inspecting them. From every score or so he chose one, who stepped
forward from the lin e. When the five had been selected, the Brave
signaled to the rest, who turned and walked off silently into the woods.
Syn and Mipps noted that the five were not so gaily decorated either
with feathers or war -paint as their fellows who were watching. The B rave
then advanced to the bound man, and with his knife severed the cords.
The exhausted victim collapsed for a moment on the hard, beaten earth,
but after rubbing his chafed limbs he stoop up proudly and faced the
Chief.
Having his back to the hillock where Syn and Mipps crouched, they
could not see his face, but there was something in the bearing of his
tall, gaunt frame which made them certain that this was indeed their
missing guide.
“Those five rascals are to be his executioners,” whispered Syn.
“Compared to the others, they are the but youngsters and are no doubt
about to prove their worth with blood-letting. Had the rest not gone, we
should have been hard put to it, to resuce our ‘Mountain Cat’, but this
lot we can tackle. I think the Chief will follow his men and leave the
dirty work to these cadets. If so, we shall be rid of him the easier.”
It was then that they saw the Chief advance to the victim and, with
what seemed a gesture of courtesy, hand him his own tomahawk. This
looked a heavy weapon with a bright steel blade.
“He is allowing him the right to defend himself,” whispered Syn, as
he fingered the butts of his pistols. “And I was right in my guess. I
believe he is about to follow the tribe.”
Indeed, the Chieftain had turned his back upon the prisoner and with
majestic strides walked to the five young warriors, who at the same time
began to execute fantastic steps, working themselves up into a frenzy
for killing. The Chief halted some five paces in front of them, and
raising both arms to
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the dawning sky, appeared to be blessing their prowess. He was then some
twenty paces from the armed prisoner, and still with his back to him.
It was then that they saw the man they took to be “Mountain Cat” take
two steps forward, s winging the tomahawk, and with a mighty effort hurl
it through the air. It struck the Chieftain with terrific force between
the shoulder -blades, the steel of the ax actually severing the long tail
of feathers from his head-dress. The hands, uplifted as they had been in
benediction, clawed the air convulsively, and then down he fell full
length upon his face. Bereft of his weapon, the prisoner folded his arms
and stoically awaited his death at the hands of the five. The sudden
killing of their Chief, whom they took to be dead without examination,
caused them to dance with the greater fury, and with each step they
capered nearer to his slayer.
“Now, Mipps,” said Syn. “You to his right, I to his left. Pistols and
then steel.”
“No quarter, eh?” asked Mipps as they ran.
“None,” replied Syn.
The whirling frenzy of the five did much to help the surprise attack
of the Englishmen, who were on them before they could realize that their
unarmed victim now supported. Then they rushed altogether. Syn brought
down his two flank men by firing his pistols simultaneously and
practically at point -blank range. Mipps fired his right pistol, and hit,
but did not kill, so, quickly changing over by dropping the discharged
weapon and grabbing the other with his right hand from his left, he used
the second charge upon the same attacker killing him then outright, and
hurling his pistol in the face of the next attacker, which checked him
for a second and enabled Mipps to draw his cutlass, a weapon with which
he had made himself acquainted aboard the pirate ship. With it he met
the murderous blow of the tomahawk, and ran his second man through the
stomach with the point. The middle man rushed not at Syn but at the
Indian, and had not Syn’s long blade darted in between his ribs the
Chieftains death must have been avenged. As it was, the rescued Indian
by refusing to leap back in the face of his enemies, received a bad
flesh cut in the leg as his attacker fell dead. From body to body went
Syn passing his sword through the heart of each, and crying out to Mipps
that they must get to cover quickly, lest the noise from this pistols
should bring the tribe back.
Mipps made a strange reply: “Well, I’ll be damned!” he said.
“And why?” demanded Syn, as he cleaned his blade with a handful of
dust.
Mipps scratched his head and pointed to the Indian. “Why, sir, this
‘ere ain’t Mister Pussy at all.”
Syn looked and said, “By gag you’re right! It’s not ‘Mountain Cat.’”
“‘Mountain Cat’ scalped and burned, said the Indian in English. “Me
knew him. Good guide same as me. Speak English both. Me Shuhshuhgah.
Mean Blue Heron. Son of Chief two mile there.” He pointed in the
direction taken by the warriors. “Them bad men may return. We hid a
time. This way. Quick.”
He took a step forward, but fell because of the wound in his right
leg. Syn saw that the muscle of the calf had been severed, so telling
him to put his arms around their shoulders, they dragged him to the
cover of the woods. At the foot of the hillock over which they had
crawled to the attack, Shuhshuhgah pointed to a curtain of thick,
overhanging creeper, behind which was a cunningly hidden cave. Into
this they crept, while Syn, tearing a strip from his shirt arm,
bound up the Indian’s leg.
As it happened, they had only just got to cover in time, for the
noise of the pistols had caused a party of the warrior tribe to return
to see what was amiss. When the fugitives peeped through the creeper
they saw them, three men standing over the body of their Chieftain. They
removed the tomahawk and
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turned him over onto his back. Then they examined the bodies of the five
dead cadets, and seemed bewildered at not finding the body of
Shuhshuhgah. Then, cut from their Chieftain, they trotted off with wild
cries into the wood, following the direction of their fellows.
After waiting for some little time for the scouts to get clear,
during which time Syn and Mipps recharged and re-primed their pistols,
Shuhshuhgah proposed that they should set out for his father’s village,
which no doubt the war-trail party was no attacking.
“But you should not walk, even with our help,” said Syn. “Besides, we
shall find ourselves at a disadvantage coming up behind them with our
way to your village cut off.”
“Under them we shall walk,” explained the Indian. “There is a secret
way into my father’s camp.”
They selected two wigwam poles that had escaped the burning, and with
the long sheath-knife belonging to Mipps, had soon cut and bound some
strong tendrils of the climbing creeper that abounded in the woods.
Placing the Indian upon it, this was easy to carry stretcher -wise.
They followed the Indian trail through the woods, which made it
easier and quicker traveling. When they had gone about a mile, they once
more heard the warcries of the warriors. These cries growing louder and
louder as they advanced, Shuhshuhgah at last pointed to a thick clump of
bushes that fringed the trail.
“Put me down,” he whispered. “We crawl through them. Then pick up
secret trail.”
They set down the stretcher, and upon his stomach the Indian began to
crawl through, followed by Syn and Mipps, dragging the stretcher after