The little fire, now burnt down to a mass of glowing embers, but faintly lighted up the gloom of the wigwam.
The Medicine Man turned his back to the chief, slowly disengaged himself from the huge blanket wrapped around him, and then held it up in the air.
Darker and darker grew the gloom.
“Is the chief ready to see the Wolf Demon2?” asked the Medicine Man, his voice vibrating with a strange accent.
“Ere the heart of the warrior can beat ten, the Wolf Demon will stand before him,” chanted the solemn voice of the old Indian.
Then all was silent.
In the stillness, the throbbings of the Indian’s heart seemed to his excited fancy to make as big a noise as the foot-fall of the brown deer falling upon the forest-glade.
The blanket that had concealed the figure of the Medicine Man from the chief dropped to the ground.
The old Indian had disappeared.
In his place stood the terrible form that all living things shrunk from.
Face to face with the chief of the Shawnee nation stood the Wolf Demon!
In his paw he held the death-dealing tomahawk, whose edge, even now, was crusted red with Shawnee blood.
The eyeballs of the chief were distended5 with horror as he looked upon the awful form. But no thought of fear was in the mind of the Shawnee warrior.
[29]
For a moment the foemen glared upon each other.
The wild war-note of the Shawnee nation burst from the lips of Ke-ne-ha-ha, as he struck desperately9 at the huge form that sprung so fiercely upon him.
The keen scalping-knife cut deep into the side of the Wolf Demon, but met no flesh in its passage, only hide and hair.
The tomahawk of the unknown being came down upon the head of the chief, but glancing in its course, inflicted10 only a slight flesh wound.
The two closed together in mortal conflict.
In the gloom they could only discover that two dark figures were grappling with each other upon the ground that formed the floor of the lodge12, in a furious struggle.
Amazed, the warriors paused. In the darkness they could not tell which of the two dark forms—interlaced so snake-like together—was friend or foe6.
The combatants paid no heed13 to the entrance of the warriors, so engrossed14 were they in their terrible struggle.
For a moment the Indians stood like statues, gazing in bewilderment upon the strange scene before them.
Then, actuated by a sudden thought, one of the Shawnees—wiser than his fellows—dashed from the wigwam to the fire that burned near to the lodge of the Medicine Man.
The chief snatched a flaming brand from the fire, and then re-entered the wigwam.
The struggle between the two upon the ground had ceased. One had conquered the other.
By the light of the burning fagot the amazed Indians looked upon a fearful scene.
In the center of the wigwam, flat upon his back, and with the blood streaming freely from a wound in his temple, lay Ke-ne-ha-ha, the great chief of the Shawnee nation.
Over him, with his foot planted upon his breast, and the blood-stained tomahawk upraised in menace in his hand, was the terrible being that wore the shape of a wolf and the face of a man.
For a moment the Wolf Demon held his position, with his foot placed in triumph upon the body of the prostrate17 chief. Then, with a hoarse18 yell of defiance19, he sprung forward upon the warriors gathered in the doorway20 of the lodge.
Two quick and powerful strokes of the keen-edged tomahawk, and two more Shawnees were sent to the happy hunting-grounds.
Swift as the hunted deer ran the Wolf Demon through the Indian village.
The warriors, recovering a little from their fright, and with the boldness that the sense of overpowering numbers gives, followed in pursuit.
Far in the rear followed the warriors.
With a hoarse yell of defiance, the terrible figure gained the shelter of the wood, and disappeared within its shadows.
On the borders of the wood the Indians halted. All the village had been aroused by the terrible outcry, and great was the wonder and alarm of the Shawnees when they learned that the terrible Wolf Demon had been in their midst.
After a short consultation24, the warriors entered the thicket. But ten paces within the wood all traces of the passage of the Wolf Demon vanished. He had disappeared as utterly25 as if the earth had opened and swallowed him.
Keen-witted as the Shawnee chiefs were, they never dreamed of examining the oak branches that waved over their heads. They little thought that, even as they paused within the wood, in wonderment and dismay, from his leafy covert26 in the branches above their heads, the terrible Wolf Demon glared down upon them, and laughed, with fierce joy, when, puzzled and beaten, they took their way in sullen27 anger back to the Indian village.
The Indians gone, the strange form descended28 from his perch29 in the branches of the oak, and, with a rapid but silent tread, stole through the mazes30 of the forest.
While some of the Indians had been pursuing the phantom31 form, others had given their attention to the wounded chief.
Ke-ne-ha-ha had suffered but little. Two slight cuts on the head, inflicted by the tomahawk of the Wolf Demon—mere flesh wounds—were all the damage he had received.
To his wondering warriors the chief told the story of the interview with the Great Medicine Man, and the sudden appearance of the terrible scourge32 of the Shawnee nation, the Wolf Demon.
Then, to the horror of the savages33, on examining the wigwam, in one corner, covered by a blanket, they found the Great Medicine Man, dead!
The terrible tomahawk-cut on his head, and the totem of the Red Arrow carved upon his breast, told of the manner of his death and the doer of the deed.
By a miracle Ke-ne-ha-ha had escaped. It was evidently not fated that he was to die so soon.
Carefully they wiped the blood from the face and garments of the chief and bound up his wounds.
Ke-ne-ha-ha at once called a council of his principal warriors.
By the time the council had assembled, the party that had pursued the Wolf Demon returned and told of their failure to trace the terrible being through the forest.
Calmly the chief addressed the council.
He told of the dreadful hand-to-hand encounter that he had had with the white man’s devil. Declared that the charm was broken, and that the Wolf Demon no longer was to be feared.
The warriors took heart at the bold address of the great chief.
Then Ke-ne-ha-ha urged the necessity of making an immediate35 attack upon the white settlements along the Ohio.
In this the chief was supported by every warrior within the council. All were eager for the attack. All thirsted for the blood of the white-skins.
The council broke up, and earnestly the warriors donned their war-paint in readiness for the coming fight.
It was arranged that the expedition was to start on the morrow, and that Point Pleasant should be the first station attacked.
Girty and Kendrick had been in the council, and on its breaking up, walked slowly along together.
“What do you think of this Wolf Demon?” asked Kendrick, suddenly.
“Well, I don’t exactly know what to think,” said Girty, with a puzzled air.
“Yes, and the warriors saw him when he fled through the village. A huge gray wolf walking erect39 on its hind40 legs like a man and with a human face.”
“It ain’t a spook, ’cos the Indians wouldn’t have been able to have seen it.”
“No, but what is it?” asked Girty.
“Man or devil, if he ever comes within range of my rifle I’ll wager42 that I’ll drill a hole through him,” said Girty, decidedly.
“Well, the chief failed,” observed Kendrick. “He said that he struck his knife clean through his side, and yet not a drop of blood was on the blade.”
“It’s wonderful, to say the least,” said Girty.
And then the two entered their wigwam.
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1
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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distended
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| v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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congealed
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| v.使凝结，冻结( congeal的过去式和过去分词 )；（指血）凝结 | |
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veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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covert
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| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
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sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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mazes
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| 迷宫( maze的名词复数 )； 纷繁复杂的规则； 复杂难懂的细节； 迷宫图 | |
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phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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scourge
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| n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏 | |
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savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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tussle
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| n.&v.扭打，搏斗，争辩 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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42
wager
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| n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌 | |
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