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"She send 'um word; say 'good by," he repeated. "What else did she say?" I demanded. "No say anyt'ing else: say 'good by." He turned upon me at that and I saw why he had kept his face averted. He had on the war paint of a Cherokee chief. "Uncanoola good Chelakee now," he grinned. "Help redcoat soldier find Captain Long-knife. Wah!"
But if our adventure should prove disastrous, Yeates and Uncanoola were to bide their time, striking in when and how they might. Touching this contingency, I drew the old man aside for a word in private. "If aught befall us, Ephraim, if we should be nabbed as we are like to be, you are not to let any hope of helping us lessen by a feather's weight the rescue chance of the women.
Our cunning ally timed his halting of the emissaries to a nicety, and when the three Cherokees drew rein they were within easy blade's reach. The powwow, lengthened by Uncanoola till we were near bursting with impatience, was spun out wordily, and presently we saw the pointing of it.
To offset this, the Catawba dropped out of line and disappeared; and when the Cherokees were no more than a hundred yards away, Uncanoola came in sight a like distance in the opposite direction, running easily down the path to meet the up-coming riders. Richard let slip an admiration-oath under his breath. "There's a fine bit of strategy for you!" he whispered.
So saying, he summoned the Catawba with a low whistle, and when Uncanoola joined us, told him to stay with Jennifer whilst we should make another effort to find the ford. "There's nobody like an Injun for a nuss when a man's chin-deep into trouble," quoth this wise old woodsman, when we were feeling our way cautiously along the margin of the swift little river.
For now the time was come for action, and I must needs be a man of blood and iron again. Lacking the Catawba to guide us, I doubt if either the old man or I could have found my rearguard's bivouac near the trail I had left. But Uncanoola led us straight through the pitchy darkness; and when we were come upon the three soldiers we found them all asleep around the handful of camp-fire.
Major Ferguson's tent was on a hillock some distance back from the stream, and thither we were conducted; we, I say, meaning Tybee and myself, for Uncanoola had disappeared like a whiff of smoke at our challenging on the sentry line. Late as it was, the major was up and hard at work.
"The Great War Chief," by which we understood he meant General Greene, "say all Catawba take war-path 'gainst redcoat; make Uncanoola headman; give um new name. Wah!" At this we shook hands with him again, well pleased that our stanch ally should have recognition at the hands of the general. Then I would ask if he were on the way to raise his tribesmen to fight with us.
Uncanoola has seen the Great Water: that make him have long eyes see heap things." "Will the Catawba tell the friend whose life he saved what he has seen?" "Uncanoola see heap things," he repeated. "See Captain Jennif' so" he threw himself flat upon the ground and pictured me a fugitive crawling snake-like through the underwood.
"I see," said I, wanting space to turn the memory leaves. "This Catawba: is he a man about my age?" Captain Forney laughed. "God He only knows an Indian's age. But Uncanoola has been a man grown these fifteen years or more. I can recall his coming to my father's house when I was but a little cadger."
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