The Yellow Chief Part 14

"Only one half o' ye fire at a time," continued 'Lije. "You fellurs on the left shoot first. Let the tothers resarve for the second volley.

'Twon't do to waste two bullets on the same redskin. Leave Yellow Chief to me. I hev got a ole score to settle wi' that Injun."

With these precautions, communicated from left to right, the trappers once more advanced--no longer as skirmishers, but in line, and as near to one another as the inequality of the ground would permit.

They could now hear the voice of a man, who talked loudly and in a tone of authority. They could even make out some of the words, for they were in Englis.h.!.+

This gave them a surprise; but they had scarce time to think of it, when there arose a chorus of cries, uttered in quick sharp intonation, that told of some unusual occurrence. Among these were the screams of women.

At the same instant the trampling of hoofs resounded along the rocks, as if a horse was going off at a gallop over the hard turf of the prairie.

Then succeeded another chorus of yells--a confused din--and soon after the pattering of many hoofs, as of a whole troop of horses following the first.

The sound, reaching the ears of the trappers, carried their eyes out toward the plain; where they beheld a sight that caused one and all of them wild throbbings of the heart. Upon the prairie, just clearing the scarped edge of the cliff, was a woman on horseback. At a glance they could tell it was a young girl; but as her back was toward them, they could see neither face nor features. She was in a lady's saddle; and urging her horse onward as if riding for life--her skirt and hair streaming loosely behind her.

There was one among them that knew who she was. The quick instinct of love told Edward O'Neil well the fugitive upon horseback was Clara Blackadder. His instincts were aided by remembrance. That magnificent head of hair, black as the plumage of a raven, was well remembered by him. It had often been before his fancy in a lone bivouac--at night entwining itself with his dreams.

"O Heavens!" he exclaimed, "it is Clara herself!"

"Yur right, Ned," responded 'Lije, gazing intently after her. "Darned ef it ain't her, that very gurl! She's a-tryin' to git away from 'em.

See! thar goes the hul o' the Injuns arter her, gallopin' like h--!"

As Orton spoke, the pursuers began to appear, one after another pa.s.sing outside the cliff-line--urging their horses onward with blows and loud vociferations.

Several of the trappers raised their rifles to the level, and seemed calculating the distance.

"For yur lives, don't shoot!" cautioned 'Lije, speaking in a constrained voice, and making himself better understood by a wave of the hand. "It kin do ne'er a good now, but only spile all. Let 'em go off. Ef the gurl gits clur, we'll soon track her up. Ef she don't, they're boun' to bring her back, an' then we kin settle wi' 'em. I reck'n they're not all arter her. Theer's some o' the skunks still below. Let's jest see to them; an' then we kin lay out our plans for them's have rid out in the purshoot."

'Lije's counsel was unanimously accepted, and the gun-barrels brought down again.

"Lie clost hyur," he again counselled, "while some o' us steal forard an' reconnoitre. Harry, s'pose you k.u.m 'longs wi' me?"

His purpose was understood by Black Harris, who instantly volunteered to accompany the old trapper--his senior in years, and his equal in rank among the "mountain men."

"Now, boys!" muttered 'Lije on leaving them, "lie close as I've tolt you, and ne'er a word out o' one o' ye till we git back."

So saying, he crept forward, Black Harris by his side--the two going on hands and knees, and with as much caution as if they had been approaching a herd of antelopes.

The glance of the others did not follow them. All eyes were turned downward to the prairie; watching the pursuit, now far off and still going farther across the open plain.

But no one watched with such anxiety as O'Neil. It absorbed his whole soul, like some pent-up agony. His very breathing seemed suspended, as he crouched behind the dwarf cedar-tree, calculating the distance between pursuers and pursued. How he regretted having left his horse behind him! What would he not have given at that moment to be on the back of his brave steed, and galloping to the rescue of his beloved!

Perhaps his suffering would have been still more acute, but for the words just spoken by his old comrade. The girl would either get off, or be brought back; and either way there was hope of saving her. With this thought to console him, he witnessed the spectacle of the pursuit with more equanimity. So, watching it with eager eyes, he awaited the result of the reconnoissance.

Crouching slowly and cautiously along, Orton and Harris at length reached the edge of the cliff, and looked down into the valley below. A glance enabled them to comprehend the situation. It was just as they had conjectured. The white and negro captives seen in separate groups, guarded by something less than a moiety of the Indian band, and these reeling over the ground half intoxicated.

"They'll be a eezy capter now," said 'Lije, "and we must capter 'em.

Arter that, we kin kill 'em 'ithout much noise."

"Why not bring up the rest, and shoot 'em whar they stand? We can rub out every redskin of 'em at a single volley."

"Sartin we could; but don't ye see, old hoss, that 'ud niver do. Ye forget the gurl; an she are the only one 'o the hul lot wuth savin', I reckin; the only one I'd give a darn to waste powder for. Ef we wur to fire a shot, the purshooers out yonner 'ud be surtin to hear it, and then good-bye to the gurl--that is, if they git their claws on her agin."

