The Hunters of the Hills Page 4

  CHAPTER II

  ST. LUC

  Willet hailed them joyfully when they returned.

  "I'll wager that only one arrow was shot," he said, smiling.

  "Just one," said Robert. "It struck the stag in the heart and he did notmove ten feet from where he stood."

  "And the Great Bear has the fire ready," said Tayoga. "I breathe thesmoke."

  "I knew you would notice it," said Willet, "although it's only a littlefire yet and I've built it in a hollow."

  Dry sticks were burning in a sunken place surrounded by great trees, andthey increased the fire, veiling the smoke as much as possible. Thenthey broiled luscious steaks of the deer and ate abundantly, thoughwithout the appearance of eagerness. Robert had been educated carefullyat Fort Orange, which men were now calling Albany, and Tayoga and thehunter were equally fastidious.

  "The deer is the friend of both the red man and the white," said Willet,appreciatively. "In the woods he feeds us and clothes us, and then hishorn tips the arrow with which you kill him, Tayoga."

  "It was so ordered by Manitou," said the young Onondaga, earnestly."The deer was given to us that we might live."

  "And that being the case," said Willet, "we'll cook all you and Roberthave brought and take it with us in the canoe. Since we keep on goingnorth the time will come when we won't have any chance for hunting."

  The fire had now formed a great bed of coals and the task was not hard.It was all cooked by and by and they stowed it away wrapped in the twopieces of skin. Then Willet and Tayoga decided to examine the countrytogether, leaving Robert on guard beside the canoe.

  Robert had no objection to remaining behind. Although circumstances hadmade him a lad of action he was also contemplative by nature. Somepeople think with effort, in others thoughts flow in a stream, and nowas he sat with his back to a tree, much that he had thought and heardpassed before him like a moving panorama and in this shifting belt ofcolor Indians, Frenchmen, Colonials and Englishmen appeared.

  He knew that he stood upon the edge of great events. Deeply sensitive toimpressions, he felt that a crisis in North America was at hand. Englandand France were not yet at war, and so the British colonies and theFrench colonies remained at peace too, but every breeze that blew fromone to the other was heavy with menace. The signs were unmistakable, butone did not have to see. One breathed it in at every breath. He knew,too, that intrigue was already going on all about him, and that theIroquois were the great pawn in the game. British and French werealready playing for the favor of the powerful Hodenosaunee, and Robertunderstood even better than many of those in authority that as theHodenosaunee went so might go the war. It was certain that the Indiansof the St. Lawrence and the North would be with the French, but he wasconfident that the Indians of the Long House would not swerve from theirancient alliance with the British colonies.

  Two hours passed and Willet and Tayoga did not return, but he had notexpected them. He knew that when they decided to go on a scout theywould do the work thoroughly, and he waited with patience, sittingbeside the canoe, his rifle on his knees. Before him the creek flowedwith a pleasant, rippling noise and through the trees he caught aglimpse of the lake, unruffled by any wind.

  The rest was so soothing, and his muscles and nerves relaxed so muchthat he felt like closing his eyes and going to sleep, but he was rousedby the sound of a footstep. It was so distant that only an ear trainedto the forest would have heard it, but he knew that it was made by ahuman being approaching, and that the man was neither Willet nor Tayoga.

  He put his ear to the earth and heard three men instead of one, and thenhe rose, cocking his rifle. In the great wilderness in those surchargeddays a stranger was an enemy until he was proved to be otherwise, andthe lad was alert in every faculty. He saw them presently, threefigures walking in Indian file, and his heart leaped because the leaderwas so obviously a Frenchman.

  His uniform was of the battalion Royal Roussillon, white faced withblue, and his hat was black and three-cornered, but face and manner wereso unmistakably French that Robert did not think of his uniform, whichwas neat and trim to a degree not to be expected in the forest. He borehimself in the carelessly defiant manner peculiar to the French cadetsand younger sons of noble families in North America at the time, anaccentuation of the French at home, and to some extent a survival of thespirit which Richelieu partially checked. Even in the forest he wore aslender rapier at his belt, and his hand rested now upon its goldenhilt.

