Chapter 15

The remainder of the day passed heavily and gloomily. All felt there was a crisis at hand, and the insolent tone which the younger Indians had assumed, left little hope with any that the escort of their allies on the long and dreary route on which they were about to enter would bring with it anything but despair and disaster.

Captain Headley had exerted his prerogative. He had, as commanding officer, decided upon his course in opposition to the judgment even of his Indian counsellors; but he was not happy--he was not satisfied himself. On re-entering the fort, after the council had been broken up, he had felt it necessary to the maintenance of his own dignity to summon the subalterns before him, and read, or rather commence to read to them, a lecture on their disobedience of his command to them to follow him to the council; but, with strong evidence of contempt in their manner, they had turned on their heels and walked away without replying, leaving him deeply mortified at a want of respect for him, which was rendered the more bitter to his pride by a certain latent consciousness that it had not been wholly unmerited. On entering his apartment, he found his noble wife preparing at her leisure the private arrangements for departure, and calm and collected as if no circumstances of more than ordinary interest were agitating the general mind. He caught her in his arms; he sat upon the sofa, and drew her passionately to his heart. Never in the course of twenty years' marriage had he more fondly loved her. There was a luxury of endearment in that embrace that renewed all the earlier and more vivid recollection of their union, and for many minutes they remained thus, each wishing it could last for ever. When this full outpouring of their souls had subsided, their hearts beat lighter, felt freer, and there was less scruple in entering on the subject of the immediate future that awaited them.

While they thus sat conversing in a strain of confidence and tenderness, which the immediate trials to which they were about to be exposed rendered, more exquisitely keen, Mr. McKenzie and Winnebeg entered unannounced. At the sight of Captain Headley, hand in hand with his wife, who sat upon his knee, the former would have retired, but Mrs. Headley, without at all displacing herself or affecting a confusion she did not feel, begged him to remain, adding that, as she supposed Winnebeg and himself had important business with Captain Headley, she would retire into the adjoining room.

She rose slowly and majestically, bowed gracefully to the trader, and took the hand of the chief, who as heartily returned the warm pressure she gave it.

"God bless him squaw!" he said, feelingly; "Winnebeg always love him. Lay down life for him."

"Thank you, good Winnebeg," returned Mrs. Headley, warmly, while a faint smile played upon her features; "I am sure you would do that, but let us hope it will never come to the trial."

"Hope so," returned the chief, as he shook his head gravely, and followed with a mournful glance the receding form of the noble-minded woman.

"Captain Headley," remarked Mr. McKenzie with severity, when the door was closed on her, "I am come to use strong language to you, but the occasion justifies it. If you do not rescind your promise of powder to the Indians, the blood of your wife, of my daughter--of every woman and child--of every individual in the garrison, be upon your head! Sir, you will be a murderer, and without the poor excuse of even being compelled to pursue the course you have. Was it not enough to promise them the public stores, without exciting their cupidity still further? Did you not hear the insolent Pee-to-tum declare that not only he would have all the ardent spirit as well, and not merely that, but what was contained in my cellar? When men--and Indians, in particular--use such language, do you think it prudent to put the means of our certain destruction in their hands? Do you think it likely that, when once they have drained to repletion of the maddening liquor, they will hesitate as to the manner of disposing of the powder so recklessly, nay, so guiltily, given to them? No, sir; let those articles be theirs, and we are lost, irrevocably lost! Speak, Winnebeg--you hear--you understand all I say--am I right?"

"Yes, Kenzie right," returned the chief; "sorry give him powder--young warrior not obey Winnebeg--Pee-to-tum bad man--make him wicked:--no give him powder, Gubbernor!"

All the extent of the indiscretion of which he had been guilty now, for the first time, occurred to Captain Headley, and he could not but agree with the trader, that the results he foretold were those the most likely to follow the distribution.

"But how am I to act?" he returned (his pride causing him to reply rather to Winnebeg than to Mr. McKenzie); "how can I retract the promise I have so solemnly made without incurring the very danger you seem to apprehend? It will never do. Pee-to-tum will then sow disunion between us and our allies, and then where will be our expected escort?"

"Captain Headley, are you wilfully blind that you do not perceive you have lost all power, all influence to command where most you seem so much to rely? Why, sir, it is clear that they are only waiting for the delivery of the presents to throw off the mask. Better would it have been had you allowed them to gut the fort and choose for themselves. In their eagerness for plunder, they would have lingered at least a couple of days behind, thus enabling you to effect your march without them. Better that, I say, than the suicidal course you have adopted; but far better still it were had you boldly resolved to defend the post to the last. Your daring and your determination would have awed the Indians. Your present evident weakness and vacillation but inspire contempt."

