“Then the yaller dog won’t die. Ye know how I hacked him up once? Nothin’ under heaven but a half ounce of lead atween the peepers will ever finish ’im. He’ll turn up in a few days again, afore we call ourselves safe.”
A brief examination told the victors how the bloodhound had effected his escape. Alone he could do nothing, but during the conflict Big Moccasin must have freed himself, and borne his master from the cave, for the giant guard too was missing.
I have said that two persons came to the rescue with Doc Bell.
The identity of one the reader can easily fix; the other was the hunted Peoria—the vengeful Swamp Oak.
The giant and his tongueless companion had encountered the young chief in the forest, not far from the Bloodhound’s cave. Upon the night when Swamp Oak had saved the lives of the trader and the giant by shooting Segowatha’s avenging son, he had followed the twain but had failed to overtake them. Still he searched the forest, but the storm that burst above the trees immediately after their escape, had completely obliterated their trail, thus baffling the young Indian.
The meeting in the forest, mentioned above, was, no doubt, the strangest that ever took place in America.
The young Peoria clasped Ulalah to his heart, but started back to find her silent.
He then called upon her to speak, but still silent, she took his hand and put it into her mouth.
He uttered a cry of horror, and then the hunter-giant told him all he knew about Ulalah’s terrible misfortune.
The hunted lover listened in silence, and when he had finished, in the dim light of a star, Doc Bell saw the Indian’s face grow black with rage.