Betty Zane | Page 6

Indian bows and
arrows, pipes and tomahawks hung upon them; the wide spreading
antlers of a noble buck adorned the space above the mantel piece;
buffalo robes covered the couches; bearskin rugs lay scattered about on
the hardwood floor. The wall on the western side had been built over a
huge stone, into which had been cut an open fireplace.
This blackened recess, which had seen two houses burned over it, when
full of blazing logs had cheered many noted men with its warmth. Lord
Dunmore, General Clark, Simon Kenton, and Daniel Boone had sat
beside that fire. There Cornplanter, the Seneca chief, had made his
famous deal with Colonel Zane, trading the island in the river opposite
the settlement for a barrel of whiskey. Logan, the Mingo chief and
friend of the whites, had smoked many pipes of peace there with
Colonel Zane. At a later period, when King Louis Phillippe, who had
been exiled from France by Napoleon, had come to America, during the
course of his melancholy wanderings he had stopped at Fort Henry a
few days. His stay there was marked by a fierce blizzard and the royal

guest passed most of his time at Colonel Zane's fireside. Musing by
those roaring logs perhaps he saw the radiant star of the Man of Destiny
rise to its magnificent zenith.
One cold, raw night in early spring the Colonel had just returned from
one of his hunting trips and the tramping of horses mingled with the
rough voices of the negro slaves sounded without. When Colonel Zane
entered the house he was greeted affectionately by his wife and sister.
The latter, at the death of her aunt in Philadelphia, had come west to
live with her brother, and had been there since late in the preceding
autumn. It was a welcome sight for the eyes of a tired and weary hunter.
The tender kiss of his comely wife, the cries of the delighted children,
and the crackling of the fire warmed his heart and made him feel how
good it was to be home again after a three days' march in the woods.
Placing his rifle in a corner and throwing aside his wet hunting coat, he
turned and stood with his back to the bright blaze. Still young and
vigorous, Colonel Zane was a handsome man. Tall, though not heavy,
his frame denoted great strength and endurance. His face was smooth,
his heavy eyebrows met in a straight line; his eyes were dark and now
beamed with a kindly light; his jaw was square and massive; his mouth
resolute; in fact, his whole face was strikingly expressive of courage
and geniality. A great wolf dog had followed him in and, tired from
travel, had stretched himself out before the fireplace, laying his noble
head on the paws he had extended toward the warm blaze.
"Well! Well! I am nearly starved and mighty glad to get back," said the
Colonel, with a smile of satisfaction at the steaming dishes a negro
servant was bringing from the kitchen.
"We are glad you have returned," answered his wife, whose glowing
face testified to the pleasure she felt. "Supper is ready--Annie, bring in
some cream--yes, indeed, I am happy that you are home. I never have a
moment's peace when you are away, especially when you are
accompanied by Lewis Wetzel."
"Our hunt was a failure," said the Colonel, after he had helped himself
to a plate full of roast wild turkey. "The bears have just come out of
their winter's sleep and are unusually wary at this time. We saw many

signs of their work, tearing rotten logs to pieces in search of grubs and
bees' nests. Wetzel killed a deer and we baited a likely place where we
had discovered many bear tracks. We stayed up all night in a drizzling
rain, hoping to get a shot. I am tired out. So is Tige. Wetzel did not
mind the weather or the ill luck, and when we ran across some Indian
sign he went off on one of his lonely tramps, leaving me to come home
alone."
"He is such a reckless man," remarked Mrs. Zane.
"Wetzel is reckless, or rather, daring. His incomparable nerve carries
him safely through many dangers, where an ordinary man would have
no show whatever. Well, Betty, how are you?"
"Quite well," said the slender, dark-eyed girl who had just taken the
seat opposite the Colonel.
"Bessie, has my sister indulged in any shocking escapade in my
absence? I think that last trick of hers, when she gave a bucket of hard
cider to that poor tame bear, should last her a spell."
"No, for a wonder Elizabeth has been very good. However, I do not
attribute it to any unusual change of temperament; simply