Silver Lake | Page 9

pathless wilderness to search for
the lost ones on that luckless New Year's Day.
CHAPTER FIVE.
CARRIED OFF.
While Robin Gore and his companions were anxiously searching the
woods around Fort Enterprise for the lost children, a war-party of
savages was making its way swiftly towards the Fort.
A chief of the Indians, named Hawk, who was a shrewd as well as a
bad man, had suspected Wapaw's intentions in quitting the camp of his
people alone and in such unnecessary haste. This man had great
influence over his fellows, and easily prevailed on them to set off on
their murderous expedition against the Fort of the "pale-faces" without
delay.
Being well supplied with food, they travelled faster than their starving
comrade, and almost overtook him. They finally encamped within a

short distance of the Fort the day after Wapaw's arrival, and prepared to
assault it early next morning.
"If the wicked skunk has got there before us," said Hawk to his fellows,
as they prepared to set out before daybreak, "the pale-faces will be
ready for us, and we may as well go back to our wigwams at once; but
if that badger's whelp has been slow of foot, we shall hang the scalps of
the pale-faces at our belts, and eat their food this day."
The polite titles above used by Hawk were meant to refer to Wapaw.
Indians are not naturally loquacious. No reply was made to Hawk's
remark, except that one man with a blackened face, and a streak of red
ochre down the bridge of his nose, said, "Ho!" and another with an
equally black face, and three red streaks on each of his cheeks, said,
"Hum!" as the war-party put on their snowshoes and prepared to start.
They had not gone far when Hawk came to a sudden pause, and stood
transfixed and motionless like a dark statue. His comrades also stopped
abruptly and crouched. No question was asked, but Hawk pointed to a
spark of fire, which every Indian in the band had observed the instant
their leader had paused. Silently they crept forward, with guns cocked
and arrows fitted to the bowstrings, until they all stood round an
encampment where the fire was still smouldering, and in the centre of
which lay a little boy and girl, fast asleep and shuddering with cold.
Poor Roy and Nelly had told each other stories until their eyes would
not remain open; then they fell asleep, despite their efforts to keep
awake, and, as the fire sank low, they began to shiver with the cold.
Lucky was it for them that the Indians discovered them, else they had
certainly been frozen to death that night.
Hawk roused them with little ceremony. Roy, by an impulse which
would appear to be natural to those who dwell in wild countries,
whether young or old, seized his axe, which lay beside him, as he
leaped up. Hawk grinned, and took the axe from him at once, and the
poor boy, seeing that he was surrounded by dark warriors, offered no
resistance, but sought to comfort Nelly, who was clinging to him and

trembling with terror.
Immediately the savages sat down in the encampment, and began an
earnest discussion, which the children watched with great eagerness.
They evidently did not agree, for much gesticulation and great
vehemence characterised their debate. Some pointed towards the Fort,
and touched their tomahawks, while others pointed to the woods in the
direction whence they had come, and shook their heads. Not a few
drew their scalping knives partially from their sheaths, and, pointing to
the children, showed clearly that they wished to cut their career short
without delay, but several of the more sedate members of the party
evidently objected to this. Finally, Hawk turned to Roy, and said
something to him in the Indian tongue.
Roy did not understand, and attempted to say so as well as he could by
signs, and the use of the few words of the Cree language which his
father had taught him. In the course of his speech (if we may use that
term), he chanced to mention Wapaw's name.
"Ho! ho! ho!" said one and another of the Indians, while Hawk grinned
horribly.
A variety of questions were now put to poor Roy, who, not
understanding, of course could not answer them. Hawk, however,
repeated Wapaw's name, and pointed towards the Fort with a look of
inquiry, to which Roy replied by nodding his head and repeating
"Wapaw" once or twice, also pointing to the Fort; for he began to
suspect these must be Wapaw's comrades, who had come to search for
him. He therefore volunteered a little additional information by means
of signs; rubbed his stomach, looked dreadfully rueful, rolled himself
as if in agony on