.^ 
 
Library of 
 The University of North Carolina 
 
 f- 
 
 COLLECTION OF 
 NORTH CAROLlXrAXA 
 
 •CTi. 
 
 KXDUWKD \\\ 
 JOHN SPRUNT HILL 
 
 of theCLassof LS89 
 
 ^ ^ \3 
 
 I r 
 
This book must' not 
 be taken from the 
 Library building. 
 
 THIS TIT! 
 
 : HAS BEEN MlCKOFtLMED 
 
 Form No. 471 
 
RED BELTS 
 
'*0n the ground lay Elsie Tonpit, hurled there by a bandit, 
 a huge brute of a man, bending over her/* 
 
RED BELTS 
 
 BY 
 
 HUGH PENDEXTER 
 
 FRONTISPIECE BY 
 
 RALPH FALLEN COLEMAN 
 
 GARDEN CITY NEW YORK 
 
 DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY 
 
 1920 
 
Copyright, 1920, hy 
 
 DOUBLEDAY, PaGE & CoMPANY 
 
 All rights reserved, inchiding that of 
 
 translation into foreign languages^ 
 
 including the Scandinavian 
 
 Copright, 1919, by The Ridgway Company 
 
 oC 
 
FOREWOED 
 
 1]^ 1784 North Carolina's share of the national debt was 
 a ninth, or about five millions of dollars — a prodigious 
 sum for a commonwealth just emerging from a colonial 
 chrysalis to raise. Yet North Carolina was more fortunate 
 than some of her sister debutantes into Statehood, in that she 
 possessed some twenty-nine million acres of virgin country 
 beyond the AUeghanies. This noble realm, from which the 
 State of Tennessee was to be fashioned, had been won by con- 
 fiscation and the rifles of the over-mountain settlers and had 
 cost North Carolina neither blood nor money. 
 
 The republic was too young to have developed coalescence. 
 A man might be a New Yorker, a New Englander, a Vir- 
 ginian and so on, but as yet seldom an American. The ma- 
 jority of the Northern representatives to the national Congress 
 believed the Union was full grown, geographically; that it 
 covered too much territory already. To all such narrow 
 visions the AUeghanies appealed as being the natural western 
 boundary. These conservatives insisted the future of the 
 country was to be found on the seaboard. 
 
 Charles III of Spain heartily approved of this policy of 
 restriction and set in motion his mighty machinery to pre- 
 vent further expansion of the United States. He knew the 
 stimuli for restoring his kingdom to a world plane could be 
 found only in his American possessions. 
 
 As a result of those sturdy adventurers, crossing the moun- 
 tains to plunge into the unknown, carried w^ith them scant en- 
 couragement from their home States or the central Govern- 
 ment. In truth, the national Congress was quite powerless 
 
 V 
 
vi rOREWOED 
 
 to protect its citizens. And this, perhaps, because the new 
 States had not yet fully evolved above the plan of Colonial 
 kinship. It was to be many years before the rights of States 
 gave way to the rights of the nation. The States were often 
 at odds with one another and would stand shoulder to shoulder 
 only in face of a general and overwhelming peril. 
 
 Spain, powerful, rapacious and cunning, stalked its prey 
 beyond the mountains. She dreamed of a new world empire, 
 with the capital at New Orleans, and her ambitions formed a 
 sombre back-curtain before which Creek and Cherokee war- 
 riors — some twenty thousand fighting men — manoeuvred to 
 stop the white settlers straggling over the Alleghanies. These 
 logical enemies of the newcomers were augmented by white 
 renegades, a general miscellany of outlaws, who took toll in 
 blood and treasure with a ferocity that had nothing to learn 
 from the red men. 
 
 So the over-mountain men had at their backs the indiffer- 
 ence of the seaboard. 
 
 Confronting them were ambuscades and torture. But there 
 was one factor which all the onslaughts of insidious intrigue 
 and bloody violence could not eliminate from the equation — 
 the spirit of the people. The soul of the freeman could not be 
 bought with foreign gold or consumed at the stake. Men died 
 back on the seaboard, and their deaths had only a biological 
 significance, but men were dying over the mountains whose 
 deaths will exert an influence for human betterment so long 
 as these United States of America shall exist. 
 
 The fires of sufi^ering, kindled on the western slopes of the 
 Alleghanies to sweep after the sun, contained the alchemy of 
 the spiritual and were to burn out the dross. From their 
 clean ashes a national spirit was to spring up, the harbinger 
 of a mighty people following a flag of many stars, another 
 incontestable proof that materiality can never satisfy the soul 
 of man. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTEB PAGE 
 
 I. From Over the Mountains 3 
 
 II. The Dead Are Dangerous 27 
 
 III. The Price of a Jug of Whisky 43 
 
 IV. For Watauga and America 68 
 
 Y. The Ancient Law 86 
 
 VI. On the White Path 106 
 
 VII. In the Maw of the Forest 125 
 
 VIII. The Emperor of the Creeks 142 
 
 IX. Polcher's Little Kuse 174 
 
 X. Through the Xeck of the Bottle . . . 197 
 
 XL Sevier Offers the Eed Ax 210 
 
 XIL ToNPiT Changes His Plans 226 
 
 XIII. The Sentence of the Wilderness . . . .237 
 
RED BELTS 
 
RED BELTS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 FROM OVER THE MOUNTAINS 
 
 WITH its sixty cabins and new log court-house Jones- 
 boro was the metropolis of the Watauga countr}'. 
 The settlers on the Holston and Nolichucky as a 
 rale lived on isolated farms, often entirely surrounded by the 
 mighty forest. Outside the tiny communities along these 
 three rivers the Western country was held by red men, wild 
 beasts and beastly white renegades. There were no printing- 
 presses, and it required thirty days for a backwoods horseman, 
 familiar with the difficult mountain trails, to make the State 
 capital five hundred miles away. 
 
 The Watauga region contained reckless and lawless men, 
 and anarchy would have reigned if not for the summary justice 
 occasionally worked by the backwoods tribunals. Ts"orth Car- 
 olina did not seem vitallv concerned about her children over 
 the mountains. Perhaps '^ step-children " would more nearly 
 describe the relationship, with the mother State playing the 
 role of an indifferent dame. 
 
 On a July morning in 1784 the usual bustle and indolence of 
 Jonesboro were in evidence. Men came and went in their 
 linsey trousers and buckskin hunting-shirts, some for the 
 fields, some for the chase. A group of idlers, scorning toil, 
 lounged before the long log tavern kept by Polcher, quarter- 
 blood Cherokee and whispered to be an agent of the gr=eat 
 Creek chief, McGlllivray. 
 
 3 
 
4 RED BELTS 
 
 The loungers were orderly enough, as a rnle^ almost secre- 
 tive in their bearing. Plotting mischief to be carried out un- 
 der the protection of night, honest men said. Polcher seemed 
 to have complete control of this class, and more than one 
 seriously minded settler in passing scowled blackly at the 
 silent group. 
 
 On this particular morning, however, Lon Hester was dis- 
 turbing the sinister quiet of the tavern with his boisterous 
 manners and veiled prophecies. He held an unsavoury repu- 
 tation for being strangely welcome among hostile Cherokees, 
 even free to come and go among the " Chickamaugas " — ren- 
 egade Cherokees, who under Dragging Canoe had withdrawn 
 to the lower Tennessee to wage implacable war against the 
 whites. 
 
 Polcher followed him anxiously from bar to door and back 
 again, endeavouring to confine his loose tongue to eulogies on 
 the rye whisky and the peach and apple brandy. The other 
 habitues saw the tavern-keeper was deeply worried at Hester's 
 babblings, yet he seemed to lack the courage to exert any rad- 
 ical restraint. 
 
 *"' Got Polcher all fussed up," whispered one with a broad 
 grin. 
 
 " He carries it too far," growled another. 
 
 Hester, reckless from drink, sensed his host's uneasiness and 
 took malicious delight in increasing it. Each time he came 
 to the door and Polcher followed at his heels, his hands 
 twisting nervously in the folds of his soiled apron, he would 
 wink knowingly at his mates and say enough to cause the tav- 
 ern-keeper to tremble with apprehension. 
 
 This baiting of the publican continued for nearly an hour, 
 and then Hester's drunken humour took a new slant. Reach- 
 ing the door, he wheeled on Polcher and viciously demanded : 
 
 "What ye trailin' me for? Think I'm only seven years 
 old ? Or be ye 'f raid ye won't git yer pay ? " 
 
FEOM OYEPi THE MOUNTAmS 5 
 
 " Now, now, Lon ! Is that the way to talk to your old 
 friend ? " soothed Polcher, fluttering a hand down the other's 
 sleeve. '^ There's some fried chicken and some bear meat in- 
 side, all steaming hot and waiting for you." Then, dropping 
 his voice and attempting to placate the perverse temper of the 
 man by adopting a confidential tone, he whispered, " And 
 there's things only you and me ought to talk about. You 
 haven't reported a word yet of all that Eed Hajason must have 
 said." 
 
 With a raucous laugh Hester openly jeered him, crying : 
 
 " It's ye'n me, eh ? When I quit here, it was ' Te do this ' 
 an' ' Ye do that.' Now we must keep things away from the 
 
 boys, eh ? ! When I git ready to talk to ye, 111 let ye 
 
 know. An', when I bring my talk to ye, mebbe it won't be me 
 that'll be takin' the orders." 
 
 " I've got some old apple brandy you never tasted," mur- 
 mured Polcher, trying to decoy him inside. 
 
 ^* Ye're a master hand to keep things to yerself," retorted 
 Hester, readjusting a long feather in his hat. " But mebbe, 
 now I've made this last trip, the brandy will be 'bout the only 
 thing ye can hoot 'bout as bein' all yer own." 
 
 Several of the group grinned broadly, finding only enjoy- 
 ment in the scene. 
 
 The majority, however, eyed the reckless speaker askance. 
 They knew his runaway tongue might easil}' involve them all 
 in a most unwholesome fashion. Polcher's saturnine face sud- 
 denly became all Indian in its malevolent expression, but by 
 a mighty effort he controlled himself and turned back into the 
 tavern. 
 
 Hester glanced after him and laughed sneeringly. As he 
 missed the expected applause from his mates, his mirth van- 
 ished, and dull rage filled his bloodshot eyes as he stared at 
 the silent men and saw by their downcast gaze that he was 
 rebuked. Standing with hands on his hips, he wagged his 
 
6 RED BELTS 
 
 head until tlie feather in his hat fell over one ear. In the 
 heraldry of the border the cock's feather advertised his prowess 
 as a nian-beater, insignia he would retain until a better man 
 bested him in the rough-and-tumble style of fighting that had 
 left him cock-of-the-walk. 
 
 " What's the matter with ye all ? " he growled, thrusting out 
 his under lip. " Don't like my talk, eh ? Ye're lowin' I 
 oughter be takin' orders from that sand-hiller in there ? Well, 
 I reckon I'm 'bout done takin' any lip from him. Ye'll find 
 it's me what will be givin' orders along the Watauga mighty 
 soon if — " 
 
 " For Gawd's sake, Lonny, stop ! " gasped a white-bearded 
 man. 
 
 " Who'll stop me ? " roared Hester, leaping from the door- 
 way and catching the speaker by the throat. " Mebbe ye 'low 
 it's ye who'll do the stoppin', Amos Thatch, with yer sly tricks 
 at forest-runnin'. Who ye workin' for, anyhow? Who gives 
 
 ye orders? yer old hide, I reckon ye're tryin' to carry 
 
 watter on both shoulders." 
 
 " Don't, Lonny ! " gasped Thatch, but making no effort to 
 escape or resent the cruel clutch on his throat. " Ye're f un- 
 nin', I know. Ye know I'm w^orkin' same's ye be." 
 
 " Workin' same as ye be, eh ? Ye old rip ! Fiddlin' round 
 in the same class that ye be, eh ? " 
 
 " Don't choke me ! Let's go inside an' have a drink. Too 
 many ears round here. Too near the court-house." 
 
 With a wdld laugh Hester threw him aside and derisively 
 mocked : 
 
 " Too near the court-house, is it ? Who cares for the court- 
 house ? " 
 
 And he gTimaced mockingly at the figure of a man busily 
 writing at a rough table by the open window. Then, believing 
 he must justify his display of independence, he turned to the 
 group and with drunken gravity declared : 
 
FEOM OYER THE MOUNTAINS 7 
 
 " The time's past, boys, when we have to hide an' snoop 
 round. There's a big change comin', an' them that's got the 
 nerve will come out on top. The time's past when court- 
 houses can skeer us into walkin' light when we feel like walkin' 
 heavy. I know. I've got news that'll — " 
 
 ^' Now, shut up ! " gritted Polcher, darting out the door 
 and whipping a butcher-knife from under his apron. " An- 
 other word and I'll slit your throat and be thanked by our 
 masters." 
 
 As Hester felt the knife prick the skin over his Adam's 
 apple, his jaw sagged in terror. Sobered by the assault, he 
 realized he had gone too far. Instantly the loungers crowded 
 about him to prevent outsiders from witnessing the tableau. 
 Old Thatch whispered : 
 
 " He's dirty drunk. ^ Nolichucky Jack ' must 'a' heard 
 some of it. I seen him stop writing and cock his ear." 
 
 " To with Chucky Jack ! " Hester feebly defied. " I 
 
 ain't said nothin'." 
 
 " If you had finished what you'd begun, you'd never said 
 anything more," hissed Polcher. " You can drink your skin 
 full every hour in the day, and that's all right. But you've 
 got to keep your trap closed. I've tried soft means, and now 
 I'm going to rip your insides out if you don't keep shut." 
 
 Hester glanced down at his own bony hands and the long 
 finger-nails, pared to points for the express purpose of scoop- 
 ing out an opponent's eyes, then shifted his gaze to the grim 
 faces of his companions. He read nothing but indorsement 
 for Polcher. 
 
 " I can't fight a whole crowd," he jerkily admitted. 
 
 " You don't have to fight none of us," warned Polcher, 
 lowering the knife and hiding it under his apron. ^^ All 
 you've got to do is to fight yourself, to keep your tongue from 
 wagging. You say you've brought something. Is it for 
 me?" 
 
8 EED BELTS 
 
 *^ No, it ain't for ye," sullenly retorted Hester, his small 
 eyes glowing niurderously. 
 
 " Then keep it for the right man. Don't go to peddling it 
 to Chucky Jack and all his friends/' said Polcher. 
 
 Glimpsing a stranger swinging down the brown trail that 
 answered for the settlement's one street, he motioned with his 
 head for the men to pass inside. To mollify the bully he 
 added — 
 
 '^ You understand, Lon, it's yourself as much as it's us 
 you'll be hurting by too much talk." 
 
 " It's that last drink of that peach brandy," mumbled 
 
 Hester. ^^ I'll stick to rye after this. I can carry that." 
 
 " Now you're talking like a man of sense," warmly ap- 
 proved Polcher, clapping him heartily on the shoulder. 
 " Lord, what fools we all be at times when we git too much 
 licker in. The boss combed me once till I thought he was go- 
 ing to kill me just because I got to speaking too free. Now 
 let's join the boys and try that rye." 
 
 ^ Outwardly amiable again, Hester followed him indoors ; 
 deep in his heart murder was sprouting. He knew Polcher 
 wished to pacify him, and this knowledge only fanned his 
 fury higher. And he knew Polcher had lied in confessing 
 to babbling, for the tavern-keeper's taciturnity, even when he 
 drank, was that of his Indian ancestors. 
 
 The whisky was passed, Polcher jovially proclaiming it was 
 his treat in honour of Hester's return from somewhere after a 
 month's absence. Hester tossed off his portion without a 
 word, now determined not to open his lips again except in 
 monosyllables. Old Thatch sought to arouse him to a pla3rful 
 mood with a chuckling reminder of some deviltry he had 
 played on a new settler over on the Holston. But even pride 
 in his evil exploits could not induce Hester to emerge from his 
 brooding meditations. 
 
FKOM OVER THE MOUNTAINS 9 
 
 For the first time since he had won the right to wear the 
 cock's feather he had been backed down — and, at that, in the 
 presence of the rough men he had domineered by his brutality. 
 Of course it was the knife that had done it, he told himself, 
 and jet he knew it was something besides the knife. If Old 
 Thatch had held a knife at his throat, he would have laughed 
 at him. No, it wasn't that; it was the discovery that there 
 dwelt in Polcher's obsequious form a man he had never sus- 
 pected. The knowledge enraged while subduing him. He 
 recalled former insolences to the tavern-keeper, his treatment 
 of him as if he were a humble servitor. 
 
 It was humiliating to know that, while he was sincere in his 
 behaviour, Polcher had played a part, had tricked him. He 
 knew that Polcher would gladly have him resume the role of 
 bullv, swear at him and treat him with disdain. He had no 
 doubt but that Polcher would meekly submit to such brow- 
 beating. But never again could he play the bully with Pol- 
 cher, and all this just because he understood how Polcher 
 had fooled him by submitting in the past. This was gall to 
 his little soul. The man he had looked down upon with con- 
 tempt had been his master all along. 
 
 His smouldering rage was all the more acute because he had 
 believed he had been the selected agent in mighty affairs; 
 whereas, he had acted simply as a messenger. On entering 
 the settlement early that morning he had smiled derisively at 
 beholding the tavern and the usual group before the door. He 
 had supposed himself miles above them in the secrets of the 
 great game about to be played. Now his self-sufficiency was 
 pricked and had deflated like a punctured bladder. 
 
 Being of cheap fibre, Hester had but one mental resource 
 to fall back upon : the burning lust to re-establish himself in 
 his owTi self-respect by killing Polcher. He had been grossly 
 deceived. He had been pennitted to believe — nay, even en- 
 couraged to believe — the breed was only the vintner to the 
 
10 EED BELTS 
 
 elect. It was while wallowing in the depths of this black 
 mood that the sunlight was blocked from the doorway by the 
 arrival of the stranger Polcher had glimpsed up the trail. 
 
 The newcomer paused and waited for the sunshine to leave 
 his eyes before entering the long and dimly lighted room. 
 His hunting-shirt was fringed and tasseled and encircled by a 
 bead-embroidered belt. From this hung a war-ax, severe in 
 design and bespeaking English make. His long dark hair 
 was topped with a cap of mink-skin. In his hand he carried 
 the small-bore rifle of the Kentuckians. The loungers drew 
 aside to both ends of the bar, leaving an open space for him. 
 He took in the room and its occupants with one wide, sweep- 
 ing glance ; hesitated, then advanced. 
 
 It maddened Hester to observe how servilely Polcher leaned 
 forward to take the stranger's order. The other men, seem- 
 ingly intent on their drink, quickly summed up the newcomer. 
 A forest-ranger fresh from Kentucky. He stood nearly six 
 feet in his moccasins and carried his head high as his grey 
 eyes ranged deliberately over the two groups before returning 
 to meet the bland gaze of Polcher. 
 
 In a drawling voice he informed — 
 
 " A little whisky." 
 
 " You've travelled far, sir," genially observed Polcher, his 
 Indian blood prompting him to deduce a long, hard trail from 
 the stained and worn garments. " That beadwork is Shaw- 
 nee, I take it." 
 
 " It was once worn by a Shawnee," grimly replied the 
 stranger. " Lost my horse a few miles back and had to hoof 
 it afoot." 
 
 " Virginy-born," murmured Polcher. ' 
 
 " Yes, I'm from old Virginy," proudly retorted the stranger, 
 tossing up his head. " A mighty fine State." 
 
 " Quite a number of ye Virginians seem keen to git clear 
 of her mighty fine State an' come down liere to squat on North 
 
FEOM OVER THE MOUNTAINS 11 
 
 CarTina land/' spoke up Hester, his insolent half-closed eyes 
 advertising mischief. 
 
 The newcomer slowly turned and eyed him curiously and 
 smiled faintly as he noted the cock's feather. And he quietly 
 reminded : 
 
 " The first settlers on the Watauga were Virginians. Wlien 
 they came here fourteen years ago, they reckoned they was on 
 soil owned by Virginy. I don't reckon North Car'lina lost 
 anything by their mistake." He threw off his drink and pro- 
 ceeded to deliver himself of the sting he had held in reserve. 
 " From what I hear, the Sand-hillers didn't care to come over 
 the mountains and face the Indians till after the Virginians 
 had made the country safe." 
 
 The two groups of men shifted nervously. Hester's eyes 
 flew open in amazement, then half-closed in satisfaction. 
 
 " The they had to wait for Virginy to blaze a trail ! " 
 
 he growled, slowly straightening up his long form and tip- 
 ping his hat and its belligerent feather down over one eye. 
 " An' where was ye, mister, when the first brave Virginians 
 kindly come over here to make things safe for North Car'- 
 lina ? " 
 
 "I was eleven years old, shooting squirrels in Virginy," 
 chuckled the stranger. 
 
 " An' wearin' a Shawnee belt ! Who give it to ye ? " 
 
 '^ The warrior who was through with it when I got through 
 with him. It happened up on the Ohio," was the smiling 
 response. ^' Anything else you'd like to ask ? " 
 
 "Killed a Injun, eh?" jeered Hester. "That's easy to 
 tell. Sure ye ain't the feller that licked the Iroquois all to 
 thunder ? No one here to prove ye didn't, ye know." 
 
 Toying with his empty glass, the stranger again surveyed 
 Hester, much as if the bully were some strange kind of insect. 
 He grimaced in disgust as he observed the long, pointed fin- 
 ger-nails. "One thing's certain," he drawled, "you never 
 
12 EED BELTS 
 
 fought no Iroquois, or they'd have them talons and that hair 
 of yours made into a necklace for some squaw to wear. Just 
 what is your fighting record, anyway ? " 
 
 " I ain't never been licked yet by anything on two kickers 
 atween here an' the French Broad/^ bellowed Hester, slouch- 
 ing forward, his hands held half open before him. Then he 
 flapped his arms and gave the sharp challenge of a game- 
 cock. " I'm Lon Hester, what trims 'em down when they're 
 too big an' pulls 'em out when they're too short." And again 
 he sounded his chanticleer's note. 
 
 " I'm Kirk Jackson, from the Shawnee country, and I 
 reckon it's high time your comb was out," was the even retort. 
 
 " Just a minute, gentlemen," purred Polcher, with a wink 
 at Hester. " Fun's fun, but, when you're armed with deadly 
 weapons, you might carry a joke too far. Before you start 
 fooling, let's put all weapons one side." 
 
 Jackson's brows contracted, but, as Hester promptly threw 
 a knife and pistol on the bar, the Virginian reluctantly stood 
 his rifle against the wall and hung his belt on it. It was ob- 
 vious he was regretting the situation. Hester read in it a sign 
 of cowardice and crowed exultingly. For a moment Jackson 
 stood with his gaze directed through the open door. Hester 
 believed he contemplated bolting and edged forward to inter- 
 cept him. What had attracted Jackson's gaze, however, was 
 the slim figure of a girl on horseback, and, as he stared, she 
 turned and glanced toward the tavern, and his grey eyes 
 lighted up with delighted recognition. 
 
 ^^ Take yer last peep on natur', 'cause I'm goin' to have both 
 of 'em," warned Hester, hitching forward stiff-legged, his 
 hands held wide for a blinding gouge. 
 
 " You dirty dog ! " gritted Jackson, his soul boiling with 
 fury at the brutality of the threat. 
 
 With a spring Hester leaped forward, his right hand hook- 
 
FEOM OVER THE MOUNTAINS 13 
 
 ing murderously close to the grey eyes. Jackson gave ground 
 and found himself with his back dangerously close to the 
 group at the end of the room. He could feel the men stiff- 
 ening behind him, and he believed they would play foul if 
 Hester needed assistance. As Hester made his second rush, 
 Jackson worked with both elbows and knocked two men away 
 from his back, sending one reeling against the wall, the other 
 against the bar. 
 
 Then he leaped high, his legs working like scissors, feinting 
 with his left foot and planting the right under the bully^s chin, 
 smashing the long teeth through the protruding tongue and 
 hurling him an inert mass against the base of the bar. 
 
 " No kickin' ! " yelled Old Thatch, puUing a knife. 
 
 " You played foul ! " roared Polcher, his suave mask drop- 
 ping and leaving his dark face openly hideous. " Shut that 
 door, boys ! " 
 
 The men at the upper end of the bar rushed to the door 
 and not only closed it but appropriated Jackson's rifle and 
 belt. There was a stir behind him, and Jackson leaped to the 
 end of the bar just vacated by the men. Here he wheeled 
 and snatched a five-gallon jug of brandy from the bar and 
 swung it high above his head. Then planting a foot on Hes- 
 ter's chest he warned : 
 
 " The first move made means I'll brain this dog at my feet 
 and then damage the rest of you as much as I can." 
 
 Polcher and his henchmen stood motionless, wrathfully re- 
 garding the man at bay. 
 
 ^^ You broke the rules by kicking," said Polcher. 
 
 " Eules, you miserable liar and scoundrel ! " hissed Jackson. 
 Then in a loud voice, '' Open that door and stand clear, or 
 I'll smash this punkin at my feet and rush you." 
 
 " One minute ! " softly said Polcher. And he whipped a 
 long pistol from under the bar and levelled it at Jackson. 
 *' You set that jug on the bar and do it soft-like. You've 
 
14 EED BELTS 
 
 played foul with my friend. He's going to have a fair shake 
 at you/' 
 
 " Just let me git at him ! " sobbed Hester from the floor. 
 " That's all I ask, bovs/' 
 
 " Before you can move that jug an inch, I'll shoot your 
 head off," warned Polcher. " Put the jug down and step to 
 the middle of the floor. No one will meddle while Mr. Hester 
 has a fair chance." 
 
 " Fair chance ? You low-down murderers ! Shoot and 
 be !" 
 
 " I'll count three — then I'll shoot. There's witnesses here 
 to say you come in drunk and hellin' for a row and got it. 
 One — two — " 
 
 " Drop that pistol, Polcher I " called a voice at the window. 
 
 The tavern-keeper glanced about and paled as he beheld the 
 muzzle of a long rifle creep in over the sill and bear upon him. 
 
 " If you'd said three, it would have been your last word on 
 earth." 
 
 Polcher lowered his weapon but protested : 
 
 " Look here, Sevier, this stranger has assaulted one of my 
 patrons. I propose to see they fight it out man-fashion." 
 
 " A man-fashion fight is a bit beyond your imagination," 
 was the grim reply. " Have that door opened and see the 
 stranger's rifle is stood outside. Be quick ! " 
 
 Polcher nodded to Old Thatch, who threw back the door^nd 
 passed the rifle and the belt. Jackson tingled with a fresh 
 shock as he glimpsed a slim brown hand receiving the weapons. 
 Then Sevier commanded: 
 
 " Now, young man, come out. If you want to be murdered, 
 there's a rare chance for vou anwhere alonof the border with- 
 out entering this hell-hole. Eemember, Polcher, you're a 
 dead man if a hand is raised against this guest of yours." 
 
 Jackson sprang through the door and closed it after him. 
 
FEOM OYER THE MOUNTAINS 15 
 
 The girl he had seen passing the tavern at the inception of the 
 brawl was waiting for him. 
 
 " Elsie ! '^ he whispered, relieving her of his weapons. 
 " I've just come from Charlotte, where I went to find you." 
 
 She was as fair as he was dark, and her blue eyes glistened 
 as he addressed her. Then she sighed, and an expression of 
 sadness overclouded her small face. 
 
 " I saw you for a second,'' she faltered. " It seemed impos- 
 sible it could be you. I knew you would have trouble when I 
 saw them close the door. I left my horse and called Mr. 
 Sevier. Kirk, I'm glad to see you — and I'm sorry you 
 
 came." 
 
 John Sevier, or Chucky Jack, as he was commonly called 
 after the Nolichucky Eiver he lived on, stepped round the cor- 
 ner of the tavern before Jackson could reply to the girl's con- 
 tradictory statement and brusquely called out : 
 
 " Come along. Miss Tonpit. And you, sir ; this is no place 
 for an honest man to linger in." 
 
 "I owe you thanks. I'll try to thank you later," said 
 Jackson. " I find Miss Tonpit is an old acquaintance — an 
 old friend — I'll walk home with her." 
 
 The girl cast a swift glance at Sevier and faintly shook her 
 head. Sevier tucked his arm through Jackson's and (juietly 
 insisted : 
 
 " You must come with me now ; Miss Tonpit is perfectly 
 safe — perfectly safe." 
 
 To Jackson's amazement the girl flushed, then turned pale 
 and ran to where her horse was tied to a tree. 
 
 " it, man ! Yirginians don't leave such matters to 
 
 chance," cried Jackson, tugging to release his arm. " The 
 young lady should be escorted home. This seems to be a des- 
 perate community." 
 
 " I, too, am a Yirginian," Sevier calmly reminded, tight- 
 
ii 
 
 16 EED BELTS 
 
 ening his hold en the other's arm. " And I know the com- 
 munity better than you do/' There was a peculiar hardness 
 in his voice as he added, " Miss Tonpit is perfectly safe in any 
 part of the Watauga settlements at any time of day or night, 
 providing her identity is known/' 
 
 Jackson stared savagely into Sevier's face and hoarsely de- 
 manded — 
 
 Just what do you mean by that ? " 
 
 Nothing to her hurt, God bless her ! " was the ready re- 
 sponse. " But this is no place to talk. If there was an ounce 
 of courage to go with the ton of hate back in the tavern, we'd 
 both be riddled with bullets before this. Step over to the 
 court-house where we can talk." 
 
 " But, Miss Tonpit ? She lives near here ? I shall have a 
 chance to see her again ? " 
 
 And Jackson held back and gazed after the girl, who was 
 now cantering up the trail towards the foot-hills. 
 
 " Every opportunity, I should say," assured Sevier, leading 
 the way into the court-house. " JSTow suppose you give an ac- 
 count of yourself. I'm sort of a justice of the peace here. 
 We're hungry for honest men, God knows. I believe you'll fit 
 in with the court-house crowd rather than with the tavern 
 crowd." 
 
 " But Elsie ? Miss Tonpit ? " 
 
 '^ Your story first," Sevier insisted, seating himself at the 
 table and motioning Jackson to a stool f asliioned from a solid 
 block of cedar. 
 
 Jackson surrendered and rapidly narrated : 
 
 ^^ I'm Kirk Jackson, Virginian. I met the Tonpits in 
 Charlotte a little over a year ago and fell in love with Miss 
 Elsie. I must confess my suit didn't progress as I had hoped. 
 I think her father was opposed. I can't blame him. Major 
 Tonpit's daughter can look higher than a forest-ranger. Any- 
 way, I went back to the Ohio country, where I had served un- 
 
FEOM OYER THE MOUNT AIXS IT 
 
 der George Rogers Clark. I'm just back from there. Ab- 
 sence had renewed my courage. 
 
 ^' I hurried back to Charlotte and learned the major had 
 moved over the mountains. My informant didn't know 
 whether he had made his new home in the Watauga district 
 or on the Holston. I saw and recognized her just as that 
 brute in the tavern was preparing to tear my eyes out. Now 
 tell me what you meant by saying she is safe anywhere here- 
 abouts, providing her identity is known." 
 
 Sevier drummed the table and frowned. Then he ex- 
 plained : 
 
 " John Tonpit, according to all indications, holds the whip- 
 hand over these scoundrels here. Thev serve him, I believe." 
 
 ^' Good heavens ! " Jackson weakly exclaimed. " Major 
 Tonpit, proud to arrogance — having truck with those scoun- 
 drels ? " 
 
 And he wondered if this were the girl's reason for pronounc- 
 ing his quest of her as hopeless. Then he rallied with the 
 buovancv of youth. If the onlv barrier between them was 
 some sinister business of her fathers, he would overcome it, 
 although great be her pride. 
 
 Can't you tell me something more definite ? " 
 
 iC 
 
 Sevier tapped a document on the table and replied : 
 " This is a petition I'm about to send to Governor Martin. 
 North Carolina is dumping criminals and trash upon us, and 
 we're asking for a superior court to handle their cases. The 
 Creeks, under Alexander McGillivray, are working day and 
 night to get the Cherokees to join them in a decisive war 
 against all settlers on the Watauga, the Holston and the 
 French Broad. The petition asks for power to raise militia 
 and for officers to lead the men." 
 
 " But how does Major Tonpit come into this ? " broke in 
 Jackson. " Tavern brawlers and hostile red men ! " 
 
18 EED BELTS 
 
 " I'm coming to that, if there is any that. The Creeks have 
 made a secret treaty with Spain. McGillivray pledges twenty 
 thousand warriors towards exterminating the Western settle- 
 ments.^' 
 
 " But you can't know that for a fact." 
 
 " You've been away the last year. You're out of touch with 
 affairs. The treaty was signed at Pensacola, June first, by 
 McGillivray on behalf of the Creek Nation and by Don Este- 
 phan Miro, Governor of West Florida and Louisiana, on be- 
 half of Spain." 
 
 Jackson was nonplussed by this intelligence. He gazed in 
 silence at the man across the table, whose words were building 
 a mighty barrier between him and the girl. Sevier's hand- 
 some face softened in sympathy. He was a tall, fair-skinned 
 man with an erect carriage, and his slender figure well set off 
 the hunting-shirt he invariably wore. Eager and impulsive 
 by nature, he was now holding himself in restraint because 
 he knew his revelations were so many blows at the young 
 ranger's happiness. 
 
 " The major fits into all this. Spain and the Creeks ? " 
 Jackson faintly asked. 
 
 " So I firmly believe. There is one flaw in the chain — 
 the Cherokees. For, while McGillivray has pledged twenty 
 thousand braves, his Creeks can't furnish any such a number 
 of fighting men. There are a few thousand Seminoles he 
 can get, but unless he lines up the Cherokee Nation he has 
 promised more warriors than he can call to the war-path. 
 One of the principal chiefs of the Cherokees, Old Tassel, is 
 holding off. He controls three thousand warriors. He wants 
 his lands back, but he wants to get them by peaceful measures. 
 
 " Major Tonpit has great influence with Old Tassel. Could 
 he swing him for a war against us, not only would his three 
 thousand fighting men be added to McGillivray's total, but the 
 rest of the Cherokee Nation, now hesitating, would gladly rush 
 
FROM OVER THE MOUNTAINS 19 
 
 in. Major Tonpit may supply the link to complete the chain. 
 It will be the weakest link in the chain, yet absolutely neces- 
 sary for McGillivray's success/' 
 
 " Tonpit a schemer for Spain ! " gasped Jackson. 
 
 Sevier frowned, then shrugged his shoulders and corrected : 
 
 " Scarcely a schemer. He isn't cold-blooded enough for 
 that. For a schemer you need a man of Polcher's cool mind. 
 Tonpit is flattered by attentions from royalty. He loves roy- 
 alty. His head is in the clouds of personal ambition. He 
 sees himself a dictator of a mighty province reaching from the 
 Alleghanies to the Mississippi. If put in as royal governor he 
 would rule supreme, he believes. 
 
 " I became suspicious when he gave up his comfortable home 
 in Charlotte and went to the State capital and then came out 
 here and made his home. Since being here, he has informed 
 Governor Martin that the Indians are friendly and desire 
 peace but that our settlers persist in stealing their lands and 
 abusing them. This has won him the friendship of Old Tas- 
 sel. Every talk Tassel has sent to the governor has been car- 
 ried by Tonpit." 
 
 " That's bad ! " cried Jackson. " But I can't make myself 
 believe he deliberately plots for Spain. Even in the national 
 Congress men are expressing different views as to what shall 
 be done with the region west of the mountains." 
 
 " True. And Major Tonpit takes the views of Charles III." 
 
 " But he may be friendly with Old Tassel and yet not be 
 working with the Creeks," persisted Jackson, trying to find 
 something favourable to say in behalf of Elsie's father. 
 
 " I know he is hand in glove with McGillivray," solemnly 
 declared Sevier. " I know McGillivray looks on him as a man 
 of insane ambitions but lacking balance. I know McGillivray 
 even now is holding back from war only because he is not quite 
 satisfied that Tonpit will live up to his agi'eements. It isn't 
 the major's heart or courage he d©ubts, but his lack of balance. 
 
20 RED BELTS 
 
 Once he gets what he believes to be a firm hold on Tonpit, 
 you'll see things begin to hum along the Holston and the Wa- 
 tauga." 
 
 Jackson shifted the trend of conversation^ seeking to find a 
 weak spot in Sevier's hypothesis. 
 
 " After all, McGillivray's probably over-rated. I never saw 
 an Indian yet who could plan a campaign and stick to it/' he 
 hopefully said. 
 
 Sevier smiled ruefully. 
 
 "You don't know Alexander McGillivray, who calls him- 
 self ^ Emperor' of the Creek Nation. His father was Lachlan 
 McGillivray, a Scotch trader. His half-breed mother was 
 of a powerful family of the Hutalgalgi, or Wind clan. Her 
 father was a French officer. McGillivray was educated at 
 Charleston and studied Latin and Greek as well as the usual 
 branches. He's a partner in the firm of Panton, Forbes and 
 Leslie in Pensacola. Naturally that firm has a monopoly of 
 the Creek trade. He's shrewd as a Scotchman, has the polish 
 of a Frenchman and is more cunning than any of his Indians. 
 He is an educated gentleman according to English standards. 
 He lives up to his title of ^ Emperor.' I must say this for 
 him : he's kind to captives and honestly tries to do away with 
 the usual Indian cruelties. 
 
 " Now to return to my petition to show where we fit in. 
 It's Old Tassel's deadly fear of the Watauga riflemen as much 
 as his desire for peace that is holding him back. And, if he 
 should die, his three thousand warriors would flock to Mc- 
 GilUvray at once. The renegade Cherokees, who call them- 
 selves Chickamaugas, are impatient to take the path. As 
 things are turning out, my riflemen aren't enough. They've 
 served without pay. The new settlers demand pay. We must 
 have power to raise and equip militia." 
 
 " I begin to understand," Jackson sadly admitted. " This 
 Polcher ? He must be active in anything evil.' 
 
 ?> 
 
FEOM OVEE THE MOUNTAINS 21 
 
 " He's cunning. His tavern is where messages are brought 
 and relayed on. If word comes to Tonpit, it is left at the 
 tavern and sent secretly. Look here, young man! Perhaps 
 I've talked more freely than I should. You're in love with 
 Miss Elsie, and you'd he a fool if you weren't. But that nat- 
 urally makes you wish to see things that exonerate the major. 
 Wander round and see and hear for yourself. In a few days, 
 maybe, I'll feel like telling 3^ou something else. Only remem- 
 ber this: Elsie Tonpit hasn't a better friend west of the 
 Alleghanies than John Sevier. By heavens! I'm a better 
 friend to her than her father is ! " 
 
 He clamped his lips together and began rereading the pe- 
 tition. 
 
 Jackson studied the strong visage with new interest. Sev- 
 ier's face reminded him strongly of Washington's in its Anglo- 
 Saxon lines of determination. But there was also a certain 
 mobility of expression, a mirroring of emotions, which came 
 from his French blood. He was a Virginian, and the young 
 ranger had heard his fame echoing up and down the lonely 
 Ohio. As ISTolichucky Jack — usually clipped to Chucky Jack 
 — his name was reputed to be worth a thousand rifles when 
 he took the field against the red men. 
 
 But it puzzled Jackson to understand how this man, a gen- 
 tleman born and bred, could have left the solid comforts of his 
 home at Newmarket in the beautiful valley of the Shenandoah, 
 thrust behind him positive assurances of great political ad- 
 vancement, cast off the social prominence he so naturally 
 graced and bring his Bonnie Kate to the lonely country of the 
 Nolichucky. 
 
 Jackson's material mind had taught him that one fought 
 Indians because one must, not from choice. A beautiful and 
 devoted wife and ample fortune appealed to the young ranger 
 as being the goal in life. It never entered his process of 
 
22 RED BELTS 
 
 reasoning that Destiny transplants men to obtain results, just 
 as Nature supplies seeds with methods of locomotion so that 
 new regions may be fructified. The vital incentive for Jack- 
 son's admiration for the man was not his sacrifices but rather 
 his knowledge that Chucky Jack had invented a new style of 
 forest-fighting. 
 
 He could not know that in his lifetime a certain Corsican 
 would utilize the same tactics in overrunning Europe : namely, 
 the hurling of a small force with irresistible momentum and 
 the achieving of greater results thereby than by the leisurely 
 employment of large bodies of soldiery. The border already 
 rang with the victories of Chucky Jack, who was to fight thir- 
 ty-odd battles with the red men and never suffer a defeat; 
 whose coming to the Watauga country marked the passing of 
 defensive warfare and instituted the offensive. 
 
 " Yes, it's natural that you should try to think leniently of 
 Major Tonpit," murmured Sevier without raising his eyes 
 from the petition. 
 
 Jackson flushed and coldly replied : 
 
 " I am a Virginian, first and last. I have nothing to do 
 with the Spanish King." 
 
 " We soon must begin to call ourselves Americans — if 
 we wouldn't bend the knee to Spain," gently corrected Sevier 
 with a whimsical smile. 
 
 "Of course," agreed Jackson. " We're all Americans now. 
 But first we are Virginians, I take it." 
 
 Sevier rose and stood at the window and stared thought- 
 fully across the valley and spoke as one repeating articles of 
 faith in the privacy of his chamber : 
 
 " Virginians when we were colonials, but now Americans 
 first and last — if this republic is to endure. If this union 
 of States is to last, we must forget our former identity; we 
 must be merged in one compact body and be known as Amer- 
 icans. Well, well. It will all come some day, please God ! " 
 
FKOM OVEK THE MOUNTAINS 23 
 
 He broke off and leaned from the window and called out : 
 
 " Ho, Major Hubbard ! Step here a minute." 
 
 Jackson saw a tall figure in forest dress turn in the trail 
 leading to the woods. As the man came toward the court- 
 house, he beheld a dark, gloomy face, a countenance he could 
 never imagine as being lighted with a smile. Hubbard came 
 up to the window, and Sevier said : 
 
 " Mr. Jackson, step here, please. Meet Major James Hub- 
 bard. Major, this is Kirk Jackson, fresh from the Shawnee 
 country and come to live with us." 
 
 Hubbard's face glowed with passion, and he clutched Jack- 
 son's hand fiercely and cried: 
 
 " The Shawnees ! I envy you your chance, sir." 
 
 Sevier gently nudged Jackson to stand aside and, leaning 
 from the window, muttered: 
 
 " Major, times are ticklish. Any little break will mean ruin 
 to many cabins. Eemember ! " 
 
 Hubbard made some reply inaudible to Jackson. In a freer 
 tone Sevier asked — 
 
 ^^ What is the latest news ? " 
 
 " That mixed-blood, John Watts, and his Chicka- 
 
 maugas have gone to water. They'll be raiding the French 
 Broad and Holston next." 
 
 Sevier pursed his lips musingly and said: 
 
 " AVe must have more men, more arms and money. North 
 Carolina must act on my petition." 
 
 Hubbard laughed harshly and sneered: 
 
 " Why should they give money when you've always been 
 ready to foot the bills? Ask them for money, and they'll 
 tell you that the Indians — curse them, curse them — are 
 friendly and much abused. And they'll leave you to pay the 
 shot." 
 
 " I can't pay again. I've spent my all," Sevier quietly an- 
 swered. " But I'm hopeful the State will show common sense. 
 
24 RED BELTS 
 
 Xorth Carolina must realize we're no longer able to handle 
 the criminals pouring over the mountains without courts; 
 that we're unable to stand off the Creek Nation once the 
 Cherokees join it. Old Tassel can't always hold his three 
 thousand in check." 
 
 " His chiefs rebel. Many of his young warriors are steal- 
 ing away to go to water and follow ^Yatts/' was the gloomy re- 
 sponse. 
 
 A few words more and Hubbard returned to the trail and 
 struck off for the forest. Sevier stood and looked after him 
 uneasily. Wheeling about, his face betrayed his anxiety and 
 prompted Jackson to ask: 
 
 " What's the matter with him ? Any relation to Hub- 
 bard, the Injun-killer, we heard about up on the Ohio ? " 
 
 " He is the killer. He's killed more Cherokees than any 
 other three men on the border. His family was wiped out by 
 Shawnees back in Virginia. You can't make him believe any 
 Indian should be allowed to live. And he worries me. Now 
 he's off to scout the forest. It only needs the killing of an 
 Indian or so to explode the powder under our feet. Huh! 
 I wish he had not gone." 
 
 " He had news ? " 
 
 " Nothing more than we've suspected for a year. John 
 Watts is always ready to take the path. He's the shrewdest 
 of the Cherokee leaders. If Old Tassel loses his grip or should 
 decide that peace doesn't pay — ^" 
 
 His French blood found expression in an outward gesture 
 of the hands as he dropped down at the table. 
 
 Toying with the petition and speaking his thoughts aloud, 
 he ran on : 
 
 " But Major Hubbard wants war. He's inclined to look 
 on the dark side of things. Tush! The State by this time 
 realizes what we've won for her without an ounce of help. 
 Pure selfishness will compel the Legislature to send us the 
 
FEOM OVER THE MOUXTAI^^S 25 
 
 necessary aid. Ha! There's news, by heavens! The Cher- 
 okees must have struck ! " 
 
 It was the distant clatter of flying hoofs. Sevier dropped 
 through the window with Jackson at his heels. Polcher and 
 his henchmen were piling from the tavern and staring toward 
 the mountains. Some one was riding at top speed from the 
 east. 
 
 Although the rider might be bringing the fate of a conti- 
 nent, Jackson's first interest was in a man and woman canter- 
 ing up the trail from the opposite direction. Instead of 
 watching for the furious rider, he had eyes only for the two. 
 The man was tall and gaunt and of haughty bearing, his 
 sharp, cold face swinging from side to side as if he were the 
 master riding among slaves. The girl was his daughter, Elsie 
 Tonpit. The young Virginian forgot the approaching mes- 
 senger and ran toward the couple, his heart beating tumul- 
 tuously. 
 
 To his glad surprise Tonpit greeted him with a shadowy 
 smile and stretched out a hand in welcome. The girl, how- 
 ever, betrayed symptoms of alarm instead of being pleased by 
 her father's attempt at cordiality. She even sought to evade 
 the fond gaze of her lover and glanced apprehensively toward 
 the court-house. Jackson knew in a moment that she felt 
 shame for what she believed Sevier had told him. 
 
 " When Elsie informed me you were in Jonesboro, Mr. Jack- 
 son, I set out to find you,'^ Tonpit now^ delighted the young 
 man by saying. 
 
 " I have to thank her and Sevier for rescuing me from a 
 ridiculous position," he blurted out and then bit his tongue 
 for having uttered the words. 
 
 ^^ Ha ! How is that ? " coldly demanded Tonpit, but with 
 his gaze seeking a glimpse of the rider, now well among the 
 cabins. 
 
 " The men in the tavern were taking advantage of their 
 
26 RED BELTS 
 
 numbers/' quickly spoke up the girl. " The man called Hes- 
 ter was the ringleader, I should say." 
 
 ^' This is the first time you've said anything about it," mur- 
 mured her father, his eyes now lighting as they focussed on 
 the bobbing figure of the horseman. 
 
 " It only needed Mr. Sevier's command to relieve Mr. Jack- 
 son of any embarrassment," she awkwardly explained. 
 
 Tonpit's thin visage grew cold with hate. 
 
 " I and my friends refuse to be beholden to this man 
 Sevier," he harshly warned. 
 
 And, touching spur to his mount, he beckoned the girl to 
 follow him and darted toward the tavern. With one back- 
 ward glance she rode after him. 
 
 Jackson ran forward, as did Sevier, as the rider reined in 
 before the tavern door and wearily dismounted. From all 
 quarters came the settlers and their families. Polcher 
 brought out a pitcher of brandy, and the messenger drank 
 deeply. Then jumping on a horse-block he waved a paper 
 in his hand and cried out — 
 
 " For Chucky Jack ! " 
 
 " Here ! " called Sevier from the edge of the crowd. 
 
 The missive was tossed into his outstretched hand. As he 
 was breaking the seal, the messenger drew a deep breath, 
 waved his arms for silence and shouted — 
 
 " North Carolina has ceded us to the central Government 
 to pay for her part of the war debt ! " 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 THE DEAD ARE DAXGEKOUS 
 
 WITH a low word for his daughter to follow him Ton- 
 pit backed his horse clear from the crowd and 
 spurred away. For sixty seconds the astounded 
 gathering remained motionless. Sevier stared incredulously 
 at the message, while his neighbours gazed stupidly at the dusty 
 messenger. All felt as if they had been abandoned in the 
 wilderness without shelter or means of self-defence. True, 
 the over-mountain men had always fought their own way and 
 financed their own campaigns, yet in the back of their minds 
 was ever the thought that, should a crisis come, the mother 
 State must aid them. 
 
 That a crisis was imminent was evidenced by Chucky 
 Jack's open mention of his petition for soldiers. Chucky 
 Jack was worth many riflemen and had whipped the Indians 
 many times. All the more proof that the settlements must 
 be in desperate straits when he was impelled to beseech help. 
 And of a sudden they were disowned; there was no mother 
 State, no slumbering asset they could call to life. 
 
 Sevier had not talked much about the possibility of Creeks 
 and Cherokees uniting, but the petition, coupled with whis- 
 pered rumours seeping through the cabins, now brought mor- 
 bid speculations. How many Indians would come and when, 
 were the questions more than one man and woman asked them- 
 selves. Who would go to hold the line on the French Broad so 
 that the red raiders might not penetrate to the Watauga? 
 
 Jackson watched Tonpit ride hastily away, followed by El- 
 sie, and he fancied he beheld elation in the man's hard visage 
 
 27 
 
28 EED BELTS 
 
 and sorrow in the girl's gentle face. It was quite a coinci- 
 dence, too, that Major Tonpit should ride forth just in time to 
 learn the momentous news — unless he had been expecting it 
 and came purposely to hear it. His prompt return home gave 
 colour to the suspicion. 
 
 The young Virginian shifted his attention to Chucky Jack. 
 Sevier perused the message for the second time, crumpled it 
 into a ball as if to hurl it from him, thought better of it and 
 tucked it inside his buckskin shirt and called to the assem- 
 blage : 
 
 " Women and men of the Watauga, North Carolina will 
 have none of us. We're shoved through the door and told to 
 shift for ourselves. To be exact, we're told to look to the 
 central Government for protection. And, as you know, the 
 ink is scarcely dry on the petition I was about to send to the 
 Legislature, asking for courts and militia. 
 
 "Without consulting one of the twenty-five thousand set- 
 tlers on this side of the mountains, North Carolina chooses to 
 pay her share of the national debt by the simple process of 
 ceding us to Congress. She proposes to pay her debts with 
 lands we won by rifle and ax. The act was passed by the 
 Legislature a month ago, and for thirty days, while the mes- 
 senger was bringing the news, we have been set off from North 
 Carolina. 
 
 " During those thirty days our plight has been as serious as 
 it is now, only, not knowing the truth, we worried but little. 
 This fact should teach us that we can care for ourselves dur- 
 ing the next thirty days, and so on, until there is no dan- 
 ger from the Indians along our border. So I ask you to 
 be of brave heart and to remember the Watauga people 
 always have had to hoe their own row. Please God we can 
 keep on. 
 
 " A year or two ago this message would have worried me 
 none. I could send out the call, and my old friends would 
 
THE DEAD AEE DANGEROUS 29 
 
 respond overnight, as fast as horseflesh could fetch them. If 
 an Indian war comes now, it will be more serious than what 
 we've experienced in the past but nothing that our rifles can 
 not blast away. I still can count on my friends and old com- 
 panions-in-arms. Of the newcomers who have come to us in 
 such numbers I am not so sure." 
 
 And he paused to dart a lightning glance at Polcher and 
 his cronies pressed about the tavern door. 
 
 '^ The national Congress oughter help us," piped up an old 
 man. 
 
 " It would be glad to. But the national Government, while 
 empowered to lev}'- armies, can not compel a single State to 
 furnish a soldier," Sevier reminded. " The national Govern- 
 ment can do only what the States will permit it to do. Last 
 year several hundred soldiers stormed the very doors of Con- 
 gress and demanded their over-due pay, and Congress was 
 unable to escape the mob's demands. There wiU come a time 
 when our Congress will have the power to protect its citizens 
 in this, or in any other, land. But not now." 
 
 " If not now, then by the Eternal, men of Watauga, there 
 is one power that can defend us ! " cried Polcher from the 
 tavern doorway. " And we have only to ask to be freed from 
 either Creek or Cherokee." 
 
 " Aye ! Aye ! Spain looks after its own ! " cried another of 
 the tavern coterie. 
 
 '' So does the devil ! " thundered Sevier, enraged at Pol- 
 cher's making the Creek menace common property. " "We'll 
 get nothing from Spain only as we pay dearly for it. And 
 remember, there can be no danger from the Creeks except as 
 Spain sets the mischief afoot. All who would be free and 
 live in security follow me to the court-house. Messengers 
 must be sent out; delegates must be elected and called here." 
 
 " AVhat's yer plan ? " hooted a tavern fellow. 
 My plan is to form a Government of our own and to be 
 
 li 
 
o 
 
 KED BELTS 
 
 admitted into the Union as a separate State ! " retorted 
 Sevier in a ringing voice. 
 
