Chapter XVI. The First Blow

by Joseph A. Altsheler

　　Summer was now waning, the foliage was taking on its autumn hues,and Indian war parties still surged over the hills and mountains,but the five avoided them all. On one or two occasions theywould have been willing to stop and fight, but they had biggerwork on hand. They had received from others confirmation of thereport that Long Jim had heard from the hunters, and they werequite sure that a strong force was advancing to strike the firstblow in revenge for Wyoming. Curiously enough, this body wascommanded by a fourth Butler, Colonel William Butler, andaccording to report it was large and its leaders capable.

　　When the avenging force lay at the Johnstown settlement on theDelaware, it was joined by the five. They were introduced to thecolonel by the celebrated scout and hunter, Tini Murphy, whomthey had met several times in the woods, and they were receivedwarmly.

　　"I've heard of you," said Colonel Butler with much warmth," bothfrom hunters and scouts, and also from Adam Colfax. Two of youwere to have been tomahawked by Queen Esther at Wyoming."

　　Henry indicated the two.

　　"What you saw at Wyoming is not likely to decrease your zealagainst the Indians and their white allies," continued ColonelButler.

　　"Anyone who was there," said Henry, " would feel all his life,the desire to punish those who did it."

　　"I think so, too, from all that I have heard," continued ColonelButler. "It is the business of you young men to keep ahead ofour column and warn us of what lies before us. I believe youhave volunteered for that duty."

　　The five looked over Colonel Butler's little army, which numberedonly two hundred and fifty men, but they were all strong andbrave, and it was the best force that could yet be sent to theharassed border. It might, after all, strike a blow for Wyomingif it marched into no ambush, and Henry and his comrades wereresolved to guard it from that greatest of all dangers.

　　When the little column moved from the Johnstown settlement, thefive were far ahead, passing through the woods, up theSusquehanna, toward the Indian villages that lay on its banks,though a great distance above Wyoming. The chief of these wasOghwaga, and, knowing that it was the destination of the littlearmy, they were resolved to visit it, or at least come so near itthat they could see what manner of place it was.

　　"If it's a big village," said Colonel Butler, "it will be toostrong to attack, but it may be that most of the warriors areabsent on expeditions."

　　They had obtained before starting very careful descriptions ofthe approaches to the village, and toward the close of an Octoberevening they knew that they were near Oghwaga, the great base ofthe Iroquois supplies. They considered it very risky and unwiseto approach in the daytime, and accordingly they lay in the woodsuntil the dark should come.

　　The appearance of the wilderness had changed greatly. in thethree months since Wyoming. All the green was now gone, and itwas tinted red and yellow and brown. The skies were a mellowblue, and there was a slight haze over the forest, but the airhad the wonderful crispness and freshness of the American autumn.It inspired every one of the five with fresh zeal and energy,because they believed the first blow was about to be struck.

　　About ten o'clock at night they approached Oghwaga, and thereports of its importance were confirmed. They had not beforeseen an Indian village with so many signs of permanence. Theypassed two or three orchards of apple and peach trees, and theysaw other indications of cultivation like that of the whitefarmer.

　　"It ain't a bad-lookin' town," said Long Jim Hart. "But it'lllook wuss," said Shif'less Sol, "onless they've laid an ambushsomewhar. I don't like to see houses an' sech like go up in firean' smoke, but after what wuz done at Wyomin' an' all throughthat valley, burnin' is a light thing."

　　"We're bound to strike back with all our might," said Paul, whohad the softest heart of them all.

　　"Now, I wonder who's in this here town," said Tom Ross. "MebbeTimmendiquas an' Brant an' all them renegades."

　　"It may be so," said Henry. "This is their base and store ofsupplies. Oh, if Colonel Butler were only here with all his men,what a rush we could make!"

　　So great was their eagerness that they crept closer to thevillage, passing among some thick clusters of grapevines. Henrywas in the lead, and he heard a sudden snarl. A large cur of thekind that infest Indian villages leaped straight at him.

　　The very suddenness of the attack saved Henry and his comradesfrom the consequences of an alarm. He dropped his rifleinstinctively, and seized the dog by the throat with both hands.A bark following the snarl had risen to the animal's throat, butit was cut short there. The hands of the great youth pressedtighter and tighter, and the dog was lifted from the earth. Thefour stood quietly beside their comrade, knowing that no alarmwould be made now.

