The Little Red Foot

be shod, the evening previous, and was to rema

ear, murmurous with bees, and a sweet,

nd robins, which had arrived in April before the snow

vernal weather, so that observing folk, versed in the pretty signals which n

se being woods-and I was thinking about my crops, how that here should be sown buckwheat to break and mellow l

to hire of Andrew Bowman his fine span of white oxen for my spring plowing; when, of a sudden, through the May woods there grew upon the air a trembli

ron bell ringing on the n

my lips; my heart almost ceased for a

loaded rifle rested, and took it up and looked a

and melancholy quaver of the bell. The birds had become quiet; the breeze, too, died a

the bell's tolling seemed to transform the scene about me to a sunless waste, throu

nger to the dreary mourning of the bell, my eyes roving along the edges of the f

heon floor, laid upon it a sack of new bullets, a new canister of powder, a heap of buckskin

casins, an extra pair of deer-skin leggins, two cotton shirts, a hunting shirt of doe-skin, and a f

, which same was a hunting shirt of tow-cloth, s

t and hung it to my belt, hoisted the blanket pack to my shoulders and strapped it there; and, picking up rifle and hunting knife, I

eam to pass, lay straight before me due west,

ing in a spring near the door of her log house, and the wash a-bleaching

ws for me, J

. "Where is yo

is but just departed. Is it only a drill call

said I. "Are you a

Douw Fonda, arrived late last night with my man f

pen door of the log house. Her naked feet were snow-white; he

her face; then the tolling of the tocsin swam to her sleepy ears, a

taring about her; and I had never seen a wo

od in the dew listening, now gazing at the w

t of anger. I said to Mrs. Bowman

your shutters and draw water for your tubs. And keep your doo

fell to snatching her wash

nd looked at me. And I thought she

d she, "do you know

ke to learn less if you women do not

hawks out?"

t said I d

d have escort by the shor

m scarcely more," I added, turning away. But I lingere

egan timidly; bu

nst fire-arrows," said

rn to Caughnawaga. Will you guide

that bell?" I d

it. But I should

call," said I impatiently. "Go i

linen, ran into the house. The g

nked fingers. "I can not abandon him! I can not let him rem

I, "I would not take you or any oth

not,

that there is a painted war-party out between the Sacandaga and the Mohawk, I s

er; and her face seemed very still and white. Then Mrs. Bowman

all pulling war arrows out of our bodies while you sta

e, and asked me again to t

I flung my rifle to my shoulder and

e, the rising sun bright on her tangled hair, and her

ohn Putman, and found him already gone and hi

the Salisburys should be warned, and I told

" cried she. "The Bowmans are King's peop

torted warmly. "Dries Bowman is already

scolding her children, who, poor things, were striving at

wer Castle had painted themselves and were broken loose; and then I ran back along the spring path to th

s, but had no news, all being tranquil along Frenchman's Creek,

table Kaya

e! I have bolt

starve if I am sent on to Canada! Get you forward to St

ng his piece to his shoulder and br

r, I have smell Iroquois war paint since ver' long ti

k through the woods as s

As I sprang out of the edge of the woods and ran toward her, she wheeled Kaya, and I saw that it was the Caughnawaga wenc

a fury. "Dismount instantly f

ut, and struck my mare with both heels so

could not hope to overtake the mad wench

I dared not advance from where I stood, lest

Mayfield. A week since the Mohawks were talking to one another with fires on all these hills! Th

" said she with that same pale and frighte

o steal my hor

ome one would guide me afoot I would

to ride there in spite o' the

s,

marked him where I pleased. Never had I been in colder rage; never had I f

parley?"

peated. "How so,

to seize your bridle or touch you or my horse

me across the fallo

shall try only to find some way to serv

a troubled voice, "is this

ed my honour?" I

t stir as I advanced, though her

tly, and I saw she was younger even than I had thought,

e Grant, of Caug

s,

know w

, s

mile that none of my name had e

since there were wars on earth. I must go to Stoner's; I can not guide you to Caughnawaga through

mus

ohawk war par

mus

not wise. There are others of his kin to care for old Douw

se-"my honour, too, is engaged. Mr. Fonda, whom I serve, has made of me more than a servant. He uses me as a dau

to return within a week. I came to Fonda's Bush because Mr. Fonda desired me to visit

is brave old gentleman who lives all alone in his house at Caughnawaga, and nobo

r anything of the coquetry which Nick Stoner's story of

y suck-thumb to sit a-giggling at her knitting, surfeited with honeyed words that meant destruction;-

ou learn there that the Lower Castle Indians have painted for war, there is no hope of

rue," she

hen you shall remain at the Block House until it becomes po

s,

ng? And to place my horse in

s,

lf and take you to Cayadutta Lodge as soon as that proves possible. And I promise

ice of hers. Her eyes had the starry

heerfully. "Let me mount behind yo

to Kaya very gaily. And so we rode across my sunlit glebe and across the sugar-bush, where

refore had become contented in a measure, but when I dismounted she took the bridle with a glance tha

oking down at me from the saddle. "I shall

aid I cheerily. "Be kind to Kaya. She has a tender m

's neck and looked at me, the shy ca

and a quick kindness for this

I shall not forget you. You may gallop all the way on this soft wo

denly curve

ff at a gallop, her yellow hair loosened with the first bound of the horse, and flying

nd looked back at me, and sat so, stil

what Nick Stoner meant when he called this Scotch girl a disturber of