Short Story

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 364, 30 April 1903, Page 7

Short Story

The cunning scout the cunning savage stalks In the still nigU, at bird-awaking dawn; Action his rule, and action never talks Save in the deed, or word that urges on. • • • Thi problem which Paul Ste. Claire had undertaken to solve in June of the year when Pontiac'a federated tribes besieged Detriot was to place Peter Clarke, the brother of John Clarke, who was murdered by a Huron Indian, face to face with the murderer. Pontiac's plan of detecting the murderer was the simplicity of directness itself. He sent out runners to notify all of the Indian scouts to appear before him the following day, his intention being to oxamine each one of tbem as to his going • and returning to and from the fort on the night of the murder, to clear tnose whose . trail did net come in close proximity to the Clarke buildings, and to put the Indian to death whose trail bte Claire had discovered. This was evidently putting a great deal of faith in the scout's statement; but the settlers had that faith and they conveyed it to the chief, and although the astute"chief Bad pointed ent that the murder might hare been committed by bis enemy to arouse enmity-: between the tribes and his friends, the settlers convinced him of the great in—tegiity of Ste. Claire. He assured them, therefore, that the murderer would not escape him. ■•* Paul Ste. Claire and his friend Clarke knew nothing of the plan of Pontiac, although had the scout known of it his good common sense would have stayed any other action, whatever his friend Clarke might have thought about it. They had started out when night was falling on the day Ste. Claire had returned from his investigation of the fire, and the discovery of the murder, and went two miles below the town to the bank of the river, where they Becuxed a canoe from a Bottler named Laferte, who assured them that no Indians had been prowlißg about. From here they paddled across to the Canadian shore, and then headed up stzeam until opposite Belle Isle, when the canoe's head was turned towards the island. Ste. Claire had no plan in view, and but momentarily entertained the thought of seeking information from the Indian girl Starlight, whose affections he had received and returned, for Ste. Claire, though in a humble walk of life, was not only high-minded, but sentimentally so. He would not take advantage of his close relations with the girl; he never did and never would, as he resolved. But they had arranged to meet that night, and as the canoe; approached the island he stooped low to locate the great elm, the fcrysting-place, by getting its towering top between him and the starlit sky when the absence of passing clouds favored it. A murmured word caused his companion to cease paddling and Clarke cautiously using his own paddle, the' canoe touched the shore. Leaving Clarke in the beat, Ste. Claire bent his way through the reeds for a space, stopped and imitated the distant hoot of an owl, and a moment after the response came, and, mending his pace, he was presently greeted with the musically low laughter of the Chippewa Indian girl. Ste. Claire had brought some trifling presents for his savage'lady love, and she laughingly told him of the present wnich a Huron brought to her friend Sunshine, to whom he was paying the addresses. 'He had.promised to bring her a scalp,' said she, 'but brought her chickens jsnfasjs\ which satisfied her better. He had blood upon his moccasins, and he ■aid it was the blood of the enemy; but all the girls told Sunshine it was the blood of the chickens. He is not a great brave, like yon, Paul' 'And when did he bring the presents f queried Ste. Claire. «This morning.' < Did you hear of the fire last night ?' 'Yes. Sunshine told me that her Huron lover spoke of it, that he saw it from his lodge near the Big' Marsh/ After a lingering embrace the lovers parted. Ste. Claire returned to the canoe and directed the course up stream. As already _ stated, when the. scout started to place his friend face to face with the* Huron he had no definite plan of actios. His general idea was to hang on the outskirts of the camps, find the place in the lines where the Huron contingent camped and watch for chances. The gossip of Starlight had pointed a way; he could waylay the Huron on his trips to the island; but this he rejected in his communing with himself as involving the unconscious girl whose gossip diacks«d the name of the intended victim, the position of the Huross in the Indian lines, and verified the conclusions of Ste. Claire at his examination of the premises of the murdered man. It would not be impossible for the scout to have found the position of the Huron*, as he argued with himself, hence it would not be taking advantage of the gossipy girl's revelation to proceed there directly and not waste time hanging on the flanks to secure a Erisoner and force a disclosure. He lerefore concluded to land on the American side. Knowing the localities well and seeking the proper place, after scrutiny of the outlines of the shore against the sky, te hide the canoe in a wilderness of reeds, the companions crawled up the bank and cautiously proceeded in the direction of the Big Marsh. beech woods, north of the Fort Gratiot trail, and the skirts of the camp of the Hurons, although the woods were as dark as midnight The Indians had no sentinels and no scouts had been sent out from the Huron camp that night before the fort Ste. Claire became aware of this before the daylight broadened, for bis ear was on the alert for the sounds of their approach, knowing, that the dawn would be the signal for their retreat to camp from their nightly prowl before the beleaguered fort iiresently there was a stir in the camp, the squaws appeared, and, while many of the Indian woman had their small store of sticks for the breakfast-fire ob hand, knowing that others less provident would soon be looking about for firewood in the iflczetaed radius due to the length of

THE SCOUT.

