Winnetou, the Apache Knight, Karl Friedrich May [easy books to read txt] 📗

they’ll see the Kiowas if they send spies here,” I objected.

“Who will they see? Kiowas? Man, tenderfoot, most recollected youngster, do you think Sam Hawkins’s brains are made of cotton-wool or tissuepaper? Our dear friends the Kiowas will be safely hidden, so there won’t be the smallest trace of them; see? Then when the Apache scouts have gone back to the braves, I’ll crawl after them and see when the whole body moves. They’ll come by night, and we’ll burn our campfire so we can be plainly seen. As long as it lasts the Apaches will certainly stay hidden. We will let it burn out, and as soon as it is dark steal over to the Kiowas. Then the Apaches will come - and find no one! Of course they’ll be astonished, and light up the fire again to look for us, when we shall see them as plainly as we were seen before, and we’ll reverse the game and fall on them. Isn’t that a stroke? It will be talked of long, and every one will say: ‘Sam Hawkins planned that little business.’”

“Yes, it’s very fine, if everything goes as you expect. And after that shall we free the Apaches?”

“Intschu-Tschuna and Winnetou at least, and any others we can.”

“And what will happen to the rest?”

“Nothing bad, I’m sure. The Kiowas will be too busy at first looking for the chiefs. But it’s time enough to plan the next step when we’ve got through this one. What comes later we’ll take care of later. The next thing to do is to select a good spot for carrying out our scheme, and that I’ll attend to the first thing in the morning. We’ve talked enough to-day; tomorrow we must act.”

He was right; there was nothing else to do now but await events.

The night was not very comfortable; a high wind arose, increasing to a gale, and towards morning it grew unusually cold for that region. We were awakened chilled to our marrows. Sam scanned the sky, and then said: “Apparently we are going to have rain to-day, and that happens rarely about here, but is the very best thing for our plan.”

“Why? ” I asked.

“Don’t you know why?” replied Sam. “Look around here and see how the grass is flattened down. The one thing I was afraid of was that when the Apaches came it would show them that there was a greater number of men and horses here than they saw. But if it rains it will wash away all trace of this, and the grass will spring up again as fresh as ever. I must set out to look for the place where we will let the Apaches overtake us, and the Kiowas must go with me before the rain comes, so it can wash away their tracks. In the meantime you can work in peace.”

He went over to lay his plan before the Kiowas, and in a short time all the Indians rode away with Sam and his two companions. We followed them slowly step by step as our work advanced, and towards noon Sam’s prophecy was fulfilled; it rained, and in such torrents as can only fall in those latitudes. It seemed as though an ocean were falling from the skies.

In the midst of this torrent Sam came back with Dick and Will. We did not see him until he was within twelve or fifteen feet of us, so thick was the veil of rain before us. They had found a suitable place; Stone and Parker were to remain and show it to us. But in spite of the weather Hawkins went back, as soon as he had laid in provisions, to resume his office of spy. As he disappeared in the thick rain I felt that misfortune was close upon us, and a sense of loneliness and dread came over me like a pall.

CHAPTER IX. WAITING THE ONSLAUGHT.

THE rain ceased as suddenly as it began, and the sun shone down on us as warm as on the day before. We worked rapidly till nightfall, and a few hours’ labor in the morning brought us to a stream swollen by the late rain, flowing beside a small open savanna, which was bordered on one hand by trees and shrubs. A wooded peninsula ran out into the water, and beside the stream rose a gentle elevation crowned by thick woods.

“This is the place Sam picked out,” said Stone, looking at it with an air of recognition. “There couldn’t be a better place for our purpose. The Kiowas are so hidden you might try hard and not find the least trace of them, yet I know they see us perfectly. The savanna is covered with a growth that makes it easy for the Apache spies to conceal themselves and follow us unseen. Then look at the open plain of grass leading here. A campfire burning on it will light all the savanna, and hide the Apaches, so they can easily come upon us.”

His lean, weather-beaten face gleamed with satiefaction, but the head engineer did not share the feeling. He shook his head, saying: “What is the matter with you? Do you mean to say you rejoice that we can be so easily overcome? I tell you it’s far from pleasant to me; I am paralysed at the mere thought.”

“The surer to fall into the hands of the Apaches,” cried Stone.” Don’t let such feelings get hold of you, Mr. Bancroft. Of course I’m glad, for the easier the Apaches can overtake us, the easier we can capture them. Just look here. Over there on the heights are the Kiowas in the midst of the woods. Their spies sit in the highest trees, and have surely seen us coming, and in the same way they’ll see the Apaches, for they can look all across the savanna.”

