Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Lincoln County leader. (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 25, 1903)
l Oat oi? the Pampas By Q. A. CHAPTER XV. Ethel, when carried into captivity, had cried at first until she could cry no more, and had now nerved herself for the worst. She had heard that the Indians have neither mercy nor pity for anyone who may exhibit fear of death; she knew that no entreaties or tears would-move them in the slightest, but that courage aud firmness would at any rate command their respect and admiration. She had therefore schooled herself to show no emotion. Nevertheless, as, after four days, the troop drew up in front of the council hut and alighted, the women pressed round to heap abuse upon the prisoner; but one of the Indians stepped up to her and waved them back, and, saying "She is the child of a great chief," took her by the arm and handed her over to the care of the wife of one of the principal chiefs. The selection was a good one, for the woman, who was young, was known la the tribe as the Fawn, for her gentle disposition. She at once led the captive away to her lodge, where she bade her tit down, offered her food and spoke kind ly to her in her low, soft, Indian tongue. Ethel could not understand her, but the kindly tones moved her more thanjthe threats of the crowd outside had done, ami she broke down in a torrent of t?ars. The next morning an incident occurred which, although she knew It not at the time, entirely altered her destination and prospects. She was sitting upon the ground, when a man, who by his bearing appeared to be the principul chief present, passed in earnest talk with another chief. In the latter she recognized at once one of the wounded Indian prisoners who had re mained at her father's home far a full week. "Tawaina," she said, leaping to her feet. lie paid no attention to her call, and she repeated it in a louder tone. The principal chief stopped; Tawaina lid the same. Then he walked slowly toward the captive. "Save me, Tawaina," she said, "and send me back again home." Tawaina shook his head. "Not can," he said. "Tawaina friend. Help some time not now." And he turn ed away again. "Does Tawaina know the White BirdY" the chief asked him, "that she sings his name?" Tawaina paused and said: "Tawaina knows her. Her father is the great white brave." The Indian chief gave a bound of as tonishment and pleasure. "The white brave with the shooting flames?" Tawaina nodded. His meeting with Ethel had been apparently accidental, but was in reality Intentional. Her actual captor was one of the chiefs, although not the principal one, of the Pampas In diaus; nnd in the division of the spoil, preparations for which were going on, there was no doubt that she would be as signed to that tribe. He therefore went ilireet to the chief of the Pampas In dians and asked that the white girl might fall to his tribe. The chief hesitated. "She is our captive," he suid. "The people will like to see her." The delight of the Iudians, when they found that they hud the daughter of their twice victorious enemy in their hands, was unbounded. Vengeance is to the In dians eveu more precious than plunder. The news Hew from mouth to mouth, and triumphant whoops resounded through out the camp; and Ethel inside her tent felt her blood ruu cold at the savage ex ultation which they conveyed. She was greatly troubled by the fire, for she saw that it must efface all sinus of the trail, and render the task of her frieuils long and dilllcult, and she felt greatly depressed at what she looked up on as a certain postponement of her res cue. She lay thinking over all this for a long time, until the camp had subsided into perfect quiet. Then the skins were slightly lifted near her head, aud she hoard a voice whisper: "Me, Tawaina friend. Great chief come to look for girl. Two trails eyes blinded. Tawaina make sign point way. (live piect dress, that great chief may believe." Ethel nt once understood. She cau tiously tore off a narrow strip from the lmi torn of her dress, nnd put it uudor the skin to the speaker. "(loiul," he said. "Tawaina friend. Ethel hope." (Iroutly relieved by knowing that n clew would lie now given to her friends, ami overpowered by fatigue, Ethel was Very shortly fust nsleep. The next ninruiug she was awake early, ami li:nl It imt lieeu fur the terrible situation in which she was placed she would have been amused by the busy stir In the village, and by the little copper colored urchins at piny, or going out with the women to collect wood or fetch wat er. There was