Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-01-22
"still!y

it perfectly clear to him that a very
important bit of craftiness was being
performed. Just what its nature was
however. he could not sulmisc. One
thing was obvious. Long Hair dill not
wish the other Indians to know of the
move he was making. Deity he
Slipped the blankets from around Bev-
erlcy and cut the thongs at his ankles
"Still!' he whispered. Come long"
Under such circumstances Il compe-
tent mind acts with lightning celebrity.
| Beverley now understood that Long
| Hair was stealing him away from the
other savages and that the big villain
| meant to cheat them out of their part
of the reward Along with this discov-
cry came a fresh CLEAN of hope. 1t
would be far easier TO escape from one
Indian than from nearly score AL
ready he was planning or trying to
plan some way by which he could kill
Long Hair when they should reach a
safe distance from the sleeping camp.
But how could the thing be done? A
man with his hands tied. though they
are in front of him, is in no excellent
condition to cope with a free and stall
wart savage armed to the teeth. Still
Beverley's spirits rose with every rod
of distance that was added to their
slow progress.
Their course was nearly parallel with
| that of the stream but slightly con
verging with it. and after they had
! gone about furlong they reached the
! bank. Here Long Hair stopped and.
without a word cut the thongs from
| BcverleY's wrists. This was aStound-
ing. The young man could scarcely re
| alize it, nor was he ready TO act
"Swim water" long Hair said in a
cultural murmur barely audible.
/ "SWinr'
Again it was necessary for Bevcr-
lcy's mind to act swiftly and with pru-
dence. The camp was yet within hail
ing distance. \ false move now would
bring the whole pack bowling to the
rescue. Something told him to do as
Long Hair ordered. SO with scarcely a
perceptible hesitation he scrambled
down the bushy bank and slipped into
the water, followed 10y 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 a
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, coldw he grunted, beginning to
pound and rub Beverley's arms, legs
and body. Make warm heap!
All this he did with his right hand,
holding the tomahawk in his left.
1t was a strange, bewildcring expe-
rience out of which the young man
could not see in any direction far
to act In few minutes Long Hair
jerked him 10 his feet and said:
60"
1t was just light enough to see that
the order had Il tomahawk to enforce
it withal. Long Hair indicated the di-
rection and drove Beverley onward as
fast as he could.
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 comparatively 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, frend"'
Beverley started when these words
were followed by a sentence in an In
dian dialect somewhat familiar to him
a 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. viii
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
He felt as If in dream, far off some
where in loneliness, with big, shad
owy form looming before him. HI
heard the chill wind in the thicket'
roundabout, and beyond Long Hal
rose a wall of giant trees.
. ugh, not understands" the savage
presently demanded in his broken Eng
fish.
Eyes, yes" said Beverley, 81 under
y stand"
i SIS the white man friendly now :?