  He was about thirty years old, tall, slender, and with the light hairand blue eyes seen so often in Northern France, telling, perhaps, ofNorman blood. His glance was apparently light, but Robert felt when itrested upon him that it was sharp, penetrating and hard to endure.Nevertheless he met it without lowering his own gaze. The man behind theleader was swart, short, heavy and of middle years, a Canadian dressedin deerskin and armed with rifle, hatchet and knife. The third man wasan Indian, one of the most extraordinary figures that Robert had everseen. He was of great stature and heavy build, his shoulders and chestimmense and covered with knotted muscles, disclosed to the eye, as hewas bare to the waist. All the upper part of his body was painted instrange and hideous designs which Robert did not recognize, although heknew the fashions of all the tribes in the New York and St. Lawrenceregions. His cheek bones were unusually high even for an Indian and hisgaze was heavy, keen and full of challenge. Robert judged that hebelonged to some western tribe, that he was a Pottawatomie, an Ojibwayor a Chippewa or that perhaps he came from the distant Sioux race.

  He was conscious that all three represented strength, each in adifferent way, and he felt the gaze of three pairs of eyes resting uponhim in a manner that contained either secret or open hostility. But hefaced them boldly, a gallant and defiant young figure himself, instinctwith courage and an intellectual quality that is superior to courageitself. The Frenchman who confronted him recognized at once the thinker.

  "I bid you good day," said Robert politely. "I did not expect to meettravelers in these woods."

  The Frenchman smiled.

  "We are all travelers," he said, "but it is you who are our guest, sincethese rivers and mountains and lakes and forests acknowledge thesuzerainty of my royal master, King Louis of France."

  His tone was light and bantering and Robert, seeing the advantage of it,chose to speak in the same vein.

  "The wilderness itself is king," he said, "and it acknowledges nomaster, save perhaps the Hodenosaunee. But I had thought that the law ofEngland ran here, at least where white men are concerned."

  He saw the eyes of the great savage flash when he mentioned theHodenosaunee, and he inferred at once that he was a bitter enemy of theIroquois. Some of the tribes had a hereditary hatred toward one anothermore ferocious than that which they felt against the whites.

  The Frenchman smiled again, and swept his hand in a graceful curvetoward the green expanse.

  "It is true," he said, "that the forest is yet lord over these lands,but in the future I think the lilies of France will wave here. Youperhaps have an equal faith that the shadow of the British flag will beover the wilderness, but it would be most unfitting for you and me toquarrel about it now. I infer from the canoe and the three paddles thatyou did not come here alone."

  "Two friends are with me. They have gone into the forest on a briefexpedition. They should return soon. We have food in abundance, a deerthat we killed a few hours ago. Will you share it?"

  "Gladly. Courtesy, I see, is not lost in the woods. Permit me tointroduce ourselves. The chief is Tandakora of the Ojibways, from theregion about the great western lake that you call Superior. He is amighty warrior, and his fame is great, justly earned in many a battle.My friend in deerskin is Armand Dubois, born a Canadian of good Frenchstock, and a most valiant and trustworthy man. As for me, I am RaymondLouis de St. Luc, Chevalier of France and soldier of fortune in the NewWorld. And now you know the list of us. It's not so long as Homer'scatalogue of the ships, nor so interesting, but it's complete."

  Hi
s manner had remained light, almost jesting, and Robert judged that itwas habitual with him like a cloak in winter, and, like the cloak, itwould be laid away when it was not needed. The man's blue eyes, evenwhen he used the easy manner of the high-bred Frenchman, were questingand resolute. But the youth still found it easier than he had thought tomeet him in like fashion. Now he replied to frankness with frankness.

  "Ours isn't and shouldn't be a hostile meeting in the forest, Chevalierde St. Luc," he said. "To you and your good friends I offer mygreetings. As for myself, I am Robert Lennox, with two homes, one inAlbany, and the other in the wilderness, wherever I choose to make it."

  He paused a moment, because he felt the gaze of St. Luc upon him, veryintent and penetrating, but in an instant he resumed:

  "I came here with two friends whom you shall see if you stay with melong enough. One is David Willet, a hunter and scout, well known fromthe Hudson to the Great Lakes, a man to whom I owe much, one who hasstood to me almost in the place of a father. The other I can truly calla brother. He is Tayoga, a young warrior of the clan of the Bear, of thenation Onondaga, of the League of the Hodenosaunee. My catalogue, sir,is just the same length as yours, and it also is complete."

