Into the Wilderness
Page 73
There was a crackling from the fire as Axel paused to light his pipe. Elizabeth felt her brother's attention on her and she turned to him, one eyebrow raised, meeting his curiosity and suspicion full on. Julian yawned. He might want her to think him bored, but Julian could not hide his intense interest in this story.
"The mistake Jack Lingo made that day was, he stole from a man smarter than him. Chingachgook was in the bush, you see. Don't know what Lingo was thinking, trying to steal from Chingachgook, but I guess he weren't thinking much at all. So here's what you got: Jack Lingo decides that Chingachgook don't need his canoe no more, and he climbs in and paddles off. He's on his way out of the bush, when he runs into a river of blood. Them Frenchies, cut up bad. Scalps gone, other parts, too." Axel glanced at Elizabeth and cleared his throat. "But the chest was there. Why? Dunno. Maybe they was coming back for it later. Maybe they was just interested in the scalps and never bothered to look inside.
"Now Old Jack wasn't a complete fool, not him. He got a look in that chest and saw what was there, and he knew sure enough what to do." Axel turned suddenly to Elizabeth.
"What would you do, now, missy?"
The question took Elizabeth by surprise. She sat up, considered.
"Load the strongbox in the canoe and take off," supplied Julian before she could answer.
"Ja, that's just about what Jack wanted to do, but just then Chingachgook caught up with him. Now." Axel tapped his pipe against his knee. "There ain't no worse crime in the bush than stealing. And there weren't no tougher man in the bush than Chingachgook."
Elizabeth thought of the old man up at Hidden Wolf, his kind smile, and she tried to imagine him in his prime.
". . . so now Jack's got Chingachgook in front of him and Chingachgook's canoe behind him, and the chest between them. What did he do?"
"He ran like the devil," muttered Jed McGarrity.
"Like the devil!" echoed Axel with a little laugh. "Ja, like the devil his self And it must have been the devil who looked out after him that day, because he got away. Any other day, Chingachgook would have killed him."
"So what happened to the strongbox and the gold?" asked Julian, when it was clear that the old man had told all of the story he considered worth telling.
"Well, now," said Axel, wiping his watery eyes with a dingy handkerchief "That's the question, ain't it?"
"What do you think happened to it?" Elizabeth asked quietly.
Axel shook his head. "This is what I know," he said. "Chingachgook ain't a stupid man, and he ain't a rich one, neither. Unless he been sitting on that gold all these years, he ain't got it. Me, I think he ain't got it. Jack Lingo thinks otherwise, he been spending all this time trying to get Chingachgook to give him a share. Note now, missy, I ain't said a fair share. Lingo never much understood that particular word, in any language."
Julian had a preoccupied look. "Where is this Jack Lingo?"
"Why, I thought that would be naked as a peeled egg," said Axel. "He's in the bush. Looking for the spot where Chingachgook hid the gold. Some say it's up there on Hidden Wolf. Ain't that so, Dr. Todd?"
Elizabeth looked up with a start to find Richard standing not ten steps away. There was a look on his face she wasn't familiar with, the blue eyes narrowed and steely above the bright red—gold of his beard. In the past month Elizabeth had avoided the topic of Hidden Wolf with Richard, and the look on his face made her glad she had done so.
"That's what they say," Richard said finally, his eyes coming to settle, heavily, on Elizabeth.
"Your beau has come to see you home, sister," said Julian, reaching for his coat. "I'll come along as chaperon."
"Beau?" said Axel, sitting up straighter and grinning. "I guess I ain't the only one with a story to tell, then."
"My brother speaks out of turn," Elizabeth said with a sharp look to Julian.
Richard seemed to come suddenly awake. He gave Elizabeth a grim little smile. "Does he?"
Anna had been watching the exchange quite eagerly. "Now, you men." she interjected, handing Elizabeth a wrapped parcel of handkerchiefs. "Don't make the schoolteacher blush. A lady ain't supposed to be too clear on matters such as these." She stood back and looked Elizabeth over as if she were a daughter in need of comfort and protection rather than a woman almost thirty, just a few years younger than herself. "It was good to have you come by and I hope you'll come again soon to talk when the menfolk ain't quite so troublesome."
"Thank you," Elizabeth said. "I'd like that." And she was surprised to note that she was not just being polite, that she meant it. Anna's straightforwardness was welcome to her after so many weeks of playacting.
Suddenly Elizabeth remembered something and she turned to Richard.
"I thought you were leaving for Johnstown today."
"Hitty Cameron had her pains start," said Richard. "And by the time she was safely delivered, it was too late to set out."
"Is that so?" asked Anna eagerly. "Has she got a girl or a boy?"
"A fine, healthy son," said Richard with a nod.
"Hitty Cameron?" Elizabeth was still having trouble sorting out the villagers. "Has she married one of Archie Cunningham's sons?"