　　The dog kicked convulsively, then hung without motion or noise.Henry cast the dead body aside, picked up his rifle, and then allfive of them sank softly down in the shelter of the grapevines.About fifteen yards away an Indian warrior was walking cautiouslyalong and looking among the vines. Evidently he had heard thesnarl of the dog, and was seeking the cause. But it had beenonly a single sound, and he would not look far. Yet the heartsof the five beat a little faster as he prowled among the vines,and their nerves were tense for action should the need for itcome.

　　The Indian, a Mohawk, came within ten yards of them, but he didnot see the five figures among the vines, blending darkly withthe dark growth, and presently, satisfied that the sound he hadheard was of no importance, he walked in another direction, andpassed out of sight.

　　The five, not daunted at all by this living proof of risk, creptto the very edge of the clusters of grapevines, and looked uponan open space, beyond which stood some houses made of wood; buttheir attention was centered upon a figure that stood in theopen.

　　Although the distance was too great and the light too poor todisclose the features, every one of the scouts recognized thefigure. It could be none other than that of Timmendiquas, thegreat White Lightning of the Wyandots. He was pacing back andforth, somewhat in the fashion of the white man, and his mannerimplied thought.

　　"I could bring him down from here with a bullet," said Shif'lessSol, "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. Itwas also that of a chief, powerful and tall, though not as tallas Timmendiquas. It was Thayendanegea. Then three white figuresappeared. One was that of Braxton Wyatt, and the others theytook to be those of "Indian" Butler and his son, Walter Butler.After a talk of a minute or two they entered one of the woodenhouses.

　　"It's to be a conference of some kind," whispered Henry. "I wishI could look in on it."

　　"And I," said the others together.

　　"Well, we know this much," continued Henry. "No great force ofthe Iroquois is present, and if Colonel Butler's men come upquickly, 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 theyreached the crest of a hill, from which they could see the roofsof 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 theirtrail 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 greatspeed, and, some time after daylight, met the advance of thecolonial force under Captain William Gray.

　　William Gray was a gallant young officer, but he was startled alittle when five figures as silent as phantoms appeared. But heuttered 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 allabout the town. They do not suspect our coming. At least, theydid not know when we left. We saw Brant, Timmendiquas, theButlers, and Wyatt enter the house for a conference."

　　"And now is our chance," said eager young William Gray. "What ifwe should take the town, and with it these men, at one blow."

　　"We can scarcely hope for as much as that," said Henry, who knewthat men like Timmendiquas and Thayendanegea were not likely toallow themselves to be seized by so small a force, "but we canhope for a good victory."

　　The young captain rode quickly back to his comrades with thenews, and, led by the five, the whole force pushed forward withall possible haste. William Gray was still sanguine of asurprise, but the young riflemen did not expect it. Indiansentinels were sure to be in the forest between them and Oghwaga.Yet they said nothing to dash this hope. Henry had already seenenough to know the immense value of enthusiasm, and the littlearmy full of zeal would accomplish much if the chance came.Besides the young captain, William Gray, there was a lieutenantnamed Taylor, who had been in the battle at Wyoming, but who hadescaped the massacre. The five had not met him there, but thecommon share in so great a tragedy proved a tie between them.Taylor's name was Robert, but all the other officers, and some ofthe men for that matter, who had known him in childhood calledhim Bob. He was but little older than Henry, and his earlieryouth, before removal to Wyoming, had been passed in Connecticut,a country that was to the colonials thickly populated andcontaining great towns, such as Hartford and New Haven.

　　A third close friend whom they soon found was a man unlike anyother that they had ever seen. His name was Cornelius Heemskerk.Holland was his birthplace, but America was his nation. He wasshort and extremely fat, but he had an agility that amazed thefive when they first saw it displayed. He talked much, and hiswords sounded like grumbles, but the unctuous tone and the smilethat accompanied them indicated to the contrary. He formed forShif'less Sol an inexhaustible and entertaining study incharacter.

　　"I ain't quite seen his like afore," said the shiftless one toPaul. "First time I run acrost him I thought he would tumbledown among the first bushes he met. 'Stead o' that, he sailedright through 'em, makin' never a trip an' no noise at all, sameez Long Jim's teeth sinkin' into a juicy venison steak."

　　"I've heard tell," said Long Jim, who also contemplated theprodigy," that big, chunky, awkward-lookin' things are sometimesez spry ez you. They say that the Hipperpotamus kin outrun thegiraffe across the sands uv Afriky, an' I know from pussonalexperience that the bigger an' clumsier a b'ar is the faster hekin make you scoot fur your life. But he's the real Dutch, ain'the, Paul, one uv them fellers that licked the Spanish under theDuke uv Alivy an' Belisarry?"

