| Show I 1 T the h plains of abraham araham A I 1 by JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD 0 by doubleday torn doran co line ina Sery leo lc CHAPTER VIII 16 twenty minutes after odd had revealed their hiding biding place jeems and tobnette Tol nette were standing in the sun mysterious things had happened in thle this time unseen hands had dragged the warrior from under the rocks an interval had bad followed I 1 in which excitement ment gave way to solemn and low voiced talk outside then some one had called in guttural broken french commanding them to come out T they hey had bid obeyed jeems first tobnette Tol nette after him andody and odd last with i the downcast air of a beast who irb knew e w he was waa in disgrace it was an astounding and unexpected reception by enemies at whose chos 0 belts scalps were hanging hafi ging there were between twenty and thirty of the Se splendidly built keen eyed lean faced most of them young men even in the shock of the moment toinette Tot Tol netto nette surveyed them in startled admiration mi ration they were mke me runners ready for a race staring at the youth with tits his bow and at the girl witcher with her tangled shining hair the indians returned their gaze with a look of 0 amaza amazement not unmixed with approval they seemed scarcely able to believe these two had fooled them so completely ely capturing one of their number in the bargain yet conceded the fact with glances in which passion was held subdued A young savage who stood before them seemed largely responsible for this attitude purplish lines were around his bla throat as if a rope had choked him two of the eagle feathers in his tuft were broken and ills his shoulder was blieding bleeding where the skin had been torn by a jagged tooth of rock evidently he held considerable influence in the war party of which he was a member beside him was it a much older man of even more powerful figure it was he who spoke in seneca to the younger so this Is the boy who made my brave nephew a captive to be saved by the voice of a dog I 1 tie the other scowled at the taunt in his voice ile he could have killed me lie ile i spare spared d my life this Is the young he fawn to whom you owe a feather from your tuft ill 1 I owai owe him two one for himself and one for the maiden whose presence must have stayed his hand the older man grunted lie ile looks strong and may stand to travel with us but the girl Is like a broken really ready to fall in our path she will cumber out feet and make our way more difficult and great haste must be our choice use your hatchet on one and we we will take the other command jeems gave a sudden cry and the faces of the savages relaxed in astonishment when ho he began to speak in their language hell bep sabah adams schooling had prepared him for this hour his 1119 monue stumbled some of his big words were twisted there were gaps which only the imagination could nil fill but he told his tory story the indians listened with aa an interest which assured jeems they had not inot been a part of the force that had 2 the tha Se words word brought to jeems not ony only hope bu but shock massacred his big and people ue be pointed to the girl ile he related how tho mohawks had destroyed his father and mother and all who had belonged to tobnette Tol nette how hov they had fled together how they had hidden in the old house and that with an arrow he had killed the white bijan roan who had fired the gun bronzed and disheveled the long bow in his hand jeems made ft a vivid picture of courage and eloquence that would remain with tot tol nette as long as she lived she drew herself up a little proudly sensing that he was fighting tor for her site she stood straight her chin high gazing with unafraid eyes at the leader ol of the war party with the courtesy which had already established for himself in borderland history the th chieftain listened attentively and when the youth had finished he spoke words which sent two of his men running down the ridge in the direction of cussans Lus sans place then he asked ached questions which let jeems know the had not gone as a far as cussans Lu Lus ssang sans but that they had heard the gun and in seeking for the one who had fired it had stumbled ble dupon upon their trail in the hardwood slope half a mile from the abandoned house when tits his brief questioning was over turned his attention once more to the young man beside him 1 I think the boy Is a great liar and I 1 have sent back tor for proof of it he said if he has not sped an arrow through this friend of the mohawks Mo Afo hawks as he claims he shall die if he has s spoken the truth in the matter which w will III be proof that he has spoken it in others he may travel with us and ills his companion also until her feet tire so that death Is necessary cesary ne to bring her rest tobnette Tol nette began to prepare herself for the ordeal braiding her hair swiftly jeems came to her and she saw the torture of doubt in tits Ms bejes ejes eyes 1 I can do it jeems she cried softly 1 I know what you were saying an and dehat what they were thinking find and I 1 can do it I 1 will do it I 1 I 1 am going to live with you I 1 love you so BO much that nothing can kill me jeems not even een their tomahawks I 1 the tall young warrior approached ne ire at least was one friend among the many who stood about them 1 I am Sh Indas he said we are going to a far tofu a long way it Is Chenu falo there tire are many