The Rulers of the Lakes: A Story of George and Champlain by Joseph A. Altsheler
CHAPTER XIII
TANDAKORA'S GRASP
They spent two more days in the cave, and Tayoga's marvelous cureproceeded with the same marvelous rapidity. Robert repeatedly bathed thewound for him, and then redressed it, so the air could not get to it.The Onondaga was soon able to flex the fingers well and then to use thearm a little.
"It is sure now," he said joyfully, "that Waraiyageh and Dieskau cannotmeet before I am able to do battle."
"Anyhow, they wouldn't think of fighting until you came, Tayoga," saidRobert.
Their spirits were very high. They felt that they had been released fromgreat danger, some of which they could not fathom, and they would soonleave the hollow. Action would bring relief, and they anticipatedeagerly what the world outside might disclose to them. Robert collectedall the arrows he had shot in the fight with the wolf pack, cleaned themand restored them to the quiver. They also put a plentiful supply of themoose meat in their packs, and then he said:
"Which way, Tayoga?"
"There is but one way."
"You mean we should press on toward Crown Point, and find out what hasbecome of our comrades?"
"That is it. We must know how ended their battle with St. Luc."
"Which entails a search through the forest. That's just what I wanted,but I didn't know how you felt about it with your lame shoulder."
"Tomorrow or next day I shall be able to use the shoulder if we have tofight, but we may not meet any of the French or their allied warriors. Ihave no wish at all to turn back."
"Then forward it is, Tayoga, and I propose that we go toward the spotwhere we left them in conflict. Such eyes as yours may yet find theresigns that you can read. Then we'll know how to proceed."
"Well spoken, Dagaeoga. Come, we'll go through the forest as fast as wemay."
The cave had been a most welcome place. It had served in turn as a home,a hospital and a fort, and, in every capacity, it had served well, butboth Robert and Tayoga were intensely glad to be out again in the openworld, where the winds were blowing, where vast masses of green restedand pleased the eye, and where the rustling of leaves and the singing ofbirds soothed the ear.
"It's a wonderful, a noble wilderness!" said Robert. "I'm glad I'm here,even if there are Frenchmen and Indians in it, seeking our lives. Why,Tayoga, I can feel myself growing in such an atmosphere! Tell me, am Inot an inch taller than I was when I left that hollow in the rocks?"
"You do look taller," said the Onondaga, "but maybe it's because youstand erect now. Dagaeoga, since the wolves have been defeated, hasbecome proud and haughty again."
"At any rate, your wonderful cure is still going on at wonderful speed.You use your left arm pretty freely and you seem to have back nearly allyour old strength."
"Yes, Tododaho still watches over me. He is far better to me than Ideserve."
They pushed on at good speed, returning on the path they had taken, whenTayoga received his wound, and though they slept one night on the way,to give Tayoga's wound a further chance, they came in time to the placewhere the rangers and the Mohawks had met St. Luc's force in combat. Theheavy rains long since had wiped out all traces of footsteps there, butRobert hoped that the keen eyes of the Onondaga would find other signsto indicate which way the battle had gone. Tayoga looked a long timebefore he said anything.
"The battle was very fierce," he said at last. "Our main force lay alonghere among these bushes."
"How do you know, Tayoga?" asked Robert.
"It is very simple. For a long distance the bushes are shattered andbroken. It was rifle balls and musket balls that did it. Indians are notusually good marksmen, and they shot high, cutting off twigs above theheads of the Mohawks and rangers."
"Suppose we look at the opposing ridge and line of bushes where St.Luc's warriors must have stationed themselves."
They crossed the intervening space of sixty or seventy yards and foundthat the bushes there had not been cut up so much.
"The rangers and Mohawks are the better marksmen," said Tayoga. "Theyaimed lower and probably hit the target much oftener. At least they didnot cut off so many twigs."
He walked back into the open space between the two positions, his eyehaving been caught by something dark lying in a slight depression of theearth. It was part of the brushy tail of a raccoon, such as theborderers wore in their caps.
"Our men charged," said the Onondaga.
"Why do you say so?" asked Robert.
"Because of the raccoon tail. It was shot from the cap of one of thecharging men. The French and the Indians do not wear such a decoration.See where the bullet severed it. I think St. Luc's men must have brokenand run before the charge, and we will look for evidence of it."