  The Chevalier Raymond Louis de St. Luc laughed, and the laugh wasgenuine.

  "A youth of spirit, I see," he said. "Well, I am glad. It's a pleasureto meet with wit and perception in the wilderness. One prefers to talkwith gentlemen. 'Tis said that the English are heavy, but I do notalways find them so. Perhaps it's merely a slur that one nation wishesto cast upon another."

  "It's scarcely correct to call me English," said Robert, "since I am anative of this country, and the term American applies more properly."

  The eyes of St. Luc glistened.

  "I note the spirit," he said. "The British colonies left to themselvesgrow strong and proud, while ours, drawing their strength from the Kingand the government, would resent being called anything but Frenchmen.Now, I'll wager you a louis against any odds that you'll claim theAmerican to be as good as the Englishman anywhere and at any time."

  "Certainly!" said Robert, with emphasis.

  St. Luc laughed again and with real pleasure, his blue eyes dancing andhis white teeth flashing.

  "And some day that independence will cause trouble for the good Britishmother," he said, "but we'll pass from the future to the present. Sitdown, Tandakora, and you too, Dubois. Monsieur Lennox is, for thepresent, our host, and that too in the woods we claim to be our own. Butwe are none the less grateful for his hospitality."

  Robert unwrapped the venison and cut off large slices as he surmisedthat all three were hungry. St. Luc ate delicately but the other two didnot conceal their pleasure in food. Robert now and then glanced a littleanxiously at the woods, hoping his comrades would return. He did notknow exactly how to deal with the strangers and he would find comfort innumbers. He was conscious, too, that St. Luc was watching him all thetime intently, reading his expression and looking into his thoughts.

  "How are the good Dutch burghers at Albany?" asked the chevalier. "Idon't seek to penetrate any of your secrets. I merely makeconversation."

  "I reveal nothing," replied Robert, "when I say they still barter withsuccess and enjoy the pleasant ways of commerce. I am not one tounderrate the merchant. More than the soldier they build up a nation."

  "It's a large spirit that can put the trade of another before one's own,because I am a soldier, and you, I judge, will become one if you are notsuch now. Peace, Tandakora, it is doubtless the friends of MonsieurLennox who come!"

  The gigantic Indian had risen suddenly and had thrust forward the goodFrench musket that he carried. Robert had never beheld a more sinisterfigure. The lips were drawn back a little from his long white teeth andhis eyes were those of a hunter who sought to kill for the sake ofkilling. But at the chiding words of St. Luc the tense muscles relaxedand he lowered the weapon. Robert was compelled to notice anew the greatinfluence the French had acquired over the Indians, and he recognized itwith dread, knowing what it might portend.

  The footsteps which the savage had heard first were now audible to him,and he stood up, knowing that Tayoga and Willet were returning, and hewas glad of it.

  "My friends are here," he said.

  The Chevalier de St. Luc, with his customary politeness, rose to hisfeet and Dubois rose with him. The Ojibway remained sitting, a hugepiece of deer meat in his hand. Tayoga and Willet appeared through thebushes, and whatever surprise they may have felt they concealed it well.The faces of both were a blank.

  "Guests have come since your departure," said Robert, with the formalpoliteness of the time. "These gentlemen are the Chevalier Raymond Louisde St. Luc, from Quebec, Monsieur Armand Dubois, from the same place, Ipresume, and Tandakora, a mighty Ojibway chief, who, it seems, haswandered far from his own country, on what errand I know not. Chevaliermy friends of whom I spoke, Mr. David Willet, the great hunter, andTayoga of the clan of the Bear, of the nation Onondaga, of the League ofthe Hodenosaunee, my brother of the forest and a great chief."

  He spoke purposely with sonority, and also with a tinge of satire,particularly when he alluded to the presence of Tandakora at such agreat distance from his tribe. But St. Luc, of course, though noticingit, ignored it in manner. He extended his hand promptly to the greathunter who grasped it in his mighty palm and shook it.

  "I have heard of you, Mr. Willet," he said. "Our brave Canadians areexpert in the forest and the chase, and the good Dubois here is one ofthe best, but I know that none of them can excel you."

