CHAPTER XVII. AN ENEMY IN CAMP.
One morning, a few days after Jack's sheep hunt, Joe made his appearance at John Monroe's lodge, carrying a bundle under his arm, and finding Jack eating his breakfast within, sat down beside him. When Jack had finished, Joe removed the piece of calico which covered the bundle, and held out to Jack a buckskin shirt, heavily fringed along the arms and on the sides, and beautifully ornamented on back and front with stained porcupine quills.
"My aunt, Fox Eye's woman, sent you this," said Joe.
"Sent it to me?"
"Yes, she made it. Part of it is the skin of the sheep we killed. She thought maybe you'd like it."
"Like it, well I should say I do. It's the handsomest thing I ever saw. I've seen some of the men wearing coats and shirts fixed up like this, and I've wished I had one, too. Tell her I'm awfully obliged to her, won't you?"
"Well," said Joe, "you can't say that in Indian. I'll tell her it made you laugh when you got the shirt; then she'll be glad, too. Fox Eye and Six Lodges are going over to Grassy Lakes to kill antelope, for clothing; do you want to come?"
"Why yes, of course I want to come. I wonder if I could. You see, I've got to talk to Hugh before I go off anywhere, for before I left the ranch I told my uncle I'd try to do what Hugh said, always."
"That's good, White Bull is a wise man; it's good to listen to him. Everybody in the camp respects him."
"When's Fox Eye going to start?"
"Goin' to start to-day, maybe go along the mountains to Little Lake, under Chief mountain; camp there to-night. It's not far. Then go on east."
"Let's go out and see if we can find Hugh now, but first, I want to put on my shirt."
Just as the boys were about to get up and leave the lodge, John Monroe's wife called to Jack, "Here, you goin' to be Injin, got to wear moccasins," and she threw across the lodge to him a pair of prettily beaded moccasins with parfleche soles.
"All right," said Jack, "I'll put on moccasins and leggings too, if you'll give them to me," and sitting down he removed his shoes and replaced them by the moccasins, which exactly fitted him. He did not know that the kind-hearted woman had taken one of his socks while he slept, and got the size of his foot from that.
The boys started out from the lodge to look for Hugh, Jack feeling a little shy in his new finery, and a little bit afraid that people who saw him might laugh at him. Nobody seemed to do so, and he saw only the pleasant smiles that had greeted him ever since he had first come into the camp.
After a little search they found Hugh sitting on the ground near one of the lodges, talking with two other old men, and stopped by them, waiting until they should have ceased talking. Then Hugh looked up at Jack and said, "Well, son, what is it? I can always tell when you want to ask me something, as far as I can see you. What are you proposing to do now?"
"Well, Hugh," said Jack, "it's this way; Joe says that his uncle and a few lodges are going off to Grassy Lakes after antelope skins, and he asked me if I'd like to go along. Of course I'd like to go, but I don't want to unless you think I'd better."
"Hum," said Hugh; "Grassy Lakes; that's about three or four days, isn't it, Joe?"
"Yes, sir," said Joe, "about that. They thought they'd go over and camp there three or four days, and then come back. They say there's lots of antelope on the prairie, and they thought they could get what skins they wanted and get back in that time."
"Well," said Hugh, "I don't know; I don't like to have you going so far off with such a little party, and then of course there's always a chance of your running onto a war party; like as not, Crows or Assinaboines or Gros Ventres may be wandering around there, killing buffalo, or going up to the Blood camp, and you might get into some trouble."
"Oh," said Jack, "I don't believe there's any danger of that kind. It'll be just a little hunting trip, and I'd like the ride; and I'll try to take good care of myself and not do any foolish things."
"Well, you've got pretty good sense, and I've always found I could depend on you pretty well. I guess if you like you can go, but I think I'll go too."
"Why that's better yet. I guess you'd like the ride too; you've been sitting round camp now for quite a while, and I haven't done anything except when I climbed the mountain the other day with Joe."
Hugh turned to Joe and said, "How is it, boy; is there plenty of room in Fox Eye's lodge?"
"I guess so," said Joe; "nobody lives there but him and my aunt and me. The lodge is big; there ought to be room for two more people."
"Well," said Hugh, "you go over and ask your uncle if Jack and me can come along and stop in his lodge, and let me know."
The boys walked quickly across the circle of the camp, and presently found themselves at Fox Eye's lodge. When they entered they found Joe's aunt busily engaged in packing things up, and the interior of the lodge almost dismantled. Fox Eye, himself, had gone out to bring in the horses, and when Joe gave Hugh's message, the woman replied in a high-pitched, scolding voice that almost alarmed Jack, for he could not think what she was finding fault with, unless it was the proposition that they should quarter themselves on her.
