The Hunters of the Hills eBook

Joseph Alexander Altsheler
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 346 pages of information about The Hunters of the Hills.

The Hunters of the Hills eBook

Joseph Alexander Altsheler
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 346 pages of information about The Hunters of the Hills.

“Ah!” said the Onondaga, as they looked about. "Osquesont!  Behold!”

The blade of an Indian tomahawk, osquesont, was buried deep in the trunk of a tree, and Robert knew that the same deadly weapon had whistled where his head had been but a second before.  He shuddered.  Had it not been for his glimpse of the flitting shadow his head would have been cloven to the chin.  Tayoga, with a mighty wrench, pulled out the tomahawk and examined it.  It was somewhat heavier than the usual weapon of the type and he pronounced it of French make.

“Did it come from Quebec, Tayoga?” asked Willet.

“Perhaps,” replied the young warrior, “but I saw it yesterday.”

“You did!  Where?”

“In the belt of Tandakora, the Ojibway.”

“I thought so,” said Robert.

“And he threw it with all the strength of a mighty arm,” said the Onondaga.  “There is none near us in the forest except Tandakora who could bury it so deep in the tree.  It was all I could do to pull it out again.”

“And seeing his throw miss he slipped away as fast as he could!” said Willet.

“Yes, Great Bear, the Ojibway is cunning.  After hurling the tomahawk he would not stay to risk a shot from Lennox.  He was willing even to abandon a weapon which he must have prized.  Ah, here is his trail!  It leads through the forest toward the lake!”

They were able to follow it a little distance but it was lost on the hard ground, although it led toward the water.  Robert told of the shadow he had seen near the farther bank, and both Willet and Tayoga were quite sure it had been a small canoe, and that its occupant was Tandakora.

“It’s not possible that St. Luc sent the Ojibway back to murder us!” exclaimed Robert, his mind rebelling at the thought.

“I don’t think it likely,” said Willet, but the Onondaga was much more emphatic.

“The Ojibway came of his own wish,” he said.  “While the sons of Onontio slept he slipped away, and it was the lure of scalps that drew him.  He comes of a savage tribe far in the west.  An Iroquois would have scorned such treachery.”

Robert felt an immense relief.  He had become almost as jealous of the Frenchman’s honor as of his own, and knowing that Tayoga understood his race, he accepted his words as final.  It was hideous to have the thought in his mind, even for a moment, that a man who had appeared so gallant and friendly as St. Luc had sent a savage back to murder them.

“The French do not control the western tribes,” continued Tayoga, “though if war comes they will be on the side of Onontio, but as equals they will come hither and go thither as they please.”

“Which means, I take it,” said the hunter, “that if St. Luc discovers what Tandakora has been trying to do here tonight he’ll be afraid to find much fault with it, because the Ojibway and all the other Ojibways would go straight home?”

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Project Gutenberg
The Hunters of the Hills from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.