Part 22 (1/2)
Then it suddenly occurred to him that the murderer had already been shot by Redhand, so that his mission was one of simple revenge; but, a moment after, it flashed across his troubled mind that Lincoln had been left in the fort wounded--might possibly be dead by that time; so that there were probably among the flying savages other murderers to be dealt with.
This idea was strengthened by another thought, namely, that the savage who stabbed and scalped Dupont might not have been the savage who shot him. The complication and aggregate of improbability amounted, in Bertram's mind, so nearly to a certainty, that he dismissed the digressive question as to whether there might or might not be a murderer among the Indians, and returned to the original proposition, as to whether it was right in him to take part in a pursuit of vengeance that would very likely terminate murderously. But before he could come to any satisfactory conclusion on that point he and Bounce found themselves suddenly in the midst of the cavalcade, which had halted on the summit of the ridge, in order to allow them to come up.
”Here we are, lads,” cried Macgregor, his flushed face still blazing with wrath, which he made no effort to subdue, and his eyes red with prolonged debauchery, flas.h.i.+ng like the eyes of a tiger--”here we are, too late to cut off the retreat o' these detestable reptiles from the woods, but not too late to circ.u.mvent them.”
The fur trader spoke rapidly, almost breathlessly, and pointed to the band of Indians they were in pursuit of, who, observing that their pursuers had halted, also drew rein on the edge of a belt of thick forest that extended for miles into the mountains. They appeared to wait, in order to ascertain what their enemies meant to do.
”The villains,” continued Macgregor, ”think we've given up pursuit as hopeless, but they're mistaken--they're mistaken, as they'll find to their cost. Now, mark me, men; we shall turn back as if we had really given in; but the moment we get down into the hollow, out of sight, we'll go as hard as we can bolt up that valley there, and round by the place we call the Wild-Cat Pa.s.s. It's a difficult pa.s.s, but who cares for that? Once through it we can get by a short cut to the other side of that wood, and meet the redskins right in the teeth. They're Blackfoot Indians, I know by their dress; and, as they don't belong to this part o' the country, they can't be aware of the pa.s.s. But some of us must go back a good way towards the fort, so as to deceive the blackguards, who'll be sure to get on the first hill they can to see where we've gone to. Now--away! Stay,” he added in a less commanding tone, ”I don't know that my guests are willing to go with us through thick an' thin in this fas.h.i.+on. I've no desire to have unwilling warriors.”
”Had we not been _willing_” replied Redhand dryly, ”we wouldn't have come even thus far.”
”Very good,” rejoined Macgregor with a grim smile; ”then, perhaps, since you are so good as to go along with us, you'll make for the head of that valley, and when you come to the Wild-Cat Pa.s.s I've spoken of, you'll wait there till the rest of us, who are to sham going back to the fort, come up with ye; then we'll go through the pa.s.s together, and polish off the redskins.”
To this plan Redhand a.s.sented; so he and his comrades prepared to take the way to the pa.s.s, while the men of the fort turned homewards. A triumphant shout from the Indians showed that they imagined the pursuit was given up; but Macgregor knew their cunning too well to fall into the mistake of at once concluding that they were thoroughly deceived. He knew that they would send out scouts to dog them, and felt, that if his plan was to succeed, he must put it into execution promptly.
”I've scarce had time to ask your names or where you've come from,” he said on parting from the trappers; ”but there'll be plenty of time for that when we meet again. Keep close in the bottom, and ride fast, till the shadow of yonder crag conceals you from view. If the Indians get sight of you, they'll smell the dodge at once and escape us. Perhaps, young man, you'd like to come with my party?”
The latter part of this speech was made rather abruptly to March Marston, who received it with some surprise, and with a distinct refusal.
”I'll stick by my comrades,” said he, ”till I see good reason--”
”Well, well, boy--please yourself!” muttered the trader angrily, as he broke away at full speed, followed by his men.
Our trappers instantly turned their horses' heads towards the mountains, and made for the Wild-Cat Pa.s.s.
Macgregor's estimate of the cunning of the Indians was but too correct.
The instant the fur-traders disappeared behind the ridge, as if on their return homewards, several of their fastest riders were dispatched to the nearest hill, to watch the movements of the enemy. They ascended one which commanded a wide view of the surrounding country, and thence beheld the fur-traders proceeding swiftly back in the direction of the fort. Unfortunately, they also perceived the bottle-brush of Bertram's steed, as it disappeared behind the crag which already concealed the rest of his comrades from view. One instant later, and the Indians would have failed to make this discovery, for a deep impa.s.sable gorge lay between them and the ravine which conducted to the pa.s.s. It was but the barest possible glimpse they got of that shabby tail; but it told a tale which they perfectly understood, for they flew back in the utmost haste to warn their comrades, who, knowing the smallness of the party thus sent against them, from the largeness of the party that had shammed returning to the fort, resolved upon executing a counter movement.
They had a shrewd suspicion, from the nature of the country, that the intention of the whites was to get through a pa.s.s of some sort and intercept them, and, concluding that this pa.s.s must lie at the head of the valley up which the bottle-brush had vanished, they resolved to proceed to the same spot through the gorge that separated the hill from the crag or rocky ridge before referred to.
Prompt.i.tude they knew to be everything, so they swept up the gorge like a whirlwind. Thus both parties drew nearer to the chaotic opening styled the Wild-Cat Pa.s.s--the trappers, all ignorant of what awaited them there; the savages bent on giving their enemies an unpleasant surprise.
But, unknown to either, there was a pair of eyes high on a rock above the Wild-Cat Pa.s.s, that overlooked the two valleys or ravines, and gazed with considerable interest and curiosity on the two advancing parties.
Those eyes belonged to a solitary horseman, who stood on the edge of the wild precipice that overhung the pa.s.s. The hunter, for such his leathern dress bespoke him, stood beside his horse, his right arm over its arched neck, and his right hand patting its sleek shoulder. From the position which he occupied he could see without being seen. His magnificent steed seemed to be aware that danger was at hand, for it stood like a statue, absolutely motionless, with the exception of its fine fiery eyes. Whatever this solitary hunter's thoughts regarding the two approaching parties might be, it was evident that he meant to remain an invisible spectator of their doings; for he stood in the same att.i.tude of statue-like attention until they reached the heads of the two ravines, where they were separated from each other only by the pa.s.s.
Here, on the one side, the Indians, about forty in number, lay in ambush among the rocks, prepared to surprise and attack the trappers when they should pa.s.s. On the other side the trappers halted, and dismounting, allowed their horses to graze while they awaited the arrival of Macgregor and his party.
”They won't be long o' comin',” remarked Redhand, seating himself on a stone and proceeding to strike a light. ”That fellow Macgregor an't the man to waste time when he's out after the redskins. I only hope he won't waste life when he gets up to them.”
”So do I,” said Bounce, seating himself beside Redhand and carefully cutting a small piece of tobacco into shreds by means of a scalping-knife. ”A sartin amount o' punishment is needful, d'ye see, to keep 'em down; but I don't like slaughtering human bein's onnecessary like.”
”I'd skiver 'em all, I guess--every one,” observed Big Waller angrily.
”They're a murderin', thievin' set o' varmints, as don't desarve to live nohow!”
”Bah!” exclaimed Gibault in disgust; ”you is most awferfully onfeelosophicule, as Bounce do say. If dey not fit for live, for fat vas dey made? You vicked man!”
Big Waller deigned no reply.
”I'm off to look at the pa.s.s,” cried March Marston, vaulting suddenly into the saddle. ”Come, Bertram; you'll go with me, won't you, and see if we can find some wild-cats in it?”