nothing to prevent Ethel from going out among them, but ihe looks of scowling hatred which they cast at her made her draw back again into the hut, after a long, anxious look around. It was relief at least to have halted, great as her danger undoubtedly was. She felt certain now that hour by hour her father must 1h approaching. He might even now be within a few miles. Had It not, been for the fire, she was rertaiti that he would already have been up, but she could not tell how long he might have been before he recovered tbo trail. Toward the middle of the day two or three Indiana might have been seen folnf HENTY ij through the village, summoning those whose position and rank entitled them to a place at the council. Soon they were seen approaching and taking their seats gravely on the ground in front of the hut of the principal chief. The women, the youths and such men as had not as yet by their feats in battle distinguished themselves sufficient ly to be summoned to the council, assem bled at a short distance off. The coun cil sat in the form of a circle, the inner ring being formed of the elder and lead ing men of the tribe, while the warriors sat round them. Struck by the hush which had suddenly succeeded to the noise of the village, Ethel again went to the door. She was greatly struck by the scene, and was look ing wonderingly at it, when she felt a touch on her shoulder, and on looking round saw the Fawn gazed pityingly at her, and at the same time signing to her to come in. The truth at once flashed across Ethel's mind. The council had met to decide her fate, and she did not doubt for a moment what that decision would be. She felt that all hope was over, and retiring into the hut -passed the time in prayer and In preparation for the fearful erdeal which was at hand. After the council had met there was a pause of expectation, and the Stag then rose. "My brothers, my heart is very glad. The Great Spirit has ceased to frown up on his children. Twice we went out, and twice returned empty handed, while many of our lodges were empty. The guns which shoot without loading were too strong for us, and we returned sorrowful. Last year we did not go out; the hearts of our braves were heavy. This year we said perhaps the Great Spirit will no longer be angry with his children, and we went out. This time we have not re turned empty handed. The lowing of cattle Is in my ear, and I see many sheep. The white men have felt the strength of our amis; and of the young men who went out with me there is not one miss ing. Best of all, we have brought back a captive, the daughter of the white chief of the flying guns which load themselves. I-et me hand her over to our women; they will know how to make her cry; and we will send her head to the white chief, to show that his guns cannot reach to the Indian country. Have I spoken well?" . A murmur of assent followed the chief's speech; and supposing that no more would be said upon the matter, the Stag was about to declare the council closed, when an Indian sitting in the in ner circle rose. "My brothers, I will tell you a story. The birds once went out to attack the nest of an eagle, but the eagle was too strong for them; and when all had gone he went out from his nest with his chil dren, the young eagles, and he found the raven nnd two other birds hurt and un able to fly, nnd instead of killing them, ns they might have done, the eagles took them up to their nest nnd nursed them nnd tended them until they were able to fly, and then sent them home to their other birds. So was it with Tawaina nnd his two friends." And the speaker Indi cated with his arm two Indians sitting at the outer edge of the circle. "Tawaina fell at the fence where so many of us fell, aud in the morning the white men took him and gave him water aud placed him in shelter and bandaged his wound; and the little White Bird and her sister brought him food and cool drinks every day nnd looked pitifully nt him. But Tawaina said to himself: The white men are only curing Tawaina that when the time comes they may see how an Indian can die. But when he was well they brought horses nud put a bow and arrows Into our hands and bade lis go free. It is only in the battle that the great white chief is terrible. He has a great heart. The enemies ho killed he did not triumph over. He laid them in a great grave, lie honored them, and planted trees with drooping leaves at their head and at their feet, and put a fence round that the foxes might not touch their bones. Shall the Indian be less generous than he white man? Even those taken In battle