　　"Undoubtedly," replied Paul, who did not consider it necessary tocorrect Long Jim's history, "and I'm willing to predict to you,Jim Hart, that Heemskerk will be a mighty good man in any fightthat we may have."

　　Heemskerk rolled up to them. He seemed to have a sort ofcircular motion like that of a revolving tube, but he kept pacewith the others, nevertheless, and he showed no signs ofexertion.

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

　　"Why so, Mr. Heemskerk?" replied Paul politely. "Because I am aDutchman. I have the soul of an artist and the gentleness of ababy. I, Cornelius Heemskerk, should be in the goot leetlecountry of Holland in a goot leetle house, by the side of a gootleetle canal, painting beautiful blue china, dishes, plates,cups, saucers, all most beautiful, and here I am running throughthe woods of this vast America, carrying on my shoulder a riflethat is longer than I am, hunting the red Indian and hunted byhim. Is it not most rediculous, Mynheer Paul?"

　　"I think you are here because you are a brave man, Mr.Heemskerk," replied Paul, "and wish to see punishment inflictedupon those who have committed great crimes."

　　"Not so! Not so! replied the Dutchman with energy. "It isbecause I am one big fool. I am not really a big enough man tobe as big a fool as I am, but so it is! so it is!" Shif'lessSol regarded him critically, and then spoke gravely and withdeliberation: " It ain't that, Mr. Heemskerk, an' Paul ain'ttold quite all the truth, either. I've heard that the Dutch wasthe most powerfullest fightin' leetle nation on the globe; thatall you had to do wuz to step on the toe uv a Dutchman's woodenshoe, an' all the men, women, an' children in Holland would jumpright on top o' you all at once. Lookin' you up an' lookin' youdown, an' sizin' you up, an' sizin you down, all purty careful,an' examinin' the corners O' your eyes oncommon close, an' alsolookin' at the way you set your feet when you walk, I'mconcludin' that you just natcherally love a fight, an' that youare lookin' fur one."

　　But Cornelius Heemskerk sighed, and shook his head.

　　"It is flattery that you give me, and you are trying to make mebrave when I am not," he said. "I only say once more that Iought to be in Holland painting blue plates, and not here in thegreat woods holding on to my scalp, first with one hand and thenwith the other."

　　He sighed deeply, but Solomon Hyde, reader of the hearts of men,only laughed.

　　Colonel Butler's force stopped about three o'clock for food and alittle rest, and the five, who had not slept since the nightbefore, caught a few winks. But in less than an hour they wereup and away again. The five riflemen were once more well inadvance, and with them were Taylor and Heemskerk, the Dutchman,grumbling over their speed, but revolving along, nevertheless,with astonishing ease and without any sign of fatigue. Theydiscovered no indications of Indian scouts or trails, and as thevillage now was not many miles away, it confirmed Henry in hisbelief that the Iroquois, with their friends, the Wyandots, wouldnot stay to give battle. If Thayendanegea and Timmendiquas wereprepared for a strong resistance, the bullets of the skirmisherswould already be whistling through the woods.

　　The waning evening grew colder, twilight came, and the autumnleaves fell fast before the rising wind. The promise of thenight was dark, which was not bad for their design, and once morethe five-now the seven approached Oghwaga. From the crest of thevery same hill they looked down once more upon the Indian houses.

　　"It is a great base for the Iroquois," said Henry to Heemskerk,"and whether the Indians have laid an ambush or not, ColonelButler must attack."

　　"Ah," said Heemskerk, silently moving his round body to a littlehigher point for a better view, "now I feel in all its fullnessthe truth that I should be back in Holland, painting blueplates."

　　Nevertheless, Cornelius Heemskerk made a very accurate survey ofthe Iroquois village, considering the distance and the brevity ofthe time, and when the party went back to Colonel Butler to tellhim the way was open, he revolved along as swiftly as any ofthem. There were also many serious thoughts in the back of hishead.

　　At nine o'clock the little colonial force was within half a mileof Oghwaga, and nothing had yet occurred to disclose whether theIroquois knew of their advance. Henry and his comrades, well infront, looked down upon the town, but saw nothing. No light camefrom an Indian chimney, nor did any dog howl. just behind themwere the troops in loose order, Colonel Butler impatientlystriking his booted leg with a switch, and William Gray seekingto restrain his ardor, that he might set a good example to themen.

　　"What do you think, Mr. Ware?" asked Colonel Butler.

　　"I think we ought to rush the town at once."

　　"It is so!" exclaimed Heemskerk, forgetting all about paintingblue plates.

　　"The signal is the trumpet; you blow it, Captain Gray, and thenwe'll charge."

