Part 29 (1/2)

At least every one had seen him fall from the roof and roll to the ground. It is true, his body had not been recovered, but there were other bodies which had similarly disappeared.

When his first feeling of astonishment had pa.s.sed and Peleg was convinced that it indeed was Henry who was beneath him, a feeling of intense anger swept over the young settler. Henry was white, and yet had renounced his allegiance to his own people and gone back to the Shawnees, and with them he was now making war upon his own nation! There was little in his present appearance to distinguish him from other braves of the tribe. He wore the scalp-lock and was clad in the Indian garb.

Peleg's problem in part was solved when at that moment the rotten wood gave way beneath him, and the tree, unable longer to support the weight of the young scout, fell with a crash to the ground. As it struck the bank the tree was rent asunder, and to the white Shawnee's astonishment Peleg scrambled to his feet from out of the wreckage.

Before he could brush the dust from his eyes and bring Singing Susan to his shoulder Henry leaped forward and placed both hands upon the barrel of the rifle, saying, ”No shoot broder.”

”You are no brother of mine!” said Peleg. ”You are a Shawnee and not a white Shawnee, either! You are fighting us!”

”No fight broder,” repeated Henry. ”Broder show way to fort.”

For some strange reason which Peleg was unable to explain even to himself, he said abruptly: ”Lead the way, then! If you can take me safely through the line of these savages, I shall never forget you.”

The young scout was eager to inquire of his companion what had befallen him and why he had returned to the Shawnees. His present peril, however, was so great that he restrained his impulse, and in silence followed Henry as he led the way toward Bryant's Station.

Occasionally a halt was made when from some nearby place shots were heard indicating that the scattered settlers were being pursued either in small detachments or individually, for the terrified men had scattered when first the ambuscade had been discovered.

When Henry, who apparently was aware of the location of the besieging braves, drew near the fort he stopped and said: ”Now go.”

Peleg looked about him, and, unable to discover any of his enemies nearby, followed the advice which had been given him, and, placing his hat on the end of the barrel of Singing Susan as a token of his peaceful intentions, approached the gate.

He was at once admitted, and his relief was great when the first to greet him was Israel Boone.

”How many are here?” asked Peleg.

”I do not know,” answered Israel. ”I have heard that only six of our men were killed or wounded. When we all started toward Lexington they might have chased us all the way and taken the fort there, because there was n.o.body left to fight for it.”

”How many Indians were in that ambuscade?” asked Peleg.

”I hear there were three hundred.”

”How did you get to the fort?”

”I ran straight ahead for an hour,” replied Israel with a smile. ”How did you come?”

”Henry got me through the lines.”

”Henry!” demanded Israel in surprise. ”Henry! I thought he was dead.”

”So did I, but he is very much alive. I had no time to ask him how he came to be here. I was thinking mostly of getting inside the fort.”

”It is a comfort to know that at least Girty will not lead any more----”

Israel stopped speaking as a l.u.s.ty shout was heard from a stump that stood near one of the bastions, and the two young defenders to their amazement beheld Simon Girty himself standing erect upon the stump and waving a cloth which at some time in its history may have been white.

In response to this hail every man ran to hear what the renegade leader of the Indians had to say.

They were soon to know the purpose for which Girty, on his hands and knees, had crept to the place where he now was standing.