CHAPTER XXVI.FACE TO FACE WITH ENEMIES.
The sudden appearance of the chief of the black scouts before them, appearing like an apparition to the two men, who had no thought of danger near, caused them to cry out in mingled terror and utter surprise.
The form of the negro, which they were half bearing, half dragging along, was dropped with a suddenness that was by no mean showing a proper respect for the dead.
The two men stood for an instant like statues, and before them towered the tall, athletic form of Buffalo Bill. He held a revolver in each hand, and was ten feet from them.
“Hands up, I said!”
The men had not heeded the first command, perhaps from utter helplessness, in their amazement. Now they did heed, and quickly.
Buffalo Bill stepped forward toward the one nearest him, unbuckled his belt, thus disarming him of his knife and revolvers, and then drew the strap of his rifle over his head.
“Now, your turn, sir!”
The man did not move.
“Step here, quick, or I’ll reach you with a bullet!”
The scout saw that the men had discovered that theywere two to one, and were plotting resistance. But the hint of reaching for him with a bullet brought the man quickly to within the length of the scout’s arm. He, too, was disarmed of his belt and weapons and his rifle.
“Now, I wish to tie you, and if I see the first show of funny business, you will hand in your chips.”
The men made no resistance, but they were glancing toward each other furtively, and certainly were plotting to escape.
“Lie flat on your faces, both of you, and put your hands behind your backs!” came the order.
“I’ll tie ’em, Massa Buf’ler Bill.”
The words fairly startled the scout, with all his iron nerve. It was as though a dead man was speaking to him.
The two men uttered a yell of fright, and, for a moment, seemed about to risk bullets in the face of superstitious fear.
Had it been nighttime, the added dread that darkness brings to the superstitious would have sent them away on the jump.
“Why, Black Bill, I thought that you were dead, and, thank Heaven, it is not so!” said Buffalo Bill earnestly.
“No, massa; it was a close call, for dat bullet done cut my head, and I guess will kill me yet.
“I is awful dizzy in my head like, but I kin tie dese gemmens, all right.”
With this, the negro passed his hand across his head, took his lariat from over his shoulder, and began to tie the two men, Buffalo Bill keeping them covered with his revolver, and aiding in binding them securely.
“The one lariat will do for them both, and keep them tied together—there, now we have them; but you cannot stand up?”
“It don’t seem as though I could, sir,” said the black, who kept sitting on the ground.
“I’ll see to your wound right off.”
With this, the scout placed the weapons on the ground, wheeled the prisoners face to face, and bound them thus with his own lariat.
“Now, Black Bill,” and he began to examine the wound.
It was in the center of the forehead; but, having been fired upward, the bullet had glanced on the frontal bone, cut along under the scalp for several inches, and then made its way out, leaving a long gash, not serious, though the shock of the blow had felled the black and rendered him unconscious for some minutes.
Bathing the wound with water from his canteen, and binding it up with a bandage moistened with arnica, the scout said:
“You are all right now, and the dizzy feeling will soon wear off.”
“It don’ hurt, sah; but it do feel like a mule hed kicked me.”
“Rest is what you want, and we’ll go to the camp of these two men, for it cannot be far away.”
The men had stood watching the every movement of the scout, and talking in whispers to each other.
“We ain’t got no camp,” said one.
“See here, men, you sought to kill this negro pard of mine, and that he escaped death is a marvel. I heard all that you said, and I know that you have a camp here, for you came from the camp of those who settled in this basin.”
“That’s so, Massa Bill, fer I knows ’em both, one being named Tom Vail and t’other they calls Rocks. Dey had two pards, and we all thought dey got kilt de day of de ’arthquake. I knows ’em, sah; but why dey want ter kill me I doesn’t know, fer I never did ’em no harm, and den I thought dey was dead, and felt sorry for ’em, but dere must be two more of ’em, sah, so look out, Massa Bill.”
“Yes, there are two more of them, though they are not here just now, but are due. I know a little about these fellows myself, for they gave themselves away when they thought they had killed you. Come, lead the way to your camp, or I’ll find a way to make you, and which you will not like.”
The scout had unwound his lariat, so that they could walk side by side, and the two men saw that therewas no nonsense to be put up with on their part, so one said:
“We has a leetle camp down the valley, if yer wants ter go there.”
