Now as it happened, some of the whites desired fresh meat that morning and a hunting party of two was in pursuit of deer. These hunters, swift of foot and eager, were following the deer tracks and, for the time, never dreaming of the enemy; then they plunged upon the main body of the Indians and for an instant were so struck with surprise that they stood motionless and staring. A scattering of rifle shots followed; one of the men dropped to the earth, the other bounded away into the thicket and made back toward the encampment of the Virginia army. A few hours later the still advancing Indians encountered several large bodies of whites drawn up in military array. Under cover of a flight of arrows the savages drew back; and the voices of Cornstalk and Logan were lifted, calling on them to be as cunning as foxes and unyielding as rocks.
“This day,” said Logan, “shall see the redressing of much wrong, my children. We shall strike the hand which is lifted over us!”
“Sons of the forest!” cried the really noble savage, Cornstalk, “stand fast! The white faces are before you. The sun has lifted upon the day which is to give you victory!”
Having reached a ground which would give them an advantage, the Indians made a stand and began to rain arrows and lead upon the soldiers of the colony. In almost the first fire the colonels of the two regiments fell dead. A confusion seized the troops, and as it spread from rank to rank they began a retreat full of disorder.
This panic of the whites was seen by Oliver as he stood under guard among the trees, and the boy’s heart sank at the sight.
“They run!” said a voice beside him, and turning he recognized Long Panther. “They run like wolves before a forest fire. And you, my white brother, thought they would strike hard and save you!”
Oliver made no reply; and the young Shawnee spoke to the guard in the Indian tongue. They seemed pleased at his words and called out to some others who stood by, not taking part in the attack. Like a flash the message ran along the line of the Indians; and Oliver, though he did not dream of what was coming, saw their grim looks turned upon him and caught a savage satisfaction in them.
“Once,” said Long Panther, “you felt proud of your fleetness; in your pride you thought you could outrun the Shawnees.” His glowing eyes fixed themselves upon Oliver, glowing with a deeper fire than ever. “And I,” went on Long Panther, “told you there might come a day when the Shawnee’d run you a race. That day has now come.”
“What do you mean?” asked the white boy.
“There are your friends,” and Long Panther pointed toward the retreating regiments. “We give you permission to go to them if—if you can outrun the arrows which will follow you.”