Show A candle in the wilderness wildene Wil deme CHAPTER IX continued 19 its curious how bow things come to pass said robert 1 I met this delightful girl the kind hind of 0 girl I 1 could tie he to she was brilliant amiable and beautiful I 1 know now that she liked roe me I 1 know now that probably she would have married rne me suddenly hell opened in n my fa face e e 11 hell Is all right in its place said amos MOS leave it there dont try to tote it around in yer memory its all tool foo atlon lation a fire in yer brain a and nd gettin burnt by it ye must keep hold ol 01 0 peggys peggye hand that gal and me ime to Is doln our best to lift ye out 0 trouble e dont hang on to it while they were asleep the wind rose and a big wave washed them off the rock they were soon jumping and ad splashing in a heavy sea and water was coming anat in at the port portholes holes so eo that amos had to plug them on tile the windward side for a time robert did not awake but was restless with troubled dreams amos had grown fond of ills his young comrade who was what he called a fair play player er u unselfish n set flah brave taking the hardships and perils without complaint long before then the shrewd man inan had decided that robert had best keep away from boston its the road to egypt but well keep a coln he be said to himself amos was long awake tending lending ship stopping leaks and worrying tor for fear the hatch would go over ile he could hear bear the hiss of snow agal against list the side hide by and by the whales belly began to bump bottom suddenly a wave vae drove her bow through the bushes and grounded her securely to the stern branches on a sloping shore then amos lay back and slept until daylight the wind had gone down amos took ot off the hatch and looked about there was a scatter of snowflakes on the laurel and the small tamaracks tama racks among which the ship was hidden bidden A thick mist covered land and water lie he left robert sleeping and went vent ashore at last the ship was grounded hopelessly A yoke oke of oxen could not have hae moved moed her she had found her last port near them was a burned slope of charred stumps and briars and low hushes bushes ile he looked about in the cold misty air to get ills his bearings lie awoke ills young loung friend were still on the eartle and another day has come lie he whispered whimpered we must leave leae the ship and take to our na nass s 11 while eating dried meat and some biscuits from kibic amus amos said s ild were on the west shore and I 1 reckon its only a few miles to the end 0 the lake its a good time to travel well take a last look at the whales belly and be off do you think the west shore Is better than the east robert asked its a choice between rotten rp ples said amos but here we are well have to take to our shanks and try to find that trading post they packed their thin things s and set out by the compass each browsing on a piece of dried meat there was a wet swamp along the shore southward they had to seek higher ground to get around it only a light lurry flurry of snow enow had fallen scarcely enough to penetrate the root of the forest foiest 1 I dont like the looks 0 things the shrewd pioneer whispered theres indians near us how do you know Moc moccasin cada tracks track sl amos answered they came to great banks of robins hedgerow they stuffed their hats in their packs anil ench covered the other with vines head pack and all amos had bad given ills his musket to the algon quin euln chief so the problem was vas not inot difficult amos whispered now if we hear anyone near us well lean agan a tree and go on stump duty fog and vines are a help in our business soon they heard a sound and both took a stand among bushes still as a pair of rocks the file shrewd woodsmen woodsman woods men knew that camp was probably within a falcon shot of them within two minutes a warrior passed them so close that the white men held their breaths when lie ho had gone out of hearing they went vent on its an unhealthy sit for us amos whispered theres always a lot 0 wounded beasts around an indian camp their hunters scour the bush to find lem em well stump along slow SIOW and careful lie ile drew his bis compass from beneath his collar and took a look at it they resumed their journey and had bad traveled scarcely a bowshot bow shot when a young brave who had been sitting against a tree scrambled to ills his feet within an arms reach of the two and ran as it if the devil were at ills his heels the sight of moving stumps wads was more than the superstitious savage could endure with no loss of time he IlI ought a safer place the two men hurried onward in the mist amos amob laughing under his breath they tramped on with no other alarms for an hour or so but did not come com to