They advanced in the direction of Champlain, and, two or three hundredyards farther on, Tayoga picked up a portion of an Indian headdress,much bedraggled.
"Their flight was headlong," he said, "or the warrior would not havelost the frame and feathers that he valued so much. It fell then, beforethe storm, as the muddy and broken condition of the feathers shows thatit was lying on the ground when the great rain came."
"And here," said Robert, "is where a bullet went into the trunk of thisbig oak."
"Which shows that the rangers and Mohawks were still pursuing closely.It is possible that the French and Indians tried to make a brief standat this place. Let us see if we can find the track of other bullets."
They discovered the paths of two more in tree trunks and saw the boughsof several shattered bushes, all leading in a line toward Crown Point.
"They were not able to stand long," said Tayoga. "Our men rushed themagain. Ah, this shows that they must have been in a panic for a fewmoments."
He picked an Indian blanket, soiled and worn, from a gulley.
"See the mud upon it," he said. "It, too, fell before the rain, becausewhen the flood came a stream ran in the gulley, a stream that has leftthe blanket in this state. The warrior must have been in tremendoushaste to have lost his blanket. We know now that they were routed, andthat the victory was ours. But it is likely that our leaders continuedthe pursuit toward Oneadatote and up to the walls of Crown Point itself.And if your wish be the same as mine, Dagaeoga, we will follow on."
"You know, Tayoga, that I wouldn't think of anything else."
"But the dangers grow thick as we approach Crown Point."
"Not any thicker for me than for you."
"To that I can make no reply. Dagaeoga is always ready with words."
"But while I want to go on, I'm not in favor of taking any needlessrisks. I like to keep my scalp on top of my head, the place where itbelongs, and so I bid you, Tayoga, use those keen eyes and ears of yoursto the utmost."
Tayoga laughed.
"Dagaeoga is learning wisdom," he said. "A great warrior does not throwhis life away. He will not walk blind through the forest. I will do allI can with my ears and so will you."
"I mean to do so. Do you see that silver flash through the tangle offoliage? Don't you think it comes from the waters of Champlain?"
"It cannot be doubted. Once more we see the great lake, and Crown Pointitself is not so many miles away. It is in my mind that Black Rifle,Great Bear, Mountain Wolf, Daganoweda and our men have been scoutingabout it."
"And we might meet 'em coming back. I've had that thought too."
They walked on toward Champlain, through a forest apparently withoutsign of danger, and Tayoga, hearing a slight noise in a thicket, turnedoff to the right to see if a deer were browsing there. He found nothing,but as the sound came again from a point farther on, he continued hissearch, leaving his comrade out of sight behind him. The thickets werevery dense and suddenly the warning of Tododaho came.
He sprang back as quick as lightning, and doubtless he would haveescaped had it not been for his wounded shoulder. He hurled off thefirst warrior who threw himself upon him, slipped from the grasp of asecond, but was unable to move when the mighty Tandakora and anotherseized him by the shoulders.
Bu
He saw that Tandakora had seven or eight warriors with him, and a halfdozen more were bounding out on the trail after Robert. He heard a shotand then another, but he did not hear any yell of triumph, and he drew along breath of relief. His warning cry had been uttered in time.Dagaeoga would know that it was folly, for him also to fall into thehands of Tandakora, and he would flee at his greatest speed.
So he stood erect with his wrists bound behind him, his face calm andimmovable. It did not become an Onondaga taken prisoner to show emotion,or, in fact, feeling of any kind before his captors, but his heart wasfull of anxiety as he waited with those who held him. A quarter of anhour they stood thus, and then the pursuing warriors, recognizing thevain nature of their quest, began to return. Tandakora did not upbraidthem, because he was in high good humor.
"Though the white youth, Lennox, has escaped," he said in Iroquois, "wehave done well. We have here Tayoga, of the clan of the Bear, of thenation Onondaga, of the League of the Hodenosaunee, one of our deadliestenemies. It is more than I had hoped, because, though so young, he is agreat warrior, skillful and brave, and we shall soon see how he can bearthe live coals upon his breast."
Still Tayoga did not move, nor did he visibly shudder at the threat,which he knew Tandakora meant to keep. The Ojibway had never appearedmore repellent, as he exulted over his prisoner. He seemed larger thanever, and his naked body was covered with painted and hideous devices.
