Part 17 (1/2)
”It shall be done as my brother desires,” answered the other. ”As to the charge against this white man, it must also be told, for all things may be learned by the Metai. Know, then, that he came to us as a great medicine man, who wished to become Indian. He performed marvellous deeds, and won our confidence. He offered to show us how we might safely capture the fort of the log house. He placed powder so as to destroy it. Then, in the night, when all was ready, he moved the powder by his magic. Without going near the place where it was he made it to explode, so that it killed many of our young men, and turned to water the hearts of others. For this wickedness the Great Spirit took from him his medicine, so that he can no longer do the things he once did, as was shown in the tests but now. Therefore is he become a dog, and must die as a dog when my brother shall be finished with him.”
”It is well,” replied Donald, gravely, ”and later I will speak further concerning this matter with my brother of the Metai, and with the chiefs.”
With another profound bow the interpreter retired, while the squaws brought an abundance of cooked meat and parched corn, which they set before the famished white men. One of them also brought bandages, and a healing salve for the dressing of Donald's wound; but by signs he intimated that she must first attend to Christie's hurts, which she did.
Then they were left to themselves, and fell ravenously upon the food; but when Christie saw that Bullen was about to eat with them, he drew back, and said sternly: ”Hester, I doubt if it is becoming for officers loyal to His Majesty's service to break bread with one who is, to say the least, under a grave suspicion of treachery.”
”Do you mean that I am thus suspected?” demanded the paymaster.
”I do, Mr. Bullen,” replied Christie.
”But I can easily explain everything. You see--”
”Were you not with the enemy during the attack on Fort Presque Isle?”
”Yes; but--”
”Did you not teach him to throw up breastworks and open a mine?”
”I did; but--”
”Was it not you who demanded the surrender of the post?”
”It was; but as--”
”That will do, sir. Your admissions are sufficient to debar you from our company. Hester, if this man insists upon eating now, we must let him eat alone.”
”For Heaven's sake, gentlemen!” cried the little man, with an agonized expression on his painted face. ”Do not condemn me without a hearing.
I can explain everything to your satisfaction, indeed I can.”
”It seems to me that you are a little hasty in your conclusions, Christie,” said Donald. ”It is certainly unfair to condemn a man without hearing what he has to say, and I for one am too hungry to listen to Mr. Bullen's explanations before eating. So let us fall to and dispose of the more pressing matter before we consider the more important.”
Although Christie accepted this advice, he did so with a bad grace, for he was feeling very keenly the loss of his post; and the meal was eaten in an embarra.s.sing silence. When it was finished, they rid themselves of its debris by simply removing to another place, where, though many eyes watched them curiously from all parts of the camp, they were allowed to converse unmolested.
”Now, Mr. Bullen,” said Donald, who was forced to take the lead by Christie's stiff silence, ”we shall be pleased to listen to your story, and especially glad to have you explain away the suspicions which, you must confess, we have grounds for entertaining.”
”Yes,” replied the little paymaster, whose present humbleness was in striking contrast to his former pomposity, ”I can understand how, from your point of view, my recent course of action may be open to misconception. I hope, however, to prove to you very quickly that, while I may have made mistakes and played the part of a fool, I have acted with the most honorable intentions, as well as with a sincere desire to advance the cause to which I am pledged. You need not fear that I shall omit any detail, nor fail to state the exact facts of the case, for I realize only too clearly how absolutely my reputation rests in the hands of you two. I also believe that my very life depends on Hester's influence with yonder savages, and the extent to which he is willing to exert it. Therefore, with your permission, I will begin my story at the moment when, as I was taking my accustomed evening bath on Pelee Point some ten days ago, there came a sound of distant firing that caused you, Hester, to seize your gun and disappear without a word. I must say that at the time I felt rather sore over your desertion, nor can I understand now how it is that I meet you so far from those whom I thought you were most anxious to discover and protect.”
”Do you mean,” demanded Donald, excitedly, ”that you know what became of my sister Edith and her companion?”
”I do, for I not only spent two days in their company about a week ago, but it is owing to Miss Hester, your sister, that I find myself in this present predicament.”
”How? Where? Are they safe?” demanded both listeners.
”I believe them to be comparatively safe,” replied Bullen, ”but if you will permit me to continue my story in my own way, you can judge for yourselves.”
”Very well! only get on quickly,” urged Christie, who was now as eagerly interested as he had been indifferent but a moment before.
”As I was saying,” continued the paymaster, ”Hester had hardly disappeared when both myself and my man were seized by the Indians of our crew, and for a moment I thought they were about to put us to death. Then they hit on another plan with regard to me, which was to set me adrift, naked as I was, in my tub. What they did with poor Tummas I have no knowledge.”