The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1922-08-30


"hen the Great Spirit called. KahtOo
mad once saved his life, had been kind,
ana made him son. That he could
not forget. An evil prophet had come
70 the tribe and through his enemies,
crooked Lightning and Black Wolf,
had gained much influence. They were
10 burn captive white woman as a
sacrihce. He had stayed to save her,
70 argue with old kahtoo, and carry
the Wampum and talk to a big cOun-
Gil with the British. He had made his
talk and-escaped. He had gone back
10 MS tribe, had been tried, and was
to be burned at the stake. Again he
iiad escaped with the help of the white
woman and her daughter. The tribes
mad joined the British, and even then
were planning an early attack on this
very fort and all others.
The interest was tense and every
race was startled at this calm state.
ment of their immediate danger. Old
jerome burst out:
why did you have to escape from
the council-and from the Shawnees?"
AT the council l told the Indians
that they should be friends, not ene-
mics, of the Americans. and Crooked
Lightning called me traitor. He had
overheard my talk with KahtoO."
What was that?" asked Dave,
quickly.
Il told Kahtoo l would fight with
the Americans against the British and
Indians; and with you against him ="
And he turned away and went back to
the cabin.
"Whatd l tell yet" cried Dave IN
dignantly, and he followed the boy,
who had gone to his bunk, and put one
big hand on his shoulder.
They thought you'd turned Injun
aGin," he said, ''but it's all right now"
II know" said the lad. and with a
muffled sound that was half the grunt
Of an Indian and half the sob Of a
white man turned his face away.
Again Dave reached for the lads
shoulder.
Don't blame EN- too much. I'll
tell you now. Some fur traders came
| by here, and one Of 'em said you was
goin' to marry an Injun girl named
Early Morn; that you was goin' to stay
with 'em and fight with 'em alongside
the British. OF course I knowed bet.
ter, but"
why" interrupted Erskine, they
must have been the same traders who
cane to the Shawnee town and brought
whisky"
| That's what the Teller said and
why folks here believed him."
"Who was he?" demanded Erskine.
"You know him-Dane Grey"
All tried to make amends straight
way for the injustice they had done
/ him, but the boys heart remained sore
that their trust was so little. Then,
when they gathered all settlers within
the fort and made all preparations and
no Indians came, many seemed again
to get distrustful and the lad was not
happy. The winter was long and hard.
! A blizzard had driven the game west
and south and the garrison was hard
put 10 1t for food. Every day that the
hunters went forth the boy was among
them and he did far more than his
share in the killing of game But when
winter was breaking. more news came
in of the war The flag that had been
fashioned of a soldiers white shirt. an
old blue army coat, and a red petticoat
was now the Stars and Stripes of the
hp1 or ont
off New England. that head Of the re-
belion." from the other colonies. On
the contrary. the Americans had beat
en- him at Saratoga and marched his
army off under those same Stars and
Strines, and for the first time ErSkine
heard of gallant Lafayette-how he
had run to Washington with the por-
tentous news from his king-that
beautiful. passionate France would
stretch forth her helping hand. And
Erskine learned what that news
meant to Washington's naked and
starving" soldiers dying on the frozen
hillsides of Valley Forge. Then George
Rogers Clark had passed the fort on
his way to Williamsburg to get money
and men for his great venture In the
Northwest. and Erskine got ready
nermission to accompany him as SOL
dier and guide. After Clark was gone
the lad got restless; and one morning,
when the first breath Of spring came,
he mounted his horse, in spite of argu-
mentS and protestations. and set forth
for Virginia on the wilderness trall
He was going to Join Clark. he said'
bur more than Clark and the war were
drawing him to the outer world. What
IL was he hardly knew. for he was nor
VET much given to searching his heart
or mind. He did know, however, that
some strange force had long been
working within him that was steadily
growing stronger. was surging now
like n flame and swinging him between
strange moods of depression and exul-
tatinn. Perhaps II was but the spirit
- spring in his heart, but with his
minds eve he was ever seeing at the
end of his Journey the face of his little
cousin Barbara Dale.