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

I realized what a risk I ran. But I felt I ought to give Stone and Parker a chance to withdraw if they chose, and asked them if they wanted to take a hand in the game. Stone replied: “What is the matter with you? Do you think we’re sneaks to leave a friend in the lurch? Your scheme is a stroke worthy of a true frontiersman, and we’ll be glad to take a hand; isn’t that so, Will?”

“Yes,” said Parker. “I’d like to see if we four ain’t the fellows to beat two hundred Indians.”

I went on measuring, and did not look back until Stone cried: “Get ready; they’re coming.”

I looked, and saw Sam approaching with Tangua and three other Indians.

“A man for each,” I said. “I’ll take the chief. Throttle them so they can’t scream, and wait till I grab Tangua; don’t move first.”

We went over towards the Indians, and took up our position where a bush screened us from the rest of the Kiowas left to guard the prisoners. The chief’s face was none too friendly, and he said in equally unfriendly tone as he came up: “The paleface called Old Shatterhand has asked me to come. Have you forgotten I am chief of the Kiowas, and you should have come to me, not I to you?”

“I know you are the chief,” I answered.

“I have come because you have been a short time among us, and have yet to learn politeness. Speak briefly, for I have no time.”

“What have you to do that is so important?”

“We are going to make the Apache dogs howl.”

“Why so soon? I thought you were going to take them to your village, and torture them in the presence of your women and children.”

“We wanted to, but they would hinder us on the war-path, whither we now go; so we shall kill them to-day.”

“I ask you not to do this.”

“It is not for you to ask.”

“Can’t you speak as civilly as I do to you? I only said I asked you; if I had commanded you, you might have had an excuse for being rude.”

“I want to hear nothing from you, and a command is out of the question. No paleface shall meddle in my affairs.”

“Have you a right to kill the prisoners? No, don’t answer, for I know what you will say; but there is a difference between putting men to death quickly and painlessly, and slowly torturing them. We shall never allow that where we are.”

He drew himself up to his full height, and said scornfully: “Whom do you think I am? Compared with me you are like a toad which would attack a bear of the Rockies. The prisoners are mine, and I shall do what I please with them.”

“They fell into your hands by our help, so we have the same right to them that you have, and we wish them to live.”

“Wish what you please, you white cur; I laugh at your words.”

He spat at me, and would have turned away, but I let drive and knocked him down. He had a hard skull, however, and, not being quite unconscious, tried to rise. So I had to give him another blow before I could pay any attention to the others. I saw Sam Hawkins kneeling on an Indian whom he had seized by the throat; Stone and Parker held the second one down, while the third ran shrieking away. I came to Sam’s assistance, and we bound our man as Dick and Will finished up theirs. “That was foolish of you; why did you let the third escape? ” I said.

“Because Stone and I went for the same one. We lost only two seconds by it, but it was enough to let that rascal escape.”

“No matter,” said Sam. “It only means that the ball will begin earlier. In two or three minutes the Indians will be upon us, and we must take care to have a free field between us.”

The surveyors had seen our action with horror, and the head engineer came bounding over to us, crying: “What is the matter with you people? What have you done? We shall all be killed.”

“You certainly will if you don’t join us now,” said Sam. “Call your people over here, and come with us; we’ll protect you.”

“Protect us -” Bancroft began, but Sam interrupted him.

“Silence!” the little man said sternly. “We know what we’re about. If you don’t stick to us you’re lost. Come on.”

We carried the three Indians to the open prairie, where we halted and laid them down, for we knew an open plain where we could see all around was safer than a position that afforded hiding-places. Scarcely had we got there than we heard the Kiowas’ howls of rage, and after a moment they came running towards us; but as one ran faster than another they were strung out in a long line, not coming in a solid body; which was luck for us, as in the latter case it would have been harder to bring them to a stand.

Plucky little Sam went a short distance towards them, and threw up both arms as a signal to stop. I heard him call out something which I did not understand. It had no effect until it was repeated, then I saw the first Kiowa, as well as the one next to him, pause. Sam spoke to them, pointing at us. Then I called upon Stone and Parker to raise the chief, and swung a knife over his breast. The Indians howled indignantly. Sam spoke further to them, and then one of them, next to Tangua in authority, came out from the rest and proceeded towards us. As they came up Sam pointed at our three prisoners and said: “You see I spoke the truth. They are entirely in our power.”

The under-chief, whose face betrayed the fury within him, replied: “I see that these two Indians are alive, but the chief seems to be dead.”