After she had finished speaking, Joe said to Jack: "Well, let's go over and tell him."
"Well, but Joe," said Jack, "what did she say? I thought she was mad because we wanted to go with you."
"Ho," said Joe, "she was mad; that is, she was a little mad, but that isn't the reason why; she said, 'Why does White Bull talk like that? Doesn't he know that if he wants to stop in our lodge he shall come into it and sit down and stay as long as he wants? Tell him he talks like a foolish person, and that Fox Eye will be glad to see him whenever he comes, and glad to have him stop as long as he feels like stopping.'"
The boys went back to Hugh and gave the message that Joe's aunt had sent, and Jack and Hugh went to the lodge, packed up the two beds, and got out some sugar and coffee and flour, luxuries which were to be their contribution to the supplies of Fox Eye's lodge. It occurred to Jack, also, that it would be a nice thing to give Fox Eye, himself, a present of tobacco, and to his wife some beads and red cloth, as some acknowledgement of her kindness to him. When the bundles were ready Jack went out and brought in Pawnee, saddled him, and riding out to the horse herd on the hills, selected one of their own pack animals, brought it in and tied it up ready for packing when the time should come for starting.
About mid-day the little train started northeast, and camped that night at a small lake not far from the base of the Chief Mountain, which rose like a great wall to the west of them. Two days more brought them to the Grassy Lakes, and there they camped, to stop for four or five days. While they were marching, Hugh usually rode with the two boys, off to one side, and they hunted antelope with some success. Jack killed two and Hugh three, and then Jack loaned his rifle to Joe, who proved himself a good hunter and a good shot, and killed four antelope. The hunters among the Indians had also killed a number, and before long much meat and many hides were put out to dry at each camp. Buffalo were in sight all the time, but the Indians did not disturb them, for it had been understood before they left the camp that no buffalo should be killed. A sharp lookout was kept all the time for enemies, but no signs were seen that any one was in the country.
The second day of their stay at Grassy Lakes was dull and overcast, and the wind which had been always from the west, now worked around to the north and northeast. Hugh and the Indians said that they were going to have a rain storm, and that it might be a long one. Jack and Joe hunted during the day not far from camp, and each killed an antelope. They reached camp with their game in the middle of the afternoon, and after eating, Jack lay down in the lodge on the bed and went to sleep and did not wake up until after dark. When he sat up to look about him he saw that it was night, and almost every one in the lodge was in bed, and the fire was beginning to burn low. He tried to talk a little with Joe and Hugh, but both were sleepy, and presently he lay down again to sleep through the night. The fire died down, so that now it gave no light, and the heavy, regular breathing of the people in the lodge showed that all were sleeping, but Jack could not go to sleep. His long rest in the afternoon had made him wakeful, and though he turned from side to side on his soft bed of robes, sleep would not come to him. At length, after what seemed to him three or four hours, he thought he would get up and go outside of the lodge, stretch his legs, and perhaps this would make him sleep. He rose very softly, for fear of disturbing any one, took his gun in his hand, and stepping over to the door, stood outside. For an instant he could hardly believe his eyes, for there, close in front of the lodge, was the dark form of some one stooping down and holding the rope by which one of the horses was tied in front of the lodge. Although the night was cloudy there was a moon, which enabled him to see very plainly that this was a man who was doing something with one of the ropes. In an instant it flashed through his mind that this must be an enemy stealing horses, and as he thought this, the man stood erect and then sprang on the back of the horse which started to walk away. Jack did not know what to do. A few jumps of the horse would take it out of sight. There was nothing that he could do to stop it, except to shoot, and possibly this might be one of the men in the camp who had a right to the horse. All these things flashed through Jack's mind in a moment, but he felt that he must find out what this was that was being done. He called out—not considering that the man could not understand him—"Hold on, there! What are you doing with that horse?" Evidently the man had not seen him, for as the call reached him he thrust his heels into the horse's side and brought down the rope on its back and it began to gallop.
"Hold on!" Jack called again, "or I'll shoot."
By this time there was stirring in the lodge, but there was no time to wait; Jack's gun was at his shoulder, he fired, and as the smoke cleared away he saw the riderless horse galloping on, and then it disappeared. He called:
"Help! Hugh! Joe! they're stealing the horses!" And throwing another cartridge into his gun he rushed forward to where he had last seen the horse. There on the ground was the man, trying to scramble to his feet. Jack pushed him back with the muzzle of his rifle and held the gun to his shoulder, ready to fire again, saying, "Lie still there, or I'll shoot." The man fell back and lay upon the ground still. Almost at the same instant, Hugh and Joe, followed by Fox Eye, came running up. Hugh's first question was:
"How many of 'em were there?"
