Part 46 (2/2)
”What do you think will happen?”
Parker looked up into the taller man's face as they stood in the doorway of the hut
Seth turned His shoulders shrugged expressively as he moved out and walked toward the farmhouse
CHAPTER xxxII
WANAHA THE INDIAN
The moon at its full shone down upon a scene of profound silence Its silvery rays overpowered the milder starry sheen of the heavens The woods upon the banks of the White River were tipped with a hard, cold burnish, but their black depths re All was still--so still
Thousands of Indians are awaiting in silent, stubborn hatred the morrow's sentence of their white shepherds A deep passion of hatred and revenge lies heavy on their tempestuous hearts; and upon the heart of their warlike chieftain most of all
The heart that beats within the Indian bosom is invincible It is beyond the reach of sympathy, as it is beyond the reach of fear It stands alone in its devotion to warlike brutality Hatred is its supreme passion, just as fearlessness is its supre under the cal now lest the morrow should put it beyond the power of the red man to ery And so at last there coure moves out of the depths of the woods Ithut of Nevil Steyne It pauses at a distance and surveys the diure moves out from the woods, and a ure follows in the track of the fore in low athered before the hut of the white renegade They are Indians, hoary-headed patriarchs of their race, but gloith the fierce spirit of youth in their sluggish hearts
Presently they file away one by one, and it becomes apparent that each old man is well armed They spread out and form themselves into a wide circle, which slowly closes in upon the hut Then each decrepit figure huddles itself down upon its haunches, like sos upon its prey
Sleep has not visited the eyes of those within the hut When things go aith those who live by double-dealing, sleep does not come easily
Nevil Steyne is awake, and his faithful wife keeps him company
The interior of the hut is diss lie scattered about on the floor It is plain that this is to be the last night which these two intend to spend in the log hut which has sheltered the fully dressed upon the bed, and the , discussing eagerly that which has held the ht
There is no kindness in the man's tone as he speaks to the woman He is beset with a fear he cannot conceal It is in his tone, it is in his eyes, it is in his very restlessness
The woman is calenerations of great chiefs Fear has no place in her heart, but her devotion to her man uage is e him, but he takes no comfort from it
His utter selfishness, his cowardice, place hiement
”It still wants two hours to dawn,” Nevil exclai to his watch for about the twentieth tis!”
The woman's dark eyes were upon his nervous face She noted the anxious straining of his shi+fty eyes Their whites were bloodshot, and his broere drawn together in the painful concentration of a ht
”It will pass,” she said, with all the hopefulness she could express
”Of course it will Do you suppose I don't know?” The man spoke with harsh irritation ”You--you don't seem to understand”
”Wanaha understands” The squaw nodded Then she, too, gave way to a slight irritation ”Why you not sleep,journey Sleep, my husband You fear foolish So”
The man turned scornful eyes in her direction, and for a moment did not speak Then presently he said--
”Soo I can'tclearly before Your brother was so quiet and calenerously I told him the whole story Hoas forced by that daht Pshahat's the use of talking? I've told you all this already Yet he listened to all I had to say, and as I made each point he nodded in that quiet, assured way of his--you know I think he understood and was satisfied I think so--and yet--it's no use, I can't be sure I wish he'd lost his te way I understand him when he is like that But he didn't He was very calm