  Robert, watching him, could not say that he spoke without sincerity,and Willet took the words as they were uttered.

  "I've had a long time for learning," he said modestly, "and I supposeexperience teaches the dullest of us."

  Robert saw that the Ojibway had now risen and that he and the Onondagawere regarding each other with a gaze so intent and fierce, so compactof hatred that he was startled and his great pulses began to beat hard.But it was only for an instant or two that the two warriors looked thusinto hostile eyes. Then both sat down and their faces became blank andexpressionless.

  The gaze of St. Luc roved to the Onondaga and rested longest upon him.Robert saw the blue eyes sparkle, and he knew that the mind of thechevalier was arrested by some important thought. He could almostsurmise what it was, but for the present he preferred to keep silent andwatch, because his curiosity was great and natural, and he wondered whatSt. Luc would say next.

  The Onondaga and the hunter sat down on a fallen tree trunk andinspected the others with a quiet but observant gaze. Each in his ownway had the best of manners. Tayoga, as became a forest chief, wasdignified, saying little, while Willet cut more slices from the deermeat and offered them to the guests. But it was the Onondaga and not St.Luc who now spoke first.

  "The son of Onontio wanders far," he said. "It is a march of many daysfrom here to Quebec."

  "It is, Tayoga," replied St. Luc gravely, "but the dominions of theKing of France, whom Onontio serves, also extend far."

  It was a significant speech, and Robert glanced at Tayoga, but the eyesof the young chief were veiled. If he resented the French claim to thelands over which the Hodenosaunee hunted it was in silence. St. Lucpaused, as if for an answer, but none coming he continued:

  "Shadows gather over the great nations beyond the seas. The French kingand the English king begin to look upon each other with hostile eyes."

  Tayoga was silent.

  "But Onontio, who stands in the French king's place at Quebec, is thefriend of the Hodenosaunee. The French and the great Six Nations arefriends."

  "There was Frontenac," said Tayoga quietly.

  "It was long ago."

  "He came among us when the Six Nations were the Five, burned our housesand slew our warriors! Our old men have told how they heard it fromtheir fathers. We did not have guns then, and our bows and arrows werenot a match for the muskets of the French. But we have muskets andrifles now, plenty of them, the best that are made
."

  Tayoga's eyes were still veiled, and his face was without expression,but his words were full of meaning. Robert glanced at St. Luc, who couldnot fail to understand. The chevalier was still smooth and smiling.

  "Frontenac was a great man," he said, "but he has been gathered longsince to his fathers. Great men themselves make mistakes. There was badblood between Onontio and the Hodenosaunee, but if the blood is bad mustit remain bad forever? The evil was gone before you and I were born,Tayoga, and now the blood flows pure and clean in the veins of both theFrench and the Hodenosaunee."

  "The Hodenosaunee and Corlear have no quarrel."

  "Nor have the Hodenosaunee and Onontio. Behold how the English spreadover the land, cut down the forests and drive away all the game! But thechildren of Onontio hunt with the Indians, marry with their women, leavethe forests untouched, and the great hunting grounds swarm with game asbefore. While Onontio abides at Quebec the lands of the Hodenosaunee aresafe."

  "There was Frontenac," repeated Tayoga.

  St. Luc frowned at the insistence of the Onondaga upon an old wound, butthe cloud passed swiftly. In an instant the blue eyes were smiling oncemore.

  "The memory of Frontenac shall not come between us," he said. "The heartof Onontio beats for the Hodenosaunee, and he has sent me to say so tothe valiant League. I bring you a belt, a great belt of peace."

  Dubois handed him a large knapsack and he took from it a beautiful beltof pure white wampum, uncommon in size, a full five feet in length, fiveinches wide, and covered with many thousands of beads, woven in symbolicfigures. He held it up and the eyes of the Onondaga glistened.

  "It is a great belt, a belt of peace," continued St. Luc. "There isnone nobler, and Onontio would send no other kind. I give it to you,Tayoga."

  The young warrior drew back and his hands remained at his sides.

  "I am Tayoga, of the clan of the Bear, of the nation Onondaga, of thegreat League of the Hodenosaunee," he said, "but I am not yet a chief.My years are too few. It is a great matter of which you speak, St. Luc,and it must be laid before the fifty sachems of the allied tribes in theLong House. The belt may be offered to them. I cannot take it."

