Zane Grey by The Spirit of the Border Read Free Book Online

water surged, gurgling, between the logs.
    Jim's mare snorted with terror, and rearing high, pulled her halter
loose and plunged into the river. But Jim still held her, at risk of
being drawn overboard.
    "Let go! She'll drag you in!" yelled Joe, grasping him with his free
hand. Lance trembled violently and strained at the rope, which his
master held with a strong grip.
    CRACK!
    The stinging report of a rifle rang out above the splashing of the
water.
    Without a cry, Bill's grasp on the oar loosened; he fell over it
limply, his head striking the almost submerged log. A dark-red fluid
colored the water; then his body slipped over the oar and into the
river, where it sank.
    "My God! Shot!" cried Jim, in horrified tones.
    He saw a puff of white smoke rising above the willows. Then the
branches parted, revealing the dark forms of several Indian
warriors. From the rifle in the foremost savage's hand a slight veil
of smoke rose. With the leap of a panther the redskin sprang from
the strip of sand to the raft.
    "Hold, Jim! Drop that ax! We're caught!" cried Joe.
    "It's that Indian from the fort!" gasped Jim.
    The stalwart warrior was indeed Silvertip. But how changed! Stripped
of the blanket he had worn at the settlement, now standing naked but
for his buckskin breech-cloth, with his perfectly proportioned form
disclosed in all its sinewy beauty, and on his swarthy, evil face an
expression of savage scorn, he surely looked a warrior and a chief.
    He drew his tomahawk and flashed a dark glance at Joe. For a moment
he steadily regarded the young man; but if he expected to see fear
in the latter's face he was mistaken, for the look was returned
coolly.
    "Paleface steal shirt," he said in his deep voice. "Fool paleface
play—Silvertip no forget."

Chapter V
*
    Silvertip turned to his braves, and giving a brief command, sprang
from the raft. The warriors closed in around the brothers; two
grasping each by the arms, and the remaining Indian taking care of
the horse. The captives were then led ashore, where Silvertip
awaited them.
    When the horse was clear of the raft, which task necessitated
considerable labor on the part of the Indians, the chief seized the
grapevine, that was now plainly in sight, and severed it with one
blow of his tomahawk. The raft dashed forward with a lurch and
drifted downstream.
    In the clear water Joe could see the cunning trap which had caused
the death of Bill, and insured the captivity of himself and his
brother. The crafty savages had trimmed a six-inch sapling and
anchored it under the water. They weighted the heavy end, leaving
the other pointing upstream. To this last had been tied the
grapevine. When the drifting raft reached the sapling, the Indians
concealed in the willows pulled hard on the improvised rope; the end
of the sapling stuck up like a hook, and the aft was caught and
held. The killing of the helmsman showed the Indians' foresight;
even had the raft drifted on downstream the brothers would have been
helpless on a craft they could not manage. After all, Joe thought,
he had not been so far wrong when he half fancied that an Indian lay
behind Shawnee Rock, and he marveled at this clever trick which had
so easily effected their capture.
    But he had little time to look around at the scene of action. There
was a moment only in which to study the river to learn if the
unfortunate raftsman's body had appeared. It was not to be seen. The
river ran swiftly and hid all evidence of the tragedy under its
smooth surface. When the brave who had gone back to the raft for the
goods joined his companion the two hurried Joe up the bank after the
others.
    Once upon level ground Joe saw before him an open forest. On the
border of this the Indians stopped long enough to bind the
prisoners' wrists with thongs of deerhide. While two of the braves
performed this office, Silvertip leaned against a tree and took no
notice of the brothers. When they were thus securely tied one of
their captors addressed the chief, who