Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-06-23
THE MASTER OF APPLEBY|
BY Francis Lynde. =


standing so near ne could have pricked
me with his scalping knife.
1t was Gods mercy that by some
swift intuition / knew him for the
friendly Catawba. 1t is an i'll thing to
take a frtghted man unawares.
"Uncanoola?" said /.
He nodded. Where bouts Captain
told him briefly; whereat he shook
his head.
No find Captain Jennif this way;
find him that way pointing back along
the path.
.'How does the chief know thate Has
he seen him?' Though my 0 exile
had well-nigh cost me the trick of 1t,
made shift to drop into the stately
Indian hyperbole.,
"Wah! Uncanoola a seen the
Great Water: that make him have long
| eyes-see heap things
"WilI the Catawba tell the friend
whose life he saved what he has seem"
"Uncanoola see heap things" he re-
peated. See Captain Jennif so"-he
threw himself flat upon the ground and
pictured me a fugitive crawling snake
like through the underwood. "Bime-
by, come to river and find canoe-jump
in and paddle fas'; bime-by, gain, stop
padding and laugh and shake fist this
way, and say 'God-damn.'"
BY this i knew hat Jennifer had es-
capped: nay, more; had somehow
learned of my escape and vas seeking
me,
lis that ell the chief saw" I asked.
Ugh! See heap more things: see
one thing white squaw not let him tell
Captain Long-knife. Maybe some time
tell, anyhow"
THE white squaw?" said 1. Who
Is she?"
Tha c,+aoh, launched n ~ Tpdiap
laugh, silent and suppressed; a mere
shaking of the ribs.
mo can tell that, neither, too" he
said. Then, with a swift dart aside
from the subject: Captain Long
knife care much bout black dogs yon-
der?"
I knew he meant the negroes at the
hunting lodge.
THE white man cares for the black
as a kind master should" l returned.
The Indian spat upon h ground in
token of his hatred and contempt for
all the black skins in his fatherland.
[ never understood this bitter race an
tipathy between the red and black, but
tbs a tale we'll written out in many a
bloody massacre of that earlier day.
THE wolves will kill all the black
dogs and drink their blood before the
moon is awake. Uncanoola has spok-
en-"
/ sheathed my sword and turned to
take the backward trace.
Captain L~ong-knife will go and
fight for his black dogs with wool on
their heads" he queried.
IF need be-" l asserted.
"Wah!" he calculated. and at the
word was gone as If the earth had
swallowed him.
l lost no time in indecision. Since
Jennifer was abroad. l had no business
at the plantations; and If Tomas and
the other refugees were like to come
TO harm, / could do no less than hasten
back to warn or help them.
So / retraced my steps, hurriedly. as
the business urged: and saw no more
shadows in the ancient wood-in truth,
had much ado to see the single step
ahead. so thickly did the darkness
gather in those skyless depths.
/ was breasting the last low hill. was
come so near hat | could ear the
murmur of the river, when in the far
thest hazy vista of the tree-tops a soft
ened glow appeared, changing the black
to green and then to red. Twas like
the childish Africans, / said. TO draw a
secret sentry line for safety's sake, and
then to build a fire to advertise 1t far
and wide. Truly, the Catawba's wolves
might find an easy
a chattering scream of agony sent
shrill and sharp upon the fitness of
the night halted me and broke the glib
ing comment In the midst. / stood and
listened. The cry rang out again; then
/ loosed the Andrea in it's scabbard and
fell ~a-running, though the half-healed
woun d scanted me sorely of the breath
/ wanted.
The cabin clearing, or rather the
thinned-out grove which stood in lieu
thereof. was but a niggard acre
hemmed In on every side. save that
toward the river, by the virgin forest.
For cover there were holly thickets
here and there, and into one Of these /
plunged, creeping on hands and knees
to gain a hidden viewpoint.
The scene in the little clearing was
one to brand itself in lasting shanes
upon the memory. A brush heap new
ly kindled gave out a dusky glow far
ing in waves of smoky red against the
over-arching foliage. The open space
around the cabin was alive with half
naked savages running to and fro; and
In the gloom beyond the fire / saw a
shadowy horseman backed by Others
still more phantom-like.
There was M mystery about II. Ny
enemy had come with sleuth-hound In
dams at his back to run me down. The
savages We're. no doubt, that band of
over-mountain Cherokees pledged by
their chief to pilot the powder convoy:
and by their help the baronet had
tracked me.
This was the first thought, caught at in
passing; but when l came to look again /
saw what had been done. Sprawled on
the ground before the burning brush pile,
his wrinkled face a hideous mask of suf-
ferlng, with the eyeballs starting from
I tsss1es1 soossss III the asasa-wrsi5hi la my
faithful Darius.
BY what inhuman fortunes they had
made him point the way, or how or why
they slew him at the last, / know not.
but I made sure II was his death-scream
that had halted me and set the stiffness OF
the forest alive with CHASTITY echoes.
AT sight of the s~tiffening body of the
faithful slave you may suppose my blood
ran cold and hot by turns, and that his
blood cried out for vengeance from the sod
that soaked II w. With ten years more
Of youth and less of age / might have
tried TO hew my way TO Falc0nnet's stir
rup, and so to square accounts with him.
But had / been a-mind to lush upon the
stage without my cue. another climax in
the CHASTITY tragedy forbade 1t.
This climax turned upon the capture Of
my horse boy, Tomas. The other blacks,
II seemed, had made good their escape;
but Tomas. tagging behind through fear
or foolishress. had given these copper COLI
ored devils leave TO run him down and
drag him back into the Gre light, with
yelis OF savage triumph.
They flung him Gown upon his knees be-
side the captains horse. and though /
caught but here and there a word above
the frenzied yfpping OF the Indians. II