American fiction -- 19th century; Historical fiction; Indians of North America -- Fiction
personal regard for le Bourdon, and was very slow to admit any views
that tended to his injury. The struggle in the mind of the young warrior
was severe; and twenty times was he on the point of warning his friend
of the danger which impended over the whole party, when a sense of good
faith toward Peter, who held his word to the contrary, prevented his so
doing. This conflict of feeling was now constantly active in the breast
of the young savage.
Pigeonswing had another source of uneasiness, to which his companions
were entirely strangers. While hunting, his keen eyes had detected the
presence of warriors in the openings. It is true he had not seen even
one, but he knew that the signs he had discovered could not deceive him.
Not only were warriors at hand, but warriors in considerable numbers.
He had found one deserted lair, from which its late occupants could not
have departed many hours when it came under his own notice. By means of
that attentive sagacity which forms no small portion of the education
of an American Indian, Pigeonswing was enabled to ascertain that this
party, of itself, numbered seventeen, all of whom were men and warriors.
The first fact was easily enough to be seen, perhaps, there being just
seventeen different impressions left in the grass; but that all these
persons were armed men, was learned by Pigeonswing through evidence that
would have been overlooked by most persons. By the length of the lairs
he was satisfied none but men of full stature had been there; and he
even examined sufficiently close to make out the proofs that all but
four of these men carried firearms. Strange as it may seem to those who
do not know how keen the senses become when whetted by the apprehensions
and wants of savage life, Pigeonswing was enabled to discover signs
which showed that the excepted were provided with bows and arrows, and
spears.
When the bee-hunter and his companion came in sight of the carcase of
the bear, which they did shortly after the last remark which we have
given in the dialogue recorded, the former exclaimed with a little
surprise:
“How's this, Chippewa! You have killed this beast with your bow! Did you
not hunt with the rifle yesterday?”
“Bad fire rifle off now-a-day,” answered Pigeonswing, sententiously.
“Make noise--noise no good.”
“Noise!” repeated the perfectly unsuspecting bee-hunter. “Little good
or little harm can noise do in these openings, where there is neither
mountain to give back an echo, or ear to be startled. The crack of my
rifle has rung through these groves a hundred times and no harm come of
it.”
“Forget war-time now. Bess nebber fire, less can't help him.
Pottawattamie hear great way off.”
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.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account