time the camp had been stationed there, the ecout beckoned his companion and they accordingly fell back from cover to cover. Shortly after sunrise there was a gathering of several of the warriors with their rifhs. which was intently watched by the scout, who made up his mind that it was a hunting party, and the question as to what direction they would take on leaving the camp was one of moment to the watchers. An arm of one of the party was stretched in their direction, and the scout looked quickly at Clarke, who answered the look with a nod cf intelligence; but their anxiety was quickly allayed by the abrupt departure of the band in another diraction. In a moment the scout, and his companion following, foil back from their place of concealment and, making a deteur, ran across the careless trail of the hunters, which was eagerly examined by the scout. For the first time since they started the scout spoke three consecutive words to hia companion for the white man's work, in those deadly days, was a work of silence that required but few words and even but little of dumb show; a glance, a gesture, a single word, that was enough. 'He is not in this band,' said the sententious scout, and the Frenchman expressed hia disappointment with a slight shrug of tho shoulders, a look and an open palm. They were well back of the camp and returning upon the trail they started, upon the mental suggestion of the scout, to make its circuit, watching carefully for sign and making no sound. With cautious steps they went oh until near "the point where Parent's creek crossed the Fort Gratiot trail and began to show banks in its course from the westerly side of the Big Marsh, a tributary of the hesd waters ef the stream, a half mile above the old mill. Here the scout came to a sudden halt and bent his head and moved sideways a few paces. Clarke came to hiß side and followed hia movemnts until Ste. Claire turned and said: 'He has been here less than an hour ago.' The Frenchman's eyes glared with excitement as he looked at the scout. The scout smiled with a luminous face, and he stooped and pointed out to Clarke the peculiarities of the footprints. Becoming'erect he leoked quickly around as if seeking a point of lookout, But none presenting itself he proceeded along the trail, Clarke following with bis eyes actively about him. Crossing the creek upon two logs the now deflected trail was followed southerly. It led to a skirt ef woods which they entered; but upon proceeding a short distance the scout stopped and shook his head. • The trail was lost Evidently the Huron had grown cautious and entered the wood for the purpose of obscuring his footprints. The scout was baffled by the nature of the ground of which the cautious savage had taken advantage. A long scrutiny availed nothing, and the scout paused with a vexed look, and Clarke's big eyes looked questioningly and then they were turned upward to the trees as if he hoped to see the Huron in the branches.

'lt is not impossible/ mused the scout as he leaned upon his rifle, 'that the Huron has returned to the scene of the murder to see what trace there may be of his work. The settlers would not be curious after what they heard from me. They would leave the funeral to the brother. If the Huron has taken the scalp he will not show it. It would be bad for him aa the settlers and Pontiac are friends. Oh! Starlight epoke of the chiekens. Evidently the Huron was caught stealing and killed his man in the Ecuffle before the barn. It is a white man's case of murder. But for the Huron it is nothing; his tribe would praise and not blame. Even Pontiac would shrug his shoulders at it if it was not for the policy. 'We will go to your brother's house,' said the Bcout aloud to Clarke. 'The Huron is either there or on the way.' Croesißg the wood they halted near the opening and took a careful survey of the scene' before them. Nothing was presented to the view. The swell of 'the land concealed the Clarke house and they moved down for a better point of view. Here they had a distant view of the house, but there was nothing stirring about it. They were not apart more than ten feet and the scent Was, as usual, in the advance, when the scout stopped to look over the opening and Clarke was in the act of leaning his rifle against an oak when the scout's eye caught a puff of smoke in a clump of bushes and the next instant a rifle bail cut the fur from the side of his beaver cap. Were it not that Clarke was in the act of placing his rifle against the tree he would have disclosed himself to view. Even as it was he made an impulsive movement forward; but the rifle momentarily detained him. The scout's warning held him back. - 'You are hurt, Ste. Claire ?' eagerly inquired Clarke, in the French language. 'Not at all,' answered the scout without a move from the position in which he had fallen. ■ A ruse, my friend, a ruse. Presently Monsieur Huron, who fired the shot, will approach. He will see my rifle over there, where, in my death agony, I threw it in that convulsive movement of my arms when the fatal bullet hit me. He will see that first, and he will go to secure it, and then he will corae to get my Bcalp. Be sure your gun is well primed. He will have his loaded before he approaches. He will want to see behind the tree before he takes my scalp. You have plenty of time. Secrete yourself a few rods back. Crawl directly back and he will not see you.' Clarke obeyed the scout's instructions, and from his screen of bushes saw the approach of the Indian, who took every advantage of the ground formation and of tha undorbrush cover j darting from vantage to vantage and evidently keeping his keen eyes upon the fallen scout, and the tree trom which Clarke had crept Becoming bolder as he advanced, his eye eaught sight of Ste. Claire's rifle, • and with a grunt of satisfaction he walked toward tie coveted gun, loosening his scalping knife as he glanced at the fallen scout. The next instant the ball from Clarke'B rifle hurtled through his ribs, and Ste. Claire had sprung to life and to his feet before the Indian's startled eyes and befort he fell dead across the Bcont's rifle: * Though I knew you were a good shot, Clark,' said the scout laughingly, 'I felt a little ticklish at I lay there and heard the Huron's grunt. But is it the Huron?' Suiting his action to his own question,

the scout quickly examined the ground over which tho Indian approached, and returning simply Baid ' It is he.' On examination of the body several trinkets found by it were identified* by Clarke as belonging to his dead brother's wife, which verified the scouf s provision of the visit.

| 'We will Bay nothing of this,' said Clarke. The scout answered with a nod and they separated, each going his own way, Clarke toward the river, visiting his brother's house on the way, and Ste. Claire toward the fort. On reaching the town Ste. Claire learned that the Chief Pontiac had examined all of the scouts, except one who had been out on the night of the fire. «Pontiac is satisfied,' said his informant, Bertrand Campau, 'that the missing scout, who is a Huron, and who was out that night, is the one who committed the murder and set the barn on fire. When the Huron is found he will be tomahawked. Pontiac promised it.' ' If they do not find him as soon as they would like, tell Pontiac that he may command my services. But as to tomahawking,' said the scout with an - odd look, ' that is something of a brutal way of killing, exeept in a hand to hand fight. I would prefer shooting. Tell him so. Pontiac should begin to acquire the civilised methods of killing. Say to him that it is a pleasure to the living to know that any dead man has been politely pierced by a ballet and not been coarsely smashe;] with a tomahawk; though it's all the same to the dead man.'