leagues of forests foresta of hills of swamps swai tips between us as and it I 1 am your friend because you have been a brother and allowed Ill owed me to live and I 1 owe you two fea feathers from my tuft I 1 brought your hatchet from under the rocks because I 1 did not want you to strike and be killed in tu turn r n you love the white maiden maide n I 1 t too 00 love a maiden the Se words brought brou glit to teems jeems not only hope but shock these savages were from the hidden town a place which even the adventurous adams had looked upon as another world a goal which he had dreamed of reaching in some day of reckless daring hidden town I 1 the heart and soul aj aad ild mysterious secret place of the seneca nation 1 it was a vast distance away ills his uncle had once said you must be a strong man before you can travel to it that Is why the Se who range far are the finest of all two legged beasts 11 spoke again Tta oga my uncle who Is a great captain will keep ills his word ile he will kill the little fawn who Is with yo you it if her limbs fall her jeems looked from his big friend to tol nette she had bad approached the fierce old warrior and was smiling into his face her eyes aglow with confidence as she pointed to her ragged shoes for a moment repulsed her advance with stoical indifference then lie ha turned his tack back on her and gave a command which quickly put a prisoners thong of buckskin around jeems neck and rell relieved eved him of ills his bow down into the valley and through u gh the forest the long ion grim march began the two braves had returned with th the white ewhite mans scalp and the broken arrow that had killed him they talked excitedly and tobnette Tol nette could understand by their actions the story they were telling it was the portrayal of a desperate struggle between their prisoner and the white skinned mohawk they measured the difference in their weight and size the broken arrow was compared with its fellows in the quiver spoke this youth shall go with us and in turn for ills brotherhood we will take the maiden to fill the place of silver heels in my tepee see that he Is given the scalp which la Is his that he may have a feather feat lier in his tuft when we arrive then lie he spoke to jeems you heart then to tobnette Tol nette you are sliver silver heels sho she was my daughter she to Is dead no flash of emotion no softening of his features no sign of friendship crossed the chieftains countenance ire he turned and put himself at the head of his band huge among his men with the dignity of a king in his bis bear ing one of the braves who had gont goat to cussons Lus sana sons fastened the white mans man scalp at jeems belt in spite of his bis protest and abhorrence once more the westward march resumed its ita way a single file of soft footed noiseless men with a girl midway in their line a girt whose long dark braid gleamed in the shafts of the sun whose cheeks were flushed and whose eyes held something more than thi the depths of tragedy and grief as she looked ahead to the great ad venture and heard beard behind her th tread of a dog and the steps of the man she loved tobnette Tol nette traveled easily in moccasins which tied had been given her she was not as fragile as jeems had bad thought when she had tried to keep up with him in her high heeled shoes her slim body was trong strong and supple reet her eyes quick her feet sure dropped back from man to man to see sea 4 9 her slim body was wa strong and supple that all was well and hir eyes gleamed with satisfaction when he measured how lightly tobnette Tol nette was following those ahead of her ile he fell in fit close to jeems and the two talked in low tones even odd seemed to have changed now that he was a part of those whom he had mistrusted to an observer the passing of the would have revealed no sign of peace or mercy that it was ft a force chosen with care for a long and dangerous mission there could be ba no doubt and that it had met with success was equally certain there were twenty sit scalps among its warriors which was triumph in ample measure eighteen of these had been taken from men five from women and three from children tobnette Tol nette was not afraid though she sha could not account for her feeling of 0 security site she was not only unafraid of but there was something site she liked about the man she was wag sure he would not kill 1111 her she spoke this conviction to jeems when he was at her side bide but had said to him 1 I have greater hope for she travels lightly and well she must keep up if slie she falls will kill her even though he has chosen her to take the place of silver heels tobnette Tol nette kept from jeems the fact that she was growing tired and that sharp pains had begun to shoot like needles through the overtaxed muscles cles of her limbs when they stopped for a meal sho she ate an apple and half ot of a turnip and jeems brought her water in a cup cu from the cold stream beald which they had camped lie ile did not tell her the dark news he ha had bad learned that there had bad been a great slaughter of the french under baron dieskau and that the southern frontier lay at the mercy of sir WU wit llam ilam johnson and his bis hordes bordes of sayi say ages nor did he tell her that because ol of trouble with a band of mohawks Mo hawks three of whose number had been left dead in a personal quarrel planned to reach the seneca stronghold in six days and nights TO DM BE CONTINUED |