 The decent element raised a hoarse cheer, and faces hereto- 
 fore gloomy became inspired. Polcher quickly warned: 
 
 " Vermont's been trying to be admitted ever since 1776. 
 We can't stand on air, neither one thing nor another. Spain 
 will protect us and give us justice. If she should fail, we 
 could turn to and drive her into the gulf ! " 
 
 " The time to drive her into the gulf is before you slip on 
 her yoke ! " shouted Sevier. " And, if we're able to do that 
 same thing, why seek her protection ? To the court-house ! " 
 
 The women gathered in knots to discuss the startling news. 
 The men followed their old leader. Jackson remained outside 
 the court-house, watching the scene. His experience with 
 Kentuckians on the Ohio had taught him the feeble central 
 Government was powerless to function in a crisis like this — 
 and this because the thirteen States retained the mental atti- 
 tude of the thirteen colonies. 
 
 Polcher's advocacy of accepting the protection of Spain 
 was not painfully repugnant to Jackson, no more than it was 
 to some others west of the mountains, who believed themselves 
 forsaken and left to shape their own destiny. When it hurt, 
 it hurt pride, not a national spirit. He repudiated the idea 
 because of an instinctive dislike to domination by any foreign 
 power. His sense of Americanism was not shocked as Sevier's 
 was, for the union Polcher openly urged, and which John 
 Tonpit was suspected of secretly promoting, simply meant a 
 political affiliation and not the death of national ideals, the 
 seeds of which were scarcely sown. 
 
 Jackson, however, firmly opposed the project, for his fore- 
 bears had come to America to escape overlords. Then again 
 common sense told him the law of compensation would decree 
 that Spain's proteges must pay Spain's price. 
 
 Being in this frame of mind, he saw no reason why he 
 
THE DEAD AEE DAXGEEOUS 31 
 
 should not play his luck by accepting Tonpit's courteous de- 
 meanour at full face-value and profit by it to the extent of 
 wooing his daughter. His last meeting with Tonpit before 
 going to the Ohio country convinced him his suit was frowned 
 upon. Xow, with the father's smile still soothing him, with 
 a vivid picture of Elsie's shy, backward glance, he had small 
 liking for the court-house and its Jumble of loud-voiced 
 phillipics against Spain and North Carolina. The situation 
 was localized in his estimation. And yet he hesitated, his 
 loyalty to Sevier, whom he had known for only a few hours, 
 holding him back. 
 
 Polcher came from the tavern with Lon Hester, and Jack- 
 son thrust his thumbs into his belt and strode toward them, 
 thinking it timely to conclude the morning's one-sided argu- 
 ment. But Polcher said some hurried words to the bullv, 
 who turned and hastened down the trail, while the tavern- 
 keeper himself affected to ignore the truculent ranger and 
 strolled toward the court-house. Jackson turned to follow 
 him, only to behold the people pouring from the building. 
 There came staccato commands, and a score of men flew to 
 their horses and rode awav. 
 
 The Virginian breathed in relief. It was not necessary 
 for him to choose between love and duty. Chucky Jack had 
 rushed matters through with his characteristic energy, and 
 the messengers were off to arrange for the election of dele- 
 gates. The tavern-keeper, too, was no longer visible, and with 
 nothing to detain him Jackson took the trail to the south, his 
 heart as light as his moccasined feet. 
 
 What recked youth in love-time even if the fate of the 
 Anglo-Saxon race in America were at stake ! Ever thus does 
 youth help shape the course of political evolution, help win a 
 world without realizing the achievement, and only ask in the 
 midst of astounding events that the heart of a simple maid 
 be won. 
 
32 RED BELTS 
 
 The dalliance of the young man's thoughts blinded him, 
 and his feet followed the rough path unguided by his eyes. 
 Some premonition that she was near was what finally 
 awakened him from his smiling reverie. He halted and threw 
 back his head with a jerk. Tonpit's commodious cabin stood 
 in from the trail, surrounded by clumps of cedar and bass- 
 wood. Within ten feet of the ranger stood Elsie. 
 
 Jackson reddened with confusion. He knew he had been 
 smiling as he came down the trail, and the restrained merri- 
 ment tugging the corners of her mouth proclaimed her a wit- 
 ness to his deportment. He felt as sheepish as if she had 
 detected him making faces at himself in a mirror. 
 
 " Elsie, I've come all the way from the Ohio to win the 
 privilege of calling you sweetheart," he hurriedly greeted. 
 
 She cast an apprehensive glance toward the house. 
 
 "I like you, Kirk. You know how much," she wistfully 
 began. "My father — " 
 
 " He seemed glad to see me," he completed as she hesitated. 
 
 And he gained her side and took her hands in his. 
 
 " He is glad to see few men," she warned. " He loves me, 
 but to others he's cold." 
 
 " Politics," assured Jackson. " Big men always have 
 political bees swarming through their heads. I wouldn't give 
 a beaver's pelt for all the political power they can develop in 
 this whole country. I'm a free man, and you're a free maid, 
 and your politician is a slave. And you must love me, dear." 
 
 " And I'm a free maid, and I must," she quoted, drawing 
 him out of range of the cabin. 
 
 " Elsie, not another step till I know," he whispered. " I 
 asked myself every step from the falls of the Ohio, but now, 
 you must — please ! " 
 
 " Then I must if I must," she murmured, dancing ahead 
 toward a natural arbour. 
 
 " Wait ! " he cried. " I bring a belt from the Ohio to the 
 
THE DEAD AEE DAXGEEOUS 33 
 
 dearest little girl in the world. It shows a white road leading 
 to a little cabin, which shall be the happiest home in all the 
 col — I mean the States.'^ 
 
 She seated herself on a log and he kneeled by her side. 
 She remained silent, her eyes averted to hide her glorious 
 confusion. 
 
 ^^ I've brought my talk," he whispered. " What does the 
 wonderful little woman say to it? Does she pick up the belt, 
 the white wampum, the one road leading to the cabin ? '* 
 
 " I like your talk,'^ she confessed. " Oh, I like it more 
 than you can ever know. Kirk. But my father — he won't 
 let me pick your belt up," 
 
 " I'm not asking your father to marry me," he reminded. 
 
 " Don't speak in that voice," she whimpered, wilting against 
 him. ^^ Kirk, dear ! I'm miserable. Ever since coming over 
 the mountains I've sensed poison in the air." 
 
 He patted her hair and waited for her to continue. 
 
 " It's something I can't understand. It's something 
 that keeps my father up all night, walking his room. And 
 yet, when I go to him, it's to always find him strangely 
 exalted." 
 
 " Politics," he belittled. " What has that to do with our 
 love ? " 
 
 She lifted her head and revealed eyes round with fear and 
 warned : 
 
 " But it does ! It concerns our happiness deeply. Not 
 that he has said anything. Xot that his love for me ever 
 changes — " 
 
 " Good Lord ! Love for you — change ? " he gasped. 
 
 " I say it hasn't, you silly. But after the messenger came 
 .and we were riding home, he asked me if I would make a 
 sacrifice for him. He didn't say what but gave me to under- 
 stand it would be only for a short time. jSTow I'll make any 
 sacrifice for my father, only — " 
 
34 RED BELTS 
 
 She persisted in her silence, and he gravely prompted — 
 
 "Go on, sweetheart." 
 
 " Only I must know it will help him.'^ 
 
 " Tell me what he asked you to do and let me be the 
 judge." 
 
 " He's asked nothing as yet. I think he plans to tell me 
 tonight. He said something about my understanding every- 
 thing tonight. Since then he's been in his room, whistling 
 and singing. Never in my life have I heard him whistle or 
 sing before. And, do you know, he has a beautiful voice — 
 and I never knew it before." 
 
 " When a man can sing and whistle, he can't be planning 
 to ask much of a sacrifice of his daughter." 
 
 " Oh, I'm not fearing what he may ask. He's been a good 
 father to me. I must be perfectly loyal to him in my heart. 
 I only wish he didn't have men come to see him — that is, 
 certain kind of men." 
 
 She gave him an odd look, then, forgetting the house was 
 hidden by the trees, she gazed over his shoulder. He was 
 quick to detect the glint of alarm in her eyes and asked — 
 
 " Who's with him now ? " 
 
 " Nay, you must not ask me. That would mean I was 
 spying on him. Doubtless I'm very silly. I shall know all 
 tonight. Tomorrow, if we should meet alone, I'll perhaps be 
 able to tell you." 
 
 " We certainly shall meet alone," he promised. " But why 
 wait till tomorrow? Why not this afternoon or tonight? I 
 sha'n't sleep a wink if I have to wait till tomorrow. WTiy 
 not here ? " 
 
 " Oh, I couldn't, Kirk," she protested. In the next breath 
 she filled him with ecstasy by declaring, " And yet I will if 
 possible. Tonight — come when the moon is clearing the 
 forest, two hours before midnight. He always goes to his 
 room at that hour. I shall be here on the hour and will wait 
 
THE DEAD ARE DAXGEEOUS 35 
 
 for you, but you mustn't wait for me. I shall come promptly 
 or not at all." 
 
 '•' But if I come and you're not here — " he began com- 
 plaining. 
 
 " Hush, silly. I'll leave a note on this very log. Don't 
 wait if I'm not here. Don't wait if the note is not here. It 
 will simply mean I couldn't leave the house without disturbing 
 him." 
 
 " Why couldn't I call at the house ? " 
 
 " Oh, no ! ]N'ot at the house," she hurriedly cried. 
 '' Promise ? " 
 
 '" Very well. I'll come as far as this arbour." 
 
 " Xow, don't be ugly. Some time you can come to a house 
 and know you'll always find me — " 
 
 " You darling ! " he softly exulted. 
 
 She lifted her head from his shoulder and touched a finger 
 to his lips. A voice was calling her name. 
 
 " It's father," she warned, unwarrantably alarmed her lover 
 thought. 
 
 He made to walk a bit with her, but she gently pushed him 
 back into the arbour. Then, giving him her lips, she ran to 
 the house. 
 
 He should have walked the skies as he returned to the 
 settlement, but somehow complete happiness was held in abey- 
 ance until he could learn what it was that Tonpit was to ask 
 of his daughter. His peace of mind could not return until 
 he had seen her again and learned the truth. He had worried 
 none while with her, for joy had destroyed perspective and 
 dulled imagination. He had actually lived in the present, 
 taking toll of each delicious minute. Xow he was recalling 
 her father's reputation as a man of mystery. 
 
 Back east, before his last trip to the Shawnee country, he 
 had heard strange remarks concerning John Tonpit. Here in 
 Jonesboro the talk was resumed. He could remember when 
 
36 RED BELTS 
 
 Tonpit was counted a poor man, but now he seemed to be 
 above want. The sordid fact angered him by persisting in 
 invading his speculations. John Sevier had the right of it 
 in sa}dng Tonpit was engaged in a conspiracy — no doubt 
 about that. But it was left for the girl herself to hint that 
 she might be involved in his wretched schemes. 
 
 " his beastly ambitions ! ^' growled Jackson, turning 
 
 from the trail and throwing himself under a clump of willows. 
 
 He lighted his pipe and smoked it empty before recovering 
 any of his natural optimism. After all, he told himself, a 
 father could not be unnatural with his only child. Tonpit's 
 mode of address, even when talking to Elsie, was harsh. That 
 characteristic induced one to attach undue significance to his 
 simplest statements. The girl had permitted his solemn as- 
 sertions to carry too much weight. She had confused the 
 austere vehicle of his spoken thoughts with the simple mean- 
 ing of his words. 
 
 " He's a queer one," Jackson admitted as he stowed his 
 pipe preparatory to resuming his walk back to the settlement. 
 '^ I can imagine the poor child being thrown into a panic by 
 his cold voice announcing it's going to rain tomorrow." 
 
 He chuckled a bit at this caricature of the maid's awe, then 
 fell back under the willows as the long shadow of a man fell 
 across the sunlight within a few feet of him. Walking noise- 
 lessly, the stealthy figure of Lon Hester swung by. 
 
 For a moment Jackson was tempted to accost him and 
 conclude the little argument started in the tavern. But his 
 impulse vanished because of wonderment at the bully's 
 presence at this end of the settlement. The tavern was his 
 proper habitat. Again he saw Polcher whispering in the 
 bully's ear and saw the latter set out afoot with the purposeful 
 step of one going on an important errand. Linked up to this 
 recollection was the girl's statement that her father had a 
 visitor whom she was unwilling to name. 
 
THE DEAD AEE DANGEROUS 37 
 
 " But it couldn't have been the tavern brawler/' muttered 
 Jackson, rising and softly following Hester. " Still, Polcher 
 was giving the lout some orders and sent him somewhere. 
 And Sevier says Polcher is a deep one. Polcher showed he 
 was for the Spanish alliance after the messenger came. He 
 and Tonpit have the same fancy, it seems. But Tonpit was 
 there and heard as much as Polcher did. What could happen 
 that needed a message and a messenger ? Sevier says all mes- 
 sages are brought to the tavern. 
 
 ^^ Almost appears as if the affair was ripe for a sudden blow 
 somewhere, for something decisive to happen — and Tonpit 
 was singing and whistling. Good Lord ! What with being 
 thrown off by North Carolina and not yet accepted by the 
 Union, it certainly isn't any time for the settlers to take on 
 fresh troubles. Eeckon I've been selfish. I'll see Chucky 
 Jack and tell him what little I know." 
 
 Making a detour so as to escape the notice of the tavern 
 loungers, Jackson approached the court-house from the east 
 side of the settlement. The town was ominously calm. Small 
 groups of men were quietly talking, and all carried their rifles. 
 As they talked, they looked much at the court-house, where 
 through the windows Sevier could be seen pacing back and 
 forth, his hands clasped behind him, his head bowed. He was 
 one man who carried the entire load of the settlement's 
 troubles. He was idiolized by the men, and there was none 
 who would think of intruding in this his great hour of 
 anxiety. 
 
 " Eeckon, if Chucky Jack can't fix things up for us, there 
 ain't no fixing to be done," one man spoke up and said to 
 Jackson. 
 
 " He's a great man," heartily retorted Jackson. " I talked 
 with him this morning for the first time. My name is Kirk 
 Jackson, just returned from the Ohio." 
 
 " My name's Stetson. My cabin is on t'other side of the 
 
38 RED BELTS 
 
 court-house. Seen you with him this morning. You'll eat 
 with us today. Where's your horse ? " 
 
 " Broke a leg a few miles out. Had to shoot him/' the 
 ranger sadly informed. 
 
 " Shoo ! That's tough. I've got several. Help yourself 
 any time. Ill tell the woman." 
 
 " It's a of a Government that leaves us folks to shift 
 
 for ourselves/' spoke up another settler, catching Jackson's 
 eye. 
 
 ^^ Seeing how you've always shifted for j^ourselves, I reckon, 
 you ain't worse off than you've always been/' smiled Jackson. 
 *^ And I reckon Jack Sevier's enough help for one settlement 
 to have. The Indians are awfully scared of him." 
 
 " That's 'cause they know he won't wait to fight behind 
 logs/' Stetson broke in eagerly and with great pride. " They 
 know that every time they make a raid he'll lead us straight 
 
 into their country for a hundred miles or so and rip out 
 
 of their villages. Nothing takes the fighting guts out of a 
 Injun so much as to hear — while burning a few cabins — 
 that Chucky Jack is back in their towns burning up all their 
 corn. He's thinking up things now." 
 
 Jackson had halted his advance on the court-house because 
 of the respectful aloofness of the settlers. But now came one 
 who ignored the black frowns, an Indian. He was a Cherokee, 
 and his path was to the court-house. 
 
 Suddenly a woman's shrill voice called from a cabin: 
 
 " The murderin' spy ! He's come to see how we took the 
 bad news ! " 
 
 " There's more of his kidney back in the woods ! " shouted a 
 man. 
 
 The Indian continued his advance. The various groups of 
 men thinned out and formed a half -circle behind him so as to 
 block his threat. The Indian halted and, still gazing at the 
 court-house, threw back his head and sounded the wolf-howl, 
 
THE DEAD ARE DANGEROUS 39 
 
 wa-ya. With muttered imprecations a score of rifles were 
 brought to bear on him, while several men ran back to the 
 forest to scout for a hidden foe. But the signal was intended 
 only for Sevier, who now appeared at the window. A glance 
 took in the situation, the erect form of the red man and the 
 half-circle of menacing rifles. Leaning from the window, 
 Sevier shouted : 
 
 " Put down those guns ! I'll answer for the Cherokee ! '' 
 Then to the savage, " The Tall Runner is welcome." 
 
 Without a glance behind him, the Indian made for the 
 door. Sevier sighted Jackson and beckoned for him to enter. 
 
 Sevier was alone in the long room. He motioned for 
 Jackson to remain in the background and, addressing the 
 Indian, said : 
 
 " Tall Runner, of the Aniwaya people, is welcome. What 
 talk does the warrior of the Wolf clan bring to me ? " 
 
 The man of the Wolf, the most powerful clan of the 
 Cherokee IN'ation, permitted his gaze to kindle with admiration 
 as he looked on Sevier. After a brief silence he began : 
 
 " I bring a talk from Old Tassel. He tells me to say to 
 Tsan-usdi (Little John) that he is an old man. He says he 
 is standing on slippery ground. He says his elder brother's 
 people are building houses in sight of Cherokee towns and 
 that his vouno^ warriors crrow nervous. He savs the white 
 people living south of the French Broad have no right there, 
 and he asks his elder brother to take them away." 
 
 Sevier waited for a minute, then replied : 
 
 " This is the talk I send back to Old Tassel. I will meet 
 the Cherokee chiefs in a grand council and fix a place beyond 
 which no settler shall go south of the French Broad and the 
 Holston. Tell Old Tassel that, if he stands on slippery 
 ground, it is because the Indians have wet the ground with 
 the blood of white people, killed while travelling the Ken- 
 tucky road and while hoeing their fields along the Watauga. 
 
40 EED BELTS 
 
 *^As for the settlers who have made homes south of the 
 French Broad, they can not now be removed, but, if the chiefs 
 of the Nation will come to a council, we will agree they shall 
 go no farther. The Cherokees know Tsan-usdi wants peace. 
 But there can be no lasting peace so long as the Cherokee 
 Nation listens to the evil whisperings of the Creeks and loads 
 its guns with Spanish powder. Tell Old Tassel it was North 
 Carolina that sent the settlers south of the French Broad, not 
 Little John.'' 
 
 The Indian remained silent for several minutes, then with a 
 cunning gleam in his eyes continued : 
 
 '' I will carry j^our talk to Old Tassel. Who sends the talk ? 
 Tsan-usdi or North Carolina? Or does Tsan-usdi speak for 
 North Carolina?" 
 
 Sevier's gaze hardened. He knew Old Tassel had learned 
 of North Carolina's act of cession. This would imply advance 
 knowledge on the part of the chief. The messenger was sent 
 with a colourless talk, his real errand being to learn how the 
 settlers were reacting to the Cessions Act. 
 
 In a voice of thunder he warned : 
 
 "Brother of the Wolf, I am going to speak to you. Be 
 wise and remember my words. Tell Old Tassel the talk comes 
 from Little John and his three thousand riflemen. Tell him 
 to forget that the settlements are no longer a part of North 
 Carolina. Tell him he is to remember that the settlers never 
 have had help from North Carolina and have always depended 
 upon their own guns. Tell him our rifles shoot as straight 
 and that our horses run as swiftly as they did a few moons 
 ago. I will send for Old Tassel when I have my council talk 
 ready." 
 
 Tall Runner was somewhat abashed but did not offer to 
 depart. He remained silent and motionless, staring furtively 
 at the one white man the Cherokee Nation feared above all 
 other men. For three centuries the Cherokees had made wars 
 
THE DEAD AEE DAXGEEOUS 41 
 
 and treaties with the English, the Spanish, the French, the 
 Americans, with Creeks, Catawbas, Shawnees and Iroquois, 
 but in all their campaigns they had never shown so much 
 respect, or fear, for any one individual as they had for John 
 Sevier. 
 
 Sevier knew Tall Eunner had something on his mind, some- 
 thing he had not intended to speak but was now tempted to 
 divulge. Sternly, yet not unkindly, Sevier prompted : 
 
 " My brother of the Wolf has seen something on his way 
 here, or has heard something. He thought at first to bury it 
 deep in his head. Xow his medicine commands him to tell it. 
 The ears of Tsan-usdi are open; his heart is open. Does the 
 Tall Eunner speak? ^' 
 
 The Indian stood with eyes cast down as if irresolute; 
 finally he lifted his head, succumbing to the personal mag- 
 netism of Sevier, a subtle influence that never failed to work 
 on both friend and foe, and said: 
 
 " It is not in the talk I brought from our peace town of 
 Echota. It is something I saw on the Great War-Path very 
 near here. A dead man of the Ani-Kusa." 
 
 Sevier's hands gripped the edge of the table. 
 
 " A warrior from the upper Creek towns," he repeated. 
 
 " He was a messenger,'' was the laconic correction. 
 
 The borderer fully appreciated the grave results sure to 
 follow the slaying of a messenger from McGillivray, Emperor 
 of the Creek Nation. One faint hope remained, that the 
 Creek had fallen by the hand of a Cherokee. 
 
 As if reading his thoughts. Tall Eunner significantly 
 added : 
 
 " The dead warrior was not scalped. He was shot by a 
 white man hiding in ambush. I found where the white man 
 kneeled and waited. I followed his trail back to the settle- 
 ment. I found where his trail left the settlement and made 
 for the woods." 
 
43 BED BELTS 
 
 There was no doubt in the minds of either Sevier or Jack- 
 son as to the identity of the assassin. Major Hubbard, his 
 heart rankling with fanatical hatred for all red men, had left 
 the village for the forest, taking the direction the Cherokee 
 would cover on returning home. 
 
 " When was the Creek killed ? '^ quietly asked Sevier. 
 
 " The blood had dried.'' 
 
 " Five hours ago," muttered Sevier. Then aloud^ " How 
 do you know the Creek brought a message for me ? " 
 
 " Who else would he bring a talk to ? " shrewdly countered 
 Tall Eunner. *^ He carried no arms. He was a messenger. 
 His moccasins were worn through because of haste. He had 
 not stopped at any of our villages to get new moccasins. His 
 talk was for the white men. Little John is their chief." 
 
 " And by this time the news of his death is spreading," 
 Sevier gloomily mused. 
 
 " I threw boughs on the body. It may not be seen if 
 Tsan-usdi goes and covers it with earth. If others find it, the 
 word will travel as far as a red ax or a war-belt can travel." 
 Which was equivalent to saying that McGillivray would surely 
 learn of the killing and seize upon it as pretext for declaring 
 war upon the settlements. 
 
 Sevier walked to the window and back. When he halted 
 before the Cherokee, his countenance was placid, and his voice 
 was gentle as he directed : 
 
 " Go to Old Tassel and tell him my talk. That I will meet 
 him and his head men and give them a talk ; that I wish only 
 for peace and will hold back the whites from going farther on 
 Cherokee lands unless an Indian war makes me use all my 
 riflemen in defending our cabins." 
 
CHAPTEE III 
 
 THE PRICE OF A JUG OF WHISKY 
 
 FENDIXG himself overlooked, Jackson reminded : 
 " I'm still here. If I'm in the way, I'll get out. 
 Of course I couldn't help hearing your talk with the 
 Cherokee." 
 
 " Don't go," Sevier replied. " I'm worried about the dead 
 Creek. Tall Runner says he was an Ani-Kusa, from the upper 
 towns. He brought a message from McGillivray. There was 
 no writing on his body, or Tall Runner would have found it 
 and brought it here. That makes two mysteries." 
 
 " I don't understand," Jackson confessed. " Two mys- 
 teries ? " 
 
 " Who was to receive McGillivray's message ? Who did 
 receive the message ? " 
 
 " Isn't it possible McGillivray is trying to treat with you ; 
 that some of the tavern crowd found it out and stole the 
 message and killed the Indian ? " Jackson put the query with 
 much animation, the theory growing on him even as he spoke. 
 
 " N"o. McGillivray has spies at the State capital. He 
 knew ahead what the Legislature intended doing before the 
 Cessions Act was passed. He knows he couldn't swing me 
 into line with Spain. Believing that the Watauga settlements 
 are disowned and helpless, it's the tavern crowd he'd dicker 
 with." 
 
 " If Hubbard killed him, why didn't he get the message ? " 
 
 " I haven't any doubt as to Hubbard's killing him. He 
 went in that direction in time to meet the Creek. He left 
 us with blood in his thoughts, cursing all Indians and believing 
 the Chickamaugas are taking the warpath. He saw the Creek 
 
 43 
 
44 RED BELTS 
 
 and shot him. He never bothered to approach the body, much 
 less to examine it. Either the Creek had delivered the mes- 
 sage or it was found on his body by some white man before 
 Tall Eunner came along." 
 
 " I saw Hester leave the tavern and go down the trail in 
 that direction right after the messenger brought the news of 
 the Cessions Act/' Jackson informed, his sense of duty over- 
 riding his disinclination to say anything that might compro- 
 mise Tonpit. 
 
 ^' Ah ! Hester never quits the tavern unless it's on im- 
 portant business. But none of that gang would kill a mes- 
 senger sent them by McGillivray. It's through him that 
 Spanish gold comes to them. Do you know where Hester 
 went ? " 
 
 Jackson was deeply embarrassed and felt himself slipping 
 into deep water. 
 
 *^I don't know, but I believe he visited John Tonpit. He 
 was afoot and didn't plan to go far. A short time afterward 
 I saw him coming up the trail. I didn't see him go to or 
 come from Tonpit's house." 
 
 ^^ My boy, why not tell it all ? " gravely encouraged Sevier. 
 
 Jackson made his decision under the compelling gaze of the 
 steady blue eyes and briefly related his meeting Miss Elsie and 
 his knowledge that her father was closeted with a visitor. 
 
 " That would explain much ! " rapped out Sevier. '' Mc- 
 Gillivray sent a written message to Major Tonpit. The bearer 
 managed to get it to the tavern. Polcher forwarded it to 
 Tonpit by Hester. If the Creek had taken it direct to the 
 major, he probably would now be alive. But the system is to 
 send all messages to the tavern, where they are relayed without 
 exciting suspicion. That Polcher is a deep one. He's a 
 natural conspirator. He loves underhanded methods. He 
 must be an able man to hide his real self in the role of a 
 tavern-keeper. 
 
THE PEICE OF A JUG OF WHISKY 45 
 
 "Tonpit couldn't do that. He's insanely ambitious. He 
 must always have a dignified part to play. Useful at a certain 
 point when his dignity fits in, such as influencing some of our 
 settlers to follow his lead, but incapable of continual plotting. 
 He's just a fool figurehead. Yes, I'm convinced Polcher is 
 the more dangerous man of the two." 
 
 Jackson hesitated and twisted nervously. His sympathies 
 were entirely with the settlement. Although he had known 
 Sevier for a few hours only, he was eager to serve him. 
 Finally he blurted out : 
 
 " I expect to see Miss Elsie tonight. Naturally I don't care 
 to set her father against me, but, if I learn anything that's 
 all right for me to repeat, I'll tell you." 
 
 Leaning forward, Sevier swept his flaming gaze up and 
 down the ranger's trim form in mingled anger and scorn. 
 
 " Young man," he softly said, " you're either an American 
 or just a two-legged critter. Can't you see the time has come 
 when it must be decided once for all whether an English or a 
 Spanish-speaking race is to rule this country ? What are your 
 personal affairs compared with the destiny of a world? As 
 an American you'll do nothing dishonourable. I don't expect 
 you to wheedle secrets from Elsie, whom I've known and 
 loved dearly and who is as good an American as I am. But 
 there's no reason why you shouldn't go to John Tonpit and 
 put the question to him frankly : did he or did he not confer 
 with Lon Hester this morning ? " 
 
 " That means I lose the girl," Jackson sadly reminded. 
 
 " Not if she is the girl I've always believed her to be. I 
 tell you she's an American girl. She may not call it that, 
 but she is. She would despise you if you dodged your duty 
 to secure her love. Eemember, you'll get nothing worth while 
 in this life except what you pay for by work and suffering. 
 God knows we who have won the Watauga and the Kentucky 
 lands have paid the full price. Tell the girl frankly you 
 
46 BED BELTS 
 
 must know more about her father's doings from the lips of 
 her father." 
 
 " He'd simply rage and probably threaten to shoot me." 
 
 " I need scarcely remind you that threats won't scare a 
 man who's just from the Shawnee country/' said Sevier with 
 a smile. 
 
 " it! I'll lose my chances of seeing the girl without 
 
 learning anything that would help you." 
 
 " Tonpit will rage and bluster, and he'll threaten and forbid 
 your seeing Elsie. But he won't lie about Hester; there's 
 where he is weak as a plotter. If he saw him, he'll fume and 
 demand what business it is of yours. Then tell him you pro- 
 pose to marry his daughter. She's of age. If she loves you 
 and is worth the winning, you'll lose nothing. The other 
 way — trying to remain neutral — leads to dishonour and the 
 girl's contempt. When do you see her ? " 
 
 '^ Tonight — about ten o'clock." 
 
 *^I will be here waiting for you. I understand your feel- 
 ings. It's natural you should feel a bit selfish. Love-making 
 wouldn't be worth the experience if lovers weren't selfish. 
 But Miss Elsie would scorn a man who slighted his duty. 
 Our country comes first. If I can find out what Tonpit in- 
 tends to do, if only a hint of his next move, I can make a close 
 guess about what McGillivray wrote him. I know the Creek 
 Nation has been ready to strike for months and has been held 
 back until the Cherokees could be won over. Now that we're 
 ceded to the Union and believed to be unprotected, the Chero- 
 kees favour the Creek alliance. 
 
 " Old Tassel is cunning beyond the average. He wants 
 peace, but he'll fight to get back the French Broad lands. 
 Tall Runner's talk was merely to show me that the Cherokees 
 know our condition, a strong hint for us to vacate the French 
 Broad lands. If we'd withdraw from the Broad and the 
 Holston, Old Tassel would strongly oppose any alliance with 
 
THE PEICE OF A JUG OF WHISKY 47 
 
 the Creeks. As it now stands, we're facing the power of 
 Spain, the enmity of the Creeks and a ver}^ prohable alliance 
 between the Creeks and the Cherokees, with the Seminoles 
 thrown in for good measure. By heavens! It's high time 
 we all began to be good Americans ! " 
 
 " God knows I'm an American I " cried Jackson, catching 
 the other's fervour. " I was training to be one when I first 
 risked my hair among the Shawnees and ^Yyandots. Yes, 
 Sevier, Fll give my all to block Spain." 
 
 " Good boy ! " cried Sevier, and their hands met with a 
 smack. " Kow we'll go and eat.^ 
 
 " Stetson asked me to come there. He's offered to let me 
 have a horse." 
 
 " Stetson is of the salt of the earth, and Mrs. Stetson has a 
 knack of frying chicken that even makes my Kate jealous." 
 
 The Virginian had no set purpose as, after the midday 
 meal, he wandered to the outskirts of the settlement. He 
 wished to be alone with his jumble of new thoughts. He 
 had meant every word of his earnest declaration to Sevier, 
 but there still lingered in the back of his mind the question, 
 how much of his solemn statements had smacked of the 
 rhetorical, and how much was based on genuine, lofty senti- 
 ments? Sevier was sure to set a listener's pulses to dancing. 
 He developed the full strength of a man's honesty. He had 
 played Jackson up to himself as being a hundred per cent, 
 patriot. 
 
 Xow, alone and with leisure to think it all over, Jackson 
 feared he might be only ninety-eight per cent, patriot and two 
 per cent, selfish lover. Yet he considered himself a good 
 American. Hadn't he fought for the colonies? Xow that 
 only white wampum hung between America and the mother- 
 country, hadn't he earned the right to order his life along the 
 lines of love, to cater to the two per cent, of his make-up and 
 create a home in the land he had helped to secure for Anglo- 
 
48 EED BELTS 
 
 Saxons? Even Sevier had said love was legitimately selfish 
 to a certain degree. But who was to determine the degree ? 
 
 Chucky Jack at the age of seventeen years had married his 
 Bonnie Kate. He had had his love and could better afford to 
 give more of his time and strength to building up the new 
 republic than a man who had fought for years with no oppor- 
 tunity for wooing a maid. And were not there many others, 
 as fortunate as Chucky Jack, who could carry on the work? 
 
 " Wrong, wrong ! All wrong ! " groaned Jackson as he en- 
 tered a little glade and threw himself on the ground. " Jack 
 Sevier would never have been turned aside from his good 
 work. Married or single, successfully wooing or rejected, 
 nothing could come between him and what he believed to be 
 his duty. He has vision. He sees things far ahead. He 
 looks down the years. He's willing to sacrifice everything for 
 results that can't be recognized until long after he's dead. 
 
 ^' ! Why quibble with myself? He's a bigger man 
 
 than I can ever be. Even now it isn't my Americanism that 
 stirs me so much as it is love for Elsie. Lord, if only loving 
 Elsie constituted Americanism, I'd be the first patriot in all 
 the land. Yet one can imitate Sevier. Maybe the unselfish- 
 ness will come later." 
 
 Possibly Jackson underrated his nationalism. Certainly he 
 had done all that a man could during the years of incessant 
 warfare. Undoubtedly he averaged high above the status of 
 many citizens. A proof of this was his humble realization 
 that Washington and others who carried the torch of freedom 
 were far above him in spiritual ideals. They were exalted to 
 the stars, while he groped along the ground. But, so long as 
 he knew this, there was every hope for his climbing high 
 among the peaks of democracy. 
 
 Of course the country was in rather a chaotic state, not- 
 withstanding the mighty labours of the giants. Congress was 
 powerless to function in important matters unless nine States 
 
THE PRICE OF A JUG OF WHISKY 49 
 
 gave consent. Sovereignty was claimed by every State. 
 While this condition existed, it is not to be wondered that a 
 simple ranger should find it difficult to comprehend the exact 
 essence of Americanism. The Articles of Confederation 
 could not be changed without the consent of every State. In 
 short. Congress could recommend but not enforce. It could 
 borrow money but had no authority to pay it back. 
 
 It could coin money but had no authority to purchase 
 bullion. It could make war and could not raise a soldier. 
 With the States thus jealously retaining the power of initia- 
 tive, it was logical that a man should identify himself by pro- 
 claiming his State citizenship. To merely say " I am an 
 American " was to speak anonymously. 
 
 But as Jackson mulled it over with chastened mind the 
 obscure places in his soul caught vagrant rays of light, and 
 he marvelled at the birth of new comprehensions. At first 
 they were nebulous and vague in details. As he concentrated, 
 they took on substance until his soul-gaze swept over a mighty 
 panorama, as if a stupendous flash of divine fire were lighting 
 tlie future and revealing what might be if the dreams of the 
 dreamers came true. 
 
 " Just one State ! ^' he whispered, closing his eyes to retain 
 the picture. " By heavens, that's it ! Washington has seen 
 it ! Sevier sees it ! No, no ! It can't be all that ! " 
 
 This last, as the picture persisted in widening, sweeping 
 over unknown rivers, leaping towering mountain ranges not 
 yet seen by white men, and promised to include all between 
 the rising and setting suns. 
 
 " A man would get drunk thinking on it," he muttered, 
 rubbing his eyes as if wakening from deep sleep. 
 
 " Been takin' a snooze ? " greeted a voice. 
 
 Jackson glanced up and beheld Old Thatch, owlishly con- 
 templating him and weaving slightly from side to side in a 
 manner that was reminiscent of tavern whisky. 
 
50 EED BELTS 
 
 Jackson sat up and scowled blackly at the old man. 
 
 " You're the fellow who objected to my kicking that cur 
 this morning. Clear out before I forget you're a drunken old 
 fool." 
 
 Thatch smiled forgivingly and chuckled softly. His bleared 
 eyes were thoroughly amiable as he dropped to the ground 
 and grunted in comfort at feeling himself securely anchored. 
 
 " Lawd, but ye did sure give Lon his needin's," he mumbled. 
 " Eeckon Polcher now wishes ye'd finished the job. Such 
 doin's ! Such doin's ! " 
 
 Laying aside his animosity, Jackson surveyed him curiously. 
 
 " But Polcher and Hester are great friends," he protested. 
 
 " Mebbe yas, mebbe no. He ! He ! " snickered Thatch, 
 wagging his white head knowingly. " Ye see, ye don't know 
 what I know." And he rumbled with laughter. 
 
 " Oh, I reckon I know all you know," taunted Jackson. 
 
 " No, siree ! " hotly denied Thatch. " Ye couldn't. 
 'Cause why? 'Cause I w^as the only one in the tap-room 
 when they rowed it. I was sleepin' in the corner when their 
 jawin' woke me up. Lawdy, but there ain't nothin' but 
 bloody belts atween them two ! " 
 
 *^ Oh, they're always quarrelling," said Jackson with a fine 
 show of indifference. '^ What else can one expect from a 
 drunken bully and a low-down tavern-keeper." 
 
 " Sonny, ye spoke the truth in a fashion. That Polcher 
 treated me like dirt, yes, siree ! Like common dirt ! An' all 
 I asked for was a gallon. Yes, siree ! Ye've hit the bull's-eye 
 in the centre. He is low-down. I'm Marvland stock. He 
 ain't nothin' but a onery North Car'lina sand-hiller of a 
 quarter-breed. He didn't even dast to cross the mountings 
 till better men had gone ahead an' made a clearin'." 
 
 Then with ludicrous solemnit}^ : 
 
 " But ye're wrong 'bout their always jawin'. They never 
 struck fire till today. They had a clash this mornin' afore ye 
 
THE PRICE OF A JUG OF WHISKY 51 
 
 come^ Polcher 'lowin' that Lon was too free-spoken, but it 
 wa'n't much. But what I seen just now had murder writ 
 all over it. The}' was in Polcher's little room, an' the coloured 
 boy was asleep ahind the bar. Lawdy, but I could tell things 
 if I wanted to ! " And the old reprobate hugged his knees 
 and enjoyed his own confidences. 
 
 " Bah ! Hester is always trying to stir up a fight only to 
 find he hasn't enough guts to go through with it/' sneered 
 Jackson, yawnino^ elaborately and makino^ to rise. 
 
 " Don't go I " begged Thatch. " I'm hankerin' for comp'ny. 
 It wa'n't Hester what started the trouble this time. It was 
 Polcher. I was asleep at the first of it, but I reckon' I didn't 
 miss much. An' ye can lay to it, it was somethin' of a eye- 
 opener to me ! Xeyer'n my life seen Polcher like that afore. 
 Nothin' of the tavern-keeper 'bout him. Xo, siree ! When 
 they come through the door of his room, he was jest out'n-out 
 ugly. He was askin' Hester to tell what come of some job 
 he'd sent him out on, an' Hester opined the major wouldn't 
 thank him for peddlin' his 'fairs round tap-rooms. 
 
 " Wliewee ! Jest a streak of lightnin', an' Polcher had him 
 by the throat an' a knife at his weazen ! He ! He ! Lonny 
 knows now how I felt when he was chuckin' me this mornin'. 
 Ye never see a cock-o'-the-walk eat dirt an' crawl like he did. 
 Polcher made him say he was jest a yaller dawg. Made him 
 swear he'd know his master another time. Then he took off 
 his hat an' slapped his face with it till the feather got busted. 
 An', although Lon's throat was free of Polcher's hand when 
 his face was bein' slapped, he stood mighty still an' lam'-like 
 an' took it." 
 
 " And Hester told what he was asked ? Tut, tut ! I don't 
 believe it," scoffed Jackson. 
 
 " Sonny, I'm older then them mountings, but I ain't no 
 liar. ]Sro, siree ! They don't breed no liars in ol' Maryland. 
 I was wide awake an' seen it an' heard it jest as I've told. 
 
52 EED BELTS 
 
 Lon knuckled under an' said he'd took the word to the major." 
 
 " Erhuh ? What next ? " 
 
 " Wal, that was the p'int that Polcher seen me in the comer 
 an' quit Lon to drag me to the middle of the floor, an' it was 
 the time I 'lowed it was best for me to a<;t sleepy. Lon went 
 back with him to the small room, an' it was when they come 
 out that I asked for a gallon, promisin' to pay, an' that 
 Polcher treated me so p'izen mean." 
 
 A piercing whistle penetrated the glade with the incisive- 
 ness of a war-arrow. Jackson swung about to locate the 
 source. The effect on Thatch was quite remarkable. For 
 one thing the whistle seemed to drive the whisky fumes from 
 his brain and leave him sobered and horribly frightened. 
 Scarcely able to speak, he dragged himself to Jackson and 
 huskily whispered : 
 
 " Go, go ! Keep shet on what I've said. It's Polcher's 
 whistle. He's lookin' for me. If he sees me with ye, he'll 
 opine I've been blabbin'. He'll cut my throat, jest as sure as 
 he promised to cut Hester's. Oh, Gawd ! He's comin' ! " 
 
 Jackson took him by the shoulder and shook him violently 
 and murmured: 
 
 " Stop it, you fool. Pretend to be asleep. Polcher won't 
 see me." And, picking up his rifle, he glided into the bushes. 
 
 The whistle sounded again, shrilling on the ear most un- 
 pleasantly. Jackson manoeuvred with the stealth he had 
 acquired in stalking the Shawnees and soon located the 
 tavern-keeper. From behind a tree he saw Polcher, still 
 wearing his soiled apron, slowly advancing toward him, 
 his eyes shifting from side to side and with nothing of a 
 landlord's urbanity showing in his face. Jackson remained 
 motionless, determined if discovered to see that Polcher did 
 not find the old man. Polcher advanced several feet, then 
 pursed his lips and repeated his signal. Thatch's voice 
 querulously called out : 
 
THE PKICE OF A JUG OF WHISKY 53 
 
 " Whaf n sin ye want now ? Can't a man git a little 
 sleep ? " 
 
 Turning aside, Polcher strode through the undergrowth 
 and into the glade. Jackson slipped along after him until he 
 saw him stop and stand before Thatch. 
 
 " What are you doing here ? " gently asked Polcher, study- 
 ing the old man keenly. 
 
 "Tryin' to forgit ye wouldn't let me have a leetle rye," 
 sullenly answered Thatch. 
 
 " The stranger, the one called Jackson, walked this way. 
 Have you seen him ? '^ 
 
 Old Thatch stupidly blinked his eyes and shook his head. 
 
 " Ain't seen hide nor hair of him. Want me to find him? " 
 
 ^' iSTo. Tell me what you thought of Hester's talk back in 
 the tavern." This was put in an ingratiating voice, but 
 Jackson noted the hand under the apron was clasping the 
 hilt of a knife, and he insured Thatch against an unpolitic 
 answer by drawing a bead on the boniface. 
 
 But Thatch, sober, possessed an animal's instinct and 
 smelled the trap. 
 
 '' That Lon Hester's a derned fool. Wish some one would 
 comb him," he growled. " See how he choked me this 
 mornin' ? By Gawdf rey ! Take it a few years back an' he 
 wouldn't be wearin' no rooster's feathers round this yere 
 settlement. Almost wish we'd let the stranger muss him up. 
 Eeckon the new feller could do it, at that." 
 
 '• I mean, about what he said to me," quietly corrected 
 Polcher, drawing a step nearer, both hands under his apron 
 now. 
 
 " Lawd, he didn't go for to give ye any lip, did he ? " cried 
 Thatch. " If he did, ye was a fool to take it. Lem'me tell 
 ye somethin', Polcher, that mebbe ye don't know. Lon 
 Hester's fightin' nerve is mighty poor quality. He's low- 
 down. If ever he gives ye any lip, jest ye comb him. Why, 
 
54 RED BELTS 
 
 if I was a bit younger, I'd mount him in a second. Makes 
 me feel wolfish round the head an' shoulders to see that feller 
 carry on so an' make his betters step aside. Now, 'cause ye 
 keep a tavern, he 'lows he can bully ye. But if ye'll jest 
 swing a bottle ag'in his chuckle-head he'll be as meek as a 
 rabbit." 
 
 He ran out of breath and paused. Polcher frowned slightly, 
 withdrew one hand and rubbed his chin doubtfully. Jackson 
 hugely admired the old man's dissimulation and lowered his 
 rifle. 
 
 " I thought you heard him giving me some lip when you 
 woke up," mused Polcher. " I intended to ask you about it, 
 but you was gone before I remembered. I want you to promise 
 me you'll say notliing about it. If the other fellows knew 
 he'd made cheap talk to me, it might set them all doing the 
 same thing. And I have it hard enough as it is." 
 
 Old Thatch avoided this trap also and replied : 
 
 " But I never heard nothin'. But I do still opine ye 
 didn't treat me very friendly when I only asked for a gallon. 
 I know where a Injun has some furs hid, an' I'd have fetched 
 'em to ye tonight. Ye might 'a' took that chance on a old 
 customer." 
 
 Polcher laughed with his lips, making no sound, and slowly 
 withdrew his right hand from the apron and folded his arms. 
 
 " See here. Thatch," he softly began, " that gallon is yours 
 and several more if vou fetch me the furs — but leave the 
 Injun." 
 
 " Leave the Injun ? " 
 
 " Exactly. Leave him so he'll stay just where you leave 
 him." 
 
 " Ye mean for me to kill him ? " hoarsely asked Thatch. 
 
 "Well, I'm quarter-blood, but I don't like Injuns," mur- 
 mured Polcher. 
 
THE PKICE OF A JUG OF WHISKY 55 
 
 " But that would bring a war-party ag'in us," the old man 
 protested. 
 
 " What's that to you, you old coward ? You wouldn't have 
 to do any fighting. You're afraid," growled Polcher. 
 
 " 'Fraid of a Injun ! Huh ! Like ! " wrathf ully re- 
 torted Thatch. 
 
 " Now listen to me. If you blab a word, you'll never blab 
 another. I've changed my mind about the furs. I don't 
 want them. Bring a scalp and get your jug." 
 
 " I ain't got a tender stomach when it comes to Injuns. 
 But this cuss is a friendly one. Lives near here. It would 
 be like killin' a neighbour. I — I can't do it," cried Thatch, 
 his old face now running sweat. 
 
 " Then I've made a mistake and talked to the wrong man. 
 It's your hair or the Injun's before midnight." 
 
 " It means war on the Watauga cabins," whined Thatch. 
 
 " That's nothing to you. A single word of this to any one 
 and I'll first prove you're a drunken old liar, and then 1^11 
 cut your throat. Xow, I'm going back and fill that jug." 
 
 With this gruesome warning Polcher made for the settle- 
 ment. Jackson kept concealed, curious to see what Thatch 
 would do. He knew the old man would have no great com- 
 punctions about killing an Indian. It was the after-effects 
 he dreaded, the prospects of his white hair flying from a 
 Cherokee belt. 
 
 Polcher's purpose was clear ; he wished to precipitate trouble 
 between the Cherokees and the Watauga men. A mighty 
 danger hung over the settlements; it would only require a 
 Cherokee slain by a white man to bring the danger crashing 
 down. Once committed to a campaign of vengeance, the 
 Cherokee Nation would gladly accept the war-belt offered by 
 McGillivray and his Creeks, and Charles III, of Spain, would 
 decide he held winning cards. 
 
56 ' EED BELTS 
 
 Thatch remained motionless until Polcher was out of sight 
 and hearing ; then with a muttered curse he picked up his rifle 
 and shuffled toward the ancient Indian trail which led to the 
 south. Jackson followed to prevent the murder. The pros- 
 pective victim must live near by, according to Thatch's words. 
 He would be one of Old Tassel's warriors, friendly to the 
 whites and willing to dwell on the edge of their civilization. 
 Mumbling under his breath, Thatch followed the trail only a 
 short distance before leaving it for the forest. Jackson was 
 now at his heels, wondering if he were fully decided to com- 
 mit the crime. 
 
 The old man stopped close to the trail and sat down on a 
 log and rested his rifle on some dead brush and stared intently 
 at his feet. Jackson watched his face and saw his great weak- 
 ness gradually conquer. Thatch was picturing the endless 
 procession of jugs one scalp would buy. By degrees his aged 
 eyes grew bright with resolution, and the lips under the beard 
 ceased trembling. 
 
 " What's a Injun more or less ? " he grunted, stooping for 
 his rifle and slipping and plunging both arms deep into the 
 brush. 
 
 He began mouthing profanity but suddenly desisted and 
 stared as if death-struck. Jackson was greatly puzzled at this 
 extraordinary behaviour. From a decision to do murder he 
 had inexplicably dropped into the depths of terror. The 
 watery eyes were round and fixed,; the arms, still buried nearly 
 to the shoulders, were rigid and straining. Then, very slowly, 
 the arms were withdrawn, while the eyes, as if pulled by a 
 magnet, slowly turned downward. 
 
 Jackson nearly betrayed himself when three hands instead 
 of only two emerged from the brush. 
 
 " He's stumbled on to the dead Creek — McGillivray's 
 messenger ! " gasped Jackson under his breath. 
 
 Incredulously the old man glared at the dead hand his 
 
THE PEICE OF A JUG OF WHISKY 57 
 
 living hands had found under the brush. For nearly a minute 
 he remained with his gaze fixed; then a cunning expression 
 crept over his base face, and he turned his head in all direc- 
 tions to make sure he was unobserved. Satisfied he was alone 
 with the dead brave, he grunted and growled like an animal 
 worrying its prey and drew his knife and reaching deep into 
 the brush, worked with feverish haste. 
 
 It lacked an hour of ten o'clock when Jackson finished 
 trailing Thatch to his lonely cabin. After completing his 
 horrid business, Thatch had proceeded to an isolated Indian 
 hut and hung about near the clearing waiting for an oppor- 
 tunity to steal the furs. Polcher had told him the furs were 
 not necessary, but possibly the old man planned to palm off 
 the scalp as having belonged to the owner of the pelts and thus 
 doubly insure his supply of strong drink. But the Indian 
 owner had remained near liis cabin door, and as the shadows 
 gathered the old man sought his cabin. 
 
 Jackson had planned to follow Thatch until he went for 
 his whisk}^, but as time pressed he abandoned his purpose and 
 hurried back to find Sevier. He was much chagrined to find 
 no candle burning in the court-house. If he was to keep his 
 appointment with Elsie, he could not waste any time looking 
 for his friend. He hesitated for a moment, then set off for 
 the Tonpit cabin. 
 
 He stood at the edge of the clearing just as the moon 
 climbed above the forest crown. The cabin was dark, and a 
 hush hung over the place. He proceeded to the arbour and 
 softly called her name. Even as he paused for her to answer, 
 he was convinced she would not come. Xot only did the clear- 
 ing and the cabin exhale the atmosphere of something aban- 
 doned, but the queer fancy obsessed him that life had never 
 dwelt there; that his meeting with the girl in the morning 
 hours was a dream. 
 
 He had promised her he would not seek her at the house. 
 
58 RED BELTS 
 
 and he had assured Sevier he would seek her father there. 
 The silence was oppressive and grew upon him and his first 
 feeling, which was of sadness, gave place for alarm. 
 
 Groping his way to the log, he brushed it with his fingers 
 and was rewarded by finding a scrap of paper. This should 
 have brought him happiness and should have dispelled his 
 morbid imaginings, for it proved she had been there a short 
 time since and, therefore, must even now be in the cabin. 
 The effect on his melancholy was quite the contrary ; it savoured 
 more of some memento of old, dead days, like the finding of 
 a keepsake in the debris of ancient things. 
 
 " Idiot ! ^' he snarled at himself. " One would think I was 
 bewitched. Elsie has been here and left a word for me. 
 Kow to see what she has to say.'' 
 
 He hastened out into the thin moonlight and essayed to 
 read the paper but was baffled. It was maddening to know 
 he must wait until he reached a cabin light before he could 
 know her message. It was a small, irregular piece of paper, 
 suggesting it had been torn hurriedly from a larger piece. 
 This in itself, betokening great haste or need of secrecy, was 
 disquieting. He turned, eager to reach a light, then remem- 
 bered his word to Sevier. Thrusting the paper into his 
 hunting-shirt, he strode through the clumps of shrubbery and 
 made for the cabin. 
 
 Elsie had said her father retired to his room at this hour 
 but not to sleep. He walked the floor much of the night, but 
 no light shone in the cabin. To make sure, Jackson made a 
 circuit of the house before approaching the door. Then as he 
 raised his hand to rap his first premonition of emptiness 
 came back to him. He pounded lustily and gained no heed. 
 The cabin was dead. He seized the latch-string only to drop 
 it. He knew he could gain an entrance easily. Tonpit would 
 not bother to lock the house. 
 
 If Sevier were correct in his surmises, the thieves in the 
 
tHE PEICE OF A JUG OF WHISKY 59 
 
 settlement would respect tlie place as belonging to a friend of 
 McGillivray. Honest men would not intrude. But what 
 would it profit for him to enter? He had no light, and he 
 doubted if a crumb of fire would be burning in the fireplace 
 now it was July. His fumbling hands would find many re- 
 minders of the girl, and he needed no more than his heart now 
 held. 
 
 Turning away, he regained the trail and hastened back to 
 the settlement. As he approached each cabin, he pulled forth 
 the paper, hoping to find a lighted window outside of which 
 he could pause and read his message. The settlers, however, 
 retired early in the Watauga region, and each cabin was a 
 squat, dark mass. But ahead there did gleam a light, a tiny 
 beacon, and he knew Sevier was awaiting his return to the 
 court-house. 
 
 He ran swiftly and noiselessly and without pausing to an- 
 nounce himself pushed open the door and jumped across the 
 threshold. Sevier was seated at the table, his right elbow 
 resting on it, his hand gripping a long pistol, the muzzle of 
 which covered the door. 
 
 " You, Jackson ! " he softly exclaimed, dropping the pistol. 
 " You come as if the devil was after you.'' 
 
