They were Wyandot Indians, and Isaac Zane rode among them. Freed from the terrible fate which had menaced him, and knowing that he was once more on his way to the Huron encampment, he had accepted his destiny and quarreled no more with fate. He was thankful beyond all words for his rescue from the stake.
Coming to a clear, rapid stream, the warriors dismounted and rested while their horses drank thirstily of the cool water. An Indian touched Isaac on the arm and silently pointed toward the huge maple tree under which Thundercloud and Myeerah were sitting. Isaac turned his horse and rode the short distance intervening. When he got near he saw that Myeerah stood with one arm over her pony"s neck. She raised eyes that were weary and sad, which yet held a lofty and n.o.ble resolve.
"White Eagle, this stream leads straight to the Fort on the river,"
she said briefly, almost coldly. "Follow it, and when the sun reaches the top of yonder hill you will be with your people. Go, you are free."
She turned her face away. Isaac"s head whirled in his amazement. He could not believe his ears. He looked closely at her and saw that though her face was calm her throat swelled, and the hand which lay over the neck of her pony clenched the bridle in a fierce grasp.
Isaac glanced at Thundercloud and the other Indians near by. They sat unconcerned with the invariable unreadable expression.
"Myeerah, what do you mean?" asked Isaac.
"The words of Cornplanter cut deep into the heart of Myeerah," she answered bitterly. "They were true. The Eagle does not care for Myeerah. She shall no longer keep him in a cage. He is free to fly away."
"The Eagle does not want his freedom. I love you, Myeerah. You have saved me and I am yours. If you will go home with me and marry me there as my people are married I will go back to the Wyandot village."
Myeerah"s eyes softened with unutterable love. With a quick cry she was in his arms. After a few moments of forgetfulness Myeerah spoke to Thundercloud and waved her hand toward the west. The chief swung himself over his horse, shouted a single command, and rode down the bank into the water. His warriors followed him, wading their horses into the shallow creek, with never backward look. When the last rider had disappeared in the willows the lovers turned their horses eastward.
CHAPTER X.
It was near the close of a day in early summer. A small group of persons surrounded Col. Zane where he sat on his doorstep. From time to time he took the long Indian pipe from his mouth and blew great clouds of smoke over his head. Major McColloch and Capt. Boggs were there. Silas Zane half reclined on the gra.s.s. The Colonel"s wife stood in the door-way, and Betty sat on the lower step with her head leaning against her brother"s knee. They all had grave faces.
Jonathan Zane had returned that day after an absence of three weeks, and was now answering the many questions with which he was plied.
"Don"t ask me any more and I"ll tell you the whole thing," he had just said, while wiping the perspiration from his brow. His face was worn; his beard ragged and unkempt; his appearance suggestive of extreme fatigue. "It was this way: Colonel Crawford had four hundred and eighty men under him, with Slover and me acting as guides. This was a large force of men and comprised soldiers from Pitt and the other forts and settlers from all along the river. You see, Crawford wanted to crush the Shawnees at one blow. When we reached the Sandusky River, which we did after an arduous march, not one Indian did we see. You know Crawford expected to surprise the Shawnee camp, and when he found it deserted he didn"t know what to do. Slover and I both advised an immediate retreat. Crawford would not listen to us. I tried to explain to him that ever since the Guadenhutten ma.s.sacre keen-eyed Indian scouts had been watching the border. The news of the present expedition had been carried by fleet runners to the different Indian tribes and they were working like hives of angry bees. The deserted Shawnee village meant to me that the alarm had been sounded in the towns of the Shawnees and the Delawares; perhaps also in the Wyandot towns to the north. Colonel Crawford was obdurate and insisted on resuming the march into the Indian country.
The next day we met the Indians coming directly toward us. It was the combined force of the Delaware chiefs, Pipe and Wingenund. The battle had hardly commenced when the redskins were reinforced by four hundred warriors under Shanshota, the Huron chief. The enemy skulked behind trees and rocks, hid in ravines, and crawled through the long gra.s.s. They could be picked off only by Indian hunters, of whom Crawford had but few--probably fifty all told. All that day we managed to keep our position, though we lost sixty men. That night we lay down to rest by great fires which we built, to prevent night surprises.
"Early next morning we resumed the fight. I saw Simon Girty on his white horse. He was urging and cheering the Indians on to desperate fighting. Their fire became so deadly that we were forced to retreat. In the afternoon Slover, who had been out scouting, returned with the information that a mounted force was approaching, and that he believed they were the reinforcements which Col.
Crawford expected. The reinforcements came up and proved to be Butler"s British rangers from Detroit. This stunned Crawford"s soldiers. The fire of the enemy became hotter and hotter. Our men were falling like leaves around us. They threw aside their rifles and ran, many of them right into the hands of the savages. I believe some of the experienced bordermen escaped but most of Crawford"s force met death on the field. I hid in a hollow log. Next day when I felt that it could be done safely I crawled out. I saw scalped and mutilated bodies everywhere, but did not find Col. Crawford"s body.