"And so I have you at last, Tayoga," he said. "Your life shall be short,but your death shall be long, and you shall have full chance to provehow much an Onondaga can bear."
"Whether it be much or little," said Tayoga, "it will be more than anyOjibway can endure."
The black eyes of Tandakora flashed angrily, and he struck Tayogaheavily in the face with his open palm. The Onondaga staggered, butrecovered himself, and gazed steadily into the eyes of the Ojibway.
"You have struck a bound captive, O Tandakora," he said. "It is contraryto the customs of your nation and of mine, and for it I shall have yourlife. It is now written that you shall fall by my hand."
His calm tones, and the fearless gaze with which he met that ofTandakora, gave him all the aspect of a prophet. The huge Ojibwayflinched for a moment, and then he laughed.
"If it is written that I am to die by your hand it is written falsely,"he said, "because before another sun has set all chance for it will begone."
"I have said that you will die by my hand, and I say it again. It iswritten," repeated Tayoga firmly.
Though he showed no emotion there was much mortification in the soul ofthe young Onondaga. He had practically walked into the hands ofTandakora, and he felt that, for the present, at least, there was astain upon his skill as a forest runner. The blow of Tandakora had leftits mark, too, upon his mind. He had imbibed a part of the Christiandoctrine of forgiveness, but it could not apply to so deadly and evil anenemy as the Ojibway. To such an insult offered to a helpless prisonerthe reply could be made only with weapons.
Although Tododaho from his star, invisible by day, whispered to him tobe of good heart, Tayoga was torn by conflicting beliefs. He was goingto escape, and yet escape seemed impossible. The last of the warriorswho had gone on the trail of young Lennox had come in, and he wassurrounded now by more than a dozen stalwart men. The promise ofTododaho grew weak. Although his figure remained firm and upright andhis look was calm and brave he saw no possibility of escape. He thoughtof Daganoweda, of the Mohawks and the rangers, but the presence ofTandakora and his men indicated that they had gone back toward the armyof Waraiyageh, and were perhaps with him now.
He thought of St. Luc, but he did not know whether the gallant Chevalierwas alive or dead. But if he should come he would certainly keepTandakora from burning him at the stake. Tayoga did not fear death, andhe knew that he could withstand torture. No torture could last forever,and when his soul passed he would merely go to the great shining star onwhich Tododaho lived, and do to perfection, forever and without satiety,the things that he loved in life here.
But Tayoga did not want to die. As far as life here was concerned he wasmerely at the beginning of the chapter. So many things were begun andnothing was finished. Nor did he want to die at the hands of Tandakora,and allow his enemy to have a triumph that would always be sweet to thesoul of the fierce Ojibway. He saw many reasons why he did not wish yetto go to Tododaho's great and shining star, despite the perfection of aneternal existence there, and, casting away the doubts that had assailedhim, he hoped resolutely.
Tandakora had been regarding him with grim satisfaction. It may be thathe read some of the thoughts passing in the mind of the Onondaga, as hesaid:
"You look for your white friends, Tayoga, but you do not see them. Norwill they come. Do you want to know why?"
"Why, Tandakora?"
"Because they are dead. In the battle back there, toward Andiatarocte,Daganoweda, the Mohawk, was slain. His scalp is hanging in the belt of aPottawattomie who is now with Dieskau. Black Rifle will roam the forestno more. He was killed by my own men, and the wolves have eaten hisbody. The hunter Willet was taken alive, but he perished at the stake.He was a very strong man, and he burned nearly a whole day before thespirit left him. The ranger, Rogers, whom you called the Mountain Wolf,was killed in the combat, and the wolves have eaten his body, too."
"Now, I know, O Tandakora," said the Onondaga, "that you are a liar, aswell as a savage and a murderer. Great Bear lives, Daganoweda lives, andthe Mountain Wolf and Black Rifle live, too. St. Luc was defeated in thebattle, and he has gone to join Dieskau at Crown Point, else he would behere. I see into your black heart, Tandakora, and I see there nothingbut lies."
The eyes of the huge savage once more shot dark fire, and he lifted hishand, but once again he controlled himself, though the taunts of Tayogahad gone in deep and they stung like barbs. Then, feeling that the talkwas not in his favor, but that the situation was all to his liking, heturned away and gave orders to his warriors. They formed instantly insingle file, Tayoga near the center, Tandakora just behind him, andmarched swiftly toward the north.
