The Huntress. Footner Hulbert

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      Such was their situation when, without warning, the latch of the door clicked.

      They froze in their card-playing attitudes, turning horrified eyes in the direction of the sound. The door opened inward, and a ghastly moment passed before they could see what was behind it. Then each man's breath escaped with a little sound of amazement and awe.

      It was Bela.

      CHAPTER VI

      A FRESH SURPRISE

      Raindrops sparkled like diamonds in Bela's dark hair and upon her glowing cheeks. She was, as ever, composed and inscrutable. In one swift glance around she took in the whole scene – the cardplayers under the window, Sam arrested at his pan of dough, and the injured man breathing hard upon the bed.

      She went toward the latter with a noiseless, gliding motion.

      "Mak' water hot," she said coolly over her shoulder to Sam. "Get clean rags for bandage."

      Jack and his mates, hearing the English speech, glanced at each other meaningly. Nevertheless, speech humanized her, and they relaxed.

      There was no leaping up of the unholy fires of the night before. They regarded her with great, new respect. They remained sitting motionless, absorbed in her every move, like the spectators of a play.

      At the sound of her voice the injured man opened his eyes with a grunt. Seeing her, he rolled away as far as he could get on the bed, crying out in mingled pain and terror:

      "Keep her away! Keep her away! Don't let her get me!"

      Bela fell back with a scornful smile.

      "Tell him I not hurt him," she said to Sam, who had gone to her. "Tell him I come to mak' him well."

      Sam sought in vain to reassure Husky.

      "I won't let her touch me!" the injured man cried. "She's a witch!"

      "Let be," she said to Sam, shrugging. "I tell you w'at to do."

      Under her direction Sam cut away his own rude bandage from Husky's shoulder and washed the wound. The bullet had gone cleanly through. Meanwhile Bela was macerating some leaves she had brought. She showed Sam how to apply the mass to the wound before rebandaging it. Husky strained away.

      "Poison! Poison!" he cried. "Keep her away from me!"

      "You crazy!" said Bela impatiently. "Look at me!"

      She chewed some of the poultice and swallowed it before Husky's eyes.

      "Are you afraid, too?" she asked Sam.

      He shook his head, smiling, and ate one of the leaves.

      But Husky, notwithstanding the evidence of his eyes, continued to cry out and to resist their ministrations.

      "All right," said Bela at last. "I can't do not'ing. He got die, I guess." She started for the door.

      A swift reaction passed over Husky. All in the same breath with his protests he began to beg her not to desert him. She came back, and he made no further objections to having her dress and bind his wound.

      When it was all done, she made for the door again as coolly as she had come. Sam experienced a sudden sinking of the heart.

      "Are you going?" he cried involuntarily.

      Big Jack jumped up at the same moment. "Don't go yet," he begged.

      Jack and the others had recovered sufficiently from the shock of their surprise to discuss in whispers what they should say to her.

      "I come back to-morrow," said Bela. "I go home now to get medicine."

      "Where do you live?" asked Jack.

      "I not tell you," she answered coolly.

      The sound of a snicker behind him brought a scowl to Jack's face. "I could easily find out," he muttered.

      "If you follow me, I not come back," she announced.

      "No offence," said Jack hastily. "But – it's darned funny. I leave it to you. Your coming and going like this. How did you get out last night?"

      "I not tell you," she said again.

      "'Tain't no wonder Husky's a bit leary of you. We all think – "

      "What you think?" she asked mockingly.

      "Well, we think it's funny," Jack repeated lamely.

      "I don't care what you think," she retorted.

      "Tell me one thing," said Jack. "What did you come here for first off?"

      "Yes, I tell you what I come for," the girl said with a direct look. "I want see what white men lak. My fat'er him white man. I never see him. Him good man, good to women. So I think all white men good to women. I think no harm. I come here. I play trick for to mak' fun and be friends. Now I know ot'er white men not lak my fat'er. Now I look out for myself."

      Big Jack had the grace to scowl shamefacedly and look away.

      "Say, that's right," he muttered. "You're dead right, sister. We got in wrong. I'm sorry. These other fellows, they're sorry, too. We made it up together to tell you we was sorry. Give us a chance to show you we ain't plumb rotten."

      The girl dimpled like a white woman. No walled look then.

      "All right," she said. "I come to-morrow early. I be your friend."

      When the next squall swooped down from the southerly hills, Bela set off in her dugout from the mouth of the creek. The wind helped carry her in the direction she wanted to go, and the sheets of rain hid her from the view of anyone who might be looking out from the shack.

      Her Indian upbringing had taught her to disregard bodily comfort. Streaming like a mermaid, she crouched in her canoe, paddling with the regularity of a machine.

      In two hours she had reached the other shore. By this time it had cleared, and the late sun was sending long, golden rays down the lake.

      She found a scene of industry in the village, for the fishing had started in earnest. The women were splitting and cleaning the day's catch, and hanging the fish on racks to cure in the smoke of the fires. No surprise was elicited by her arrival. Bela had always gone and come as she chose.

      Outside Charley's teepee she found her mother. Loseis's eyes lighted up at the sight of her, but she said nothing. She followed her into the teepee and unexpectedly seized and kissed her. They were mutually embarrassed. Bela had not learned to kiss among the tribe. Charley came in scowling.

      "The fish are running," he said. "Everybody is working now. If you not work you get no fish."

      "Keep your fish," said Bela.

      In that teepee she was mum as to her adventures. Having changed her clothes in her own little bower in the pines, she sought out Musq'oosis and told him her story.

      Musq'oosis was a little sore. He listened, smoking impassively and tending his share of the fish hanging in СКАЧАТЬ