The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1928-06-29
CHAPTER w. Continued
10


For proofpf this assertion he pointed
TO faint impression In the moss
where something solid. like the butt OF
a rifle. had rested. Then he showed
us faint abrasion on a limb nearly
level With the top OF my head. and
said It had been made by the barrel
OF the rife. Cromit promptly cried:
sits the critter who stole my riflel
No Cap'n Jack killed the Injun. 1t
was the thief, and he's taking my rifle
to Duquesne to trade It to the French.
ding himv'
It was with difficulty that re
strained him from making an tmme-
diate search for the fellows trail and
thereby hindering the Onondaga in his
work. s
sIll git that rifle even II have to
60 to Duquesne alone," he sullenly In.
formed me.
The Onondaga's signal broke up our,
talk. we FASTENED to join him and
were informed:
"Black Hunter scalped the Huron.
Lookl The Onondaga with the nose
t~of the Wolf has found where ten men
passed close to the Huron. One man
stepped aside and scalped him. The
Huron was dead when they came up,
or they would NOT have found him.
The man with the long gun by the fire
killed the Huron and ran away. The
black white manscame along and took
the scalp. Look r. .
The story was plain enough In the
trail made by number Of men trav.
cling 10 single Gle. No Indian, unless
he were dead. would remain at the
edge OF the bushes while the way.
sfarers approached him.
A1aWfg satisfied ourselves to this
extent. we proceeded to indulge Gro
init BY finding the trail OF the man
with the long rifle. The signs Of his
flight were very plain and suggested
d panic. We followed It without dif!
4iculty toward the west side OF the
Little crossing, or Castleman's river,
tributary OF the Youghiogeny, but
when within a short distance of the
crossing Round Paw, who was ahead
halted and lifted his AK.
Cr0mit and became more cautious
and paused. Round Paw beckoned us
to Join him. The three OF US listened
at FIRST thought it was thunder !;
then came the crack Of q single rifle,
only the woods were so thick and so
mufIled any sound 1t was hard to de.
termine the direction with any degree
Of exactness. The Indian wet his Din.
ger and held 1t up to catch the trifllng
breeze, and then bounded away at a
lope.
sOne man In old trade-house. Hu.
rons trying to get him." be called back
TO me.
Somewhere in the neighborhood was
q deserted cabin. once used by Croghan
as trading post. Round Paw and
had spent a night there two winters
before. We came out on slope and
could look over the forest crown into
q small clearing. And there In the
middle Of the opening stood the trad.
ing post. Only instead Of the ehrlll
wind Of that winters night. and the
Rowling Of the starved wolf-pack there
were now nlulating war-cries and the
explosion OF guns being fred into the
log walls.
We kept under cover and counted
the puffs. OF smoke and estimated the
attacking force to number fifteen OF
twenty. The cabin stood In the center
81 the clearing and was completely en-.
,3clrcled by the besiegers.
Y At last the cabin became alive.
There came a pun Of smoke from q
loop-hole and naked savage at the
edge of the forest leaped grotesQuely
Into view and would have fallen on his
xace had not . man leaped forward
and caught him and dragged him Il
the shelter OF the woods. The sun