The citizen., 1914-04-24

He had no choice. None volunteer
ed for the task, and was the selec-
| tion Of the tribes. You question me as
though you were Harmar himself;
and more. you have the look of 1t.
You're not a woodsman, you say; then
make a guess-you're a soldier"
Il am" returned quietly. "an en-
sign in the regular service"
Name"
Joseph Hayward of Fort Harmar."
THE gods be praised! Now Is the
way made clear. You were travelling
thither?"
II am to be there tomorrow"
''In ample time for my purpose.
recall your name, Master Hayward, as
spoken by the Delawares. You were
at Chillicothe last spring."
II attended the council"
"The very man, and now you can
serve me well. If may journey with
your"
Il am not overly fond of white men
who turn Indian" I said coldly. How
ever I'll see you safe to the fort gates
II you play no forest tricks on the
way. And now you might tell me who
it is l am to companion with"
He grinned, showing his teeth, and
my eyes noted how firmly he held his
gun.
"a pledge Is a pledge, Master Hay
ward" he answered, insolently. 81 am
called Simon Girty."
/ involuntarily took a step back
ward, staring into the mans face
That he was renegade of some sort,
l had realized from the first, yet it
had never once occurred to me that he
could be that bloody scoundrel Girty.
There flashed across my mind the
stories I had heard Of his atrocities:
his leadership Of Indians in midnight
forays; his malignant cruelty; the
heartlessness with which he watched
victims burning at the stake; his out
RACES on helpless women and children;
the f1endish acts of savagery with
which his brutal name was connected
along the border. And this was the
man-this cowardly-eyed bastard. who
|
IDENTIFY amused at my undisguised ex-
preston of horror. Protect, and guide
him! My first inclination was to strike
the man down in his tracks, kill him
as l would a venomous snake. He
read all this In my eyes. in the stiffen-
ing Of my muscles.
mo, no, Master Hayward" he sneer-
ed, bringing his rifle forward, don't
let the name frighten you. The half
you've heard Of me are lies. I'm not
SO bad when all Is told, and there Is
more than one borderman who can re-
call my mercy. Kenton escaped the
stake through me, and there are white
women and children awaiting ransom
in Detroit because interceded for
them. Now play fair, above board
see?" and he dropped his gun on the
grass, and held out his empty hands.
''It is easy to kill me, yet you will not
| you are a soldier"
| I stood irresolute, hesitating, half
tempted still to come to blows. yet his
act disarmed me. Beast though he
| might be l could not kill him in cold
blood; l was no murderer, yet 1t was
struggle to resist.
Now listen, Simon Girty," man
aged to say, at last. There is no
friendship between us, now nor at any
time. hold you a murderous rene
| gade, white savage. to be shown less
mercy than an Indian dog. But leave
others to deal with you as you de-
serve. AS you say, am soldier. and
will act like one / have pledged you
my word Of guidance to Fort Harmar.
1 will keep the pledge to the letter, but
no more. Beyond the gate you pro-
ceed at your own risk, for / lift no
hand to protect you from just ven-
geance. l despise you too much to
fear you. Pick up your rifle. That is
all: now we will break our fast, and
60"
| Convinced as was that Girty actu-
| ally desired to reach the fort, although
somewhat skeptical as to his purpose,
l felt no fear Of treachery. l was Of too
great value to the fellow to warrant
an attack so, without hesitation, I
| led the way, permitting him to follow
OF not, as he pleased. / had 1t In my
mind to question him, but refrained.
What would be the use? The fellow
would only lie, in all probability, and
one word would lead to another. He
would have to be explicit enough once
he confronted Harmar, and my duty
merely consisted in delivering him
safely at the gates of the fort.
It was noon when we came to the
clearings, Uttered with stumps but
yielding view of the distant river, and
the scattered log houses Of Marietta.
Men were at work in the fields, but
avoided these as much as possible, al
though they paused in their labor and
stared suspiciously at us as we ad-
vanced. However l was well known,
my size making me notable, and as