Raoul realized all at once that the lean captain"s backwoods manner of speaking had fallen away like an unneeded cloak. He sounded like a lawyer or a minister.
"I was a prisoner of the Potawatomi for two years. I can tell you from experience they"re not human at all."
How angry Pierre had been when Raoul had said Indians were animals. But it was true.
"They treated you badly? Made a slave of you?"
"d.a.m.ned right."
The young captain looked calmly at Raoul. "If to hold slaves and treat them badly marks a man as less than human, then you must so brand every wealthy white man in the Southern states."
A few of the men standing around laughed. "That Abe! Got an answer for everything."
Again Raoul"s hand tightened convulsively on the pistol grip. He"d wasted enough words on this walking skeleton from Sangamon County. He was quivering with rage.
There was one quick way to put an end to the arguing.
He swung around and stepped close to Little Foot, holding his pistol less than a foot from the red-turbaned head. With his left hand he pulled the hammer back to half-c.o.c.k, then full. The double click sounded loud in a sudden, astonished silence.
And Little Foot"s arms, unbound, shot up. Both his hands gripped the barrel of the pistol and yanked it to one side. About to pull the trigger, Raoul froze his finger as the muzzle was pulled aside from its target.
--And knew with a sudden sinking of his heart what a deadly mistake he had made in that instant.
The Potawatomi"s powerful two-handed grip tore the pistol from his fingers.
_I should have fired. Now I am a dead man._
Raoul saw a coil of rope lying on the ground beside Little Foot. The Indian must have been working his wrists loose while everyone"s attention was on the argument.
Little Foot had already turned the loaded and c.o.c.ked pistol around in his hands and pointed it at Raoul"s heart. Raoul stared into black eyes that had no mercy for him.
A blurred figure seemed to fly across Raoul"s vision.
The pistol went off with a boom.
Coughing, blinded, Raoul saw dimly through the gunsmoke that the skinny captain had thrown himself at Little Foot and thrust the pistol aside.
Now Lincoln and Little Foot were wrestling, thrashing about like two wild animals.
By the time the smoke had cleared, the lean man had full control. Little Foot"s ankles, Raoul saw, were still tied, and Lincoln"s arms had snaked up under the Indian"s. The Sangamon County man"s big hands were behind Little Foot"s head, pushing his chin down into his chest. His long legs were wrapped around Little Foot"s middle, holding him in a crushing scissors grip.
Raoul stood shaking, his eyes watering from the faceful of powder smoke he"d taken. His heart was pounding frantically against his breastbone.
"Nicely done, sir!" Justus Bennett said to Lincoln.
_And what the h.e.l.l were you doing?_ Raoul thought, furious at Bennett.
With a trembling hand Raoul seized Bennett"s pistol.
The four guards had their rifles pointed at Little Foot. Any one of them could have saved Raoul"s life by shooting, but none of them had reacted quickly enough.
Only Lincoln had moved in time.
The lanky captain"s comrades were cheering him. "Old Abe"s the best wra.s.sler in this army, Colonel, and now you"ve seen it for yourself."
Raoul wiped his eyes and shouted, "Stand aside, Lincoln. Now I"m going to blow this redskin"s brains out." The quaver he heard in his own voice made him even angrier.
From behind Little Foot came a calm response. "I"m going to ask you not to do that, sir."
"He tried to kill me. Get up and stand aside, G.o.d d.a.m.n you!"
"No, sir."
Lincoln did unwrap his arms from Little Foot"s head and shoulders, but still held him with his legs. The Indian sat motionless, as if his effort to kill Raoul had taken the last of his strength. He muttered under his breath. Probably his death song, Raoul thought.
Lincoln quickly retied the Indian, then stood up, placing himself between Raoul and Little Foot. He held Raoul"s empty pistol out to him, b.u.t.t first.
"Colonel, I believe you"re a fair man, and you"ll agree that I just saved your life."
Raoul took his pistol and handed it to Armand, realizing that the tall man was maneuvering him into a difficult position. Too many men had seen what happened.
"Yes, you did save my life." The words hurt his throat, same as if that pistol ball had hit him and lodged there. "And I thank you. You have my most profound grat.i.tude."
"That being so, and since I have done you what you might think a favor, will you grant me a life for a life?"
For a moment Raoul could not think of anything to say or do.
All he had to do was shove this Lincoln aside, put the muzzle of his pistol to Little Foot"s head and pull the trigger.
He realized, too, that the longer he hesitated the more a fool he looked.
What right did the skinny captain have to demand that he spare Little Foot?
Raoul became aware that the crowd around them had grown to perhaps a couple of hundred men. The ones he could see wore little half smiles.
Whoever came out the winner, they were having a fine old time watching.
Raoul was broader and maybe stronger than Lincoln. But how ridiculous he would look if he had to fight the man to get past him to shoot Little Foot.
And what if this bag of bones beat him?
_Old Abe"s the best wra.s.sler in this army, Colonel._
The truth was bitter as vinegar, but the only course that would preserve his dignity would be to let Lincoln have his way.
"Ah, h.e.l.l," he said loudly, and was pleased to hear that while he"d stood silently thinking, his voice had regained its strength. "Sure, I"ll let the Indian live. He"s nothing to me."
He noticed that his hand still shook a little as he gave Bennett"s pistol back to him. He took his own, reloaded, from Armand and holstered it, hoping no one could see his tremor.
"My hand on it," he said, holding out his right hand, willing it to be steady.