 " There's no one in the Tonpit house. She left a message 
 for me, and I haven't had a chance to read it," panted Jack- 
 son, snatching up a candle and holding it close to the paper. 
 Sevier watched his face closely and saw the dark features 
 change from a frown of perplexity to a scowl of understanding. 
 
 " Eead ! " choked Jackson, restoring the candle to the table 
 and dropping the note. 
 
 Sevier bowed over it and read — 
 
 Little Talaseee. 
 
 " ! " gasped Jackson, wiping his wet face. " Little 
 
 Talassee ! Where McGillivray, Emperor of the Creeks, 
 lives ! " 
 
60 EED BELTS 
 
 The writing was a mere scrawl, as if the girl had but a 
 moment. 
 
 " It was a surprise to her/' murmured Sevier. " She 
 wasn't prepared for it. They started immediately after her 
 father gave the word. Of course he went with her. He isn't 
 entirely an idiot." 
 
 " But why ? Why ? '' was Jackson's agonized query. 
 
 Sevier rose and paced to the window and back, his brows 
 wrinkled in perplexity. But when he halted at the table 
 again, the furrows on his forehead were ironed out. Placing 
 a hand on Jackson's shoulder, he said : 
 
 " I think I have it. The Creek messenger brought a talk 
 for Tonpit, a writing from McGillivray. Both McGillivray 
 and Tonpit knew what the Legislature intended to do. Ton- 
 pit was here to be on the ground. His reward was to be great 
 if he influenced the bulk of the settlers to submit peacefully 
 to Spain's rule. But McGillivray, in putting everything at 
 stake, feared Tonpit would not sta<nd firm. So, I believe, his 
 message was to demand a hostage, a guarantee that Tonpit 
 would see the matter through to the end. He demanded the 
 girl as the hostage. Her father consented." 
 
 " Good God ! Impossible ! His own daughter ! " choked 
 Jackson. 
 
 " Wait a bit. Alexander McGillivray is very much the 
 gentleman. In case of an Indian war, the girl is safer with 
 him than she is in Jouesboro. He won't harm her. She 
 remains his guest while her father carries out his end of the 
 bargain. The messenger sent the writing to Tonpit through 
 one of the tavern crowd — " 
 
 " Hester ! " 
 
 " But, instead of turning and making tracks for home once 
 the message was delivered, the Creek waited. He came 
 stealthily and even avoided the Cherokee towns. Why should 
 he invite discovery by hanging around on the edge of Jones- 
 
THE PRICE OF A JUG OF WHISKY 61 
 
 boro? Because he was waiting to guide Tonpit and the girl 
 back to the Coosa Eiver. I've been down and looked the 
 ground over. He was killed while sitting in a clump of 
 bushes. His slayer's trail entered the woods from this settle- 
 ment and then returned here. I followed it both wavs until 
 it was lost in the beaten path. Hubbard did it, all right/' 
 
 Jackson then rapidly told of his meeting with Thatch, the 
 quarrel between Hester and Polcher and the latter's bargain 
 for a Cherokee scalp and Thatch's substitution of the Creek's 
 hair. 
 
 Sevier heard him through in silence until he described the 
 taking of the scalp. Then the borderer exclaimed aloud and 
 cried — 
 
 '' That's more important than the disappearance of the 
 girl ! " 
 
 " John Sevier — " 
 
 " Xo, no. Calm vourself ! IMiss Elsie will be safe in 
 McGillivray's town. But, if it's known a peaceful Cherokee 
 has been murdered, we'll have Old Tassel's three thousand 
 savages joining with Watts without waiting for any help 
 from the Creeks. That ^vill be the chance McGillivray -has 
 been waiting for — and the Lord help the Watauga, the 
 Holston and the French Broad and poor John Eobertson 
 down on the Cumberland ! " 
 
 " But no Cherokee will be missing, let alone be dead. It's 
 a Creek that furnishes the scalp," reminded Jackson. 
 
 " And we can't afford to have the Creek's murder known 
 any better than we could a Cherokee's," cried Sevier. 
 " McGillivray would never forgive the slaying of his mes- 
 senger. The office is almost sacred. Hubbard for getting 
 
 us into such a mess! Oh, whv didn't I examine the brush- 
 pile when down there ! I found it easy enough but thought it 
 could wait till I had more time. Time ? Every second fights 
 against us ! " 
 
62 KED BELTS 
 
 a 
 
 If Major Hubbard hadn't killed the Creek, then Thatch 
 would have wiped out a Cherokee. It's six of one and half a 
 dozen of the other." 
 
 " Not so. You would have stopped Thatch. But we're 
 wasting time. Make for the tavern. If Thatch isn't in 
 Polcher's room in the back end toward the garden, he hasn't 
 arrived. You must hold him up and take the scalp from 
 him." 
 
 " And you ? " 
 
 " I'm off to do what I should have done before — bury the 
 Creek where none will find him. Report to me here. Ee- 
 member what is at stake ! " 
 
 "I'm an American/' growled Jackson, snatching up his 
 rifle and gliding from the room. 
 
 The tap-room of the tavern contained half a dozen patrons, 
 who sat along the walls in silence, as if waiting. A mulatto 
 boy presided over the bar. There were none of the usual 
 loungers outside the door, and the door was closed. By 
 these signs Jackson knew Polcher had dismissed all but a 
 trusty few so as to leave a clear path for Old Thatch. Paus- 
 ing only long enough to make sure Hester was not in the tap- 
 room, the ranger skirted the zone of light and gained the 
 garden at the rear. 
 
 There was a light in the room, but Jackson could not make 
 out any occupants. From his position a man on either side 
 of the room would be out of range. To make sure Thatch 
 was not already there, he dropped behind some currant bushes 
 and commenced crawling to one side. His manoeuvre was 
 halted by the sudden appearance of Polcher's figure blocking 
 the window. 
 
 Then came the devilish whistle that carried the edge of a 
 lance, and Jackson was startled and chagrined to hear a 
 feeble reply back of him. Steps shuffled nearer, and the 
 young Virginian knew he had lost his chance of intercepting 
 
THE PRICE OF A JUG OF WHISKY 63 
 
 Thatch. However, the game was not lost. The old man 
 would deliver his ghastly trophy, and the next play would be 
 to vault through the window and take it away from the- 
 tavern-keeper. 
 
 " Can't see a derned thing f acin' the light/' croaked the- 
 complaining voice of Thatch. 
 
 '' Ssstf You fool!" hissed Polcher, placing the candle on 
 the floor so that it fed up against his ferocious face but no 
 longer blinded the gaze of his tool. " Come close. I've 
 cleared the babblers from the tap-room, but it's best even they 
 should not see you. I have the jug here, filled. Have you 
 the price ? " 
 
 "I've fetched the price," shivered Thatch, and he passed 
 within three feet of Jackson in making for the window. 
 
 " Good ! Good ! " softly applauded Polcher. " I knew you 
 had the right stuff in you." 
 
 "I — I couldn't git no furs ! " huskily confessed Thatch. 
 
 " You brought the other ? " anxiously demanded Polcher. 
 
 " It's here in my shirt." 
 
 " Then the furs and hand over." 
 
 " Here she be, but I'm mighty onnerved. Kindly pass out 
 the jug afore I drop. I feel like the devil's been taggin' every 
 one of my steps. Ugh ! " 
 
 "Just a minute," mumbled Polcher, ducking from Jack- 
 son's view in bending close to the light. 
 
 " I tell ye I need some licker now," insisted Thatch. " I 
 feel dretful sick. I can see all sorts of critters right beside 
 
 me." 
 
 " Hush, 70U fool ! " gritted Polcher, raising his head. 
 " Here, I'll hold it. Drink ! " There came a protracted 
 gurgling, followed by a deep sigh of content. 
 
 " Eeckon now I'm game to face all the devils atween the 
 Watauga an' the Cumberland," declared Thatch. " Gim'me 
 my jug." 
 
64 EED BELTS 
 
 '*' Not so fast/^ muttered Polcher. " Stand close to the 
 window. I'm going to lift the light long enough to see you 
 ain't covered with blood. That would give the whole game 
 away/' 
 
 " There ain't a speck on me," proudly assured Thatch, lean- 
 ing against the sill. 
 
 Polcher lifted the candle for a moment and briefly ex- 
 amined the head and shoulders of the old man, then dropped 
 to the floor again. 
 
 " Ye're a of a long time payin' over that jug," 
 
 grumbled Thatch. " I want to be gittin' back to my cabin. 
 Goin' to make a night of it. Reg^'lar old blue devil comes 
 out an' grins at me — lives in the fireplace. Keeps yappin' 
 for me to make the fire hotter'n hotter. That is, he does when 
 I have 'nough whisky." 
 
 Polcher reappeared above the sill and seized Thatch by the 
 arm and hoarsely accused : 
 
 " What the devil does this mean ? This ain't a prime, fresh 
 scalp. It's more'n a dozen hours old." 
 
 " What ye tryin' to make out now, Polcher," choked Thatch, 
 striving in vain to keep his terror from showing. 
 
 Polcher maintained his grip on the old man's arm while he 
 ducked his head for another study of the scalp. Then with a 
 smothered oath he hissed — 
 
 " Creek hair ! You — " 
 
 " Don't ! Don't ! " pleaded Thatch, his voice squealing. 
 And he sought to tear his arm loose. 
 
 Polcher held him firmly and stared with lack-luster eyes 
 into the frightened face for nearly a minute. His gaze 
 seemed to exert a hypnotic influence on the wretch, for the 
 struggling ceased, and the pleading stopped. 
 
 " Xow tell me where you got a Creek scalp/' gently com- 
 manded Polcher. 
 
 Mumblingly and often inaudible to the eavesdropper behind 
 
THE PRICE OF A JUG OF WHISKY 65 
 
 the currant bushes, Thatch blurted out his story of having 
 found a warrior buried under some brush. The man had 
 been dead only a few hours, and he supposed it was a 
 Cherokee. 
 
 " It was atween the tliree black oaks an' a clump of poplars," 
 he explained. " An^ I couldn't see why his sculp wasn't jest 
 as good as if I'd done for him." 
 
 " It's just as good," slowly replied Polcher. " It's much 
 better. And the Watauga will pay the price when McGillivray 
 hears of it. His messenger killed by the settlers ! By the 
 Almighty, but won't he rage! And I know who killed him 
 and scalped him, and we'll prove it." 
 
 " Polcher ! Ye don't go for to throw me, do ye ? " whispered 
 Thatch. 
 
 Polcher laughed. 
 
 " Xone of my friends did this 
 
 5? 
 
 Thatch began to understand and faltered. 
 " Chucky Jack ? " 
 
 a 
 
 Think I'm a fool ? " Xo one so high as that." 
 
 " Promise me it ain't me," groaned Thatch, his fears re- 
 turning. 
 
 " Xo one so low as you, old friend." 
 
 " an' brimstone ! Spit it out, Polcher. Ye make me 
 
 think of that big blue devil in my fireplace ! What's the 
 idee ? " 
 
 " I have six witnesses in the tap-room who'll swear that 
 from a distance they saw you try to stop the murderer from 
 killing the Creek; that, after he had killed and scalped his 
 victim, he chased you into the woods to prevent you from 
 blabbin<y 
 
 7J 
 
 Good ! " ejaculated Thatch, his form straightening. 
 " They'll swear that they came and told me and that we 
 were about to go out and search for you and the murderer, 
 when vou came runnino: here, chased bv the scoundrel." 
 
66 EED BELTS 
 
 " Hold on ! '' spluttered Thatch. '' What's that 'bout him 
 trvin' to ketch me ? Of course he didn't ketch me, did he ? " 
 
 " Yes ! " softly cried Polcher, darting his body half out the 
 window to secure room for knife-play. 
 
 It was over before Jackson dreamed of what the finale was 
 to be. With a low groan the old man fell to the ground, and 
 the tavern-keeper's figure was drawn inside the window like 
 some monstrous spider retiring to its lair. 
 
 With a wild shout of rage Jackson leaped to his feet and 
 discharged liis rifle into the room a fraction of a second after 
 Polcher had dropped below the sill. The report had hardly 
 jarred the night calm before the landlord was raising his 
 head to glimpse the ranger's distorted visage almost at the 
 window. Darting to the door opening into the tap-room, 
 Polcher threw it back and screamed : 
 
 " Help ! Help ! Surround the building ! Jackson, the 
 ranger, just killed Old Thatch in the garden ! Jackson killed 
 an Indian. Thatch saw him and he followed the old man 
 here to stop his telling me ! Back of the building and head 
 him ofi if he takes to the woods ! " 
 
 Nonplussed, incapable of intelligent thinking for a mo- 
 ment, Jackson stood with empty gun while Polcher shouted 
 his terrible accusations. Then came the rush of swift feet, 
 and the young Virginian knew Polcher's creatures had been 
 kept in waiting for just such work. He knew Thatch would 
 have been killed in any event and the alarm given that Kirk 
 Jackson had done for him. 
 
 Eetreating from the garden, he worked his way toward the 
 court-house, only to observe lights springing up in the nearest 
 cabins, the inmates being alarmed by the rifle-shot and the 
 loud cries of Polcher and his men. Jackson dodged one of 
 the tavern posse and escaped discovery by a hair-breadth. 
 The court-house was dark, Sevier had not returned. To wait 
 for him and withstand the temper of Polcher's creatures was 
 
THE PRICE OF A JUG OF WHISKY 67 
 
 out of the question. At the midday meal Stetson had re- 
 peated his offer of a horse, urging him to select an animal 
 from the log corral any time. 
 
 Five minutes after escaping the garden he was well down 
 the trail back of the court-house and leading a horse from the 
 pen. 
 
 Another five minutes and Sevier came face to face with a 
 group of citizens in front of the court-house. Some of them 
 carried torches. Among them were several of Polcher's men ; 
 some were honest men. 
 
 "What's all this confusion about?" demanded Sevier. 
 " One would think there was an Indian raid on." 
 
 " Yer friend. Kirk Jackson, has killed a friendly Injun ! " 
 roared a tavern man. 
 
 " Prove that, and we shall have to hang Mr. Jackson," 
 Sevier promptly replied. " But, if any one tries any promis- 
 cuous hanging, he'll dangle from an oak limb just as sure as 
 I'm called Nolichucky Jack. Burn that fact into your brains. 
 We belong to no State now. Until we've arranged some form 
 of government, I'm the law. Let a hair of Jackson's head be 
 harmed before his guilt is proven and I'll hang the offender. 
 And the first man to tread air will be Polcher, the tavern- 
 keeper. Now we'll hear the evidence." 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 FOR WATAUGA AND AMERICA 
 
 WHILE some of the men, notably those under the 
 influence of Polcher, pressed the search for Jack- 
 son, others heeded Sevier's request and repaired to 
 the court-house to conduct an inquiry into the tragedy. There 
 was none so simple-minded as not to realize that the death of 
 either Creek or Cherokee might precipitate a bloody war. 
 With Spain in league with the Creek Nation, it was only the 
 pacific tendency of Old Tassel that had restrained the Chero- 
 kees under his immediate control. There were other thou- 
 sands of Cherokees who only waited for a strong incentive 
 to send them into line with the Creeks. 
 
 The five lower towns on the western frontier of the Cherokee 
 countr}', including Creeks, Shawnees and white renegades as 
 well as the original Cherokee founders, lusted and clamoured 
 for battle. John Watts and Dragging Canoe, their leaders, 
 only waited to augment their numbers before striking. To 
 start the riot of bloodshed and burning cabins it only required 
 some isolated act such as the unprovoked slaying of an Indian 
 near a white settlement. For two years the situation had 
 been shaping up. If ever Spain was to establish an empire 
 by force in America, no fairer opportunity could exist than 
 the present. 
 
 Of course there was Old Thatch's death to be investigated, 
 but aside from his tavern cronies there were few to lament his 
 passing. His demise could be considered leisurely; it carried 
 no train of red axes. The murder of the Indian was epochal. 
 The settlers assembled in the court-house viewed the situation 
 
 68 
 
FOR WATAUGA AXD AMERICA G9 
 
 objectively. Whether the dead be Creek or Cherokee, his 
 people would seek reprisal. Seviers yision carried him beyond 
 the Watauga. He saw the destiny of the new world about to 
 unfold. The vast western country was unexplored except as 
 half-civilized forest-rangers penetrated depths they could not 
 comprehend. 
 
 The door to this unknown region was closed, and Sevier 
 knew it must soon open and reveal a home-maker's paradise. 
 Bold men in Kentucky had glimpsed the marvellous pos- 
 sibilities. Now was the crisis; an Indian's death might be 
 the hinge on which the door would swing to admit either im- 
 perial Spain or democratic America. Could it be kept shut a 
 bit longer, until Chucky Jack had summoned the faithful, 
 then let it open as widely as it would and Spain face her 
 answer. 
 
 '' Where's this man Jackson ? " asked a settler. 
 
 *• Probably dodging the mob. He'll appear when he knows 
 he can have a fair hearing," said Sevier. Then to a man 
 near the door, " Stetson, go and find Polcher. He doesn't 
 seem to be here." 
 
 As the messenger departed, Sevier began scribbling on the 
 back of his petition. The men believed he was setting down 
 the known facts of the double killing. Had they glanced 
 over his shoulder thev would have read : 
 
 Isaac Shelby, Geo. Eogers Clark and Benj. Logan will raise 5,000 
 men in Ky. 
 
 Arthur Campbell will be good for 3,000 more in southwest Va. 
 
 Robertson can surely bring 1,000 from the Cumberland. 
 
 Elijah Clarke can raise at least 5,000 in northern Georgia. 
 
 We are good for 3,000. 
 
 Tot. 17,000 rifles — if we have time. 
 
 He studied the list thoughtfully and nodded approval. 
 Give him a few inches of time time before the storm broke, 
 and he would stake his soul on the American manhood of 
 
70 RED BELTS 
 
 the seventeen thousand riflemen he had listed. If Spain 
 and her tools could be held off for a few months, then the 
 Western door would swing back to allow men in buckskin to 
 file through and take possession. He drummed on the table 
 idly, then tore off a strip of paper containing his notes and fed 
 it to a candle. With the exception of George Rogers Clark, 
 all the men on the list had fought with him, some under his 
 command. 
 
 " Didn't know your friend was so keen set ag'in Injuns, 
 Jack," spoke up a grey-bearded man an honest if simple 
 fellow. 
 
 " It's his fightin' ag'in' the Sha-wmees," declared a tavern 
 lounger. 
 
 " Kirk Jackson has killed too many Indians in open war- 
 fare to have to slay them by murder," growled Sevier. ^ We 
 won't convict till we've heard the evidence. We haven't any 
 proof yet that an Indian has been killed. After that's shown 
 it will be time enough to name the slayer." 
 
 " Polcher's got the proof. He'll be here in a second," cried 
 a voice. 
 
 Sevier rose and strolled to the door, his manner calm but 
 his nerves inclined to jump. Through the doorway he had 
 glimpsed the face of Major Hubbard, and he feared lest the 
 Indian-hater should enter and boldly announce his bloody 
 coup. Standing so as to block the gaze of those behind him, 
 he caught Hubbard by the shoulder and whispered : 
 
 "The devil's to pay! Your one dead Indian may bring 
 death to many women and children. Let no one know you 
 did it. You'd better go away until it's over. I'm hoping I 
 can stave it off — that they won't find the body." 
 
 Hubbard hesitated, then the feeble wail of a child from 
 some cabin struck to his heart, and with a shudder he slipped 
 back into the darkness just in time to avoid being seen by a 
 group of men carrying torches. As the men drew up to the 
 
FOR WATAUGA AND AMERICA 71 
 
 door, Sevier saw they had brought the silent form of Thatch 
 on a stretcher of rifles. 
 
 Sevier stepped aside and the men filed in and deposited the 
 body on the floor before the table and took their seats. Pol- 
 cher remained standing until Sevier returned to the table, 
 when he approached and placed the Creek scalp before Sevier. 
 The borderer bowed abstractedly and waited for the tavern- 
 keeper to retire. 
 
 " We will now open the inquiry into the death of Amos 
 Thatch," announced Sevier. " Polcher, what do you know 
 about it ? " 
 
 Polcher stood up and testified : " I was in my room, with 
 a coloured boy tending the bar. I was figuring up my accounts 
 when I heard my name spoken softly and looked up to see 
 poor Thatch's face at the window. He seemed to be badly 
 frightened. I thought it was nerves, the need of a drink. I 
 picked up a jug and gave him a drink. The liquor seemed to 
 straighten him out, and he told me he was trying to escape 
 the man called Kirk Jackson. He said he had come upon 
 Jackson down the trail and that Jackson was ripping the hair 
 off an Indian he had just shot — " 
 
 " Did he say he saw him shoot him ? " broke in Sevier. 
 
 " I don't think so. He talked fast and was much fright- 
 ened. I remember he said the shot attracted his attention. 
 He was lying down, had been asleep. He got up and saw 
 Jackson scalping the Indian. I take it for granted he didn't 
 see the shot, although he must have been very close. Of 
 course his story was more or less broken up. I'm only giving 
 the substance of it. He said he cried out and asked Jackson 
 why he killed the Indian and risked bringing on a war. 
 Jackson sprang to his feet and snapped his rifle at him, for- 
 getting he hadn't reloaded it. 
 
 " Poor Thatch then ran for his life with Jackson after him. 
 He knew Jackson would catch him if he didn't hide. He 
 
72 EED BELTS 
 
 managed to dart into a hollow tree. Knowing Jackson would 
 kill him to prevent his being a witness against him, the old 
 man kept in hiding till long after dark. If he could make my 
 place without being seen, he knew I would protect him. His 
 talk was wild because of his fear. He insisted he was fol- 
 lowed, that Jackson was right behind him. He wanted to 
 crawd through the window. Poor Old Thatch! If I'd only 
 let him in through the window! But I thought it was all 
 nonsense. 
 
 '' He'd been drinking too much the last few days, and only 
 this morning I refused to let him have some whisky. I told 
 him to pass round to the tap-room door and I'd see that no 
 one harmed him. He started to do so when some one jumped 
 him from behind the currant-bushes. The old man must 
 have lost his head, for instead of running up to the window 
 he stood in his tracks as if paralyzed. Then he yelled out, 
 and I knew he'd got it. 
 
 " I climbed through the window and Jackson saw me and 
 fired. I called to the men, and they came on the run. We 
 got lights and found where Jackson hid behind the bushes. 
 The tracks of his Shawnee moccasins are very plain. You 
 can see them for yourself. It was at that spot we found the 
 scalp I've given you. I think that's all." 
 
 " Very connectedly told," murmured Sevier, rapidly making 
 some notes. " Did you see Jackson to recognize him ? " 
 
 *^ I did. After I leaped through the window he started 
 toward me, then heard the men coming and thought better of 
 it. I saw his face plainly." 
 
 " That would seem to prove the killing of Thatch," mused 
 Sevier, rising and advancing with a candle to the body. 
 
 He held the candle close and superficially examined the 
 location of the wound and measured the cut in the soiled hunt- 
 ting-shirt. Eeturning to the table he asked — 
 
 " Are there any witnesses to the killing of the Indian ? " 
 
FOE WATAUGA AND AMERICA 73 
 
 One of the tavern characters stood up and awkwardly bobbed 
 his head. 
 
 " Job Twill," greeted Sevier. " Tell what you know." 
 
 Twill began : 
 
 " Me'n two other fellers was down on the trail an' seen this 
 Jackson crawlin' toward the three black oaks. We watched, 
 'lowin' he was goin' to bag a deer. Then we see a Injun stick 
 his head out of some bushes, an' this yere Jackson cuss fired. 
 Almost the same time we seen poor Thatch come through the 
 bushes an' go into the bushes after Jackson. Afore we could 
 git to thinkin' straight, Old Thatch busted back into sight, 
 runnin' his old legs off, with Jackson poundin' after him. 
 That's all we seen." 
 
 " Who were the two men with you ? " 
 
 " Lon Hester 'n Bert Price. They're out huntin' for the 
 murderer now." 
 
 " I see. You were in the tavern this morning when Jack- 
 son had trouble with Hester ? " 
 
 " I was there when he picked a row with Hester," growled 
 the witness. 
 
 They laid aside their weapons ? " 
 
 Yes, 'cause Polcher wouldn't have any killin'. Hester 
 threw his knife on the bar, an' Jackson hung his ax an' pistol 
 on his rifle. That is, he hung his belt holdin' 'em on the 
 rifle." 
 
 " Can you describe the pistol ? " 
 
 " Long one, with the bar'el all scarred up, like it had been 
 banged round a lot." 
 
 " Good for you. Twill. You've got a sharp eye. What 
 about the ax ? " 
 
 " Ahem ! " broke in Polcher, trying to catch the witness' 
 eye but unable to do so because Twill stood in front of him. 
 " I think — " 
 
 " I think you'll be lying beside Mr. Thatch if you interrupt 
 
 
U RED BELTS 
 
 these proceedings with another word ! " roared Sevier, cover- 
 ing the tavern-keeper with his pistol. Then to the startled 
 witness, " Go on. Twill." 
 
 " Th' ax wa'n't a common trade ax. It was made for real 
 work, extry strong an' the handle showed hard wear," faltered 
 the witness, feeling Polcher's gaze boring into the back of his 
 head but not daring to look back. 
 
 " Excellent ! " heartily approved Sevier. " Give me a 
 thousand men with your eyes and memory and I'd ask help of 
 neither State nor Congi^ess. But we must get along faster. 
 Now describe the knife." 
 
 " There waVt no knife," the witness promptly answered. 
 
 A faint growl of rage from Polcher and a wide smile from 
 Sevier warned the witness his patron was displeased with his 
 evidence. Half turning his head and entirely missing the 
 cue Polcher's savage gaze was seeking to convey to him, he 
 persisted : 
 
 " Don't ye remember, Polcher, when he hung his belt on 
 the rifle, it held only a ax an' pistol an' that there wa'n't no 
 loop for a knife? One of the boys spoke about it after he 
 went out that it was queer he didn't carry no knife. An' 
 Price said he might 'a' killed lots of Injuns but without a 
 knife he couldn't 'a' took any — " 
 
 Too late he saw the trap he had been led into, and with a 
 terrified stare at the ominous-eyed tavern-keeper he halted 
 and bit his lips, then glared helplessly at Sevier. 
 
 " Without a knife he couldn't take any scalps," completed 
 Sevier. " In spots. Twill, you're an honest witness. You 
 speak the truth when you forget. Kirk Jackson carried no 
 knife when he came to Jonesboro. What is more, he always 
 fought honourably and did not scalp. Polcher made a mistake 
 in thinking he recognized him. Amos Thatch was killed 
 with a knife, a broad-bladed knife, not a hunting-knife. 
 Jackson never killed him. Now, Twill. No, no ; look at me. 
 
FOR WATAUGA AXD AMERICA 75 
 
 'Now, sir, you dare tell Xolichucky Jack Sevier that you and 
 Hester and Price saw Jackson shoot an Indian? Be careful. 
 I've hung horsethieves in Jonesboro. I'll hang you for a liar 
 before morning if you don't tell the truth." 
 
 Twill turned a ghastly white and licked his lips frantically. 
 In the blazing eyes of Sevier he saw the noose if he were 
 caught bearing false witness. He knew Polcher's cruel gaze 
 was warning him his days were numbered unless he persisted 
 in his story. But Sevier had meted border justice to several 
 of Twill's cronies. 
 
 "I — I may have been mistook," he faltered, gulping out 
 the words with difficultv and knowinof he must leave the 
 Watauga country before morning if he valued his life. " It 
 was a right smart distance off. Mebbe it wa'n't Jackson. I'd 
 — I'd been drinkin' hard." 
 
 " Maybe you didn't see anything. Just dreamed it ? " sug- 
 gested Sevier. 
 
 With a low groan Twill made complete surrender before 
 the compelling gaze and desperately cried out: 
 
 " I reckon so. Jest dreamed it. An' I want to git out of 
 here." 
 
 Sevier nodded toward the door. As Twill made for it, 
 Polcher sprang to his feet as if to follow him. Sevier raised 
 the pistol and warned : 
 
 " Not another step, Polcher." Then humorously, " I'll 
 have no tampering with the witness." 
 
 Polcher returned to his seat and quietly promised — 
 
 *^ The red war-club will be lifted up for this, Sevier." 
 
 " Hayi! Yu!" sneered Sevier, using the introduction of 
 the sacred formula for going to war. " I know your heart 
 well. You wait and long to hear the red war-whoop, but your 
 soul shall become blue. So shall it be." Then to the others, 
 " It's time now, my friends, to visit the spot where this 
 Indian is said to have been killed." 
 
76 EED BELTS 
 
 " Said to have been killed ? " choked Polcher. " And the 
 poor devil's scalp is before you on that table." 
 
 Sevier picked it up and examined it curiously and invited : 
 
 " Stetson, you know scalps and Indians. Come up here." 
 
 The settler advanced and bowed his broad shoulders over 
 the table and held the scalp up to the candle and examined it 
 closely. Then in surprise : 
 
 " This ain't no fresh scalp. It was took from a Injun 
 who'd been dead for hours. Huh ! Looks like it was took 
 off by a blind man. ISTo border-man would scalp like that. 
 Besides, the Injun was so long dead no blood come. What 
 kind of a game is this, anyway ? " And he turned and glared 
 angrily at the tavern-keeper. 
 
 " So much for Stetson. And he knows what he is talking 
 about," said Sevier. " Now we'll take torches and go down 
 the trail to where the Indian was killed. The three oaks 
 make the spot easy to find." 
 
 I can lead you there in the dark," Stetson assured. 
 But we'll carry lighted torches, and Polcher will go with 
 us," Sevier significantly ruled. 
 
 And the mixed-blood knew the words contained a threat. 
 
 " I'll be glad to go," stoutly declared the tavern-keeper. 
 
 I want this thing cleared up as much as any one does. All 
 I know about it is what I've told. Thatch's story prepared 
 me to see Jackson when the old man was killed. Perhaps I 
 made a mistake, but, if I did, it was an honest one. The 
 knife part doesn't prove Jackson innocent, for he could have 
 picked up a knife anywhere." 
 
 " True," agreed Sevier softly, " but I'm surprised he should 
 pick up a butcher-knife. And Twill's story — " 
 
 " I'm not responsible for that," hotly broke in Polcher, 
 ignoring the reference to the mortal weapon. " He heard me 
 tell the boys what I'd been told and had seen. He up and 
 
 
 <i 
 
FOR WATAUGA AND AMERICA 77 
 
 told me his story. I supposed it was the truth. It looks 
 now as if he wanted to appear important/^ 
 
 Nor did Polcher believe his scheme had failed. If Jackson 
 escaped his net, there still remained the big, vital objective 
 — the precipitation of war between the reds and whites. The 
 plot to implicate Jackson had been at the most a by-play to 
 satisfy Polcher's hate for Sevier. He would have struck him 
 by striking his friend. But, so far as the real purpose was 
 concerned, it mattered not whether Jackson or Thatch was 
 believed guilty of the killing. 
 
 All Polcher asked was for the news to spread that a Creek 
 had been murdered. He had originally planned to assassinate 
 a Cherokee, but the Creek fitted in just as pleasingly. There- 
 fore it was with genuine alacrity that he caught up a torch 
 and took a place beside Sevier at the end of the little 
 procession. 
 
 Stetson took the lead. Polcher walked in silence beside the 
 borderer for a minute and then gravely asked — 
 
 " What's to become of us, John, now that the mother State 
 has cast us off ? " 
 
 " We're not entirely orphaned," Sevier retorted. " We can 
 rap on the door of the central Government, and, as a separate 
 State, say, * Here is your child.' " 
 
 " But will the Government take us in ? Can it protect us ? " 
 
 " If it can't protect us, it doesn't make any difference 
 whether it takes us in or doesn't. We can keep on shifting for 
 ourselves as we've always done." 
 
 " I sometimes think you misunderstand me and my mo- 
 tives," Polcher regretted. 
 
 " Never ! " emphatically assured Sevier with a broad smile. 
 
 " All I want to do is my duty by the settlers on this side 
 of the mountains," Polcher warmly declared. 
 
 Our first duty is to see that the settlers in this valley and 
 
 u 
 
78 EED BELTS 
 
 those on the Holston and French Broad are not wiped out by 
 that red ax yow said was coming." 
 
 *^ I spoke foolishly," sighed Polcher. " I only meant that 
 the killing of this Indian would make trouble. You and I are 
 one in wanting to save the settlements. Why not accept aid 
 where we can find it ? " 
 
 " From over the water ? Already we've stood more from 
 Spain than we ever endured from the mother country. If we 
 didn't want a separate existence, why did we go through a 
 war that's left us bankrupt ? " 
 
 "We could accept help till we're strong enough to strike 
 out for ourselves," insisted Polcher. 
 
 " The man who'd sell us to Spain would next be selling us 
 to the devil," Sevier sharply retorted. " As for strength, we're 
 strong enough now to send a red ax to every Indian nation in 
 the South — and another to Charles III." 
 
 Polcher knew this was said for rhetorical eSect and did 
 not represent Sevier's true belief. But he took the words 
 seriously and argued : 
 
 " I can't see that. Other men, bigger than me, can't see 
 it, either." 
 
 " Meaning Tonpit." 
 
 " You named him ; not me. There are men over the moun- 
 tains, who stand very high, who believe it would be our salva- 
 tion from the Western Indians if we had Spain at our back." 
 
 " Spain at our back today means Spain at our throats 
 tomorrow." 
 
 " Bosh ! Then there are the Northern Indians. When you 
 get a war-belt from Cherokee and Creek, you'll get others 
 from the Ohio tribes. Just now the friendship of Piomingo, 
 the Chickasaw chief, for Eobertson holds that tribe back. 
 But what if Robertson dies or Piomingo dies ? What will hold 
 the tribe back then? And, as the Chickasaws go, so go the 
 Choctaws, seven thousand in round numbers." 
 
FOR WATAUGA AND AMERICA 79 
 
 " We haven't come to that trail yet/' 
 
 " But it's only a step ahead. How can the Western settle- 
 ments get anywhere or do anything under the present Gov- 
 ernment ? We're shut oS from the seaboard. Spain controls 
 every mile of the Mississippi. Our tobacco rots on the ground. 
 We're hemmed in. If we accepted Spain's friendly offer, we 
 could ship our tobacco down the Mississippi and sell it in 
 jSI"ew Orleans for ten dollars a hundred. Today a man's lucky 
 to sell any of his crop for two dollars a hundred. And so it is 
 with everything else. We've everything to win and nothing 
 to lose." 
 
 " Polcher, you're a dangerous man, the most dangerous 
 man on the border. Your trade-talk will catch some settlers 
 who are honest at heart but who only think of selling their 
 tobacco. You have other lines of talk to win over the man 
 who refuses to make a move that will divide or weaken the 
 thirteen States. 
 
 " ISTow listen ; I know you. I see your hand in the death 
 of Old Thatch. I understand how gladly you'd hear that the 
 Cherokees have gone to water as a nation. I can picture your 
 joy when you hear Creek and Cherokee have taken the red 
 path together. Now this will surely happen: I shall kill 
 you if I can prove you're working to throw the Western settle- 
 ments into the lap of Spain. I know you're doing it, and, 
 when I can prove it to the satisfaction of a dozen men like 
 Stetson, you'll swing." 
 
 " You talk big about killing folks," snarled Polcher. " Any 
 more threats ? " 
 
 " Only this : you spoke of Piomingo's friendship for Jim 
 Robertson. The minute I hear Piomingo is dead I start out 
 on 3'our trail. And don't figure on your Cherokee blood 
 providing you a hiding-place in that nation. I'd dig you out 
 even if you were hid in the white peace town of Echota. I 
 have spoken." 
 
80 EED BELTS 
 
 ^^ Here we are ! " called out Stetson. " Light extry 
 torches/' 
 
 This was speedily done, and, as the three black oaks and 
 the clump of poplars sprang into the light, the men took up 
 their search for the dead Indian. Polcher was most zealous 
 in the task, and Sevier kept close by him. But, although the 
 men scattered and hunted carefully, and although the glare 
 of the torches attracted those men who had been seeking 
 Jackson, no trace of the murdered Creek could be found. 
 
 " It's mighty queer," mused Stetson, rubbing his head in 
 perplexity. " If the Injun was killed, he wasn't et up or 
 burned up. But where's the body ? " 
 
 " If ! " snarled Polcher in great disgust. " Didn't you see 
 his scalp ? " 
 
 " I've seen lots of Injun hair," Stetson quietly replied. 
 ^' I'm beginning to think that partic'lar hair is older'n even I 
 thought it was. One thing's sartain: there ain't no dead 
 Injun in this neck of the woods." 
 
 " Of course the murderer hid the body," cried Polcher, now 
 prepared to play his trump card, and his gaze shifted for a 
 second to the pile of brush, under which, as Thatch had told 
 him, the Indian was concealed. 
 
 " Not if he chased Thatch, as the old man claimed," said 
 one of the searchers. 
 
 "He had plenty of time while Thatch was hiding in the 
 hollow tree," Polcher returned. " Ah ! I wonder if this hides 
 anything ! " 
 
 And he ran to the pile of brush and cast a triumphant 
 glance at Sevier. 
 
 " Now perhaps it does," agreed Sevier. " It's so exposed 
 one wouldn't think to look in it. The murderer probably 
 thought of that." 
 
 And he vied with Polcher in tearing the mound to pieces, 
 
FOR WATAUGA AND AMERICA 81 
 
 They came to the forest floor without finding any trace of a 
 corpse. 
 
 Polcher bit his lips to hide his rage. He knew that some 
 one had forestalled him; he wondered if it could be Sevier. 
 He began to feel uneasy at Sevier's way of always keeping at 
 his side. Chucky Jack's threat to hang him if he caught him 
 in overt treachery suddenly became very real, and he mechan- 
 ically felt of his throat. 
 
 Sevier would not abandon the quest, however, and insisted : 
 
 "We must make sure. Let us all spread out in a wide 
 circle and gradually work in to this spot. Let no hollow tree, 
 pile of rocks or loose brush be overlooked. If an Indian has 
 been killed, a most serious crime has been committed and we 
 may find ourselves at war before we are prepared." 
 
 " My woman'll be crazy if I don't git back," growled Stet- 
 son. "Job Twill as much as said he didn't know an3'thing 
 about it. Where's Bert Rice and Lon Hester ? " 
 
 The two names were shouted repeatedly, but neither of the 
 men appeared. Stetson continued: 
 
 " They're the only two other witnesses known, and I figger 
 they don't know any more than Twill did. I'm satisfied no 
 Injun's been killed." 
 
 " But Old Thatch was killed," cried Polcher, taking a step 
 back. " There's no make believe about that." 
 
 " That's another bar'el of cats," grunted Stetson. " I'm 
 going home." 
 
 " Yes, Thatch was killed. But if no Indian was slain his 
 story must have been a case of too much liquor," murmured 
 Sevier. " That brings us back to the question ; who killed 
 liim ? " 
 
 Polcher was alarmed. Not only was his whole scheme tum- 
 bling about his ears, but he felt death in the night air and 
 even fancied he detected Sevier examining the dark boughs 
 
82 BED BELTS 
 
 overhead as if in search of a gallows cross-beam. He cursed 
 his lust for personal vengeance. If he only had accused 
 Thatch of the crime ! Or Hester ! Where were his wits that 
 he had not utilized the trick for disposing of Hester ? Hester 
 was becoming a nuisance, and it was only a question of time 
 when he must be removed. Used as an ignorant tool, the 
 fellow had assumed such airs as to threaten embarrassment to 
 the plans of his Majesty, Charles III. 
 
 But more poignant than any regrets was the accumulating 
 fear of the unseen counterplot. He knew Thatch had stum- 
 bled upon a dead Indian. And some one had concealed the 
 body. He began to doubt his own perspicacity and to imagine 
 other secret plots were unfolding to hem him in. For the first 
 time in his life he knew what it was to tremble on the edge 
 of a panic. With a sidelong glance he saw Sevier was watch- 
 ing him curiously. With a mighty effort he recovered his self- 
 control and demanded : 
 
 " Let no one go back until we've formed the circle as sug- 
 gested by Sevier. Somewhere near here is the dead body of 
 an Indian. One more effort before we cr}^ quits." 
 
 He seized a torch and led the way deep into the forest, call- 
 ing out for the men to scatter and make the circle complete. 
 The men hesitated, but, as Sevier took up a position within a 
 rod of the tavern-keeper, they grumbled and did as told, even 
 Stetson changing his mind and participating in this, the last 
 effort. 
 
 " All ready over here," bellowed Stetson. 
 
 The signal was repeated until it had run round the circle, 
 and the men began to slowly advance toward the common 
 centre. Ostensibly Sevier searched most carefully, but always 
 with a sidelong glance to see that Polcher's torch was on his 
 immediate right. As the men worked inward they came 
 nearer together, but it was not until they were but a few rods 
 from the three oaks that Sevier gave a low exclamation of 
 
FOE WATAUGA AND AMERICA 83 
 
 anger. The man next to him was not Polcher hut one of his 
 tools. 
 
 Seizing him by the shoulder Sevier fiercely demanded — 
 
 " Where's your master ? " 
 
 Frightened, the man did not speak for a moment; then he 
 faltered : 
 
 "I don't know. He gave me his torch to hold while he 
 looked under some brush." 
 
 " Every one scatter and look for Polcher ! " roared Chucky 
 Jack. " I charge him with killing Thatch. The job was 
 done with a butcher-knife, like what he carries under his 
 apron. Stetson, take three men and follow me on the jump. 
 You others beat the woods toward the settlement and come 
 to the tavern." 
 
 " What's on your mind ? " asked Stetson as he raced beside 
 Sevier up the trail. 
 
 " I think he'll make for the court-house. To get that 
 scalp ! " 
 
 " He's lighting out ? " 
 
 " He'll be hiding among the Cherokees by morning." 
 
 Nothing more was said until they reached the court-house. 
 Then, as they entered and by the stub of the candle beheld the 
 horn of ink spilled on the table and inky finger-prints on 
 the worthless petition and top of the table, Sevier quietly an- 
 nounced : 
 
 " He's been here and gone." 
 
 " And he took the scalp I " cried Stetson. 
 
 Sevier smiled and drew it from his hunting-shirt, saying — 
 
 " It was too valuable to leave behind." 
 
 One of the settlers now thrust his head in at the door 
 and informed : 
 
 " Polcher's hoss is gone. The mulatter says he come an' 
 got a pile of money from a hiding-place under the bar. He's 
 lit out jest as ye thought." 
 
84 RED BELTS 
 
 Others now came up, and from the doorway Sevier ad- 
 dressed them, saying: 
 
 " My friends, it's all over. Polcher's gone, showing that he 
 killed Thatch. There's nothing more you can do except to 
 choose a guard to keep the trash out of the tavern. The men 
 on guard are to find and keep for me all papers in the tavern. 
 The rest of you go home to your families. Stetson, you 
 stay here for a bit.'' 
 
 After the men had departed, Sevier thrust the scalp through 
 a crack in the floor and poked it with the point of his knife 
 until it entirely disappeared. Then to Stetson he directed : 
 
 " Send a messenger to Kate, telling her from me that I 
 shaVt be home until I come. She'll understand. Send 
 other messengers in my name warning the border to be ready 
 to ride to me wherever I may be. See that Thatch is decently 
 buried. If young Jackson turns up, tell him he'd better wait 
 here till I get back. He was mixed up in a way he never 
 dreamed of. I sent him to Polcher's. Can't tell you now; 
 no time. But he acted under my orders. They jumped him ; 
 I wasn't there, and he took to cover. Tell the boys he's thor- 
 oughly innocent. I couldn't tell them tonight without show- 
 ing Polcher I knew his game. I had to let him have rope; 
 now he's got enough to swing on." 
 
 " You're going away, John ? " 
 
 " I start inside of ten minutes, as soon as I can get my 
 horse. If alive I'll be back when the delegates arrive to settle 
 our new form of government. If I'm not back, you will ask 
 Judge David Campbell to take the lead. Now go, and don't 
 forget the messenger to Kate." 
 
 " You're sure — quite sure you can't take me along, John ? " 
 begged Stetson. 
 
 " Not this time, old friend. I ride far, and I must ride 
 hard, and I must ride alone." 
 
 " Then God be with you ! " 
 
FOR WATAUGA AND AMERICA 85 
 
 " May He be with Watauga — with America ! " softly added 
 Sevier. 
 
 He wrote a few words and handed them to Stetson saying : 
 
 " A few lines to Judge Campbell if I'm not here. Now, 
 good night." 
 
 Their hands met, and Stetson reluctantly departed. 
 
 Sevier caught up his weapons from behind the table and 
 hastened to his horse corraled back of the court-house. As he 
 threw on the saddle he told the intelligent animal : 
 
 " Tonpit and Polcher are ahead of us, old boy. We've 
 got to kill Polcher and head Tonpit off. Neither must reach 
 Little Talassee. If we can steal Miss Elsie, then Tonpit's er- 
 rand is spoiled. McGillivray won't trust him till he has the 
 girl as a hostage.'^ 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 THE ANCIENT LAW 
 
 ALL over-mountain men rode well, and their mounts 
 were the envy of both red and white thieves. Among 
 the saddle-bred, however, Chucky Jack was given the 
 palm. Until he reached the French Broad, he spurred along 
 openly, sticking to the trail. The occasional settlers he en- 
 countered invariably caught up their arms and made for their 
 horses, only to be told their leader rode alone. After cross- 
 ing the river the little clearings were more scattered and the 
 approach of the rider brought the gaunt border-men to sharp 
 attention, rifles ready, until he shouted his name. 
 
 Once south of the Broad he traversed a land where Death 
 stalked abreast of each passing minute and the husbandman 
 worked with his rifle at his side and the children were taught 
 not to stray from the cabin door. For this was the ragged 
 edge of Western life, where the first threads would be unrav- 
 eled should the red scourge essay to tear its way to the moun- 
 tains. On the right of the Great War-Path were scattered 
 the homes of the Holston folks, a tense, grim people waiting 
 for what the next hour might bring them. 
 
 Once below the rough parallelogram formed by the Wa- 
 tauga, the Holston and the Xolichucky, the horseman had left 
 the settlements behind him and rode more circumspectly. 
 The site of what was to be Knoxville would not receive its first 
 visit from white men, James White and James Connor, for 
 another three years. A tavern and a court-house marked the 
 
 beginning of Greeneville. Below this " settled ^' area were a 
 
 86 
 
THE AN-CIENT LAW 87 
 
 • 
 
 few ^^ stations/' as the blockhouses were called, consisting of 
 the usual stockade inclosing a few small cabins. Invariably 
 these cases of civilization were girt about by the primeval 
 forests. 
 
 " Sevier rides alone ! " was the word flashed from clearing 
 to clearing on both sides of the Great Trail, and men won- 
 dered, and women called the children indoors and stoically 
 awaited the result of the wild gallop. 
 
 For Chucky Jack, their idol, was not given to racing into 
 the wilderness unless spurred on by the imperative. 
 
 At the Tellico crossing Sevier met a frightened hunter who 
 said he had seen a white man, riding like mad. 
 
 " Was there a girl with him ? " asked Sevier. 
 
 'No; he was alone, it seemed. 
 
 With a word of thanks Sevier warned : 
 
 " Get back to the Broad ! This country won't be safe for 
 any honest white man." And with a prick of the spur he 
 was darting away. 
 
 At times he avoided small bands of Cherokees, but these 
 were not overwatchful as none dreamed of a white man so far 
 within their country. When near the Hiwassee, the borderer 
 drew aside and sought a ford farther to the west of the regular 
 crossing. Eiver-crossings were the favourite haunts of those 
 younger Cherokees who refused to heed the council of pacific 
 elders. 
 
 Now, too, each mile of the way brought Sevier that much 
 nearer to the lower towns on the Tennessee, where the motley 
 hordes of white refugees, Shawnee outcasts. Creeks fleeing 
 tribal punishment, as well as turbulent Cherokees, held the 
 towns of Nickajack, Crow Town, Long Island, Lookout Moun- 
 tain and Running Water. Implacable hatred for the whites 
 was the occasion of these villages, and from them radiated an 
 atmosphere of hostility that no number of peace talks could 
 soften. 
 
88 RED BELTS 
 
 It was while seeking a ford that Sevier came upon some- 
 thing that furrowed his brows and caused him to examine his 
 weapons. It was a soiled apron, thrown on a bush. It 
 marked the passing of Polcher, and it openly advertised his 
 identity to any passing savage. Its presence wxst of the reg- 
 ular ford told Sevier the man was hastening to the lower 
 towns, where the Chickamaugas under Watts and Dragging 
 Canoe would respond promptly to his urging for immediate 
 war. 
 
 It revealed the cunning of the man, for, had he paused to 
 win over Old Tassel's people in the eastern villages, he would 
 have lost valuable time and laid himself open to discovery by 
 a pursuing posse of settlers. 
 
 " He strikes for headquarters of the war faction," Sevier 
 told himself. " Let him go. They can do nothing without 
 the aid of the Creeks. My path lies south of Lookout Moun- 
 tain town to the Coosa. All I ask is that I may overtake the 
 Tonpits." 
 
 His rapid, stealthy flight, his evasion of all villages mini- 
 mized his chances of picking up Tonj)it's trail. But, knowing 
 the couple were safe in the Cherokee countrj^ and convinced 
 they w^ere making for McGillivray's town on the Coosa, he 
 had planned to press forward with all speed to the head of the 
 river below the Chickamauga towns and there endeavour to in- 
 tercept the two. If luck were with him, he would accomplish 
 this before Polcher had finished his talk with AYatts. 
 
 Dismounting, he studied the faint trail left by Polcher's 
 horse and decided it was at least twenty-four hours old. This 
 lead was in part represented by the tavern-keeper's hurried 
 flight from Jonesboro and in part by his freedom to ride post- 
 haste by the shortest route regardless of villages. On the 
 whole Sevier was much pleased with his own progress, for he 
 had been compelled to make detours and to dodge roving bands 
 of savages. 
 
THE ANCIENT LAW 89 
 
 He followed the trail to the river and studied the opposite 
 side with care. There was no sign of life except a liuliu, or 
 yellow mocking-bird. High in the heavens floated the 
 awaliili, the great sacred bird of the Cherokees, the war-eagle. 
 The superstitious would have found an ill omen in the eagle's 
 course toward the Chickamauga towns. 
 
 Its white tail-feathers tipped with black would buy the best 
 horse in any village. It could be killed only after the crops 
 had been gathered and the snakes had denned for Winter, just 
 as the eagle songs must not be sung until the snakes were 
 asleep. But Sevier was not superstitious, and, if he found 
 any symbol in the great bird's majestic flight, it prompted 
 him to picture the expansion of a mighty nation toward the 
 western sun. 
 
 Taking his horse b}^ the bridle he waded into the ford and 
 the mocking-bird darted away. He was hoping no Indian had 
 seen the songster's fright when there sounded behind him the 
 clicTc of a rifle being cocked. He stopped with the water 
 swirling about his knees and looked back. A glance sufficed 
 to tell him his plight was hopeless did he offer resistance. 
 Fully a dozen warriors were on the bank with rifles aimed. 
 
 Turning and leading his horse back to them, Sevier com- 
 plained — 
 
 " When a Cherokee brings a talk to Tsan-usdi he is not 
 met with a pointed gun." 
 
 One of the warriors met him as he came out of the river 
 and relieved him of his rifle and belt and significantly re- 
 plied — 
 
 " They say that when a Cherokee went to see Little John 
 he left his scalp." 
 
 Eyes flashed, and bronzed hands played with knife and 
 ax at the speech. Sevier knew Polcher had begun spreading 
 his poisonous tale and that by this time the story was radiating 
 tlirough the wilderness, village after village catching it up and 
 

 90 RED BELTS 
 
 passing it on. Like magic would the news spread throughout 
 the nation. 
 
 " By the lips of a Cherokee himself you shall learn that it is 
 a lie. None of your brothers has been harmed in Jonesboro 
 where the Cherokee talks are brought to me/' quietly an- 
 swered Sevier. "^Tio commands here?" 
 
 " We follow John Watts/' sullenly replied the warrior. 
 
 " Chickamaugas, hopelessly hostile/' Sevier inwardly ex- 
 claimed. Then aloud, " Where is he ? I bring him a talk. 
 I have come fast as the wind to see him." 
 
 He is near. You shall see him/' was the grim reply. 
 Then do not keep me waiting/' was the brusque command. 
 And the borderer leaped on his horse. 
 
 The Indians feared him as they had never feared white or 
 red man, and, although he was unarmed and greatly outnum- 
 bered, they kept their distance and nervously covered him with 
 their guns as if fearing some magic. The temporary leader 
 of the band went ahead and frequently glanced back to make 
 sure Chucky Jack was not too close to his heels. 
 
 Sevier whistled softly, outwardly calm and indifferent. As 
 a fact, he would have preferred that almost any other man 
 than Watts should be ahead of him. He had fought Watts 
 and whipped him, but he respected him for his courage and 
 shrewdness. He considered him the most astute of all the 
 Cherokee leaders, the one chief destined to succeed Old Tassel. 
 Watts was hopelessly belligerent, where Old Tassel sought to 
 gain his ends by trickery and diplomacy. 
 
 '^ Where is Tall Runner ? " Sevier sharply called out to the 
 warrior ahead. 
 
 "Ask those who laid down the Black Path for his feet to 
 follow to the Twilight Land/' was the ominous answer. 
 
