第73章

Although the distance was too great and the light too poor to disclose the features, every one of the scouts recognized the figure.It could be none other than that of Timmendiquas, the great White Lightning of the Wyandots.He was pacing back and forth, somewhat in the fashion of the white man, and his manner implied thought.

"I could bring him down from here with a bullet," said Shif'less Sol, "but I ain't ever goin' to shoot at the chief, Henry.""No," said Henry, "nor will I.But look, there's another."A second figure came out of the dark and joined the first.It was also that of a chief, powerful and tall, though not as tall as Timmendiquas.It was Thayendanegea.Then three white figures appeared.One was that of Braxton Wyatt, and the others they took to be those of "Indian" Butler and his son, Walter Butler.

After a talk of a minute or two they entered one of the wooden houses.

"It's to be a conference of some kind," whispered Henry."I wish I could look in on it.""And I," said the others together.

"Well, we know this much," continued Henry."No great force of the Iroquois is present, and if Colonel Butler's men come up quickly, we can take the town.""It's a chance not to be lost," said Paul.

They crept slowly away from the village, not stopping until they reached the crest of a hill, from which they could see the roofs of two or three of the Indian houses.

"I've a feeling in me," said Paul, "that the place is doomed.

We'll strike the first blow for Wyoming."They neither slept nor rested that night, but retraced their trail with the utmost speed toward the marching American force, going in Indian file through the wilderness.Henry, as usual, led; Shif'less Sol followed, then came Paul, and then Long Jim, while Silent Tom was the rear guard.They traveled at great speed, and, some time after daylight, met the advance of the colonial force under Captain William Gray.

William Gray was a gallant young officer, but he was startled a little when five figures as silent as phantoms appeared.But he uttered an exclamation of delight when he recognized the leader, Henry.

"What have you found?" he asked eagerly.

"We've been to Oghwaga," replied the youth, "and we went all about the town.They do not suspect our coming.At least, they did not know when we left.We saw Brant, Timmendiquas, the Butlers, and Wyatt enter the house for a conference.""And now is our chance," said eager young William Gray."What if we should take the town, and with it these men, at one blow.""We can scarcely hope for as much as that," said Henry, who knew that men like Timmendiquas and Thayendanegea were not likely to allow themselves to be seized by so small a force, "but we can hope for a good victory."The young captain rode quickly back to his comrades with the news, and, led by the five, the whole force pushed forward with all possible haste.William Gray was still sanguine of a surprise, but the young riflemen did not expect it.Indian sentinels were sure to be in the forest between them and Oghwaga.

Yet they said nothing to dash this hope.Henry had already seen enough to know the immense value of enthusiasm, and the little army full of zeal would accomplish much if the chance came.

Besides the young captain, William Gray, there was a lieutenant named Taylor, who had been in the battle at Wyoming, but who had escaped the massacre.The five had not met him there, but the common share in so great a tragedy proved a tie between them.

Taylor's name was Robert, but all the other officers, and some of the men for that matter, who had known him in childhood called him Bob.He was but little older than Henry, and his earlier youth, before removal to Wyoming, had been passed in Connecticut, a country that was to the colonials thickly populated and containing great towns, such as Hartford and New Haven.

A third close friend whom they soon found was a man unlike any other that they had ever seen.His name was Cornelius Heemskerk.

Holland was his birthplace, but America was his nation.He was short and extremely fat, but he had an agility that amazed the five when they first saw it displayed.He talked much, and his words sounded like grumbles, but the unctuous tone and the smile that accompanied them indicated to the contrary.He formed for Shif'less Sol an inexhaustible and entertaining study in character.

"I ain't quite seen his like afore," said the shiftless one to Paul."First time I run acrost him I thought he would tumble down among the first bushes he met.'Stead o' that, he sailed right through 'em, makin' never a trip an' no noise at all, same ez Long Jim's teeth sinkin' into a juicy venison steak.""I've heard tell," said Long Jim, who also contemplated the prodigy," that big, chunky, awkward-lookin' things are sometimes ez spry ez you.They say that the Hipperpotamus kin outrun the giraffe across the sands uv Afriky, an' I know from pussonal experience that the bigger an' clumsier a b'ar is the faster he kin make you scoot fur your life.But he's the real Dutch, ain't he, Paul, one uv them fellers that licked the Spanish under the Duke uv Alivy an' Belisarry?""Undoubtedly," replied Paul, who did not consider it necessary to correct Long Jim's history, "and I'm willing to predict to you, Jim Hart, that Heemskerk will be a mighty good man in any fight that we may have."Heemskerk rolled up to them.He seemed to have a sort of circular motion like that of a revolving tube, but he kept pace with the others, nevertheless, and he showed no signs of exertion.

"Don't you think it a funny thing that I, Cornelius Heemskerk, am here?" he said to Paul.