| Show the red road A lomance momance 0 braddock defeat by HUGH by irwin myers by hsih Pend titer CHAPTER VII continued eun catl be hissed to the water batel voice thundered a corn mand hie onondaga muttered the ottawa chief tells his children to watch the gates and thi stockade and kill anyone trying to get out once outside the lodge and we were in darkness thirty yards away and we had lost in a wild crowd of savages but as we pressed on pontiac Pont lac stentorian loke gradually readied an intelligence here and there and different points and in all the dialects of the northern and ohio tribes the word was jasd to guard the stockades aud gates take the man beland albel roared a voice and I 1 knew that beauvias Beau vlas at lat had connected my identity up with my french name and that beau jeu now understood all why this way 1 asked the onon daga as we reached the stockade on the river front stand on my shoulders white brother and 0 over he directed there a the witch woman sues on the other side shall we jola her or face about and die like chiefs I 1 ec rambled to his shoulders and went to the top of the timbers 1 reached down a hand but all assistance hound baw sv armed over the barrier the two of us dropped to the ground a few feet of the river it was very dark and 1 was corn plemely bewildered this way mister called a low voice the onondaga dragged me after him uy band on a canoe who s there I 1 whispered daughter of witches was the halt laughing half sobbing reply but please don t stop to talk aller it was time 1 scrambled into the canoe for a chorus of yells was now raised on the other side of the stock ade and only a few feet away I 1 tripped over a rifle as the onondaga pushed the light craft into the current I 1 picked it up and found it familiar to tny bands whose rifle Is this 1 whispered cautioned the girl then proudly its yours 1 was at the door when the trouble began I 1 reached in and took it when mr beau vals commenced calling you a spy talk will kill us grunted the on as he joshed a paddle into my bands and began working desperately pera tely to reach the slack water along the opposite bank als warning was timely for 1 could hear the plop plop of heavy bodies dropping over the stockade there came an explosion of mad rage that made my heart aluce the onondaga proudly in formed us they have found attle in the lodge 1 crept under the wall and shot him with his own arrow ue made a choking noise the wolf man thought some of those outside would know the truth there was pontiac he talks with ghosts and they adl him secrets it was he who told ut tie wolf to kill me pontiac saw roe at detroit and knew my heart vat warm tor the little wolf was to shoot roe through the hole in the robes when 1 danced by if my white brother bad not been in dan ger I 1 should have shot pontiac after telling him to march by with the others they are over the wall they watt take canoes and follow us I 1 I 1 warned mister 1 spoiled all ahe 1 could find before going to the house where you was eating they cant catch us with boats you have done well little woman what does round baw do now we were at the opposite shore we will go op the river instead 0 down he answered they will think we went down to the ohio if the roan beauvalis Beau vals bad not come we would have shown them some new magic you knew about beauvalis Beau vals 1 1 asked hound paw the witch woman told me she asked my help she waited outside the bouse to stop beauvalis Beau vals from seeing you it was the witch woman who said we would leave by water sue was to be the stockade by the water gate she has a very strong medicine so it was you who saved me little woman 1 said to her lor a bake dont believe nothing that injun tells you he saved you not me and now 1 cant go to CAD ada walt until after the war it will be a short war 1 told her ilife real izing my as a prophet we must leave the river before the first light spoke up the onondaga pontiac Pont lac will lead the chasa lie Is a very great man tie knows we took tto water lie will send men along both shores to find where our trail leaves the river lie will throw many men between 03 and Brodd ocL if the witch tal cs to the clr and flies ahle a bird then round paw and his brother can walk slowly and langh nt the wild ottaway Ot tawas he was when 1 told i i ui j him the girt could not fly like a and that any plans we made must in elude her I 1 told him of my to shield tillage from attack and expressed my fear that beau vals would now do the thing I 1 had convinced alro he should not do this furnished the onondaga with a double errand to the delaware village he must warn the woman sachem and tell cromet to carry my warning to the army that the turtle creek route though rough would be free from successful ambuscades ambus cades you will take the same talk but separate aiom the I 1 added the woman and 1 will leave you at the mouth of turtle creek and follow it up for a bit and seek the army in that direction surely one of the three of us men will take the talk through to braddock CHAPTER VIII our are strong half a mile below the mouth of turtle creek the monongahela grew very shallow with scarcely more than a ripple of auter in alices the three of us held brief conference set me down set ma and decided that round paw should take the canoe to the n extern bank and make s town afoot the and I 1 waded to the eastern shore we left the river in the arst gray light of morning and ran swiftly the girls thin face revealing her deter not to hinder my progress by any display of weakness and as we ran she spied out the country ahead while I 1 kepi watch over our back track avery time I 1 glanced behind me 1 fully expected to behold a flitting form of a savage we arrived at turtle creek a short distance above its mouth without hearing the indians cry of discovery we corded forded the creek and paused for a minute for her to rest our breathing spell was by a faint halloo the voice camp from tar off and as it was not repented we did not agree as to the direction the girl insisted it was corth of ns while my ears placed it as coming from the northwest at about the point on the monongahela where we had nann boned the canoe thankful it was not ahead of os we resumed our flight we had not proceeded more than fifty rods before the girl who was in the ead pave a little cry and came to a halt where 1 whispered glaring about to and what had alarmed her among the bramble bushes she faintly replied pointing her short rifle toward a and pressing a band to her side I 1 saw it and directed go ahead a bit and wait for me it was no sight even for a border bred woman to behold unless grim necessity compelled after ehe had passed on I 1 examined the dead man ie had been shot through the body and scalded scalped ped he was a frenchman cor he wore the white uniform blui black facings that distinguished the marines from the troops of the line whose facings were blue As the buzzards had not commenced to gather it was plain be must have met death twelve hours back or in the evening an ax was tightly gripped in the right hand and there was a gash ip the handle where another hande had struck in the darkness he and his assailant hod fought blindly I 1 overtook the girl who was stand ing before a thick tangle of pen vines and trailers when I 1 would have taken the lend in striking this bar aler she motioned me to wait time wao too precious to wait hut before I 1 could siy as much beard a faint cry I 1 knew I 1 heard it slie buttered puttered putt ered but t Is only the howl of a indian lunes are behind eliat howl I 1 told her its up the creek ou think a injun made it nils ter the howl was repeated and sounded clearer I 1 m positive 1 said As if to guarantee the certainty of my words the was answered on our left and again from the direction of the river they are close after ns I 1 whispered calling to each other to meet on this creek they 11 find our trail there s but one way open we must double back by the frahler cabin and if sighted before we enter the forest below it we can take shelter there and try to stand them off till night if we can find the cabin we can make a good fight she stoutly declared john frahler Fraz ler trader and black smith was a stanch supporter of the english lie had served the colonies more than once as an interpreter and before coming to the month of turtle creek had lived for twelve years at venango or until driven out by the french in 1753 be had been of assistance si stance to colonel washington in 1754 and was a lieuten ant in arents trents command when it was instructed to fortify the forks of the ohio 1 can find the cabin easy enough t assured her and we swung out from the creek and doubled back As wo ran we could hear the wolves howl ing from three points of the compass their signals sounding clearer each minute and proving that several bands would soon come together at the creek I 1 began to doubt the wisdom of proceeding farther toward the cabin I 1 feared we would be cut off and surrounded to turn our backs to the creek and plunge through the dense fore and trust our lives to our legs appealed as being the best plan are you able to keep going all day through the foret I 1 asked her I 1 am very tired she confessed it s so long since I 1 had a good sleep mister there was last 1 I know I 1 broke in for time was all to short you roulan t do it A glaire at her pinched face told me she was exhausted and in our haste to make good time we had in spots left signs the savages could easily follow at a run the cabin it must be 1 said and trying to speak cheerfully Traz ler will have plenty of powder and bul lets perhaps some spare trade gansl tou could make it alone through the woods to the army she said her words coming in jerks 1 I can make it no faster than you can im thinking you re telling a ue mister ehe gravely rebuked but resumed running A quavering cry up the creek made my skin prickle hang on to your rifle 1 ordered as I 1 seized her and threw her over my shoulder holding her with one arm and carrying my own guo in my left hand with a fine spurt of speed I 1 covered several hundred yards bhe kicking and squirming and demanded act me dowal set me dowal boull git us both koltl I 1 did as she requested not because 1 wa too weary to carry her farther but because her rifle was swinging wildly and striking the bushes and leaving a trail an ox could follow TO CONTINUED t |
