“Kill me, you dog!” he gasped, struggling to get away.
“No, you are Winnetou’s father, and shall live; but I must make you take a nap for a little while. You leave me no choice.”
I struck his head with the flat side of the tomahawk—a severe blow; his limbs drew up convulsively, and then stretched out at full length. It looked from where the Indians stood as though I had killed him, and again I heard that awful howl.
I bound the chiefs arms down to his side with his belt, dragged him over to the cedar, and laid him at its foot. I had to reach the tree, under the conditions laid down, to complete the work and win our freedom. Then I left Intschu-Tschuna lying there, and ran quickly back to the bank, for three Indians had thrown themselves into the stream and were swimming over, Winnetou at their head. In case they did not keep their word this was too many, so I called to them as I reached the river: “Your chief lives; I have done him no harm; but if you come here I will kill you. Only Winnetou shall cross, for I wish to speak to him.” They paid no attention to these words, but Winnetou rose in the water where they could all see him, and uttered a word which I did not understand. They obeyed it, turned back, and he came on alone. I waited for him at the water’s edge, and as he emerged from it said: “It is well they turned back, for it would have proved dangerous to your father to have allowed them to come.”
“You have slain him with the tomahawk.”
“No; he forced me to strike him unconscious, because he would not give in.”
“And you could have killed him; he was in your hands.”
“I would not willingly kill an enemy; certainly not a man I like and who is Winnetou’s father. Here is his tomahawk. You shall decide whether or not I have conquered and the promise to me and my comrades shall be fulfilled.”
He took the tomahawk which I held out to him, and regarded me long and steadily. His eyes grew milder and milder; their expression changing into one of amazement, and at last he said: “What kind of a man is Old Shatterhand? who can understand him?”
“You will learn to understand me.”