  The flitting cloud passed again over the face of St. Luc, but he did notallow any change to show in his manner. He returned the splendid belt toDubois, who folded it carefully and put it back in the great knapsack.

  "Doubtless you are right, Tayoga," he said. "I shall go to the LongHouse with the belt, but meantime we thank you for the courtesy ofyourself and your friends. You have given us food when we were hungry,and a Frenchman does not forget."

  "The Onondagas keep the council fire in their valley, and the sachemswill gather there," said Tayoga.

  "Where they will receive the belt of peace that I shall offer them,"said St. Luc.

  The Onondaga was silent. St. Luc, who had centered his attention uponTayoga, now turned it to Robert.

  "Mr. Lennox," he said, "we dwell in a world of alarms, and I am Frenchand you are English, or rather American, but I wish that you and I couldremain friends."

  The frankness and obvious sincerity of his tone surprised Robert. Heknew now that he liked the man. He felt that there was steel in hiscomposition, and that upon occasion, and in the service to which hebelonged, he could be hard and merciless, but the spirit seemed brightand gallant.

  "I know nothing that will keep us from being friends," replied the lad,although he knew well what the Frenchman meant.

  "Nor do I," said St. Luc. "It was merely a casual reference to thechanges that affect us all. I shall come to Albany some day, Mr. Lennox.It is an interesting town, though perhaps somewhat staid and sober."

  "If you come," said Robert sincerely, "I hope I shall be there, and itwould please me to have you as a guest."

  St. Luc gave him a sharp, examining look.

  "I believe you mean it," he said. "It's possible that you and I aregoing to see much of each other. One can never tell what meetings timewill bring about. And now having accepted your hospitality and thankingyou for it, we must go."

  He rose. Dubois, who had not spoken at all, threw over his shoulder theheavy knapsack, and the Ojibway also stood up, gigantic and sinister.

  "We go to the Vale of Onondaga," said St. Luc, turning his attentionback to Tayoga, "and as you advised I shall lay the peace belt beforethe fifty sachems of the Hodenosaunee, assembled in council in the LongHouse."

  "Go to the southwest," said Tayoga, "and you will find the great trailthat leads from the Hudson to the mighty lakes of the west. The warriorsof the Hodenosaunee have trod it for generations, and it is open to theson of Onontio."

  The young Indian's face was a mask, but his words and their tone alikewere polite and dignified. St. Luc bowed, and then bowed to the othersin turn.

  "At Albany some day," he said to young Lennox, and his smile was verywinning.

  "At Albany some day," repeated Robert, and he hoped the prophecy wouldcome true.

  Then St. Luc turned away, followed by the Canadian, with the Indian inthe rear. None of the three looked back and the last Robert saw of themwas a fugitive gleam of the chevalier's white uniform through the greenleaves of the forest. Then the mighty wilderness swallowed them up, as apebble is lost in a lake. Robert looked awhile in the direction in whichthey had gone, still seeing them in fancy.

  "How much does their presence here signify?" he asked thoughtfully.

  "They would have the Hodenosaunee to forget Frontenac," replied Tayoga.

  "And will the Six Nations forget him?"

  "The fifty sachems in council alone can tell."

  Robert saw that the young Onondaga would not commit himself, even tohim, and he did not ask anything more, but the hunter spoke plainly.

  "We must wake up those fat Indian commissioners at Albany," he said."Those Dutchmen think more of cheating the tribes than they do of thegood of either white man or red man, but I can tell you, Robert, and youtoo, Tayoga, that I'm worried about that Frenchman coming down hereamong the Six Nations. He's as sharp as a razor, and as quick aslightning. I could see that, and there's mischief brewing. He's notgoing to the Onondaga Valley for nothing."

  "Tandakora, the Ojibway, goes with a heavy foot," said the Onondaga.

  "What do you mean, Tayoga?" asked Willet.

  "He comes of a savage tribe, which is hostile to the Hodenosaunee andall white men. He has seen three scalps which still grow on the heads oftheir owners."

  "Which means that he might not keep on following St. Luc. Well, we'll beon our guard and now I don't see any reason why we should stay herelonger."

