The Coolidge examiner., 1931-06-26
CHAPTER XI
Adams.


came over TOinette. Some force had
drawn a smothering curtain about
her making it difficult to see or
breathe. When the shock passed,
thev were standing alone with the
mob closing in behind TiaOga and
his single captive. Its pent-up
emotion burst loose in a pande-
mOnium, and amid the excitement
Toinette went back to the cabin
which Jeems had built near Tia
oga's tepee
At first she had regretted the
absence of Jeems, but now she
was glau he was gone, for the in
creasfng tumult in the village,
the chanting of death songs by the
women. the screaming of children,
and the yelling of savages who
were working themselves into a
frenzy of rage about the fire
which would soon receive its vic
tim terrified her with the growing
conviction that nothing could
save his uncle. If Jeems had been
there. she knew he would not have
seen Hepsibah Adams put to death
without a struggle fatal to him
self. This thought, together with
the reflection that it was a fortu.
nate chance which had sent him
away, strengthened her determin-
alton to help Hepsibah, and she
watched with Wood Pigeon until
she saw the chief enter his tepee.
Then she hurried to him, with
Wood Pigeon and ODD following
her.
Tiaoga's greeting held no prom
ise. The Seneca folded his arms
across his breast and regarded
her calmly, revealing no gentle
aspect as he spoke a few words
in acknowledgment of her visit.
That his prisoner bore the same
relationship to Jeems which he
nOre 70 Shindas and that the man
about TO lie was loved by Silver
Heels brought no surprise or hes
itation TO his face. He waited
patiently for her to finish, then
shook his head and pointed
through the door to the shadows
gathering IN the path of the SET
ting sun He stated coldly that
the prisoner must die. His peO-
pie demanded that the spirit of
the white man who had slain three
of his warriors be destroyed in
flames. They would wait until it
was dark, which was the tribal
custom. Then the prisoner would
be brought from the tepee In
which he was lying bound, and the
fire would be lighted.
If it were her desire, she might
talk with Jeems' uncle, TiaOga
said He was looking into the
twilight when he made this con-
cession. The Indian women at
the farther end of the village
were chanting more loudly as
darkness came on.
Tiaoga spoke again.
She must hurry. It was grow
ing late. The captive was in All
De Bah's tepee, near the river,
and the Tall Man and Shindas
were guarding him.
He watched her depart with
Wood Pigeon and Odd. Then she
might have seen a change in him,
change which came when he
knew he was alone.
TOinette was breathless when
she came to All De Bah's home,
which the hunter had set apart
from the others. The Tall Man
stood motionless before the door
with a rifle in the crook of his
arm, and Shindas sat on the
ground near him. Both saw her
coming. She paused few PAGES
from them with her mind strug-
Cling against a chaos of uncer-
tainty and dread What could
she say to Hepsibah Adams? How
could she help him when Tiaoga
and Shindas and All De Bah were
eager for his death?
Shindas spoke word to the
Tall Man and advanced toward
her. He seemed to have expected
I her, and pointed to the tepee. All
De Bah did not look at her as she
entered. Neither appeared to no.
tice Wood Pigeon or the dog
She found Hepsibah stretched
out like a dead man, and knelt on
the earth at his side. He was
scarcely conscious of her presence
until she touched him. She felt
the buckskir cords at his wrists
then her hand found his sightless
face.
Bending low over the doomed
man she whiSpered:
Hepsibah-Hepsibah Adams
am TOinette Tonteur."
Shindas waited with All De Bah
as the gloom thickened about
them. After a time, they saw
Wood Pigeon going toward the
circle of fires. Shindas stopped
her, and in answer to his question
she told him TOinette was weep
ing beside the white man and that
the dog was with her.