"I see what you mean; an you're right. We must bag this lot below, without makin a rumpus; then we can set our traps for the others."

"Jess so, Harry."

"How are we to do it, think ye, 'Lije? We'll have to go back to whar we left our horses, and ride round by the open eend of the valley. That way we'll have them shut up like sheep in a pen."

"No, Harry; we han't time to go back for the anymals. Afore we ked git roun' thar, the purshooers mout catch the gurl and be comin' back. Then it 'ud be no go. I bethinks me o' a better way."

Black Harris waited to hear what it was.

"I know a pa.s.s," continued 'Lije, "by the which we may git down wi' a leetle streetchin' o' the arms. If we kin only reech bottom afore they sees us, we'll make short work o' 'em. But we must be cunnin' beout it.

Ef but a one o' the skunks hev the chance to eescape, the gurl'll be lost sure. Thar aint a second o' time to be wasted. Let's back to the boys, an at oncest down inter the gully."

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

SETTING A STRANGE SCENE.

Retreating from the edge of the cliff with the same caution as they had approached it, the two mountain men rejoined their companions in ambush.

'Lije, after making known his design, led them toward the pa.s.s of which he had spoken--a sloping ravine, the same up which Snively had made his vain attempt at escaping.

Screened by the scrub-cedars, the trapper party succeeded in descending it, without being perceived either by the Indians below, or the captives over whom these were keeping but careless watch.

Their sudden appearance upon the plain was a surprise to both: to the latter a joyful sight; to the former a terrible apparition--for they saw in it the quick harbinger of death.

Not a shot was fired by the a.s.sailants. On the moment of their feet touching the plain, they flung aside their guns; and, drawing daggers and knives, went at the Indian sentinels, in a hurried but silent slaughter.

There was grappling, struggling, and shouts; but the attacking party outnumbered those attacked; and in less than ten minutes' time the shouting ceased--since there was not a living Indian upon the ground to continue it. Instead was the green meadow sward strewn with dead bodies, every one of them showing a bronze-coloured skin, horribly enamelled with gashes or gouts of crimson blood!

The captives were in raptures of joy. They saw that their rescue was complete. The whites, both men and women, sprang to their feet, and struggled with their fastenings--wis.h.i.+ng to have their arms free in order to embrace their preservers; while the negroes, none of whom were bound, came pouring forth out of the _cul-de-sac_, where they had been hitherto penned up, uttering frenzied shouts.

"Keep yur groun' an' stop yur durned shoutin'!" cried 'Lije, with a gesture waving them back. "Don't one 'o ye stir out o' yur places.

Back, back, I say! Stay as ye wur, till we gie ye the word. An' you alser," he continued, running to the other side and checking the forward movement of the whites, "hunker down jest as ye did afore. We haint finished this show bizness yit. Thar's another scene o' it to k.u.m."

Both negroes and whites were a little surprised, at being thus restrained from the full ebullition of their joy. But the earnest tone of the old trapper, sustained as it was by the gestures of his companions, had its effect upon them; and all at once cowered back into their original position. What was the intention they could not guess; but, released from the agony of fear, they were willing to wait for it with patience.

They soon beheld a spectacle, so strange as almost to restore them to terrified thought. They saw the dead bodies of the Indians raised from their rec.u.mbent position; set up beside their long spears, that had been previously planted in the ground; and lashed to these in such a manner as to sustain them in an erect att.i.tude. There were distributed here and there over the sward, most of them close to the captives, as if still keeping guard over them! Those not so disposed of were dragged off, and hidden away behind the large boulders of rock that lay along the base of the cliff.

"Now!" thundered the old trapper, addressing his speech to the captives, white as well as black, "ef one o' ye stir from the spot ye're in, or venturs to show sign o' anythin' thet's tuk place, till ye git the word from me, ye'll hev a rifle bullet sent plum through ye. The gurl hez got to be rescooed 'ithout harm done to her; an' I reck'n she's wuth more than the hul o' ye thegither. Thar's but one way o' savin' her, an' thet's by yur keepin' yur heads shet up, an' yur karkidges 'ithout stirrin' as much as a finger. So don't make neery movement, ef ye vally yur preecious lives. Ye unnerstan' me?"

The captives were too much controlled to make rejoinder; but they saw, by the earnestness of the old trapper, that his commands were to be obeyed; and silently resolved to obey them.

After delivering the speech, 'Lije turned toward his trapper companions--all of whom knew what was meant; and who, without waiting word or sign, rushed toward their rifles--still lying on the ground.

In a few seconds they had regained them; and, in less than five minutes after, not a trapper was to be seen about the place. They had disappeared as suddenly as sprites in a pantomime; and the little valley seemed suddenly restored to the state in which it had been left, when the pursuers of Clara Blackadder swept out of it. Any one glancing into it at that moment could have had no other thought, than that it contained the captives of an emigrant train, with their Indian captors keeping guard over them.