virginia woke from her swoon to find herself a captive in the hands of the shawnees.
three grim and painted chiefs were her guards.
virginia shuddered when she thought of the terrible fate that was in store for her. no ray of light broke through the darkness of the clouded future. she despaired of ever again seeing home and friends.
the red-men bore her swiftly through the forest, heading toward the ohio.
the false white man, the treacherous guide, who had led her into the snare, had disappeared.
crossing the ohio, the savages conducted their prisoner to the indian village at chillicothe.
great was the rejoicing among the shawnees, when the hapless girl was brought a prisoner into their midst. it seemed to them like an omen of good fortune.
virginia was placed in one of the wigwams, and there left in solitude to meditate upon the dreadful misfortune that had come upon her.
alone, far from home and kindred, there seemed no avenue of escape open to her. despairing, she prayed to the great power above to rescue her from her terrible peril.
leaving the despairing maid to her own sad thoughts, we will return to the renegade girty.
after leaving the old general, girty made his way to the secluded glade in the forest where he had arranged to meet kendrick.
girty found his companion waiting for him.
“the indians have departed with the girl?” girty asked.
“yes; by the way, what do you intend to do with her?” said kendrick.
“give her to some chief for a wife. i have just had a little talk with treveling. i told him who i was and of the vengeance that i have taken for the wrong that he did me so many years ago.” girty’s face showed plainly his fierce joy as he spoke.
“it was a dangerous attempt to penetrate into yonder settlement,” said kendrick.
“yes, but my disguise, you see, is perfect. this black wig covers my own hair, and the walnut stain upon my face changes the color of my complexion. but we must return to chillicothe. the settlers know of ke-ne-ha-ha’s intended attack and are prepared for it. the chief must know it. the design to surprise the station has failed.”
“will he then give up the attack?”
“no; ke-ne-ha-ha will play the lion if he can not act the part of the fox. the shawnees and their allies have force enough[26] to drive all the whites from the banks of the ohio. they will try to do it and i think they will succeed.”
“i say, girty,” said kendrick, suddenly, “why do you give the girl to the indians? why not keep her for yourself? she is young and pretty; a prize for any man.”
“i have thought of that,” replied the other; “perhaps the knowledge that his daughter was mine would give more pain to treveling than anything else.”
“i should think it likely.”
“i will think about the matter; but now let us to chillicothe as fast as our legs will carry us. soon we will return with brand and steel. dying men and blazing roof-trees shall mark our path.”
then the two plunged into the thicket, and soon their forms were lost in the mazes of the wood.
for a few minutes the little glade was deserted by all living things, and then again life stood within the forest opening.
forth from the cover of the wood came the strange girl known as kanawha kate. in her hand she carried the long rifle common to the frontier. in her belt was thrust the keen-edged scalping-knife of the indian.
for a moment she paused in the center of the glade and listened eagerly.
“she is then in the shawnee village, the prisoner of the renegade,” she murmured. “she, the promised wife of the man that i love with all the passion of my nature.” full of agony was the tone in which she spoke.
“why did i permit this terrible love to take possession of my heart? why did i not crush it at the moment of its birth? but my rival is in the power of the indians. this man, girty, may make her his, then she will be removed from my path forever. why should i interfere to save her? if harvey does not see her again he may forget her, and then i may be able to win his love. oh! how full of bliss is even the thought.”
for a moment she stood like one inspired, her eyes flashing and her lips half-opened. and then a change came over her face. her head sunk down listlessly upon her breast.
“alas! it is but a dream,” she murmured, sorrowfully. “he will never learn to love me even if she is lost to him. i have forgotten the stain that clings to me. forgotten that i am the daughter of the renegade. one at whom the finger of scorn is pointed. a wretched creature not fit to associate with others whose skins are white like mine. i am an outcast, a child of the forest. what madness then to think that i can ever win the love of a man like harvey winthrop. no, it is impossible.”
slowly and mournfully kate spoke, as the truth forced itself upon her mind.