 " Tall Runner will come to give you the lie/' coolly declared 
 Sevier. " He has not gone to the ever-darkening land in the 
 west." 
 
THE ANCIENT LAW 91 
 
 The savages' firm belief in the warrior's demise set the bor- 
 derer to wondering, however. What if Polcher had over- 
 taken Tall Runner ? It might easil}^ have happened that the 
 fleeing horseman had come upon Old Tassel's messenger. 
 And, had it happened, Sevier hadn't the slightest doubt con- 
 cerning the tavern-keeper's readiness to slay the man and 
 blame his death on Jonesboro. He suddenly decided that his 
 life was most critically in the balance. 
 
 "The soul of Tall Runner turns to nothing. It becomes 
 blue," chanted the warrior ahead, his voice taking on the in- 
 tonation of a shaman. 
 
 Sevier held his tongue, knowing his fight must be waged 
 with Chief Watts. In silence the party passed up the bank 
 for a mile and then crossed and struck into a well-beaten path 
 and turned northwest. Another mile and they came to a vil- 
 lage. The habitations were substantial log structures sur- 
 rounding a council-house. Evidently it was a prosperous vil- 
 lage, for hogs and fowls wandered about in large numbers, 
 and many horses grazed on the outskirts. Gardens of beans 
 and corn flourished between potato-fields and fields of squash. 
 /\.long the edge of the clearing stretched peach orchards. 
 
 Women engaged in basketry and pottery ceased their labours 
 as Sevier was brought in, then pretended not to have seen him 
 and bowed over their work. 
 
 A little girl, carrying a milk-tooth by a string and intent on 
 replacing it by the time-honoured custom of invoking dayi, the 
 beaver, famous for his strong teeth, came running round a 
 cabin. She shrilly cried out four times, " Dayi skinta'' 
 ("Beaver, put a new tooth in my jaw") and completed the 
 formula by throwing the tooth on the parental roof. Not see- 
 ing Sevier because of her excitement, she bumped into him as 
 he leaped to the ground. 
 
 Her terrified squeal was hushed as Chucky Jack caught her 
 up and smiled into her little face. He patted her head and 
 
92 RED BELTS 
 
 fished out a small trade mirror from his hunting-shirt and 
 pressed it into her hand and earnestly assured: 
 
 " The Gnawer will give you a new tooth very soon. Look 
 in this each morning, and some morning you will see iV 
 
 With that he set her on her feet. She opened her mouth 
 to bleat in fear but caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror 
 and smiled and decided there was nothing to be afraid of. 
 Neither warrior nor squaw gave any sign of having noticed the 
 little incident, but among the women looks were exchanged as 
 the great borderer was conducted to the council-house. And 
 more than one mother whispered in awe — 
 
 " Tsan-usdi ! '' 
 
 Ignoring the cane-benches, which were reserved for the head 
 men, Sevier threw himself down on a bearskin and curtly de- 
 manded : 
 
 " AATiere is John Watts ? Do not keep me waiting." 
 
 Fear and respect dominated his captors, and the leader 
 replied : 
 
 " He will be here soon. A messenger has gone for him. 
 He rode early this morning and should now be coming back." 
 
 " Do not keep me waiting," Sevier repeated. 
 
 The warriors withdrew and took up positions about the 
 council-house. As the leader passed out, he reached to one 
 side and caught up something and carried it before him, but 
 not before Sevier recognized it as a large soapstone pipe. His 
 features changed none, yet the warrior's stealthy act in with- 
 drawing the pipe kept alive his sense of danger. The re- 
 moval of the pipe had two significances: it had been used 
 in cementing a peace pact; and it was not to be offered to 
 Sevier. 
 
 " The Creeks came here hotfoot on learning the Watauga 
 settlements had been ceded to the central Government and are 
 no longer under Carolina's jurisdiction. Watts has struck a 
 bargain with McGillivray," Sevier quickly deduced. 
 
THE AXCIENT LAW 93 
 
 Half an hour passed with the village remaining very quiet. 
 Then sounded a slight confusion, and the prisoner knew Chief 
 Watts had returned. The low murmur of voices suddenly 
 ceased. The little girl wishing the new tooth shyly thrust her 
 head through the door and invited the stranger to confidences 
 and more gifts. A strong hand gently lifted her away; then 
 Chief Watts, arrayed for hunting but carrying no weapons 
 except the knife in his belt, entered the room, followed by a 
 file of head men. 
 
 " I greet you. Little John,'' he gravely saluted as he seated 
 himself on a bench. 
 
 " You have kept me waiting,'^ rebuked Sevier. 
 
 Watts' beady eyes flickered a tribute to Sevier's nerve, and 
 with ironical meekness he replied : 
 
 •^ I am sorry. As soon as I knew you were here, I came. 
 What is your business so far inside the Cherokee country ? " 
 
 " I seek a murderer, a white man. I have no time to waste. 
 Three thousand riflemen will misunderstand my absence and 
 come searching for me if I do not get back to them." 
 
 The warriors fidgeted uneasily at this threat. Chief Watts' 
 visage became malignant, and he hissed — 
 
 " It would have been better for you if you had brought your 
 riflemen with you." 
 
 " It will be much worse for the Cherokee Xation if I do not 
 return," was the prompt reply. 
 
 " That is as it will be," rumbled the cliief. " I ask you 
 why vou or some of your men killed Tall Eunner of the 
 Wolf." 
 
 " A renegade brought you that lie. You know it is a lie," 
 Sevier calmly retorted. 
 
 Watts half rose with hand on knife, then sank back on the 
 bench. Sevier continued — 
 
 " The man who told you that is a murderer and the man 
 I am after." 
 

 94 EED BELTS 
 
 " He killed Tall Runner ? " sneered Watts. 
 
 "He killed a white man. No one killed Tall Eunner. 
 There is peace between the Little Tennessee towns and the 
 Watauga settlements. Tall Eunner was a messenger from 
 Old Tassel, who is our friend. Why should we kill him? 
 The Eunner brought me talk from Old Tassel about a grand 
 council. I sent a talk back to him, saying I would meet him 
 and all friendly Cherokees in council and settle the trouble 
 about the settlers moving on to the lands south of the French 
 Broad." 
 
 No such talk was brought to me/' said Watts. 
 That is for Old Tassel to look after. Perhaps he knows 
 you already have made a treaty with the Creeks ; that you want 
 war against the whites.'' 
 
 " Why do you say such things ? " cried Watts. 
 
 " Why do you hide the white peace-pipe when I'm brought 
 here ? The pipe you have just smoked with the chiefs sent by 
 McGillivray ? " 
 
 " It is false. My people do not want war with the whites. 
 They only ask to have back the lands they always held from 
 the beginning of things, the lands the whites have stolen from 
 them." 
 
 " It is true you have made a bargain with McGillivray. 
 You are a renegade Cherokee. You lead the Ghickamaugas. 
 You have Shawnees in your cabins, bad Indians who dare not 
 go home to their Ohio brothers. Beware, John Watts. The 
 Chickamauga towns have been burned once. The fire is kin- 
 dled that will burn from Crown Town to Eunning Water." 
 
 " Who will lead the Watauga men when they bring that 
 fire ? " hoarsely asked the chief, his bronzed chest rising and 
 falling spasmodically as he fought to retain his self-control, 
 to keep his hand off his knife. 
 
 " Nolichucky Jack will lead them," was the even response. 
 
 " Little John, you are said to have killed a man of the Wolf. 
 
THE AXCIENT LAW . 95 
 
 Were you many times Chucky Jack you should die/' Watts 
 passionately declared. 
 
 " If it is proved I killed him, or that he was killed by any 
 of my men, I will shoot myself,'' Sevier readily promised. 
 *' But, if he is alive, you will be sorry you held me here. If he 
 has been killed on Cherokee land by Polcher, the murderer, 
 then I demand that Polcher be handed over to me to be 
 hanged. After he is dead you can have his scalp." 
 
 The warriors along the cane-benches stirred and twisted un- 
 easily at these bold words, and more than one began consider- 
 ing the possibility of there being any truth in the intimation 
 that the tavern-keeper was the assassin. Chief Watts was 
 quick to note the disturbing effect of the borderer's speech and 
 loudly proclaimed: 
 
 " Our shamans have looked into the Great Crystal and have 
 seen you and the Tall Runner facing each other with a bloody 
 knife between you, the point at the Eunner's breast. And the 
 Tall Eunner has not come." 
 
 " jSTo shaman has seen me in the Ulunsuti as vou tell," 
 Sevier denied, his serene countenance belying his conviction 
 that Watts was determined to remove him from the path of 
 Spain and was prepared to use the shamans in order to still 
 any protest from Old Tassel. 
 
 Watts rose and extended his hand, shaking a finger dra- 
 matically at Sevier, fiercely demanding — 
 
 " You dare to say a Cherokee was not killed and scalped at 
 Jonesboro a few days ago; that you did not hold a council 
 in vour council-house and saw the raw scalp placed before 
 you ? " 
 
 Now Sevier knew for a certainty that Polcher was near and 
 had told his story to the lower towns. Nor did Sevier care to 
 explain that a Creek had been killed, and not a Cherokee; 
 for that news, relayed to McGillivray, would bring even 
 greater evil. He was forced to believe Watts was sincere in 
 
96 BED BELTS 
 
 considering Tall Runner dead. The messenger's failure to 
 return home was alarming. He found one slim hope to cling 
 to : Tall Eunner had started from one of the Little Tennessee 
 towns and had returned there. During his absence Old Tassel 
 had set out on a journey and the Eunner had not yet caught 
 up with him. 
 
 " After Tall Eunner gave me his talk and had received 
 mine and was ready to start back, I told the settlers of 
 Jonesboro I would hang the man who crossed his homeward 
 trail. And they know Chucky Jack keeps his word," Sevier 
 declared. 
 
 TV^atts seemed impressed and remained silent for several 
 moments, his head bowed. Then he rose and with racial dig- 
 nity said : 
 
 " I will send a runner to find Old Tassel to see if anything 
 new has been heard from his messenger. But if the Chero- 
 kees should find their red brother had been killed and scalped 
 — just as it is now believed in this village that he dwells where 
 it is ever growing dark — and if Little John should be asked 
 to cover the dead with his blood, who is there to become angry 
 and make war-medicine against us ? " 
 
 " My riflemen know how and when to make war-medicine.'' 
 
 " Little birds whisper that they can do nothing without a 
 leader; that their minds are in many pieces, some crying for 
 Spain to buy their tobacco, some saying they will make them- 
 selves into a new nation and have done with Chucky Jack, who 
 plans to join the Thirteen Fires (thirteen States)." 
 
 Sevier folded his arms and stared over the chief's head. 
 Watts continued : 
 
 " It can not be that North Carolina will be angry if the 
 spirit of Tsan-usdi travels to the spirit land in the West, for 
 Carolina has driven him from her cabin. The Thirteen Fires 
 will not ask presents for his death, for the Thirteen Fires are 
 made of green wood and give more smoke than flame and will 
 
THE ANCIENT LAW 97 
 
 soon die out. The Thirteen Fires are not like fires ; thev are 
 like an old man without legs to run on, without hands to lift 
 the ax, like an old man who can only open his mouth and make 
 foolish sounds." 
 
 With the quickness of a released steel spring Sevier came to 
 his feet, and, before a savage could guess his purpose, he had 
 Watts' scalp-lock in his left hand and Watts' knife in his right 
 and in a low, vibrant voice was warning : 
 
 " I am an American. Say what you will about the Wa- 
 tauga, about Carolina. But, by the white man's God, an- 
 other black word against the Thirteen Fires and ITl empty 
 your flesh of blood ! " 
 
 They stood breast to breast, their eyes fighting the old, old 
 battle, with no warrior daring to move for fear of precipitat- 
 ing a tragedy. Nor was there any cowardice in Watts' bear- 
 ing when he finally broke the tense silence by saying : 
 
 " Little John of the Xolichucky is a brave man. The Great 
 Spirit has caused him to be so." 
 
 Sevier stepped back and, holding the knife by the tip, ex- 
 tended it, saying: 
 
 " My medicine is strong without this. John Watts would 
 be a great man if he did not listen to the evil talks sent him 
 by Alexander McGillivray." 
 
 " You would not say these things to McGillivray of the 
 Creeks." 
 
 "All, and more. Xow I demand to see the man Polcher, 
 who killed a white man." 
 
 " You shall see him," quietly promised the chief. 
 
 And with a deep bow Watts dropped the knife in his belt 
 and led his warriors from the room. 
 
 Sevier knew enough of the Indian character to realize that 
 never had he stood as high in Chief Watts' estimation as now. 
 This knowledge deceived him none as to his danger, however. 
 Even if Polcher should fail to erase this last impression, the 
 
98 RED BELTS 
 
 chief would persist in believing the future of his race depended 
 on the elimination of all white settlements west of the Alle- 
 ghanies. To preserve his people he would use whatever tools 
 came at hand, whether furnished by Creek, Spaniard or the 
 Evil One himself. 
 
 Now that the over-mountain men were disowned and told 
 to find a guardian in the handicapped central Government, the 
 wilv leader realized the Cherokee Nation stood at the threshold 
 of its destiny. Sevier represented the element opposing the 
 red man's ascendancy; therefore, he must be removed. No 
 man had ever been more highly esteemed by the Indians as a 
 fighter, and the full measure of praise would be given him 
 even while the sentence of death was being carried out. 
 Sevier had found this recognition of merit to be a character- 
 istic of every Indian tribe with which he had had dealings. 
 Torture and the torments of hell would be accompanied by 
 the sincere acknowledgment of the victim's virtues. 
 
 Sevier stepped to a window and noticed the guard on that 
 side had been withdrawn. A similar inspection on the other 
 three sides revealed the same negligence. But the borderer 
 was not to be decoyed into imagining he could escape to the 
 forest by a sudden rush. He knew he was circled about by 
 sharp weapons and sharper eyes and that, should he attempt 
 to escape, he would be despatched off-hand. Such an ending 
 of his captivity would relieve Watts from any censure on the 
 part of Old Tassel and his faction. 
 
 Leaning from an open window, Sevier found the invitation 
 to attempt an escape was accented by the absence of even the 
 women and children. The village appeared to be deserted. 
 He smiled grimly at such a transparent ruse. He had fought 
 too many times with the nation, had whipped it too often, to 
 imagine the warriors would neglect any oversight that would 
 insure his captivity. And yet the manoeuvre made him think 
 more kindly of Watts. The chief fought for the future of his 
 
THE AXCIEXT LAW 99 
 
 people; he preferred to remove the stumbling-block in the 
 council-house without brutality. 
 
 There was something in the drowsy atmosphere of the vil- 
 lage that was reminiscent of James Robertson's last visit to 
 his home on the Nolichucky. The fancy was absurd and yet 
 persisted ; something that now thrilled him with a promise of 
 succour, and yet too vaguely remembered to take a tangible 
 form in his thoughts. He forced his recollections over the 
 back trail. He recalled the evening. He could see Robertson 
 at the table, talking. Then there flashed across the sensitive 
 screen of his memory the words : 
 
 Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the 
 simrising; that the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his 
 neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that 
 fleeing unto one of these cities he might live. 
 
 Xow he had it through the seeming irrelevancy of some 
 passages of Scripture. Robertson had been to Echota, and 
 had spoken of it as a ^^ white/' or " peace " town. Sevier had 
 summoned it back to mind through the association of ideas. 
 The Cherokees had degenerated in other matters, but they 
 still held strictly to their ancient law and vouchsafed a refuge 
 to the murderer w^hich was even more liberal than that set 
 forth in Deuteronomy. For, while Moses had stipulated that 
 wilful or premeditated homicide placed the offender outside 
 the pale of sanctuary on the east side of Jordan, the old 
 Cherokee law protected even the wilful slayer once he gained 
 Echota. 
 
 Sevier knew a trader, a white man, who had demanded and 
 secured sanctuary at Echota after slaying an Indian in de- 
 fence of his goods. This man had even been warned by the 
 chiefs that he would be waj'laid and killed on his way home 
 unless he first appeased the dead man's relatives with gifts. 
 Sixteen years back Oconostota, speaking for the Cherokee i^a- 
 
100 EED BELTS 
 
 tion at Johnson Hall on the Mohawk, in the course of making 
 peace with the Iroquois, had said — 
 
 " We come from Chotte, where the white house, the house 
 of peace, is erected." 
 
 But this was not Echota, and yet the vague promise of help 
 persisted in the borderer's mind. Then there walked through 
 his thoughts the figure of a Frenchman, who had visited him 
 at Jonesboro, having come from the Creek country and pass- 
 ing near the lower towns, and the Frenchman had told of find- 
 ing rest and security. 
 
 " I have it now ! " softly exclaimed Sevier, lifting his head 
 and glancing sharply about the village. 
 
 The domesticated fowls scratched and pecked before the 
 silent cabins. Pigs grunted and nosed about. Then a small 
 face shyly peeped round the corner of a cabin, and Sevier 
 smiled as he beheld the little maid who had prayed to the 
 beaver for a new tooth. She held up the trade mirror and 
 ventured a few steps toward him. A low admonition from 
 inside the cabin was ignored by the tot. Suddenly making 
 up her mind, she ran to the window and gleefully held up the 
 mirror for him to look in, then gravely opened her mouth and 
 used the glass in seeking the belated gift of Dayi. 
 
 Sevier chucked her under the chin. A woman came run- 
 ning from the cabin and seized the child by the arm, perhaps 
 fearing that the white man would bewitch her. 
 
 " Listen, woman," Sevier commanded under his breath. 
 " Is this Ayuhwasi ? " 
 
 " Ayuhwasi Egwahi," the woman timidly corrected as she 
 caught up the child and hurried away. 
 
 Sevier drew a long breath and turned from the window to 
 conceal his smile. It was the town the French trader had 
 mentioned. And by what a round-about way had the borderer 
 recalled it ! A fragment from Deuteronomy, a flash of mem- 
 ory concerning his old friend James Robertson's talk of Echota 
 
THE AXCIEXT LAW 101 
 
 — and Chucky Jack was now ready to meet Chief Watts, 
 his head men and the villain, Polcher, and dicker for his 
 life. 
 
 The intrusion of the child seemed to he a signal for the 
 deathly quiet to break up. There sounded a hoarse, monot- 
 onous chanting of a shaman, the shuffling tread of warriors 
 moving with ceremonial step, and then John Watts, followed 
 by Polcher and a string of warriors, entered the council-house, 
 their faces devoid of expression, their eyes resting on the pris- 
 oner as if not seeing him. Watts and Polcher took seats side 
 by side, and, had not Sevier been looking for the tavern-keeper, 
 he would not have recognized him. 
 
 Polcher now was all Indian. Gone the smirk and urbanity 
 of his white role. In discarding the garments of the settle- 
 ments he had taken on the status of the red man. His fea- 
 tures were all Indian, and yet three-fourths of his blood was 
 white. What especially served to disguise him was his elab- 
 orate head-dress of eagle feathers. Sevier stared at the 
 feathers intently, then began smiling. As the line of war- 
 riors scowled blackly at his show of mirth^ he threw off all 
 restraint and laughed aloud. 
 
 Before he could be interrogated, he pointed a derisive finger 
 at Polcher and demanded : 
 
 " Are the Cherokees mad, or are their medicine-men fools, 
 that they allow an eagle to be killed before the snakes have 
 gone to sleep ? Have the Cherokee towns lost aU their eagle- 
 killers ? " 
 
 This unexpected outburst caused the warriors to exchange 
 glances of consternation. The twelve feathers on the breed's 
 head were surely from the tail of the mighty awahili, the great 
 war-eagle, especially sacred and prominent in all rites per- 
 taining to the war-path. 
 
 Watts frowned and said something under his breath. Pol- 
 cher boldly assured: 
 
102 BED BELTS 
 
 " My medicine told me to kill the eagle. It was sick and 
 would have died." 
 
 " He has killed the eagle and has taken its feathers with- 
 out first allowing it to remain four days on the ground ! " 
 cried Sevier. 
 
 The warriors edged apart from Watts and Polcher, for it 
 was known that the insects on the eagle's feathers will cause 
 a series skin disease to any who wears them without first leav- 
 ing them on the ground four days. 
 
 Knowing Sevier had thrown him on to the defensive, Pol- 
 cher declared — 
 
 " My medicine protects me from the eagle-sickness." 
 
 But Sevier was not yet done with him and roundly scored : 
 
 " Does your medicine save the Cherokees' corn ? You have 
 killed an eagle out of season. Surely the frost will come and 
 kill the corn." 
 
 This, also, was accepted as an incontrovertible fact, and 
 Chief Watts realized the council would be thrown into con- 
 fusion unless Chucky Jack were headed off. Bringing his two 
 hands together for silence, he cried out : 
 
 " That business can wait. Little John need not worry 
 about Cherokee com. He has asked to see the man who says 
 he killed Tall Eunner. The man is here and will speak." 
 
 Polcher rose, and a smile twisted his evil face for a mo- 
 ment as he met Sevier's eyes. Then the red man's immobil- 
 ity returned, and he began : 
 
 " Tall Eunner of the Wolf was killed in Jonesboro. I did 
 not see him killed, but my white friends did. I did see his 
 scalp in the court-house. It was placed on the table before 
 Little John. I tried to get the scalp to bring to you, but 
 Little John destroj^ed it." 
 
 He sat down and indulged in another smile of hate as the 
 line of warriors grunted in unison. Sevier addressed Watts 
 and said : 
 
THE AXCIEXT LAW 103 
 
 " This man murdered an old white man. I have followed 
 him here. Will you give him up, or must I come with my 
 riflemen ? ^' 
 
 Chief Watts smiled in keen enjoyment at the borderer's 
 boldness. His voice was low and almost gentle as he replied : 
 
 " Little John, Little John ! Your white law does not reach 
 here. A Cherokee has killed an old white man. What of it? 
 It were better if he had killed a young white man. You ask 
 if you shall come with your riflemen. If you can find them 
 in the ever-darkening land, and your medicine will let you 
 come back, we can not stop you. You have asked to see the 
 man you hunted. He is here. He is one of your judges. 
 Listen now to what this council shall decide. 
 
 " Brothers, it is said a Cherokee was killed in or near 
 Jonesboro. What do we find ? '' 
 
 " A Cherokee was killed," came the answer. 
 
 " It is said he is Tall Eunner of the Wolf. What do we 
 find ? " 
 
 " Tall Eunner was killed." 
 
 " It is said a white man killed him. What is the colour of 
 the slayer ? " 
 
 ^^ He is a white man." 
 
 The chief paused and cast a glance at Sevier. The borderer 
 knew the climax was about to be sprung but concealed any 
 concern he might have felt by staring at the eagle's feathers 
 and smiling sardonically. 
 
 " Brothers, it is said Little John of the Xolichucky killed 
 Tall Eunner. What do we find?" 
 
 " Tsan-usdi killed Tall Eunner." 
 
 Chief Watts rose and stared gravely at the prisoner. Pol- 
 cher leaned forward and grinned in open malevolence. 
 
 " There is but one more vote to take, my brothers," slowly 
 said the chief, speaking almost sadly. " What is your answer, 
 brothers ? " 
 
104 EED BELTS 
 
 " Death to Little John ! " chorused the council. 
 
 Polcher laughed aloud. The chief scowled at him. 
 
 xls Watts resumed his seat, Sevier leisurely smoothed out 
 his hunting-shirt, hrushed back his brown hair and calmly 
 fixed his blue eyes on the chief. His first words were a ques- 
 tion, an unlooked for and astounding query. 
 
 " How long since John Watts, leader of the renegade Cher- 
 okees who live in the five lower towns on the Tennessee, gives 
 the law in Great Hiwassee ? How long since the hostiles, call- 
 ing themselves ' Chickamaugas,' can leave their five towns and 
 come here to Ayuhwasi Egwahi — Great Hiwassee — a white 
 town and a peace town, and pronounce the sentence of 
 death ? '' 
 
 Watts started convulsively and bared his teeth in a wolfish 
 snarl. Polcher yelled a white man's curse and grabbed at his 
 belt. Watts seized the breed's hand and flung it down, then 
 became wooden of face. His followers grunted aloud. Pol- 
 cher passionately cried : 
 
 " The white man lies. Echota is the white town. Ayuh- 
 wasi Egwahi is a red town and the path to it is red.'' 
 
 " Dog of a mixed-breed ! " thundered Sevier, levelling a fin- 
 ger at him. " Your soul shall curl up and become as nothing. 
 Killer of great war-eagle out of season, your bones shall rattle 
 in blackness ! You dare deny the law of the Cherokees ! '' 
 
 The one shaman present shivered, his eyes glistening with 
 fear, and, unable to witness the blazing scorn the blue eyes 
 were pouring into Polcher, drew his blanket over his head. 
 Watts could not entirely cover up his concern, and, turning to 
 the shaman, he asked — 
 
 " What does our father sav as to the law ? " 
 
 The shamans figure trembled, for he had great fear of 
 Chief Watts' anger, even though he were a medicine-man. 
 In a quavering voice he informed — 
 
 " A long time ago, when all the old things were new, when 
 
THE ANCIENT LAW 105 
 
 water-bears lived at the bottom of the Oconaluftee River, this 
 village of Ayuhwasi Egwahi was a white town/' 
 
 " It has not been used as such in three lives/' cried Polcher. 
 
 *' A man-slayer has never been refused refuge/' said Sevier. 
 
 Motioning them to be still, Watts fixed his gleaming gaze on 
 the shaman and said : 
 
 " I have given many bales of black and red cloth to our med- 
 icine-men. Now, my father, when was the law changed ? " 
 
 And he leaned forward and sought to catch the shaman s 
 eye. But the medicine-man's fear of physical violence was as 
 notliing compared with his fear of witches, blue and black 
 spirits and dreams that sapped one's soul away. 
 
 Keeping his face in the blanket, he answered — 
 
 " It can not be changed so long as the town stands." 
 
 "" Yu I " cried Sevier in triumph. " And now, John Watts, 
 how dare you come from your renegade towns, from your 
 outcast Shawnees and Creeks, your runaway Cherokees and 
 white dogs, and try to break the law of the Cherokees ? How 
 dare you bring this creature, neither white nor red, and let 
 him enter a council and vote for death while he is wearing the 
 feathers of the sacred aivahili? You say I murdered a Chero- 
 kee or had him murdered. I say you and that mongrel dog 
 lie. You say Tall Runner was killed in Jonesboro. I say 
 he lives and goes to find Old Tassel, unless he was killed by 
 that white-Indian after returning to his own people. 
 
 " But believe me to be a murderer, or pretend to believe me 
 a murderer. Believe what you will, and still I laugh at you 
 and the man called Polcher. For I appeal to the ancient law 
 of the Cherokees, the law that has never been set aside and 
 can not be set aside so long as a single white town stands on 
 Cherokee soil I I demand my life so long as I stay here in 
 Great Hiwassee. And, by the living God, who is God of both 
 white and red, do you break that ancient law at your peril ! " 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 ON THE WHITE PATH 
 
 WATTS glared in speechless rage, then sank back 
 helpless. Polcher slyly drew a pistol, only to find 
 his arm seized by the frightened shaman and the 
 weapon twisted from his hand. The warriors gritted their 
 teeth but offered no violence. It was the law. Human blood 
 must never be spilled in a wliite town. It was also the law 
 among the Creeks and, if old memories were to be trusted, 
 among the Senecas of the Long House. Superstition cowed 
 those who would have scant regard for some other tribal laws. 
 
 Sevier was still flushed with victory when Watts drew him- 
 self erect and smiled coldly on the borderer and in a mocking 
 voice said: 
 
 " So be it. Woe to the Cherokee who breaks the law ! " 
 And he paused to dart a warning glance at the enraged tavern- 
 keeper. " But listen, Little John ; the law says you shall re- 
 ceive no hurt so long as you stay here. So long as you stay 
 here.'' 
 
 Sevier winced. Time was all precious. He must overtake 
 the Tonpits and turn them back. The man's mad ambitions 
 unfitted him for cool-headed scheming, and it might result 
 that his zeal would embarrass the cause of Spain. Yet, such 
 as he was, he was essential in binding McGillivray to the 
 Cherokees and to the white malcontents back in the Watauga 
 country. Could he and the Emperor of the Creeks be kept 
 apart ? McGillivray's formidable plans might easily go amiss, 
 or at least be delayed until the border riflemen could prepare 
 for the war. 
 
 Se\ier appreciated Tonpit's erratic nature and yet did not 
 
 106 
 
 1 
 
ON THE WHITE PATH 107 
 
 underestimate him. He came from a proud family. He was 
 austere in personality but could surely gather a following 
 among the recent arrivals over the mountains. Old-timers 
 would stick by Sevier and blindly follow his lead. Many of 
 the newcomers and the lawless element — the last as a unit — 
 would huzza for Tonpit. The Indians only asked for two 
 hostile factions among the settlers. Aided by the Creeks, they 
 would side with Tonpit. 
 
 So Sevier had reason for dismay as he considered the trap 
 he was in. Just so long as he remained within the limits of 
 the town, all trails would be white and he would be treated 
 courteously. Not even Polcher, now he had been taught his 
 lesson, would raise a hand against him. But let him step over 
 the line, and he became legitimate game for any ax. 
 
 Chief Watts gauged his thoughts correctly and motioned for 
 Polcher to withdraw. After the tavern-keeper had departed, 
 the chief with mock gravity said — 
 
 " My new brother, who has come to live with us, understands 
 where he can walk and where he must not walk ? " 
 
 " He understands," was the cheerful reply. " As he is 
 weary, he will be glad to rest here until the next Green Corn 
 Dance wipes out the crime he never committed." 
 
 *• When new fire is given to take the place of the old, he will 
 be free to go unharmed," admitted Watts, well satisfied to 
 hold Sevier a prisoner until the corn was ready for harvesting, 
 or about the middle of August. Watts believed the die would 
 be cast inside of thirty days and that, without Sevier to stiffen 
 their morale, the settlers would be conquered. 
 
 Watts was the last of the warriors to leave. At the door he 
 called out a command, and a man handed him in Sevier's rifle 
 and a belt. Presenting these to the borderer, the chief 
 gravely said : 
 
 " These are yours. No one shall say the Cherokees are 
 thieves even if the whites have stolen their land." 
 
108 BED BELTS 
 
 " I shall feel easier for having them so long as Polcher is 
 in the village." 
 
 " You need have no fear of Polcher. He will not think of 
 harming a hair of your head. He showed anger while here, 
 but that is because he has lived long among whites and forgets 
 the law. Now he knows ; he will not reach for his knife again 
 — in Great Hiwassee." 
 
 " If I choose to try to escape, can I have my horse ? " 
 
 " Your horse is at the edge of the village with the others. 
 Take him any time. It is your horse. If you care to take 
 the risk, you shall set out in as good condition as you were in 
 when my young men brought you here." 
 
 " I will remember it in your favour when next I have you 
 under my rifle," said Sevier, his eyes sparkling as he examined 
 his rifle and pistol and found they had not been tampered 
 with. " You stay here ? " 
 
 " I have work to do in my lower towns," was the enigmatic 
 reply, illuminated somewhat by the peculiar smile accompany- 
 ing the words. 
 
 '^ Preparing for war while I wait for the corn to be har- 
 vested. On coming here I saw a war-eagle flying away. 
 What was it a sign of ? Your defeat ? " 
 
 Watts looked sober. More progressive in his ideas than 
 the bulk of his people, yet he could not discard many of the 
 superstitions. Secretly he was alarmed that Polcher had 
 killed an eagle out of season, yet that was a fault that did not 
 necessarily spell disaster. To make light of the disquieting 
 suggestion he indifferently said : 
 
 " We have shamans to read signs. It is enough for you to 
 know that all crimes die out and are forgotten when old fires 
 die and are replaced by the new. You have your choice. Lit- 
 tle John. Stay and live, or step over the line and have an ax 
 stuck in your head. Ku ! " 
 
 " I have heard you," was the quiet reply. 
 
ON THE WHITE PATH 109 
 
 Free to come and go, Sevier quit the council-house and 
 wandered about the village. Feeling hungry, he entered a 
 cabin and found the little girl playing with the mirror. He 
 was promptly provided with beans and venison. The father 
 of the child eyed him stealthily. The child boldly ran to 
 him and climbed on his knee. Sevier knew these were his 
 friends insofar as they could be such without betraying their 
 people. 
 
 " Has a white man and a white woman passed through 
 this village since the little one lost her tooth ? '^ he asked as 
 he ate. 
 
 The man turned away, but the woman shook her head, and 
 Chucky Jack knew she answered truthfully. He was disap- 
 pointed, yet icmembered it was very possible he had passed 
 ahead of them. Tonpit would be held back by the girl. It 
 was also possible they had passed the village without entering 
 it. And he persisted — 
 
 " Have you heard of a white man and woman travelling to 
 the Coosa ? " 
 
 Again the man pretended not to have heard the query, and 
 once more the woman silently answered in the negative. He 
 was puzzled. He knew the Tonpits could pass without hin- 
 drance once it was known they were bound for McGillivray's 
 town. And, did they pass, the news would be flashed from 
 village to village with incredible swiftness. 
 
 " It must be that I've got ahead of them ; that Polcher got 
 far ahead of them," he decided as he finished his meal. 
 " Tonpit would have to stop and give the girl a chance to rest. 
 Even at that it's queer no word is brought ahead of their 
 coming." 
 
 He went outside, wondering if by any chance Tonpit had 
 changed his plans and struck for Governor Miro's headquar- 
 ters at Pensacola. The girl's hurried scrawl told her lover 
 they were bound for Little Talassee. This substantiated 
 
110 EED BELTS 
 
 his theory that McGillivray had demanded her as a hostage to 
 bind Tonpit to his bargain. This line of conjecture brought 
 Kirk Jackson to mind, and he speculated on the young man's 
 whereabouts. How long would he hide from the settlers, 
 thinking a mob was after him to give him short shift? 
 
 "Just long enough to feel sure he could find me in the 
 court-house," was the borderer's decision on this point. " On 
 learning I've gone and that he's safe in the settlement, he'll 
 wait just long enough to get a horse and come pounding after 
 the girl. Wish I'd left a note for him to stay there, although 
 that would have no effect on a young man in love." 
 
 Realizing the folly of further speculation, he brought his 
 mind to bear on his immediate surroundings and strolled out 
 to see his horse. The faithful animal ran to him to be petted. 
 To leap on his back and speed down the trail would take but 
 a minute. He had his arms and had eaten. While making 
 much of the horse, he cast his glance about. The woods were 
 quiet, scarcely a breath stirring the foliage. The itching to 
 be off almost tempted him, then he turned away and walked 
 but a few rods toward the cabins when Watts came from be- 
 hind a bush. 
 
 " No, John," he said before the other could speak ; " I de- 
 cided not to risk it. For a bit I believed it could be done; 
 then I saw tsiskvmya, the little sparrow, fly upward, afraid of 
 something on the ground." 
 
 '^ Tsiskwaya saw a snake," suggested Watts. 
 
 " He wore Cherokee paint," smiled Sevier. 
 
 The chief lowered at him evilly, a heavly scowl distorting 
 his dark face. The borderer knew something had gone wrong 
 with his enemy and philosophically decided he ought to be ben- 
 efitted by whatever had displeased the chief. 
 
 " My brother is angry because I did not ride down the trail," 
 he said. 
 
ON THE WHITE PATH 111 
 
 "W"atts snarled like a tree-cat, then forced his face to com- 
 posure and said : 
 
 " I am angry at your narrow escape. If you had gone 
 down the trail, the snake might have bitten you. Who 
 knows ? Bad dreams would have come to me if you had been 
 harmed." 
 
 " Just what does that mean ? " Sevier suspiciously asked. 
 
 Watts pointed to the end of the village, where warriors 
 were filing in between the first cabins. 
 
 " Old Tassel comes, and with him is the Tall Eunner, the 
 man of the Wolf, who Polcher said was dead." 
 
 Sevier could scarcely credit his eyes. Old Tassel and Tall 
 Eunner rode ahead of the band. 
 
 *^ Then I am free to go. I do not need to wait for the 
 Green Corn Dance to wipe out all sins," he cried. 
 
 " Little John is as free as the birds of the air," quickly 
 assured Watts. " His horse is waiting. He has his rifle, 
 pistol and ax. He had better go before Old Tassel asks him 
 to stay. If there is a snake in the woods, I will drive him 
 away." And he raised two fingers to his lips and whistled 
 shrilly. The signal was promptly answered. " The path is 
 open and smooth," he said to Sevier. 
 
 There was a strong possibility that Old Tassel would insist 
 on his remaining in the village. Sevier had learned, how- 
 ever, that he invariably profited by doing the opposite to 
 what hostiles like Watts wished him to do. Now that luck 
 had permitted him to meet Old Tassel, whose pacific inclina- 
 tions were a thorn in the side of the war-faction, he instantly 
 became determined to w^in some advantage from the encounter. 
 
 " Where is the man Polcher ? " he asked. 
 
 " He is here somewhere." 
 
 " I think my medicine is telling me to see Old Tassel before 
 I go," he announced. With that he hastened forward, fol- 
 
112 RED BELTS 
 
 lowed bv the chief, and overtook Old Tassel in front of the 
 council-house. 
 
 The old chief wias not prepared for the meeting, and his 
 alarmed manner of glancing about suggested an expectation 
 of beholding a band of Chucky Jack's famous riflemen. His 
 show of perturbation impelled Sevier to wonder what tricks 
 the wily old diplomat was up to. The Tall Eunner ignored 
 Sevier's presence entirely. 
 
 " My brother did not think to see me here/' greeted Sevier, 
 grasping the chief by the hand. 
 
 " My brother is far from home," mumbled the chief. 
 
 "Xot when he is in the home of his friends," corrected 
 Sevier. " Come, let us open a bag of talk. I sent you a 
 t^lk by Tall Runner to say I would meet you in council. I 
 am here alone to do so." 
 
 Old Tassel stared in amazement at his audacity. The 
 warriors behind the old man exchanged puzzled glances and 
 tightened their grip on their axes. Sevier noted the hostile 
 demonstration and read the red minds easily. Never before 
 had they been given such an opportunity. Many times 
 Chucky Jack and his mounted riflemen had struck them and 
 wounded them sorely. Now he was in their midst, far from 
 the settlements and seemingly alone. The last fact they 
 could scarcely believe. 
 
 As their gaze turned to suspiciously sweep the forest, John 
 Watts spoke up, assuring : 
 
 ^' Little John rides alone. Mv vouno^ men found him and 
 brought him here." 
 
 " To this white town of peace," added Sevier. " What 
 could be better than to hold our talk in a peace town, where 
 evil thoughts and bloodshed are not known ? " 
 
 Old Tassel's braves glanced at Watts, as if asking if that 
 were the reason the borderer was still alive, and found their 
 
ON THE WHITE PATH 113 
 
 answer in his e^loomy eves. Old Tassel shook off his confusion 
 and assented : 
 
 "TVe will hear my brother's talk. The Cherokees do not 
 want war with the whites. My brother would be safe in a 
 peace town or a red town, as safe as he would be on the 
 Holston or the French Broad." 
 
 The sullen countenances of his followers and the half- 
 masked ferocity of Watts left room for doubt as to the 
 unanimity of this sentiment, but no word was spoken as the 
 two chiefs and representative men filed into the council-house 
 and took their places. 
 
 After a decorous pause Sevier rose and said : 
 
 ^* Evil birds have whispered to the Cherokees, and the nation 
 now refuses to keep the chain of friendship from dragging 
 on the ground. It lies in the dirt, no matter how high my 
 people lift their arms. It is the end in the Cherokee country 
 that is allowed to drag. This should not be. White men 
 and women and children going to Kentucky have been killed 
 by the Cherokees. This must not be. 
 
 " The Cherokees have killed many white settlers who have 
 crossed the Holston and the French Broad. Their bones have 
 not been covered. Our settlers were told by Xorth Carolina 
 they were right in going there. It is too late to call them 
 back. They will hold the land because the bones of their 
 dead have not been covered. 
 
 " We hear that the Cherokees now plan to join hands with 
 Alexander McGillivray and his Creeks; that war-talks have 
 been sent back and forth between the two nations. Let the 
 Cherokees beware how thev take a red ax from the Creeks. 
 
 '* Where did the Creeks get their lands ? From those they 
 struck in the head. "WTio filled the Creek cabins with guns 
 and powder? A Spanish King over the big water. How 
 does vSpain treat the Indians ? Go and ask the old men among 
 
114 EED BELTS 
 
 your people, among the Creeks and the Seminoles, who have 
 received the stories from the old men behind them. Ask the 
 old men of this nation what their fathers' fathers told them 
 of De Soto. 
 
 " If the Cherokees take the red ax from the Creeks and 
 should break off all the heads of the settlers along the French 
 Broad, the Holston, the Nolichucky and the Watauga, what 
 w^ould they gain? The Creeks as friends. They have never 
 been a true friend to any neighbour. Spain a friend ? When 
 you bait a sacred war-eagle with the carcass of a deer and 
 kill it, you pray to it not to take vengeance on you, saying it is 
 no Cherokee that killed it, but Askwani — a Spaniard. Why 
 do you pray to turn the dead eagle's vengeance against the 
 Spaniards? Because it is burned into your heads from the 
 old, old times how cruelly Spain used your people. 
 
 '' Hayu! If you do not sound the red war-whoop, the 
 Creeks can do nothing. They can not harm you. If you 
 join with them Spain will see they get your lands. Then 
 Spain wiU take all the land for herself. If you hold up the 
 chain of friendship so it does not drag on the ground, I will 
 promise you that our settlers shall not go beyond the boundary 
 we agree upon at the grand council. 
 
 " The land now held south of the Broad and the Holston 
 must remain ours to cover the dead you have slain. We will 
 cover your dead with presents and will not wander from our 
 land to your land. If you make this treaty and stand to it, I 
 promise I will lead my riflemen against the Creeks should 
 they try to steal any of your lands. I have spoken." 
 
 The boldness of this talk amazed the warriors. At the 
 least they had expected Sevier to be very conciliatory. His 
 blunt reminder of what the Kentucky settlers had suffered, 
 his firm insistence that the settlers below the French Broad 
 would not vacate the land and his calm offer of assistance 
 left them speechless. His magnificent assurance, although 
 
0:^" THE WHITE PATH 115 
 
 isolated from his friends by many miles of enemies, touched 
 their imagination and commanded their deepest respect. 
 Even Watts, although determined to take the red path, could 
 not suppress his admiration. The effect on Old Tassel was 
 very marked. 
 
 Sevier believed that Watts' eagerness to have him leave the 
 village without meeting the old chief was due to some half- 
 promise on TasseFs part to favourably consider the Creeks' 
 request for an alliance in a general war against the whites. 
 If Old Tassel had intimated any such willingness, it was now 
 obvious that Sevier's plain speaking was impelling him to 
 reconsider and weigh the consequences most carefully. 
 
 Watts fumed with impatience to denounce Sevier and his 
 riflemen and to urge his hearers to declare war at once, but 
 etiquette demanded that Old Tassel speak first. The old 
 chief did not relish his task and faltered and hesitated but 
 managed to say : 
 
 " My brother's words have entered my ears. North Caro- 
 lina has sent me many talks, promising I should have justice 
 and that all new people be moved off my land. I am an old 
 man. The promises must be kept very soon, or I shall not 
 live to see them kept. Now they tell me the Watauga settle- 
 ments are not a part of North Carolina and that I must send 
 my talk to the Thirteen Fires, to the Great Council of 
 America. So much going about to get justice troubles 
 me." 
 
 Sevier quickly replied : 
 
 " I will keep the promises I make in the grand council I 
 am asking you to come to. The Watauga settlements are to 
 become a separate fire and blaze beside the thirteen." 
 
 Unable to restrain his fierce passions longer, Watts leaped 
 to his feet and cried : 
 
 " Why should we wait longer to have promises kept ? Why 
 should we believe new promises will be remembered better than 
 
116 EED BELTS 
 
 the old? What power has Little John to make the settlers 
 keep off our lands? Even now the settlements do not know 
 where they belong. North Carolina does not want them. 
 The Great Council of America has not taken them in. Who, 
 then, is to see that the promises are kept ? 
 
 '' Kuf Spain tells these settlers they must not travel on 
 the Mississippi, and the river is closed except to the friends 
 of Spain. Little John is a brave man, but he can not shoot 
 his rifle across the big water. Spain speaks, and her voice 
 comes across the water, and she is obeyed. Let us go to no 
 grand council until the whites have left our lands." Then 
 whirling on Sevier he cried, " I have said you are a brave 
 man. I meant the days when we fought each other on the 
 border. I do not mean now — today. For you have sneaked 
 through the woods and kept from sight until safe in a peace 
 town. You would talk soft if you were in Little Talassee, 
 face to face with McGillivray." 
 
 Sevier knew Watts was trying to drive him into the wilder- 
 ness where the paths were red, and he accepted the challenge 
 by retorting : 
 
 " I will go to Little Talassee. I will speak face to face 
 with McGillivray, and, after I have finished, go and ask him 
 if I spoke soft." Turning to Old Tassel he demanded, 
 "What do you say to my talk? Will you come to a grand 
 council on the French Broad or on the Holston after I have 
 returned from McGillivray's town ? " 
 
 Old Tassel, beset by his desire for peace, yet feeling the 
 surge of his warriors' will for fighting, now found a loop- 
 hole. He gravely replied — 
 
 " When you come back from carrying your talk to McGilli- 
 vray, I will go to a grand council on the French Broad." 
 
 "You have given your promise in the council-house of a 
 peace town. It is to be so," said Sevier, picking up his rifle 
 and preparing to go. 
 
ON THE WHITE PATH 117 
 
 Watts stepped forward and extended his hand, and, as 
 Sevier grasped it and searched his face, he said : 
 
 " Little John is still a brave man. Whether it be peace or 
 war, you are a brave man. And will you go to little 
 Talassee?" 
 
 Sevier dropped his hand and coldly replied — 
 
 " Unless stopped by a Chickamauga bullet, I shall go there." 
 
 Watts clicked his strong teeth and whispered : 
 
 " McGillivray will keep you safe there. You will not get 
 in his trail again.'^ Then turning to the curious warriors he 
 cried out, " Ho ! A brave man goes to Little Talassee. You 
 will not harm him. But, if you see white man turning back 
 before reaching McGillivray's town, you may know he is a 
 coward and treat him as such." 
 
 Ignoring the hostile glances, Sevier glided from the council- 
 house and made for his horse. He now had his chance to go 
 to McGillivray on the Coosa, and a fringe of Cherokee warriors 
 would see to it that he did not turn back alive. 
 
 Hurrying to the corral, he saddled his horse and mounted 
 and confided : 
 
 "Well, old fellow, that's where I reckon to go, to Little 
 Talassee. But I^d rather go alone instead of being chased 
 there. Coming back will be harder." 
 
 As he rode down the white path, he kept his eyes opened 
 for signs of Polcher. He did not anticipate any attack from 
 the tavern-keeper until he left the vicinity of the village, for 
 Watts must have warned that no blood was to be shed so 
 long as the path was white. When he struck into the main 
 trail leading southwest, then he would be traversing a red 
 way, and there would be no ancient law holding Polcher 
 back. However, that was a detail to be attended to when 
 encountered. What worried him considerably was not the 
 tavern-keeper, sure to be in ambush somewhere ahead, but 
 Kirk Jackson and the Tonpits. 
 
118 EED BELTS 
 
 He had barely cleared the outskirts of the village when he 
 discovered some one was following him. He reined in, ex- 
 pecting to behold the van of the Cherokees coming to make 
 sure he did not double back to the north. But there was but 
 one man, and he ran with no efforts at concealment. To 
 the contrary he now began calling Sevier by his Cherokee 
 name, " Tsan-usdi." 
 
 " I am here," called out Sevier. 
 
 As the Cherokee burst into view, the borderer recognized 
 him as the father of the little girl who prayed to the beaver. 
 
 " You want me ? " Sevier asked. 
 
 " I go with you. Old Tassel has spoken it.'' 
 
 " How far do you go with me ? '' 
 
 " Until we reach the land of the Creeks.'' 
 
 " To see that I do not turn back," sneered Sevier. 
 
 " To see no bad Indians cross your path," was the grave 
 correction. 
 
 Sevier's hostility vanished. Old Tassel feared his promise 
 of safe passage might be violated by some of the younger men 
 and wished to shift all responsibility of the borderers fate 
 on to the Creeks. Still half a measure of solicitude was 
 decent of him, and Sevier knew he had him won from thoughts 
 of war for the time being at least. 
 
 '' You are ? " 
 
 " The Jumper, of the Ani-Kawi." 
 
 " A man of the Deer clan should know the trails. We will 
 go on. Little Brother. Tell me when the white path turns 
 red." 
 
 " I will tell you," grunted the Indian. 
 
 " Tell me where is the man called Polcher ? " 
 
 " In the forest. Somewhere along the red path." 
 
 Trotting ahead, the Jumper led the way for several miles, 
 and yet Sevier could detect no signs of Cherokees in the rear. 
 
ON THE WHITE PATH 119 
 
 He said as much to the Jumper, who drew a half-circle in the 
 air behind him, saying : 
 
 " They are from there to there. We shall not see them so 
 long as we go toward the Coosa/' 
 
 " It is well," said Sevier. 
 
 The Jumper raised a hand and then threw himself prostrate 
 with his ear to the ground. Sevier quieted his restless horse 
 and listened. He heard nothing. The Indian rose and 
 informed : 
 
 " Men come. We must leave the trail." 
 
 " Why should we hide. Little Brother ? What is there to 
 fear along the white path that leads to the white town ? " 
 
 " Nothing to fear from men of my colour,^' said the Jumper 
 with a touch of irony. " But I can not answer for the 
 whites." 
 
 " AYliite men ! " exclaimed Sevier, dismounting and lead- 
 ing his horse aside and into cover. 
 
 His first thoughts were of Tonpit, the man who, despite 
 his weakness and ambitions, was so necessary to Spain and 
 Charles Ill's field representative, Alexander McGillivray. 
 
 " They bring horses to trade in Great Hiwassee," the 
 Indian added. 
 
 Sevier's hopes feU, then rebounded as he discredited the 
 Indian's ability to know who was coming and their purpose. 
 Thus far he had been able to detect nothing but the usual 
 forest sounds. 
 
 " How do you know that ? " he demanded. 
 
 " Some of the horses have no riders." 
 
 Sceptical, Sevier composed himself to wait in patience. 
 After what seemed a long time, there came a burst of voices 
 and the trampling of hoofs, and above the confusion roared a 
 coarse voice hurling curses at animals and men. 
 
 " Hajason ! " muttered the Jumper, his face scowling. 
 
120 EED BELTS 
 
 " Eed Hajason ! " softly cried Sevier, mechanically shifting 
 his rifle. 
 
 The Jumper touched his hand as it lay on the gun, and he 
 warned : 
 
 '^ You must not think of that. You are still in the white 
 path." 
 
 Sevier lowered the rifle and asked — 
 
 " Does he trade at Hiwassee ? " 
 
 The Indian nodded. Had not Sevier's errand concerned 
 the fate of the Western settlements, he would have considered 
 his Journey well worth the danger just for an opportunity 
 to confront and kill this man whose name was anathema from 
 the Watauga to the French Broad and throughout the Caro- 
 linas east of the mountains. 
 
 ^Mierever horses were stolen and hurried to hidden forest 
 depots, the name of Eed Hajason was known and detested. 
 That he continued to carry on his thievery was due to his 
 practice of sending agents to do the actual work while he 
 remained in his stronghold somewhere at the headwaters of 
 the Hiwassee Eiver in the southwestern corner of North 
 Carolina. When not at this camp, it was said he made his 
 home over the line in South Carolina, " that delight of 
 buccaneers and pyrates," as the Eev. Hugh Jones, chaplain 
 to the honourable Assembly of Virginia, characterized that 
 commonwealth in 1750. 
 
 Border-folks, however, denied that Eed Hajason was com- 
 pelled to shuttle back and forth between the Hiwassee and 
 the Tugalo rivers and openly charged he had been seen in 
 the capital of North Carolina, seemingly on excellent terms 
 with some of those who pretended to safeguard the destiny of 
 the State. This would not be surprising, as in formative 
 periods the devil takes advantage of chaos to walk close to 
 saints. 
 
 But the over-mountain country was closed ground to the 
 
ON THE WHITE PATH 121 
 
 king of liorse-thieves ; there was no doubting that fact. A 
 bullet on sight was what he would receive did he venture forth 
 where he sent his men. Thus it had happened that Sevier, 
 while having had the pleasure of hanging several of Red 
 Hajason^s tools, had never looked on his face. 
 
 The Jumper increased his vigilance and cunningly took 
 Sevier's horse by the nose to prevent a whinney. 
 
 " We must go deeper into the woods," he urged. 
 
 " Listen, Little Brother, I must see this Red Hajason," 
 whispered Sevier, dismounting. " Take the horse back. I 
 will stay here." 
 
 " This path is white," frantically protested the Indian, 
 anticipating from Sevier's frowning visage a bloody settlement 
 with the outlaw. 
 
 *^ My eyes can not shed blood," soothed Sevier. " He shall 
 pass unharmed — this time. But I must see him." 
 
 The Jumper reluctantly led the horse deeper into the cover, 
 and Sevier hid himself and waited. The Cherokees owned 
 many horses, excellent animals. A brisk trade was carried 
 on between the friendly Indians and the settlers. And there 
 was much trading between Cherokee and Creek, only it was 
 the white man's horse that sometimes went to the Southern 
 nation. And Hajason traded stolen nags for honest ones and 
 through unsuspected agents sold the latter to the whites. 
 