the lake amos led the way over deep moss into a thicket of young pines the air was clear were in hells bells dooryard he whispered the air Is full 0 tile the stink of brim brimston stun were a wallan on the edge 0 the world tin an it if we aint care full well fall off ill set myself agin a tree outside look around and listen a while you xou stay here F for or a few minutes the tha vine covered pioneer stood on a stump searching the burned lands with his keen eye A deep silence filled the mountain slopes elopes and the alie only stir he could see was vas thai tha of at bushes shaking in the s A tale of the beginning of new england by IRVING 1 BACHELLER service copyright by irving Each bachiller aller breeze no ile returned to his young friend in the thi thicket c ket cant see or hear a sign 0 life he be said hut but I 1 dont like the lay 0 the land here heie its bad for us A savage upon the slope above could see us a mile olt off well stretch out under this cover coer and sleep a while at dusk well go on till the darkness b begins to rub hard bard they tore off their vine cover now in streaming rags covered the and slept W When lien the sun was low a cow moose and her calt calf going down for or water passed so BO near that amos lie ile arose and peered out fit at tile the beasts slowly going down the slope it was to him fin an unfailing sign that no indians were near lie ile awoke ills his friend again they set out following the tracks of the animals to n pond poll where they hey camped for the night there the roaring and splashing of moose disturbed their rest its the rutting time and when they get together at night tile the bulls raise hell said amos they were up tip and off at dai daybreak break with no mist to favor them after an hour of 1 tramping ramping amos stopped my illy godl god I 1 weve lilt hit another ketch owl lie he whispered have ye e got yer ser acorn acornl yes slip it under yer ier tongue when ye I 1 get a chance not now they stood side by side motionless suddenly the trap sprang upon its victims two warriors until then hidden behind trees rushed upon them with ft ath raised javelins one of them struck at robert lie he dodged receiving a slight wound in the thigh there was no time tor for taking t a ling thought tho the motions of the two were as af swift as those in the closing of a pair of hostile cats robert seized the weapon aimed nt at him the savage stepped in a hole lost ills his footing and fell the young white man stood over oer him with stripped sword amos had wisely made the peace sign throwing down ills sword and pistol lie ile shouted to the young man dont draw blood for dods gods salm I 1 many warriors had come out of hid ing they now set sat on their heels motionless and silent watching robert who immediately threw down ills his weapon ions again the white men were captured and at the mercy of a band v W A T 1 I dont exactly like the looks 0 things the shrewd pioneer whispered of iroquois braves going goin g north to join their friends fri enis and sweep the country south smith of the great river clear of their enemies before the winter hunten began I 1 the he party was in command of nn an old one ej eyed ed chief with a ragged moth eaten pelt screening about half ills his body bodi on which were many scars lie ie was dried up like nn an old tree without leaves and ill III favored yet lie he bore hlin cf like it 11 king kin haughty and erect ills stern wrinkled face was like that of nn an ancient roman 1 11 I nm am graveled for lack of words sat amos as he presented to him the tt 0 otter saint his hatchet bli and a ailland handful ful of shelled corn by signs he made the chief to understand flint lie he and ana his friend were going to the dutch who would give many skills shins and hatchets and sacks of corn and much strong water to have them sent to to the fort on the big lg river beyond the eastern gate of the long the old chief opened his medicine bag and took out of it a bone decorated with feathers feather in deep chest tones and with a look of affection he be addressed the bone lie he lighted his big pipe and blew nto into the feathers a few shins whiffs of tobacco smoke the two white men knowing that their fate depended on the result of this interview with a bone sat watching the process in a moment the chief returned the sacred treasure to its resting place and solemnly arose with great dig anity ho he blew tho the smoke from ills his mouth ir IP n R current it moved northward ills wrinkled weathered face did not change lie ile went to amos touched the compass on his breast and pointed in the direction whence the smoke had gone gene lie he made the gesture e of drawing the bow ills right hand band swept from east to west lie scattered dust on a sheet ot of and with