The Indians had taken all the clothing, weapons, blankets and everything of value. The Wyandots took a northwest trail and the Delawares and the Shawnees traveled east. I followed the latter because their trail led toward home. Three days later I stood on the high bluff above Wingenund"s camp. From there I saw Col. Crawford tied to a stake and a fire started at his feet. I was not five hundred yards from the camp. I saw the war chiefs, Pipe and Wingenund; I saw Simon Girty and a British officer in uniform. The chiefs and Girty were once Crawford"s friends. They stood calmly by and watched the poor victim slowly burn to death. The Indians yelled and danced round the stake; they devised every kind of h.e.l.lish torture. When at last an Indian ran in and tore off the scalp of the still living man I could bear to see no more, and I turned and ran.
I have been in some tough places, but this last was the worst."
"My G.o.d! it is awful--and to think that man Girty was once a white man," cried Col. Zane.
"He came very near being a dead man," said Jonathan, with grim humor. "I got a long shot at him and killed his big white horse."
"It"s a pity you missed him," said Silas Zane.
"Here comes Wetzel. What will he say about the ma.s.sacre?" remarked Major McColloch.
Wetzel joined the group at that moment and shook hands with Jonathan. When interrogated about the failure of Col. Crawford"s expedition Wetzel said that Slover had just made his appearance at the cabin of Hugh Bennet, and that he was without clothing and almost dead from exposure.
"I"m glad Slover got out alive. He was against the march all along.
If Crawford had listened to us he would have averted this terrible affair and saved his own life. Lew, did Slover know how many men got out?" asked Jonathan.
"He said not many. The redskins killed all the prisoners exceptin"
Crawford and Knight."
"I saw Col. Crawford burned at the stake. I did not see Dr. Knight.
Maybe they murdered him before I reached the camp of the Delawares,"
said Jonathan.
"Wetzel, in your judgment, what effect will this ma.s.sacre and Crawford"s death have on the border?" inquired Col. Zane.
"It means another b.l.o.o.d.y year like 1777," answered Wetzel.
"We are liable to have trouble with the Indians any day. You mean that."
"There"ll be war all along the river. Hamilton is hatchin" some new devil"s trick with Girty. Col. Zane, I calkilate that Girty has a spy in the river settlements and knows as much about the forts and defense as you do."
"You can"t mean a white spy."
"Yes, just that."
"That is a strong a.s.sertion, Lewis, but coming from you it means something. Step aside here and explain yourself," said Col. Zane, getting up and walking out to the fence.
"I don"t like the looks of things," said the hunter. "A month ago I ketched this man Miller pokin" his nose round the block-house where he hadn"t ought to be. And I kep" watchin" him. If my suspicions is correct he"s playin" some deep game. I ain"t got any proof, but things looks bad."
"That"s strange, Lewis," said Col. Zane soberly. "Now that you mention it I remember Jonathan said he met Miller near the Kanawha three weeks ago. That was when Crawford"s expedition was on the way to the Shawnee villages. The Colonel tried to enlist Miller, but Miller said he was in a hurry to get back to the Fort. And he hasn"t come back yet."
"I ain"t surprised. Now, Col. Zane, you are in command here. I"m not a soldier and for that reason I"m all the better to watch Miller. He won"t suspect me. You give me authority and I"ll round up his little game."
"By all means, Lewis. Go about it your own way, and report anything to me. Remember you may be mistaken and give Miller the benefit of the doubt. I don"t like the fellow. He has a way of appearing and disappearing, and for no apparent reason, that makes me distrust him. But for Heaven"s sake, Lew, how would he profit by betraying us?"
"I don"t know. All I know is he"ll bear watchin"."
"My gracious, Lew Wetzel!" exclaimed Betty as her brother and the hunter rejoined the others. "Have you come all the way over here without a gun? And you have on a new suit of buckskin."
Lewis stood a moment by Betty, gazing down at her with his slight smile. He looked exceedingly well. His face was not yet bronzed by summer suns. His long black hair, of which he was as proud as a woman could have been, and of which he took as much care as he did of his rifle, waved over his shoulders.
"Betty, this is my birthday, but that ain"t the reason I"ve got my fine feathers on. I"m goin" to try and make an impression on you,"
replied Lewis, smiling.
"I declare, this is very sudden. But you have succeeded. Who made the suit? And where did you get all that pretty fringe and those beautiful beads?"
"That stuff I picked up round an Injun camp. The suit I made myself."
"I think, Lewis, I must get you to help me make my new gown," said Betty, roguishly.
"Well, I must be getting" back," said Wetzel, rising.
"Oh, don"t go yet. You have not talked to me at all," said Betty petulantly. She walked to the gate with him.
"What can an Injun hunter say to amuse the belle of the border?"
"I don"t want to be amused exactly. I mean I"m not used to being unnoticed, especially by you." And then in a lower tone she continued: "What did you mean about Mr. Miller? I heard his name and Eb looked worried. What did you tell him?"
"Never mind now, Betty. Maybe I"ll tell you some day. It"s enough for you to know the Colonel don"t like Miller and that I think he is a bad man. You don"t care nothin" for Miller, do you Betty?"