waterfalls.
Through all these trails, the Indian insisted not only silence should
be strictly observed, but also the greatest haste. At first they thought
he did this in order to finish the contract the sooner, but they had yet
to discover that his reason was the more alarming. They had been
traveling fast for many miles down a turbulent river, when the Indian
suddenly made for the shore. Above them hung a gaunt bare rock, which
their guide climbed rapidly as soon as he had seen the canoe made fast.
Syn and Mipps watched him, as his half-naked body squirmed its way t o
the top. He did not look over the crest of the crag, but lay still as
though listening, but as Mipps whispered to his master, “What Pussy
expects to hear with the noise of this damned trout-stream booming” was
beyond their ken. Presently he came down cau tiously, now and then
stopping to remove the marks of his own feet. It was obvious to the
others that this particular sport in the wilderness was known in every
detail by “Mountain Cat”, for no sooner had he rejoined them, than he
speedily unpacked the contents of the canoe and deposited them in a
hole, which he covered with dried leaves. He then pointed to a large
tree whose low branches interlaced with those of its neighbors. To the
base of this tree, he carried the empty canoe, which he leaned end up
against the trunk. Then, grasping the mooring-rope, he climbed to the
first branches and then up to the second. The thickness of the leaves
now hid him completely from night. The rope went tight, and the canoe,
swinging clear of the trunk, began to ascend aft er him. Syn and Mipps
hastened to ease the weight of it till it was pulled too high for their
reach.
“What does he want to go sailing in the tree -tops for?” whispered
Mipps.
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“No doubt he has sensed unfriendly Indians,” replied Syn.
In a minute or so he had dropped once more to the ground, and
indicating with a stick the surest notches on the surface of the trunk
for hands and feet, indicated that they should climb it.
Up went Syn and Mipps, to find the canoe safely cradled across th ree
stout branches, which formed the most admirable dry dock. Indeed, so
secure was its position, that the companions took their customary seats
and waited. The Indian meantime busied himself by covering up the tracks
which their trampling had caused from the river to the tree. Then he
climbed the tree once more, and as though it was the most ordinary thing
to do, sat himself solemnly in the canoe with the others, where he
continued to sit with a warning finger to his mouth, commanding silence.
Syn and M ipps could hear nothing but the tumbling waters of the
river, whose music they were forced to listen to for some half-hour. It
was characteristic of Syn that even in this extremely odd and obviously
dangerous situation, he did not waste time. He produced a volume from
his pocket which had been given to him by the compiler, a mission parson
in Albany, who had done much preaching to the Indians. This book
contained a treatise upon the manners of speech employed by the Red
tribes, with a dictionary of all the useful words and phrases. Since
this worthy cleric had collected his material from amongst the
Adirondack Indians, it was likely to be of greater service to Doctor
Syn, who was now sitting up a tree in that very territory, as he had
learned from “Mountain Cat.”
Mipps spent his time in watching first his master and then the
Indian, who sat with eyes closed in mediation, but still holding his
finger to his lips. After a while the comically of thus sitting in a
boat up a tree overcame the control of his sense of humour. Attracting
his master’s attention he traced out invisible capital letters upon the
floor of the canoe, while tears of suppressed laughter ran down his
cheeks. Syn smiled too, for the little pirate had written, after jerking
his head towards the Indian, “Hush-a-by, Baby, on the tree-top.”
Sensing the movement of the canoe which Mipps caused at his writing
and shaking through silent giggles, the Indian, without opening his
eyes, pointed first towards the rock, and then straight down beneath
them. Through tiny peepholes in the thick foliage they looked. Upon the
highest crag of the rock, and silhouetted magnificently against the sky,
stood a feathered and war-painted Brave, shading his eyes against the
sun, and signaling with his murderous tomahawk to those beneath him.
These were in two files, one skirting the base of the rock and trotting
one behind the other, while the second file were passing close by the
very tree which concealed the canoe. This lot halted for some minutes as
though awaiting an order from the scouting Brave, and the three men, in
the tree, trembled lest one of them should discover their property
beneath the heap of leaves. Fortunately they were too intent upon
watching their leader, and presently they moved out of sight as silently
and as quickly as they had appeared.
Their guide explained that these warriors were from beyond the
mountains, and were no doubt out after scalps from an enemy village in
the next valley. Till the battle was over, it would not be safe
to leave their retreat, he said, so he climbed down and
collected food and drink from their covered hole.
Presently above the voice of the river, they heard the warcries and a mighty whooping and screaming, which continued
presistently throughout the day. The Indian said it must have
been a hard-fought
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fight, but could not judge which side had been the victors. At last the
sun went down behind the mountains. The twilight was short, and dusk
quickly gave place to a black night. “Mountain Cat” then decided to spy
out the situation and to see whether or not it would be safe to continue
on the trail. He would be back, he said, within the hour, and enjoined
the Englishmen on no account to leave their hiding-place. So they waited
with what patience they coul d, listening to the loud screaming of a wardance.
When the moon arose, Doctor Syn calculated that their guide had been
absent some three hours, and feared that he had been either captured or
cut off. They then discussed whether or not they could go in search of
him.
When they had waited a considerable time, and still so sign of the
Indians, they climbed down from the tree, and set off.
Now, although the village was less than a mile away, they encountered
the greatest difficulties in reaching it. In most places the undergrowth
was breath high, and when overcome, led to one of the many impetuous
mountain streams that had to be crossed upon slippery boulders, and it
was actually dawn before they crawled over a hillock in the forest and
looked down upon a clearing. It as evident that here had been the site
of the village, but all that remained was charred wrecks of smoldering
habitations. Beneath a number of blackened stakes erected in a rude
circle lay many bodies that had been fired, while in the centre of this
grim arena, was a naked Indian tied to a trunk of a tree. He was still
alive, for his limbs kept moving as he attempted to relieve the tight
agony of the biting ropes that bound him. Around the clearing were
ranked more than a hundred warriors, the very men who had passed the
canoe the day before, because the Englishman recognized their leader,
who had stood upon the rock. He was going from man to man, as though