they spared and sent home. Shnll we kill the White Bird captured in her nest? My brothers will not do so. Thev will (.end back the White Bird to the' great white chief. Have I spoken well?" This time a confused murmur ran round the circle. Some of the younger men were struck with this appeal to their gener osity, and were in favor of Tawaina's proposition; the elder and more ferocious Indians were altogether opposed to it. Speaker siiccceilcd speaker, some urg ing one side of the question, some the other. At last the Stag again rose. "My broth ers." he said, "my (ars have heard strange words and my spirit is troubled. Tawaina has told ns of the ways of the whites after a battle; but the' Indians' ways are not as the white' ways, and the Stag is too old to learn ii.-w f:'ilit,,ii- lie looks round, he sees many lodges euip. ty. he sees many women who have no husbands to hunt game, he h.'ars the voices of children who cry for meat. He remembers his brothers who fell before the Hying lire and the guns which loaded themselves, nnd his eyes are full of blood. The great white chief has made manv wigwams desolate; let there be mourning 111 the house of the while chief. Have I spoken well?" The acclamations which followed this speech were so loud and general that the party of Tawaina was silenced and the council at once broke up. A cry of exul tation broke from the women when they heard the decision. An hour later Ethel knew that she was condemned to die. CHAPTER XVI. In spite of their utmost efforts Mr. Hardy's party had made slower progress than they had anticipated. Many of the horses had broken down under fatigue; and as they had no spare horses to re place theiq. as the Indians had in like case done from those they hud driven off from Mr. Mercer, they were forced to travel far more slowly than at first. They gained upon the Indians, however, as they could tell by the position of the camping ground for the night. At 3 o'clock on the afternoon of the last day they passed the place their ene my had left that morning; hut although they kept on until long after sunset, many of them having led their horses all day, they were still more than thirty miles away from the mountains among which they knew that the Indian village was situated. None of the gauchos had ever been there, but they knew its situation and general features by report. They had no difficulty in following the trail since they had struck it. Thut was a night of terrible anxiety to all. Many of the party were already exhausted by their long day under a burning sun. It was altogether Impossible to reach the vllnge that night. Before daybreak they were. on again on the march all on foot And leading their horses, in order to spare them as much as possible should they be required at night. Speed was now no object. It was, they knew, hopeless to attack in broad daylight, as the Indians would be more thou a match for them, and Ethel's life would be inevitably sacrificed. They wuiked, therefore, until within six or seven miles of the gorge, nearer than which they dared not go, lest they might be seen by any straggling Indian. As evening fell they were nil in the Rad dle, and were pleased to find that the horses were decidedly fresher for their rest. They did not draw rein until the ground became stony, and they knew that they must be at the mouth of the gorge. Then they dismounted nnd picketed the horses. Two of the gnuchos were sta tioned with them as guards, and the rest went stealthily forward the rockets be ing intrusted to the care of Terence. It was still only 8 o'clock dangerously early for a surprise; but the whole party were quite agreed to risk everything, as no one could say in what position Ethel might be placed, and what difference an hour might make. Their plan was to steal quietly up to the first hut they found, to gag its inmates and compel one of them, under threat of instant death, to guide them to the hut in which Ethel was placed. Suddenly Mr. Hardy was startled by a dark figure rising from a rock ngnlnst which he had almost stumbled, with the words: "White man good. Tawaina friend. Come to take him to child." Then followed a few hurried questions, and no words can express the delight and gratitude of Mr. Hardy and his sons, and the Intense satisfaction of the others on finding that Ethel was alive and for the present free from danger. Her kindness to Tawaina while he lay wounded at her home hnd brought to her aid a friend among enemies. It was agreed now to wait for two hours to give time for the Indinns to re tire to rest; and while they waited Ta waina