“i must to the shawnee village!” she cried, suddenly. “the indians know me as the daughter of the renegade and will not harm me. on my way through the forest i can decide on what course to pursue. whether to leave virginia to her fate, to the cruel mercy of having her life spared by girty, only to become his wife; or to save her—if it be possible—and give her to the man who has, unknowingly, won my heart. oh! to leave her to girty is a terrible temptation; heaven give me strength to resist it!”
then through the wood kate followed on the trail of her father and girty.
cautiously she followed on the trail till it led into the indian village by the bank of the scioto, known as chillicothe.
in the thicket that fringed the village, kate halted.
“now, what course shall i pursue?” she asked, communing with herself. “shall i go at once boldly into the village and say that i have come to seek my father? or shall i remain here in concealment and watch my opportunity to enter the village unobserved?”
for a few moments kate pondered over the difficult question. she could not decide which of the two courses to adopt.
then from a wigwam, in full view of the thicket that concealed the girl, came girty and kendrick.
they bent their steps slowly toward the river.
“i have it!” cried kale, suddenly; “i will tell my father that i feared to remain alone in my cabin and brave the dangers of the indian attack, and that i wish to remain here until the war is ended. they will not suspect my purpose.”
and having come to this conclusion, she stepped forward from the shelter of the thicket.
the two men started with surprise when they beheld the girl.
“why, kate, what brings you here?” asked kendrick, in astonishment.
“i am in search of you, father,” she replied.
“what do you want with me?”
“i have thought over your warning regarding the indian attack, and have concluded to seek shelter here,” she replied.
“it’s the best thing you kin do,” said kendrick, approvingly.
girty’s face wore a strange expression as he looked up at the girl.
“is this your daughter?” he said, in an undertone to kendrick.
“yes,” the other replied; “don’t you remember her?”
“her face is familiar to me,” said girty, with a puzzled air, “yet i can not remember ever meeting her before.”
“she was with me, hyer in the nation, some five years ago; of course she’s changed a good deal since that time.”
“that is probably the reason why her face seems strange and yet familiar to me. but come this way a moment. i have something to say to you.”
kendrick followed girty. a few paces on, out of ear-shot of the girl, girty halted.
“is your daughter to be trusted?” girty asked.
“why what do you mean?” said kendrick, in wonder.
“i mean is she red at heart, like ourselves? does she hate the whites?”
“well, i reckon that she doesn’t bear ’em much love. the settlers have allers looked upon her as they would upon a spotted snake; a pretty thing, but dangerous, and not to be trusted, and not to be handled. but why do you ask the question?”
“i’ll tell you. i want some one to look after this girl.”
“why not get one of the squaws?”
“i am afraid to trust her with them. of course i shall have to go with ke-ne-ha-ha, on his expedition against the whites. if any reverse should happen to the indians, and the news of it reach the village in my absence, they might take revenge upon the girl.”
“yes, that’s very true.”
“but if i can get your daughter to take charge of her, why that danger will be avoided.”
“well, you kin ask the gal. i guess she’ll be willing to do it,” said kendrick.
“i’ll pay her well for the service. the presence, too, of one of her own blood may serve to reconcile the girl to her fate, or, at any rate, it will serve to rob her captivity of half its terrors.”
“better speak to kate right away.”
“i will.”
then the two returned to the girl.
“kate, my friend hyer wants you to do a little favor for him,” said kendrick.
“what is it?” asked kate, and even as she spoke the thought came into her mind that the favor had something to do with the captive maid.
“there is a white girl in the village, not exactly a prisoner to the indians, fur i intend to marry her, but still she is not free. i would like to have you take charge of her; do all you can to make her contented with and accept the fate that is before her. i will pay you well for the service.”
“what is her name?” and not a muscle of kate’s face betrayed that she knew what the name would be even before it was spoken.
“virginia treveling,” replied girty, after hesitating for a moment, but then an instant’s reflection convinced him that it would be folly to attempt to conceal the name of the prisoner.
“very well, i will do it,” said kate, quietly.
“i told you i thought she would,” said kendrick, with an air of satisfaction.
“she is in yonder wigwam,” and girty pointed to one that stood by the bank of the scioto, a hundred paces or so from where they were.
“i will take good care of her,” kate said, and neither of the two that stood by her side guessed the double meaning conveyed in her words.
and so kate was placed to guard the captive virginia. in her heart two passions struggled for supremacy. the fate of her rival was in her hands. would she save or crush her?
