Page 170 (1/1)

Motionless, intent, holding h the wainscot I could hear the low rustling of paper; and I seeh the solid floor did not creak, nor aquiver, nor a footfall sound

And now ainst which I had laid my ear No crack or seaently pressed the wainscot with ain, and the hidden door opened a hair's breadth, a finger's breadth, an inch, widening, widening noiselessly; and I bent forward and peered into another closet like the one I stood in, also lighted by a loop for rifle-fire As my head advanced, first a corner of the floor littered with papers cale of the wall, then a shadowy so which I could not at first make out--and I opened the door a little wider--scarcely an inch--holding it there

The shadowy so moved; it was a huure, partly in shade, partly in the light fro a document held flat on the bare floor

Astounded, allared at the vision Gradually the shock of the surprise subsided; details took shape under s, doubled under, clothed with fringed and beaded leggings to the hips, the gorgeously embroidered sporran,like palest aold traders' wampum--traders' wampum? What did that mean? And what did those heavy, double lossy hair, braided half-ith cri a cloudy shock of black to the belted waist?

Here was no Iroquois youth--no adolescent of the Long House attired for any rite I ever heard of The hip-leggings were of onquin work; the quill-set, sinew-ey, iridescent veil of rose, scarlet, and gold wampum on the naked body was de fantasie; the belt and knife-sheath pure Huron As for the gipsy-like arrangement of the hair, no Iroquois boy ever wore it that way; it hinted of the gens de prairie What on earth did it uideso dressed for any rite or any practise in North Alance out of the loop, but saw nothing save the pale sunshine on the weeds If the Oneida had arrived, he had surely already found my horse tied in the lilac thicket, and surely he would follohere the weeds showed hied not fro like a wolfhound until he had tracked me to a standstill Should I wait for hie young Indian in the document on the floor that I strained my eyes to make out its script, but could not decipher even the corner of the paper exposed tofor an Indian to read Scarce one a the Iroquois, save Brant and the feho had been to Dr Wheelock's school, knew A from Zed, or could more than scrawl their clan-mark to a birchen letter