  "Nor I," said Robert, and, Tayoga agreeing with them, they returned thecanoe to the stream, paddling back into the lake, and continuing theircourse until they came to its end. There they carried the canoe across aportage and launched it on a second lake as beautiful as the first. Noneof the three spoke much now, their minds being filled with thoughts ofSt. Luc and his companions.

  They were yet on the water when the day began to wane. The green foreston the high western shore was touched with flame from the setting sun.Then the surface of the lake blazed with red light, and in the east thegray of twilight came.

  "It will be night in half an hour," said Robert, "and I think we'dbetter make a landing, and camp."

  "Here's a cove on the right," said Willet. "We'll take the canoe upamong the trees, and wrap ourselves in our blankets. It's a good thingwe have them, as the darkness is going to bring a chill with it."

  They found good shelter among the trees and bushes, a small hollowprotected by great trees and undergrowth, into which they carried thecanoe.

  "Since it's not raining this is as good as a house for us," said Willet.

  "I think it's better," said Robert. "The odor of spruce and hemlock isso wonderful I wouldn't like to have it shut away from me by walls."

  The Onondaga drew in deep inhalations of the pure, healing air, and ashis black eyes gleamed he walked to the edge of the little hollow andlooked out in the dusk over
the vast tangled wilderness of mountain andlake, forest and river. The twilight was still infused with the red fromthe setting sun, and in the glow the whole world was luminous andglorified. Now the eyes of Tayoga, which had flashed but lately, gaveback the glow in a steady flame.

  "Hawenneyu, the Divine Being whom all the red people worship, made manygreat lands," he said, "but he spent his work and love upon that whichlies between the Hudson and the vast lakes of the west. Then he restedand looking upon what he had done he was satisfied because he knew it tobe the best in all the world, created by him."

  "How do you know it to be the best, Tayoga?" asked Willet. "You haven'tseen all the countries. You haven't been across the sea."

  "Because none other can be so good," replied the Iroquois with simplefaith. "When Hawenneyu, in your language the Great Spirit, found theland that he had made so good he did not know then to whom to give it,but in the greatness of his wisdom he left it to those who were mostfitted to come and take it. And in time came the tribes which Tododaho,helped by Hayowentha, often called by the English Hiawatha, formed intothe great League of the Hodenosaunee, and because they were brave andfar-seeing and abided by the laws of Tododaho and Hayowentha, they tookthe land which they have kept ever since, and which they will keepforever."

  "I like your good, strong beliefs, Tayoga," said the hunter heartily."The country does belong to the Iroquois, and if it was left to me todecide about it they'd keep it till the crack of doom. Now you boys rollin your blankets. I'll take the first watch, and when it's over I'llcall one of you."

  But Tayoga waited a little until the last glow of the sun died in thewest, looking intently where the great orb had shone. Into his religiona reverence for the sun, Giver of Light and Warmth, entered, and notuntil the last faint radiance from it was gone did he turn away.

  Then he took from the canoe and unfolded _eyose_, his blanket, which wasmade of fine blue broadcloth, thick and warm but light, six feet longand four feet wide. It was embroidered around the edges with anothercloth in darker blue, and the body of it bore many warlike or huntingdesigns worked skillfully in thread. If the weather were cold Tayogawould drape the blanket about his body much like a Roman toga, and if helay in the forest at night he would sleep in it. Now he raked deadleaves together, spread the blanket on them, lay on one half of it andused the other half as a cover.

  Robert imitated him, but his blanket was not so fine as Tayoga's,although he found it soft and warm enough. Willet sat on a log higherup, his rifle across his knees and gazed humorously at them.

  "You two lads look pretty snug down there," he said, "and after allyou're only lads. Tayoga may have a head plumb full of the wisdom of thewilderness, and Robert may have a head stuffed with different kinds ofknowledge, but you're young, mighty young, anyhow. An' now, as I'mwatching over you, I'll give a prize to the one that goes to sleepfirst."

  In three minutes deep regular breathing showed that both had gone to theland of slumber, and Willet could not decide which had led the way. Thedarkness increased so much that their figures looked dim in the hollow,but he glanced at them occasionally. The big man had many friends, butyoung Lennox and Tayoga were almost like sons to him, and he was glad tobe with them now. He felt that danger lurked in the northern wilderness,and three were better than two.