HAWK OF THE WILDERNESS

Franklin Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 20, 21 February 1940, Page 2

HAWK OF THE WILDERNESS

(By WILLIAM L. CHESTER)

INSTALMENT '.). Before his lodge-lire in Hie village oT Hopeka, Makuyi (lie Wolf sat crosslegged upon a mat, writing in 1 lie old logbook of (he Cherokee. Upon the exhaustion of Hand's writing materials, his own ingenuity had furnished him with mi eagle-quill pen. and ink made from the diluted juices of wild berries. lie wrote now of mailers pertinent 1n Sawamic's Indian kingdom, and of even Is which filled his mind at the moment. ,- Mokuyi’s own rapid rise in Ihe councils of the Siioni had not blindmi him to the knowledge I fiat a powerful bill concealed element had continually opposed his growing influence in tribal affairs. He had long sensed Yellow Weasel's hostility: but unaware of the witch-doctor's leadership of the secret Long-Knife Society, he did not realise Ihe sulble savage’s real

strength, and accordingly did not atIribute Ibis opposition lo him. For twelve years' Mokuyi had sough Ihe opportunity lo avenge the deaths of his while friends, yet. never had he learned for certain who led I hat fatal raid of years ago. nor whose hand had struck the cruel blow which robbed his adopted son of his while mother. Thus, though "he believed Yellow Weasel was capable of treachery and hatred toward himself, and strongly suspected Ihe shaman of complicity in those old crimes, he never dreamed 1 hat Ihe Indian contemplated treason p, his chief Sawamie.

nne night, however, Mokuyi accidentally surprised a clandestine meeting of several members of the LongKnife Society. His unexpected presence immediately reduced them lo an embarrassed, guilty silence, but; not before he had overheard, .just enough in send a hundred alarming Ihnnghls l!.rough his head, and lo assure him of their enmity Inward the present Indian government. The ineompleleness of his information restrained him from denouncing the idid tors lo Sawamie al once; and since lie bVdieved Hie traitors lo be unaware that, be bad fathomed their intentions, he determined lo obtain further evidence lie fore revealing what he already knew. Ibinkiiig thus Ibe more completely to wreck their

; designs. j These even Is Iranspired al about flic i lime, when Snow Hawk was hurrying Immc to acquaint Mokuyi with bis discoveries. Thai civilisation of which bis Indian father so often bad now i changed in bis mind from a hazy and nebulous conception into ;i vital sharp "picture. suggestive of a thousand ■ questions be was eager to put to Mokuyi. i He came at lasi to the village. | scaled the tall wall and entered, slipping quietly from ihe shadow of one ; Paige lo anoilier. careful lo wake no j one. mar lo disturb Hie sentries who ; guarded Ihe village by night, i Soflly lie at lamed bis own lodge, i moved a serrel seel ion of bark and i slid lit unannounced, as lie always did. Ali was quiet insole. The figure of Mokuyi lay next lo the dying lire’s embers upon a sleeping-mat. The form of Awena. as usual, reclined upon the bunk al one side of Ihe lodge. Kioga wailed, listening, to del ermine whether bis return had been beard by onyone. As be stood keenly alerl. lie delected an ominous .strangeness which baffled him momentarily. With sickening suddenness lie knew wbal was wrong —be missed Ihe steady regular breathing of I lie two sleepers. Darting Lo Mokuyi’s side, he bent jver him. dared lo touch that quiet I land—and found il cold. tie stirred J I'm lire's embers lo gel light by which n see Mokuyi's face. The Indian's ■yes were hall' open, lull vacanl and lull. The lips were parted, hut no! ii a smile.

bil'e was ,1:0110. .Mokiiyi—good ■ flier. loyal friend, 100 long Ilia |n*;iri* of Ilia Long-Knives' deadly scored

—was dead. Willi sliffoning lips and crooning Hosli I In: boy (led lo Awcna's side, wo I'll.v nailing her name in broken ‘"nes. There was no response. Willi I rem Id in,u' fingers he removed the sol'!, I I ell which covered Ihe quiet figure, looked once upon Ihe ghastly lorl.ured lealures of hoc lie had loved, and Mien recoiled in horror. The handle of a knife prolruded from (lie slid breast—and Iha I. knife was li is own! Afraid, lerrilied. pale and quivering, he crouched I hero alone in Ihe presence of violent dealli. which so cruelly incrimina led him. Twice he slrelehed forl.li his hand In remove the killing Hint, then revolted from Ihe grisly (ask. Then will: his eyes drawn hark in terrible fascinalion lo the I'ealures of Mokuyi, he started , away.

