Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-02-10
Wlllu,ar,

Long Hair ordered, so with scarcely
perceptible hesitation he scrambled
down the bushy bank and slipped into
the water, followed by Long Hair.
who seized him by one arm when he
began to swim and struck out with him
into the boiling and tumbling current.
Beverley had always thought himself
master swimmer, but Long Hair
showed him his mistake. 1t was
long, cold struggle, and when at last
they touched the sloping, low bank on
the other side Long Hair had fairly to
lift his chilled and exhausted prisoner
to the top.
ugh, cold!' be grunted, beginning to
pound and rub Beverley's arms, legs
and body. snake warm heapr'
All this he did with his right hand.
holding the tomahawk in his left.
It was strange, bewildering expe-
Renee out Of which the young man
could not see in any direction far
enough to give him hint upon which
to act. In few minutes Long Hair
jerked him to his feet and said:
&C.,"
It was just light enough to see that
the order had tomahawk to enforce
It withal. Long Hair indicated the d.
rection and drove Beverley onward as
fast as he could.
''Try run way. kill!' he kept repeat
ing, while with his left hand on the
young mans shoulder he guided him
from behind dexterously through the
wood for some distance.
They had just emerged from thick
ct into an open space where the ground
was comparativ dry. Overhead the
stars We're shining In great clusters Of
silver and gold against dark, cavern
Gus looking sky, here and there over
run with careering black clouds. Bev-
erley shivered, not so much with cold
as on account Of the stress Of excite
ment which amounted to nervous rigor.
Long Hair faced him and leaned to-
ward him until his breathing was au-
dible and his massive features were
dimly outlined. A dragon of the dark
est age could not have been more re-
pulsive.
ugh, friend:'
Beverley started when these words
were followed by a sentence in an In
dian dialect somewhat familiar to him,
q dialect in which he had tried to talk
with Long Hair during the days
march. The sentence, literally trans
lated, was:
Long Hair is friendly now. Will
white man be friendly?'
Beverley heard, but the speech seem
ed to come out of vastness and hollow
distance. He could not realize it fairly
BE felt as If In dream, far off some
where in loneliness. with big, shad-
owy form looming before him. He
heard the chill wind in the thickets
roundabout, and beyond Long Hair
rose wall of giant trees.
ugh, not understand?' the savage
presently demanded in his broken Eng
ush.
Eyes, yes" said Beverley. II under
ttand."
lis the white man friendly now?"
Long Hair then repeated in his own
tongue with certain insistence Of
manner and voice.
Eyes, friendly
Long Hair fumbled in his pouch and
took out Alice's locket, which. he hand
ed to Beverley. white man love little
girl?' he inquired in tone that Dor
dered upon tenderness, again speaking
in Indian.
Beverley clutched the disk as soon as
he saw it CLEAN in the starlight.
"White man going to have little girl
for his squaw, eh?'
Eyes, yes" cried Beverley without
hearing his own voice. He was trying
to open the locket, but his hands were
numb and trembling. When at last he
did open it he could not see the child
face within. for now even the starlight
was shut of by a scudding black cloud.
"Little girl saved Long Hairs life.
Long Hair save white warrior for little
girl
A dignity which was almost noble &C.
companied these simple sentences.
Long Hair stood proudly erect like
colossal statue in the dimness.
The great truth dawned upon Bever-
ley that here was a characteristic act.
He knew that an Indian rarely failed
to repay kindness or an injury, stroke
for stroke, when opportunity offered.
"Wait here little WHILE" Long Hair
said, and, without lingering for reply,
turned away and disappeared in the
wood. Beverley was free to run il he
wished to, and the thought did surge.
across his mind, but restraining
something like hand laid upon him
would not let his limbs move. Down
deep In his heart calm voice seemed
to be repeatin Long Hairs Indian SEN
tence,, s'Wait here little while" <>~
a few minutes later Long Hair re-
turned bearing two guns, Beverley's
and his own, the latter superb weap.
on given him BY Hamilton. He after
ward explained that he had brought
these, with their bullet pouches and
powder horns, to a place Of conceal,
ment near by before he awoke Bever-
ley. II 5.=s s.. i .s=. 3 :s..s IS
.s Delay could not be thought Of. Long
Hair explained briefly that be thought
Bsvsslsy must s. q Ksskaskia he