　　William Gray took the trumpet from one of the men and blew along, thrilling note. Before its last echo was ended, the littlearmy rushed upon the town. Three or four shots came from thehouses, and the soldiers fired a few at random in return, butthat was all. Indian scouts had brought warning of the whiteadvance, and the great chiefs, gathering up all the people whowere in the village, had fled. A retreating warrior or two hadfired the shots, but when the white men entered this importantIroquois stronghold they did not find a single human being.Timmendiquas, the White Lightning of the Wyandots, was gone;Thayendanegea, the real head of the Six Nations, had slippedaway; and with them had vanished the renegades. But they hadgone in haste. All around them were the evidences. The houses,built of wood, were scores in number, and many of them containedfurniture such as a prosperous white man of the border would buyfor himself. There were gardens and shade trees about these, andback of them, barns, many of them filled with Indian corn.Farther on were clusters of bark lodges, which had been inhabitedby the less progressive of the Iroquois.

　　Henry stood in the center of the town and looked at the housesmisty in the moonlight. The army had not yet made much noise,but he was beginning to hear behind him the ominousword,"Wyoming," repeated more than once. Cornelius Heemskerk hadstopped revolving, and, standing beside Henry, wiped hisperspiring, red face.

　　"Now that I am here, I think again of the blue plates of Holland,Mr. Ware," he said. "It is a dark and sanguinary time. The menwhose brethren were scalped or burned alive at Wyoming will notnow spare the town of those who did it. In this wilderness theygive blow for blow, or perish."

　　Henry knew that it was true, but he felt a certain sadness. Hisheart had been inflamed against the Iroquois, he could neverforget Wyoming or its horrors; but in the destruction of anancient town the long labor of man perished, and it seemed waste.Doubtless a dozen generations of Iroquois children had playedhere on the grass. He walked toward the northern end of thevillage, and saw fields there from which recent corn had beentaken, but behind him the cry, "Wyoming!" was repeated louder andoftener now. Then he saw men running here and there withtorches, and presently smoke and flame burst from the houses. Heexamined the fields and forest for a little distance to see ifany ambushed foe might still lie among them, but all the whilethe flame and smoke behind him were rising higher.

　　Henry turned back and joined his comrades. Oghwaga wasperishing. The flames leaped from house to house, and then fromlodge to lodge. There was no need to use torches any more. Thewhole village was wrapped in a mass of fire that grew and swelleduntil the flames rose above the forest, and were visible in theclear night miles away.

　　So great was the heat that Colonel Butler and the soldiers andscouts were compelled to withdraw to the edge of the forest. Thewind rose and the flames soared. Sparks flew in myriads, andashes fell dustily on the dry leaves of the trees. Bob Taylor,with his hands clenched tightly, muttered under his breath,"Wyoming! Wyoming!"

　　"It is the Iroquois who suffer now," said Heemskerk, as herevolved slowly away from a heated point.

　　Crashes came presently as the houses fell in, and then the sparkswould leap higher and the flames roar louder. The barns, too,were falling down, and the grain was destroyed. The grapevineswere trampled under foot, and the gardens were ruined. Oghwaga,a great central base of the Six Nations, was vanishing forever.For four hundred years, ever since the days of Hiawatha, theIroquois had waxed in power. They had ruled over lands largerthan great empires. They had built up political and socialsystems that are the wonder of students. They were invincible inwar, because every man had been trained from birth to be awarrior, and now they were receiving their first great blow.

　　From a point far in the forest, miles away, Thayendanegea,Timmendiquas, Hiokatoo, Sangerachte, "Indian" Butler, WalterButler, Braxton Wyatt, a low, heavybrowed Tory named Coleman,with whom Wyatt had become very friendly, and about sixtyIroquois and twenty Tories were watching a tower of light to thesouth that had just appeared above the trees. It was of anintense, fiery color, and every Indian in that gloomy band knewthat it was Oghwaga, the great, the inviolate, the sacred, thatwas burning, and that the men who were doing it were the whitefrontiersmen, who, his red-coated allies had told him, would soonbe swept forever from these woods. And they were forced to standand see it, not daring to attack so strong and alert a force.

　　They sat there in the darkness among the trees, and watched thecolumn of fire grow and grow until it seemed to pierce the skies.Timmendiquas never said a word. In his heart, Indian though hewas, he felt that the Iroquois had gone too far. In him was thespirit of the farseeing Hiawatha. He could perceive that greatcruelty always brought retaliation; but it was not for him,almost an alien, to say these things to Thayendanegea, the mightywar chief of the Mohawks and the living spirit of the Iroquoisnation.