 Hajason was not dubbed " Red " because of rufescent hair 
 or complexion. He was Red because of his deeds, his readi- 
 ness to spill the blood of the weaker. Only affairs of great 
 importance had restrained Sevier from taking a posse of his 
 swift-riding riflemen and running down the scourge long 
 before this. 
 
 The cavalcade now drew near, and he could easily make 
 out the oaths and commands being shouted in English by 
 Hajason, sprinkled with orders in the Cherokee tongue. Now 
 they burst into view, two half-breeds riding ahead, a dozen 
 
122 EED BELTS 
 
 horses following them. Bringing up the rear were three 
 white men. Sevier had eves for only one of the trio, a giant 
 of a man, whose features were an amazing mass of brutality 
 and evil passions, whose bearded lips opened seldom except 
 to permit the escape of a blasphemy. 
 
 His companions cowered under his tongue-lashings, while 
 his thunderous epithets hurled at the head of the drove kept 
 the breeds jumping convulsively. He passed within a dozen 
 feet of Sevier, and the borderer had ample opportunity to 
 study him in detail and time to regret that his hands were 
 tied by the ancient law. With his pistol he could have 
 obliterated a great evil, and he was powerless to act. 
 
 So intent was he on scanning the outlaw's burly body and 
 repulsive face that he all but overlooked the horse he was 
 riding. The moment he noticed the big black his interest in 
 Eed Hajason became a minor matter. There was no mis- 
 taking the animal. Not another horse on the border that 
 showed those white knees, for all the world like two bandages. 
 The horse was Tonpit's favourite mount. Staring incredu- 
 lously, Sevier darted his gaze over the rest of the animals 
 and found the small bay Miss Elsie always rode. 
 
 " By all the red gods in the East, he's got the major's 
 and the girl's nags ! " gasped the borderer, craning his neck 
 and risking discovery to watch the cavalcade move up the 
 trail. 
 
 Tonpit and his daughter had disappeared from home the 
 night of Old Thatch's death. Their departure was, pre- 
 sumably, the result of the Creek's message from McGillivray. 
 Lon Hester had disappeared the same night. 
 
 " They were bound for Little Talassee," he mused. " They 
 rode in haste, or I should have overtaken them. And yet the 
 girl had to have time to rest. Polcher and Hester are free 
 to come and go among the Cherokees. I know Polcher is 
 ahead, waiting for me. Hester is just the man to dicker 
 
ox THE WHITE PATH 123 
 
 with Hajason for fresh animals for the major and the girl. 
 But their horses appeared to be fresh. "Why change them ? " 
 
 He stared longingly np the trail, fighting down his im- 
 pulse to pursue Red Hajason and kill him, if need be, to get 
 the truth. To shed blood would be a violation of the law he 
 had invoked to save his own life. He heard Hajason shouting 
 a boisterous greeting in the Cherokee tongue and knew he 
 had glimpsed some of the warriors advancing on either side 
 of the trail. To go after the outlaw and scare the truth from 
 him would mean an encounter with the Indians, who had been 
 ordered to treat him as a coward did the}^ catch him turning 
 back. They would not slay him on the white path, but they 
 surely would make him a prisoner. 
 
 He almost wished he had delayed his departure until Haja- 
 son had arrived. And yet, had Fate worked that way, new 
 complications would have arisen and the trail to the south 
 might not have been open to him. Xext rose the puzzling 
 point: why should Hajason come in person to superintend 
 the sale or exchange of a dozen horses? The outlaw was a 
 villain of large activities. He was well known and hospitably 
 received in Great Hiwassee. His immunity to danger con- 
 sisted in leaving details to his subordinates. 
 
 " No ! " growled Sevier. " He never came just to get rid 
 of the horses. He has had many deals with this town. He 
 could have sent a bov and a talk and made the trade. He 
 came for a purpose. The nags happened to be on hand, and 
 he fetched them." 
 
 The Jumper pressed through the bushes behind him and 
 touched his shoulder and anxiously insisted : 
 
 " Little John loses much time. The medicine of the Deer 
 tells me Death creeps down the trail, even though it be a 
 white trail." 
 
 And he nervously fumbled a small bag hanging round his 
 neck and rolled his eyes in alarm toward the village. 
 
124 RED BELTS 
 
 " I am ready," Sevier said, springing into the saddle. 
 " Death ever lurks where Red Hajason is." 
 
 " Chief Watts' Chickamaugas are very close," vrarned the 
 Jumper. 
 
 ^' Let them come," was the careless reply. " We have not 
 turned back, not so much as a foot." And, shaking the reins, 
 he rode down the trail with his guide at his stirrup. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 IN THE MAW OF THE FOREST 
 
 ONCE they struck into the old Creek trail the Jumper 
 went on ahead; for this was a red path and the In- 
 dian by scouting in advance was supposed to reduce 
 the chances of a surprise attack by Polcher. IS'ear sundown 
 they came to a small creek where the Jumper wanted to camp 
 for the night. 
 
 "Let my brother gather wood for the fire while I look about 
 the forest for signs/' said Sevier, eager to reconnoiter his 
 back trail. 
 
 The man of the Deer clan guessed his purpose and re- 
 minded — 
 
 " If you are seen turning back, if only for a few steps, 
 there are those who will be glad to kill you." 
 
 " I shall not be seen turning back,'' reassured Sevier. " I 
 go to find signs and kill a wild turkey." 
 
 " The forest has eyes that watch you," warned the Jumper. 
 " My medicine has told me that Death walks along the Creek 
 trail." 
 
 " Death walks everywhere," carelessly returned Sevier. 
 " And it skips the brave to touch the coward." 
 
 Taking his rifle, he crossed the trail and, as soon as he was 
 out of hearing of the Cherokee turned north and made for 
 a heavily wooded hill. He had noted this elevation shortly 
 before arriving at the creek and knew it would be an excellent 
 vantage point for spying on the back country. He ascended 
 it without detecting any signs of his trackers and lost no 
 time in climbing a tree. The stretch of country he had cov- 
 ered that afternoon was spread out below him in broad relief. 
 
 12.5 
 
126 EED BELTS 
 
 For the most part the view consisted of the forest crown but 
 there were occasional openings and it was on the nearest of 
 these that he focused his gaze. 
 
 He glimpsed nothing that hinted at pursuit. He studied 
 the birds but was unable to discover any symptoms of alarm. 
 This emptiness of the trail puzzled him, for he had been 
 convinced his every step would be dogged until he crossed into 
 the country of the Creek. Leaving the tree, he descended the 
 hill and, pausing only long enough to knock over a turkey, 
 made his way back toward the creek. 
 
 He had reached a point due east from the camp when he 
 was startled by the sharp report of a gun. Dropping the 
 turkey, he ran to the trail and crossed it, thinking his guide 
 was the victim of some treachery. Before he came in sight 
 of the fire he heard the Jumper wailing and moaning, and 
 yet not as one who cries out when physically hurt. In fact, 
 he knew a material wound could elicit no complaint from 
 the Jumper. Slowing his pace, he advanced more cautiously 
 and halted for a moment at the edge of the woods and surveyed 
 the Indian. 
 
 The Jumper was lamenting in a dismal manner. He was 
 busy trimming some small branches into tiny rods. 
 
 Stepping forth Sevier demanded — 
 
 " Was it your gun I heard ? " 
 
 The Jumper groaned and held up the small rods. There 
 were seven of them, seven being the sacred number of his peo- 
 ple. Sevier took one of the rods and examined it. He found 
 it was sourwood. 
 
 " You have killed a wolf ? " he asked. 
 
 " I shot at one, thinking it was a turkey in the bushes," 
 shivered the Jumper. And he snatched up his gun and be- 
 gan unscrewing the barrel. ^' Kow will Kanati, the Lucky 
 Hunter whose watch-dog the wolf is, be very angry with me. 
 Already I feel myself turning blue 
 
 » 
 
IX THE MAW OF THE FOEEST 127 
 
 " The Luck}" Hunter will know it was a mistake," soothed 
 Sevier, appreciating how serious a fault it was for any but the 
 ceremonial wolf-killer to shoot at a wolf. " While you finish 
 your medicine for the gun I will go back and get the turkey I 
 dropped." 
 
 According to the Cherokee belief the gun was spoiled unless: 
 treated at once hj a medicine-man. In the absence of a 
 shaman one must make his own medicine as best he could. 
 As Sevier well knew the incident reduced the Indian's value 
 as a guide and scout to zero. As a fighter he had become 
 nil. Even if the bad spirit could be immediately exorcised 
 from the offending barrel the Jumper would not dare fire it at 
 a lurking foe for fear of making another mistake and re- 
 kindling the rage of the mighty Kanati. And those who 
 stalked the borderer along a red path would not show them- 
 selves for an open shot. 
 
 Disturbed by the incident Sevier recovered the turkey and 
 hastened back. The Jumper was heating the slim rods over 
 a small fire near the edge of the water and as Sevier came up 
 he commenced inserting them in the gun-barrel. Sevier 
 watched him in silence as he completed his task and leaned 
 forward to place the defiled barrel in the creek, where it must 
 remain for the night. 
 
 Turning back, the Jumper plucked the turkey and prepared 
 it for the coals, groaning and grimacing as he worked but 
 taking no heed of his white companion. 
 
 " What is it now, my brotlier ? " asked Sevier. 
 
 " The Crippler (rheumatism) has me," lamented the 
 Jumper, rubbing his legs. " I have angered a Deer ghost." 
 
 "You shall make a prayer to the Black, Blue and AVhite 
 Ravens. The Two Little Men of the Sun Land shall come 
 and drive the intruder away," comforted Sevier. 
 
 " Only a shaman can make the prayer," was the doleful 
 reply. 
 
128 EED BELTS 
 
 Sevier turned away in disgust. He had counted on the 
 Jumper as a powerful all}' for defensive work at least. His 
 woodcraft and sharp ears and eyes would be invaluable in de- 
 tecting the secret approach of Polcher. Now his superstitions 
 had changed him from an asset to a liability. It was useless 
 to argue with him. Deer ghosts sent rheumatism as a pun- 
 ishment for some deer killed without placating the spirit. 
 
 Every one knew that the Little Deer, chief of all Deer spir- 
 its, watched over all his subjects. Never could one fall by the 
 hunter's arrow or bullet without the Little Deer standing at 
 the victim's side and asking the clotted blood if " it had 
 heard '' ; that is if the blood had heard the hunter begging 
 forgiveness for the life he had taken. Obviously the Jumper 
 at some time had failed to repeat the prayer and as a result 
 he was now useless. 
 
 " I can not sleep tonight. I will keep watch," mumbled 
 the Jumper after the turkey had been served. 
 
 ''' Siyu! (good)" agreed Sevier, thankful for a chance 
 to snatch a few hours of sleep. 
 
 He had slumbered for several hours when a bullet clipped 
 into the boll of a hemlock near his head and brought him to 
 his feet, rifle in hand. The Jumper, with protruding eyes 
 and gaping mouth, sat leaning against a tree. He made no 
 move to investigate the murderous assault. The fire was 
 down to a bed of coal. 
 
 Without a word Sevier glided into the woods. Polcher had 
 had his first try, he concluded. He circled the camp and 
 halted every few rods to locate the enemy by some telltale 
 sound. Unsuccessful, he returned to the fire and lay down 
 at a distance from the dying embers. The Jumper already 
 had concealed himself in some thicket. With the first streak 
 of dawn the borderer rose and dug the Jumper from his hid- 
 ing-place under a huge stump and ordered him to scout the 
 woods for signs of the midnight visitor. 
 
IX THE MAW or THE FOREST 139 
 
 But the Jumper was now far beyond the point of suffering 
 fear of bodily violence. His brains swarmed with outraged 
 ghosts. Strange superstitions crawled through his thoughts. 
 During the night his medicine-bag had become dislodged from 
 his neck, a most conclusive warning that the Little Deer was 
 greatly displeased with him. The danger of assassination 
 did not impress him as being vital. Bad Luck had settled 
 her talons in his soul ; beside which bullets were nothing. 
 
 **' Will you go or not ? ^' asked Sevier as the Indian tarried 
 by the white ashes and stared timidly about. 
 
 " Last night I dreamed of the Little Deer^ small as a dog 
 and white," he whispered. " He told me to go back to the 
 village and give cloth to the shaman, who will make me a 
 prayer and give me new medicine. Ah ! The Crippler is 
 twisting every bone in my body." 
 
 '' Old Tassel sent you to go with me/' persisted Sevier. 
 
 " Xo chief of the Cherokees gives orders after the Little 
 Deer has spoken/' rebuked the Jumper. 
 
 '• Of course ; that is true/' surrendered Sevier, now resigned 
 to proceeding alone. 
 
 The Jumper dragged himself to the creek and removed the 
 gun-barrel and plucked out the rods, then cleaned the barrel 
 and screwed it in place. That the man he had been so so- 
 licitous for the day before should now stand in deadly danger 
 made no impression on him. His own soul was in imminent 
 peril of turning blue. The anger of the Deer ghosts remained 
 unappeased. He could only think of hastening home and 
 bankrupting himself in order to buy the shaman's interces- 
 sion. 
 
 With head bowed and moving listlessly he went up the 
 trail. Only once did a flicker of yesterday's zeal show in his 
 sombre eyes; that was when he halted and glanced back to 
 warn — 
 
 "You are in a red path now." 
 
130 EED BELTS 
 
 Sevier nodded and answered — 
 
 "So the bullet fired in the night told me/' 
 
 The Jumper resumed his gloomy way and the borderer sad- 
 dled his horse and rode south. 
 
 John Watts had charge of the warriors enforcing this trip 
 to the Coosa. The mystery of their failure to appear on the 
 trail while he was spying from the hilltop was now quite 
 obvious. Watts dared not slay until Chucky Jack endeav- 
 oured to return through the land of the Cherokee, but he was 
 perfectly willing to hold his warriors back and give Polcher 
 his chance to make a " kill." 
 
 Polcher, however, must be mounted, which would necessi- 
 tate his sticking close to the trail if he would not have his 
 victim leave him far behind. Sevier found some consolation 
 in this thought and, leaning over the neck of his horse, he 
 looked for signs and found them within a mile from the 
 creek. The traces indicated that the tavern-keeper had left 
 his horse near the trail while he beat back through the woods 
 to shoot at the shadowy form by the dying fire. On return- 
 ing to his horse, so the signs read, he had led him some dis- 
 tance, then mounted to spur on as fast as the night would 
 permit. 
 
 A glance told Sevier these truths, and red rage smouldered 
 in his heart as he pictured the man withdrawing before him 
 and planning murder, while the Cherokees formed an im- 
 placable barrier to drive liim to his slayer. His anger did 
 not blind his woods sense, however ; and when the forest prom- 
 ised decent travel for his mount he swung from the path and 
 made wide detours. Once he came upon tracks of a horse 
 in the forest mould and decided his foe was indulging in a 
 similar manoeuvre. 
 
 Yet the day passed without any demonstration from the 
 man ahead or any sign of the Cherokees behind. Both red 
 and white were in their places, never a doubt of that. At 
 
IX THE MAW OF THE FOREST 131 
 
 sundown Sevier found water and followed it some distance 
 from the trail. Selecting a small circle of cedars he made 
 his fire where he could not be seen unless the prowler ap- 
 proached very close. He had saved enough of the turkey to 
 suffice him for food ; and after the first darkness came to hide 
 his movements he shifted his horse up-stream. Eeturning to 
 the cedars, he gathered small boughs and rolled them in his 
 blanket. Then, heaping fresh fuel on the fire, he withdrew 
 into the night and took up his position between the sprawling 
 roots of a mighty oak. 
 
 He planned to sleep through the first of the night, being 
 confident no prowler would approach the cedars so long as the 
 blazing fire suggested he was awake and alert. The flames 
 would consolidate into coals about midnight ; it was then that 
 any lurking assassin would seek the blanketed decoy. 
 
 With the woods instinct he timed his slumber accurately. 
 As he opened his eyes and caught the reek of the smouldering 
 fire and beheld the glowing coals staring through the foliage 
 he softly rose to one knee and raised his rifle. 
 
 The disturbing voice of a screech-owl raised his tva-huhu. 
 Sevier pricked his ears, then relaxed as the dismal notes were 
 repeated. They were genuine and no Indian signal. This 
 corroborated his theory that Chief Watts' men were holding 
 back to give the mixed-blood every opportunity to kill. Some- 
 thing stirred on the borderer's left, a faint rustling. The 
 smoke from the fire would have repelled a night animal. 
 
 The darkness made vision useless except as he gazed to- 
 ward the coals. He aimed his rifle at these. A minute 
 passed and the glowing coals vanished, advertising the inter- 
 vention of a solid body. 
 
 With finger on the trigger Sevier waited for a count of 
 ten, when the explosion of the assassin's rifle tore a red hole 
 in blackness. Almost at the same moment Sevier fired. 
 Something collapsed and the twinkling embers reappeared. 
 
132 RED BELTS 
 
 As he fired the borderer fell flat and remained motionless. 
 The silence shut in again. The adventure was finished. Yet 
 Sevier held back until he had reloaded. Then, armed with 
 rifie and ax, he edged forward. He had covered half the dis- 
 tance to the cedars when his moccasin touched something 
 that impelled him to drop his gun and spring forward. 
 
 But the form he grasped made no effort at defence. Grop- 
 ing about until he found the hands and had made sure they 
 held no weapons, he dragged the limp figure up to the fire 
 and dropped some dry grass on the coals. The flames flared 
 up and revealed the face of the dead man. It was not Polcher 
 but one of the two whites who had ridden with Red Hajason. 
 
 With a smothered exclamation of surprise he drew back 
 under the bushy boughs and crouched on his heels. He ob- 
 served b}' the expiring light where the bullet had pierced his 
 blanket and he had no regrets for tlie death he had dealt. He 
 was chagrined, however, for not anticipating Red Hajason's 
 entrance into the grim game. It was to afford the outlaws 
 a chance to strike, rather than to give Polcher a clear field, 
 that the Cherokees were moving leisurely. Hajason imme- 
 diately on arriving at Great Hiwassee must have learned from 
 Chief Watts about the white man riding for the Coosa. And 
 how many men had Hajason sent down the trail? Was he 
 one of the trailers ? 
 
 ^ " I only wish he'd been this chap," muttered Sevier. 
 " That peace law is bad medicine when it stopped me from 
 shooting him on sight.^' 
 
 Wa-huhu called a screech-owl. Another owl answered from 
 the east and another from the west. 
 
 " The Cherokees," he murmured, securing his blanket and 
 stealing from the cedars and making for his horse. " They 
 heard the two shots and are puzzled to know how it came out." 
 
 Wa-huhu came the call, now much nearer. And the notes 
 
IN THE MAW OF THE FOREST 133 
 
 were tinged with impatience, as if the dead man had prom- 
 ised to answer. 
 
 Sevier threw back his head and sent the answer ringing 
 through the forest aisles. 
 
 He was now convinced his life would be in peril every 
 mile of the way to the Creek country. Old Tasvsel had feared 
 he might come to harm while in the Cherokee country and 
 had sought to evade responsibility by sending the Jumper 
 to guard him. What might happen to him after he crossed 
 the southern boundary did not concern the old chief. But 
 Polcher, Watts and Hajason were determined he should never 
 reach Little Talassee. He summed the situation up by tell- 
 ing himself: 
 
 " From now on I must push ahead as fast as possible. I 
 can't be watching for Polcher and at the same time dodge the 
 gang behind me." 
 
 Yet one must sleep and a horse must rest even though two- 
 score Cherokees were stealing like ghouls about the abandoned 
 camp-fire and its dead man. So, shifting his blanket to a 
 deep covert and trusting that his horse would not be found, 
 he slept. until sunrise. He sought his horse only after mak- 
 ing a circle around the animal ; for if other killers were in the 
 vicinity and had stumbled upon the horse they would wait 
 there in ambush, knowing the sun would bring their victim. 
 
 But no one was in hiding near the horse; and he threw on 
 the saddle and returned to the main trail without being mo- 
 lested. He rode at a furious gallop and had covered a mile 
 before being reminded of the enemy. A rifle spat at him 
 from the brush and he fancied he felt the wind of the bullet. 
 His only notice of it was to throw himself flat over the saddle- 
 horn and urge his mount to greater efforts. 
 
 For several miles he rode at top speed and slowed down only 
 when confronted by a swampy stretch bordering a sluggish 
 
134 EED BELTS 
 
 creek. Dismounting, he placed his ear to the ground and 
 caught the thud-thud of pursuing hoofs. Wlien standing 
 erect he was unable to hear the hoof -beats, and he knew he had 
 ample time to make the miry ford. Walking ahead to test 
 the footing, he soon waded the creek and helped his mount 
 up the bank and gained firm ground. Springing into the sad- 
 dle, he rode a few rods up the trail and backed off behind some 
 hemlocks and cocked his rifle. 
 
 The minutes passed. Perfect serenity seemed to mark 
 the trail and the surrounding forest. Then wild fowls rose 
 from the creeks and winged away. Peeping from his hiding- 
 place, he beheld a white man afoot leading a horse. The 
 animal was a big black, and a second glance noted the white 
 knees. It was Major Tonpit's favourite steed. The man 
 halted at the edge of the swamp and studied the tracks. 
 Then, climbing into the saddle, he urged the horse into the 
 muck. x\s he lifted his head to examine the opposite bank 
 Sevier recognized him as another of the trio who rode with 
 Hajason behind the drove. 
 
 Possessed with the notion of making the fellow a captive 
 and learning something from him about his master, Sevier 
 spurred into the open just as his tracker reached the middle 
 of the ford. Sevier flung up his left hand and cried — 
 
 *^ Up with your hands ! ^' 
 
 The man stared at him, nonplussed for a second, then rec- 
 ognized him and threw up both hands and fired. Without 
 raising his own gun Sevier pulled the trigger, the two reports 
 sounding as one. The borderer felt his brown hair twitch; 
 his opponent toppled off into the creek. The. black horse 
 wheeled with a shrill whinny of alarm and dashed frantically 
 back over the trail. 
 
 " Two ! '^ Sevier ejaculated, pricking on toward the fron- 
 tier of the Creek country. ''That whittles Eed Ilajason's 
 fighting strength down quite a bit. Unless he's back there 
 
m THE MAW OF THE FOEEST 135 
 
 I shouldn't stand in any more danger from that direction. 
 Xow to watch out for Polcher." 
 
 On gaining an elevation that commanded a view of the last 
 ford he reined in and glanced back. A score of Cherokee 
 warriors were swarming across the creek. One stumbled and 
 fell over the dead man, and by the commotion the discovery 
 created Sevier knew they were greatly excited. They carried 
 the body back to the bank, then held a council as though 
 hesitating as to what course they should pursue. Finally a 
 runner was despatched to the rear and the band came on; 
 only now they moved cautiously, as if suspicious of every 
 bush and tree. 
 
 Sevier smiled in quiet satisfaction. He was sure he had 
 cleaned out the white assassins, else the Indians would have 
 waited for a third to precede them. For the rest of the 
 day he nursed his speed, walking much to rest his horse and 
 racing madly only when the trail stretched in a straight line 
 for any distance. Whether afoot or flashing down the leafy 
 alley at break-neck pace, he momentarily expected the tavern- 
 keeper to announce his presence with singing lead. Abrupt 
 turns in the path were negotiated carefully, some being 
 avoided bv detours. Xidit found him far advanced on his 
 journey without having discerned any signs of Cherokees or 
 Polcher. 
 
 At last he stood at the edge of Little Talassee. His ride 
 through the Creek country had been accompanied by stealth 
 and superb woodcraft and had been uneventful. The wan- 
 dering bands of warriors that might have intercepted him 
 were avoided without much effort. This taught him the 
 Creeks did not imagine a hostile white man was so far within 
 their territorv. It also carried the conviction that Polcher 
 took it for granted Eed Hajason's men would prevent his com- 
 ing. This belief necessitated the conclusion that some of the 
 Cherokee runners had passed round him and informed the 
 
136 EED BELTS 
 
 tavern-keeper he need bother no longer with Chucky Jack as 
 others had undertaken the work of removing him. 
 
 Sevier had timed the last leg of his journey so as to permit 
 an entrance to the village after sundown. From his hiding- 
 place he halted and observed the emperor's home. It was a 
 large handsome house, pleasingly situated back from the 
 river and surrounded by shade trees and extensive beds of 
 flowers. The grounds presented nothing to view which would 
 suggest the red man. It might have been a bit of Pensa- 
 cola or Xew Orleans. It was the environment of a white 
 man. 
 
 Back of the big house were some two-score neat little cabins 
 that constituted the slave-quarters, while scattered about the 
 residence in a seemingly haphazard manner were outbuildings 
 for supplies and equipment. The entire effect on the borderer 
 was that of a town rather than Emperor McGillivray's private 
 estate. 
 
 Near Sevier's hiding-place was a large corral fiUed with 
 horses. Other animals grazed outside. Waiting until eve- 
 ning had blurred the landscape, Sevier left his horse to graze 
 and ventured among the outbuildings. From the opposite 
 side of the grounds came a chorus of melodious voices as the 
 slaves sang and made merry. Lights sprang up in the big 
 house, fires twinkled before the cabins in the slave-quarters, 
 but the edge of the estate where Sevier reconnoitred seemed 
 deserted. 
 
 He had stolen by a sleepy herder and with a horseman's 
 love had paused to admire the many excellent animals when 
 a big bay passed near him and caused him to start convul- 
 sively. There was no mistaking the bay. It was one of 
 Stetson's nags, and he would have taken oath it was in Jones- 
 boro the night of his departure. "Wondering at the mystery 
 of it all, he rounded a long structure that was used as a 
 
IN THE MAW OF THE FOEEST 137 
 
 granary' and dropped as though shot as a light flared up 
 within twenty feet of him. 
 
 An Indian had stepped from the end of a cabin and had 
 revived a smouldering torch by swinging it violently round 
 his head. Sevier remained motionless, his travel-stained for- 
 est dress blending with the shadows and logs. But the Creek 
 had no eyes for intruders. Besides the torch he carried a 
 shallow w^ooden platter of steaming food. Intent on his busi- 
 ness he walked to the window of the cabin and, after thrust- 
 ing his torch into a socket, shoved the platter through a nar- 
 row aperture beneath the window, grunting unintelligibly 
 all the time. 
 
 For the first time Sevier discovered the cabin was used 
 as a place of detention, for there were iron bars across the 
 window. The face of a white man pressed against the bars 
 and the prisoner said something to the Creek. 
 
 Sevier sucked in his breath and then gasped : 
 
 " Kirk Jackson ! So that's the reason for Stetson's nag 
 being down here. Kirk Jackson, and he's a prisoner ! '' 
 
 The Indian removed the torch and walked round the end 
 of the cabin. Sevier glided forward. Jackson had retired 
 from the window. The borderer glanced over his shoulder 
 to make sure no more torches were approaching and, confi- 
 dent no one could discover him unless by physical contact, he 
 seized the iron bars and shook them gently, and called Jackson 
 by name. 
 
 There was a moment of intense silence, then a cautious 
 voice whispered — 
 
 " Who is it ? '' 
 
 " Sevier. Chucky Jack.'^ 
 
 " Good Lord ! What luck ! " Jackson fervently murmured, 
 and his face came close to the bars and his hand was thrust 
 to grasp that of the borderer. " The door is fastened on the 
 
138 EED BELTS 
 
 outside. No danger here of any one setting a prisoner free. 
 Throw up the bar — ^' 
 
 He choked the rest off with a groan of dismay and Sevier 
 began to face about Just as a familiar voice exulted : 
 
 " Now, you, I have you where I want you ! There 
 
 are no white paths here ! " 
 
 And before Sevier could close in the newcomer thrust a 
 pistol in his face and pulled the trigger. The weapon missed 
 fire. The borderer's outflung hand caught his assailant's 
 wrist, the other fumbling for the throat. 
 
 " Help ! Help ! This way ! " yelled the man in English. 
 
 " Polcher ! " roared Sevier, forgetting his danger from the 
 Creeks. 
 
 And he redoubled his efforts to get at the man's throat. 
 
 But Polcher was fighting purely on the defensive and 
 evading the groping fingers. 
 
 " Look out, Jack ! " yelled Jackson at the window. 
 
 Sevier glanced about to see whence came the new danger 
 and at first thought the cabin was on fire. This fancy was 
 instantly dispelled by the appearance of several torches round 
 the corner, and before he could think to release Polcher and 
 make a break for it a dozen Creek warriors had penned 
 him in against the cabin. Polcher wrenched himself free 
 and with a howl of rage leaped to an Indian and snatched 
 an ax. 
 
 ^^ Stand back there, Polcher ! " cried a clear, strong voice 
 using faultless English. "What the devil do you mean by 
 prowling 'round my gaol and raising a riot like this ? " 
 
 As the newcomer passed through the circle Sevier beheld a 
 tall, slender figure of commanding carriage, and a dark, im- 
 movable face. The man was faultlessly dressed after the 
 fashion of the seaboard cities. In his hand he carried a light 
 riding-whip. And Sevier knew he had met Alexander Mc- 
 Gillivray, Emperor of the Creeks. 
 
IN THE MAW OF THE FOEEST 139 
 
 "What's the matter with you? Why don't you speak?" 
 sharply demanded McGillivray. 
 
 Polcher chuckled sardonically and pointed to Sevier lean- 
 ing against the wall and informed : 
 
 "You have another guest, your Majesty. He was trying 
 to kill me." 
 
 " That is why you snapped your pistol in my ear before I 
 saw you, I suppose/' dryly spoke up Sevier, now stepping 
 forward to meet the emperor. 
 
 McGillivray snatched a torch from one of the warriors and 
 thrust the flame close to Sevier's face. 
 
 " And who the devil are you ? " he curiously asked, his eyes 
 twinkling in appreciation as they ranged up and down the 
 lithe, upright figure. 
 
 "John Sevier, of the Xolichucky, come all the way from 
 Jonesboro to talk with you," was the calm reply. 
 
 " ! Nolichucky Jack? And here?" cried McGilli- 
 vray, his French blood overwhelming his usual Indian taci- 
 turnity. 
 
 " They call me that among other names," modestly admitted 
 Sevier. " W^ishing to see you, I had to come here." 
 
 "Well, I admire your courage," declared McGillivray, his 
 dark eyes slightly bewildered. " Why were you fighting with 
 Polcher ? " 
 
 " Because he snapped a pistol in my face and said he had 
 me where he wanted me. Oh, I'd have jumped him anyway. 
 He only happened to see me first. I've promised myself that 
 some time 1 shall hang him for a murder he committed." 
 
 McGillivray's black brows drew down. 
 
 " Have a care, sir," he curtly warned. " Alexander Mc- 
 Gillivray is the only man who gives the law in the country of 
 the Creeks." 
 
 " If yon value your life you'll string this man up now, while 
 you have him ! " Polcher fiercely broke in. 
 
140 EED BELTS 
 
 MeGillivray turned on him, and his voice had an edge as he 
 warned : 
 
 " Men who vohmteer me advice usually regret it. As for 
 valuing my life, it would be in no danger if Chucky Jack had 
 all his riflemen at his back." 
 
 " That is truCj, sir," warmly averred Sevier. " I know of 
 no red wampum hanging between us." 
 
 " Not so fast," muttered MeGillivray, staring at him medi- 
 tatively. *^ I didn't mean it that way. If there is no red 
 wampum, neither is there any white wampum between us. 
 You've come here without being asked. I'm not yet ready 
 to smoke with you." 
 
 " At least we could go inside and sit down and have a talk," 
 suggested Sevier. 
 
 " Why, certainly, we can do that. And some cakes and a 
 glass of wine into the bargain," laughed MeGillivray. " My 
 surprise at your coming made me forget my hospitality. 
 Only remember, I did not ask you to bring a talk, and we shall 
 talk without belts." 
 
 " That suits me perfectly," assured Sevier, taking his rifle 
 from where he had stood it against the cabin when seeking to 
 attract Jackson's attention. 
 
 MeGillivray waved his hand and the warriors closed about 
 the borderer. Polcher disappeared in the darkness, after 
 loitering to see if he were included in the emperor's hospi- 
 tality. As MeGillivray strode on ahead, leading the way to 
 the big house, he laughed softly but laughed much. As he 
 drew up at the door a slave in gay livery threw it open and 
 humbly stood aside. The emperor slapped his leg with the 
 riding-whip and exclaimed: 
 
 " ! But this is unexpected. If I'd offered ten thou- 
 sand pounds in gold I couldn't had you brought here alive. 
 Behold ! You're here without my even asking." 
 
IN THE MAW OF THE FOREST 141 
 
 " Yet it cost something for me to get here/' said Sevier. 
 
 " Meaning just what? " 
 
 *' Two dead men on the Great War-Path. Thev tried to 
 stop me." 
 
 McGillivray's eyes danced. 
 
 " Good ! Whose men ? Watts' ? Dragging Canoe's — " 
 
 ^' Oh, none of the friendly Indians," Sevier interrupted, 
 smiling as he read McGillivray's ardent hope that Cherokees 
 had been slain and that their deaths would precipitate the 
 nation into a war against the settlements. " Merely two rene- 
 gade whites. Two of Eed Hajason's men." 
 
 The emperor's face fell. Sevier only raised the red ax 
 against his Northern neighbours. He eyed the borderer 
 gravely ; then a little smile curled his thin lips and he said : 
 
 " Those two are better than nothing. If this Eed Hajason 
 lived nearer my country I should send some of my young men 
 to break off his head. He rather got the best of me on a 
 batch of horses. And he'll never come himself with a drove ; 
 always sends some of his tools." 
 
 Sevier yawned. Instantly the emperor stood aside, bowed 
 courteously and lamented : 
 
 " I am forgetting myself. Please leave your rifle and belt 
 with the servant. And enter. You are most welcome to Lit- 
 tle Talassee — my guest ? Prisoner ? I wonder ! ^' 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE EMPEROR OF THE CREEKS 
 
 THE McGillivrays were one of the prominent families 
 springing from pre-Eevolutionary marriages between 
 the white traders and backwoodsmen and the South- 
 ern Indians. The rapid progress made by the Cherokee and 
 Creek nations can largely be traced to such unions, as the 
 white stock invariably was excellent. The descendants from 
 such mixed marriages are not to be confused with some of the 
 Western squaw men's offsprings of later times. 
 
 The children of the Southern mixed-marriages, as in the 
 case of Alexander McGillivray, were sent away to seaboard 
 cities, or to Europe, to be educated. These returned with 
 advanced ideas which they soon promulgated among their 
 mothers' people. One result in the South was an early in- 
 troduction of schoolhouses and the importation of teachers. 
 
 McGillivray was an excellent type of the fruit of such a 
 mixed marriage. From his beautiful halfbreed mother, Sehoy 
 Marchand, he had inherited the vivacity and audacity, the 
 brilliancy and polish of the French, and the more reserved 
 traits of the Creeks. From his father, Lachlan McGillivray, 
 he received a shrewd Scottish mind and an ability to solve 
 complicated problems and profit thereby. He was born at 
 Little Talassee in 1746 and was a year younger than Sevier. 
 Of him a President of the United States, more than a century 
 later, was to write — 
 
 " Perhaps the most gifted man who was ever born on the 
 soil of Alabama." * 
 
 1 Roosevelt's " Winning the West." 
 
 142 
 
THE EMPEEOR OF THE CEEEKS 143 
 
 If he was actuated by great ambitions, he entertained them 
 legitimately; for his mothers family of the Wind was very 
 powerful; by inheritance and tutelage he was propelled to 
 aspire to high things. His mental equipment, too, was that 
 of a man licensed to dream of lasting success and influence. 
 If he was crafty, his need, nay, the instinct of self-preserva- 
 tion, required craft. James Eobertson, Sevier's old friend, 
 characterized him as being — 
 
 " Half Spaniard, half Frenchman, half Scotchman, and 
 altogether a Creek scoundrel." 
 
 But Eobertson was biased in his judgment because of his 
 hatred for Spain; and there was a strain of Spanish blood in 
 the polyglot emperor. Others of his generation pictured him 
 as fiend and treacherous in his dealings. These charges are 
 not substantiated by any known facts and resulted from the 
 stress and heat of the times. That he played one power 
 against others with consummate adroitness is a matter of 
 historic record — England, Spain and America. He wore the 
 military trappings of the British, he was fond of his Spanish 
 uniform, and finally the insignia of an American officer ; the 
 last after Washington made him a brigadier general. But at 
 the time of Chucky Jack's visit to Little Talassee he was all 
 for Spain. 
 
 As Sevier faced him in the comfortable living-room of the 
 big house it was without the prejudices of many contem- 
 poraries. As McGillivray stood by the table and rested the 
 tips of his long, tapering fingers on the polished board, his 
 spare six feet of muscle gracefully inclined toward his 
 " guest," his smooth, dark handsome face portraying only so- 
 licitude for the comfort of his new acquaintance, Sevier knew 
 he was in the presence of a gentleman. 
 
 After Sevier had seated himself McGillivray tapped a bell 
 and orave an order to the half-breed servant. Wine and cakes 
 were brought. All that surrounded the man reflected the opu- 
 
144 EED BELTS 
 
 lence resulting from a partnership with Panton, Forbes and 
 Leslie, whose importations yearly ran to nearly a quarter of 
 a million of dollars. And yet this atmosphere of well-being 
 contained no suggestion of the garish. The impression was 
 that the house of McGilliyray always had enjoyed a king's 
 income. 
 
 Sinking into a chair across from Sevier, the emperor studied 
 the borderer with courteous curiosity. Then, raising his 
 glass, he gave — 
 
 " To your good health and — discretion." 
 
 " I thank you. The last is proven by my seeking you in a 
 time of great need," said Sevier. 
 
 McGillivray's dark eyes became luminous. 
 
 " Ha ! " he softly exclaimed. " If you come for assistance 
 you can count on McGillivray of the Creeks to the hilt." 
 
 " Not so fast," restrained Sevier. " The need I speak of 
 is yours as well as mine." 
 
 " I don't understand you," McGillivray coldly replied. " I 
 know of no personal embarrassment. The Emperor of the 
 Creeks often gives aid. He has never received any." 
 
 " A crisis faces the Western settlements and the Creeks. 
 Your nation can not advance if my people go down." 
 
 McGillivray sprang to his feet and tossed back his dark 
 hair, snapping his long fingers impatiently and darting angry, 
 yet curious, glances at the imperturbable borderer. 
 
 " What kind of talk is this for you to bring to me, a 
 McGillivray of the McGilli\Tays, Emperor of the Creek 
 Nation ? " 
 
 " It is because you are what you are that I bother to fetch 
 my talk. I come to the one man in the New World Spain 
 leans on for support. Without you Spain would fall to the 
 ground in this Western country." 
 
 The emperor's irritation vanished, his fierce visage softened. 
 Such homage was very sweet, coming from John Sevier's lips. 
 
THE EMPEROR OF THE CREEKS 145 
 
 He nodded affably. He bad reminded Spain of his own im- 
 portance in his various consultations with the royal governor, 
 Don Estephan Miro. 
 
 " I believe his Majesty, Charles III, appreciates my serv- 
 ices," he frankly agreed. " Our treaty of six weeks ago 
 would seem to indicate that much." 
 
 " Could I have seen you before June first I would have 
 urged you not to sign that secret treaty." 
 
 Leaning across the table, his face alive vrith resentment, 
 McGillivray hoarsely warned: 
 
 " Sevier, beware ! Beware how you characterize any com- 
 pact I sign with Spain. You mouth the word ' secret ' as if 
 it were something shameful. I tell you to heed your words, 
 for you are in my power — and I am trying to forget that 
 fact." 
 
 " To be in a gentleman's power is to be his guest," was the 
 calm retort. 
 
 With a Gallic flinging out of hands and shrugging of shoul- 
 ders the emperor dropped into his chair, crying: 
 
 "You have disarmed me. Suppose we take up your rea- 
 sons for coming here — a most unusual proceeding you must 
 admit — in view of the ' secret ' treaty." 
 
 Sevier's gaze strayed to the window as if to peer forth and 
 penetrate the darkness. 
 
 "I have two objects," he slowly began. "The most im- 
 portant is to find Major John Tonpit. I admit I had hoped 
 to overtake him before he arrived here." 
 
 " Tonpit ? Wliat the devil ! It appears that all my guests 
 come with but one thought — to see Major Tonpit." And 
 McGillivray did not attempt to conceal his exasperation. 
 " That young man from your settlements, whom I was forced 
 to lock up, would hear of nothing but the Tonpits. The Em- 
 peror of the Creeks was merely an agency through which he 
 would find the Tonpits. In truth, he seemed eager to tear 
 
146 EED BELTS 
 
 the secret from me by blood and violence. He seemed to be- 
 lieve I was hiding something from him. My Creeks wanted 
 to kill him on the spot, but there is much white blood in me 
 and I forgave him because of Miss Elsie Tonpit, who no doubt 
 has turned his head. So I saved him from my reckless fel- 
 lows by locking him up." 
 
 " He's in love with the girl. Why torture him ? You are 
 said to be kind to prisoners. Why not let him see her ? '' 
 
 McGillivray groaned and rested his head against the back 
 of the chair, eying Sevier half humorously, half angrily. 
 
 " Why not let him see her ? " he mocked. " I would give 
 a thousand pounds to see her myself." 
 
 Sevier bounced from his chair and dropped back again. 
 
 " She has not come ? Her father has not come ? " 
 
 " Curse it I Are you trying to bait me ? " 
 
 Sevier slumped low in the chair and glared blankly at the 
 emperor. 
 
 " Not here/' he mumbled. " Then, where are they ? " 
 
 McGillivray began pacing the room, a crafty cunning glit- 
 tering through his half-closed lids as he watched the bor- 
 derer. Finally coming to a halt before Sevier, he stared 
 down at him and slowly inquired — 
 
 "Are you sure, John Sevier of the Nolichucky, that you 
 don't know where they are ? " 
 
 "If I did, would I be here?" asked Sevier bitterly. 
 
 The emperor weighed his show of sincerity and at last ac- 
 cepted it at face value. His lofty brow became worried. 
 
 "Polcher said they started for here. He is much dis- 
 turbed that they haven't arrived. You and Polcher could 
 scarcely be called friends ? " 
 
 " He's the minor reason for my coming to Little Talassee. 
 I've promised myself the pleasure of hanging him." 
 
 McGillivray's lips tightened in displeasure at this bold 
 
THE EMPEROR OF THE CREEKS 147 
 
 assertion, and his Indian blood came to the fore and he 
 hissed — 
 
 " Be careful how you talk of hanging a friend of the Creeks 
 in the country of the Creeks." 
 
 " Alexander McGillivray, Emperor of the Creeks, I do not 
 envy you your friend." 
 
 ^' So ? " purred McGillivray. " You would wish me to call 
 James Robertson ^ friend/ — the man whom I will drive from 
 the Cumberland if my Creeks do not catch and burn him be- 
 fore he can escape." 
 
 Sevier laughed. 
 
 " Your chances of burning, or even scaring, Jim Robertson 
 are as good as mine are of becoming Emperor of the Creek 
 !N"ation." Then harshly, " This man Polcher is a murderer. 
 He killed an old man in cold blood." 
 
 " Meaning he intended to kill him," corrected McGillivray 
 with ironical gentleness. " Just as you intended to kill the 
 two white men back on the Great AYar-Path. Probably Red 
 Hajason by this time is proclaiming you as a murderer. 
 Polcher's ' cold-bloodedness ' proves he had a definite pur- 
 pose. If he had slain without an object I would approve of 
 his hanging. Polcher is very useful to me." 
 
 ^^He's a low-down dog. His usefulness has helped you 
 none in the settlements." 
 
 " That remains to be seen after Major Tonpit arrives. 
 Doubtless you think I would do much better if I made friends 
 with the "Western settlers. They are a very pious people." 
 And the emperor threw back his head and laughed scornfully. 
 " Let me see ; it was eight years ago that some of your set- 
 tlers at Wolf Hill in Virginia ran to their fort to escape an 
 Indian attack. They discovered their minister of the Gospel 
 had left his books in his cabin. Back they went, those pious 
 men, and returned with the books — and eleven scalps. I am 
 
148 EED BELTS 
 
 told that after a prayer service they hung the scalps over the 
 fort gate." 
 
 Sevier flushed, for the emperor had recited facts. 
 
 " The war between red and white has brought out much 
 cruel hatred. Only with peace can kindlier feelings come." 
 
 "When the Legislature of South Carolina offered seventy- 
 five pounds bounty for every warrior's scalp I suppose the 
 State was hungrily seeking a permanent peace." 
 
 " You should add that the Legislature offered even a greater 
 bounty for the warrior alive," coldly corrected Sevier. " After 
 doing that you could talk till you're white-headed, reviewing 
 the horrible atrocities your Creeks have committed even during 
 your civilized leadership." 
 
 McGillivray's gaze became that of a basilisk. For more 
 than a minute he glared at the man so thoroughly in his 
 power. Next, with a startling transition, a most winning 
 smile drove the sullen ferocity from his haughty features and 
 he filled the glasses, reminding : 
 
 " Such talk is useless. It makes bad friends. I confess 
 cruelties are practised by the red men. But you didn't come 
 here to tell me that.'^ 
 
 " I came to find Tonpit. As a side errand I desire to hang 
 Polcher. And I also came as the result of a talk with Old 
 Tassel." 
 
 " Old Tassel ? " exclaimed McGillivray, spilling some of his 
 wine. 
 
 "I called on him at Great Hiwassee," Sevier explained. 
 
 " Great Hiwassee ! Indeed ! " 
 
 " Before Old Tassel arrived I had a talk with John Watts." 
 
 "Good God! Are you sure you're not a ghost? You 
 talked with Watts and — " 
 
 "And lived to come here? Why not?" And Sevier 
 smiled serenely. "I told Old Tassel I was bringing a talk 
 to you. He is anxious to learn how it results." 
 
THE EMPEROR OF THE CREEKS 149 
 
 McGillivray played with his glass, his gaze following the 
 light darting through the rich depths, his astute mind seeking 
 to unravel the true import of the borderman's astounding as- 
 sertions. Suspicions of double-dealing on Watts' part came 
 and went, more of a suggestion than a suspicion, for he knew 
 Watts' implacable determination to have done with the West- 
 ern settlements. The chief of the Chickamaugas could not 
 change. But there was a mystery in Sevier's living to leave 
 the town once he had entered it. 
 
 •' I'll admit Watts would not receive my talk as I had 
 hoped," Sevier frankly confessed. " He even showed resent- 
 ment." McGillivray smiled. "But Old Tassel was deeply 
 impressed.^' 
 
 The emperor frowned. 
 
 " Old Tassel should be called Old Woman," he muttered. 
 " What was your talk ? " 
 
 " I told him if he would hold his warriors back from war 
 I would promise to keep the whites from any further tres- 
 pass on the lands south of the French Broad and the Holston. 
 I told him that an alliance with Spain, through the Creeks, 
 would surely ruin the Cherokee Nation." 
 
 " Anything else ? " whispered McGillivray, setting down 
 his untasted glass. 
 
 " I told him if he made a war-treaty with the Creeks he 
 would lose many warriors and gain nothing. I told him 
 that even if he could kill off all the settlers he would gain 
 nothing, as in the end the Creeks would take his lands." 
 
 " Mr. Sevier," murmured McGillivray, " why are you so 
 foolish as to tell me all this ? " 
 
 Sevier knew that while McGillivray would not countenance 
 unnecessary bloodshed he would never permit any one man 
 to stand between him and the ambition of his life. Still he 
 continued : 
 
 Because Watts dared me to tell the talk to you, and he- 
 
 i( 
 
150 EED BELTS 
 
 cause I told him and Old Tassel that I would do it. But I 
 have more to add." 
 
 " I am sorry for you. Go on." 
 
 " I wish to tell you, as I told the Cherokees, that the future 
 of the Creek Nation does not depend on the friendship of 
 Spain ; that your treaty of last June is with the same people 
 who made slaves of you in the past. And I tell you now, 
 Alexander McGillivray, Emperor of the Creeks, that if you 
 have the best interests of your nation at heart you will cast 
 off this intrigue with Spain and make peace with the central 
 Government." 
 
 McGillivray threw back liis head and laughed long and 
 discordantly. 
 
 '^ A border-leader turned missionary ! " he jeered. " Why, 
 man, I was getting angry at you! Your insolence blinded 
 me to the absurdity of it all. Still, I admire you for going 
 to Great Hiwassee. But when you mention the central Gov- 
 ernment you remind me that facts are facts. Your Govern- 
 ment. Where is it? What can it do? Can it sail a boat 
 on the Mississippi? Can it send its goods to New Orleans? 
 Does it resent any action of Spain^s? Or does it meekly bow 
 the head ? " 
 
 Sevier restrained himself and evenly retorted: 
 
 ^^We are a free people. Just now we need many things. 
 We soon shall have them. War has exhausted us, but we shall 
 make up our strength overnight. We shall never submit." 
 
 "Bah! You submit now," wrathfully cried McGillivray. 
 " You are powerless now. Why should you think you will be 
 strong tomorrow ? Does weakness breed strength ? You say 
 the future of my people and that of the Thirteen Fires are 
 tied up in the same bundle. God forbid ! That is what I am 
 trying to escape from. We want none of your future, with 
 its humiliations, with its bending of the knee to Spain. We 
 are free to sail the Mississippi. We trade with New Orleans. 
 
THE EMPEEOR OF THE CEEEKS 151 
 
 "When Spain speaks to us she speaks softly. Without our aid 
 she is powerless. My friend, we shall use Spain rather than 
 allow Spain to use us. Her future on this continent is bound 
 up with the future of the Creeks.'^ 
 
 And he rose and extended his arms, his inner vision paint- 
 ing a new and mighty empire in which McGillivray of the 
 Creeks and allied nations played a leading role. 
 
 Abruptly changing and without waiting for Sevier to 
 speak, he became the smiling host again and asked — 
 
 " What is it I hear about your separating from North 
 Carolina ? '^ 
 
 " As you heard it as soon as, if not before, we did, there's 
 nothing new to tell,'' Sevier replied. "We are about to 
 set up an independent State and be admitted to the 
 XTnion." 
 
 " So ? My agents are careless fellows," sighed the em- 
 peror, shaking his head ruefully. "Both careless and ig- 
 norant fellows. Why, they actually informed me that the 
 Western settlements have been given to the central Govern- 
 ment as Iv'ortli Carolina's share of the war-debt. They led 
 me to believe Carolina was paying her debts with Western 
 land. Xever a word about the new State." 
 
 " A month from now they'll be telling you about the new 
 State," Sevier answered. 
 
 McGillivray simulated a density of understanding and 
 rubbed his head in perplexity. 
 
 " I can't comprehend it," he sorrowfully confessed. " The 
 wine must have muddled my poor head. Xow let me see. 
 Xorth Carolina owes some five million dollars, a ninth of 
 the national debt, plus three millions unpaid interest. France 
 advanced much of the money and is asking for the interest 
 and some arrangement that ultimately will take care of the 
 principal. Xorth Carolina, not having the five millions, votes 
 to pay some twenty-nine or thirty million acres of land. Xow, 
 
152 RED BELTS 
 
 if I have followed you correctly, the thirty million acres refuse 
 to be considered as the equivalent of !N'orth Carolina's share 
 of the debt and insist on being created into a State. It's 
 very bewildering." 
 
 '^ Perhaps it will be clearer if you remember there are some 
 twenty-five or thirty thousand settlers who won those acres 
 and who do not intend to be turned over along with their 
 lands like so many beaver pelts/' Sevier replied. " Perhaps 
 you can perceive that the very weakness of the central Gov- 
 ernment which you have dwelt on is an excellent reason why 
 thirty thousand people will determine the future of the land 
 they alone won and developed. How will the central Govern- 
 ment stop us from forming a State if she is unable to resent 
 any insult from distant Spain ? " 
 
 " I don't think she can." And the admission was accom- 
 panied by a smile of genuine amusement. " It's absolutely 
 humorous, the whole situation. A man owes me a tliousand 
 pounds. He makes payment. Just as I am about to count 
 the money it hops up and says, 'You can't have me as pa}^- 
 ment for a debt. But you shall take me as a partner and 
 share with me what you ahready have accumulated.' ^\Tiat 
 could I do? Perhaps I would demand that my debtor bring 
 me some better behaved money. Eh? What will North 
 Carolina say when she finds she's lost her land and hasn't 
 paid her debt ? " 
 
 " She'll do nothing," assured Sevier. " There will be no 
 violence, no bloodshed. You don't understand the true tem- 
 per of the people on both sides of the mountains. We're 
 kinsmen. And your amusing little illustrations make you for- 
 get the simple fact that a new State must pay its share of 
 the national debt. Our new State wiU make good what 
 Carolina owes." 
 
 There was a pause for several minutes, each trjTing to read 
 the others thoughts. Then McGillivray briskly said : 
 
THE EMPEROE OF THE CEEEKS 153 
 
 " You mention August. You're to start building your new 
 State next month ? ^' 
 
 '^ The forty delegates will meet on the twenty-third of 
 August." 
 
 " That will give you scant time to visit me and get back 
 and take part in the good work," regretted McGillivray. 
 
 ^^ Oh, my presence isn't necessary/' promptly retorted 
 Sevier. " If I remain here as your — guest — everything 
 will go along nicely. I arranged for that." 
 
