In the morning he was awake at the first glimpse of day, examined the position in which he had passed the night, and reached, by a détour that avoided the cliff, the high ground above. Before him was a bit of prairie, and beyond the prairie was a broad belt of woodland. He crossed the prairie, and entered the timber, moving cautiously, as he knew that the Indian village he was seeking could not be far off.
From the edge of the belt of trees he saw the lodges, on the wooded plain before him, and red-men and women walking about among them.
“This is all correct, as fur as heerd from,” he muttered; “but thar’s suthin’ wrong somewhar. ’Pears to me that I smell Injuns, and the critturs are up to some devilment, or Old Blaze is mighty bad fooled. Thar’s one of ’em, and thar’s another! By the livin’ possums of old Varginny! the timber’s full of ’em!”
He had turned, and he saw that the forest which he had just traversed was alive with Indians. They had discovered his approach, had glided into his rear unobserved, and were closing in upon him. As soon as he saw them, they raised a yell, and rushed forward to capture him.
His quick glance told him that he was surrounded on all sides, except that toward the village. Blaming himself for the lack of caution that had led him into the hornets’ nest, he saw that he had no time to lose, and made up his mind in an instant. He must run for his life, and he would hardly save it by running in the direction in which his foes were awaiting him. He must go where they were not expecting him, and that course led directly through the village.
As the yells of the Indians rose behind him, he answered them with a whoop, and bounded away toward the village. It was situated about two hundred yards from his starting point, and the route lay across a level plain, where scattered trees afforded him a partial cover.
Bullets and arrows whistled and sung about him as he ran; but he did not heed them; his attention was concentrated upon the task before him, and he did not fear the foe in his rear.
The Indians at the village, not expecting that his flight would take such a direction, knew nothing of the presence of the fugitive, until he burst in among them, dodging behind the lodges, and performing many strange antics, as he twisted and turned, to avoid the missiles of his pursuers. Then the women screamed, and the men yelled and ran for their weapons, joining the chase.
But Old Blaze had safely passed through the village, and it is probable that he would have succeeded in distancing his pursuers, had it not been for the peculiar nature of the country in which he found himself.