a stick drew a rude map in the dust marking different points by like signs he made amos to comprehend his decision and his bis plans the he pioneer turned to robert saying I 1 ng the tide has set agin us they are going to join other warriors massed near the upper waters ol 01 0 tile the lake 0 the iroquois they will move we westward r and sweep their enemies from the country we are to go with em cm I 1 ITO am to hellem help cm with the compass and their guns they think that the great spirit Is in the compass and that a little thunderbird thunder bird lives in every gun there are two guns in the party I 1 reckon that they got lem em from the dutch dont know much about guns A little seared scared ol 01 0 the thunderbird thunder bird ye to worry were a godsend to this band 0 ragamuffins raga muffins keep a face take us down to the tort fort by and by and trade us off like ilke a pair 0 beaver skins amos Is happy robert llo hert was far from happy safety and happiness had been near him and yet utterly beyond ills his grasp ills was a dejected figure as he be yielded to this vile durance they headed northward with the fighting red men of whom there were nearly two score and came that eliat night to an indian camp the haughty wr wrinkled I 1 chief was regarded with awn and veneration by his brothers ana the captives were well treated in the camp were fourteen warriors who sat eat around a ire fire drinking bears fat out of ct cups of birch bark held together by thorns on a lire fire the flesh of the bear was boiling in a pot by and by the white men helped themselves at the source of supply with their hands and ate heartily it if not as greedily as the others tepees had been built for the newcomers who were apparently expected the captives would have had to step on the bodies of at least half a dozen warriors to escape CHAPTER X they come to adventures sterner than any they have known next day the haughty old chief was unable to control his men the camp became a scene of the wildest devil tries fortunately for amos and robert tile the old man kept his head A savage would sit down with a bottle e of rum or gin bite the cover off its top ram rain down its cork find and drink as it if it were water stopping slopping only when he strangled getting his breath he would u litter ter a few hoarse grunts of t satisfaction end continue to fill I 1 js his stomach going crazy cray with wild excitement before the bottle was vina finished it was a day in bell liall for the captives the campground and the tepee bottoms were soon filthier than a pigpen pig pen tile the old chief destroyed many bottles and a meanwhile slinking ills his head and muttering by nightfall a grateful silence had conie come the fountains of liquid fire die had gone dry the braves were lying in it drunken stupor one was dead from a hatchet lia blow lie had made no outcry of maln protest or resentment ile he had sat quietly nui etl dron trenched clied with blood until lie fell over lead dead no one bald the slightest attention to him film save the white men who saw that hit he was be ond help two or threes three were ivere groaning greening with sickness the old chief and three warriors who had kept their lips from the kill devil sat around acos is and robert by the dying dins fire think what the greed of the white nian man Is doing to these poor children of the will wilderness said robert here Is the great injustice yes it will make the savages us amos answered but we s top stop it the country Is big and wild the greedy hell makers sneak away with boatloads 0 tills this devil water to some god lonesome place where theres no more law than find in the heart 0 a lyns A million constables ston it 1 I like tills old chief said robert theres something preat great about him lie looks now as if all the sorrows of the world including my own were resting on ills his back lie ile seems not to bear hinr us they and heard his name mime it was amos answered nn oh ob he Is s a wise old man ot of many wars I 1 reckon lies hes been fish fight tin fill and since lie were n boy ile he knows eni cal and every path in the north and secret ways ol 01 0 retreat the follies 0 youth fire are behind him ills pride Is no longer in cover and gewgaws but in hla his history and the things he be knows they sat a long time looking at the old chief and his faithful warriors who sat motionless gazing at the fire sleep had silenced the sick men there Is an entry in roberts diary for that day which cannot be omitted emitted lie ile writes a brief account of the debauch and describes the camp at night adding one satisfaction flits my wretchedness I 1 nm am probably as unhappy as my dear friend in boston if he still lives I 1 find a degree of com comfort fort in this thought TO DB CONTINUED |