"We found some nice Frenchmen an' Spaniards down thar, but the ground feels firmer under my feet here.""The ground feels firmer," said Paul, who had some of the prescience of the seer, "but the skies are no brighter.They look red to me sometimes, Jim."Tom Ross glanced at Paul and shook his head ominously.Awoodsman, he had his superstitions, and Paul's words weighed upon his mind.He began to fear a great disaster, and his experienced eye perceived at once the defenseless state of the valley.He remembered the council of the great Indian force in the deep woods, and the terrible face of Queen Esther was again before him.
"These people ought to be in blockhouses, every one uv 'em," he said."It ain't no time to be plowin' land."Yet peace seemed to brood still over the valley.It was a fine river, beautiful with changing colors.The soil on either side was as deep and fertile as that of Kentucky, and the line of the mountains cut the sky sharp and clear.Hills and slopes were dark green with foliage.
It must have been a gran' huntin' ground once," said Shif'less Sol.
The alarm that the five gave spread fast, and other hunters and scouts came in, confirming it.Panic seized the settlers, and they began to crowd toward Forty Fort on the west side of the river.Henry and his comrades themselves arrived there toward the close of evening, just as the sun had set, blood red, behind the mountains.Some report of them had preceded their coming, and as soon as they had eaten they were summoned to the presence of Colonel Zebulon Butler, who commanded the military force in the valley.Singularly enough, he was a cousin of "Indian"Butler, who led the invading army.
The five, dressed in deerskin hunting shirts, leggins, and moccasins, and everyone carrying a rifle, hatchet, and knife, entered a large low room, dimly lighted by some wicks burning in tallow.A man of middle years, with a keen New England face, sat at a little table, and several others of varying ages stood near.
The five knew instinctively that the man at the table was Colonel Butler, and they bowed, but they did not show the faintest trace of subservience.They had caught suspicious glances from some of the officers who stood about the commander, and they stiffened at once.Colonel Butler looked involuntarily at Henry-everybody always took him, without the telling, for leader of the group.
"We have had report of you," he said in cool noncommittal tones,"and you have been telling of great Indian councils that you have seen in the woods.May I ask your name and where you belong?""My name," replied Henry with dignity, "is Henry Ware, and I come from Kentucky.My friends here are Paul Cotter, Solomon Hyde, Tom Ross, and Jim Hart.They, too, come from Kentucky."Several of the men gave the five suspicious glances.Certainly they were wild enough in appearance, and Kentucky was far away.
It would seem strange that new settlers in that far land should be here in Pennsylvania.Henry saw clearly that his story was doubted.
"Kentucky, you tell me?" said Colonel Butler."Do you mean to say you have come all that tremendous distance to warn us of an attack by Indians and Tories?"Several of the others murmured approval, and Henry flushed a little, but he saw that the commander was not unreasonable.It was a time when men might well question the words of strangers.
Remembering this, he replied:
"No, we did not come from Kentucky just to warn you.In fact, we came from a point much farther than that.We came from New Orleans to Pittsburgh with a fleet loaded with supplies for the Continental armies, and commanded by Adam Colfax of New Hampshire."The face of Colonel Butler brightened.
"What!" he exclaimed, "you were on that expedition? It seems to me that I recall hearing of great services rendered to it by some independent scouts.""When we reached Pittsburgh," continued Henry, ""it was our first intention to go back to Kentucky, but we heard that a great war movement was in progress to the eastward, and we thought that we would see what was going on.Four of us have been captives among the Iroquois.We know much of their plans, and we know, too, that Timmendiquas, the great chief of the Wyandots, whom we fought along the Ohio, has joined them with a hand of his best warriors.We have also seen Thayendanegea, every one of us.""You have seen Brant?" exclaimed Colonel Butler, calling the great Mohawk by his white name.
"Yes," replied Henry."We have seen him, and we have also seen the woman they call Queen Esther.She is continually urging the Indians on."Colonel Butler seemed convinced, and invited them to sit down.
He also introduced the officers who were with him, Colonel John Durkee, Colonel Nathan Dennison, Lieutenant Colonel George Dorrance, Major John Garrett, Captain Samuel Ransom, Captain Dethrie Hewitt, and some others.
"Now, gentlemen, tell us all that you saw," continued Colonel Butler courteously." You will pardon so many questions, but we must be careful.You will see that yourselves.But I am a New England man myself, from Connecticut, and I have met Adam Colfax.
I recall now that we have heard of you, also, and we are grateful for your coming.Will you and your comrades tell us all that you have seen and heard?"The five felt a decided change in the atmosphere.They were no longer possible Tories or renegades, bringing an alarm at one point when it should be dreaded at another.The men drew closely around them, and listened as the tallow wicks sputtered in the dim room.Henry spoke first, and the others in their turn.
Every one of them spoke tersely but vividly in the language of the forest.They felt deeply what they had seen, and they drew the same picture for their listeners.Gradually the faces of the Wyoming men became shadowed.This was a formidable tale that they were hearing, and they could not doubt its truth.
"It is worse than I thought it could be," said Colonel Butler at last." How many men do you say they have, Mr.Ware?""Close to fifteen hundred."