　　Thayendanegea sat on the stump of a tree blown down by winterstorms. His arms were folded across his breast, and he lookedsteadily toward that red threatening light off there in thesouth. Some such idea as that in the mind of Timmendiquas mayhave been passing in his own. He was an uncommon Indian, and hehad had uncommon advantages. He had not believed that thecolonists could make head against so great a kingdom as England,aided by the allied tribes, the Canadians, and the large body ofTories among their own people. But he saw with his own eyes thefamous Oghwaga of the Iroquois going down under their torch.

　　"Tell me, Colonel John Butler," he said bitterly, where is yourgreat king now? Is his arm long enough to reach from London tosave our town of Oghwaga, which is perhaps as much to us as hisgreat city of London is to him?"

　　The thickset figure of "Indian" Butler moved, and his swart faceflushed as much as it could.

　　"You know as much about the king as I do, Joe Brant," he replied."We are fighting here for your country as well as his, and youcannot say that Johnson's Greens and Butler's Rangers and theBritish and Canadians have not done their part."

　　"It is true," said Thayendanegea, "but it is true, also, that onemust fight with wisdom. Perhaps there was too much burning ofliving men at Wyoming. The pain of the wounded bear makes himfight the harder, and it, is because of Wyoming that Oghwagayonder burns. Say, is it not so, Colonel John Butler ?"

　　"Indian" Butler made no reply, but sat, sullen and lowering. TheTory, Coleman, whispered to Braxton Wyatt, but Timmendiquas wasthe only one who spoke aloud.

　　"Thayendanegea," he said, "I, and the Wyandots who are with me,have come far. We expected to return long ago to the lands onthe Ohio, but we were with you in your village, and now, whenManitou has turned his face from you for the time, we will notleave you. We stay and fight by your side."

　　Thayendanegea stood up, and Timmendiquas stood up, also.

　　"You are a great chief, White Lightning of the Wyandots " hesaid, " and you and I are brothers. I shall be proud and happyto have such a mighty leader fighting with me. We will havevengeance for this. The power of the Iroquois is as great asever."

　　He raised himself to his full height, pointing to the fire, andthe flames of hate and resolve burned in his eyes. Old Hiokatoo,the most savage of all the chiefs, shook his tomahawk, and amurmur passed through the group of Indians.

　　Braxton Wyatt still talked in whispers to his new friend,Coleman, the Tory, who was more to his liking than the morose andsavage Walter Butler, whom he somewhat feared. Wyatt was perhapsthe least troubled of all those present. Caring for himselfonly, the burning of Oghwaga caused him no grief. He sufferedneither from the misfortune of friend nor foe. He was able tocontemplate the glowing tower of light with curiosity only.Braxton Wyatt knew that the Iroquois and their allies wouldattempt revenge for the burning of Oghwaga, and he saw profit forhimself in such adventures. His horizon had broadened somewhatof late. The renegade, Blackstaffe, had returned to rejoin SimonGirty, but be had found a new friend in Coleman. He was comingnow more into touch with the larger forces in the East, nearer tothe seat of the great war, and he hoped to profit by it.

　　"This is a terrible blow to Brant," Coleman whispered to him."The Iroquois have been able to ravage the whole frontier, whilethe rebels, occupied with the king's troops, have not been ableto send help to their own. But they have managed to strike atlast, as you see."

　　"I do see," said Wyatt, "and on the whole, Coleman, I'm notsorry. Perhaps these chiefs won't be so haughty now, and they'llsoon realize that they need likely chaps such as you and me, eh,Coleman."

　　"You're not far from the truth," said Coleman, laughing a little,and pleased at the penetration of his new friend. They did nottalk further, although the agreement between them was wellestablished. Neither did the Indian chiefs or the Tory leaderssay any more. They watched the tower of fire a long time, pastmidnight, until it reached its zenith and then began to sink.They saw its crest go down behind the trees, and they saw theluminous cloud in the south fade and go out entirely, leavingthere only the darkness that reined everywhere else.

　　Then the Indian and Tory leaders rose and silently marchednorthward. It was nearly dawn when Henry and his comrades laydown for the rest that they needed badly. They spread theirblankets at the edge of the open, but well back from the burnedarea, which was now one great mass of coals and charred timbers,sending up little flame but much smoke. Many of the troops werealready asleep, but Henry, before lying down, begged William Grayto keep a strict watch lest the Iroquois attack from ambush. Heknew that the rashness and confidence of the borderers,especially when drawn together in masses, had often caused themgreat losses, and he was resolved to prevent a recurrence at thepresent time if he could. He had made these urgent requests ofGray, instead of Colonel Butler, because of the latter's youthand willingness to take advice.