told them all that had happened up to the arrival at the village, passing over the lost day's proceedings by saying briefly that Ethel had run b great risk of being put to death, but that a delay had been obtained by her friends. Hav ing told his story, he said: "Tawaina friend to great white chief. Gave signal with arrow; saved little White Bird to day. But Tawaina Indian not like see Indian killed. White chief promise not kill Indian women and children?" Mr. Hardy assured the Indian thnt they had no thought of killing women and children. "If can take little White Bird without waking village, not kill men?" Tawaina asked again. "We do not want to wake the village if we can help it, Tawaina; but I do not see any chance of escaping without a fight. Our horses nre all dead beat, and the In dians will easily overtake us eveu if we get a night's start." "Mustn't go out on plain," Tawnina said, earnestly. "If go out on plain, nil killed. Indian two hundred and fifty bravese eat up white men on plain." "I am afraid that Is true enough, Ta waina, though we shnll prove very tough morsels. Still we should fight at a fear ful disadvantage in the open. But what are we to do?" "Come back to month of canyon hold thnt; can keep Indians off as long as like. Indians have to make peace." "Capital!" Mr. Hardy said, delighted ly; for he hnd reviewed the position with great apprehension, as lie had not seen how It would be possible to make good their retreat on their tired horses in tbo teeth of the Indians. "The very thing! As you say, we can hold the gorge for n month, if necessary, and sooner or later they will be sick of it and agree to let ns retreat In quiet. Besides, a week's rest would set our horses up again, and then we could make our retreat in spite of them." "One more thing." Tawnina said. "When great chief go. little White Bird safe, Tawaina go nway not light one way. not tight other way. When meet again, white chief not talk about to-night. Not great Indian know Tawaina white chiefs friend." "You can rely upon all, Tawaina. They khall never learn from ns of your share In this affair. And now I think It 1 time for us to be moving forward. It will bo past 10 o'clock before we nre there." (To be continued.) Have you so much leisure from your own business thnt you enn take care of that of other people that docs not belong to you. Tereuct. A ' Bad Stomach Lessens the rseTulnesa and mors the happiness 'A life. It's a weak stomach, a stomach that can not properly perform its functions. Among its symptoms are distress after eating, nausea between meals, heartburn, belching, vomiting, flatu lency and nervous headache. Hood's Sarsaparilla Cures a oad stomach, indigestion and dyspepsia, and the cure is permanent. Accept no substitute. Exchange of Compliments. She And what did father say when you asked him? He He said he didn't want, any fool in the family. She And he really doesn't know you at all I He Except that I want to marry you. Boston Transcript. A Domestic Mystery. Hnhhv fwnlltinff the floor at 2 a. Ta. I'd just like to know why this baby persists in Biaying awaxe every nignir Wifey Really, I can't imagine. I never have anv tronbla in keeninc him awake in the daytime. New York weekly. The Country Editor. A great British statesman has de clared that all reform movements be gin in Lancashire and end in London. It may likewise bb affirmed that the policies of this nation are ' primarily shaped in the comparative seclusion of the rural sanctum, the directors of the metropolitan press being for the most part middlemen in ideas, as city merchants are in commodities. New Orleans Times-Democrat. A Wonderful Actor. Winkc TalK about stage realism! You should see Strident in "Love and Woe." Jinks He can't hold a candle to my friend, Mouther. Why, sir, he played the heavy villain in "Woman's Wrongs" so realistically that hla wife sued for a divorce the next week." N. Y. Weekly. Children's Favorite Dead. Miss Elizabeth W. Martin, whose stories for children were widely known, is dead. She was a cousin of Samuel L. Cemens and Col. Henry Walter- son . Enough to Kill Him. Hobo Charley Soy, loidy, if dat ?awg bites me he dies, see?" Lady I believe you; I don't see how he could recover. Baltimore American. Well Described, is a trust?" asked "What teacher. the "A trust." replied the newspaper man's boy, "is a subject for an edi torial when there is nrthing else to be discussed." Chicago Post. Poor Child. "I hear Jack Kandor was here to see the baby." said Mr. Hoamley. "Yes," his wife replied. "I suppose the first thing he said was: 'He looks just