The Harrison times., 1908-10-17

80 JS5FFaTi | terrible punishment.
..~R -s5A-s The pipe Of peace had
! ~ - II been put aside and the
ar.s-~s-l-.-.'.z.1d ring of friendship cast
SSHSfD into the dust. The
tomahawk was being frightened and
the surest arrows and sharpest arrow
points were being selected, while the
swiftest-footed ponies were waiting in
the corral. The yermillion was wet IN
the earthen saucer where it had been
mixed to stain the cheek of the war
rior
II was even as Ta-Kad-TOKuh, the
greatest of all their chiefs, had SAID
The Osages were a nation OF liars, It
was only a waste Of time to make a
treaty with a nation Of liars The
treaty had been in all good faith
Together the men Of war had met;
together they had cast their toma-
hawks in the dust They had eX-
changed gifts of enduring friendship
and smoked the pipe of peace around
the lodge-fre.
The Cherokees had started on their
way to their own camp, glad OF the
friendship Of a neighboring tribe ana
proud of their skill in treaty.making.
But even as they thought on their
success the moccasined foot Of the
Usage was doggng their way
In the shadows, behind the forest
growth that bordered the smoothly
flowing Arkansas, swifter than the
hare and silent as the sunshine, they
had followed until the friendly Chero-
kee had gone far. Then with Whoop
that rang far through woods and nils,
the silent enemy fell upon the un-
suspecting victim and soon finished
the terrible slaughter they had planned
When it was over the bloody scalp
Of the Cherokee brave danged
from the belt of the Usage CHIEF, who
returned to his camp well pleased
with his spoil.
And now as the Cherokee squaW
busted herself getting bear strips and
marched corn into skin pouches, the
warriors danced around the fire, qulY'
ering with passion from the tip Of the
eagleouill that nodded stiflly in his
hair to the pendant Of the rattlesnake
that rasped about his ankle,
When all was ready, with a war
cry that shook the still valley Of the
O2arks into reverberations Of echoed
wrath, the infuriated warriors gal.
loped away in the direction Of the
Usage camp, their black hair stream
ing and their blankets falling loose.
Mighty in number and fierce in
wrath. they thought to take the Usage
by storm Before the wild ride Of the
sullen braves the dust from the ponies
nving feet rose to meet the foam on
their necks; the deer fed in terror
the red fox crept farther into cover.
On and on they sped, nearer and
nearer the enemy, and when the last
stretch had been covered, rounding
bluff with a curdling whoop they
rushed down to wipe out the camp.
But the Usage was not there, In
stead of the camp they found a few
poles and some caches Of corn
Like the ancient Hebrew, whose In
strrctions from Jehovah were TO burn
the spoil Of the Perri2ite and Hiyite,
so the Cherokee burned the spoil OF
the Usage, after which they turned to-
ward the West, for they knew the
enemy had gone on the buffalo hunt
The wild ride was now quietsd into
the long canter that must cover many
days.
When they at last struck the trail
Of the unsuspecting enemy they sent
scouts who came creeping back
through the grass to tell them thai
the victims Of their wrath were Just
ahead.
Il was in sheltered pass made by
the sloping Ozarks that the Cherokee
came riding like fury upon the
surprised Usage, and here with tom
ahawk and scalp-knife they executed
swift and terrible vengeance for the
wrong that had been done them.
After the last red brave had been
made to bite the dust, Blackcoat tar
rIed for a moment TO look over the
valley of death, where the Osagos lay
like mangled dogs. Under his foot
was the bloody ground, over his head,
far against the blue floatcd buz.
2ard with keen eye already upon the
llfeless bodies,
His revenge vas complete His
enemy lay at his feet, past suppliea'