Two Arrows: A Story of Red and White

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Stoddard William Osborn. Two Arrows: A Story of Red and White

Chapter I. THE HUNGRY CAMP

Chapter II. A YOUNG HERO

Chapter III. A BRAVE NAME

Chapter IV. THE MINING EXPEDITION

Chapter V. A VERY OLD TRAIL

Chapter VI. A THIRSTY MARCH

Chapter VII. THE GREAT CAÑON

Chapter VIII. WATER! WATER!

Chapter IX. INTO A NEW WORLD

Chapter X. SILE'S POCKET

Chapter XI. A TRAPPED BOY

Chapter XII. THE ERRAND OF ONE-EYE

Chapter XIII. GREAT SCOUTING

Chapter XIV. A WRESTLING MATCH

Chapter XV. A GREAT CAPTAIN

Chapter XVI. VISITING

Chapter XVII. MORE FUN

Chapter XIII. TWO WAR-PARTIES

Chapter XIX. WONDERFUL FISHING

Chapter XX. A FULL CORRAL

Chapter XXI. THE GOLD MINE

Chapter XXII. A NEW SETTLEMENT

Chapter XXIII. DANGER

Chapter XXIV. SILE'S VICTORY

Chapter XXV. A MIDNIGHT MARCH

Chapter XXVI. PREPARING FOR AN ATTACK

Chapter XXVII. FROM BOW TO RIFLE

Chapter XXVIII. THE APACHES HAVE COME

Chapter XXIX. STIRRING TIMES

Chapter XXX. A DARING RIDE

Отрывок из книги

Away from the camp a long mile, and down in the edge of the dry, hot, desolate plain, there was a wide spread of sage-bushes. They were larger than usual, because of having ordinarily a better supply of water sent them from the mountains than if they had settled further out. In among such growths are apt to be found sage-hens and rabbits, and sometimes antelopes, but the warriors had decided that they had hunted out all of the game that had been there, and had given the bushes up. Two of the members of the band who were not warriors had not arrived at the same conclusion, and both of these were among the "sage-brush" that morning. The first had been greatly missed among the lodges, and had been much hunted for and shouted after, for he was the largest and most intelligent dog ever owned by that band. He was also about the ugliest ever owned by anybody, and his misfortunes had earned for him the name of One-eye. He could see more with the eye he had left – and it was his right – than any other animal they had ever had, or than most of the warriors. He saw what became of the other dogs, for instance, and at once acquired a habit of not coming when an Indian called for him. He kept his eye about him all day, and was careful as to where he lay down. Just about the time when the ponies began to go into the camp-kettles he was a dog hard to find, although he managed to steal pony-bones and carry them away into the sage-brush. Perhaps it was for this reason that he was in even better condition than common that morning. He had no signs of famine about him, and he lay beside what was left of a jackass-rabbit, which he had managed to add to his stock of plunder. One-eye was a dog of uncommon sagacity; he had taken a look at the camp just before sunrise, and had confirmed his convictions that it was a bad place for him. He had been to the spring for water, drinking enough to last him a good while, and then he had made a race against time for the nearest bushes. He lay now with his sharp-pointed, wolfish ears pricked forward, listening to the tokens of another presence besides his own.

Somebody else was there, but not in bodily condition to have made much of a race after One-eye. It was a well-grown boy of about fifteen years, and One-eye at once recognized him as his own particular master, but he was a very forlorn-looking boy. He wore no clothing, except the deer-skin "clout" that covered him from above his hips to the middle of his thighs. He carried a light lance in one hand and a bow in the other, and there were arrows in the quiver slung over his shoulder. A good butcher-knife hung in its case by the thong around his waist, and he was evidently out on a hunting expedition. He was the one being, except One-eye, remaining in that band of Nez Percés, with life and energy enough to try and do something. He did not look as if he could do much. He was the son of the old chief in command of the band, but it was two whole days since he had eaten anything, and he had a faded, worn, drawn, hungry appearance, until you came to his black, brilliant eyes. These had an unusual fire in them, and glanced quickly, restlessly, piercingly in all directions. He might have been even good-looking if he had been well fed and well dressed, and he was tall and strongly built. Just such Indian boys grow up into the chiefs and leaders who make themselves famous, and get their exploits into the newspapers, but as yet this particular boy had not managed to earn for himself any name at all. Every Indian has to do something notable or have something memorable occur to him before his tribe gives him the honor of a distinguishing name. One-eye knew him, and knew that he was hungry and in trouble, but had no name for him except that he suggested a danger of the camp-kettle.

.....

"How'd you get it, anyway?"

"How? Well, my father was just like me; he was a wise man. He named me after his brother, my uncle Ogden, and after Colonel Yell, that was killed in the Mexican war. So I'm Yell O. Pine, and nobody but you ever cared how it kem so."

.....