Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-07-19
CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VII. ..
Lea by Dave. sometimes by the boy.
h our followed the coursc Of rivers.
upward. always cxcep: when they de-
scAnded some mountain which they
had TO, cross, and then II was soon
upward again. The two Virginia lads
found themselves, much to their cha
grin. as helpless as children. out they
were apt pupils and soon learned to
make a fire with flint and even with
dry sticks of rood.
Three days journeying brought
them to the broad. beautiful HoIston
river, passing over the pine-crested,
whtte-rOcked summit of CIinch noun
tain. and came 10 the last outlying
fort Of the western frontier. Next
day they started on the long, long
wilderness traH toward the Cumber-
land range. On the third day there
from tho gray wall Of the Cumberland
that ran with frowning inaccessible
tty on their right gathered lts tanks
into ateep gray cliffs and dipped sud
denly into Cumberland gap. Up this
they climbed. on the summit they
went into camp. and next morning
Dave swept a. long arm towards the
wild expnnse to the west.
-Four more days. he cried, "and
we'll be there!'
The two boys looked with " on
the limitless stretch Of wooded wilds.
1t was still Virginia. to be~surc. bnI
they felt that once they started down
they would be leaving their W be-
loved state for a strange land of UNI
known beasts n red men who peo-
pie that dark and bloody ground"
Before sunrise next morning they
we're dropping down the steep and
rocky trail. That night they slept
amid the rocky foothills of the range,
and next morning looked upon II y
wilderness stretch Of woods that un-
dulated to the gentle slopes of the
hills, and that night they were on the
edge OF the bluegrass land.
Toward Sunset Dave. through a
sixth sense. had the uneasy feeling
that he was not only being followed,
but watched from the cliffs alongside.
and .he observed h a Erskine. too.
had more than once turned IN HE
saddle or lifted his eyes scarchlnEly
to the shaggy hanks Of the hiIls.
Neither spoke to the other. but that
night when the root OF an owl raised
Dave from his blanket. Erskine, LOO.
was upright with his rite in his
hand. For hair an hour they waited,
and lay down again, only to DC aWak-
ened again BY snort OF Il horse,
when both sJrans to their feet and
crawled out toward the sound. Bu,
the heavy silence lay unDrokcn. u
they brought the horses closer to the
tire. 49,.
Nov ] know it was Indians" said
Dave; 'that boss o mine can smell
one turther'n a rattlcsnake.' The boy
NODDED. and they took turns on watcn
while the W. boys slept on till day
hight. The trail was broad enough
next morning Tor them to ride Two
". - 80 u. ~ AZ. ~ r-l ~ t.' nf--
III vance, They had scarcely gone IL
hnndred yarus when an Indian step
ped into the path twenty yards ahead.
l4Astinctively Dave threw his rifle up,
but Erskine caught his arm. The IN
d3ai1 had lifted his hand~-palm up
ward. 'Shawnee!" said the lad, az
two o appeared from the bush
ea. Inc eye Of the two tidewater
M boys grew large, and both cIinchc,l
their guns cosnvulsiveIy. The Indian
spokesman paid no heed except to
Lrskine--and only from the lads
face, In WHICH surprise was sue
cceded by sorrow and then Geep
tl7onghfulness, could they guess what
the cultural speech meant. until Err
ekine turned to them.
SS They were not on the war path
akRinsL the whites. he explained. His
3 foster father-KahtuC. the big chief.
u Che king-was very III. and his mes
nage, brought By them. was that Frs
4 kline tA10nid come back to the tribe
md become chief. rs the chiefs only
daughter was dead and his only son
baAS boon killed by the palefaces.
sTeVkey ~knewSthal In the light at the
stDrt Erskine had killed a Shawnee.
NJ t~ornentor. for they knew the ar
TAN which iGrskinc had not had time
4 nv Withdraw. The dead Shawnee's
SSSokher CROOKED Lightning ~ was
81 SGiath them. He II wac who had rec
IA sHixed the boy the day before, and
SMftIey had kept him from killing Frs
ME- from tho bushes. Al that mo-
Aapt q gigantic savage stepped from
ssSs3t&IAS26i brush The boys frame quiyered,
sSeSatghtened, grew rigid, but he met
~ ~ m~aievolent glare turned on him
NH eS1otionless face and himself
NJ Z tet1y began to speak while Harry
aa2 II and sven Dave watched
EA5 SnAnthrnl1ed; for the lad was In
" 3 and the old chiefs msntie
t16 bout his .shoulders. He sat ,hts
Sl&9I9S1tks q king and SPOKE like q
& HI thanked them for holding
CF0oked LghtninE.s evil hand,
~ 16Ifr-coatAtnptuously he Stat toward
@hs1 eavAEo-rhe was not to die
ss mat akaAd. He W q paleface and
HN2 t83ndtANe lI9d stain hts white moth
#2 Hes6SA forgiven that. for he low
= III dschief and his foster moth
%SSd brother aud sister. andi the
Ii 1Skssy had Killed hts white faith.
y ~ 80 gone 10 visit his kin
Mr. wet0fs. and new hs
f&11n,Hn had Ned from ths
II ~ the crpelty Of
A 1SEAghtIin9se brother. Nayond
11Dains But ifs&he Indians Wsr1
LIZ ey,l ~ 80 issosaea