Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-12-28

sS85 of Fostering mosquitoes, sat
| the hostage braves Their pipe smoke
| blended with the smoke of the fire.
Their loud gibberish was broken only
when shrieks of laughter followed a
| sally of wit Their black eyes spar
kled. Their white teeth flashed.
Before them We're their sons, now
romping with the favored dogs of the
pack. now gathering to watch a wres-
ting match between a chosen couple.
again lining the way while several
raced down the Enclosure
| The squaws and girls were also out
| side the lodges, the July night being
| hot. They cackled together to the
windward side of the lordly males and
| did not approach except to throw more
wet sticks upon the smolGer
| The outcast watched the iolity from
his dark corner and marveled at it,
for were there not two tragedies
threatening. either of which should
properly lay hard upon the hearts OF
| the villages
One was the nearing execution of the
four condemned. Two sleeps ago, on
the arrival of q runner from the absent
cavalry, wood wagon had hauled sew
eral loads of lumber to the site of the
pony corral. From that lumber-it was
said openly. and he had told it in sign
language to the braves-was to be
| built scaffold,
The other ira gedy lowered in the i'll
ness of Brown Mink. Since her lodge
had been placed against the upper
curve of The pen there had been much
singing. coniuring, dancing and beating
OF drums. But to no purpose. Daily
she wasted. She was dying!
He was not allowed to see her. to
tend her fire or clean her kettle When
on her removal he had dared to stop at
her tent flap with string of pike
Afraid OLA Fawn swooped down upon
him, her long tushcs clicking and froth-
ing, snatched the wall eyes from his
hold and belabored him with them He
had not gone back But in secret he
grieved over Brown Mink's suffering.
and often he petitioned in her behalf
and lifted his worshiping vine toward
the Milky Way.
In his sorrow his shoulders were
|
were more doglike. yet he still dream
ed of reinstatement. for he saw,
though he could not understand it.
that the warriors were again counting
on escape.
They were unkempt no longer, but
wore their hair neatly braided and
well creased They ate sparingly and
only twice a day. They almost for
swore water And by covert exercise
they trained away their flesh. Stand
ing Buffalo and his naughty comrades
did not waddle now under a weight of
fat. AS on the day of their capture,
) they were lank and stately.
Rejoicing in their hopes. he, too. had
not been without preparation. A rusty
knife found in rubbish heap by the
river had been polished by thrusting
it repeatedly into the dirt. In spare
moments he made himself a sinew
backed bow and practiced many hours
with it. He spent no time in the lean
to. His guard there had ceased. The
necessity for food did not take him tC
; the shack His arrows brought down
game, which he cooked. At any time
with Il sharp stick he could root up his
fill of wild turnips. He knew where
ripe berries loaded the bushes and
where the plums Redeemed in the thick
cts. And how could he chance stay
ing out of the stockade after midnight
when any dawn might find his broth
ers free?
: Thoughts of Brown Mink alone tool
hi IL
ed to see her again, to mark how fal
disease had ravaged to show her that
though all others were indifferent, ht
was not And he had determined t.
tell her farewell, to tell her that h
would win back his lost rank. FoI
this he would even break his vow OF
silence.
The end that he might gain her side
hinged upon two things-his reaching
her wiclSiup unseen and the absence O
the crone. These he hoped for now a:
he peered from his corner.
Despite the smudge he could Sc,
whatever went on in the stockade, 70
the sky was clear and the stars hun,
low Before long his patience was re
warded by gradual quieting abou
the grouped wigwams. As the smok,
thinned for lack of fuel the mosquitoes
drove the braves to their beds Th
squaws dispersed to attend them. Th,
children, tired with play, struggled aft
er. The lengthening night brought
welcome GOODNESS with it So sentry
soon roared a command from the boart
Y walk. Then the only hostage that was
{ left arose slowly, stretched himself ant
i, disappeared.
/ The dwindling pack were the last t.
t lie down. Some wolves were chal
lenging saucily from the coulee mouth
< The dogs answered them In long draw
: walls. Finally the wolves took off VI
: the river, and the dogs scratched abou
to find moist spot and nestled down
e There was silence now except when
cur, dreaming Of the chase, yapped II
/ his troubled sleep.
Squaw Charley crawled from unde
!, the roof and along the high wall, be
q ing careful to mark the whereabouts