"Well, now," said Anna easily. "She ain't exactly anybody's wife just yet, but I expect that she and Noah will go to housekeeping now that they've got a boy."
"The mistake Jack Lingo made that day was, he stole from a man smarter than him. Chingachgook was in the bush, you see. Don't know what Lingo was thinking, trying to steal from Chingachgook, but I guess he weren't thinking much at all. So here's what you got: Jack Lingo decides that Chingachgook don't need his canoe no more, and he climbs in and paddles off. He's on his way out of the bush, when he runs into a river of blood. Them Frenchies, cut up bad. Scalps gone, other parts, too." Axel glanced at Elizabeth and cleared his throat. "But the chest was there. Why? Dunno. Maybe they was coming back for it later. Maybe they was just interested in the scalps and never bothered to look inside.
"Now Old Jack wasn't a complete fool, not him. He got a look in that chest and saw what was there, and he knew sure enough what to do." Axel turned suddenly to Elizabeth.
"What would you do, now, missy?"
The question took Elizabeth by surprise. She sat up, considered.
"Load the strongbox in the canoe and take off," supplied Julian before she could answer.
"Ja, that's just about what Jack wanted to do, but just then Chingachgook caught up with him. Now." Axel tapped his pipe against his knee. "There ain't no worse crime in the bush than stealing. And there weren't no tougher man in the bush than Chingachgook."
Elizabeth thought of the old man up at Hidden Wolf, his kind smile, and she tried to imagine him in his prime.
". . . so now Jack's got Chingachgook in front of him and Chingachgook's canoe behind him, and the chest between them. What did he do?"
"He ran like the devil," muttered Jed McGarrity.
"Like the devil!" echoed Axel with a little laugh. "Ja, like the devil his self And it must have been the devil who looked out after him that day, because he got away. Any other day, Chingachgook would have killed him."
"So what happened to the strongbox and the gold?" asked Julian, when it was clear that the old man had told all of the story he considered worth telling.
"Well, now," said Axel, wiping his watery eyes with a dingy handkerchief "That's the question, ain't it?"
"What do you think happened to it?" Elizabeth asked quietly.
Axel shook his head. "This is what I know," he said. "Chingachgook ain't a stupid man, and he ain't a rich one, neither. Unless he been sitting on that gold all these years, he ain't got it. Me, I think he ain't got it. Jack Lingo thinks otherwise, he been spending all this time trying to get Chingachgook to give him a share. Note now, missy, I ain't said a fair share. Lingo never much understood that particular word, in any language."
Julian had a preoccupied look. "Where is this Jack Lingo?"
"Why, I thought that would be naked as a peeled egg," said Axel. "He's in the bush. Looking for the spot where Chingachgook hid the gold. Some say it's up there on Hidden Wolf. Ain't that so, Dr. Todd?"
Elizabeth looked up with a start to find Richard standing not ten steps away. There was a look on his face she wasn't familiar with, the blue eyes narrowed and steely above the bright red—gold of his beard. In the past month Elizabeth had avoided the topic of Hidden Wolf with Richard, and the look on his face made her glad she had done so.
"That's what they say," Richard said finally, his eyes coming to settle, heavily, on Elizabeth.
"Your beau has come to see you home, sister," said Julian, reaching for his coat. "I'll come along as chaperon."
"Beau?" said Axel, sitting up straighter and grinning. "I guess I ain't the only one with a story to tell, then."
"My brother speaks out of turn," Elizabeth said with a sharp look to Julian.
Richard seemed to come suddenly awake. He gave Elizabeth a grim little smile. "Does he?"
Anna had been watching the exchange quite eagerly. "Now, you men." she interjected, handing Elizabeth a wrapped parcel of handkerchiefs. "Don't make the schoolteacher blush. A lady ain't supposed to be too clear on matters such as these." She stood back and looked Elizabeth over as if she were a daughter in need of comfort and protection rather than a woman almost thirty, just a few years younger than herself. "It was good to have you come by and I hope you'll come again soon to talk when the menfolk ain't quite so troublesome."
"Thank you," Elizabeth said. "I'd like that." And she was surprised to note that she was not just being polite, that she meant it. Anna's straightforwardness was welcome to her after so many weeks of playacting.
Suddenly Elizabeth remembered something and she turned to Richard.
"I thought you were leaving for Johnstown today."
"Hitty Cameron had her pains start," said Richard. "And by the time she was safely delivered, it was too late to set out."
"Is that so?" asked Anna eagerly. "Has she got a girl or a boy?"
"A fine, healthy son," said Richard with a nod.
"Hitty Cameron?" Elizabeth was still having trouble sorting out the villagers. "Has she married one of Archie Cunningham's sons?"
"Well, now," said Anna easily. "She ain't exactly anybody's wife just yet, but I expect that she and Noah will go to housekeeping now that they've got a boy."