The Onondaga knew that their course would not bring them to Crown Point,which now lay more toward the east. Nor was it likely that they would gothere. Dieskau and the French officers would scarcely allow him to beburned in their camp, and Tandakora would keep away from it until hishideous work was done.
Now Tayoga, despite his cynicism and apparent indifference, was allwatchfulness. He knew that, for the present, any attempt to escape washopeless, but he wished to observe the country through which he waspassing, and see everything pertaining to it as far as the eye couldreach. It was always well to know where one was, and he had been taughtfrom infancy to observe everything, the practice being one of theimportant conditions of life in the wilderness.
The soul of Tandakora, who walked just behind him, was full of savagejoy. It was true that Lennox had escaped, but Tayoga was an importantcapture. He was of a powerful family of the Onondagas, whom the Ojibwayhated. Despite his youth, his fame as a warrior was already great, andin destroying him Tandakora would strike both at the Hodenosaunee andthe white people who were his friends. Truly, it had been the Ojibway'slucky day.
As they went on, Tandakora's belief that it was his day of days became aconviction. Perhaps they would yet find Lennox, who had taken to suchswift flight, and before the sun set they could burn the two friendstogether. His black heart was full of joy as he laughed in silence andto himself. In the forest to his right a bird sang, a sweet, piercingnote, and he thought the shoulders of the captive in front of himquivered for a single instant. And well they might quiver! It was asplendid world to leave amid fire and pain, and the sweet, piercing noteof the bir
There was no pity in the heart of Tandakora. He was a savage and hecould never be anything but a savage. He might admire the fortitude withwhich Tayoga would endure the torture, but he would have no thought ofremitting it on that account. The bird sang again, or another like it,because it was exactly the same sweet, piercing note, but now Tandakoradid not see the shoulders of the Onondaga quiver. Doubtless after thefirst stab of pain that the bird had brought him he had steeled himselfto its renewal.
Tandakora would soon see how the Onondaga could stand the fire. The testshould be thorough and complete The Ojibway chieftain was a masterartist upon such occasions, and, as he continued the march, he thoughtof many pleasant little ways in which he could try the steel of Tayoga'snature. The captive certainly had shown no signs of shrinking so far,and Tandakora was glad of it. The stronger the resistance the longer andthe more interesting would be the test.
The Ojibway had in mind a certain little valley a few miles farther tothe north, a secluded place where a leader of men like himself could doas he pleased without fear of interruption. Already he was exulting overthe details, and to him, breathing the essence of triumph, thewilderness was as beautiful as it had ever been to Robert and Tayoga,though perhaps in a way that was peculiarly his own. Unlike Tayoga, hehad heard little of the outside world, and he cared nothing at all forit. His thoughts never went beyond the forest, and the customs of savageancestors were his. What he intended to do they had often done, and thetribes thought it right and proper.
"In half an hour, Tayoga, we will be at the place appointed," he said.
No answer.
"You said I would die at your hand, but there is only a half hour leftin which to make good the prophecy."
Still no answer.
"Tododaho, the patron saint of the Onondagas, is hidden on his star,which is now on the other side of the world, and he cannot help you."
And still no answer.
"Does not fear strike into your heart, Tayoga? The flames that will burnyou are soon to be lighted. You are young, but a boy, you are not aseasoned warrior, and you will not be able to bear it."
Tayoga laughed aloud, a laugh full and hearty. "I have heard frogscroak in the muddy edge of a pond," he said. "I could not tell what theymeant, but there was as much sense in their voices as in yours,Tandakora."
"At last you have found your tongue, youth of the Onondagas. You haveheard the frogs croak, but your voice at the stake will sound liketheirs."
"The flames shall not be lighted around me, Tandakora."
"How do you know?"
"Tododaho has whispered in my ear the promise that he will save me.Twice has he whispered it to me as we marched."
"Tododaho in life was no warrior of the Ojibways," said Tandakora, "andsince he has passed away he is no god of ours. His whispers, if he haswhispered at all to you, are false. There is less than half an hour inwhich you can be saved, and Manitou himself would need all that time."