"Mr. McKenzie," said the captain, rising with strong indignation in his manner, "this language I may not, will not hear with impunity."

"Nay," continued the trader, "you shall hear, for I have a right to speak. By your conduct, all are imperilled. For the men it were not so bad; but the women! Indeed, no language can be too strong to express the dangers you have drawn around us all. Have you no thought of your own noble wife?"

The door opened, and Mrs. Headley stood once more before them, calm and composed, but with a countenance slightly flushed.

"Headley--Mr. McKenzie, excuse my intrusion, but I could not avoid overhearing this unpleasant argument, which can tend to no benefit in our strong emergency. Think me not bold if I intrude in this matter, and, as a woman who has passed not a few summers of existence in these wilds, offer my opinion. With you, Mr. McKenzie, I perfectly agree that it would be highly imprudent, in the present changed state of feeling of the Pottowatomies generally, to supply them with ammunition which may be used against ourselves, and, with Captain Headley on the other hand, deem that it would be impolitic to exasperate the young men by denying that which they now so confidently expect."

"And how, dear Ellen, would you solve the difficulty?" asked her husband, smiling.

Mr. McKenzie spoke not; but his eyes were bent upon her with mingled surprise, respect, and admiration.

"You may keep the word of promise to the ear, but break it to the hope," she replied. "Did you not say you had appointed to-morrow for the delivery of the presents?"

"I did. To-morrow at twelve. Everything will then be handed over."

"Then," resumed Mrs. Headley, "what more simple than to produce, among the other parcels, a single cask of powder and another of rum; and if asked why there is not more, to offer in excuse that you had not known your supply was so low. No doubt, Pee-to-tum and those who, with himself, are discontented, will express disappointment, even indignation; but that is a very secondary consideration, when we consider the importance of withholding the gift. One cask of powder and one of rum divided among four hundred warriors will not amount to much after all."

"All very well, Ellen; but what is to prevent them, if they fancy themselves duped, from forcing the store and discovering the deceit that has been practised? Then, indeed, will they have some just ground for their fury."

"I have provided against that," she replied. "I mean that Winnebeg shall call a council of his young men this night at twelve, so as to keep them away from the fort that they may not know what is going on; then, when all is still, the whole of the men can be employed in removing the casks of powder and liquor, rolling them some into the sallyport, and emptying their contents into the well, which you know is built there as a reservoir in the event of a siege; the remainder, conveyed through the northern gate, the heads knocked in, and the contents thrown into the river. If they should search, they will find nothing."

"Good!" said Winnebeg, who perfectly understood the proposition, and had listened to every word.

"Indeed, indeed, Mrs. Headley," remarked the trader, "who will not admit that there is more resource on an emergency in a woman's mind than in all our boasted wisdom put together? A better plan could not have been devised. You will adopt it, Captain Headley?"

"Most certainly," he said, fervently grasping the hand of his wife. "When did my Ellen ever fail to better my judgment by her sound advice?"

"And yet, but for our little misunderstanding, Captain Headley--a misunderstanding not personal, but simply of opinion--we should never have had the advantage of her most wise umpiry. This is certainly an illustration that good sometimes comes of evil."

"And now, gentlemen," said Mrs. Headley, playfully, "that I have conferred upon you the benefit of that wisdom you seem so properly to appreciate, I will again leave you to yourselves."

"God bless him!" said Winnebeg, as he took the hand that was again proffered to him in the most friendly manner.

"My ammunition and liquors must be destroyed in the same manner," said the trader, who now rose to take his leave. "Only three or four of my voyageurs are at home just now. You will allow some of your own men to assist them, Captain Headley."

"The moment the public stores are destroyed, they shall all do so," replied the captain; "the work cannot be too speedily done. Think you, Winnebeg, you can keep your young men in the encampment to-night?"

"Try him Gubbernor--call him council--speak him of march to Fort Wayne; spose young Ingin come, good--spose him no come, sleep till to-morrow."

"Very well, Winnebeg, you must arrange it as best you can, but contrive at least to keep them from prowling around the fort. At midnight, then, Mr. McKenzie, we shall commence the work of destruction. When you have made your own preparations, and wish to come in for aid, follow the subterranean passage that leads from the river near your warehouse to the sallyport; you will find the men there busily engaged, and ready for you the moment they have emptied the contents of our casks."

The commandant waved his hand in a familiar manner as he concluded, and the trader and the chief withdrew.