 " Then you did consider the possibility of remaining with 
 me for a while ? " 
 
 Sevier shook his head and frankly answered : 
 
 *' No. My precautions were taken because of the chance 
 of a Chickamauga knife or a Creek ax reaching me before 
 I got to you. I believed tliat once I had talked to you I could 
 return — always providing I dodged the dangers of the 
 homeward trail." 
 
 ^' Such faith ! Such faith ! " murmured McGillivray with 
 a whimsical smile. " Do you know, Mr. Sevier, I must be 
 on my guard against the charm of your personality? I find 
 myself liking you. It's like walking into an ambuscade." 
 
 Sevier laughed lightly, pointed to the emperor's full glass 
 and raised his own, saying — 
 
 *^ I drink to the success which wiU be best for vou and 
 your people." 
 
 McGillivray started, gazed intently across the table and 
 slowly moved his lips in testing the words. 
 
 " me ! " he cried. " I can't see any snake in the bot- 
 tom of that glass ! It rings honest, even if you and I don't 
 agree on what * best success ' is. You're an honest man, 
 Sevier, and we'll drink it with honesty in our hearts. And I 
 thank you for the spirit which prompts it." 
 
 The glasses were emptied just as the servant glided in and 
 passed to his master and gave him a written message. Mc- 
 
154 KED BELTS 
 
 Gillivray read it and frowned blackly, then glanced furtively 
 at Sevier. He hesitated and twisted the paper about his 
 fingers ; then he brusquely commanded — 
 
 " Show him m.'' 
 
 Sevier appeared indifferent, but from the corner of his eye 
 he watched the emperor's sudden change of expression. Some- 
 thing in the note had aroused the Indian blood in him, had 
 caused him to entertain a suspicion. The door opened and 
 Polcher entered, bowing low to McGillivray and darting a 
 look of hatred at the borderer. 
 
 McGillivray motioned for him to advance but did not ask 
 him to be seated. He bluntly began: 
 
 " Your note says you have something to tell me about Mr. 
 Sevier which I should know at once. Why didn't you tell 
 it to me when you first arrived ? " 
 
 *^ Your Majesty, the surprise of not finding Major Tonpit 
 here, the surprise of finding the man Jackson here, drove it 
 from my mind until John Sevier came. Ever since he en- 
 tered your Majesty's home I have been trying to get a word 
 to you. Only now have I succeeded.'' 
 
 " Very well ; go on. What is it ? " 
 
 Sevier eyed Polcher closely, anticipating what was com- 
 ing. The tavern-keeper gazed only at McGillivray and 
 said : 
 
 " The man Jackson, acting under Chucky Jack's orders, 
 killed your Creek messenger. He was seen to do it by a set- 
 tler, who was murdered to close his mouth. But before the 
 witness died he told me of the crime." 
 
 "What? What's this?" roared McGillivray, turning to 
 glare at the composed face of the borderer. " What have you 
 to say, Sevier ? " 
 
 And the long hands opened and closed as if searching for 
 a deadly weapon or an enemy's throat. 
 
 " Do you believe it ? " Sevier quietly asked. 
 
THE EMPEEOR OF THE CEEEKS 155 
 
 a 
 
 You heard the charge. Answer ! ^' thundered the em- 
 peror. 
 
 " Pardon me ; but if you already believe it, it is useless for 
 me to answer/^ Sevier replied in the same level voice. 
 
 McGillivray was nonplussed by this method of defence and 
 finally demanded of Polcher — 
 
 " How do you know this to be so ? " 
 
 " I saw the messenger's scalp on Sevier's table in the court- 
 house." 
 
 " ! Sevier, you must speak now. Polcher either has 
 
 hung himself or you," McGillivray bitterly exclaimed. " My 
 messenger has not returned. I have thought nothing of his 
 absence because he was to guide the Tonpits here and the 
 woman would prevent a quick journey. Now answer the 
 charge." 
 
 " A scalp of a Creek was placed on my table in the court- 
 house by Polcher," the borderer slowly informed. "I had 
 never seen it until it was placed there by Polcher. The Creek 
 would not have been killed if you had sent him openly to 
 Jonesboro. I knew nothing about him until he was dead. 
 You sent him by stealth — " 
 
 " You admit he was slain ? " hissed McGillivray. 
 
 " Certainly. But not by Kirk Jackson, as this dog says. 
 The scalp was taken to Polcher by an old man crazy with 
 drink. The old man was to get a jug of whisky if he brought 
 a Cherokee scalp — to Polcher." 
 
 " He lies. him ! He lies ! " gritted Polcher. 
 
 McGillivray glanced from the flushed face to the composed 
 one. Sevier coolly continued: 
 
 " Your common sense will tell you there can be no question 
 of veracity between me and your tool. The old man who took 
 the scalp did not, however, kill the Creek. I am frank to 
 admit that, although he was a tool of Polcher's and did as 
 Polcher commanded — as he believed." 
 
156 EED BELTS 
 
 a 
 
 A Cherokee scalp," mumbled McGillivray, his anger sub- 
 siding for the moment as he recognized the advantage to his 
 -cause had a Cherokee been killed and scalped by a Western 
 settler. 
 
 " He lies — " began Polcher, but Sevier came to his feet 
 and grasped a decanter, warning — 
 
 " You say that again and I shall brain you ; no matter 
 how much I dislike to make a scene in the home of McGilli- 
 vray of the Creeks." 
 
 " Keep your mouth closed, Polcher, until I speak to you," 
 the emperor harshly commanded. " Sevier be seated — 
 please. Now, Sevier, suppose you enlighten me as to what 
 jou know about this." 
 
 Sevier readily complied, omitting only the fact that he 
 knew wdio had killed the messenger. 
 
 "Jackson was in the bush and overheard Polcher's bar- 
 gain with the old man and came and told me about it. I di- 
 rected him to waylay the old man and take the scalp from 
 him. Polcher had demanded a Cherokee scalp for his whisky. 
 The old man believed he had found a dead Cherokee, and he 
 scalped him. Jackson believed the scalp belonged to a Chero- 
 kee; so did I until I saw it. I did not want any scalp to be 
 paraded at the tavern, where Polcher and his men would make 
 use of it in inflaming the Indians." 
 
 "But this Jackson fled! He didn't wait for an investi- 
 gation," reminded McGillivray in an ominous voice. 
 
 "' If he had killed a Creek he scarcely would have fled 
 here," said Sevier. " He was being chased by a tavern mob. 
 I was away from the village. He already knew the girl was to 
 go to Little Talassee. He was crazy to overtake her. That 
 was the true reason of his leaving Jonesboro in the night 
 without even waiting to let me know where he was going." 
 
 " True, he would be a fool to come here after killing my 
 man," mused McGillivray. Then with f reeh suspicion, " But 
 
THE EMPEROR OF THE CREEKS 157 
 
 how did he know the girl and her father were coming here ? " 
 
 Sevier was unwilling to implicate the girl. 
 
 " From something he had learned/^ he countered. " I can 
 tell you exactly what he learned, and how, but not in the 
 presence of this man/' 
 
 "We still have the death of my Creek to clear up," re- 
 minded McGillivray, scowling blackly. " This old man found 
 the dead body and scalped it ? " 
 
 " Believing it was a Cherokee. And I went and buried the 
 body so it could not be found and be made the cause of a bor- 
 der war," Sevier replied. 
 
 " But some one did kill the messenger." With a lightning 
 glance at the tavern-keeper he demanded, "Will you say 
 Polcher kHled him ? " 
 
 Sevier was human and the temptation was strong. The 
 rascal was seeking his life and would hesitate at nothing to 
 accomplish his ends. 
 
 "No, I can't say that. I only wish I could. Polcher 
 didn't kill him. He only killed the old man he had hired to 
 bring in a scalp." 
 
 " Then vou do know who killed him ? " cried Polcher. 
 You speak as if you were surprised," growled McGillivray. 
 I'm surprised he admits as much," Polcher defended. 
 
 McGillivray nodded for the borderer to proceed. 
 Not in the presence of that man," Sevier refused. 
 By heavens, Sevier, you're taking a high hand ! " the 
 emperor passionately cautioned. " Please remember that any 
 man worthy to stand in my presence is worthy to hear any 
 explanation that involves him in a serious matter. I demand 
 you tell me what you know concerning the death of one of 
 my people." 
 
 Polcher grinned triumphantly. 
 
 " After he leaves the room I'll tell you who killed your 
 Creek," retorted Sevier. 
 
 
 
158 EED BELTS 
 
 <i 
 
 You'll tell in his hearing, or else the Creeks have for- 
 gotten their knack of making a man talk/' rumbled McGilli- 
 vray. 
 
 "Between such men as you and I that is boy's talk," re- 
 buked Sevier with a smile. "I'm disappointed in you." 
 
 "I'm quite in earnest. This man, my paid agent, makes 
 a charge against you — a prisoner — in your presence. You 
 exonerate him of the killing and confess that you know the 
 murderer. You also admit Polcher doesn't know. I stand 
 back of my men. I'll put threats aside and appeal to your 
 sense of justice. If Polcher doesn't know who killed the 
 Creek it is only right that you should speak before him." 
 
 Sevier elevated his brows and stared thoughtfully at the 
 ceiling. Finally he said : 
 
 "There is justice in what you ask. It can't make much 
 difference, as he will never dare go back to the Watauga set- 
 tlements to serve you again. I've decided to tell you what I 
 know. The Creek was killed by an Indian-hater, a man 
 whose entire family was butchered by Indians. The deed 
 was done unknown to any settler; otherwise it never would 
 have been committed. We will cover your dead with many 
 presents. But as you sent him secretly into our settlements, 
 with orders to skulk in the bushes, thereby giving the im- 
 pression to any who might see him that he was there for 
 mischief, I should say part of the responsibility for his death 
 was yours, Alexander McGillivray. 
 
 " Had you sent him to me he would have been unharmed ; 
 for then he would have come openly, just as the Cherokee, 
 Tall Runner, came and departed in safety. However, your 
 Creek is dead, and the fanatic will not be handed over for you 
 to kill. There's the whole truth. Young Jackson is as inno- 
 cent of the whole affair as you are." 
 
 "I believe you, Sevier; but you talk big when you say 
 
THE EMPEROR OF THE CREEKS 159 
 
 the Creeks shall take no reprisal/' McGillivray bitterly ob- 
 served. 
 
 " You can kill me or Jackson, but the settlement won't 
 turn over the half -crazed slayer of your Creek/' Sevier calmly 
 reiterated. " It is for me to say that you talk big when you 
 complain because your secret messengers aren't received and 
 protected in Jonesboro at almost the moment you hold as 
 prisoners Kirk Jackson and myself, who came here openly." 
 
 " Came here to make trouble/' ventured Polcher. 
 
 Sevier directed a sleepy smile at the tavern-keeper and re- 
 marked to the emperor: 
 
 " I've been thoroughly honest and above board with you. 
 Suppose you ask your trusted agent to be the same." 
 
 "You can't make his Majesty believe I'm anything but 
 honest with him/' defied Polcher. 
 
 '' Ku!" grunted Sevier. "You killed a war-eagle out of 
 season, Polcher. It has spoiled your medicine. The Great 
 Crystal of the Cherokees would show you floating in blue 
 shadows. Death is very close to you. Now tell the emperor 
 why your friend Red Hajason went to Great Hiwassee and 
 took with him the horses rode by Major Tonpit and his daugh- 
 ter when they departed from Jonesboro." 
 
 Polcher was astounded. When he could master his tongue 
 it was to give a shrill cry of alarm, and for a moment his 
 smug mask of complacency slipped and revealed the stark ter- 
 ror in his soul. 
 
 " Lies ! Lies ! " he choked. 
 
 McGillivray was fairly bewildered by the unexpected reve- 
 lation and glanced swiftly from the borderer to his hench- 
 man. 
 
 " Tonpit's horses in Red Hajason's hands," he mumbled. 
 Then fiercely, "Polcher, look at me! So. Eye to eye! 
 What do you know about this ? " 
 
160 EED BELTS 
 
 iC 
 
 Nothing ! Nothing ! The man lies ! " Polcher's fright- 
 ened voice persisted. 
 
 McGillivray swnng about and for nearly a minute searched 
 the depths of Sevier^s steady blue eyes. 
 
 ^' No/' he softly concluded, " he speaks the truth." 
 
 Raising a silver whistle to his lips, he blew two short blasts. 
 Almost instantly a dozen warriors glided into the room and 
 encircled the three men. Pointing to Polcher, the emperor 
 ordered : 
 
 " Take this man away. Turn out the dogs." 
 
 " I've served you, McGillivray — " 
 
 " What ? " 
 
 " I've served your Majesty faithfully. I give my word of 
 honour I will not try to escape until after you have investi- 
 gated this ridiculous story." 
 
 " You will come to no harm if you're innocent ; and the 
 Emperor of the Creeks knows how to make up for his mis- 
 takes with many presents. But if you have played me false 
 you will — if you are wise — cut your own throat tonight. 
 If you attempt to leave the grounds the dogs will get 
 you." 
 
 "I do not wish to leave the grounds," sullenly replied 
 Polcher as they led him away. 
 
 After the warriors and their prisoner left, McGillivray re- 
 mained staring at the door, seemingly forgetful of Sevier. 
 Black care was worrying his handsome countenance. Speak- 
 ing gently, he at last asked — 
 
 '^ Do you know anything about the Tonpits, besides what 
 you've told?" 
 
 " I only know that the man called Hester was the man 
 Polcher used in communicating with Major Tonpit. Hester 
 took orders from Polcher. He left Jonesboro the night the 
 Tonpits set out. The settlers have long believed he is mixed 
 
THE EMPEROR OF THE CREEKS 161 
 
 up with Red Hajason. If he is, why not Polcher, his mas- 
 ter? I had supposed he went to guide the Tonpits to you, 
 taking the place of the dead Creek. I was surprised to find 
 no trace of the Tonpits on my journey here. Red Hajason 
 had their horses. It must follow he has the Tonpits. Pol- 
 cher's a bad one. You're foolish to trust him." 
 
 " He's always been humble enough," muttered McGillivray. 
 
 " Humble ? Why, he considers himseK to be a better man 
 than you, Alexander McGillivray," laughed Sevier. " And a 
 better man than Tonpit. In Jonesboro he played the part 
 of tavern-keeper and played it well. But, harkee, McGilli- 
 vray of the Creeks, you've had dealings with no man as crafty 
 as he. Show him an advantage in taking your head in a 
 basket to any State capital, and he'll try for the reward." 
 
 '^ His ambitions fly above a money reward. He seeks a high 
 position under — in the new order of Western affairs. Yet 
 what you tell me looks bad." And he sighed as if weary from 
 continued disappointments. " I've depended so much on 
 Major Tonpit." 
 
 He blew his whistle, this time but once, and two men en- 
 tered. Speaking to them in the Creek tongue, he directed: 
 
 " You will start immediately for Great Hiwassee and learn 
 if Red Hajason has brought horses there." Then to Sevier, 
 "Describe the animals." Sevier did so, and the description 
 was repeated to the men. "You will find out where Red 
 Hajason is now. One of you will return to me with what you 
 have learned. The other shall remain until he has seen John 
 Watts. Ask him in my name if he knows anything about 
 the white man called John Tonpit, and about the white girl, 
 Tonpit's daughter. This gives you my voice." 
 
 And he slipped a curiously carved ring from his finger and 
 handed it to the elder of the two men. 
 
 As thev withdrew he said to Sevier : 
 We'll drop it until I receive word from Hiwassee. I ad- 
 
 ii 
 
162 KED BELTS 
 
 mit part of the blame for my Creek's death. Let that go by. 
 I want to talk with you as friend to friend. 
 
 " Yon imagine me to be a blind tool of Spain's. You 
 couldn't make a greater mistake. I hold and intend to hold 
 this Southern country. I welcome Spain so long as Charles 
 III helps me to strengthen my grip on it. Spain knows that 
 if she tries unfairness with me she loses what she now holds. 
 Spain has fleets and needs the fur trade. Her day has passed 
 in Europe. What she gets she must get over here. She will 
 pay well for what she gets. We have something to sell. She 
 is willing to buy. What is there wrong in that ? 
 
 "If your Western settlements could seU what you raise, 
 you would be very powerful. But you are hemmed in. The 
 thirteen States are satisfied with the Atlantic coast. That is 
 all they have cared for. They have no sympathy with over- 
 mountain development. They are not strong enough to com- 
 bat Spain, and they know their Western country can amount 
 to nothing so long as Spain holds the Mississippi. Spain 
 holds the Mississippi. Now she asks the Western settlements 
 to form a Government under her protection. The thirteen 
 States will not try to stop you from doing that. 
 
 " You say you won't put on the yoke of Spain. Spain 
 doesn't ask you to wear a yoke. She knows she can't win what 
 she must have — our trade — by force. To stop the intrigues 
 of France and England she does want a Grovernment over 
 here — a new republic will answer perfectly — that will be 
 in sympathy with her and favour her in trade. Outside of 
 a commercial advantage, Spain asks nothing from you or me. 
 It only means Spain's backing while the new Government 
 west of the Alleghanies gets on its feet. Once the new Gov- 
 ernment stands alone and needs no European help, Spain 
 would retain her trade advantage because of her just and 
 kindly treatment of us during our development." 
 
 He paused and Sevier shot in — 
 
THE EMPEROR OF THE CREEKS 163 
 
 *' Wliat do you get out of such a combination ? " 
 
 With great dignity McGillivray promptly answered: 
 
 " I should still be Emperor of the Creeks. I should retain 
 a monopoly of the Creek trade and, very probably, should have 
 a voice in the affairs of the Cherokee ^N'ation. No, no. Don't 
 misunderstand me. I shall not interfere with the rights of 
 the Cherokees. John Watts and others are convinced of that. 
 My influence would always be to knit the two nations firmly 
 together. Once that is accomplished we will be invinci- 
 ble." 
 
 '^ Against whom ? ^' 
 
 " 'V^Tiy, against any trespasser," McGillivray slowly replied. 
 
 " Possibly against Spain ? " 
 
 " If she attempted any injustice, yes. And we'd whip her, 
 too. For she would have to bring the fight to us or lose all 
 she has over here." 
 
 " Invincible against the new Western republic ? " 
 
 " If the Western settlements treated us wrongly. Cer- 
 tainly." 
 
 " What if you should decide we were treating you un- 
 justlv, when, as a matter of truth, we were treating you 
 fairly ? " 
 
 '^ Spain would easily adjust any such differences." 
 
 " But, knowing you could defy Spain, would you permit 
 her to settle disputes in our favour ? " 
 
 For the first time during their interview McGillivray com- 
 pletely lost control of himself. Leaping up, he struck the 
 table and overturned the wine. Kicking over his chair, he 
 began raging from one end of the room to the other, his dark 
 face furious with passion. Sevier replaced the decanter and 
 rescued a book from a puddle of wine. Gradually McGilli- 
 vray's emotion subsided. Returning to the table, he righted 
 his chair and sank into it, staring gloomily at Sevier. 
 
 " Do you know," he softly began, " you have been in great 
 
164 EED BELTS 
 
 danger. You have the quality of making men like you to an 
 unusual extent. You also have the knack of maddening men. 
 For the moment my Creek streak told me to kill you. I am 
 glad I did not give in to it/' 
 
 " So am I/^ said Sevier, pulling a pistol from the breast 
 of his hunting-shirt. " For I should have acted on an im- 
 pulse, perhaps, and defended myself." 
 
 McGillivray's eyes half closed as he vratched Sevier twirl 
 the pistol. 
 
 " You came in here to have wine and cakes," he murmured. 
 ^' And you brought a deadly weapon with you." 
 
 " You have a long knife inside your coat," smiled Sevier. 
 
 " What do you propose doing ? " 
 
 " Make up for my part in our bad manners," laughed 
 Sevier, taking the pistol by the muzzle and handing it across 
 the table. 
 
 McGillivray's eyes flew open. He smiled graciously and 
 murmured : 
 
 " A gallant gentleman. I meet you half way. Wine and 
 weapons do not go well together." 
 
 And pulling a knife from inside his coat he tossed it and 
 the pistol on a couch at the side of the room. 
 
 Speaking sorrowfully, he said : 
 
 " Sevier, I have just shown you a wonderful world and you 
 interrupted to ask silly questions. God knows you nearly 
 drove me out of my reason. I can't bear to have common- 
 place objections thrown at me when I am painting a picture 
 of new kingdoms. I took you up where you could see your- 
 self as one of the great men of America and you didn't seem 
 to sense it." 
 
 " If you showed me the whole world from the top of a 
 mountain it wouldn't tempt me any, Alexander McGillivray, 
 so long as I knew misery and injustice dwelt at the foot of 
 the mountain." 
 
THE EMPEROR OF THE CREEKS 165 
 
 " Will you go with me to Governor Miro at Pensacola ? " 
 
 " Only as your prisoner — by force." 
 
 " But Miro is a friend of your friend, of the man who hates 
 me, James Robertson." 
 
 " Miro has been friendly with Jim ; but Jim understands 
 that Miro never lets courtesy or friendship interfere with his 
 master's orders. If Charles 'III says for Miro to do a thing, 
 Don Estephan Miro does it, regardless of whom it hits or 
 hurts." 
 
 McGillivray bowed his head and sighed, and said : 
 
 " Then I must go beyond what I expected would be neces- 
 sary, beyond my own inclination; for it is not according to 
 my best judgment. But so be it. You are a stubborn man, 
 John Sevier. I will agree with you that we can form no 
 allegiance with Spain. Say the word and I will inform Don 
 Miro to that effect." 
 
 " What is that word ? " 
 
 ^'^ That you will form an independent Government out of 
 the "Western settlements." 
 
 "No!" 
 
 " The central Government will not oppose you.'^ 
 
 " That makes no difference." 
 
 " The West is ripe for the move." 
 
 " The move will not be made." 
 
 '^ You will have twenty thousand riflemen. I will pledge 
 you twenty thousand Indians. You shall have supreme mili- 
 tary command. Together we can laugh at Spain, oust her 
 from the Mississippi and bury the ax so deep there shall be 
 no more burning of cabins, or of prisoners at the stake. It 
 will mean the absolute end of Indian warfare, and a pros- 
 perity such as men never dreamed of." 
 
 " Once for all, McGillivray of the Creeks, I will form no 
 alliance with Spain. I will work to establish no separate 
 Government, as that would dismember the Union. There is 
 
166 EED BELTS 
 
 one thing I will do, whether we create a new State or fail." 
 
 " Well ? " 
 
 "I will protect the Western settlements against the In- 
 dians, be they Creek or Cherokee." 
 
 "By ! You throw a red ax. Then this is the ax I 
 
 hurl back to you," snarled McGillivray. "My treaty with 
 Spain will stand. I shall surely win over the Cherokees. 
 The Chickasaws, who now cling to Robertson's hand because 
 of their chief's friendship for him, shall join us or be stamped 
 out. We will blot out the Western settlements. The Ohio 
 and Northwestern tribes are eager to join us. If you remain 
 alive to see the border cabins in flames you will remember 
 the offer I made to you in all friendliness. Then will you 
 decide whether you followed a straight or a crooked trail." 
 
 " If it must be so," sighed Sevier. 
 
 McGillivray tapped the bell and rose. Sevier also stood. 
 The servant entered and made a low obeisance. 
 
 The Emperor of the Creeks stared moodily at the borderer, 
 hospitality struggling against resentment. Almost sullenly 
 he said: 
 
 " If you will give me your promise you will not attempt to 
 escape from the village during the night, I shall be pleased 
 to have you shown to a guest room. The bed is better than 
 what we furnish in the cabins." 
 
 ^^ I have no desire to leave the village tonight. I promise. 
 But I would like to know if my horse — " 
 
 "Your horse has been brought in and has received excel- 
 lent care. I take your promise to save you from a disagree- 
 able death. It is impossible for you to escape. The dogs 
 are out. See here." 
 
 Stepping to the window, he leaned out and whistled shrilly 
 on his fingers. 
 
 A wild chorus of baying answered the signal, and in the 
 faint moonlight Sevier beheld a dark patch swerve from 
 
THE EMPEROR OF THE CREEKS 167 
 
 between the cabins, running close like wolves. They swept 
 up to the house with two men behind them. Halting beneath 
 the window, they leaped up to caress their master's hand. 
 For a minute or two McGillivray called them by name and 
 stroked the heads of the milling mass. They were gaunt, 
 tawny brutes, one being more than a match for any man 
 unarmed. 
 
 Stepping back from the window, McGillivray remarked: 
 
 " It would be hard for one to escape my pets. They are a 
 special breed. A streak of the mastiff, and the rest is pure 
 devil. They're trained to touch no one in the village; but 
 woe to the man who goes out of bounds against my orders. 
 Give me a thousand such and I'll chew up the foolish Chicka- 
 saws and never lose a warrior." 
 
 Sevier shuddered and followed the servant. His room was 
 on the first floor and at the end of the building. It was large 
 and comfortably furnished. The furnisliings were what one 
 would expect in the homes of the seaboard rich but with per- 
 haps more of the Spanish mode than would be found in the 
 North. On a shelf in the corner was a row of books, but 
 Sevier was not overfond of books and gave them scant heed. 
 What did arouse his interest was a wall decoration formed 
 of hunting-knives, arranged so as to suggest the rising sun, 
 the polished blades being the rays. In the collection were 
 home-made weapons of sturdy strength and the more grace- 
 fully shaped pieces of European origin. 
 
 The windows were open and there was nothing to prevent 
 Sevier from stepping out on to the grass ground. After the 
 servant had left him he remained at the window and looked 
 across the silent, empty grounds to where Jackson was im- 
 prisoned in the cabin. How surely had the young Virginian 
 answered to the call of love, even to entering a deadly trap. 
 Such was the drawing-power of love for a maid. Such should 
 be the whole-souled quality of a man's love for his country. 
 
168 BED BELTS 
 
 And where tonight were the Tonpits? Were they alive, 
 and if so, in Bed Hajason's camp ? It sickened him to think 
 of the girl in that rough environment, her austere father 
 powerless to protect her. If Jackson hadn't been captured 
 and could have known of their plight he could have rallied 
 some riflemen — but that was as useless as wishing for last 
 year's sunshine. 
 
 " Oh, for a few days of liberty and fifty of my riflemen ! " 
 groaned Sevier. Then came the wild, fantastic thought of 
 calling on McGillivray and offering to go and bring the Ton- 
 pits to Little Talassee. He believed McGillivray would gladly 
 take him at his word. He would object to the riflemen being 
 employed but he would TNTLllingly furnish a hundred or more 
 Creeks. 
 
 However, that would be playing McGillivray's game, Spain's 
 game, the devil's game. If Jackson could get back to the 
 Nolichucky and arouse the men — the inspiration thumped 
 against his mind like a blow. If only Jackson could escape 
 and run the Creek and Cherokee gantlet! The Cherokees 
 would be on the alert to prevent Chucky Jack's return ; Chief 
 Watts would see to that. A man must need have wings to 
 escape the ferocious dog-pack. Still such chances were cre- 
 ated for men to take and laugh at. There could be no doubt- 
 ing the young Virginian's zeal for the business ; nor his woods 
 cunning in putting it through. 
 
 Stepping to the book-shelf, Sevier tore a blank page from 
 one of the volumes. On a table in the corner was a quill and 
 a horn of ink ; for McGilUvray of the Creeks handled a quill 
 as readily as did any of his white contemporaries and kept 
 much writing material easily accessible. The borderer wrote 
 a few hurried lines to Stetson, explaining his fears and exhort- 
 ing the settler to raise enough men to make the raid a suc- 
 cess. 
 
 He refrained from speaking of his own plight and simply 
 
THE EMPEROR OF THE CREEKS 169 
 
 said the raid on Red Hajason's camp could be made "without 
 any fears of an Indian attack during the riflemen's absence 
 from Jonesboro. Sanding the note, he carefully examined the 
 fan of knives on the wall and selected four of extra length, 
 stout of haft and keen of edge. 
 
 This done, he extinguished the candle and returned to the 
 window. The problem of the dogs remained. They ran in 
 a pack and kept patrolling the edge of the extensive grounds. 
 Sevier assumed from what McGillivray had said that he would 
 not be attacked while inside the grounds. But to be discov- 
 ered would be to spoil his plans. He leaned far out the win- 
 dow and looked and listened. The slave-quarters were on 
 the other side of the house. The pack had gone in that di- 
 rection when McGillivray dismissed it. 
 
 Slipping out the window, the borderer stole to the corner 
 of the house and waited until he glimpsed a shadowy mass 
 passing behind the slaves' cabins. Then retracing his steps, 
 he bowed low and ran swiftly, keeping to the shadows of the 
 outbuildings as much as possible. The light was faint and 
 barely sufficient for him to distinguish one cabin from an- 
 other, but his sense of location carried him to the window 
 with the iron bars. Gliding up to this, he whispered Jack- 
 son's name. 
 
 " Who is it ? " Jackson murmured, cautiously approaching 
 the window. 
 
 " Sevier ! Here are four knives and a message. Put two 
 knives under your bed. I will remove the bar from the door. 
 When you hear me whistle, look out and see if the dogs are 
 making for the big house. If they are you must make for the 
 corral and mount a horse and ride for your life. Give the 
 message to Stetson. It orders him to raise some riflemen to 
 go with you to the camp of Red Hajason, an outlaw. I be- 
 lieve you will find the Tonpits prisoners there. Take them 
 back to Jonesboro and hold them even if you have to make 
 
170 EED BELTS 
 
 Major Tonpit a prisoner. On no account is lie to reach this 
 place. The note explains all — " 
 
 " But you ? Can't you come with me ? " pleaded Jackson. 
 
 " I must stay. I've given my word. Remember, when I 
 whistle. If the dogs don't come to me then you must decide 
 for yourself how much risk you can take. Don't try it unless 
 you believe you can make it ; as that wouldn't help Miss Elsie 
 any. To be caught by the dogs may mean death. Look out 
 for the Cherokees if you get through. Good-bye." 
 
 Eetreating in the shadows of the buildings, he beheld the 
 pack trotting toward the big house. They were just getting 
 clear of the slave-quarters and Sevier ran for the window, 
 knowing it was a matter of seconds. He gained the low sill 
 without the pack sounding an alarm and noiselessly vaulted 
 into the room and let out his pent-up breath in a deep sigh 
 of content. 
 
 " And you gave your word ! " spoke up a harsh voice. 
 
 Peering about, he sought to pierce the darkness but was 
 baffled. He knew it was McGiUivray but he could not see 
 him. 
 
 " I thought I saw a slinking figure outside. I couldn't 
 believe it was you. I felt ashamed to come down here to 
 make sure. I believed I was insulting you by coming. Now 
 I find you've broken your promise." 
 
 It was on the tip of Sevier's tongue to deny the accusation 
 hotly, but that would arouse the emperor's suspicions as to 
 the truth. 
 
 " A man may walk about the village without breaking his 
 promise not to leave the village," he sullenly replied. 
 " Where the devil are you ? " 
 
 " Walking in the village ! " bitterly derided McGillivray. 
 '^You started to escape and became frightened at the dogs." 
 
 Sevier said nothing. McGillivray repeated under his 
 breath : 
 
THE EMPEROR OF THE CREEKS 171 
 
 '^ Frightened at the dogs? Hah! You've been trying to 
 find Polcher/' 
 
 Still Sevier made no answer. McGillivray opened a door 
 and secured the lighted candle he had left outside. Holding 
 it high, he strode up to the borderer and scanned him closely. 
 
 " Your eyes gleam, as if you had succeeded in something. 
 Did you find Polcher ? " 
 
 Sevier smiled, refusing to speak. McGillivray made to 
 set the candle on the table, and his keen gaze at once noticed 
 the absence of the four knives. He leaped to the wall and a 
 glance told him they had been hastily wrenched from their 
 fastenings. 
 
 His right hand plucked a pistol from inside his coat. 
 Levelling it he demanded — 
 
 " Where are those knives ? '' 
 
 " Ask Polcher,^' defied Sevier. 
 
 " If you have harmed Polcher I will kill you," promised the 
 emperor. Still keeping an eye on his "guest," he stepped to 
 the window and sounded his whistle. Up raced the pack 
 in answer to the familiar call, with the two keepers trotting 
 behind them. Scrambling and crowding, the brutes leaped 
 up until their red eyes glared into the room. Without shift- 
 ing his gaze from Sevier, McGillivray extended a hand and 
 fondled whatever head came within reach. To the keepers 
 he said: 
 
 " One of 3'ou stay with the dogs. The other run to Pol- 
 cher's cabin and see if any harm has come to him." 
 
 The order was promptly obeyed and Sevier's spirits rose 
 as he observed the man was making off in the direction of 
 the slave-quarters. 
 
 " You still refuse to talk ? " demanded McGillivray, 
 
 " I prefer to wait," was the calm reply. 
 
 The dogs continued leaping up at the window ; their master 
 kept up his blind caresses. The one guard stared stupidly at 
 
172 BED BELTS 
 
 the tableau of the two men, one with arms folded and count- 
 ing the precious minutes, the other with a pistol ready in 
 his hand and frowning heavily. 
 
 At last there came a patter of feet, and McGillivray straight- 
 ened and brought the pistol to bear on Sevier's deep chest. 
 
 " If the verdict is against you I have decided to shoot you 
 here," he grimly informed. 
 
 " I reckon I wouldn't deserve it. I never promised not to 
 harm Polcher. I've told you several times I fully intend to 
 hang him." 
 
 " Good heavens ! You couldn't have hung him — alone ! " 
 cried the emperor. 
 
 Up dashed the messenger and sagged against the window- 
 sill and waited for his master to turn and address him. But 
 McGillivray would not remove his gaze from Sevier and 
 commanded over his shoulder : 
 
 " Speak, you fool ! The man is waiting to know if he 
 lives or dies." 
 
 " The man Polcher was asleep," panted the man. 
 
 " Asleep ? You mean he is dead ? " cried the emperor, be- 
 ginning to contract his trigger-finger. 
 
 "N'o, your Majesty," faltered the man, fearing a rebuke 
 for stating the truth. ''I found him asleep. He woke up 
 and cursed me. I told him I was obeying your Majesty's 
 orders. At that he sprang from his blankets and began 
 dressing." 
 
 " Alive ! " exclaimed McGillivray, slowly lowering his pistol. 
 
 " If your Majesty please, I hear some one coming," spoke 
 up the second keeper. 
 
 In another moment Polcher stood outside the window, 
 blinking at the candle and impatient to learn what it all 
 meant. 
 
 " I am sorry to have disturbed your rest," McGillivray 
 harshly informed. "But my guest has been roaming about 
 
THE EMPEROR OF THE CREEKS 173 
 
 the village, and four of my knires are missing from the 
 collection. It seems it was a false alarm." Then, wheeling 
 
 on Sevier, he shouted, " it, man ! Why don't you speak ? 
 
 It's dangerous to play tricks on McGillivray of the Creeks." 
 
 " I wish to remind his Majesty that he has done me the 
 dishonour of accusing me of breaking my word and of having 
 killed a sleeping man. When I execute Polcher he will be wide 
 awake," Sevier haughtily replied, fighting for more time. 
 
 " If the All Powerful would tell me what has happened per- 
 haps my poor wits might put it together and guess the truth," 
 meekly suggested Polcher, inwardly raging with impatience. 
 
 McGillivray, deeply irritated, briefly narrated the fact of 
 Sevier's theft of the knives and of his absence from his room 
 and his return to it. 
 
 Polcher, standing shoulder-deep among the dogs, gripped 
 the window-sill, his eyes flaming as he sensed the truth. 
 
 " He took the knives to use against your pets. But he 
 returns without them. So he must have taken them to some 
 one else. Perhaps to the man called Jackson. I advise — " 
 
 With a shout of rage McGillivray leaped through the win- 
 dow and ran toward the cabin, the pack at his heels. The em- 
 peror's passion subsided as he saw the cabin door was closed : 
 then flared high as a closer approach revealed it was unfas- 
 tened. He tore the door open and Polcher leaped inside and 
 kicked about the narrow confines and swept his hands over 
 the rought pallet of straw. 
 
 " He's gone ! " shouted the tavern-keeper as he bounded over 
 the threshold. 
 
 A guard, who had run to one side, now sounded a second 
 alarm. 
 
 " The horses are loose ! " he screamed. 
 
 " To the woods with the dogs ! To the woods ! Take 
 command, Polcher ! Let the dogs have him if they catch 
 him ! Arouse the warriors I That man must not escape ! " 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 polcher's little ruse 
 
 ALL night the search for Jackson worried the forest. 
 Sevier slept but little as McGillivray occupied an 
 adjoining room and walked the floor much of the 
 time, pausing only when some messenger came to report or 
 when he deemed it necessary to leave the house to give fresh 
 orders. At sunrise Sevier from his window saw the wearied 
 pack limp into the village, the two keepers staggering behind 
 them, kept moving by the animals' haul on the leashes. As 
 the dogs were passing the borderer's position McGillivray 
 ran out of the house and demanded of the keepers — 
 
 " Why are you back without the white man ? " 
 
 " He took to water and washed out his trail," grunted one 
 of the Indians. " He rode fast, although the night was very 
 black. We lost time at the creek in picking up his trail again. 
 Then we followed only to find he had taken to water again. 
 With the dogs on the leash we made slow headway." 
 
 " On the leash ? I told you to let the dogs have him ! " 
 thundered McGillivray. "^^You should have loosed them." 
 
 " We did slip two free, Petro and Little One, the fiercest 
 and swiftest of the pack. We sent them after him the mo- 
 ment we left the village," was the humble reply. " Petro 
 did not come back. We found him where the white man 
 first took to the water. Here, Little One ! " And the Indian 
 pulled forward a huge brute whose sides had been wickedly 
 slashed. And he explained, " The Little One crawled back 
 to meet us before we found Petro's body. Came back like 
 
 this. I was afraid to set them all free, fearing they would 
 
 174 
 
POLCHER'S LITTLE RUSE 175 
 
 come up with him one or two at a time. And surely he is 
 a black spirit." 
 
 The emperor's eyes turned toward the open window and 
 made Sevier think of a flash of a knife as it leaps from the 
 sheath in the sunlight. 
 
 " I have my guest to thank for this, " slowly remarked 
 the emperor. " My best dog gone and another all but done 
 for. And the prisoner still free. Take the dogs away and 
 see they are well fed and rested." 
 
 He would have turned back to the house, but Polcher 
 now came galloping from the forest, his horse in a lather. 
 McGillivray called out to him and the tavern-keeper raced 
 up and sprang to the ground. 
 
 " The dogs have failed. What about you ? " asked the 
 emperor. 
 
 " I think I shall get him," replied Polcher. The words 
 sent a chill to Sevier's heart. " Your warriors are spread- 
 ing out to the east and west to cut in ahead of him. And I 
 have sent runners north to warn the Cherokees to bar his 
 path. I do not see how he can escape." 
 
 " Luck seems to be against me," complained McGillivray. 
 " The prisoner told me he had spent much time in the 
 Shawnee country. He must be very cunning." 
 
 " Let him be as cunning as the whole Shawnee Nation 
 and yet he must pass through the neck of the bottle before 
 he can escape," boasted Polcher. "I don't care how much 
 he wanders about in the Creek country. He is our prisoner 
 until he strikes into the Cherokee country and gets beyond 
 the Hiwassee River. Even should he by some miracle dodge 
 the Cherokees of Great Hiwassee and the lower villages and 
 cross the river he will stand but a small chance of reaching 
 the Tellico. But should he do that still the Cherokees will 
 stick at his heels till he reaches the French Broad. We'll 
 see if his Shawnee cunning can carry him that far ! " 
 
176 EED BELTS 
 
 Polcher's confidence and enthusiasm invigorated McGilli- 
 vray's spirits and his sombre countenance lightened. 
 
 " You have .done well, Polcher. I think we shall bag the 
 young man yet/' 
 
 He walked toward the house with more confidence in his 
 step, but on second thought halted and called after Polcher, 
 who was leading his horse away — 
 
 " One word more, Polcher : how far will my Creeks go ? '' 
 
 " Until they get him," was the laconic answer. 
 
 "I'm afraid that won't do. The Cherokees might not 
 understand. They may think I'm riding rough-shod over 
 their land," McGillivray worried. 
 
 "Not at all, your Majesty," hastily reassured Polcher. 
 " The messengers I sent are intelligent f eUows. They will 
 explain the situation fully to John Watts. He will welcome 
 any aid that will stop the man from getting back to the 
 Watauga settlements. It's as much his game as it is ours." 
 
 "We'll hope so. But after I've eaten I think I will send 
 a talk to Watts and Old Tassel to make sure they under- 
 stand." 
 
 " If your Majesty please, I'm sure Watts wiU be in hot 
 pursuit of the man before your talk can reach Great Hiwassee. 
 As for Old Tassel, I didn't think it wise to have the mes- 
 sengers see him. He's weak. The less he knows about things 
 the better it will be. Time enough to explain to him after 
 we've caught our man." 
 
 McGillivray frowned a bit, inclined to disfavour any risk 
 of arousing the Cherokees' resentment, but accepted the ad- 
 vice by nodding his head and waving his hand in dismissal. 
 
 In a few minutes there came a soft tap on Sevier's door 
 and a house-servant entered and informed — 
 
 " My master asks Mr. Sevier to join him at the table." 
 
 Sevier made ready to follow and noted that the servant was 
 curiously studying the knives on the wall. 
 
POLCHER'S LITTLE RUSE 177 
 
 *^ Only the four are missing/'' laughed the borderer, suspect- 
 ing the man was under orders to make sure the " guest " had 
 not secreted a blade on his person. " I am unarmed. Lead 
 the way.'' 
 
 "With a deep bow the servant did so, and Sevier soon stood 
 in a pleasant side room. McGillivray was at the window. A 
 table was set for two. The emperor haughtily returned the 
 borderer's greeting and motioned for him to be seated. 
 
 After the servant had served them and had withdrawn 
 Sevier blandly asked — 
 
 " How goes the chase ? " 
 
 " You should know. You were at the window when I 
 talked with the Indians and with Polcher," was the cold 
 reply. 
 
 '' Jackson is a brave fellow. He deserves to escape/' 
 Sevier stoutly maintained. 
 
 " My four knives helped him," McGillivray grimly re- 
 minded, his gaze becoming baleful. 
 
 " Then thank God for the knives ! " Sevier devoutly cried. 
 
 "I would much prefer he had died than to have lost 
 Petro," the Emperor dissented. 
 
 " Then, shame on you, Alexander McGilHvray ! " 
 
 ^' Ha ! You've saved up more bold words over night," 
 gritted the emperor, leaning back in his chair. " Be careful, 
 Sevier. You are not in my white town of Coosa. You are 
 in the red town of Little Talassee on the Coosa Eiver. A 
 vast difference." 
 
 " I'm where a dog is valued more highly than a clean 
 young American." 
 
 " American ? It's seldom I hear the word," McGillivray 
 grimly taunted. " I fear it will never become the fashion. 
 But do heed my warning about picking your words. I am 
 irritable this morning, inclined to act on impulse." 
 
 " I feel quite safe, sir. You have too much white blood in 
 
178 RED BELTS 
 
 you, and you have mixed too much with white men, to de- 
 scend to barbarism.' ' 
 
 " I don't know that/' slowly replied the emperor. " When 
 I first learned of my dog's death — by my own knives — my 
 Indian blood ran very hot. And I tell you seriously, Sevier, 
 and I mean every word of it, that while I prefer to win my 
 ends without resorting to brutality I will allow no white 
 man's comfort or life to stand between me and success. I 
 have saved many captives from the torture ; but if the giving 
 of you to my Creeks to play with would bring me success 
 you should pass under the skinning-knives most surely." 
 
 Sevier bowed gravely and retorted: 
 
 " I believe you, McGillivray of the Creeks. And if my 
 passing under the knives of your warriors will block your 
 schemes, then my hide is very much at your service." 
 
 McGillivray could not suppress a flash of admiration. With 
 a short laugh he said : 
 
 " After all, we may be able to remain friends. You make 
 people like you, even those who try to hate you. I thought 
 I hated you during the night. This morning I was positive of 
 
 it. But I can't. me ! You are a man. Still, I shall 
 
 send you to your death in cold blood if I decide your death 
 is necessary for my plans." 
 
 " I understand you perfectly," was the cheery reply. 
 " There are times when a liking for a man goes only so far. 
 Don Estephan Miro has a genuine liking for Jim Robertson, 
 yet he'd cut his throat if he had the chance and his royal 
 master should command it." 
 
 And the borderer attacked the deer venison with much 
 gusto. 
 
 McGillivray had no appetite and was content to play with 
 his food while his gaze wandered to the window, watching 
 for a messenger to bring good news. Suddenly he pushed 
 back his chair and leaped to the window. Several Indians 
 
POLCHER'S LITTLE RUSE 179 
 
 were emerging from the mouth of the trail and a white man 
 rode in their midst. 
 
 " me ! But they've got him ! '' he triumphantly cried. 
 
 " Where are your Creek eyes ? " Sevier contemptuously de- 
 manded. " The white man is much too large for Jackson. 
 He wears a beard. Great Injuns ! It's Red Hajason ! " 
 
 McGillivray's exultation changed to bitter disappointment. 
 The newcomer certainly was not Kirk Jackson; nor did he 
 bear himself as a prisoner, although surrounded by warriors. 
 He still carried weapons in his belt and held his head high. 
 As the emperor stared Polcher ran across the open ground and 
 intercepted the cavalcade. He exchanged a few words with 
 Hajason, then turned and ran toward the big house. 
 
 " The rascal has courage, but he shall hang if any harm 
 has come to the Tonpits," muttered McGillivray. 
 
 " Your man Polcher seems to be acquainted with him," 
 murmured Sevier between mouthfuls. 
 
 The horsemen passed from sight. McGillivray conquered 
 his desire to run out and interrogate the outlaw and resumed 
 his chair at the table, forcing himself to an appearance of 
 indifference. He had barely swallowed a mouthful of the 
 meat when the servant came in and mumbled something. 
 
 " Bring my pistols," the emperor curtly commanded. 
 
 The servant turned to a small desk and produced a brace 
 of Spanish weapons, long of barrel and profusely inlaid with 
 gold and silver. Thrusting one of these into the bosom of 
 his coat and dropping the other in his lap, McGillivray next 
 directed — 
 
 " Now show both of them in." 
 
 Polcher came first, bowing low. Behind him with head 
 erect stalked the huge form of Red Hajason. Just inside 
 the threshold the outlaw halted and stared insolently at the 
 emperor. 
 
 " Red Hajason, of the Hiwasee and the Tugalo rivers," an- 
 
180 EED BELTS 
 
 nounced Polcher, standing to one side. " He was picked up by 
 your Majesty's Indians while on his way here with an im- 
 portant talk for you." 
 
 "I've heard of you, Hajason/' lazily informed the em- 
 peror. " And I never heard anything good. I was just 
 telling John Sevier that if you have done what you're charged 
 with doing I probably shall have to hang you." 
 
 Hajason opened his bearded lips in an ugly grin and 
 replied — 
 
 "My neck'll stand a heap of hangin', I reckon. An' it 
 ain't never been cracked yet. But I ain't here to talk 'bout 
 hangin'. I come to talk trade." 
 
 " Well, what have you to trade ? " 
 
 " A white man an' a white woman." 
 
 " Major Tonpit and his daughter ? " 
 
 " Them's the two/' grinned the outlaw. 
 
 " your insolence ! " softly hissed McGillivray, the 
 
 hand in his lap closing over the pistol. 
 
 " It's been done many times/' grunted Hajason, beginning 
 to grow angry. 
 
 " You and Polcher worked together in this?'* demanded 
 McGilHvray. 
 
 " Work with him ? With that double-faced varment ? Eed 
 Hajason works alone/' growled the outlaw. 
 
 " But the man called Hester helped you in this little coup/' 
 said McGilHvray, now folding his arms and leaning back to 
 stare the outlaw squarely in the face. 
 
 Again the outlaw's brutal good humour asserted itself, 
 and he chuckled and informed : 
 
 " I don't count Hester as a partner. Jest a dog-gone fool. 
 Howsomever, I'll admit it was him what put the game up to 
 me an' showed me there was money in it. That's all I asked 
 of him." 
 
POLCHER'S LITTLE RUSE 181 
 
 Darting a wrathful glance at Polcher, McGiUivray bitterly 
 reminded : 
 
 " Hester was your trusted tool. You pick your men well ! " 
 
 "I shall kill him when I meet him," promised Polcher. 
 
 To the outlaw McGiUivray said: 
 
 " Suppose you say just what sort of a bargain you wish 
 to make with me. After all, we may be able to trade." 
 
 " An' why not ? " eagerly cried Hajason, the lust for 
 profit showing in his gleaming eyes. " I've got somethin' ye 
 hanker for. Ye've got somethin' I want." 
 
 " Yes ; I want the Tonpits. "What will you take ? " 
 promptly asked McGiUivray. 
 
 " Two thousand pounds," was the cool response. 
 
 " If it was possible for you to leave this village without 
 being torn to bits by my dogs I would advise you to peddle 
 your wares elsewhere," said McGiUivray. Then he let him- 
 self go, and in a voice that trembled with passion he de- 
 nounced, " You base-born cur ! You dare step between Mc- 
 GiUivray of the Creeks and his ambitions ? You dare dictate 
 what he shall pay for stolen goods ? " 
 
 With the snarl of a wild animal Red Hajason dropped his 
 hand to his belt, but Polcher pushed the muzzle of his pistol 
 against the shaggy head, while the emperor's folded arms 
 opened and a second pistol was brought to bear. Polcher 
 deftly slipped his hand along the giant's belt and removed 
 his weapons, stood back from him and looked inquiringly at 
 the emperor, his eyes asking whether he should shoot or 
 not. 
 
 Hajason realized his peril. Fighting down his anger, he 
 moistened his lips and apologetically said: 
 
 " Hard words always rile me. I come here alone to drive 
 a bargain. Why shouldn't I have some ambitions as well as 
 ye? Ye don't own the Tonpits. They come to me without 
 
182 EED BELTS 
 
 my askin', an' I've held 'em in camp. Tonpit has money 
 an' offered me a thousand pounds, gold, for to be free along 
 with the girl. Afore bargainin' with him I come to see if 
 ye'd outbid him. That's all." 
 
 For a full minute McGillivray pondered over his frank 
 statement; then he smiled whimsically, replaced his pistol 
 and brusquely admitted: 
 
 " Yes ; 5^ou have a right to take your profit. If you had 
 accepted the major's thousand pounds he would have come 
 to me. I'll give the two thousand for the safe delivery of 
 him and the girl here at Little Talassee. Two thousand 
 pounds for the two. McGillivray, Emperor of the Creeks, 
 does not have to haggle over terms. When can you have 
 them here ? Time presses." 
 
 Eed Hajason combed his beard and turned to stare at 
 Sevier. Pointing to the borderer he said: 
 
 " If that man can be kept here, so's he can't interfere, I'll 
 not lose a minute in gittin' back to my camp. I'll return 
 here, fetchin' the Tonpits, as fast as hossflesh can bring 
 
 us." 
 
 " Mr. Sevier plans to spend the Summer with me," quietly 
 assured McGillivray. ^' Should he go away, it will be on a 
 very long journey and in a direction opposite to the one 
 you will take in returning to your camp." 
 
 Polcher smiled. Hajason was slower to catch the point, 
 but when he did he broke into a loud guffaw. 
 
 " my liver, McGillivray," he cried, "but ye're a neat 
 
 one ! ^ Opposite direction ! ' To the Twilight Western land, 
 eh ? Ha ! Ha ! An' takin' along mighty little skin on that 
 fox body of his, eh ? Good ! I'll eat an' git a fresh hoss from 
 ye an' start back on the hump." 
 
 " The sooner the better," insisted McGillivray. 
 
 Polcher handed back the outlaw's weapons and the two 
 departed, Polcher bowing himself out in his best landlord's 
 
POLCHER^S LITTLE EUSE 183 
 
 manner, Eed Hajason giving his back abruptly and shaking 
 the table with his heavy tread. 
 
 ^^ He doesn't seem to have much respect for you/' remarked 
 Sevier, smiling as he beheld the flare of anger flushing Mc- 
 Gillivrav's face. 
 
 " The dog ! The miserable dog ! And he's all white. 
 Mark you that, Sevier! There is no Indian blood in him. 
 He's a completed product of your race." 
 
 " Once I get back to the Xolichucky I hope to improve the 
 race. We've weeded out quite a few of his kind," Sevier 
 lightly responded. 
 
 McGillivray tossed his pistols aside and left the table. 
 Standing beside Sevier's chair, he abruptly began : 
 
 " We've been making believe a bit. We've talked at cross- 
 purposes. I've no more time to be polite. It's business 
 from now on. Will you give me your word not to try to 
 escape if I allow vou the freedom of Little Talassee ? " 
 
 " IS' o, sir ! " 
 
 *^ Will you promise not to escape until after the Tonpits 
 arrive ? " 
 
 " Xo, sir ! I propose to escape at the first opportun- 
 ity." 
 
 " But you came here to see them." 
 
 " I shall leave here to stop their coming here." 
 
 " If that's your frame of mind I must make you a 
 prisoner," regretfully decided McGillivray. " I'm honestly 
 sorry to have to do it. I enjoy your company. I get small 
 opportunity to talk with intelligent men. But you're med- 
 dling with big affairs. You threaten to annoy me, to em- 
 barrass me. I would be a fool to permit it.' ' 
 
 " There's something much larger, much grander, than 
 the schemes you're planning, Alexander McGillivra}^ Your 
 little ambitions to pose as ruler of a Creek-Cherokee federa- 
 tion, under the protection of Spain, will never be realized. 
 