Tayoga gave him a scornful look. Tandakora was talking sacrilege, but hehad no right to expect anything else from a savage Ojibway. He refusedto reply. They came presently to the little valley that Tandakora had inmind, an open place, with a tree in the center, and much dead woodscattered about. Tayoga knew instinctively that this was theirdestination, and his heart would have sunk within him had it not beenfor the whispers of Tododaho that he had heard on the march. The Ojibwaygave the word and the file of warriors stopped. The hills enclosing thevalley were much higher on the right than elsewhere, and touching Tayogaon the arm, he said:
"Walk with me to the crest there."
Tayoga, without a word, walked with him, while the other warriors stoodwatching, musket or rifle in hand.
The Onondaga, wrists bound behind him, knew that he did not have theslightest chance of escape, even if he made a sudden dash into thewoods. He would be shot down before he went a dozen steps, and his prideand will restrained the body that was eager for the trial.
They reached the crest, and Tayoga saw then that the hill itself rosefrom a high plateau. When he gazed toward the east he saw a vast expanseof green wilderness, beyond it a ribbon of silver, and beyond the silverhigh green mountains, outlined sharply against a sky of clear blue.
"Oneadatote," said Tandakora.
"Yes, it is the great lake," said Tayoga.
"And if you will turn and look in the other direction you will see whereAndiatarocte lies," said Tandakora. "There are greater lakes to thewest, some so vast that they are as big as the white man's ocean, butthere is none more beautiful than these. Think, Tayoga, that when youstand here upon this hill you have Oneadatote on one side of you andAndiatarocte on the other, and all the country between is splendid,every inch of it. Look! Look your fill, Tayoga! I have brought you herethat you might see, that this might be your last sight before you go toyour Tododaho on his star."
The Onondaga knew that the Ojibway was taunting him, that the torturehad begun, that Tandakora intended to contrast the magnificent worldfrom which he intended to send him with the black death that awaited himso soon. But the dauntless youth appeared not to know.
"The lakes I have seen many times," he said. "They are, as you trulycall them, grand and beautiful, and they are the rightful property ofthe Hodenosaunee, the great League to which my nation belongs. I shallcome to see them many more times all through my life, and when I am anold, old man of ninety summers and winters I shall lay myself down on ahigh shore of Andiatarocte, and close my eyes while Tododaho bears myspirit away to his star."
It is possible that Tandakora's eyes expressed a fleeting admiration.Savage and treacherous as he was, he respected courage, and the Onondagahad not shown the slightest trace of fear. Instead, he spoke calmly of along life to come, as if the shadow of death were not hovering near atthat moment.
"Look again," he said. "Look around all the circle of the world as faras your eyes can reach. It may help you a half hour from now, when youare in the flames, to remember the cool, green forest. And I tell you,too, Tayoga, that your white friend Lennox, the one whom you callDagaeoga, shall soon follow you into the other world and by the sameflaming path. When you are but ashes, which will be by the setting ofthe sun, my warriors will take up his trail, and he cannot escape us."
"Dagaeoga will live long, even as I do," said Tayoga calmly. "Hissummers and winters will be ninety each, even as mine. Tododaho haswhispered that to me also, and the whispers of Tododaho are neverfalse."
Tandakora turned back toward the valley, motioning to his captive todescend, and Tayoga obeyed without resistance. The glen was secluded,just suited to his purpose, which required time, and he did not wish theFrenchman, St. Luc, to come upon him suddenly, and interfere with thepleasure that he anticipated.
He was quite sure that the forest was empty of everything savethemselves, though he heard again and for the third time the note of thebird, piercing and sweet, trilling among the bushes.
The warriors, knowing what was to be done, were doing it already, havingpiled many pieces of dead wood around the trunk of the lone tree in thecenter of the opening. Two had cut shavings with their hunting knives,and one stood ready with flint and steel.
"Do you not tremble, Tayoga?" asked the Ojibway. "Many an old andseasoned warrior has not been able to endure the fire without a groan."
"You shall not hear any groan from me," replied Tayoga, "because I shallnot stand among the flames."
"There is no way to escape them. Even now the pile is built, and thewarrior is ready with flint and steel to make the sparks."
High, thrillingly sweet, came the voice of the bird in the bushes, andTayoga suddenly leaped with all his might against the great chest ofTandakora. Vast as was the strength of the Ojibway he was thrown fromhis feet by the violent and unexpected impact, and as he fell Tayoga,leaping lightly away, ran like a deer through the bushes.