　　"I'll have the forest beat up continually all about the town," hesaid. "We must not have our triumph spoiled by any afterclap."

　　Henry and his comrades, wrapped in their blankets, lay in a rowalmost at the edge of the forest. The heat from the fire wasstill great, but it would die down after a while, and the Octoberair was nipping. Henry usually fell asleep in a very fewminutes, but this time, despite his long exertions and lack ofrest, he remained awake when his comrades were sound asleep.Then he fell into a drowsy state, in which be saw the fire risingin great black coils that united far above. It seemed to Henry,half dreaming and forecasting the future, that the Indian spiritwas passing in the smoke.

　　When he fell asleep it was nearly daylight, and in three or fourhours be was up again, as the little army intended to march atonce upon another Indian town. The hours while he slept hadpassed in silence, and no Indians had come near. William Grayhad seen to that, and his best scout had been one CorneliusHeemskerk, a short, stout man of Dutch birth.

　　"It was one long, long tramp for me, Mynheer Henry," saidHeemskerk, as he revolved slowly up to the camp fire where Henrywas eating his breakfast," and I am now very tired. It was likewalking four or five times around Holland, which is such a finelittle country, with the canals and the flowers along them, andno great, dark woods filled with the fierce Iroquois."

　　"Still, I've a notion, Mynheer Heemskerk, that you'd rather behere, and perhaps before the day is over you will get somefighting hot enough to please even you."

　　Mynheer Heemskerk threw up his hands in dismay, but a half hourlater he was eagerly discussing with Henry the possibility ofovertaking some large band of retreating Iroquois.

　　Urged on by all the scouts and by those who had suffered atWyoming, Colonel Butler gathered his forces and marched swiftlythat very morning up the river against another Indian town,Cunahunta. Fortunately for him, a band of riflemen and scoutsunsurpassed in skill led the way, and saw to it that the road wassafe. In this band were the five, of course, and after themHeemskerk, young Taylor, and several others.

　　"If the Iroquois do not get in our way, we'll strike Cunahuntabefore night," said Heemskerk, who knew the way.

　　"It seems to me that they will certainly try to save theirtowns," said Henry. "Surely Brant and the Tories will not let usstrike so great a blow without a fight."

　　"Most of their warriors are elsewhere, Mynheer Henry," saidHeemskerk, " or they would certainly give us a big battle. We'vebeen lucky in the time of our advance. As it is, I think we'llhave something to do."

　　It was now about noon, the noon of a beautiful October day of theNorth, the air like life itself, the foliage burning red on thehills, the leaves falling softly from the trees as the wind blew,but bringing with them no hint of decay. None of the vanguardfelt fatigue, but when they crossed a low range of hills and sawbefore them a creek flowing down to the Susquehanna, Henry, whowas in the lead, stopped suddenly and dropped down in the grass.The others, knowing without question the significance of theaction, also sank down.

　　"What is it, Henry ?" asked Shif'less Sol.

　　"You see how thick the trees are on the other side of that bank.Look a little to the left of a big oak, and you will see thefeathers in the headdress of an Iroquois. Farther on I think Ican catch a glimpse of a green coat, and if I am right that coatis worn by one of Johnson's Royal Greens. It's an ambush, Sol,an ambush meant for us."

　　"But it's not an ambush intended for our main force, MynheerHenry," said Heemskerk, whose red face began to grow redder withthe desire for action. "I, too, see the feather of theIroquois."

　　"As good scouts and skirmishers it's our duty, then, to clearthis force out of the way, and not wait for the main body to comeup, is it not?" asked Henry, with a suggestive look at theDutchman.

　　"What a goot head you have, Mynheer Henry!" exclaimed Heemskerk."Of course we will fight, and fight now!"

　　"How about them blue plates?" said Shif'less Sol softly. ButHeemskerk did not hear him.

　　They swiftly developed their plan of action. There could be noearthly doubt of the fact that the Iroquois and some Tories wereambushed on the far side of the creek. Possibly Thayendanegeahimself, stung by the burning of Oghwaga and the advance onCunahunta, was there. But they were sure that it was not a largeband.

　　The party of Henry and Heemskerk numbered fourteen, but every onewas a veteran, full of courage, tenacity, and all the skill ofthe woods. They had supreme confidence in their ability to beatthe best of the Iroquois, man for man, and they carried the veryfinest arms known to the time.

