Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1904-02-11

At about the midhour Of the night
Long Hair gently awoke his prisoner
hy drawing hand across his face,
then whispered in his ear:
.Stlv'
Beverley tried to rise, altering a
sleepy ejaculation under his breath.
mo talk!'' Kissed Long Hair. "Still!"
There was something in his voice
that not only swept the last film Of
sleep out of Beverley's brain, but made
1t perfectly clear to him that very
important hit Of craftiness was being
performed. Just what its nature was,
however, he could not surmise. One
thing was obvious. Long Hair did not
wish the other Indians to know of the
move he was making. Deity he
slipped the blankets from around Bev-
er}ey and cut the thongs ut his ankles.
"Still!' he whispered. "Come long"
Under such circumstances q 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. It
would he 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 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 word. cut the thongs from
Beverley'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.
''Swim.'
Again it was necessary for Bever-
ley's mind to act swiftly and With pru
dence. The camp was yet within hail
ing distance. A false move now would
bring the whole pack bowling to the
rescue. Something told him to do as
Long Hair ordered, so with scarcely n
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 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, cold!" he grunted, beginning to
pound and rub Beverley's arms. legs
and body. make warm hcap!"
All this he did with his right hant3
holding the tomahawk in his left.
1t was strange, bewilderin.s eXpe-
Renee out of which the young man
could not see in any direction far
enough to give him a hint upon which
to act. In few minutes Long Hair
jerked him to his feet and said
60"
1t was just light enough to see that
the order had tomahawk to enforce
it withal. Long Hair indicated the di-
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 a thick
ct into an open space where the ground
was comparatively dry. Overhead the
stars were shining in great clusters of
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 friendlyy'
Beverley heard, but the speech seem
ed to come out of vastness and hollow
distance. He could not realize 1t fairly.
He felt as If in a dream, far of 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