The warriors in the valley uttered a shout, but the reply was ashattering volley, before which
Rangers and Mohawks, Robert, Daganoweda, Willet, Black Rifle and Rogersat their head, burst into the glen and the Mohawks began the pursuit ofTandakora's surviving warriors, who had followed their leader in hisflight. But Robert turned back to meet Tayoga and cut the thongs fromhis wrists.
"I thank you, Dagaeoga," said the Onondaga. "You came in time."
"Yes, they were making ready. A half hour more and we should have beentoo late. But you knew that we were coming, Tayoga?"
"Yes. I heard the bird sing thrice, but I knew the bird was in thethroat of the Great Bear. I will say this, though, to you, Dagaeoga,that I have heard many birds sing and sing sweetly, but never any sosweetly as the one that sang thrice in the throat of the Great Bear."
"It is not hard for me to believe you," said Robert, smiling, "and I cantell you in turn, Tayoga, that your patron saint, Tododaho, must in verytruth have watched over you, because when I heard your warning cry andtook to flight, hoping for a chance later on to rescue you, I ranwithin two hours straight into the camp of the rangers and the Mohawks.You can easily surmise how glad I was to see them, and how quickly wefollowed Tandakora."
"And we'd have attacked sooner," said Willet, "but we could not get upall our force in time. We've annihilated this band, but I'm sure we didnot get Tandakora. He fled like the wind, and we'll have to settleaccounts with him some other day."
"It was not possible for Tandakora to fall before your arms today," saidTayoga.
"Why not?" asked Willet, curiously.
"It is reserved for him to die by my hand, though the time is yet faroff. I know it, because Tododaho whispered it to me more than oncetoday. Let him go now, but his hour will surely come."
"You may be right, Tayoga. I'm not one to question your prophecies, butit's not wise for us to continue the pursuit of him, as we've otherthings to do. We destroyed the forces of St. Luc in the battle, but heescaped with some of his men to Crown Point, and there are still Indianwarriors in the forest, though we mean to continue skirmishing andscouting up to the walls of Crown Point, or until we meet Dieskau's armyon the march."
Words of approval came from the fierce Daganoweda, who stood by,listening. The young Mohawk chieftain, in the midst of a great andterrible war, was living the life he loved. The Keepers of the EasternGate were taking revenge for Quebec, their lost Stadacona, and he andhis warriors could boast already of more than one victory. Around him,too, stood the white allies whom he respected and admired most, BlackRifle, Willet, Rogers and Dagaeoga, the youth of golden speech. Willet,looking at him, read his mind.
"What do you say, Daganoweda?" he asked. "Now that Tayoga and Dagaeogahave been recovered, shall we go back and join the army of Waraiyageh,or shall we knock on the walls of Crown Point?"
"The time to turn back has not yet come," replied the Mohawk. "We mustknow all about the army of Dieskau before we return to Waraiyageh."
Willet laughed.
"I knew that would be your reply," he said. "I merely asked in order tohear you speak the words. As I've said already, it's in my mind to go ontoward Crown Point, and I know Rogers feels that way too. But I thinkwe'd first better rest and refresh ourselves a bit. Although Tayogawon't admit it, food and an hour or two of ease here in the very valleywhere they meant to burn him alive, will do him a power of good."
After throwing out competent sentinels, they lighted a fire by the verytree to which Tandakora meant to bind Tayoga for the flames, and broiledvenison over the coals. They also had bread and samp, which were mostwelcome, and the whole force ate with great zest. The warriors, in theirflight, had dropped Tayoga's bow and quiver of arrows, and theirrecovery gave him keen delight, though he said little as he strappedthem over his shoulder.
They spent two hours in the valley, and for the Onondaga the air wasfull of the good spirits that watched over him. The dramatic andextraordinary change, occurring in a few minutes, made an ineffaceableimpression upon a mind that saw meaning in everything. Here was the glenin which he had been held by Tandakora and his most deadly enemies, andthere was the lone tree against which they had already heaped the fuelfor burning him alive. Such a sudden and marvelous change could not havecome if he were not in the special favor of both Tododaho and Areskoui.Secure in his belief that he was protected by the mighty on their stars,he awaited the future with supreme confidence.