　　It was decided that four of the men should remain on the hill.The others, including the five, Heemskerk, and Taylor, would makea circuit, cross the creek a full mile above, and come down onthe flank of the ambushing party. Theirs would be the mainattack, but it would be preceded by sharpshooting from the four,intended to absorb the attention of the Iroquois. The chosen tenslipped back down the hill, and as soon as they were shelteredfrom any possible glimpse by the warriors, they rose and ranrapidly westward. Before they had gone far they heard the crackof a rifle shot, then another, then several from another point,as if in reply.

　　"It's our sharpshooters," said Henry. " They've begun to disturbthe Iroquois, and they'll keep them busy."

　　"Until we break in on their sport and keep them still busier,"exclaimed Heemskerk, revolving swiftly through the bushes, hisface blazing red.

　　It did not take long for such as they to go the mile or so thatthey intended, and then they crossed the creek, wading in thewater breast high, but careful to keep their ammunition dry.Then they turned and rapidly descended the stream on its northernbank. In a few minutes they heard the sound of a rifle shot, andthen of another as if replying.

　　"The Iroquois have been fooled," exclaimed Heemskerk. "Our fourgood riflemen have made them think that a great force is there,and they have not dared to cross the creek themselves and make anattack."

　　In a few minutes more, as they ran noiselessly through theforest, they saw a little drifting smoke, and now and then thefaint flash of rifles. They were coming somewhere near to theIroquois band, and they practiced exceeding caution. Presentlythey caught sight of Indian faces, and now and then one ofJohnson's Greens or Butler's Rangers. They stopped and held acouncil that lasted scarcely more than half a minute. They allagreed there was but one thing to do, and that was to attack inthe Indian's own way-that is, by ambush and sharpshooting.

　　Henry fired the first shot, and an Iroquois, aiming at a foe onthe other side of the creek, fell. Heemskerk quickly followedwith a shot as good, and the surprised Iroquois turned to facethis new foe. But they and the Tories were a strong band, andthey retreated only a little. Then they stood firm, and theforest battle began. The Indians numbered not less than thirty,and both Braxton Wyatt and Coleman were with them, but the valueof skill was here shown by the smaller party, the one thatattacked. The frontiersmen, trained to every trick and wile ofthe forest, and marksmen such as the Indians were never able tobecome, continually pressed in and drove the Iroquois from treeto tree. Once or twice the warriors started a rush, but theywere quickly driven back by sharpshooting such as they had neverfaced before. They soon realized that this was no band of borderfarmers, armed hastily for an emergency, but a foe who kneweverything that they knew, and more.

　　Braxton Wyatt and his friend Coleman fought with the Iroquois,and Wyatt in particular was hot with rage. He suspected that thefive who had defeated him so often were among these marksmen, andthere might be a chance now to destroy them all. He crept to theside of the fierce old Seneca chief, Hiokatoo, and suggested thata part of their band slip around and enfold the enemy.

　　Old Hiokatoo, in the thick of battle now, presented his mostterrifying aspect. He was naked save the waist cloth, his greatbody was covered with scars, and, as he bent a little forward, heheld cocked and ready in his hands a fine rifle that had beenpresented to him by his good friend, the king. The Senecas, itmay be repeated, had suffered terribly at the Battle of theOriskany in the preceding year, and throughout these years ofborder were the most cruel of all the Iroquois. In this respectHiokatoo led all the Senecas, and now Braxton Wyatt used as hewas to savage scenes, was compelled to admit to himself that thiswas the most terrifying human being whom he had ever beheld. Hewas old, but age in him seemed merely to add to his strength andferocity. The path of a deep cut, healed long since, but whichthe paint even did not hide, lay across his forehead. Othersalmost as deep adorned his right cheek, his chin, and his neck.He was crouched much like a panther, with his rifle in his handsand the ready tomahawk at his belt. But it was the extraordinaryexpression of his eyes that made Braxton Wyatt shudder. He readthere no mercy for anything, not even for himself, Braxton Wyatt,if he should stand in the way, and it was this last fact thatbrought the shudder.

