Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-01-26
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CONTINUED
"Still!'
Beverley tried to rise. uttering
sleepy ejaculation under his breath.
NO talk" hissed 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
j. pi rfcctly clear TO him that Il very
important bit of craftincss 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-
erley and cut the thongs at his ankles.
Still he whispered. Come long"
Under such circumstances compe-
tent mind acts with lightning celerity.
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 discor-
cry came fresh gieam 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
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
Bevcrley'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 q 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 1t, nor was he ready to act
Swim water" Long Hair said in Il
cultural murmur barely audible.
swim"
Again ii was necessary for Bever-
ley's mind to act swiftly and with pru
dCncp. 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 Il
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 Il
long. cold struggle. and when at last
they touched the sloping. low bank on
TIE 0,hcr side Long Hair had fairly to
lift his chilled and exhausted prisoner
TO the top.
"Cah. cold" he grunted. beginning to
pound and rub Beverley's arms. legs
and hrdy. Make warm heap
All this he did with his right hand,
holding the tomahawk in his left.
1t was Il strange. bewidering eXpe-
rience out of which the young man
could not sec in any direction far
enough to give him hint upon which
to act. In few minutes Long Hair
;n,.;,,,i hin, tn his fant and said.
Go
1t was just light enough to see that
the order had tOmahawk 10 enforce
il witi:al. Long Hair indicated the di-
rcction and drove Beverley onward as
fast Us 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
wo0I for some distance.
They had just emerged from thick
ct into an open space where the ground
WAS comparatively dry. Overhead the
stars were 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 OH 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
dble and his massive features wer
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 sentence in an In
dian dialect somewhat familiar to him.
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. VII!
white man be friendly
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 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 Il wall of giant trees.
Ugh. not understands the savage
presently demanded in his broken Eng
lish.
Eyes. yes" said Beverley. 81 under
stand"
rs the white man friendly now?
Long Hair then repeated in his own
tongue with certain insistence Of
manner and voi%.
"YeS. friendly"
Long Hair fumbled in his pouch and
took out Alice's locket, which he hand