The Frankfort roundabout., 1906-11-24
Written for the Roundabout
ACROSS FENCES AROUND
CORNERS.

Bring me a feather from the crows
circle, Hike! long and slender one,
with tuft along the one side, and bare
at end. Now, haste we with me to the
river, quick, and bring gOurd filled
with water from the sulpher spring.
We must be gone!" The red fox was
bent on some important quest that
October day, and with all the secresy
possivle, he and HikO crawled noise
lessly through the fallen leaves until
they reached a point on the ElkhOrn
known to them as "the hole with
yellow sand" and filing the gourd
with water each drank draught, then
spilling the rest of the water, each
murmured some requistered vow. and
weaving the index finger three times
around the head they disappeared
from one another's sight as quickly
as if the earth had swallowed them
alive.
Almost as if by magic the tufted
feather of an Indian appeared over the
edge of the cliff followed by that of
two pale faces covered by fur caps,
and forms in hunting garb, evidently
in search of the two individuals who
had but moment before stood upon
the height.
81 could have sworn. Hickman. that
a Red Fox was near us There is
always a feelin' of danger in the air
when one of these creatures crawl
round"
"As like as not" replied Hickman.
"They are the very scamps sent out by
Logan to stop up the mine''
"You and Flying Squirrel take the
road over the sunken lake. and | will
go by way of Whites Crossing.
LEAD, to us, means life and prop
erty!" These disappeared softly as
did the Indians. and in Coleman's
tracks, which were made backward,
leaves were scattered as if done by
the winds own purpose, while silence
fell again upon the woodland. Hike
was a brave young soul despite his
cuticle of red. Had he been the child
of "pale face" no grander enlogy
could have been accredited him than
this mission bent, when he with stead
fast purpose determined to bury out
of sight the means at hand for the
pale face to kill and destroy the peo-
pie of his race. and to take possession
of the country and the hunting grounds
of his fore-fathers.
Only the cry of an owl was in the
air! To one not accustomed to signs
OF Indian wOodcraft. the wild birds
signal conveyed no meaning. but to
Hike the cry signified danger and foes
near at hand. He must be quick!
Throwing himself down on the ground
he rolled noiselessly down to cleft
in the over hanging cliff. Through
this aperture he, swinging, and drop
ed recklessly.
1t was a scientific maneuver and
would have done credit TO an older
head! BY this route he would gain
more than mile on his pursurers. ac-
cOmplish the work, and return, per-
haps, with either a deer. or the scalp
of white foe! Picking himself up
he crawled forward to narrow ledge
of rock divided by formation pecul-
lar to the earth surrounding the shaft,
and after ascertaining that this was
;~n 20 t1L h. LaI I'll, 4
his reputation. nay even his very life.
he proceeded in a way different from
that by which another race would
have accomplished destruction by
spontaneous combustion. known only
to the savage man who could meet
every phaze of nature by a method
OF his own conception.
With the magic of his feathers and
the water, from his goard he manipu-
lated composition. in itself. sufficient
to have exploded the world and drop
ing this into the half excavated lead
mine-used by the white hunters as
well as the Indians, for war like pur.
poses. waited for the subteraneous end
ing to. q story told (as am relating II
to-day of lost mine worth fabulous
fortune to the one who may re-discover
It.
the ground. dull thud at il the bottom
had fallen out some where. and al
most instantly there was heard a sharp