Fred's fear was that if any of the Apaches were near at hand they
would hear the beating of his heart--so intense was his excitement and
anxiety. But delay seemed only to increase it, and, pressing close to
the corner, he removed his cap and stealthily shoved his head forward
until he could look along the other side.
At the first glance, he jerked back as if he had caught the flash of
a rifle aimed at him, for the sight that he gazed upon was startling
enough. Within ten feet of him sat an Indian warrior, his knees gathered
up, his back against the arch, and his head bowed as if in slumber.
The lad's first supposition was that the redskin was waiting for him,
and had seen his head as it was thrust forward and drawn back again.
But, as he listened, there was no sound to betray any movement, and when
he recalled the terrifying picture that caught his eye, he remembered
that the face of the warrior was not turned toward him, so that it was
hardly to be supposed that he could have observed the stealthy movement.
By carefully considering the matter and reassuring himself, Fred soon
gained sufficient courage to repeat the attempt.
This time, after pushing his head forward enough to see the red-skin, he
held it motionless sufficiently long to take in the entire picture.
The first thing which impressed itself upon his mind was the fact that
the Indian was not an Apache, or at least, did not belong to the trio
which had had him in charge. His dress and make-up were altogether
different, and he clearly belonged to another tribe. The truth of it
was, he was a Kiowa, and his attitude was that of a sleeping person.
A dirty blanket was gathered about his shoulders, and his head, with its
straggling horse-hair covering, drooped so far forward that the line of
the face was at right angles with that of the chest. The up-drawn knees
were separated enough to permit a long, gleaming rifle to rest between
them, the barrel partly supported by the shoulder, with the stock at his
feet, while if the aquiline nose, clear cut against the dim fire beyond,
had descended three or four inches lower, it would have been shut off
from view by the same knees. The blanket was thrown back far enough to
reveal the body, legs and moccasins of the warrior, which were those of
a man of powerful frame and great activity.
The camp-fire had smoldered as though it had not been replenished for
hours. Still it diffused a steady, subdued glow, from the other side of
the figure, as if the latter were stamped in ink, and the picture was a
striking one in every respect.
After Fred had scrutinized it a few minutes he gathered more courage
and took in the surroundings. These were not very extensive, but such as
they were, they were of a hopeful nature. Just in front of the sleeping
Indian were several objects lying upon the leaves, which he was certain
were the bones of some animal, most probably a deer or buffalo.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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