| Description |
started to rise from his bed of fur skins. Lowry was praying silently and wishing more and. more that his old friend "Cap" Whitlock was here to explain and speak more distinctly. He went on, Thief, you invited us to come here, to take land and to teach red man, white man's nays of farralngi" Chief Walker, as if to assert his chieftaincy, rose to his full height, walked to the opening, raised the flap, and stretching his arm in the direction Lowry had come, pointed and said, "GO!" Lowry could not believe what he was hearing. He had known of the War Lord's terrible tenper, but this? He knew if he did not obey he would be turned back to those war-hungry warriors again, so he rose, groped his feeble way to the opening. He could see that these sane braves had stripped his horses and were dividing his blankets and all the gifts he had brought, including his prized pack saddle. He screaned with rage as he lunged forward to try to recover some of these precious things. Thief Walker, your men are the thieves! They are stealing all the presents I brought you!" They seized him, at a gesture from Walker, tied his hands and feet with rawhide thongs, tied then to his neck asd stretched him :?pread-eagle upon the cold, hard-packed earth. He lay there for hours, not moving, for he felt the thongs tighten as they began to dry. Several hours later as the Chief walked among them, he seemed to see for the first tlae all that Lowry had brought. He ordered him released, pointed toward the Fort and said, "GO, while there is tine!" "Your braves will laugh at Walker if he sends Lowry out to die without his gun and blankets I" "Go white thief!" Walker commanded again as several eager warriors untied Lowry and shoved him toward the fire, drawing long knives again as they did this. "Please Chief, please help me!" Lowry was pleading for his life now. "I'll give you all the gifts that Father Morley sent and he will send more if you will be his friend. He is your friend and wants to smoke peace pipe and talk about beef!" At last he seemed to make Walker really hear him, though the big Indian still looked confused and unsure, as if in a state of shock or hypnosis. -29- |