“Lead the way. Black Bill, I’ll help you,” and, supporting the negro with his arm, Buffalo Bill followed on behind the two men, as they shuffled along down the valley, the weapons of each man being hung about their necks so that they would have to carry them.
The two prisoners walked slowly, partly because their legs were tied so as to prevent rapid traveling, and also because they did not wish to go. They were livid with rage and fear, with hate and anxiety, for they did not know what would be their fate, while they saw their hopes dashed to earth in a second of time.
Down the valley they went for a mile, perhaps, the walk seeming to benefit the negro, and, at last, they turned into a small cañon in which grew a grove of pines, and at the head of which was a spring.
“De cañon whar de people hunt fer gold not far from here, Massa Bill,” said the negro, and then he added:
“I jist guesses dat’s what dese men is here for, while t’others is in ther Lost Valley, for something had been de matter, sartin.”
The camp now came into view, a stoutly built log cabin, with door and shutters of hewn timber, and a shed along the front.
It was near the spring, was sheltered by the overhanging cliffs and the pines, and, winter or summer, was a safe and comfortable retreat.
“De people built de cabin, Massa Bill; put it up fer dere provisions, which dey kept here, ter keep from going back to de valley, sah, every night, and dey only all went on Sundays.”
“So you did find your camp, eh?” said Buffalo Bill to the two men, and he made them fast to a tree, back to back.
Then he spread the negro’s blanket for him upon the pine straw, and said:
“Now, you lie down there, while I reconnoiter this camp, which is a very snug affair, I see.”
The two prisoners muttered oaths, the black lay down at full length, and Buffalo Bill threw open the door of the cabin and the shutters, which gave light within.
It was a large cabin, and there were a number of bunks in it along the rear wall.
There were shelves, too, with provisions, and a table, cooking utensils, weapons, and picks, shovels, axes, and hatchets.
A haunch of venison hung under the shed outside, with bacon, hams, and dried fish, showing that the men were still well supplied with provisions.
In a plot of ground back of the cabin there werepotatoes, cabbages, and turnips growing, and places to store them away for the winter.
“You fellows have had the best, I see, and I am going to know about you before I am done with you,” said Buffalo Bill.
Then he added that he would cook dinner for all hands, and draw on the cabin’s larder for his supplies.
A fire was smoldering outside of the cabin, and this was replenished, and soon a dinner of roast potatoes, bacon, venison, hoecake, and coffee was prepared.
Black Bill was asleep; but woke at the scout’s call, saying that he felt much better, save for a headache.
“It is well it is no worse. Now, see what a good dinner we have; or, I may say, supper, for it is getting late. I guess we’ll camp here to-night and return to our camp to-morrow; or I will go and bring the boys here, for you must keep quiet for a few days.”
“What is you doing here in the Big Horn country, anyhow?” said Rocks, as Buffalo Bill untied the hands of the prisoners for them to eat their dinner.
“That is just what I came here to ask you, and, as a government officer, I have the call.”
“The nigger calls you Buffalo Bill.”
“Yes.”
“Is you him?”
“Yes.”
“I has heerd of yer,” said Rocks, watching the scout with interest.
“So has I,” Tom Vail added.
“You may hear of me before I leave this country of the Big Horn.”
“Did ther nigger bring you here?”
“About that.”
“What for?”
Buffalo Bill was willing to be questioned. He might find out what Black Bill had so far not made known to him. So he answered:
“You know this country belongs to the Indians, and the government wishes to protect them in it, and will not send troops here, unless compelled to do so to punish murdering redskins.
“You men, and others like you, are aware that the Big Horn is rich with gold finds, care nothing for the government’s pledges to the Indians, and invade the mountains and valleys as gold boomers.
“This keeps the Indians restless, revengeful, and hostile, causing them to kill bands of whites where found, raid settlements away from their lands, and thus force the military to punish them severely for what you gold boomers have driven them to do.
“You are, therefore, lawbreakers, and become murderers, for you kill the Indians, and they in turn kill the gold boomers and many innocent whites as well.
“Now, I know that there is a settlement here, and, though they may have done no harm to the Indians,they are still lawbreakers, and must leave the country.”
“You’ll have a lively time getting ther people of ther Lost Valley out of this country, Buffalo Bill.”
“It may be; but they must go,” was the determined rejoinder of the chief of scouts.