184 EED BELTS 
 
 Shut me up in your stoutest prison or kill me, but don't be 
 foolish enough to believe that my dropping out will give you 
 a clear trail. Only after you've killed the soul of some 
 twenty-five or thirty thousand people west of the moun- 
 tains can you place your feet on the path leading to a real- 
 ization of your mad dreams." 
 
 McGillivray picked up the pistols and thrust them un- 
 der his coat and firmly replied — 
 
 "Yet I will enter that path and walk to the end even if 
 it requires the death of every settler this side of the Alle- 
 ghanies ! " 
 
 Sevier sprang up and sternly demanded — 
 
 " Send for my gaoler.'' 
 
 McGillivray summoned the servant and directed him to 
 bring Polcher and six warriors. While they waited, the two 
 men stood with the table between them, eying each other in 
 silence. Through the window Sevier glimpsed Eed Hajason 
 riding into the forest. Then the door opened to admit the 
 tavern-keeper and the Creeks. 
 
 " This man is my prisoner," McGillivray tersely explained. 
 " He is to be watched closely, but no harm is to come to 
 him unless he is caught outside his cabin. If he manages 
 to get out of his cabin, if only a foot from the door, he is to 
 be killed. You, Polcher, will be responsible for him. You 
 can command what guards you may find necessary. I give 
 him into your charge, and see to it you can produce him when 
 I send for him." 
 
 " Eest eas}^ your Majesty, that he shall be produced when 
 wanted," Polcher joyously promised. 
 
 " Take him away." 
 
 Sevier fell in between the warriors and was led out-doors. 
 Polcher walked behind him with drawn pistol. 
 
 Without glancing back the borderer said — 
 
 "You'd like mighty well to have me make a bolt for it." 
 
POLCHEE'S LITTLE RUSE 185 
 
 " I^d love to have you/' hissed Polcher. " And some one 
 we both know is a big fool to bother with you for a second. 
 You thought you held the whip-hand after I killed Old 
 Thatch. You reckoned you was through with me when I 
 quit Jonesboro on the jump. But all scores come to a reckon- 
 ing sometime, and here you are in Little Talassee; and be- 
 fore Winter comes I'll be back on the Xolichucky burning a 
 few of our old friends. But I promise you Bonnie Kate 
 shall not burn." 
 
 With a low groan Sevier gripped his fingers till the nails 
 cut the flesh. Maddened with rage, he still had mind enough 
 to know Polcher was endeavouring to force him into open 
 violence. Then the pistol at his head would crack and the 
 tavern-keeper would be exonerated for killing a refractory 
 prisoner. 
 
 " Eemember this, Polcher. You're to die by the noose, and 
 I'm going to be the hangman," whispered Sevier. 
 
 " Bah ! " laughed Polcher scornfully. 
 
 It was the cabin Jackson had been imprisoned in that 
 they took him to. As he was passing through the doorway 
 a servant, sent by McGillivray, came running up with a roll 
 of blankets. Polcher considered this forethought to be a 
 sign of weakness in the emperor and hurled the roll viciously 
 at the borderer's head and s\^aing the door and dropped the 
 heavy bar. 
 
 Pausing outside at the window he softly gibed : 
 
 " McGillivray is a mad fool. Aitev he clears the way 
 Spain wiU rule through men like me. I tell you this as I'm 
 positive you won't repeat it to the emperor. And when I 
 am ruler I shall find a bonnie wife in Bonnie Kate. That 
 is, if I decide to marry her." 
 
 Sevier bent and found one of the two knives Jackson had 
 concealed under his pallet of straw and glided cat-like to 
 the window, the knife held behind him. Never suspecting 
 
186 EED BELTS 
 
 he held a weapon, yet rendered uneasy by the awfnl anger 
 raging in the blue eyes, Polcher gave ground and saved his 
 life. Keeping the weapon behind him, Sevier contented him- 
 self with saying — 
 
 " You will pay for everything when you pay for your 
 neck." 
 
 Polcher began to feel afraid of the imprisoned man. 
 There was something so inexorable in the borderer's low- 
 pitched voice ; it was more menacing than any raving in over- 
 tones. Sevier could not harm him — now. But let him get 
 free and no obstacles could prevent him from reaching the 
 man who had dared to utter the name of Bonnie Kate 
 in his boasts. Eetreating still farther from the white face 
 at the window, the tavern-keeper selected three Creeks and 
 ordered them to guard the cabin until he returned. 
 
 Two of the men remained in front to watch the door and 
 window, while the third guarded the rear, lest by some 
 miracle Chucky Jack should break loose. Although the 
 Creeks were thrown in contact with Sevier less often than their 
 Northern brothers, his reputation had lost none in travelling 
 South. That their emperor ranked him high was shown by 
 the hospitality at the big house. The man Jackson had 
 not been taken there. 
 
 In spite of his taunts Polcher was far from satisfied with 
 the situation. The feeling grew upon him that so long as 
 Sevier lived so long would he have a [N'emesis on his 
 trail. To have Sevier a prisoner meant nothing. He had 
 been a prisoner at the big house. The only difference in his 
 status now was the change of quarters. Then, too, Mc- 
 Gillivray might change his mind. His soul was not the 
 red man's, and he admired his captive. 
 
 Should the Tonpits arrive and should the emperor decide 
 his success was sure, it would be like him to release Chucky 
 Jack and have him up to the house for wine and cakes again. 
 
POLCHEE'S LITTLE EUSE 187 
 
 Then the inevitable would happen — Chucky Jack would 
 escape. And there was a deadly quality in Sevier's last threat 
 which inclined Polcher to great uneasiness. So the obsession 
 grew up in his mind that neither the fate of Spain's nor of 
 McGillivray's plans was so important to him as the knowl- 
 edge that Sevier had breathed his last. 
 
 " So long as he lives my neck is in danger/' he muttered. 
 
 " him and his talk of the noose." And he rubbed his 
 
 neck nervously. ^^ If I had a little more Cherokee in my veins 
 I'd begin to think I was a fool to kill that eagle. Xow if 
 he was to die — but he is not to be harmed ! He must be 
 treated like a high and might}^ gentleman, curse him — unless 
 he breaks loose. Ah ! There's a thought. If some one 
 would kindly help him get clear of the cabin where I could 
 shoot him down or feed him to the dogs. It's worth think- 
 ing about." 
 
 Only the more he meditated over the idea the more pro- 
 nounced became the problem of securing a trustworthy tool. 
 Even did he bribe a slave or Indian to unfasten the door 
 to Sevier's little prison there remained the risk of the ac- 
 complice being detected and telling the truth. In event of 
 violated orders McGillivray would have the truth if he 
 dragged out a man's heart by the roots to get it. 
 
 He even considered the possibility of inducing some one 
 to open the door and then shooting him down and openly 
 branding him as a traitor to his master. But such a scheme 
 demanded that he be alone with his accomplice when the trick 
 was played. The arrival of an Indian on the scene would 
 spoil the game. 
 
 There would sure be some slip up," he told himself. 
 — it! There's but one way left. I must free him my- 
 self, shoot him in his tracks and let McGillivray suspect the 
 whole nation. No one being guilty there will be no one to 
 confess. But what if I didn't hit him ? What if he escaped 
 
 

 188 EED BELTS 
 
 or he killed me. Huh! There is one way that's sure. 
 Kill him inside the cabin, then drag him out and claim I 
 jumped him outside.^^ 
 
 But how to make it appear logical that Sevier had es- 
 caped without help? There were two points of egress possi- 
 ble, providing a man had the proper tools and plenty of 
 time — the door and window. To cut through the door from 
 the outside, so as to make it appear the job had been done from 
 the inside, would require the presence of a knife in the cabin. 
 There would be no time to hack a hole through the stout door 
 after shooting the prisoner through the window; and Sevier 
 would be certain to investigate any assault made on the door 
 while he lived. The same objections were encountered in con- 
 sidering the window. 
 
 It's got to be done mighty quick," summed up Polcher. 
 
 The door's got to be thrown open the minute he's potted 
 through the bars. He's got to be dragged outside before the 
 sound of a shot disturbs any one." 
 
 For the rest of the day he worked on the idea and at last 
 came to a solution, which, after testing it from all angles, 
 gave every promise of success because of its simplicity and 
 directness. At no time would it oust him from control of 
 the situation, and he whittled it down to so fine a point that 
 only one shot would be necessary. 
 
 Shortly before sunset he visited the slave-quarters and, 
 selecting a dull-witted man, directed him to take a platter of 
 food and carry it to the prisoner after the slaves had had 
 their supper. This would mean an hour after dusk. In 
 concluding his directions he touched the fellow's belt and 
 
 said — 
 
 "And have a knife in there so he won't try to reach 
 through the window and catch you as you pass the pan through 
 the hole." 
 
 The slave's eyes grew round with fear. He had no heart 
 
POLCHER'S LITTLE RUSE 189 
 
 for any errand that suggested danger. And it was whispered 
 among the slaves that even the emperor was afraid of this 
 white man. Returning to Sevier's cabin, he dismissed all the 
 guard but one. To him he said: 
 
 " When the slave comes with the food you may go. He will 
 stay until relieved.^' 
 
 The Indian grunted and Polcher hurried to his own cabin 
 and secured his rifle and a brace of pistols. 
 
 Making into the woods, he skirted the village until in 
 the rear of the locked cabin. The beauty of his scheme was 
 the assurance no harm could come to him if it failed. If 
 it did not work tonight, then tomorrow night. When it did 
 work the warriors and their emperor would be called to the 
 spot by excited cries and the sound of a shot. They would 
 rush up to find the slave dead, stabbed with his own knife, 
 and the prisoner dead outside the open door. The explana- 
 tion would be simple. 
 
 The slave foolishly entered the cabin with the food instead 
 of thrusting it through the slot. Sevier, quick to see his 
 chance, had snatched the fellow's knife and inflicted a mortal 
 wound and then sprang from the cabin to fall before Polchers 
 pistols or rifle. 
 
 Sevier was as hungry for night as was Polcher. The two 
 knives cached under his straw bed would soon permit him 
 to dig out enough iron bars to squeeze his slender body through 
 the opening. He must work softly so as not to alarm the 
 guard outside. But should one of the guards discover him 
 at his task the fellow must be quieted and secured. For such 
 a contingency he thanked McGillivray for the blankets; at 
 the edge of sunset he swiftly used his knife and turned one 
 blanket into narrow strips and braided these into a tough 
 rope. 
 
 WTien Polcher came and gave instructions to the guard 
 Sevier hid the blanket-rope under the bed, fearing lest the 
 
190 RED BELTS 
 
 tavern-keeper should venture to peep inside and discover signs 
 of his handiwork. Early in the day, when Bonnie Kate's 
 name fell from the rascal's lips, the borderer would have 
 forgotten his plans to escape and would have been content to 
 flash a blade through the bars and rip open the lying throat. 
 !N"ow he was calmer and would accept nothing but escape. 
 Polcher could pay up later. 
 
 He stood at the window as if idly looking out on the dusk- 
 littered opening, but in reality cutting deep into the window- 
 sill to get beneath the end of a bar. The one guard was im- 
 patient to be relieved and was giving scant heed to the cabin. 
 The knives were strong and keen and the task was far easier 
 than Sevier had anticipated. He soon came to the end of 
 one bar and, testing it gently, knew he could bend it back 
 and upward with one push of his powerful arm. Leav- 
 ing it, he assailed the next, estimating that he must loosen 
 four. 
 
 The dogs had not yet been turned out, and, whereas he 
 had originally planned to take his time and escape during 
 the night, he now was determined to make the break while 
 only the slave was on guard. He rejoiced that Polcher's 
 voice had carried the information to him. A slave would be 
 much easier to deal with than a warrior. He would succumb 
 to fear and refrain from attempting to give any alarm. 
 Whether or not he should escape directly after receiving his 
 supper would depend, however, on whether the dogs were 
 loose or chained in the slave-quarters. 
 
 He w^orked feverishly and, having learned the knack of the 
 job, made better time in cutting to the embedded end of 
 the second bar. The sun by this time had waded deep into 
 the forest and the film of shadow over the village blurred ob- 
 jects a few rods from the cabin. The guard began grumbling 
 in a minor tone and walked a dozen feet from the cabin and 
 stared impatiently toward the fires in front of the slave' 
 
POLCHEE'S LITTLE EUSE 191 
 
 quarters. The slaves were singing and dancing about the 
 fires, and the warrior grew very peevish. The third bar was 
 ready to be forced clear. 
 
 The guard stalked back in front of the window but never- 
 bothered to give it a glance. Turning abruptly and grum- 
 bling more forcefully, he retraced his steps and walked some 
 distance from the cabin. Now Sevier caught the wild melody 
 of a slave drawing near, singing, perhaps to bolster up his 
 courage. The Indian called sharply to him. The man came 
 on slowly, his song hushed. The Indian went to meet him 
 and paused to warn him not to leave the cabin until relieved. 
 The slave slowly came on, bearing a steaming dish in one 
 hand, his other nervously feeling of the knife in his raw- 
 hide belt. The fourth bar was cut free at the lower end. 
 
 Standing to one side of the window, his strips of blanket in 
 one hand, Sevier thrust the two knives into his belt to have 
 a hand free for receiving the pan when it came through the 
 slot. He heard the slave halt at the end of the cabin near 
 the door. He thought he caught the murmur of voices. The 
 discovery startled him, although it was possible the slave was 
 muttering to himself. Then he stiffened and his jaws clamped 
 together as there came a muffled groan and the thud of a 
 heavy body falling to the ground. 
 
 His first thought was that Kirk Jackson, unable to break 
 through the Creek and Cherokee lines, had doubled back and 
 was to repay his debt by setting him free. A moment of 
 silence, then the sound of a heavy body being dragged to 
 the door. The next moment the window was blocked by a 
 man's head and shoulders. 
 
 " Sevier,^' whispered a low voice. " Where are you ? " 
 
 Had it been Jackson, the door would have been thrown 
 open immediately. Turning his head away, Sevier fiercely 
 whispered — 
 
 " On the bed." 
 
192 EED BELTS 
 
 And plucking a knife from his belt he tossed it on the 
 straw. 
 
 "I can make you out now!" hissed Polcher, reaching his 
 
 pistol far between the bars. " you! This is where I 
 
 win ! " 
 
 He fired and found his arm caught in an iron grip. A 
 hand was fumbling at his head. He essayed to throw it off 
 but decided its efforts were weak and futile, and he believed 
 he had wounded his man. To make sure he reached his free 
 hand for his second pistol. The grip on his right wrist was 
 amazingly strong for a wounded man. A panic seized him 
 as the pistol caught. Then something touched the back of 
 his neck, pressed against the sides, began crowding his Adam's 
 apple. He tried to shriek. From a great distance came 
 Sevier's metallic voice, crying: 
 
 " So you'll bother Bonnie Kate, eh ? You killed an eagle 
 out of season. It spoiled your medicine. The noose, you 
 know — " 
 
 McGillivray of the Creeks stood in front of the big house 
 when a muffled shot rang out. There followed no outcry, yet 
 the shot was a sinister omen to the emperor's moody train 
 of thought. He could not locate the sound but believed it 
 came from the direction of Sevier's cabin. He walked in 
 that direction until he met a warrior. Of him he asked — 
 
 " Where is the man Polcher ? " 
 
 " He stands at the window of the cabin, talking with the 
 white man," answered the warrior. ^' I heard a gun shoot. , I 
 ran to look and found him. I spoke and asked him if any- 
 thing was the matter. He didn't speak. Just stood with 
 his face against the bars. There were no other guards 
 there." 
 
 Instantly suspicious that the tavern-keeper was planning 
 to play him false, having been won over by the borderer's 
 magnetism, the emperor ordered: 
 
POLCHEFS LITTLE EUSE 193 
 
 " Call the warriors and surround the cabin. Tell Polcher 
 to come to me. If he refuses, bring him." 
 
 The warrior melted away in the darkness. He had scarcely 
 departed when a figure broke through the gloom and Mc- 
 Gillivray greeted : 
 
 " I was just sending for you, Polcher. My men tell me 
 you were guarding the cabin alone." 
 
 " Your messenger must travel far to find Polcher," re- 
 turned a well-known voice and Sevier, now standing by the 
 emperor's side, presented a pistol. " Polcher is dead. Died 
 by the noose, as I said he must die." 
 
 McGillivrav stood as one paralvsed. Finally he choked out : 
 
 " God ! Is"^ it possible ! " 
 
 " Take me into the house ! " hissed Sevier as a loud yell 
 broke up the evening calm. There came the patter of moc- 
 casined feet running swiftly. " Inside, quick ! " 
 
 Propelled by the prodding pistol, the emperor led the way 
 into the house, panting: 
 
 " you, Sevier ! Polcher was right. I should have 
 
 killed you ! You bribed one of the Indians." 
 
 " With what ? " grovrled Sevier. " A slave brought me my 
 supper. Polcher killed him at my door. Then tried to shoot 
 me through the window. The game was simple. I, dead, 
 was to be dragged out. Polcher would claim the slave opened 
 the door and that I killed him. Then he came up and killed 
 me; that would have been his story. With a strip of your 
 blanket round his throat he now stands dead, tied to the only 
 iron bar in the window I did not remove. He was caught 
 in his own trap. Take me to the room where I slept last 
 night." 
 
 The pistol muzzle was all compelling, and, picking up a 
 candle from the hall table, McGillivray with bad grace led 
 the way into the apartment containing the collection of 
 knives. 
 
194 EED BELTS 
 
 "But you can't escape !'' exploded McGillivray, his be- 
 wilderment slowly passing. " I don't imagine you plan to 
 murder me. Even if you did_, you couldn't get clear of the 
 village." 
 
 " McGillivray of the Creeks, it's a chance for me to escape 
 or your life," sternly admonished Sevier. " Do as I say and 
 you live, although it may mean my recapture. Try any tricks 
 and you're a dead man as surely as Polcher is a dead man." 
 
 McGillivray of the McGillivrays was now his old unper- 
 turbed self and whimsically declared: 
 
 " My life comes first. What will you have ? " 
 
 " Order your servant to bring your horse and rifle to this 
 window. I took Polcher's pistols. I shall want powder and 
 bullets. Then tell your Creeks that I escaped to the south 
 and order them to take the dogs and go in that direction." 
 
 The village was now in an uproar. Torches were flitting 
 back and forth; men were surrounding the big house. The 
 dogs, infuriated by the confusion, were raising their ferocious 
 voices, demanding to be released for action. As Sevier fin- 
 ished a hundred warriors ran to the lighted window, calling 
 out to their master that the man Polcher was dead and that 
 Little John had escaped by using black magic. Some terrible 
 evil spirit had slain a slave, wrenched the iron bars from the 
 window and tied the dead Polcher up to the window. 
 
 The Emperor stood in the open window. Sevier stood 
 against the wall at one side with the pistol raised and 
 levelled. 
 
 " Now earn your life," whispered the borderer. 
 
 " Take the dogs and go south ! " roared the emperor. " He 
 seeks to escape that way. One of you bring my horse and rifle, 
 powder and bullets here to this window. Oif ! All of you." 
 
 The crowd rushed away. The dogs, however, had already 
 been brought out and taken to the cabin. They had found the 
 scent and were following it to the big house. 
 
POLCHER^S LITTLE ELSE 195 
 
 <( 
 
 You must stop them. ! '^ warned Sevier. 
 
 McGillivray thrust his head from the window and ener- 
 getically repeated his command. The keepers could not un- 
 derstand why their terrible pets should be so keen to enter 
 the master's house, but McGillivray of the Creeks was not 
 to be questioned and they began belabouring the animals and 
 dragging them away. A servant came up, skirting the milling 
 mass of struggling brutes, leading McGillivray's favourite 
 mount. The emperor groaned and muttered — 
 
 " I'd prefer you had taken all my horses rather than to 
 take King.'^ 
 
 ^* He will be unharmed and you shall have him back, pro- 
 viding he is not torn by your pack or shot by your warriors,^' 
 comforted Sevier. 
 
 " Curse you, Sevier — " 
 
 " Go ahead. Curses never hurt any one yet," encouraged 
 Sevier as the emperor halted. 
 
 " It's a foolish habit. I'll wait,'' mumbled the emperor. 
 
 " Send the servant away." 
 
 McGillivray obeyed. By this time the dogs had been 
 dragged to the southern limits of the village and the warriors 
 were already scouting the trail that led to the gulf. Sevier 
 made the emperor face the wall and with a sheet ripped from 
 the bed tied his hands behind his back. Forcing him to be 
 seated on the bed, he proceeded to secure his ankles. When 
 he improvised a gag the royal prisoner opened his mouth to 
 shout for assistance, but the pistol silenced him. 
 
 " John Sevier, I'll have your life for this," he whispered. 
 
 The borderer thrust the gag into his mouth and made it 
 fast, remarking: 
 
 "You're getting off easy. It would be better for the 
 settlements if I could bring myself to stop your plotting for 
 all time. If we meet on the border there will be no quar- 
 ter." 
 
196 EED BELTS 
 
 With that he leaped through the window and into the 
 saddle and galloped away to enter the northern trail. The 
 few warriors and slaves he passed recognized the horse and 
 marvelled that their master should be riding north after send- 
 ing the dogs and the fighting-men to the south. 
 
J 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THROUGH THE NECK OF THE BOTTLE 
 
 SEVIER'S lead in the race for freedom depended largely 
 on the length of time McGillivray's plight should re- 
 main undiscovered. The dogs would balk at going 
 south and their keepers would soon realize the fugitive's trail 
 lay not in that direction. Given the sunlight, the borderer's 
 fleet mount would cover miles before a pursuit to the north 
 could be organized. But night reduced the pace of all 
 horses to a mediocre plane. Sevier entered the trail on the 
 gallop but was quickly compelled to rein in and proceed cau- 
 tiously. 
 
 He rode with his ears tuned to catch the first note of 
 alarm behind him. He had advanced but a short distance 
 when he came to a shallow stream. He turned his horse into 
 this and followed it slowlv toward the east. He believed 
 it was the same water Jackson had taken to in hiding his trail. 
 On leaving it he swung back to strike into the Great War- 
 Path, going by the map he carried in his mind. As he broke 
 through a patch of broom-sage on the side of a low hill and en- 
 tered the hard-packed path the sinister sound he had been 
 anxiously anticipating floated to him on the evening air; 
 a long-drawn bell-like note. 
 
 " Sooner than I had expected," he grimly muttered, shak- 
 ing the reins. 
 
 Now he rode recklessly, bending low to escape the clawing 
 
 boughs and trusting to his horse to keep to the path. The 
 
 animal soon splashed into running water. Reining in with 
 
 some difficulty, he forced the animal to ascend the stream 
 
 197 
 
198 EED BELTS 
 
 for a quarter of a mile, this time travelling due west. Then 
 followed a repetition of his first manoeuvre of beating back 
 to the main trail. He planned to follow the Coosa until he 
 had crossed into the Cherokee countr}^ when he would leave 
 it below Turkey Town. Eiding across country, he could 
 pick up the river again and follow its head-waters until in 
 the neighbourhood of the Hiwassee. 
 
 On re-entering the trail he had covered but a short dis- 
 tance when he was startled again to hear the baying of 
 the dogs. He had counted on the animals being delayed on 
 reaching the two streams. Not knowing whether he had fol- 
 lowed the streams west or east, the pack would have to 
 course the streams in both directions before correcting the 
 fault. 
 
 " Sharp devils, those Creeks ! " he grumbled. " Outguessed 
 me, or learned a lesson from trydng to catch Jackson. They 
 either divided the pack, half searching the creeks while the 
 other kept straight ahead, or else theyVe paid no attention to 
 the water and are holding all the brutes to the path." 
 
 This suspicion impelled him to ignore the next stream. 
 The two detours already made had cost him time and dis- 
 tance. He could tell by the increased volume of the baying 
 that the chase was closing in. Then followed a short period 
 of silence so far as the chase was concerned, only to be 
 snapped by a frantic, exulting chorus close behind him. 
 
 " They Ve let them loose ! " he gritted, driving his heels 
 into the quivering flanks. 
 
 To be overhauled and dragged from the saddle was not on 
 Sevier's program. He pushed ahead until the trail opened 
 into a strip of meadow land bounded by the waters of the 
 Coosa and a sharp slope of a rock-littered ridge. Here it was 
 possible to distinguish form. Dismounting, he led the horse 
 up the rocky slope and tied him to a tree. Stumbling on, he 
 came to what he was searching for, several boulders so ar- 
 
THROUGH THE NECK OF THE BOTTLE 199 
 
 ranged as to afford protection on three sides. To get at him 
 the dogs must enter the pocket by the one mouth. 
 
 Placing his rifle and pistols before him, he slipped off his 
 hunting-shirt and wrapped it about his left arm. Sticking 
 his two knives into the ground, he settled on his heels to 
 wait. Somewhere in the night a whippoorwill — waguU the 
 Cherokees call it because of its song — was monotonously- 
 reiterating its plaintive cluster of notes. From deeper in the 
 forest came the screech-owl's im-huJiu; but of human and 
 four-footed enemies there was never a soimd. 
 
 When the crisis broke it was so close at hand as to seem to 
 be in his very face; a triumphant chorus of the bloodthirsty 
 trackers. Sevier's wide gaze made out several vague forms 
 racing up the slope to where reared the frightened horse. 
 He counted five, one running behind the other, their un- 
 dulating bodies suggesting the approach of a monster 
 serpent. 
 
 The horse shrilly voiced his terror; the pack swerved aside 
 and came for the rocks. Eaising his rifle, the borderer care- 
 fully covered the leader and fired. Down crashed the brute, 
 its mates leaping over the dead form and dashing onward. 
 Dropping the rifle, he snatched up the two pistols and held 
 his fire for a brace of seconds. He caught one a dozen feet 
 from the opening between the rocks and disabled a third when 
 it was almost upon him. Seizing the knives, he rested on one 
 knee and plunged a blade through the heart of the fourth as 
 it leaped against him. The impact of the huge body bore 
 him backward but he managed to regain something of his bal- 
 ance as the remaining animal closed in and grabbed for his 
 throat and instead caught the bandaged arm. 
 
 Stabbing and slashing, Sevier pressed the fighting, and 
 after a few moments of convulsive struggling the beast sud- 
 denly relaxed, his teeth still locked through the tough folds 
 of the hunting-shirt. It required much -effort to release the 
 
200 KED BELTS 
 
 shirt from the ferocious jaws. Having succeeded, he ended 
 the misery of the wounded beast. He was bruised and bat- 
 tered and bore some slight abrasions on the left arm, but 
 otherwise was uninjured. Eecovering his weapons, he took 
 time to reload them, then limped to his horse and climbed 
 into the saddle. 
 
 He was satisfied the dogs were far in advance of their keep- 
 ers and that the rest of the pack were still on the leash. Ee- 
 turning to the trail, he resumed his flight. Far behind him 
 sounded the ominous baying, but he gave it scant heed. The 
 dogs at the creek had picked up his trail, but the fight among 
 the rocks had increased his optimism. His star was in the 
 ascendancy. 
 
 For three days and nights Sevier made liis way north, each 
 hour bringing him nearer the neck of the bottle through 
 which he must pass. Jackson's flight undoubtedly had 
 aroused the country. McGillivray's runners despatched on 
 the heels of the young Virginian must have sent a cloud of 
 Cherokees across all paths. The Creeks in large numbers 
 were beating the country as they advanced. It was obvious 
 to the borderer that McGillivray had been promptly released 
 and had lost no time in calling back the men and dogs from 
 the southern trail. But there had been no sign of the dogs 
 for the last seventy-two hours. 
 
 There was a menace in the rear, however, more deadly than 
 the dogs — columns of smoke which warned the Cherokees to 
 be on the watch for a fugitive. He tried to make himself 
 believe that Jackson had won through, but there ever re- 
 mained a doubt. The young ranger was cunning in wood- 
 craft, else he never would have brought his hair back from 
 the Ohio country. But to run the lines of John Watts' men 
 demanded a bit of luck along with forest wisdom. 
 
 As Sevier drew near the neck of the bottle late in the aft- 
 ernoon of the third day he decided the race was not to the 
 
THKOUGH THE NECK OF THE BOTTLE 201 
 
 fleet. He would save time and insure his final escape by re- 
 maining concealed until the edge of the chase had dulled 
 itself. Once his enemies believed he had broken through 
 the search would broaden and move north to the Hiwassee, 
 leaving him the comparatively easy task of following along 
 behind the hunters. 
 
 Possibly his shift in tactics was influenced largely by the 
 nature of the country he was entering. To the east and 
 north stretched an extensive area of swamp land, dotted with 
 hummocks and thick with bog growths. Nearly a mile back 
 in the dismal region a rounded dome, formed by sturdy hard- 
 woods, cut the flat sky-line and marked a low hill. He studied 
 the terrain ahead carefully. His horse was badly fagged for 
 want of rest and pasturage. He, himself, was worn by lack 
 of sleep and food. Behind him were the Creeks, urged on 
 by the ire of their emperor. And he had no doubt that the 
 Cherokees were blocking every path aJbead. 
 
 Leading liis horse, he skirted the edge of the swamp until 
 he found a faint trail where hunters had penetrated in search 
 of wild fowl. Taking his horse by the bridle, he encouraged 
 the weary animal to follow him among the quaking morasses^ 
 The path was narrow and barely to be discerned and wound 
 among many death-traps. More than once the borderer 
 passed over only to have the horse flounder deep in the slime. 
 Once under way, however, there was no turning back. He 
 must pass on even if forced to abandon the horse. And 
 King, as the emperor had named him, had grown to trust his 
 new master, and Chucky Jack was not one to leave a friend. 
 
 " I'll stick by you, old fellow, as long as you can keep above 
 the muck,'' he promised after extricating the frightened ani- 
 mal from an especially bad bit. 
 
 The steaming vegetation masked them from the view of any 
 standing on the edge of the swamp, but if it had not been at 
 the beginning of dusk the occasional flight of startled water-^ 
 
202 RED BELTS 
 
 fowl must have betrayed them. As the light faded Sevier re- 
 newed his efforts, scarcely pausing to pick and choose. He 
 must reach the low hill before the night blinded him. The 
 last quarter of a mile was a desperate plunge. Several times 
 he believed the horse was lost and pulled his pistol to give a 
 clean death, when the intelligent animal by a super-effort 
 won the right to live. 
 
 When he felt firm ground under his soaked moccasins he 
 had no thought of Creek or Cherokee and threw himself down 
 to rest. The horse gladly shifted for himself and found the 
 pasturage rank and rich. Some time during the night Sevier 
 groped his way up the slope and cut boughs and indulged in 
 the luxury of a bed. But he did this as one in a dream and 
 had scant recollection of it when he awoke in the morning. 
 
 With the new sun to warm him he worked the stiffness out 
 of his joints and succeeded in knocking oter a water-fowl 
 with a stick. Selecting some dry sticks that would give a 
 minimum of smoke, he lighted a tiny fire inside a dense clump 
 of swamp-cedar and ate his first full meal since leaving Little 
 Talassee. He saw that the food problem would cause him 
 no worry; the swamp was carpeted by game birds. Water 
 remained to be found. 
 
 Hunting up his horse, he followed his trail to a spring. 
 With thirst and hunger satisfied, he proceeded to examine the 
 low hill, or knoll, and as, he had expected discovered it was 
 surrounded by the swamp. Toward the north, however, the 
 signs indicated an easier escape than that afforded by the 
 route he had taken in gaining his refuge. He could see oc- 
 casional groups of deciduous trees that demanded a stout soil. 
 
 Ascending to the top of the knoll, he climbed an oak and 
 obtained a wider survey of the country. In the east the low- 
 lands met the sky-line. The extent of the swamp to the 
 south, his back track, was much less but so hazardous to con- 
 template that he wondered how he ever managed to cross it 
 
TKROUGH THE XECK OF THE BOTTLE 303 
 
 with the horse. The Great War-Path skirted the swamp on 
 the west, and the solid forest wall in that direction was quite 
 close, not more than half a mile away, but was barred by open 
 expanses of water. 
 
 The path to the north was the way out. Now that he pos- 
 sessed a high coign of vantage he could trace the course most 
 desirable to follow. For many minutes he examined the 
 country, jotting down in his mind certain landmarks to go 
 
 A smudge of smoke in the southwest held his gaze, one of 
 the ominous pillars that had followed him for three days. 
 Another column, directly south, was crawling high above the 
 forest crown A third in the east marked the long line estab- 
 lished by the Creeks. As he was about to descend something 
 vague and sombre in the north caught and held his gaze. 
 ISTow it took shape and ballooned upward, opening like the 
 petals of a black flower. The Cherokees were signalling to 
 the Creeks that they, too, were on guard and waiting for 
 their old foe to be driven into their arms. 
 
 " The trap is well set,'^ mused Chucky Jack. 
 
 As he slid down from his perch his attention was attracted 
 by the action of the myriads of water-fowl in the north. 
 They began rising in fan-like formations at the very edge 
 of the swamp; nor did they circle about and return to their 
 feeding-grounds, but flew some distance to the east before de- 
 scending. He waited and after a time a second flock, much 
 nearer his refuge, took wing and whirred away. 
 
 "They're coming," he mumbled, beginning to locate the 
 probable path of the advancing enemy. 
 
 Dropping to the ground, he hastened to the foot of the 
 knoll and caught King and led him into a thicket and secured 
 him. Then with his rifle ready he stole to the shore of his 
 little "island" and ensconced himself in a thicket of willows. 
 He believed he had been there nearly an hour when directly 
 
204 EED BELTS 
 
 in front of his position and within a few rods of firm land 
 he observed a violent agitation among the bushes and caught 
 the sound of a guttural voice raised in alarm. 
 
 Sevier crept from under the willows. 
 
 " Awi-Usdi ! Higinalii ? " 
 
 There was but one voice and it was calling on the Little 
 Deer and asking if the super-spirit were not a friend. Sevier 
 struck into the bog and again heard the frenzied voice crying : 
 
 " Little Deer ! You are my friend ? '^ 
 
 Leaping from rotting stump to decaying log, the borderer 
 found himself committed to a precarious pathway. Often his 
 foot found a transient resting-place only to leave bkck water 
 behind as it was lifted. Sluggish snakes were disturbed by his 
 passing and swam across slimy pools. 
 
 " Awi-Usdi ! " Now the voice was filled with despair. 
 
 Springing to a long tree-trunk, inches deep in its pile of 
 vivid green mould, Sevier ran to the end and parted the 
 bushes. For a moment he was astounded by the spectacle he 
 beheld. An Indian face was floating on the water, the painted 
 features registering all the horrible anticipation of a hideous 
 death. 
 
 Placing his rifle one side, Sevier manoeuvred gingerly until 
 he could reach down and grasp the scalp-lock. Although he 
 could lift the head a trifle and easily drew the submerged 
 body close to the log, he was unable to lift the man from the 
 slime. 
 
 " What's holding you down ? " he demanded as a brown 
 arm came from the dark water and clutched frenziedly at his 
 wrist. 
 
 " Awi-Usdi heard my prayer ! 'He sent you ! " gasped the 
 Indian. 
 
 " What's holding you down ? " angrily demanded Sevier. 
 
 " My feet are caught in the roots of a water-soaked stump," 
 groaned the warrior. 
 
THEOUGH THE NECK OF THE BOTTLE 205 
 
 *^Let go my wrist. I'll get you out if you do as I 
 say." 
 
 Staring up into the bronzed face with a strange light in his 
 eyes, the Indian released his hold, whereat Sevier dropped 
 in a sitting posture on the end of the log and extended a foot 
 before the imprisoned savage could sink. The hand caught 
 the foot, and as hope brought intelligence the warrior did 
 not make the mistake of pulling his rescuer into the death- 
 trap. Supporting him with his foot, the borderer gathered 
 the tops of several bushes into a bunch and forced them down 
 until the Indian could grasp them. 
 
 " Now don't waste your strength," quietly commanded 
 Sevier as he slipped off his shirt and bent down a small sap- 
 ling which he held with his left hand. " You have an ax in 
 your belt ? " 
 
 The Indian nodded vigorously. 
 
 Supporting himself by the sapling, Sevier grimaced and 
 dropped into the slime beside the Indian. He had no trouble 
 in securing the ax, but he grunted loudly in disgust as he 
 shifted his hold on the bowed sapling and allowed his body 
 to sink beneath the stagnant water. He remained long 
 enough to locate one of the imprisoned feet, then pulled him- 
 self above the filthy surface. Filling his lungs, he drew the 
 ax from his belt and again descended. He worked cau- 
 tiously to avoid chopping the foot and after delivering three 
 or four blows was compelled to rise again. 
 
 For thirty minutes he repeated the manoeuvre, scoring noth- 
 ing on some trips down, feeling the blade bite deep into the 
 tenacious root at other times. At last the Indian gave a yelp 
 of joy and kicked one foot free. The release of the other foot 
 was quickly effected as the Indian managed to use the liberated 
 member as a lever. 
 
 As the two bedraggled men sat on the log, puffing for breath 
 and staring at each other, Sevier smiled and greeted — 
 
20G RED BELTS 
 
 "Jumper of the Deer clan, how did you do a thing like 
 that?'' 
 
 The Jumper wiped the muck from his face and in a weak 
 voice explained: 
 
 " As Tsan-usdi knows, I shot at a wolf. It was bad medi- 
 cine. It made me jump among the roots, thinking the stump 
 was stout and strong. When my feet hit the roots they caught 
 round my ankles like serpents and the stump sank. Kanati, 
 the Lucky Hunter, is still angry because I shot at his watch- 
 dog." 
 
 " But I came and pulled you out. Kanati must be over his 
 anger,'' soothed Sevier. 
 
 " The Little Deer sent you when I prayed," said the 
 Jumper. 
 
 " The Little Deer will help no man who is being punished 
 by the Lucky Hunter. The bad medicine has worked itself 
 weak. Kanati forgives you. The Little Deer forgives you. 
 Has the little girl got her new tooth yet ? " 
 
 The Jumper's doleful features lighted up. Hope gleamed 
 in his small eyes, and his strong chest expanded as he began 
 to feel himself a warrior once more, a man of the Deer, un- 
 afraid because the gods were smiling. The reference to his 
 child caused him to fairly beam with gratitude. 
 
 " She looks many times in the glass Tsan-usdi gave her. 
 She know it wiU bring a big, strong tooth. Ah ! It is good 
 to know the Lucky Hunter is no longer angry." 
 
 " Then suppose we get to dry land and clean «p," Sevier 
 suggested, taking his rifle and rising. " And why did the 
 Jumper come out here alone ? " 
 
 " I was sent to kill a bad white man." 
 
 " But I am the only white man here." 
 
 "I was told a bad white man was between our warriors 
 and the smoke signals of the Creeks. I saw birds flying away 
 when the sun went down yesterday. I believed the bad white 
 
THROUGH THE NECK OF THE BOTTLE 207 
 
 was here. I waited till sunrise and came. I found — my 
 friend.'-' 
 
 Sevier led the way to the spring where they cleaned them- 
 selves and the borderer's garments. This done Sevier in- 
 quired — 
 
 " Where is Old Tassel .? " 
 
 " At Turkey Town." 
 
 " I thought he was at Great Hiwassee. Have the Chero- 
 kees caught a white man called Jackson ? " 
 
 The Jumper shook his head, saying: 
 
 " Creek runners came and our warriors went out ; but he 
 must be very cunning. He was not seen. His trail was not 
 found." 
 
 This was the best of news for Sevier. With Jackson be- 
 yond the barrier and speeding on to the settlements there 
 was a chance he might raise the riflemen and sweep down 
 on Hajason's stronghold in time to prevent the departure of 
 the Tonpits for Little Talassee. 
 
 "Have you seen Bed Hajason?" 
 
 " He got fresh horses at Turkey Town and rode fast for 
 his home three da3^s ago/' the Jumper replied. 
 
 This news was not so pleasant. 
 
 " Where is John Watts ? " 
 
 The Jumper waved a hand toward the line of smoke signals 
 in the north. 
 
 " Waiting to catch me ? " 
 
 The Indian nodded. 
 
 " What does Old Tassel do at Turkey Town ? " 
 
 The Jumper hesitated, loyalty to his people vieing with 
 gratitude to his rescuer. 
 
 " The shamans perform the sacred rites very soon," he 
 slowly retorted. 
 
 " Eor going to war ? " sharply demanded Sevier, his gaze 
 contracting. 
 
S08 EED BELTS 
 
 ^^They have looked in the great crystal and found war 
 floating in it." 
 
 " When did they go to water ? " 
 
 " They do not begin the rites till two days from now." 
 
 Sevier leaped to his feet and glared eagerly toward the 
 north. Wheeling abont^, he caught the Juniper by the arm 
 and said — 
 
 "Little Brother, you owe me a life." 
 
 " Take it ! " proudly answered the Jumper, holding out his 
 war-ax. 
 
 " You shall pay me another way. I must give a talk to 
 Old Tassel before the Cherokees go to water. You must 
 take me through John Watts' Chickamaugas. You must 
 take me to Turkey Town imseen. You shall leave me near 
 the town and no one shall know you brought me." 
 
 " I can do that, Tsan-usdi," quietly agreed the Jumper. 
 
 Sevier's face grew troubled. 
 
 " It will be hard to see Old Tassel alone. Watts' Chicka- 
 maugas will go there to perform the rites." 
 
 " The Chickamaugas went to water before you reached the 
 Creek country." 
 
 " Good ! I remember Major Hubbard said that back in 
 Jonesboro, only he's always hearing of war-parties to excuse 
 
 his killings." Then to himself, " those hostiles. They've 
 
 been on the red path for years. They don't count if the rest 
 of the nation can be held back." 
 
 " If we are to reach Turkey Town in time we must travel 
 all night. We must cross that before dark." And with a 
 shiver the Jumper pointed north across the traps of the slime- 
 covered swamp. 
 
 " It shall be done. I must take my horse out." 
 
 " Then Little John's horse must grow wings like awaliili, 
 the war-eagle." 
 
 Sevier replied: 
 
THROUGH THE XECK OF THE BOTTLE 209 
 
 "But I brought him in here, and from the south. The 
 trail to the north is not so bad." 
 
 " Little John's medicine is very strong," conceded the 
 Jumper. 
 
 Moving by night with the stealth of phantoms, with the 
 Jumper leading the way; following little-travelled side-paths, 
 sometimes doubling back, often making wide detours to avoid 
 the Cherokees hastening south to be in at the killing of the 
 white man, the two edged their way toward Turkey Town. 
 The first day they covered but a short distance, satisfied to 
 work to the east and taking time to rest; for it was the 
 Jumper's plan to make a dash round the left of the Cherokee 
 line and cover the distance with a rush during the last twenty* 
 four hours of grace. 
 
 The second night they made notable progress, escaping 
 detection by inches when they stole between two large groups 
 of warriors. With the morning sun they found themselves 
 above the smoke signals. They had passed through the bar- 
 rier and would now have to guard against stragglers only. 
 Sevier was impatient to make an open ride for it, as he 
 feared he might be too late. Did he arrive after the warriors 
 had gone to water Old Tassel would consider himself hope- 
 lessly committed to a program of war and, being surrounded 
 by men of the belligerent lower towns, he would be too weak 
 to resist the pressure. 
 
 The Jumper insisted, however: 
 
 "They do not begin the rites until tomorrow. The cere- 
 mony takes four days. We must move cunningly until dark. 
 If I am seen by Watts' Chickamaugas — " 
 
 " You shall not be seen. We will move cunningly," agreed 
 Sevier. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 SEVIER OFFEES THE RED AX 
 
 OLD TASSEL wished he had remained at the Little 
 Tennessee towns instead of coming to the country 
 dominated by the war-spirit of the Chickamangas. 
 In particular did he regret his visit to Turkey Town, where 
 messages from McGillivray poured in upon him and where 
 he could not hide from the persuasive tongue of John Watts. 
 As he was fond of reminding those who met him in council, 
 he was an old man. 
 
 When the pressure of the war-faction threatened to become 
 irresistible he could only console himself with thinking that 
 war might not come in his day. 'Now, here in Turkey Town, 
 even this sorry consolation was denied him. Pacifist and 
 diplomat, he had been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of 
 Watts and the insistence of Dragging Canoe. 
 
 In seeking to temporize he had drifted unconsciously with 
 the tide. Like one helpless in a dream-drama he now found 
 himself in the council-house about to listen to the formal 
 speeches which preceded the sacred rites of getting the eagle's 
 feathers, the shamans' recital of the formula for those about 
 to take the war-path, the going to water and the chewing of 
 the charmed root. Even now he would have entered a protest 
 and asked time to reconsider, but the Chickamauga chiefs had 
 so cunningly hurried him along he found himself accepted 
 as a war votary. 
 
 Watts felt so secure that this day would see Cherokee and 
 Creek enrolled in a common cause he did not hesitate to re- 
 turn to his warriors, who were waiting to pounce upon Sevier. 
 
 210 
 
SEVIER OFFEES THE KED AX 211 
 
 The borderer's escape from McGillivray's hands would soon 
 take on a tinge of the supernatural if the man were not caught. 
 The runners^ who had brought the news and the emperors 
 request for co-operation, told of the slaughtered dogs. This 
 feat alone was bound to make a tremendous sensation through- 
 out the nation and redound mightily to Sevier's reputation 
 unless he were run down immediately. 
 
 There was no doubt in either Cherokee or Creek minds as 
 to Sevier's hiding-place. It had to be in the narrow strip of 
 territory between the two lines of smokes. Even had Watts 
 felt uneasy to leave Old Tassel's side the necessity of captur- 
 ing Chucky Jack would have called him away. Already one 
 refugee from the Creek country had passed the Cherokee lines 
 — Kirk Jackson. The young Virginian's successful flight 
 escaped being a disgrace to the Cherokee Nation because he 
 had penetrated deep into the country before the runners ar- 
 rived with the news. 
 
 Warriors had been sent after him and there was a chance 
 he might be overtaken before he could reach the French 
 Broad. But there would be no excuse if Chucky Jack, prize 
 of all prizes, slipped through the Cherokees' hands. Thus, 
 despite his inclination to remain at the village until Old 
 Tassel was irrevocably crowded into the war-pact, Chief Watts 
 was compelled to rejoin his lynx-eyed warriors. And Old 
 Tassel sat disconsolate and heavy-hearted among the hot- 
 bloods. 
 
 There were staid and sophisticated head men in Old Tassel's 
 train who would be pleased to see the red ax buried. These 
 lived in the Eastern towns and had mingled with the whites 
 and had begun to realize the irresistible momentum of the 
 tide sweeping down over the Alleghanies. Old Tassel knew 
 he could count on his followers, but he had permitted John 
 Watts to believe he would consent to war, and he feared the 
 scorn of the fighting chief and his men. 
 
212 EED BELTS 
 
 Now that he knew he was being carried along with the red 
 tide and was to be dashed against the Western settlements he 
 sought surcease from worry by w^hipping himself into a rage. 
 God knows he had had much to bitterly complain of. But 
 despite the injustices worked him he could not establish a 
 lasting anger. His attempt to cultivate a blood-lust failed. 
 He had held to the white trail too long. Even in these great 
 moments of regret he recalled certain victories he had won 
 by guile and cunning, or fair dealing, when never an ax was 
 reddened with blood. 
 
 The long benches were full and the majority of those pres- 
 ent were flushed with thoughts of conquest. Theoretically 
 they could not fail. Old Tassel was an Indian and not to be 
 put out of countenance by the death of white folks. It was 
 the ever present fear of disaster to his people that worried 
 him. Even the most perfect of theories may end in alarm- 
 ing facts. And there was the rub. He could not be sure 
 the Creeks would do all they boasted. If a single link in the 
 chain broke, the chain would fly to pieces. Then it would be 
 Old Tassel's domain that would first feel the vengeance of 
 Chucky Jack and his horsemen. 
 
 Old Tassel cast a mournful glance over the assemblage and 
 rose and said: 
 
 " I am an old man. My path is very steep and slippery. 
 Xow it leads me to this council where war or peace is to be 
 decided." 
 
 He paused and glanced furtively about. With the excep- 
 tion of his own personal following this ambiguous announce- 
 ment was received with indignant glances. Thrown into 
 something of a panic he hastily added — 
 
 " I believe most of the men here are for war." 
 
 A loud chorus of afiirmatives accented the truth of this 
 statement. 
 
 With a poorly suppressed sigh Old Tassel continued — 
 
SEVIEE OFFERS THE EED AX 213 
 
 i( 
 
 Is there any one here who has a talk for us ? " 
 
 Up sprang one of Dragging Canoe's leading warriors, who 
 began : 
 
 " I have a talk for the Cherokee Nation. It is a very old 
 talk. It is as old as the first war-wampum. So long as we 
 raised the ax and gave blow for blow, we were respected by the 
 whites. Since we have put down white paths we have been 
 crowded from our own trails and thrown into the briars and 
 on the rocks, and the white men have filled those trails. In 
 the old days we suffered, for we had bows and arrows against 
 guns. Today it is not so. Spain, through the Creek Nation, 
 will supply us with many guns and much powder. Already 
 she has given us much. 
 
 "We will not have to run from the white man's gun or 
 dodge his bullets to get within arrow-shot. We are men. 
 This is our country and we will hold it. There was a time 
 when our land reached to the Ohio and the Great Kanawha 
 and the Catawba, and to the west as far as our young men 
 cared to hunt. Now we do not touch the Cumberland, except 
 on its upper waters, while the French Broad holds us back if 
 we go toward the rising sun. 
 
 " Brothers, we are like an old man, once tall and good to 
 look upon, but now bent and withered. There is but one 
 medicine that will make us young and strong and straight. 
 It is a red medicine — the blood of the whites. The all- 
 powerful Eed Spirits of the East do not love those who give 
 up their lands without a fight. I speak with the voice of the 
 five lower towns. I speak for war, war, war ! '' 
 
 The speaker's fervour exploded whatever restraint his hear- 
 ers had been practising, and in a frenzy of martial emotion 
 brawny arms waved axes and many voices thundered : 
 
 " War ! War ! War ! " 
 
 Even Old Tassel's eyes gleamed with savagery, suggesting 
 new fires blooming through dead ashes. Then returned the 
 
214: RED BELTS 
 
 old killing doubt: Could the white man be driven out? 
 His gaze once more became dull and lifeless; and more 
 for the sake of restoring a formal atmosphere to the 
 council than because he wished to prolong the sitting he 
 asked — 
 
 " Is there any one else who brings a talk to us before we 
 follow the shamans?'^ 
 
 There was a bustling about at the entrance and a swirl of 
 confusion as a man heavily blanketed unceremoniously pushed 
 his way into the room and stood before the chief. Throwing 
 back the blanket from his head and figure, he addressed Old 
 Tassel, saying — 
 
 " I bring you a talk, Utsidsata." 
 
 " Tsan-usdi ! '^ croaked Old Tassel, his jaw dropping in 
 amazement. 
 
 The assemblage, stunned to silence at beholding the man 
 their redoubtable chief and the Creeks were seeking, glared 
 incredulously. Then broke forth a storm of guttural execra- 
 tions, and brown hands stretched forward to grasp the impu- 
 dent intruder. Even in their rage, however, all remembered 
 the kind of man Chucky Jack was. His daring to venture 
 into the council while being hunted by the fighting-men of 
 the two nations was a mighty check to homicidal impulses. 
 And no hand touched him. 
 
 " Yes, it is Little John who brings the talk. Little John, 
 who lives on the Nanatlugunyi — ^ the spruce-tree place ' — 
 once an ancient home of the Cherokees. I am here with my 
 talk, even as I promised you at Gr^at Hiwassee that I would 
 come. Did Little John ever give his word to Old Tassel, or 
 to any of his people, and then take it back ? " 
 
 He paused for rhetorical effect, and the aged chief began 
 to feel the influence of his audacious presence. Swinging 
 about and pointiQg his extended hand at the astounded and 
 wrathful faces, he defied : 
 
SEVIER OFFERS THE RED AX 215 
 
 " Did I not say I would return and give a talk to TJtsidsata 
 — ' Com-Tassel ' — called Old Tassel by the white men ? Then 
 why are the Cherokees surprised to see me? Have I ever 
 broken my word ? Then why are hands clawing near my back 
 as if a panther was near ? " 
 
 Facing the chief again, he rapidly continued: 
 
 " I have always kept my word with you. Who else of those 
 you count as friends have done the same? Is he a Creek? 
 Does McGillivray always keep his word? Or does he first 
 build for McGillivray and ask you to help him, and then tell 
 you he is too tired to help you build, but some other time. 
 Eayi.r' 
 
 " My men want war, Little John, for the wrongs the white 
 men have done them,^' weakly retorted Old Tassel, still 
 scarcely able to believe Chucky Jack had slipped through so 
 many fingers. 
 
 " Your men shall have war, TJtsidsata. Men shall have the 
 thing they crave ; but let them beware lest the thing they seek 
 does not bring death to them.^' 
 
 " Ha ! The white man is a fool to talk of Cherokees dying 
 when he stands alone with his enemies in the war-council at 
 Turkey Town," passionately cried the orator from the lower 
 towns. 
 