“He is not dead. Old Shatterhand’s fist knocked him down, and he is unconscious, but he will soon revive. Sit down and wait; when the chief comes to himself again we will treat with you. But the moment one of the Kiowas touches a weapon Old Shatterhand’s knife will be plunged into Tangua’s heart.”

“How dare you raise your hand against us who are your friends?”

“Friends! You don’t believe that yourself when you say it.”

“I do believe it; have we not smoked the pipe of peace together?”

“Yes, but we can’t trust this peace. Is it customary for friends to insult one another?”

“No.”

“Yet your chief insulted Old Shatterhand. See, he begins to move.”

Tangua, whom Stone and Parker had laid down again, raised himself, looking at us at first as though he did not feel sure what had happened, then he recovered consciousness perfectly and cried: “Take off those bands.”

“Why did you not listen to my request? ” I asked. “You can’t give orders here.” He gave me a look of rage, and snarled:

“Silence, boy, or I’ll tear your eyes out.”

“Silence is more fit for you than for me,” I answered. “You insulted me, and I knocked you down. Old Shatterhand does not let go unpunished him who calls him a toad and a white dog.”

“I will be free in a moment. If you do not obey me, my warriors shall wipe you from off the earth.”

“You’d go first. Hear what I have to say. There stand your people; if one of them moves a foot without permission, my knife goes info your heart. How!”

I set the knife-point against his breast. He saw that he was in our power, and could not doubt that I would fulfil my threat. There was a pause, during which he seemed to long to annihilate us with his wildly rolling eyes; then he tried to control his rage, and asked more mildly:

“What do you want of me?”

“Nothing except what I have already told you: that the Apaches shall not die by torture.”

“Then you ask that they shall not die?”

“Do with them later what you will, but while we are with you nothing must happen to them.”

Again he considered a while in silence. Through the war-paint on his face we saw pass over it varying expressions of anger, hatred, and malice. I expected that the contest of words between us would be long, so wondered not a little when he said: “It shall be as you wish; yes, I will do more than that if you will fulfil the condition I will make.”

“What is the condition?”

“First I want to tell you that you need not think I fear your knife. If you stabbed me, you would be torn to shreds in a moment by my warriors. No matter how strong you are, you cannot fight two hundred foes. So I laugh at your threat to stab me. If I told you I would not do as you wish, you could do nothing to me. Nevertheless the Apache dogs shall not be tortured; I will even promise not to kill them if you will fight in a life and-death combat for them.”

“With whom?”

“With one of my warriors, whom I will choose.”

“What weapons?”

“Only knives. If he kills you, the Apaches must also die; but if you kill him, they shall live.”

“And be free?”

“Yes.”

I could not help seeing that he considered me the most dangerous of his white allies, and wanted to get rid of me; for it goes without saying that his champion would be skilled in the use of the knife. Nevertheless, after short consideration I answered: “I agree; we will smoke the pipe of covenant, then the combat may begin.”

“What are you talking about?” cried Sam. “You can’t be so foolish as to go into such a fight.”

“It is not folly, my dear Sam.”

“The greatest folly possible. In a fair fight the chances would be equal, but they’re far from so here. Did you ever have a fight to the death with knives?”

“No.”

“There; you see? Your opponent will, of course, be skilled with the knife. And then think of the consequences of such a fight. If you die, the Apaches die, too; but if you kill your adversary, who is the worse for it? No one.”

“But if I win, the Apaches get their lives and freedom.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“Certainly; for it will be sealed by the solemn pipe of covenant.”

“The devil’s truth will be in such an oath, which covers some double meaning. And even if it is meant honestly, you are a tenderfoot and -”

“Now give us a rest with your ‘ tenderfoot,’ Sam,” I interrupted.” You’ve been shown that this tenderfoot knows what he is about.”

Although Dick Stone and Will Parker joined Sam in imploring me to give up the bargain, I persisted, and at last Sam cried impatiently: “No good, boys; he must go on running his thick head against stone walls; I’ll say no more against it. But I’ll see it’s a fair fight, and woe to him who cheats you! I’ll blow him into a thousand pieces with my Liddy, and they’ll be lost in the clouds.”

The arrangements for the combat were now made. Two circles were drawn in the sand, touching each other and forming a figure 8. Each contestant was to stand in one of these circles, and not step beyond it during the combat. There was to be no quarter; one must die, and his friends would not take revenge on his conqueror.

When everything was ready the bonds were removed from the chief, and we smoked the pipe that sealed his promise to