Boys' Book of Frontier FightersSabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand)
History
Boys' Book of Frontier Fighters
Sabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand)
Frontier and pioneer life -- United States; Indians of North America -- Wars
Simon's heart bounded. When he learned that this handsome,
determined-looking Indian was Chief Logan the celebrated Mingo, he
thought himself rescued, sure.
True to promise, the two runners took the Sandusky trail early in the
morning. The Shawnee guard waited, and left Simon to the care of
Logan. Things had brightened wonderfully. Chief Logan would not say,
but he acted as if in hopes of success. He and Simon spent most of the
day together. In the evening the two runners returned. They sought
out Chief Logan, and talked apart with him, and Simon scarcely slept,
so anxious was he to know their report.
The next morning he saw his guards coming, with Logan. Alas, the
chief's face was sober. He brought a piece of bread.
"You are to be carried to Sandusky at once," he uttered shortly. That
was all. He walked away without another sound. Plainly enough his
good words had been of no use.
Simon sighed. Was ever a man so buffeted about, before, from high to
low, and low to high, and high to low again! It was a case of the
mouse and the cat, with fortune playing as the cat, and he serving as
the mouse.
The five guards from Wakatomica took him in tow, for Upper Sandusky,
and he gave over hoping any more.
Upper Sandusky, northern Ohio, was a Wyandot Huron town. It was a
center for the Indians of many tribes. The Shawnees and Mingos
gathered here to receive payment of gifts, from their British father.
Simon was roundly welcomed, but was not made to run another gauntlet.
Only, for a fourth time a council, and this time a grand council, sat
to discuss him. He was wearied of councils; they usually condemned him.
The council had just opened, when a white man in the gay red uniform of
a British captain entered. He was Pierre Drouillard, a French-Canadian
in the British Indian department. Simon did not know, yet, but Chief
Logan's runners had been sent to this same Drouillard, to tell about
the prisoner. Chief Logan was smart.
The British captain looked at Simon sharply, and stood forward to make
a speech.
"It is true," he said, with Simon listening hard, trying to understand
the words, "that the Americans are a dangerous people. They are the
cause of this bloody war. There can be no peace until they are either
killed or driven out of the country."
"Good, good!" the council grunted.
"But we must meet them with cunning as well as bravery. To learn their
plans, so to defeat them, is worth twenty prisoners. I think that if
we take this man to Detroit, we might learn a great deal. The governor
would find out from him the secrets of the Americans. I should like to
take him. You would be rewarded, for your British father is good to
his red children. When I bring him back, you may do with him as you
choose. Have I spoken well?"
There were grunts and nods. It was a wise idea.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account