 Sevier turned on him and extended a knife, handle first, 
 and challenged: 
 
 " So, Little John is a fool to say what he does, to speak 
 of death ? Here is a sharp knife ; here is my heart. Use the 
 knife; kill my heart. But remember this, and all here re- 
 member it — there is one now who is rallying the riflemen 
 of the Watauga. Before my blood can dry they will be rid- 
 ing a hundred miles deep into your country and will be burn- 
 ing your towns and corn and driving your people into the 
 mountains, even as they have done before when you shed the 
 white man's blood." 
 
216 EED BELTS 
 
 Abashed the warrior refused the knife. Old Tassel cried — 
 
 "Who calls the riflemen together when Little John is in 
 Turkey Town?'' 
 
 " The man called Jackson, who was held a prisoner of the 
 Creeks in McGillivray's own town until I unfastened the door 
 and told him to go. Did the Creeks and their dogs stop him ? 
 Could the renegade Cherokees under John Watts stop him? 
 He laughs at you and carries my word to the riflemen. My 
 word is this : Unless I cross the French Broad on a certain 
 day the men of the Holston, of the Xolichucky, the Broad and 
 the Watauga, are to enter the Cherokee Nation, killing and 
 burning. For if I do not come it will be known that Old 
 Tassel has broken faith, doing me harm after asking me to a 
 council on my return from the Creeks." 
 
 The warriors glanced uneasily at each other and refused 
 to meet the sharp gaze of the white man. Little John was 
 once more establishing his influence. McGillivray was con- 
 sidered to be a mighty war-leader; yet he had been unable 
 to hold Little John or Little John's friend. If the Emperor 
 of the Creeks could not hold two of the borderers prisoners 
 in his own village, what guarantee did the Cherokees have he 
 could aid them in withstanding the attack of some three thou- 
 sand riflemen? 
 
 Old Tassel, greatly alarmed at the prospect of having the 
 northern and eastern towns destroyed, hastily insisted : 
 
 " McGillivray does not make war for the Cherokees. It is 
 for the Cherokees to say whether they will have war or peace. 
 The Creeks live far from the western settlements. They 
 talk like children at times. This council has not voted for 
 
 war." 
 
 a 
 a 
 
 Not yet voted for war ? " scornfully replied Little John. 
 Then take this talk from me and have done with talking. 
 You can have war. I am not here begging for peace. I am 
 tired trying to remain friendly with the Cherokees. Take 
 
SEVIEE OFFEES THE RED AX 217 
 
 j'our vote and go to water; then chew your sacred root and 
 see if the medicine can stop our bullets. At Great Hiwassee 
 I gave you a friendly talk and asked you to a grand council. 
 And before doing that I sent a talk to you by Tall Eunner — 
 a peace talk. 
 
 " i^ow I will give you no more peace talks ; for you do not 
 like them. You want war. These young warriors from the 
 lower towns want war. You can always have what you want 
 if your medicine is strong. x\s I stood at the door I heard 
 this warrior shouting for war.^' 
 
 And he turned to Dragging Canoe's orator and snatched 
 the ax from the nonplussed warrior's belt. With his knife 
 he slashed his own forearm and allowed the blood to drop on 
 the head of the ax. 
 
 Before the stupefied circle could more than draw a breath 
 he waved the gory ax above his head and threw it at the feet 
 of Old Tassel, defying — 
 
 " You, who want red war, pick up that red ax ! " 
 
 Old Tassel drew back as if it were a deadly serpent. 
 Wheeling on the owner of the ax, Sevier invited : 
 
 " You pick it up for him. He is old and his bones are 
 lame. You are young and strong. You love war. Yours is 
 the voice that raises the red war-whoop. It is your ax and 
 my blood is on it. You pick it up ! ^' 
 
 The startled warrior glared from the chief to the borderer, 
 then dropped his gaze and folded his blanket about him and 
 drew back. 
 
 " Ho ! Dragging Canoe's brave cries for the white man's 
 blood but will not take back his own ax when there is white 
 blood upon it ! " jeered Sevier, spurning the weapon with his 
 foot. " Is there any one from the lower towns who wants 
 to pick up the ax ? Eemember, the Creeks will help you — 
 the Creeks who could not hold two white men prisoners. 
 What Chickamauga wants it ? I call on the men from Eun- 
 
218 EED BELTS 
 
 ning Water, from Nickajack, from Long Island, from Crow 
 Town, from Lookout Mountain town. Who wants the red 
 ax?" 
 
 Old Tassel scrambled to his feet and in a low voice an- 
 nounced: ■ 
 
 *^ Eed axes have no place in a peace council. Go back to the 
 Nolichucky, Little John, and tell your riflemen to put away 
 their guns. The Cherokees do not go to water or lay down 
 a red path. I am an old man. My path is steep and slip- 
 pery. I will not make it red with blood. You gave me a 
 promise at Great Hiwassee. I gave you one. I said if you 
 came to me after going to McGillivray I would meet you in a 
 grand council on the French Broad. I will do so. Go to your 
 home. Little John, before your men ride into my country. 
 You shall find nothing but white trails between here and the 
 French Broad. I have said it." 
 
 '* Ku! But there is something else. How can I hold my 
 riflemen back when Creek warriors are crossing your land to 
 strike us in the head ? If you are honest, see to it the Creeks 
 are turned back home. For my riflemen will believe you 
 have given them a bloody belt if they see them on your land. 
 Eide! Eide fast, Utsidsata! Eeach the Tellico before I 
 reach the Nolichucky, so my men may know your talk is 
 straight when you say you will come to a grand council. Send 
 out warriors to drive McGillivray's Creeks where they belong 
 — back on the Coosa. I will not answer for peace unless this 
 is done." 
 
 Leaving the village, followed by the black scowls of the 
 fighting-men, Sevier lost no time in striking for the Hiwassee 
 Eiver a hundred miles away. He left the warriors in the 
 council-house inert and speechless under the impress of his 
 bold speech. His personal magnetism had once more stood 
 him in good stead, and did Old Tassel ride for the Tellico 
 before Watts returned to Turkey Town there was every likeli- 
 
SEVIER OFFERS THE RED AX 219 
 
 hood of the Cherokees refusing to complete their war-pact 
 with the Creeks. A few miles from the village, as he gal- 
 loped along the eastern bank of the upper Coosa, he found the 
 Jumper waiting for him. 
 
 " Brother of the Deer, you have a talk for me,'' he saluted 
 as he drew abreast of the silent figure. 
 
 " The man called Red Hajason is ahead with Creek war- 
 riors. They will turn east at Fighting Town and make for 
 the head of the Hiwassee, where Red Hajason has his village.'* 
 
 " Tsan-usdi thanks you. Old Tassel votes for peace. Go 
 to him and say that Little John demands the Creeks with 
 Hajason be turned back home.'' 
 
 The Jumper led a horse from the bush and scampered down 
 the trail while Sevier resumed his journey. The borderer 
 knew he would not be molested in the immediate vicinity of 
 Turkey Town, but so soon as he encountered warriors who 
 had not learned of his last talk with the old chief there was 
 likely to be trouble. For it was accepted as a fact throughout 
 the nation that Old Tassel had been won over by the war- 
 faction. So Sevier held to the trail for a scant score of miles 
 and then turned aside into the forest, to proceed by stealth 
 until the news of Old Tassel's latest decision could be carried 
 to the northern towns. 
 
 Behind him the Cherokee smokes still answered the Creek 
 signals, the watchers confident that Chucky Jack was bottled 
 up between the lines. The result of the peace talk had not 
 yet been conveyed to Chief Watts. And Chucky Jack smiled 
 as he pictured McGillivray's rage on being told Old Tassel 
 was opposed to the Creek alliance. 
 
 " If he sticks to his word and keeps on being opposed ! " 
 Sevier murmured as he picked his way beneath the ancient 
 trees. " Can Watts win the chief back again ? Not if fear 
 for his towns on the Little Tennessee sends him home without 
 meeting Watts. If he rides for home he will sweep the coun- 
 
220 EED BELTS 
 
 try with the news that the ax is buried. I'll save time by 
 waiting a bit to make sure. If he stays at Turkey Town, 
 then "Watts will make him change his mind." 
 
 That night he made his camp on the side of a hill over- 
 looking the trail to the north. Before sunrise he was up and 
 anxiously scanning the worn ribbon of a path where it de- 
 bouched into an opening. Either Old Tassel and his fol- 
 lowers would pass within a few hours or had succumbed to 
 the insistence of the Chickamaugas. If the old chief was 
 still for peace he must be within a few hours' ride of the bor- 
 derer and would press on hotly to avoid being overtaken by 
 Watts. 
 
 With his gaze fixed on the opening Sevier saw the mist- 
 ghosts rise and draw their shrouds about them and vanish 
 before the level rays of the sun. For two hours the open 
 trail was purified by sunlight; then a horseman, riding hard, 
 broke from the woods. Behind him came others, until the 
 borderer counted nearly two score, and in the middle of the 
 galloping line rode Old Tassel. 
 
 " I've won ! " softly exclaimed Sevier, sinking limply back 
 on the moss. " Old Tassel hurries to the Tellico. That 
 means peace ! Now, McGillivray of the Creeks, go ahead 
 with your secret treaty with Spain, and be to you ! " 
 
 In ffreat elation Sevier shot a turkev and ate his breakfast 
 and leisurely followed on after the warriors. The cry of 
 peace would radiate on all sides of their advance. Twice dur- 
 ing the day he saw Cherokees. One party he avoided. The 
 second was afoot and hidden by a twist in the trail and he 
 rode into them unexpectedly. Instead of seeking to force him 
 to pass between them, they drew to one side. 
 
 Yet he halted and sternlv asked — 
 
 •J 
 
 " Is it peace ? " 
 
 They presented empty hands, and an elderly warrior gravely 
 answered — 
 
SEVIER OFFEES THE RED AX 221 
 
 " It is peace, Tsan-usdi/' 
 
 He galloped on. Could he but intercept the Tonpits he 
 would set back McGillivray's plans for two years; and dur- 
 ing that period of grace he was confident his riflemen would 
 increase in numbers until a show of force on Spain's part 
 would be folly. 
 
 Toward evening, while looking about for a place to camp, 
 he came to a point in the trail where Old Tassel's band had 
 split into two parties. The larger had turned in an easterly 
 direction, the smaller had stuck to the main trail leading 
 north. He deduced the reason for this division almost at 
 once. The Jumper had told Old Tassel that Little John 
 wanted the Creeks and Hajason turned back, and the bulk of 
 the warriors were following the outlaw to strip him of his 
 escort. The chief and a few men had pushed on to make 
 the Tellico. 
 
 With a solid night's rest refreshing him and his mount 
 Chucky Jack took after the eastbound band; for he must be 
 near at hand when Red Hajason told the Tonpits they were 
 free to go to Little Talassee. He knew Major Tonpit would 
 bitterly resent any interference with his plans and would 
 insist on going to the Emperor of the Creeks. In that event 
 Sevier planned to use the girl as a lever and take her from 
 her father by force if necessary. Did Jackson succeed in 
 returning with the riflemen the task would be simple; if he 
 failed, then Chucky Jack must depend upon his own medicine. 
 
 A day and a night and another morning, and just as he 
 was about to light his tiny fire there came the noise of many 
 horsemen riding carelessly. He stood at the head of his 
 horse to prevent the animal from betraying him. First came 
 the Creeks who had gone north with Hajason, and the bor- 
 derer's heart sang in victory. Behind them, taciturn and 
 determined, rode Old Tassel's Cherokees. The Creeks were 
 sullen and talked none with their escort. Sevier now knew 
 
232 EED BELTS 
 
 that Hajason was alone, and no sooner had the Indians passed 
 out of hearing than he was riding madly along the trail to 
 overtake the outlaw. 
 
 Near midday a bullet clipped through foliage on his right 
 and missed him only because of the Providential intervention 
 of a hemlock bough. He dropped behind his horse and drove 
 the animal to a huge oak, where he left him to slip into the 
 woods and scout toward the source of the murderous assault. 
 He had advanced a score of rods when the rifle barked again, 
 this time back near the trail, showing his assailant had dou- 
 bled back. 
 
 Sevier ran rapidly, sacrificing cover for speed, for he feared 
 his unseen enemy was planning to steal his horse. As he 
 broke into the trail and beheld his mount by the oak there 
 came the thud-thud of swift hoofs ahead, and he smiled grimly 
 at the error in his reasoning. The fellow had left his horse 
 in the trail and was eager only to escape after his two un- 
 successful attempts at murder. 
 
 The borderer spurred after him, rejoicing at the prospect 
 of an open fight. Only once, however, did he sight his quarry. 
 He had topped a rise and the horseman ahead was beginning 
 the descent of a low ridge. Already the horse was hidden 
 from view. Throwing forward his rifle and taking quick aim, 
 Sevier fired. The man's fur hat leaped into the air. On 
 gaining the ridge Chucky Jack found the trail to be empty. 
 
 " He can consider that a promise of what's coming," Sevier 
 told himself as he paused to reload. 
 
 He raced on recklessly, feeling only contempt for a white 
 man who would seek to ambush one of his own colour, but he 
 pulled his horse in sharply enough on discovering the trail 
 of the fugitive now showed two sets of tracks. Either some 
 one was pursuing him or had emerged from the woods to ride 
 with him. 
 
SEVIER OFFERS THE RED AX 223 
 
 "They're friends. Two against one," he decided after 
 studying the tracks carefully. 
 
 Night overtook him without his sighting the couple. This 
 time he arranged his camp with much cunning, camping apart 
 from his evening fire and arranging his blankets so as to re- 
 semble the muffled form of a sleeper. He fell asleep at once 
 and slumbered peacefully until aroused by a rifle-shot. 
 
 " Daylight is when I want to meet you, my lads," he 
 drowsily murmured before turning over and going to sleep 
 again. 
 
 With the first light he returned to the dead camp-fire and 
 retrieved his blanket. There was a hole through one end of 
 it. He examined the ground and found where the intruder 
 had stolen forward to shoot and then ran away without in- 
 vestigating the success of his shot. That he had retreated 
 in haste was indicated by the broken sticks and the torn up 
 moss. 
 
 " Never even stopped to see if he got me," murmured Sevier 
 with a grin. " Wonder if it was Hajason or the man who 
 joined him. Hajason seemed to have enough grit when he 
 faced McGillivray." 
 
 His visitor had come afoot and his trail was lost once he 
 struck into the main trail. Sevier lost some time in searching 
 for the men's camp, then shrewdly decided he could pick them 
 up by pressing on to the headwaters of the Hiwassee. Mov- 
 ing cautiously, for even a coward's lead is not to be despised 
 in the daylight, he covered a dozen miles and was brought to 
 keen attention by the muffled report of a rifle some distance 
 away. 
 
 This shot was not intended for him, and the field of con- 
 jecture was very wide. Had it been followed by other shots 
 he would have believed the riflemen were heading oft' Hajason 
 and his mate. But the forest remained quiet enough and, 
 
224 EED BELTS 
 
 leading his animal, he stole on. Suddenly a frantic scram- 
 bling of a heavy body in a dense growth sent him to shelter ; 
 and yet neither of the outlaws' mounts could be creating this 
 confusion. 
 
 He stood erect, his gaze betraying his astonishment as a 
 woman's voice close at hand shrieked the one word — 
 
 " Father ! " 
 
 The anguish in her voice bespoke a deadly fear, Sevier 
 darted toward the sound. Again the voice rang out, this time 
 in a cry of despair, followed by a hoarse shout of triumph. 
 And the bushes parted and a maddened horse, riderless and 
 with blood-smears on his flank, plunged out and past the 
 borderer. 
 
 Throwing caution to the winds, Sevier plunged ahead. A 
 familiar voice was exclaiming: 
 
 " Eun ye down, pretty bird, didn't I ? Wasn't fit for ye 
 to wipe yer leetle feet on — an' now ! " 
 
 Sevier became a shadow, but the speaker obviously attribu- 
 ted any noise he had heard to the mad plunges of the rider- 
 less horse, for he continued : 
 
 " Hajason can play some folks double, but not me, young 
 woman. Now ye quit that foolishness an' git up on yer pins, 
 or it'll be the worse for ye." 
 
 Parting some cedar boughs, Sevier beheld Lon Hester. 
 The villain was still wearing his bedraggled cock's feather and 
 was standing beside his horse and staring evilly at the limp 
 form of Elsie Tonpit, where she lay unconscious after being 
 unseated by her crazed mount. The little drama was clear; 
 the girl had escaped and Hester had pursued and shot her 
 horse. 
 
 " if she ain't pretty's a picter," gloated Hester, his 
 
 face growing bestial. 
 
 The girl was alive and Sevier waited. Hester continued, 
 speaking aloud to check off certain data : 
 
SEVIEE OFFEES THE EED AX 225 
 
 " I can't go back to Jonesboro. McGillivray might pay a 
 ransom, an' he might string me up without even sayin' thank 
 ye. I reckon I'll keep her for myself, seein' as nobody else 
 'pears to want her." 
 
 It was at this point that Sevier noiselessly stepped from 
 c^ver and quietly informed — 
 
 " But I want her, Mr. Hester.' 
 
CHAPTEE XII 
 
 TONPIT CHANGES HIS PLANS 
 
 < < y^ HUCKY JACK ! " Hester dully exclaimed. 
 
 1 " Drop your gun." 
 
 ^^-^ The bully's readiness to obey convinced Sevier 
 the weapon had not been reloaded since discharged at the 
 girl's horse. The borderer glided to the girl and kneeled at 
 her side. She breathed. The borderer started to rise, and 
 Hester pulled an ax from the back of his belt and hurled it. 
 Sevier ducked and raised his rifle. The ax smashed against 
 the barrel and knocked it from his grasp. Believing he had 
 Chucky Jack at a great disadvantage, Hester leaped forward, 
 his hands outstretched, his diabolical fingers crooked to claw 
 his opponent's eyes. Like a cornered rat he knew he must 
 fight as he had never fought before. 
 
 To save the girl from being trampled upon Sevier stepped 
 over her body without pausing to pick up his rifle. The two 
 crashed together within a few feet of the silent form. Still 
 having the girl in mind, the borderer exerted all his energies 
 to force Hester back. The bully was quick to realize that so 
 long as there was danger of their falling on, or stepping on, 
 the girl Sevier would fight defensively, postponing any at- 
 tempt to use either of the long knives in his belt. 
 
 Sevier had not forgotten his weapons, but as Hester was 
 unarmed he was quite willing to meet him barehanded and 
 make him a prisoner. Hester bulked larger than the bor- 
 derer and had made man-maiming a study. 
 
 He grunted in relief as Sevier clinched and made no effort 
 
 to draw a knife. The bully blessed his luck for relegating 
 
 the contest to the plane of sheer brutality. 
 
 226 
 
TOXPIT CHANGES HIS PLANS 227 
 
 " I've always hankered to git a chance at ye/' he panted, 
 clawing at Sevier's eyes. 
 
 Sevier ducked back his head and struck upward, a short- 
 arm jolt, the heel of his palm catching the bully under the 
 nose and eliciting a howl of pain. Fighting to spare the 
 girl, Sevier manoeuvred his antagonist back a dozen feet. 
 Then he flashed a smile of relief into Hester's distorted face 
 and the bully's moral fibre began to weaken. The fact that 
 Chucky Jack had accomplished his first objective was an 
 earnest of a second victory. Hester redoubled his ferocious 
 efforts. 
 
 Sevier played back right willingly, his slim form giving and 
 resisting with the supple strength of a steel spring. Hester's 
 eyes grew a bit worried. In Jonesboro he had often told his 
 cronies that Chucky Jack was allowed to have his own way 
 because of his prowess as a rifleman, and that in a man-to- 
 man contest he would soon lose his fighting reputation. In 
 drunken confidences at the tavern he had also gone on record 
 as asking nothing better than to be turned loose in a fight 
 with Sevier, each man armed only with his hands. 
 
 Now that these ideal conditions were afforded him he dis- 
 covered he was not making any headway. Eepeatedly he 
 essayed his coup de maitre, a play for the eyes, and each time 
 he failed by the edge of a second and received terrific punish- 
 ment in return. His long, pointed nails scratched the bor- 
 derer's forehead and furrowed his face, but they could not 
 extinguish the blaze in the deadly blue orbs. 
 
 He shifted his tactics and endeavoured to use his feet and 
 knees, but instantly the borderer pressed close until there 
 was not enough room for delivering a telling kick, or for a 
 drive of the knee. 
 
 " Any more tricks you haven't tried ? " murmured Sevier, 
 viciously plunging his knuckles into the front of the red 
 throat. 
 
228 RED BELTS 
 
 Coughing and gasping, Hester faintly cried out a blas- 
 phemy and feared he was being mastered at his own game. 
 He now knew Sevier could have blinded him a dozen times 
 had he so desired. A terrible fear of the slim fighter began 
 to smother his rage. Judging Chucky Jack by his own stand- 
 ards, he fully expected that when the borderer had wearied 
 of playing with him he would destroy his sight and leave 
 him to find a hideous death in the forest. For that was the 
 death he had planned for Sevier, and he could not imagine 
 a man foregoing the pleasure once he secured the advan- 
 tage. 
 
 The two knives in Sevier's belt hung just back of the hips 
 to be out of the way while riding. They were long, terrible 
 weapons. Hester believed Sevier could have used these at 
 the beginning of the fray and had refrained for the greater 
 joy of blinding his foe. He could not know that Sevier had 
 fought with his hands in order to take a prisoner, and that 
 once the borderer was committed to this style of battle he had 
 all he could do to protect his eyesight and dared not leave 
 his face unprotected while he fished for a knife. 
 
 And Sevier smiled as he blocked each attempt, but he was 
 more keenly concerned than Hester imagined. Suddenly the 
 bully butted his head and at the same time wrenched a hand 
 free and plunged it to the borderer's belt. Sevier bowed his 
 head and received the blow on his forehead, the two skulls 
 crashing together with sickening force. For a second the 
 borderer's head swam; in the next he had struck Hester's 
 hand to one side, but not before the bully's long fingers had 
 gripped a knife. 
 
 " Now ! " yelled Hester, stabbing joyously. 
 
 " And now ! " replied Sevier, avoiding the thrust and pull- 
 ing the second knife. " I like this much better." 
 
 Hester was surprised at the expression of relief on Chucky 
 Jack's face. 
 
TOXPIT CHANGES HIS PLANS 229 
 
 '^ Ye was skeered of my hands ? " he grunted, thrusting 
 tentatively. 
 
 " I was afraid/' confessed Sevier, stepping to one side and 
 forcing him toward the bushes. "Just as I'm afraid of a 
 mad-wolf s bite. But this is clean sport. I like it." 
 
 Hester believed him and woefully regretted his shift to the 
 knives. But he grew optimistic as he observed Sevier kept 
 darting glances about, a dangerous practice for a knife-fighter, 
 and exulted: 
 
 " Gittin' sick, eh ? Tryin' to find a chance to sneak out, 
 eh?^' 
 
 "Hardly that,'' corrected Sevier, scoring him in the fore- 
 arm. " I had planned to take you alive. Now I've decided 
 to kill you ; and as Miss Tonpit is recovering her senses I'm 
 just looking for a place where 3'ou can die without disturbing 
 her." 
 
 As he spoke he thrust and slashed and drove the bully back 
 to the fringe of bushes. 
 
 Hester's face glistened with sweat. Did he dare shift his 
 gaze aside, he believed he would behold cowled Death waiting 
 for him. Then there rang a long-drawn cry that caused the 
 combatants to throw up their heads and for a moment to 
 neglect their grim business. 
 
 " Elsie-e-e ! Oh, Elsie-e-e ! " called the voice, and Sevier 
 heard the girl stir behind him. 
 
 For a moment the borderer relaxed the pressure of his 
 attack, and with a loud yell Hester leaped backward and 
 threw his knife and jumped into the bushes. The knife, 
 thrown blindlv, landed haft first between Sevier's eyes and 
 confused him for a second. Before he could pursue the bully 
 the girl's name was shouted again, and the girl, now on her 
 knees, faintly answered: 
 
 " This way, father ! Come to me ! " 
 
 Sevier hesitated. He could hear his antagonist crashing 
 
230 RED BELTS 1 
 
 away in frantic flight and he knew he could easily overtake 
 him. But close at hand Major Tonpit was loudly calling, and 
 the girl could not be left alone. Now she was on her feet 
 and staring at him wildly. 
 
 " Who are you with a knife in your hand ? '^ she whispered. 
 
 He advanced and with a little scream of terror she drew 
 back, not recognizing him because of his disordered garments, 
 his scratched and soiled countenance. 
 
 " You've forgotten John Sevier ? " he asked. 
 
 With a glad cry she ran to him and clutched his arm and 
 stared about in search of Hester. 
 
 " He's run away, Miss Elsie,^' Sevier soothed. " He won't 
 bother you any more. And your father is coming." 
 
 " Father escaped from them ! " she rejoiced, and lifting her 
 voice she called to him. 
 
 Sevier picked up his rifle and examined the priming, then 
 loaded Hester's gun. Securing Hester's horse he swung Elsie 
 into the saddle and led the wav back to his own mount, cau- 
 tioning : 
 
 "Don't call again. I can find him. If the outlaws are 
 following him he'll bring them down on us. Hester will set 
 them on our trail soon enough without any help from us." 
 
 Tonpit's voice rang out again, this time impatiently, for 
 he had heard his daughter's voice and knew she must be safe. 
 Motioning her to be silent, Sevier gave a soft whistle. A 
 horse crashed through the undergrowth and Tonpit was im- 
 periously demanding: 
 
 " Where are you, Elsie ? I've been horribly frightened." 
 
 " This way, father," she softly answered. " And not so 
 loud, dear. Those men will hear us." 
 
 " There are two of them who won't hear anything this side 
 of the Last Trump," he hoarsely assured, spurring his mount 
 into the trail. On catching sight of Sevier, he levelled the 
 pistol he was holding and snapped it. 
 
TONPIT CHANGES HIS PLANS 231 
 
 " Father ! " groaned the horrified girl. " If s Mr. Sevier, 
 father." 
 
 Tonpit leaned forward over his horse's neck and blinked 
 at the borderer. 
 
 " Then what the devil is he doing here with that scum ? " 
 he fiercely demanded. 
 
 " He just saved me from Hester. Mr. Sevier is my friend," 
 she gently reminded. 
 
 " Friend ? We shall see," was the grim reply. " If he is 
 our friend he will guide us to the trail that runs south." 
 
 " You ride where ? " asked Sevier, mounting his horse. 
 
 " To the Coosa Elver. And time is precious," snapped 
 Tonpit. 
 
 "You've been held prisoners by Eed Hajason?" Sevier 
 asked. 
 
 Tonpit nodded gloomily; then with a streak of suspicion 
 he asked : 
 
 " How did you know about it ? Has my daughter told 
 you ? " 
 
 " I've had no time to talk with your daught-er," Sevier 
 coldly replied. " I found her unconscious from a fall from 
 her horse. Hester was with her, and I was on the point of 
 killing him when your call disturbed the balance of battle 
 long enough for him to escape." 
 
 " Then I'm sorry I called," growled Tonpit. " But 
 
 Hester said j^ou killed the Indian, who was to be my guide." 
 
 " He lied," Sevier calmly retorted. 
 
 " He came in the Indian's place," continued Tonpit. " But 
 he took us to Eed Hajason's camp instead of to the Coosa. 
 We've been held prisoners ever since. Then Hajason went 
 away, and I got two horses and Elsie and I rode for it, fol- 
 lowed by the band. We threw them off the trail yesterday, 
 but when we broke camp this morning several of them jumped 
 us. She rode ahead while I fought them off. I shot two 
 
232 EED BELTS 
 
 and got away, but, lost her. That's all there is to tell, <;xcept 
 I'd give a thousand pounds to know what Hajason is up to." 
 
 " I can tell you for nothing," said Sevier. " He went to 
 McGillivray of the Creeks to bargain for your release. On 
 returning he met Hester. They tried to kill me and then 
 separated when I chased them. Hester ran into Elsie and 
 shot her horse. Hajason by this time has connected with 
 the gang. McGillivray offered Hajason two thousand pounds, 
 gold, for the release of you and your daughter." 
 
 " Ha ! " cried Tonpit, his eyes flashing. " Good friend ! 
 True friend ! And by escaping we save him his gold. But 
 how come you to know all this?" And the habitual air of 
 suspicion lowered from his gaze. 
 
 " I was in Little Talassee — his prisoner. I've just es- 
 caped. Polcher was there — " 
 
 " Escaped from the Emperor of the Creeks ! " exclaimed 
 Tonpit, his tone implying an inclination to disbelieve the 
 statement. Then hurriedly, " And Polcher ? He helped to 
 arrange for my ransom ? He's true-blue ! He's humble, but 
 he has served me faithfully. I shall reward him." 
 
 " He's — he has been rewarded, after a fashion," said 
 Sevier. " Major Tonpit, you might as well face the truth 
 now as later. McGillivray's game is played out. Old Tassel 
 votes for peace. The Cherokees will not join with the Creeks. 
 Without them McGillivray's pledge of twenty thousand war- 
 riors is just ten thousand warriors short." 
 
 **^ I don't believe it, sir ! " Tonpit passionately cried. '^ Mc- 
 Gillivray of the Creeks will be the saviour of the Western 
 settlements ! He has done me the honour of picking me — " 
 He halted and frowned heavily at Sevier's battered face. " I 
 was forgetting that you're on the other side; that you prefer 
 bloodshed and bowing the knee to Pennsylvania and Massa- 
 chusetts to a glorious freedom." 
 
TONPIT CHANGES HIS PLANS 233 
 
 " Just now I prefer clearing out from here before Hester 
 can bring the outlaws down upon us," dryly retorted Sevier, 
 pricking his horse up the trail. 
 
 Tonpit wheeled his mount and would have struck to the 
 south had not Sender caught the bridle of the girl's horse and 
 led it beside his own. 
 
 "Here, here, John Sevier! " Tonpit remonstrated, spurring 
 after him. " We ride to the Coosa.'' 
 
 " You would be overtaken before sunset," coolly replied 
 Sevier, increasing the pace. " By this time Eed Hajason is 
 in command of his men. He knows you would ride in that 
 direction." 
 
 " Where I ride is my business ! " angrily cried Tonpit, now 
 on the other side of his daughter and attempting to wrest the 
 bridle from Chucky Jack's grasp. 
 
 " But, father, Mr. Sevier knows best," pleaded the girl. 
 
 " Is it a girl's place to teach her father wisdom ? " harshly 
 rebuked Tonpit. 
 
 " You can't ride south," quietly informed Sevier. " Your 
 cause is lost, and I'll be shot if you lose your daughter into 
 the bargain." 
 
 " Eelease that bridle ! " thundered Tonpit, now beside him- 
 self with rage. 
 
 And he raised the pistol. The girl threw herself forward 
 to block the bullet, and cried: 
 
 " Shame, father ! After what he has done for us ! Better 
 shoot me than him." 
 
 Tonpit sagged back aghast. A second more and he had 
 pulled the trigger, for his mind was curiously warped and his 
 imprisonment had rendered him irresponsible. To relieve 
 the scene of its tragic atmosphere, Sevier advised: 
 
 "You'd better load that pistol. We may need it soon. 
 You've tried once to shoot me with it." 
 
 Tonpit's cold face flushed and he mumbled : 
 
234 RED BELTS 
 
 "I was hasty. I apologize; I will reload it. Then my 
 daughter and I will ride south.'' 
 
 " The trail south is open to you, but the girl rides north/' 
 Sevier calmly informed. 
 
 Tonpit's eyes glowed wolfishly and without a word he be- 
 gan reloading the weapon. The girl knew the climax would 
 come the moment he finished his task, and to Sevier she 
 pleaded : 
 
 " You mean well, but after all my place is by my father's 
 side. I thank you for what you've done. Now let us part 
 good friends.^' 
 
 "Your place is not in Little Talassee, where they plot to 
 cut up the Union," was the firm response. "Your place is 
 where Americanism thrives, in the settlements, or in the cities 
 over the mountains. Never where McGillivray plots with 
 Spain." 
 
 " Mr. Sevier, I will shoot you if you persist in your inter- 
 ference,'^ Tonpit announced. 
 
 " Then you will be a murderer and your daughter will re- 
 fuse to ride with you," cheerfully countered Sevier. " If my 
 death will restore the young woman to the American settle- 
 ments, why, I shall not have died for nothing." 
 
 "Put up your pistol, father," commanded the girl. "If 
 you do Mr. Sevier any harm I shall ride north alone." 
 
 Tonpit's face became ghastly as he heard her ultimatum 
 and caught a reflection of his own stubborn will in her young 
 face. 
 
 " You've tricked me, Sevier," he whispered. " But there'll 
 be a reckoning between us — " 
 
 " Hush ! " cried the girl, placing her fingers against his 
 lips. 
 
 Sevier tilted his head and meeting her questioning gaze 
 nodded gravely. 
 
 " What is it now ? " growled Tonpit. 
 
TONPIT CHANGES HIS PLANS 235 
 
 " They're after us, the whole gang," informed Sevier. 
 " Had you started south you would be prisoners by this 
 time. They're on our trail and we've no time for talk. Keep 
 at my heels." 
 
 He spurred ahead with the girl and Tonpit raced after him. 
 Loud yells from behind advertised their discovery by the out- 
 laws. Rifles were fired, but without aim, as none of the lead 
 came near them. Sevier twisted his head and motioned for 
 Tonpit to ride beside him while the girl led the way. As 
 Tonpit drew up the borderer informed : 
 
 " We can't outride them. Your girl is played out. A few 
 miles ahead there is a cave near the trail where we can hide. 
 Once there one of us can stand them off until the other gets 
 help." 
 
 " Get help ? Who is there to help us in this cursed coun- 
 try ? " groaned Tonpit. 
 
 " The Cherokees," said Sevier. '* Because of my talk with 
 Old Tassel they will send men. Did McGillivray have his way 
 the Cherokees would now be at war with the settlements and 
 be among those hunting us. You've lost a chance to be 
 Spain's governor in the new world, but we'll save the girl." 
 
 " Let us get to the cave," gritted Tonpit. 
 
 He dropped back and Sevier rode beside the girl. Their 
 pursuers came fast and furious and the borderer knew they 
 were gaining. The trail with its twistings and its banks of 
 forest growth prevented the pursuers and the fugitives from 
 glimpsing each other. Pointing ahead to a lightning-shat- 
 tered oak, Sevier directed : 
 
 " When we reach it you and Miss Elsie must dismount and 
 make back into the woods till you come to a high ledge. The 
 cave is half-way up the ledge and can't be seen from below. 
 Better hide among the rocks and wait for me to lead you." 
 
 As they reached the fallen tree Tonpit and Elsie dismounted 
 and plunged into the woods. Sevier gathered up the bridles 
 
23() EED BELTS 
 
 and the three horses swept on. For half a mile Sevier laid 
 down the telltale trail, then took to a ribbon of exposed rock 
 and turned at right-angles to the travelled path, his course 
 paralleling that taken by the Tonpits. 
 
 A quarter of a mile of cautious advance brought him to the 
 foot of the ridge, and he turned south and soon came to the 
 ledge. As he leaped to the ground and led the horses deep 
 among the rocks and brush Elsie Tonpit's face peered from 
 behind a boulder. In another moment he was leading father 
 and daughter to the hiding-place. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE SENTENCE OP THE WILDERNESS 
 
 ALTHOUGH styled a cave by Sevier the hiding-place 
 in the ledge was only a rock recess, caused by the 
 undercutting of surface waters. In this pocket the 
 borderer left the Tonpits while he went for assistance. He 
 was surprised on scouting toward the trail to hear the voices 
 of the outlaws raised in loud discussion. He had taken it for 
 granted that Hajason's men would not observe the abrupt 
 ending of the signs left by the three horses and would con- 
 tinue their pursuit for some distance beyond the ledge. 
 
 "I tell ye this is the girl's hoss. I plugged him to stop 
 the girl. That skunk of a Sevier can't make fast time carryin' 
 her on his saddle. Old Tonpit's nag must be 'bout blowed/^ 
 bawled Hester's voice. 
 
 " My breed tracker says there was three bosses ahead," 
 boomed Hajason's deep bass. " He didn't have to see 'em 
 to know that. If ye fools hadn't rammed ahead of him an' 
 wiped out the signs he could 'a' told where they swung off 
 the path. All we know now is that they turned off some- 
 wheres atween here an' where we stopped, or 'bout half a mile 
 ahead. We'll have to scatter an' search both sides of the 
 path." 
 
 " This hoss with his flank ripped open is the girl's nag, 
 I'm teUin' ye," persisted Hester. " If Sevier didn't ride 
 double then they must 'a' took my hoss. If that's the case 
 an' he's within hearin', I reckon I can wipe out the need of 
 searchin' both sides of the path. My animal is trained to 
 prick up his ears when he hears this." 
 
 Sevier darted back toward the three horses hidden among 
 
 237 
 
238 RED BELTS 
 
 the rocks, but he had scarcely started when the bully's shrill 
 whistle rang out. Before he could cover quarter of the dis- 
 tance the whistling was repeated several times and Hester's 
 mount came galloping through the thickets in answer to his 
 master's call. The borderer essaved to catch the bridle, but 
 with a snort the animal jumped aside and crashed toward 
 the trail. 
 
 The excited cries of the outlaws, punctuated by Hester's 
 loud oaths of admiration, greeted the arrival of the horse. 
 Sevier's only consolation was the knowledge that although the 
 faithful beast had answered the call he could not guide the 
 outlaws to the ledge. And yet, a quarter of a mile even of 
 thick forest did not afford as wide a margin of safety as 
 Sevier would wish. The borderer realized that whatever ac- 
 tion he was to take to safeguard the secret of the ledge must 
 be initiated at once. 
 
 At a point where a twist in the trail hid the band from 
 view Sevier crossed to the other side. Moving parallel to the 
 trail, he gained a position opposite the horsemen just as Red 
 Hajason was commanding: 
 
 " Spread out in a thin line an' beat up the woods. The 
 boss come from some spot near here. The trackers will go 
 ahead an' foller the boss's tracks. When any one sights the 
 runaways jest give a yell an' lay low till all of us can come 
 up. Not a word, mind ye, till ye see something." 
 
 Sevier crawled closer, until, by kneeling, he could detect 
 the movement of a horse on the trail. Raising his rifle, he 
 fired. The animal dropped, shot through the head. The 
 rider, thrown violently to the ground, quickly identified him- 
 self by cursing volubly as only Red Hajason could curse. 
 
 Sevier, although deeply regretting his lead had killed the 
 horse instead of its master, thus distracted the outlaws from 
 their purpose of searching the woods in the vicinity of the 
 ledge. He began falling back, slipping noiselessly from tree 
 
THE SENTENCE OF THE WILDERNESS 239 
 
 to tree, while Hajason yelled for his men to dismount and give 
 chase. The men obeyed but displayed a strong inclination to 
 keep well together. Such a daring attack could have been 
 made by but one man, Chucky Jack, whose woodcraft was su- 
 perior to that of an Indian's. 
 
 ^' ye for white-livered hounds I ^' roared Eed Hajason. 
 
 " Spread out ! A hundred pounds to the man what fetches 
 me his head ! " 
 
 Stimulated by this offer and spurred on by their fear of 
 their leader, the men lengthened the line, and SeWer knew 
 he must give ground in earnest. He was in a peculiar pre- 
 dicament, for his task was increased two-fold by the appear- 
 ance of Hester's horse. He must adhere to his original plan 
 of securing assistance; the safet}' of the girl demanded that. 
 Yet he must remain in contact with the gang or the men 
 would become discouraged at their lack of success and return 
 to investigate the east side of the trail. 
 
 To find succour under the circumstances would demand 
 something of a miracle. Any band of Cherokees in the neigh- 
 bourhood would scatter and take to cover when they heard 
 the sound of the chase. He had counted on finding a village, 
 unsuspected by the outlaws, and by a diplomatic ^' talk " en- 
 listing the aid of the warriors. The precipitate pursuit elimi- 
 nated any chance of finesse. Could he play the game until 
 nightfall he might find it possible to double back and lead 
 the Tonpits north. 
 
 Against this manoeuvre bulked the obstacle of the horses 
 and their guard left in the trail. Once the outlaws lost him 
 they would return to their animals, arriving coincident with 
 his return to the ledge. 
 
 " Devil of a mess ! " Sevier inwardly raged as he knocked 
 the legs from under an outlaw closing in on his right. " Held 
 up by these scum after standing off both the Creek and the 
 Cherokee Nations ! If it wasn't for Miss Elsie I'd love to 
 
<< 
 te 
 
 240 EED BELTS 
 
 stay round these parts till there either wasn't any Chncky 
 Jack or there wasn't any outlaws." 
 
 His shot at the man on the right brought the gang forward 
 in a wild rush, each eager to sight the fugitive before he 
 could reload. Sevier raced for his life until he gained enough 
 leeway to pause and recharge his rifle. He had barely fin- 
 ished when a rustling behind him sent him to the ground, his 
 gun levelled. 
 
 Wa-ya!" softly called a voice. 
 
 Ani-waya!" joyfully hissed Sevier, creeping forward. 
 " Man of the Wolf clan, where are you ? " 
 
 A copper-coloured form rose almost at his elbow. The bor- 
 derer recognized Bloody Mouth. 
 
 " Little John never knew the hunting-call of the Wolf could 
 sound so sweet,'' whispered Sevier. 
 
 " Tsan-usdi is chased by dogs," growled Bloody Mouth, his 
 eyes flaring with blood-lust. ^^I will stick my ax in their 
 heads." 
 
 Drawing the warrior back as the outlaws advanced, Sevier 
 hurriedly asked: 
 
 " Where are the Cherokees ? I want warriors." 
 
 " You must travel till sundown to come up with them," was 
 the discouraging rejoinder. 
 
 " That will not do," muttered Sevier. " Bloody Mouth will 
 do as his brother says ? " 
 
 " He will. By nightfall his wolf -call will bring many men 
 of his clan. Then we will hunt down and break off the heads 
 of Tsan-usdi's enemies." 
 
 " I can not wait. There is a white woman I must take 
 north. Take my place and keep falling back. Wear my hat 
 and hunting-shirt but do not let them see you if you can help 
 it. If they do see you they will think you are Little John. 
 Do not speak." 
 
 " But I can shoot ? " 
 
THE SEXTEXCE OF THE WILDERNESS 241 
 
 " Ay, and shoot to kill. Lead them far. There are many 
 horses back on the trail. They shall all be yours.'' 
 
 '' Siyu! I feel my medicine is very red/' gloated Bloody 
 jMouth, slipping on the shirt and taking the hat. 
 
 With this decoy to take his place Sevier sprinted away to 
 pass around the north end of the outlaws' advance. Occa- 
 sional shouts and much rifle-fire kept him informed as to the 
 continued success of his deception. Bloody Mouth was re- 
 treating, and the few flittering glimpses the horse-thieves 
 caught of him convinced them they all but had Chucky Jack 
 in their power. 
 
 A crackling among the bushes near by caused Sevier to 
 drop into a hollow and draw his knife. A man in buckskin, 
 evil of face and panting with eagerness to work behind the 
 fugitive and slay from ambush, passed close to the borderer. 
 Only the safety of the Tonpits prevented him from stopping 
 the outlaw. In another five minutes the fugitive knew he 
 was behind the line of searchers. Between him and the trail 
 there could be no menace except as he might encounter a 
 straggler. 
 
 His return was unimpeded and, cautiously thrusting his 
 head from cover, Sevier beheld two-score horses and five 
 guards. He was surprised at this show of strength, having 
 believed there could not be more than a score of outlaws at 
 the most. A new and daring plan formed in his mind; to 
 rout the guards and run off the animals would be a noble 
 counter-stroke. Without their animals Hajason's men would 
 feel helpless. 
 
 He carefully shifted his position, preliminary to covering 
 the guards with his rifle and demanding their surrender, but 
 was interrupted by a commotion in the bush above him. The 
 guards observed it and raised their guns; then they relaxed 
 as Eed Hajason and Hester stepped into the trail and slowly 
 walked toward the borderer's position. 
 
242 RED BELTS 
 
 (( 
 
 I tell ye, the major'n the woman's back where my hoss 
 
 come from/' persisted Hester. " To with Chucky Jack. 
 
 Whistle yer gang back an' let's grab 'em." 
 
 Hajason smiled cynically and retorted: 
 
 " D'ye s'pose I didn't have brains 'nough to know they was 
 back there ? That's why ye run into me on comin' back here. 
 We both had the same notion, I reckon. Sevier's out of the 
 way, bein' chased toward sundown. His goin' takes the men 
 out of the way. It gives us a chance to git the major'n his 
 girl an' light out. Old Tassel's ag'in war. That means 
 Chucky Jack will have plenty of time to fetch his riflemen 
 down on me. I've been lookin' for it for more'n two vears. 
 I'm through with this country. Me for the Creek Nation an' 
 the money McGillivray will pay for the man an' woman. 
 Then for New 'Leans. Game's played out on the Hiwassee. 
 Too many settlers crowdin' in." 
 
 "Where do I figger in the money McGiUivray pays ye?" 
 curiously asked Hester. 
 
 " I'll give ye five hundred dollars." 
 
 " ! An' after me f etchin' 'em to ye ! " 
 
 " Ye fetched 'em 'cause ye couldn't handle the game yer- 
 self. It was me that risked my neck in goin' to McGillivray. 
 Then I got to square some of the men." 
 
 Hester laughed mockingly. 
 
 " Ye'U take these five men, mebbe. An' after ye strike the 
 creek border they can carry in one eye all ye give 'em. Gimme 
 a thousand an' we'll round up the Tonpits, bunch the bosses 
 an' ride for the Coosa." 
 
 " A thousand ! Ye're crazy. After Polcher dips his dirty 
 paws in, what'll be left for me ? " 
 
 "Polcher?" gasped Hester, rubbing his chin. "Huh! 
 So he's down there. I don't reckon I care for to see Mister 
 Polcher. He must feel nasty the way I fetched the Tonpits to 
 ye. An' he's sure told McGillivray the trick I played. I 
 
ii 
 
 THE SENTENCE OF THE WILDERNESS 243 
 
 ain't hankerin' to see McGillivray, neither. Gimme the five 
 hundred now/' 
 
 What do I git for the five hundred ? " sneered Hajason. 
 I'll help ronnd 'em up an' help run 'em off till we strike 
 the lower towns. I've got some good friends there." 
 
 Hajason stroked his beard thoughtfully; then he prom- 
 ised — 
 
 " As soon as we git the man an' woman on hosses an' ready 
 to cut an' run 111 hand over." 
 
 Hester's visage grew dark with passion, but he feared Ha- 
 jason and smothered his rage and reluctantly agreed : 
 
 "Ye drive a fussy bargain. But I'll agree, providin' ye 
 can pay me the minute we catch 'em." 
 
 Hajason tapped a bulging belt under his hunting-shirt 
 and assured: 
 
 " I've got it with me. Don't fret any. I've been lookin' 
 for the game to bust up an' always go loaded. It's yers once 
 we nail 'em." 
 
 " All right," said Hester, catching a horse and mounting. 
 
 Eed Hajason climbed into a saddle and ordered the guards 
 to take the horses down the trail a mile. 
 
 " We'll save time pickin' 'em up there," he laughed. 
 
 " There'll be some pretty profits out of the nags an' the 
 saddles," mused Hester. " S'pose I come in on that ? " 
 
 " S'pose ye don't, an' save yer breath," snarled Eed Hajason. 
 " Ye're lucky I ain't found no fault for the way ye let them 
 two slip through yer hands while I was gone. I'm a fool to 
 give ye even five hundred." 
 
 Hester sighed and rode beside Eed Hajason and remarked : 
 
 "Wal, if ye feel that way 'bout it, I reckon I won't say 
 nothin' more. I'll jest take all ye've got." 
 
 He had pistoled his man before Sevier could guess what 
 was coming. The borderer raised his rifle; then he lowered 
 it as the five guards sounded a shout of rage and started for 
 
244 RED BELTS 
 
 the assassin. The last Sevier saw of Hester the bully was 
 galloping the two horses up the trail while he held Hajason's 
 body in the saddle and unfastened the heav}^ money-belt. 
 
 After the guards had pounded by his place of concealment 
 Sevier darted across the trail. The rearmost guard happened 
 to glance back and see him. He wheeled about with a yell 
 of warning to his mates, but the four swept on to kill Hester. 
 The cry was answered from the woods, however, and Sevier 
 dived into cover just as the outlaws returned from chasing 
 Bloody Mouth. 
 
 The borderer had no idea of leading the gang to the ledge, 
 and at once he endeavoured to work north, parallel to the 
 trail. The outlaws pressed him close. He shot one and was 
 instantly engaged by two others. Clubbing his rifle, he 
 knocked one senseless, whereat the second lost all stomach for 
 the fight and fled. The delay permitted others to come up. 
 Dropping his empty gun, he snatched up the rifles belonging 
 to the dead man and his senseless mate and discharged both 
 pointblank at his assailants. They fell back in confusion at 
 this unexpected reception, and the borderer leaped into a 
 thicket armed only with his knives. 
 
 Frantic cries from the trail, followed by a volley of rifle-fire, 
 checked his flight and turned him back to investigate. As he 
 emerged into the trail a horseman threw up his rifle, only 
 to have it knocked aside by Kirk Jackson. 
 
 " John Sevier ! " he yelled. " John Sevier without his 
 shirt ! " 
 
 Chucky Jack beheld his riflemen scuttling into the woods 
 and out again in the process of running the horse-thieves to 
 cover. On the ground were a dozen dead outlaws and two 
 settlers. Stetson was standing beside his horse, tying a 
 bandage about his arm by using his teeth, the process sadly 
 weakening his emphatic sentiments concerning all "var- 
 ments.^^ 
 
THE SE:NrTENCE OF THE WILDERNESS 245 
 
 " Hester got away ! " panted Sevier, throwing himself on to 
 a horse. " He went north — '' 
 
 " We came from the north. We met him/' gravely in- 
 formed Jackson. "We'd been here sooner, but the men 
 formed a ring and he and I had it out. I found this on him." 
 Ana he touched the money-belt strapped outside his hunting- 
 shirt. " Ifll help raise the militia you're going to need. 
 Now for Red Hajason — and Elsie ! " 
 
 " Hajason is on the ground here somewhere. Elsie and 
 her father are near. Round up the rascals in the bush and 
 I'll fetch her to you." 
 
 "No; I'll go with you. Stetson is wounded, but he can 
 handle the fighting," cried Jackson. 
 
 A shout from Sevier, and Major Tonpit and his daughter 
 descended from their hiding-place. Tonpit was stupefied by 
 the defeat of his schemes and showed neither resentment nor 
 interest in the young people's public avowal of their shame- 
 less preference for each other's arms. 
 
 " Creeks fooled. Cherokees quieted for a time at least. 
 Spain blocked. Hajason wiped out," checked off Sevier as he 
 rode ahead with the despairing major by his side. " Now for 
 Bonnie Kate and the building of the new State." 
 
 Escorted by two thousand men in buckskin, the delegates 
 met at Jonesboro on August twenty-third and voted that the 
 people should elect fifteen representatives, who were to write 
 a constitution for the new State and organize its Government. 
 The North Carolina Legislature met in November and re- 
 pealed the Cessions Act and granted all that had been asked 
 in the Jonesboro petition. But the fifteen representatives 
 proceeded, nevertheless, and created the State of Franklin 
 with John Sevier as governor, thereby constituting one of the 
 most unique chapters in American history. 
 
 The new State endured for three years, then passed out of 
 existence, to be recreated in time as Tennessee. How Sevier 
 
 
246 RED BELTS 
 
 was outlawed by North Carolina, put on trial for high treason 
 and rescued from the court-room in a most amazing manner ; 
 how he was appointed brigadier-general by Washington, unani- 
 mously selected six times as governor of Tennessee and elected 
 three times to Congress is told in history. 
 
 How in his last years he was often visited by John Watts 
 and other chiefs, with whom he had fought, and how they 
 partook of his hospitality and profited by his kind advice, 
 rounds out a career seldom, if ever, equalled in all bordei 
 chronicles. 
 
 THE END 
 
THE COUNTRY LITE PRESS 
 GARDEN CITY, N. Y. 
 
 1 
 
r^iuji 
 
 Red Belts, by Hugh Pendexter. 
 With frontispiece by Kalph Fal- 
 lon Coleman. 246 pp. Double- 
 day Pag-e & Co. $1.50 net. 
 
 If the south had shown one-half th« 
 interest in its own history exhibitet 
 by the New Engrls-pd states In theirs 
 we might have haci a literature richei 
 than anything America possesses to- 
 iay. Viewed purely from a dramatic 
 standpoint, what is the story of Pon- 
 :iac, for example, by comparison with 
 hat of Alexander McGillivray, "Em- 
 ;>eror of the Creeks?" Yet everj 
 johoolboy in the south Is taught all 
 ibout Pontiac, while few of them hear 
 lo much as the name of this most 
 )izarre of all monarchs, this Indian 
 .hief with the manners of a French 
 rentleman, the brains of a Scotch 
 tatesraan, and the cunning- of a 
 )pechancanou&h, whose favor was 
 ought Mith bribes and flattery by no 
 gss personag-es than Geoi-g-e. king- of 
 England, Charles, king of Spain, and 
 he first President of the United States. 
 Why, also, should we. all be taught to 
 eve re the memoi-y of Miles Standish. 
 nd pay but scant nttontion !o (hat of 
 ohn JSovier? Doubtless^ in part be-