CHAPTER XX—VICTORY
Fighting continued at intervals throughout the night, and daylight found the exhausted Delawares still keeping weary vigil at the edge of the camp. They had lost almost half of their number, and they were discouraged and hopeless. They watched the dawn of the new day with gloomy forebodings, for they feared to imagine what might happen before it ended. The Iroquois showed no intention of abandoning the fight, and the Delawares knew that unless their tribesmen arrived to help them it would be only a short time before they were finally overcome. They felt sure that the three war-parties would unite for the final attack, and they knew that there was little chance of holding them off. Each grim Delaware warrior felt defeat and death hovering over him.
“My brothers, a new day has come,” said Black Panther. “Before it ends I believe our brothers, the Minsi, will come to help us. Pretty soon we will hear them shouting the war-cry. Then the Iroquois will run like rabbits. We must keep our hearts brave. We have killed many of our enemies. They tried to get into our lodges, but we beat them back. Now they are hiding out there in the woods. Yes, they are afraid to face us in the light. Come, we will let them hear our war-cry.”
Roused by the words of their chief, the Delawares rallied from their gloom and sent their war-cry ringing through the forest. The Iroquois immediately answered the challenge, and the Delawares shook their heads soberly. However, as the time passed, and the Iroquois made no further attempts against the village, the Delawares began to take heart. They believed that their foes were waiting to make one supreme effort under cover of the night, and they hoped that the Minsi war-party would arrive in the meantime.
Then as the long day finally passed and their tribesmen failed to appear the Delawares again lost heart. The approach of night filled them with dread. They feared that long before daylight they would be overcome by the superior numbers of their foes. The possibility staggered them. They suddenly realized what it meant. They would be wiped out, destroyed from the land, and their women and children would be homeless. The thought filled them with new determination. They pledged themselves to fight even harder than they had fought before.
As the ominous black shadows finally settled over the camp, the Delawares nerved themselves for their task. They knew that the attack would come suddenly, at any moment, and the thought kept them in trying suspense. Then as the night dragged on and nothing happened, they began to grow suspicious. They wondered if the Iroquois were stealing silently upon them under cover of the darkness. They strained their ears to catch a warning. All was still. The Delawares were bewildered. The uncanny silence strained their nerves. Each moment they expected to hear the terrifying Iroquois war-cry, and see their foes within arm’s reach of them. Then some one shouted a warning from the end of the camp. The suspense was ended. The fight had begun. The Delawares felt relieved.
“Light the fires! Light the fires!” cried the warriors near the point of attack.
“No, no, not yet!” shouted Black Panther.
Then a streak of fire flashed through the night, and fell into the village. It was a fire-arrow. The boys were ordered to the tops of the lodges. A moment afterward the great Iroquois war-party rushed upon the camp. They had approached close up to the barricades before the Delawares discovered them. Then at the proper signal they rose, and grappled with them. The Delawares fought desperately, but they were hopelessly outnumbered, and it seemed to be only a matter of moments before the Iroquois would force their way into the camp.
“Light the fires! Light the fires!” screamed the Delawares.
This time Black Panther realized the necessity for it. Then as the flames roared through the piles of dry brush, and flooded the village with light, he saw the Iroquois at the edge of the camp. They were fighting recklessly to gain a foothold in the village, but the Delawares were attacking them like a swarm of angry bees. Onondagas, Oneidas and Mohawks had combined, and Standing Wolf himself was leading them. For a time the Delawares held them off, but the odds against them were too great, and the Iroquois eventually fought their way into the camp.
For an instant the Delawares faltered. Then they rallied about their gallant war-chief and fought with the fury of despair. They had gathered in force at one end of the camp, and the Iroquois were unable to dislodge them. The Delawares knew that if they were scattered and driven from the village they would be surrounded and annihilated. Therefore, they determined to stand together until the end.
Running Fox was in a frenzy of despair. He realized that he alone was to blame for the plight of his tribesmen, and the thought drove him to distraction. It seemed as if his perilous journey to the Mohawk camp had been in vain. The mysterious Medicine Creatures had apparently deceived him. The sacred medicine-trophy for which he had risked his life seemed powerless against the famous Mohawk war-chief. Getanittowit appeared to have turned against him. Instead of aiding his people, the distracted lad believed that he had brought about their destruction. He had fought with a recklessness that had astounded both his tribesmen and their foes, and still it seemed to have been in vain. Running Fox was beside himself with grief. In the midst of the desperate encounter be raised his arms toward the sky and called upon Getanittowit to help him. “O Getanittowit, see what has happened to me. O Getanittowit, give me power to help my people. O Getanittowit, send the powerful Medicine Creatures to aid me,” he shouted excitedly.
