hickman was made to disgorge the -property that he had taken possession of as his father’s heir. - -Leona and Dave were married; true love met its reward. - -The “Crow-Killer” still continues to act as guide, but his account with -the Crow nation is closed, and he no longer fights Indians, except in -self-defense. - -The “White Vulture” became the chief of all the Crow nation, and -the terror of all the surrounding tribes. All recognized him as the -greatest fighting-man of the north-west. He died as became a great -chief, during a raid into the Blackfoot country, at the close of a -bloody fight, in which, as usual, he had seemed to bear a charmed life. -The victory was with the Crows, and the Blackfeet were scattering, -routed, through the timber, when the “White Vulture” suddenly fell -from his saddle. Examination showed a bullet, shot from the rear, -passing through the head: the chief had been shot by one of his own -nation--a relative, doubtless, of the “Black Dog” chief, that had died -by the hand of the “White Vulture” on the banks of the Yellowstone. -Sorrowfully the Crows bore home the body of the great fighting-man of -the Crow nation. - - -THE END. - - - - -A MARVEL OF BEAUTY! - -_A New Series by the New Art!_ - -THE ILLUMINATED DIME POCKET NOVELS! - -_Comprising the best works only of the most popular living writers -in the field of American Romance. Each issue a complete novel, with -illuminated cover, rivaling in effect the popular chromo_, - -And yet Sold at the Standard Price--Ten Cents! - -_Incomparably the most beautiful and attractive series of books, and -the most delightful reading, ever presented to the popular reading -public._ - -_Distancing all rivalry, equally in the beauty of the books and their -intrinsic excellence as romances, this new series will quickly take the -lead in public favor, and be regarded as the Paragon Novels!_ - - -NOW READY, AND IN PRESS. - - +No. 1--Hawkeye Harry, the Young Trapper Ranger.+ By Oll Coomes. - Now ready. - - +No. 2--Dead Shot; or, the White Vulture.+ A Romance of the - Yellowstone. By Albert W. Aiken. Ready - - +No. 3--The Boy Miners; or, the Enchanted Island.+ A Tale of the - Mohave Country. By Edward S. Ellis. Ready Aug. 1st. - - +No. 4--Blue Dick; or, the Yellow Chief’s Vengeance.+ A Romance of - the Rocky Mountains. By Captain Mayne Reid. Ready Aug. 15th. - -For sale by all newsdealers; or sent, _post-paid_, to any address on -receipt of price--_ten cents_ each. - - -BEADLE AND ADAMS, Publishers, -98 William Street, New York. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEAD SHOT *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where - you are located before using this eBook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that: - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without -widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |