Show afie devils own jl romance of ahe blackhawk Black awk war by RANDALL PARRISH author ot shea of he inh when wilberne Wil derne W kina etc illustrations BY IRWIN MYERS copyright by A C mcclurg co CHAPTER XVI continued 17 karb stand up drop that rifle take it lloyse ov raise your hands tim huts up la there serious going on outside ivo much just pow coln ler want me search that scoundrel for w eamons dont ask questions do what isay I say lie made short work of it using no gentle methods wat the gent gasn wasn t exactly harm less he reported grinning cheerfully this bere iere knifeman cannon biow maybe yell tell me the h s up karby stood erect his dark eyes searching our faces his lips scornful and perhaps mr knox he added sarcastically luu might condescend to explain to roe also the purpose of this outrage with pleasure but without lower ing my rifle this boy here belonged to the company of soldiers massacred yesterday morning you know where I 1 mean he was the only one to escape alive and he saw you there among the savages free and one of them lie tella you that and you accept the word of that halt wit he described your appearance to us exactly twenty four hours ago I 1 never thought of you at the time although the description ft as accurate enough because it seemed so impossible for you to have been there but that isn t all karby what has become of the emblem pin you wore in your tie it Is gone I 1 see his hand went up involuntarily it as possible he had never missed it before for a look of indecision came into the roans face the first symptom of weakness I 1 had ever detected there it must have been lost millaid mislaid it was and I 1 chance to be able to tell you where in this very room I 1 here Is your aln you incarnate de I 1 found it caught in those blankets yonder this Is not your first visit to this cabin you were here with indian murderers its ad d lie but kennedy had ahlm locked in a vise ill e grip it was well he had for the fellow had burst into a frantic rage yet was bound so utterly helpless as to appear almost pitiful the knowledge of what he had planned of his despicable treachery left us merciless in spite of his struggles we bore him to the floor and pinned him there cursing and snapping like a wild beast tear up one of those blankets I 1 called back over my shoulder to nail les into strips of course now bring them here tim you tie the fellow yes do a good job hold him lie still karby or I 1 shall have to give you the butt 0 this gun in the face 1 he made one last effort to break free and as my hand attempted to close on his throat the clutching angers caught the band of his shirt and ripped it wide open there directly before me a scar across his hairy exposed chest was a broad black maik n tribal totem I 1 bared down at it recognizing its significance by heaven tim look at talal I 1 cried lie lg an indian himself a black jacl I 1 do not know what belated the attack of the savages unless they were waiting for some signal which never came I 1 passed from loophole to loophole thus assuring myself not only that they remained but that the cabin was completely surrounded al though the manner in which the war giors had been distributed left the great mass of them opposite the aront the others evidently composed a mere guard to prevent escape no movement I 1 could observe indicated an immediate assault they oathir appeared to be awaiting something those I 1 saw were all dismounted and had advanced toward the cabin as closely as possible without coining within the range of guns they had also sheltered themselves ng far cs possible behind clumps of brush or ridges of rock so that I 1 found it cult to estimate their number only occasionally would a warrior appear for a moment in the open as he glided stealthily from the protection of one covert to another no doubt some were brought within range of our rifles as these efforts were usually made to more advanced positions but I 1 forbade firing in the angue liepe that not hearing from karby the chiefs might become discouraged cou raged and draw off without risking an open attack this was more a desperate hope rather than any real faith I 1 possessed beyond doubt the indian chief knew or thought lie knew our exact strength before he consented to use his warriors in this assault it the band had trailed us fo this spot it had been done through too influence of karby and he had beyond question informed them as to who HC w ere and the conditions under which we had fled from yellow banks the only addition to our party since them was the rescued boy they would have fear of loss in an attack upon two men and two women unarmed except possibly with a pistol or two even though barricades barricaded barrica ded be hind the log walls of a cabin and with one of thear number within any attempt at defence would be but u farce this same rang bad already sacked the cabin taking with them as they believed every weapon it con talked in their haste they bad over looked the cellar below they had no thought of its existence nor that we awaited them rifles in hand and with an ample supply of powder andean hatcher might be the final result a surprise of no nature was awaiting their advance convinced as I 1 had become that black hawk was actually with the party although I 1 was unable to obtain any glimpse of him I 1 felt there was chance of his departure without making at least one effort to capture the cabin eliat was his nature his reputation that of a bulldog to hang on a tiger to strike more even this band of raiders must be far south of the main boda of the hawks followers and hence in danger themselves tibey would never remain here long facing the possibility of discovery of thear retreat cut off it they attacked the attempt would not be long delayed still there was nothing left to do but wait we were already as corn plemely prepared as possible with our resources the main assault would undoubtedly be delivered from the front directed against the door the only point where aliey could hope to break in here myself held our positions as ready as we could be for any emer gency and watchful of the slightest movement without tim had even brought up the half keg of coarse pow der from the cellar and rolled it into one corner out of the way his only explanation was a grim reply to my question that lt bought be mighty handy ter hav round afore the fracus done there was no tear in eloese no shrinking no evidence of cowardice not once did I 1 feel the need of giving her word of enczur argement even as I 1 glanced toward her it w as to perceive the gleam of a pistol gripped in her hand she was of the old french fighting stock which never falls against the log wall a few yards away karby strained at his blanket bonds and had at list succeeded in lifting himself up far enough so as to stare about the room there was none of the ordinary calm of the gambler about the fellow now all the pitiless hate and love of revenge which belonged to his wild indian blood blazed in his eyes lie glared at me in sudden impotent rage you think youve got me do you he cried scowling across then an ugly grin distorted his thin lips not yet you haven t ou soldier dog ive got some cards left to play in this game iou young fool what did you butt in for anyway this was none of your affair P you knox do you know who she Is I 1 mean that white faced chit over there do you enow who she Is ashes my wife do you hear my wife I 1 ive got the papers a you I 1 ashes mine mine and I 1 am going to have her long after youre dead yes and the whole d beau caare property with her by G you talk about fighting why there are indians out ahre walt till they find out what has happened to me oh watch you die at the stake you sneaking white cur and spit la your face I 1 karby I 1 said sternly but quietly stepping directly across toward him you are a prisoner noner and helpless but 1 I am going to tell you now to hold I 1 your tongue otherwise you will never see me at the stake because I 1 shall blow your brains out where you lie you dare not do and why not it will rid the girl of ou and that means something to me and her just try me and see he must have read the grim mean ing in my face for he fell back against the log muttering incoherently his dark eyes wells of hate his face a picture of malignancy but utterly helpless the lurking coward in him unable to face ray threat I 1 left him and stooped above her we shall be busy presently the de lay cannot be much longer I 1 am afraid that fellow may succeed somehow in doing us harm he Is crazed enough to attempt anything may I 1 trust you to guard him her eyes absolutely fearless and dl inked i up into mine aw he will make no movement I 1 shall not ace tell me do you believe there Is hope god knows we shall do our best if the worst comes what do not fear for me do not let any memory of me turn you aside arora your work she said quietly I 1 know what you nean and pledge you I 1 shall never fall into his hands it it can not be wrong I 1 am sure and and I 1 must tell you that I 1 I 1 could not steven forfar I 1 love you my rager hands were upon hers my eyes g reading the message revealed 0 o frankly in the depths of her own she only was in my thoughts we were there alone alone a coa in aop yelled ken nady and his rage cracked by Q t here I 1 W etli one swift spring I 1 was bak at my deserted post and firing never before had I 1 been la an indian battle but they had told me at armstrong that tho sacs were fighting men I 1 knew it now this was to be no play nt war but a grim relentless struggle they came en masse rushing reckless ly forward across the open space pressing upon each other in headlong desire to be first yelling like fiends guns brandishes brandished bran dished in air or spitting fire animated by but one purpose the battering of a way into that cabin I 1 know not who led them all I 1 saw was a mass of half naked bodies bounding toward me long hair stream ing copper faces aglow weapons gilt terling in the yes I 1 saw more the meaning of that fierce rush the instrument of destruction they brought with them it was there in the center of the maelstrom of figures protected by the grouped bodies half hidden by red arms n huge log borne irresistibly forward on the shoulders of twenty warriors gripped by other hands and burled tow ird us as though swept on by a human sea again and ngali I 1 fired blindly into the helping mob I 1 heard the crack of tims rifle echoing mine and the chug of lead from without striking the solid logs bullets sloughed ploughed hed crashing through the door dinels and shrill screams of fright rang out above the unearthly din A slug tore through mi loophole drawing blood from my shoulder jn its passage and im bedded itself in the opposite wall in front of me savages fell staggering screams of and agony mingling as the astonished as sil lants the fight before them an instant we held them startled and demoralized the warriors bear ing the log stumbled over n dead body and went down the great crushing out another life as it fell again we fired this time straight into their faces but there was no stopping them A red blanket flashed back be vond the big tree a guttural voice shouted its hoarse note rising above the hellish uproar and those demons were on their feet again filled with new frenzy it was a minute no more with a blow that shook the cabin propelled by twenty strong arms the great tree butt struck splintering the oak wood as though it were so much pine and driving ft jagged hole clear through one panel kennedy waa there blazing away dl erectly into the assailants eyes and I 1 joined him again they struck and again the jagged end of their battering ram protruded through the shattered wood we killed but they were too many once more the great butt came crash ng forward this time caving in the nelre door bursting it back upon its A huge fellow faced mea winnebago I 1 knew hinges in through the opening the red moh hurled itself reckless of death or wounds road with the thirst for victory a jam of naked beasts crazed by the smell of blood a wave of slaughter crested with brandishes brandished bran dished guns and gleam of tomahawks there Is nothing to remember nothing but blows curses yells the crunch of steel on flesh the horror of cruel eyes glowering into yours tha clutching of fingers at your throat the spit of fire singeing you the strain of combat hand to hand the knowledge that it Is all over except to die I 1 hoi no sense of fear no thought but to kill and be killed I 1 felt within me strength desperate ansine strength the rifle butt splintered in my hands but the bent and shapeless barrel rose and fell like a flail I 1 saw it crush against skulls I 1 jabbed it straight into red faces I 1 I 1 boight it down with nil my force on clutching arms for an instant tim wm beside me lie had lost his gun and was fighting with a knife it was only a glimpse I 1 had of him through red mist the next in slant he was gone A huge fellow faced me a winnebago I 1 knew from his shaven head I 1 struck him open his cheek to the bone then he broke through and gripped me the rest Is what a dream a delirium fever I 1 liow not it comes to me in flashes of mad memory I 1 was struck again and again stabbed and flung to the floor feet trod on roe and some flond gripped my hair bending my head back across a dead body until I 1 felt the neck crack above me were naked legs and arms a pandemonium of dancing figures a horrible chorus of maddened yells I 1 a glimpse of asa biall flung high into the air shot dead in mid flight the whirling body dropping nto the ruck below I 1 saw the savage whose fingers were twined in my hair lift n gleaming tomahawk and circle it about his head I 1 stared into the hate of his eyes and as it swept down there was a aliue of red and yellow flame between w the thunder of an explosion the root above to burst asunder and fall la and darkness death CHAPTER the trail to ottawa when my eyes again opened it was to darkness and silence as profound as that of my former unconsciousness for the moment I 1 felt no certainty even that I 1 was actually alive yet slowly etue by little reality con and I 1 became keenly conscious of pain while memory also began to blindly reassert itself I 1 could see nothing hear nothing all about was impenetrable blac knes and the silence of the grave I 1 found mi self unable to move my body and when I 1 desperately attempted to do so even the slightest motion brought pain I 1 became conscious also of a weight crushing down upon me and my breath one of my arms w as free I 1 could move it about within narrow limits although it ached as from a merlou se rlou burn by use of tt I 1 endeavored through the black darkness to learn the nature of that heavy object lying across my chest feeling at it cautiously mi fingers tou clied cold dead flesh from contact with which they shrank in horror only to en counter a strand of coarse hair the first terror of this discovery was over whelmine whelming wh elming yet I 1 persevered satisfying myself that it was the half naked body of nn findlan a very giant of a fellow which lay stretched across me an immovable weight something else perhaps mother dead man held my feet as though in a vise and when I 1 ventured to extend my one free arm gropingly to one side the fingers encountered a foot scarcely daring to breathe I 1 lay staring up ward and far above looking out through what might be a jagged over hanging mass of timbers although scarcely discernible my eyes caught the silver glimmer of a star 1 was alive alive I 1 whatever had occurred IS that fateful second to deflect that murderous tomahawk its keen edge had failed to reach me and what had occurred then it was that the probable truth came to me that flash and roar that last impression imprinted on my brain before utter darkness descended upon me must have meant an explosion an upheaval shattering the cabin bringing the roof down upon the |