"I only saw this one, I didn't want to shoot at him, but he had jumped on the horse and was riding off, and I didn't know what else to do."
Meantime, Joe and Fox Eye each, as he came up, had struck the man lying there, Joe with his bow and Fox Eye with the muzzle of his gun.
"What are they going to do with him, Hugh?" said Jack; "keep him for a prisoner?"
"Why no," said Hugh, stooping over and putting his hand on the man's breast; "I don't think we'll need to tie him up. You made a pretty good shot, son, even if it was dark."
"Did I hit him?" said Jack. "I thought he fell off the horse because I shot at him; he was just getting up when I got here, and I pushed him over with the muzzle of my gun and told him to lie still or I'd shoot again."
"Well," said Hugh, "he'll lie still all right. I guess we can leave him here till morning."
"Why, how do you mean, Hugh?" said Jack.
"Why son, he's dead."
"Dead," said Jack; "do you mean that I killed him?"
"I expect so," said Hugh, "and a good job, too." He lit a match, and stooping down, looked at the man's face and moccasins, and then spoke to Fox Eye and to the other men, who by this time had come up and were crowding about them, and then turned to Jack and said, "He's an Assinaboine, and a horse thief, and you done mighty well to shoot just the way you did. If you hadn't done that we might all have been left afoot before morning; no reason why he shouldn't have taken every hoof of stock there is in the camp. You done well, son, and I'm mighty glad of it; but how did you come to see him?"
Jack told how it was that he could not sleep, and how he had gone out of the lodge to stretch his legs, in the hope that this would make sleep come; and he gave a detailed account of all he had seen and thought and done. When he had finished, Hugh said to him again, "You done well. No man could have done better, and when you get back to the camp I expect these Indians'll think more of you than ever. Are you sure that when the man was trying to get up you touched him with your gun?"
"Why yes, of course I am, Hugh; I gave him a right hard punch with it, and he lay down right off."
"Well, if that's so, you've not only killed an enemy, but you've counted coup on him, and that makes you a warrior right off. All these people here have been thinking of you as just a boy, but from now on they'll say that you're a sure enough man, all right."
While they were talking, Hugh and Jack had returned to Fox Eye's lodge, in which his wife had built up a brilliant fire. They sat down there, and while Hugh told the woman what had happened, she was warming up a kettle of food, and presently set some of it before the two. While they were eating, Fox Eye came in, followed by several men, one of whom carried in his hand the scalp of the enemy and another his bow case and quiver. The scalp was, of course, the first that Jack had ever seen, and he looked at it with some awe, nor could he rid himself of a feeling of a good deal of solemnity when he thought that he had killed a man. Joe, who had come into the lodge and sat down near him, spoke to him presently, and said, "My friend, I am glad that you have done this great thing. You have shown that you are brave. I wish that I had had the chance."
"Well," said Jack, "I wish you had had it; you could have done as much with your bow as I did with my gun."
"Weren't you afraid," said Joe, "when you ran up to that person lying on the ground?"
"No," said Jack, "I didn't think about being afraid. I expect I didn't know enough to be scared. The only thing I was afraid of was that he'd get up and run away."
Meantime, Hugh had been talking to the men, and presently, when he stopped, Fox Eye spoke for quite along time. After he had finished, Joe whispered to Jack:
"Say, you ought to have heard what he said about you. Wouldn't I be glad if anybody talked that way about me."
"What did he say?" said Jack.
"Oh, he praised you," said Joe; "he said you were brave; didn't fear anything; that you were watchful; that you had eyes like an eagle; ears like a prairie fox; that you could hear a long ways, and see straight and shoot good. Lord, he said nice things about you."
Hugh had been speaking again, and now he turned to the two boys and said, "Now, boys, there may be more of these fellows around, and we've got to stand guard to-night and look out for these horses. I think you boys and young Bull Calf, here, had better go on watch for three hours, and then three of us will relieve you. Have you got your watch on, Jack?"
"Yes," said Jack, pulling it out, "it's half past twelve."
"Well, you three boys go out on three sides of the camp, a little way outside, and on the hills, and watch for three hours. Then, son, come in and call me, and three others will go out and relieve you. In the morning, as soon as it gets light, we'll pack up and strike for the main camp. It's liable to be dangerous here before long."