“Well, what earthly good will it do us, if we’re overtaken, to have the Kiowas look across the savanna?”

“Don’t you see? They stay there only because here the Apaches would see them. As soon as their scouts have come and gone the Kiowas will come over to us, hide on the peninsula, and we’ll put our horses at its neck, for then the Apaches will keep off it, as the horses would neigh if they went near them, and give us warning. The Apaches will hide, and wait till we’re asleep”

“Suppose they shouldn’t wait? ” I interrupted.

“That wouldn’t be dangerous for us,” he replied. “The Kiowas would come to ollr assistance at once.”

“But then there’d be bloodshed, which we want to avoid.”

“Yes, but here in the West a drop of blood doesn’t count. Don’t worry; the Apaches are sure to wait, for they know that if awake we’d defend ourselves, end though we’d get the worst of it, still some of them would be sure to get killed, and they value their blood as highly as we do ours. Therefore they’ll wait till we lie down to sleep; then we’ll let the fire go out, and go over to the island.”

Now that we were on the scene of action, and the hour was so near, I was greatly perturbed in mind. I was not afraid, but I was anxious, apprehensive of the result, and worried as to the fate of Winnetou, of whom I had thought so much during the past few days that he had grown near and dear to me, although he was still my enemy; and it must have been a kind of mental telepathy, for I learned later that he had been thinking continuously of me. Since the encounter could not be avoided, I wished it might come soon and be over with; and this wish was to be fulfilled.

It was a little short of mid-day when we saw Sam Hawkins returning. The little man was weary, but his eyes gleamed with unusual fire.

“All’s well? ” I asked. “But I see it is, dear old Sam.”

“Do you?” he laughed. “Where is it written, on my nose or in your imagination?”

“No one who sees your eyes can doubt it.”

“So my eyes betray me; that’s good to know for another time. But you’re right; everything is really better than I could have hoped.”

“Have you seen the spies?”

“Seen the spies! I’ve not only seen ‘em, but I’ve seen the whole band; and not only seen ‘em, but heard and watched ‘em.”

“Watched them! Then tell us, quick, what you’ve discovered.”

“Gather up your instruments, and go into camp while I go over to the Kiowas to tell them what their part is to be. I’ll be back pretty soon.”

He sprang across the stream, and disappeared into the woods, while we packed up our instruments, and went back to camp to await his coming. We neither saw nor heard him till he stood along us, saying: “Here I am, my lords; haven’t you eyes and ears? Now that shows you how you can get close to men without their knowing it; and that’s the way I did yesterday with the Apaches.”

“Tell us; tell us.”

“You shall hear; but I must sit down, for I’m pretty tired. My bones are used to riding, and don’t enjoy walking any more; besides, it’s grander to belong to the cavalry than to the infantry.”

He sat down near me, and then said, nodding his head positively:” We’ll have the ball to-night.”

“To-night!” I echoed, half shocked, half glad. “That’s good.”

“H’m! you seem to be in a hurry to fall into the hands of the Apaches. However, you’re right; it is good, and I’m glad, too, that we won’t have to wait any longer. It’s no fun waiting when you don’t know how a thing will turn out.”

“Don’t know! Is there any reason for anxiety?”

“Not a bit; on the contrary, I’m certain everything will go well. But any man of experience knows that the best child may grow up bad, the finest plans take a wrong turn from some unforeseen cause.”

“Well, do tell us what you heard. Hurry up.”

“Softly, softly, my young sir; everything in order. I can’t tell you what I heard, because you must first know how I heard it. When I went out in the rain from here I went back to where we were camping when the two Apaches came to us, and had to hide at once, for there were three redskins sniffing around. Apache spies, says I to myself; and so they were. They surveyed the premises without coming on my trail, and sat down under the trees where it was dry to wait for their chiefs, and I had to wait, too, two long hours. At last came a mounted band, led by Intschu-Tschuna and Winnetou.”

“How many were there?”

“Just as I expected, about fifty men. The spies went out to meet them, and after a few words with their chiefs went on ahead, the braves following slowly. You may imagine, gentlemen, that Sam Hawkins followed after them. The rain had washed out ordinary tracks, but the broad trail of your camp was plain; I wish I might always have a trail as easy to follow. But the Indians wanted to be very sure, for they peered into every nook and corner and behind every bush, and made such slow progress that darkness came on after we had gone only about two miles, and they dismounted and made their camp.”

“And did you creep up to them there?”

“Yes; like wise fellows they made no fire, but Sam Hawkins, being equally wise, thought that served him as well as them. So I crawled under the trees, and wriggled forward on my stomach till I got near enough to hear what they were saying. Their words were brief but to the point. It is as we