Annette - The Metis Spy

"Did you kill him, after all, mademoiselle?"

"No, Julie; the wretch is only shamming. I fired yards away from

him. Now let the other brave stand up, or the same fate awaits him,"

the girl cried; and, presenting a picture of abject terror, the

unfortunate redskin, who believed the third one shot at to be dead,

drew himself out of his covert, and, putting his leg upon the horse,

exposed himself to the pistol. Once more the bloodthirsty little

scout fired, and with an agonized yell, the Indian sprawled in the

marsh-mire. His leg he seized just above the knee, as if the bullet

had entered at that point.

"Is he hit?" whispered Julie.

"No, silly petite; he is also making believe. How well the two

rascals act their part. See the one playing dead. Well, we shall wait

long enough to see his imposture exposed. He is sinking fast in the

quagmire. His head is almost under now." She had scarce ceased, when

the redskin gave a convulsive start, resembling a dying spasm, and

got once more safely above the hungry swamp.

"He will continue to have the spasms right along," Julie whispered,

"while we stay here."

"Yes; but for the sake of the two wounded ones--I believe mine is

badly hurt--we shall ride away. But we must keep watch to-night,

Julie. I believe these two men will follow; and if they find us

sleeping, they will brain us." Then, turning to the tangle of

struggling horses and Indians, she said in a stern voice-"Some of you may only pretend that you have been wounded, and

purpose following us. But we shall keep strict watch, and woe unto

any one of you that we catch in pistol range again. We now leave

you." With these words the two sanguinary girls turned their horses,

and briskly rode away.

"What idiots they must have been to follow without fire-arms," Julie

said.

"Had we been armed only with hatchets, how different the case would

have been, enfant naif. You, child, may have considered this shedding

of blood unnecessary, and therefore cruel."

Oh, no; Julie did not think it so. La maitresse knew better than she

did.

"But there was only the choice between taking the method adopted,

and openly meeting the four Indians on terra firma, when probably all

the savages would have been killed; or, in the hurried shooting, we

might have missed the mark, and been cloven or speared."

"Where shall my mistress camp to-night?"

"I know an extensive bluff, and we could penetrate it far enough to

be tolerably safe from the braves."

When the upper rim of the sun burned like a semi-circlet of yellow,

quivering flame, above the far flat prairie, the girls turned their

horses towards a stretch of sombre wood that stood like a vast and

solemn congregation of cloaked men upon the level.