Adrift in the Wilds; Or, The Adventures of Two Shipwrecked Boys by Edward Sylvester Ellis

  CHAPTER XXVI.

  SHASTA'S HUNT.

  If the Pah Utah in the extremity of his suffering had been betrayed intothe extraordinary weakness of manifesting it, he now seemed anxious tomake amends for the humiliating fact. It may have been that among hisown people he would have restrained those utterances which declared hisagony, and borne the utmost with the stoicism of his race; but knowingthat civilization does not teach such outward indifference to pain, hehad adopted the surest means to reach the sympathy of the whitestrangers; or, if we may conjecture still further, the consciousness ofthe instinctive feud between the American and Caucasian race told himthat the plan he took was the only one that offered safety to himself.What reason had he to believe that the hunters were kind of heart? If hehid his distress, would he not be treated as a well Indian? And wasthere any but the one common ground upon which the two races met?

  But the fever had passed and he was himself again. True, he was stillfeeble, and his limbs trembled at times like those of an old man; butthe disease had gone, and the stern, unbending will had resumed itssway. He was not a child, but he was Shasta, the Pah Utah Indian.

  The inexperience of Elwood Brandon and Howard Lawrence with thesestrange people made this savage an enigma to them. As he stood with hisarms folded, his blanket wrapped around him, his long black hairstreaming over his shoulders, and the mingling of the paint on his crownand over his face, and his midnight eyes fixed upon them, it was hardindeed to conjecture the thoughts filtrating through his brain.

  But there is a language in which the human heart can speak--that ofemotion. The boys felt no fear--ingratitude is not an element of thesavage character, though sad to say it is sometimes manifested among usof greater moral pretensions.

  He looked at them as they came up and paused a few feet from him.

  "You seem to be better?" asked Elwood, feeling it incumbent that heshould make some remark, even though it was incomprehensible to theirdusky friend. He muttered something and then stretched out his arms asif to show that he had recovered from his illness.

  At this point Terror went up to the savage and snuffed around him, as ifto satisfy himself of his identity. The latter laid his hand upon hisknife and watched the dog narrowly, but he appeared to judge the animalby the company, and quietly removed his hand and folded his arms again.

  He stood thus a moment, when he pointed to the eastern shore and thendown the river, nodding his head and gesticulating somewhat excitedly.The boys in return nodded, which satisfied the aborigine. All at once hemoved off and strode rapidly to the other side of the island, where hedrew forth a tiny canoe and shoved it into the water.

  "The Indian drew forth a tiny canoe and shoved it intothe water"]

  When it was launched he turned again toward his friends, and lookingsteadily at them a moment, once more pointed down stream, sprang intothe boat and dipped his paddle first upon one side and then upon theother.

  It was a sight to see him manage the canoe! It seemed made to contain asingle person, and the way it skimmed over the water was a perfectmarvel to the spectators. It appeared fairly to fly, scarcely touchingthe water, while human art could not have exceeded the skill with whichhe managed the paddle. He sat as motionless as a statue, like theartistic violinist. It could not be seen that he raised his arms abovethe elbow.

  The sun was just going over the western hills, and the reflection of thewater as it flashed and rippled from his paddle gave a fairy-likeappearance to the Indian as he sped down stream that was pleasing to thelast degree.

  "What does that mean?" asked Elwood.

  "It means that he is going to the rescue of Tim."

  "If he goes after him he will bring him back. Just see the way in whichhe manages that canoe! It is worth going a hundred miles to see!"

  "No doubt he has practiced it long enough."

  "But what of our remaining here?"

  "I don't see how it can be helped."

  "Suppose those Indians that have followed Tim take it into their headsto pay us a visit?"

  "He will take all their attention, if Shasta concludes to have a part inthe matter, and they won't have time to think of us."

  "But suppose they _do_ come back here?"

  "We must be prepared at any rate; but don't let the thought make usuneasy. We have two good guns, and Terror would be worth half a dozenmen if we get into close quarters."

  "He may be all that; but a rifle-shot could quickly stretch him outlifeless. It won't do for us to go to sleep until Tim or Shasta comeback."

  "Of course not. I do not feel like it, even if we were satisfied that itwas safe for us to do so."

  "Look at Shasta!"

  The Indian was far down the stream, still speeding with hisextraordinary velocity, using his arms as though they would never tire.

  "So sick a few hours ago!"

  "Well enough now."

  "Didn't you notice how he trembled?"

  "Yes; he is still weak, but an Indian soon recovers himself."

  "All he needed was the root which he chewed and which cured him almostimmediately. These savages are what you call Thomsonians I suppose."

  "They are the original ones no doubt. I have heard that some of theirmedicine men are the most skillful of physicians."

  "Yes; we hear all kinds of things about them. What stories we have read,and yet they don't look and act as I imagined they would. I thought theywould suffer and die without showing the least pain, and yet Shastawasn't anyways backward about it."

  "No doubt the poor fellow felt bad enough, and he hasn't got over ityet. You can tell that from his appearance."

  "It will take all his skill to help Tim. Just as like as not he willtake Shasta for an enemy and shoot him."

  "If they only see each other before dark, so that Tim can understandthat he has a friend at work."

  "But you see it is nearly dark now, and it is likely he is in the woodsby this time."

  "What danger can he be in then?"

  "The Indians may cross over to follow him."

  They were silent a while when Elwood suddenly exclaimed.

  "Suppose Shasta is an enemy and has gone to help his people?"

  Howard shook his head.

  "No fear of that. That is the last thing that can occur."

  The night gradually deepened and proved to be quite dark, a faint moonshedding a luster that made the dim light more impressive. The boyswalked back and forth, watching and listening for some evidence of theapproach of their friends, and gradually becoming apprehensive despitethe attempt each made to cheer the spirits of the other.

  It was not until quite late that Terror gave utterance to a low, warninggrowl, and as they looked across the river they descried a dark objectcautiously approaching.

  "What is it?" whispered Elwood.

  "It is too dark to tell; but it can't be Tim or Shasta for it's comingfrom the wrong direction."

  "Aisy now, Mr. Shasta, aisy I say, for the boys may be asleep and wewon't come upon them too sudden't like, as me uncle said when he sat ona barrel of gun-powder and it blowed up with him. Aisy, Mr. Shasta,aisy!"