like his father. " "No, the first thing he said was 'Good Heavens!' Then he said that." DISAGREEABLE REFLEGTIOMj The mirror never flatters; it tells troth, no matter how much it may hurt iy. a """""a"DS aa disagreeable beauty, and blackheads, blotches 7 "trAulLomP15x,.0.n- a?d , " ?rc maae l niae these blemishes, and cover over the defects and some never stop to consfder the danger m skia foods, face lotions, soaps, salves are ruined hv SVin iKmsb.. - a T V x u nal treatment is an endVeo t,oi- task. Some simnle wash r i viuuucui, w viku ucucugiai wnen tne skin is much inflamed or itches, but you can't depend upon local remedies for perma nent relief, for the blood is continually throwing off impurities which irritate and clog the glands and pores ol the skin, and as long as the blood re mains unhealthy, just so long will the eruptions last. To effectually and per manently cure skin troubles the blood must be purified and the system thoroughly cleansed and built up, and b. b. S., the well known blood purifier and tonic, is acknowledged superior to all other remedies for this purpose. It is the only guaranteed strictly vegeta ble blood remedy. It never dCT.l. the SVStcm or itnnmVa !.. .i: ? .n1aPss .myxoves and sons r'trh BlBMBaaV "Bfc .tsW- Tf Boft IWcVN - "uvicc. write us about your case THE SWIFT SPCCtftC CO., ATLANTA, C IS im YFAD nt rt it. ... " NOT Br.,, Tn mr vn U1 W I 1.1, In the city of Cleveland llTei r Robinson. He Is 103 yar, J used whisky and tobacco til si ywrs ha, J mlnw on. 1J 9 C luree waturleT "dlsoMo i . uws, h.. Joined th. Druid branch lore me tirai.. 0T,aet font. .. Ue without glail(, and U l . EORQE ROBIKSOlf. and chipper as an English sparrow B . """s a nutnorlit may be inferred from the following "Yes, I am in possession of .n'. faculties except my right lee t I H.n n J ' t State got hurt in Jumping contest Ji! zhloroform those days lust hi.u'! nd hummed a tune while the doctor mweu ner on. vvnen I was 28 I m this very wooden one, so you can tm out for yourself it's seventv-flv 01U. "I remember the war of 1812 wM boy 12 years old. My brother stood on the docks in New Ynri, .. - vi mi, night the Constitution ran ade, and saw the rockets go up. "When Iwas 5 I wanted to live to my seventieth birthday, and so nn .. years at a time until I was 00. Thea 1 went Dy twos until I was 100. N0 I am going by ones. I waut to Uvt Oil my next birthday. After that- well, I don't know." LOWEST RATES To Chicago, Dubuque and tt n-ast ; to JJes Moines, Kansas City and the Southeast, via Chicago Great Wert ern railway. Electric lighted train. Unequalled service. Write to J. P Elmer, G. P. A., Chicago, for inform lion. Antwerp Strongly Fortified. ' Few peoDle are aware nf tha Ann?. mous military strength nf A Since 1860 $15,000,000 has been spent on lortincations. Lost Prestige. "They used to move in the best cir cles." "Yes, but they've moved Into a 1m fashionable aauare." Philadslnhii Buueun. Pipe Cob Corb. Some of the farmers In Lafayettt county. Missouri, are makine a ntw. ialty o growing pipe cob corn. Thsj say it yields them as much'of the grab as any other kind and the cobs brinj mem in revenue besides. Australian Churches. One of the features that attract aunt attention in traveling through the Aus tralian colonies is the number ol churches which are everywhere to be seen. Everv little townnhin or villus has three or four edifices devoted to worship. the1 the and pimples no wonder such' m-acomPIex! . jysons contained in tnese cosmeuo. npf...nni. . i rr If o. 8. I suffered for a number of jr'" with ft severe Kettle-rash. . About twelve years Biro I 121 ina- 8. S 8., and after takinfthwj bottles I fait mvself enred and at Blnoe taken a bottle occsiionw'Ti l - . I j . , A i Vt 1 a. klonff that line. My g-aneral health hJ ben better since. I reoommenj 8. S. B. as a Rood blood medloin w Un. M. I. PITTAS Some two years aa-o I "!' rreat deal, caused on account of blood. Small rash or pimple" brow out over my body and kept gttiM y body by day by day lor-over I. 8. advertleed in th PJJ Beelna- B. 8 pers and having heard alio "A Wa 17 . L-l . nu w n M Li o u M cured several people la this ei'JJ. After usintr the medioine for time, takiDB- la all alz bottles, J" inort m.. 1 uie appetite. Being a blooa pun- tonic combined, the humors and po) are counteracted and the blood nA i .. - time U' nun fJUlC, ttUU Ut VUC Otti"v ... general health and system is rapidly of" up and good health is established, n" tlita a rti- .11 a.v a. f . mmnoUk aatv. U Ci Ull. IB inP K OCT IT I. Ol m t" ' skin and beautiful comnlexion. . book, "The Skin