Two Arrows: A Story of Red and WhiteStoddard, William O.
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Two Arrows: A Story of Red and White
Stoddard, William O.
Indians of North America -- Fiction
Two Arrows felt that there was a sort of fever upon him. It made him hot
and restless, and his eyes wandered searchingly in all directions,
longing for an opportunity to do something which would bring him nearer
to the prizes he coveted. Sile also was watching keenly the tops and
branches of every clump of bushes they came to, but it almost seemed as
if the game had suddenly migrated. It was natural that none should
linger near the smoke and smell of camp-fires and cookery, but it was
queer that the two young hunters should canter quietly on for mile after
mile, and not so much as get a shot at a deer.
"We won't go back without something," said Sile. "I told father so. I
mean to go right along. We can camp in the woods by ourselves if we
don't kill anything early enough to get back to-night."
He had some trouble in making his meaning clear to Two Arrows, and the
ambitious young Nez Perce was in precisely the frame of mind to agree
with him. They even rode a little faster, and were hardly aware of the
distance they had travelled. Sile was beginning to grow nervous about
his reputation as a hunter and to remember that the camp had only a
three days' supply of fresh meat, in spite of the fish. He believed that
he had seen everything there was to be seen, but he was mistaken.
Suddenly Two Arrows uttered a loud, astonished "Ugh!" sprang from his
pony, and beckoned Sile to do the same, leading him hurriedly towards
the nearest bushes.
Sile imitated his friend, without any idea of a reason for it, until Two
Arrows took him by the arm and pointed away to the right towards the
mountain range. They were on the crest of a high roll of ground, and
could see for miles in some directions, except as the view was cut off
by patches and strips of forest.
"Look! 'Pache!"
All that at first appeared to Sile's eyes were some moving black spots;
but now he was able to show Two Arrows another of the advantages of a
civilized man over a savage. Slung from his left shoulder was a small
leathern case, and Two Arrows watched him closely while he opened it,
took out something silver-mounted and handsome and put it to his eyes.
Such things had been much discussed in his hearing, and he knew it was
the "long eye of the pale-faces;" but he had no faith in it until Sile
made him try it.
"There they are; six of 'em," said Sile. "Then look away down yonder and
you'll see some more."
"No see us," said Two Arrows. "Come! Heap bad."
So it was, for the dreaded strangers were between them and the
mountains. For all they knew, they might have ridden past others unseen,
and these might intercept their return. Sile was only a white boy, and
in an instant he understood that the young chief was the "captain" of
their squad of two.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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