　　Hiokatoo thought it a good plan. Twenty warriors, mostly Senecasand Cayugas, were detailed to execute it at once, and they stoleoff toward the right. Henry had suspected some such diversion,and, as he had been joined now by the four men from the otherside of the creek, he disposed his little force to meet it. BothShif'less Sol and Heemskerk had caught sight of figures slippingaway among the trees, and Henry craftily drew back a little.While two or three men maintained the sharpshooting in the front,he waited for the attack. It came in half an hour, the flankingforce making a savage and open rush, but the fire of the whiteriflemen was so swift and deadly that they were driven backagain. But they had come very near, and a Tory rushed directlyat young Taylor. The Tory, like Taylor, had come from Wyoming,and he had been one of the most ruthless on that terrible day.When they were less than a dozen feet apart they recognized eachother. Henry saw the look that passed between them, and,although he held a loaded rifle in his hand, for some reason hedid not use it. The Tory fired a pistol at Taylor, but thebullet missed, and the Wyoming youth, leaping forth, swung hisunloaded rifle and brought the stock down with all his force uponthe head of his enemy. The man, uttering a single sound, a sortof gasp, fell dead, and Taylor stood over him, still tremblingwith rage. In an instant Henry seized him and dragged him down,and then a Seneca bullet whistled where he had been.

　　"He was one of the worst at Wyoming-I saw him!" exclaimed youngTaylor, still trembling all over with passion.

　　"He'll never massacre anybody else. You've seen to that," saidHenry, and in a minute or two Taylor was quiet. Thesharpshooting continued, but here as elsewhere, the Iroquois hadthe worst of it. Despite their numbers, they could not pass norflank that line of deadly marksmen who lay behind trees almost insecurity, and who never missed. Another Tory and a chief, also,were killed, and Braxton Wyatt was daunted. Nor did he feel anybetter when old Hiokatoo crept to his side.

　　"We have failed here," he said. "They shoot too well for us torush them. We have lost good men." Hiokatoo frowned, and thescars on his face stood out in livid red lines.

　　"It is so," he said. " These who fight us now are of their best,and while we fight, the army that destroyed Oghwaga is coming up.Come, we will go."

　　The little white band soon saw that the Indians were gonefrom their front. They scouted some distance, and, finding noenemy, hurried back to Colonel Butler. The troops were pushedforward, and before night they reached Cunahunta, which theyburned also. Some farther advance was made into the Indiancountry, and more destruction was done, but now the winter wasapproaching, and many of the men insisted upon returning home toprotect their families. Others were to rejoin the mainRevolutionary army, and the Iroquois campaign was to stop for thetime. The first blow had been struck, and it was a hard one, butthe second blow and third and fourth and more, which the fiveknew were so badly needed, must wait.

　　Henry and his comrades were deeply disappointed. They had hopedto go far into the Iroquois country, to break the power of theSix Nations, to hunt down the Butlers and the Johnsons and Branthimself, but they could not wholly blame their commander. Therear guard, or, rather, the forest guard of the Revolution, was aslender and small force indeed.

　　Henry and his comrades said farewell to Colonel Butler with muchpersonal regret, and also to the gallant troops, some of whomwere Morgan's riflemen from Virginia. The farewells to WilliamGray, Bob Taylor, and Cornelius Heemskerk were more intimate.

　　"I think we'll see more of one another in other campaigns," saidGray.

　　"We'll be on the battle line, side by side, once more," saidTaylor, "and we'll strike another blow for Wyoming."

　　"I foresee," said Cornelius Heemskerk, "that I, a peaceful man,who ought to be painting blue plates in Holland, will be drawninto danger in the great, dark wilderness again, and that youwill be there with me, Mynheer Henry, Mynheer Paul, Mynheer theWise Solomon, Mynheer the Silent Tom, and Mynheer the Very LongJames. I see it clearly. I, a man of peace, am always beingpushed in to war."

　　"We hope it will come true," said the five together.

　　"Do you go back to Kentucky?" asked William Gray.

　　"No," replied Henry, speaking for them all, " we have enteredupon this task here, and we are going to stay in it until it isfinished."

　　"It is dangerous, the most dangerous thing in the world," saidHeemskerk. "I still have my foreknowledge that I shall stand byyour side in some great battle to come, but the first thing Ishall do when I see you again, my friends, is to look around atyou, one, two, three, four, five, and see if you have upon yourheads the hair which is now so rich, thick, and flowing."

　　"Never fear, my friend," said Henry, "we have fought with thewarriors all the way from the Susquehanna to New Orleans and notone of us has lost a single lock of hair."

　　"It is one Dutchman's hope that it will always be so," saidHeemskerk, and then he revolved rapidly away lest they see hisface express emotion.

　　The five received great supplies of powder and bullets fromColonel Butler, and then they parted in the forest. Many of thesoldiers looked back and saw the five tall figures in a line,leaning upon the muzzles of their long-barreled Kentucky rifles,and regarding them in silence. It seemed to the soldiers thatthey had left behind them the true sons of the wilderness, who,in spite of all dangers, would be there to welcome them when theyreturned.