Crusoe acts a conspicuous and humane part--A friendgained--A great feast. When the foot-race was concluded the threehunters hung about looking on at the variousgames for some time, and then strolled towards the lake.
"Ye may be thankful yer neck's whole," said Joe,grinning, as Henri rubbed his shoulder with a ruefullook. "An' we'll have to send that Injun and his familya knife and some beads to make up for the fright theygot.""Ha! an' fat is to be give to me for my brokeshoulder?""Credit, man, credit," said Dick Varley, laughing.
"Credit! fat is dat?""Honour and glory, lad, and the praises of themsavages.""Ha! de praise? more probeebale de ill-vill of derascale. I seed dem scowl at me not ver' pritty.""That's true, Henri; but sich as it is it's all ye'll git.""I vish," remarked Henri after a pause--"I vish Icould git de vampum belt de leetle chief had on. Itvas superb. Fat place do vampums come from?""They're shells--""Oui," interrupted Henri; "I know fat dey is. Deyis shells, and de Injuns tink dem goot monish, mais Iask you fat place de come from.""They are thought to be gathered on the shores o'
the Pacific," said Joe. "The Injuns on the west o' theRocky Mountains picks them up and exchanges themwi' the fellows hereaway for horses and skins--so I'mtold."At this moment there was a wild cry of terror hearda short distance ahead of them. Rushing forward theyobserved an Indian woman flying frantically down theriver's bank towards the waterfall, a hundred yardsabove which an object was seen struggling in the water.
"'Tis her child," cried Joe, as the mother's frantic cryreached his ear. "It'll be over the fall in a minute!
Run, Dick, you're quickest."They had all started forward at speed, but Dick andCrusoe were far ahead, and abreast of the spot in a fewseconds.
"Save it, pup," cried Dick, pointing to the child,which had been caught in an eddy, and was for a fewmoments hovering on the edge of the stream that rushedimpetuously towards the fall.
The noble Newfoundland did not require to be toldwhat to do. It seems a natural instinct in this sagaciousspecies of dog to save man or beast that chancesto be struggling in the water, and many are the authenticstories related of Newfoundland dogs saving life in casesof shipwreck. Indeed, they are regularly trained to thework in some countries; and nobly, fearlessly, disinterestedlydo they discharge their trust, often in the midstof appalling dangers. Crusoe sprang from the bankwith such impetus that his broad chest ploughed up thewater like the bow of a boat, and the energetic workingsof his muscles were indicated by the force of eachsuccessive propulsion as he shot ahead.
In a few seconds he reached the child and caught itby the hair. Then he turned to swim back, but thestream had got hold of him. Bravely he struggled, andlifted the child breast-high out of the water in hispowerful efforts to stem the current. In vain. Eachmoment he was carried inch by inch down until he wason the brink of the fall, which, though not high, was alarge body of water and fell with a heavy roar. Heraised himself high out of the stream with the vigour ofhis last struggle, and then fell back into the abyss.
By this time the poor mother was in a canoe as closeto the fall as she could with safety approach, and thelittle bark danced like a cockle-shell on the turmoil ofwaters as she stood with uplifted paddle and staringeyeballs awaiting the rising of the child.
Crusoe came up almost instantly, but alone, for thedash over the fall had wrenched the child from his teeth.
He raised himself high up, and looked anxiously roundfor a moment. Then he caught sight of a little handraised above the boiling flood. In one moment he hadthe child again by the hair, and just as the prow of theIndian woman's canoe touched the shore he brought thechild to land.
Springing towards him, the mother snatched her childfrom the flood, and gazed at its death-like face with eyeballsstarting from their sockets. Then she laid hercheek on its cold breast, and stood like a statue of despair.
There was one slight pulsation of the heart anda gentle motion of the hand! The child still lived.
Opening up her blanket she laid her little one againsther naked, warm bosom, drew the covering close aroundit, and sitting down on the bank wept aloud for joy.
"Come--come 'way quick," cried Henri, hurrying offto hide the emotion which he could not crush down.
"Ay, she don't need our help now," said Joe, followinghis comrade.
As for Crusoe, he walked along by his master's sidewith his usual quiet, serene look of good-will towards allmankind. Doubtless a feeling of gladness at havingsaved a human life filled his shaggy breast, for he waggedhis tail gently after each shake of his dripping sides;but his meek eyes were downcast, save when raised toreceive the welcome and unusually fervent caress. Crusoedid not know that those three men loved him asthough he had been a brother.
On their way back to the village the hunters weremet by a little boy, who said that a council was to beheld immediately, and their presence was requested.
The council was held in the tent of the principalchief, towards which all the other chiefs and many ofthe noted braves hurried. Like all Indian councils, itwas preceded by smoking the "medicine pipe," and wasfollowed by speeches from several of the best orators.
The substance of the discourse differed little from whathas been already related in reference to the treaty betweenthe Pale-faces, and upon the whole it was satisfactory.
But Joe Blunt could not fail to notice thatMahtawa maintained sullen silence during the wholecourse of the meeting.
He observed also that there was a considerable changein the tone of the meeting when he informed them thathe was bound on a similar errand of peace to several ofthe other tribes, especially to one or two tribes whichwere the Pawnees' bitter enemies at that time. Thesegrasping savages having quite made up their minds thatthey were to obtain the entire contents of the two balesof goods, were much mortified on hearing that part wasto go to other Indian tribes. Some of them even hintedthat this would not be allowed, and Joe feared at onetime that things were going to take an unfavourableturn. The hair of his scalp, as he afterwards said,"began to lift a little and feel oneasy." But San-it-sa-rishstood honestly to his word, said that it would bewell that the Pale-faces and the Pawnees should bebrothers, and hoped that they would not forget thepromise of annual presents from the hand of the greatchief who lived in the big village near the rising sun.
Having settled this matter amicably, Joe distributedamong the Indians the proportion of his goods designedfor them; and then they all adjourned to another tent,where a great feast was prepared for them.
"Are ye hungry?" inquired Joe of Dick as theywalked along.
"Ay, that am I. I feel as if I could eat a buffaloalive. Why, it's my 'pinion we've tasted nothin' sincedaybreak-this mornin'.""Well, I've often told ye that them Redskins thinkit a disgrace to give in eatin' till all that's set beforethem at a feast is bolted. We'll ha' to stretch oursel's,we will.""I'se got a plenty room," remarked Henri.
"Ye have, but ye'll wish ye had more in a little.""Bien, I not care!"In quarter of an hour all the guests invited to thisgreat "medicine feast" were assembled. No women wereadmitted. They never are at Indian feasts.
We may remark in passing that the word "medicine,"as used among the North American Indians, has a verymuch wider signification than it has with us. It is analmost inexplicable word. When asked, they cannotgive a full or satisfactory explanation of it themselves.
In the general, we may say that whatever is mysteriousis "medicine." Jugglery and conjuring, of a noisy,mysterious, and, we must add, rather silly nature, is"medicine," and the juggler is a "medicine man." Thesemedicine men undertake cures; but they are regularcharlatans, and know nothing whatever of the diseasesthey pretend to cure or their remedies. They carrybags containing sundry relics; these are &quo............