lie paused aimllier second lo listen, wilh lowered head. Then suddenly, I his dark Ilialrh snapped sharply erect. ' I' i'<* 111 Ihe donr-llap under Ids hand ( came Ihe fainlesl of seenls. which I

only a nose like his could have delected, unpleasantly reminiscent of one lie knew and haled: Yellow Weasel Ihe wileh-doidor. his morlal enemy, had come in Ihe dead of niglil. and on sold feel had departed. I hawk had slu’d no I ear as yel. Willi infinile hmderness he gathered up inlo his si rung young arms all llial was morlal of Awena and bore her out into 1 Die silliness of Die forest. He turn- j ing, he did as much for Dial other j body, possessed in this extremity of

almost superhuman nervous strength. When an hour later lie returned to Hopeka, il was to seek out and slay Ihe worker of this terrible crime. Creeping lo Yellow Weasel's handsome lodge, and hiding in its shadow, lie drew the long knife be bad found aboard the ship, consumed by the Just lo avenge, but rendered cautious by Hie presence of Iwo guards near Ihe entrance to Ihe big lodge. Of a sudden be paused alertly. From within came Ihe sound of low voices. As lie had oflen done before, lie swung lightly lo the apex of Ihe structure from a convenient tree-limb and peered in. The interior was crowded with Indian members of Ihe Long-Knife Society whom Yellow Weasel was addressing in an almost inaudible voice. “Twelve snows ago we. the LongKnives. des!roved Ihe accursed while medicine-man. Willi Ibis band I slew bis long-haired woman in Hie long

ago. Bulb were workers of great evil magic. Today il came lime again lo kill. You. my brothers, passed sentence upon Iwo among our own race who knew our plans. Again my hand executed sentence. Both have died, and Ihe child which broughl Ihe evil-eye lo our midst will he stoned for their deaths. i have so contrived il.

"As wild Mokuyi and his woman, so with all olhers who oppose us!" Yellow Weasel glared aboul him. his laltcoed features a grimace of hatred upon which Ihe scars of self-lorlure showed livid and terrible.

A low idioms of approving grunls rose lo the listening ears above. Willi a memory (rained lo Ihe observation of detail. Ihe young Snow llawk catalogued every face in his mind, as again lie listened to Yellow Weasel. "So —tomorrow.” hissed Ihe medi-cine-maii. "in Ihe confusion that follows Hie finding of the bodies. Ihe boy will he limited llirough forest. While men are on his trail, Sawamie will he alone in his lodge. Then —"

Slimulaled fo something like a frenzy by Ihe consciousness of his own power. Yellow Weasel turned his gaze upward as if lo invoke the power of ihe Idles. As luck would have it, In 1 looked slraighl llirough Ihe smokehole down which Hawk’s eyes could dimly he seen peering, and into Ihe shadowy face of his worsl and young-

csi enemy. For one instant the witch-doctor stood petrified, bis mouth dropping open, bis eyes sharing. Slowly all eyes followed his own. and saw what hr saw—lwo llaming spots of green in a face as dark as any of their own. Then the spots winked out. there was .1 i'aiul ruslle and finally silence. When an inslanl later Ihe plotters darted out lo seize Ihe listener, the Siuiw Hawk had vanished into thin air. -Hi Hie taler gloom of Ibis Iragie id,-hi a lull pillar of lire rose in I o the sky from -a mountain-side across the valley. When il died down, a dark ligure approached Ihe funeral pyre and siirred Ihe ashes of Ihe dead with Ihe sharp puiiiIs of bis various weapons- Thus Hawk ronseeraled them lo a revenge adequate lo Ibe four-fold grievance which lie now held againsl el low Weasel and the Long-Knife Society. Then lie cut his long hair in token of mourning, and sobbing brokenly, melted into Ihe wilderness. 11 Ihe powers of the wilderness al-

lowed I lie bereaved Kioga lo pass in solely, oilier malignant, forces conspired lo encompass his destruction. Con founded and awed Ity (lie disappearance of the grim evidence of murder which he had hoped lo use as prima-facie evidence by which lo convict Kioga of his own crime, Yellow "Weasel, though disconcerted momentarily. quickly recovered his wils. Coincident lo (he hoy’s recent absence I here had occurred a series of paralysing raids by Ihe plains Indians upon several Shorn villages to I tie north, ijuick to see in Ibis situation an opportunity of involving Kioga, the witch-doctor made the most of il in an address lo (lie council.

Knowing Snow Hawk's superlative j skill in wooderafl. and foreseeing in him a mighly warrior af no dislanl dale, wiser heads among ihe warI chiefs had demurred a! pronouncing his doalh-scnlencc. Hid Yellow Weasel's fanajie eloquence in arguing the case againsl Ihe ahsenl hoy fanned Ihe smouldering emljei's of suspicion inlo a Maine of superslilious certainty. As.a result, twenty armed warriors, nil of them selected by the crafty Yellow Weasel from among Ids own henchmen, set mil on Ihe Irail which Kioga had made no effort to conceal. Ai I heir head slunk the wilch-doofor himself, laden witli the hideous charms and I'elirhes of his pagan mummery. Nol contenl wilh having betrayed ids enemy lo his dealli, like a jackal he j must also he in at the kill. II was nol long' before llioy came upon Ihe Snow Hawk, walking slowly and wilh heavy bear!. Wilh a signal In his followers. Yellow Weasel moved upon him as I.hey gradually (dosed in upon Ihe boy from all sides.' To he Continued) ;