Then a loud mocking laugh rose above the sounds of battle. Running Fox did not need to look. He knew instinctively that it came from Standing Wolf. A moment afterward he saw him fighting recklessly at the head of his warriors. As usual be seemed to bear a charmed life. His tribesmen were dropping on both sides of him, but as yet he was unharmed.
“See, we cannot harm that man!” the Delawares told one another in superstitious awe. “It is useless to fight him. He will kill us all!”
“No! No! He cannot harm you, for I am going to kill him!” Running Fox cried, hysterically. “See, I have the skin of Gokhos, the great white Medicine Owl. My brothers, I have taken away the power from Standing Wolf. I have just found out about it. Now you will see something. I am going to kill that man. I am going to bring our brothers, the Minsi. Pretty soon you will hear them. Now you must watch me.”
The next moment he bounded past his astonished tribesmen, and advanced fearlessly upon the Mohawk chief. The latter shot an arrow at him, but it flew harmlessly past his head. Then, as Running Fox laughed and pointed to the medicine-trophy which hung upon his breast, Standing Wolf uttered a yell of rage and rushed forward, war-club in hand. Before he had taken two strides Running Fox drove an arrow through his heart.
“See, my brothers, see what I have done!” screamed Running Fox, as he drove back several Mohawks who had rushed upon him to avenge the death of their chief.
“It is the Medicine Spirits!” cried the Delawares, as they ran to his support.
“Yes, I have the power!” shouted Running Fox. “Come, you must follow me!”
He led the Delawares in a furious attack that utterly routed the faltering Mohawks. The death of their famous chief had demoralized them, and as they saw their comrades falling before the deadly arrows of the wild-eyed young Delaware and his followers they suddenly became panic-stricken and fled from the camp.
At that very instant the Delaware war-cry rang through the night and a moment afterward a great company of Minsi fighting men poured into the village. They threw themselves upon the bewildered Oneidas and Onondagas and completely overwhelmed them. The Minsi gained a quick and easy victory, for the superstitious Iroquois believed that some powerful Medicine Spirit had suddenly come to the aid of their foes, and they made little attempt to resist them. Finding themselves in danger of being speedily annihilated by the fierce fighters who had suddenly appeared before them, they, too, retreated from the camp in wild disorder, and sought safety in flight. However, the Delawares were determined to make the most of their victory, and they followed their fleeing foes far into the wilderness, exacting a terrible vengeance for the many wrongs which they had suffered at the hands of Standing Wolf and his followers.
Late the following day when the last of the Delaware fighting men had returned to the camp, Black Panther called upon all to assemble and give thanks for the victory. It was a notable gathering, and the stern Delaware war-chief looked upon his warriors with great pride. Then his eyes sought out Running Fox, and for a moment he was almost overcome by his emotion.
“My people, we have won a great victory,” said Black Panther. “Standing Wolf, the great Mohawk war-chief, is dead. Many of his people have followed him. The warriors who escaped are running toward their villages. It will be a long time before they come here again. Do you know how all this came about? Well, I will tell you. It is because Running Fox went into the Mohawk camp, and brought away the skin of the mysterious white Medicine Owl. Spotted Deer went with him. Those young warriors have done the greatest thing that has ever been done by a Delaware. But Running Fox has done something bigger than that. He has killed the great chief Standing Wolf. That fierce warrior killed many of our people. Yes, he killed many of our women and children. He destroyed our crops, and burned our lodges. We wished to live in peace, but he would not let us. He brought great trouble upon us. Now he will never trouble us again. Running Fox has brought it to pass. He is very young, but he has become a great warrior. Yes, he must have a place in the council-circle. I have finished.”
The Delawares greeted the announcement with shouts of approval. They called Running Fox and Spotted Deer to stand in the center of the camp, while the great war-party paraded around them, singing the songs of victory. Then they suddenly stopped, and raised their voices in the great tribute which was only given to the famous war-chiefs of the nation. It was a high honor, and the happy lads strove hard to conceal their pride as they looked joyfully into each other’s eyes.
THE END