Young Trailers: A Story of Early Kentucky — 19 - An Errand and A Friend
CHAPTER XIX AN ERRAND AND A FRIEND
Two stalwart lads were marching steadily through the deep woods, some months later.
They were boys in years, but in size, strength, alertness and knowledge of the forest far beyond their age.
One, in particular, would have drawn the immediate and admiring glance of every keen-eyed frontiersman, so powerful was he, and yet so light and quick of movement.
His wary glance seemed to read every secret of tree, bush and grass, and his head, crowned by a great mass of thick, yellow hair, rose several inches above that of his comrade, who would have been called by most people a tall boy.
The two youths were dressed almost alike.
Each wore a cap of raccoon fur, with the short tail hanging from the back of it as a decoration.
Their bodies were clad in hunting shirts, made of the skin of the deer, softly and beautifully tanned and dyed green.
The fine fringe of the shirt hung almost to the knees, and below it were leggings also of deerskin, beaded at the seams.
The feet were inclosed in deerskin moccasins, fitting tightly, but very soft and light.
A rifle, a tomahawk, and a useful knife at the belt completed the equipment.
They were walking, but each boy led a stout horse, and on the back of this horse was a great brown sack that hung down, puffy, on either side.
The sacks were filled with gunpowder made from cave-dust and the two boys, Henry Ware and Paul Cotter, were carrying it to a distant village that had exhausted its supply, but which, hearing of the strange new way in which Wareville obtained it, had sent begging for a loan of this commodity, more precious to the pioneer than gold and jewels.
The response was quick and spontaneous and Henry and Paul had been chosen to take the powder, an errand in which both rejoiced.
Already they had been two days in the great wilderness, now painted in gorgeous colors by the hand of autumn, and they had not seen a sign of a human being, white or red.
They walked steadily on, and the trained horses followed, each just behind his master, although there was no hand upon the bridle.
They stopped presently at the low rounded crest of a hill, where the forest opened out a little, and, as if with the same impulse, each looked off toward the vast horizon with a glowing eye.
The mighty forest, vivid with its gleaming reds and yellows and browns, rolled away for miles, and then died to the eye where the silky blue arch of the sky came down to meet it.
Now and then there was a flash of silver, where a brook ran between the hills, and the wind brought an air, crisp, fresh and full of life.
It was beautiful, this great wilderness of Kaintuckee, and each boy saw it according to his nature.
Henry, the soul of action, the boy of the keen senses and the mighty physical nature, loved it for its own sake and for what it was in the present.
He fitted into it and was a part of it.
The towns and the old civilization in the east never called to him.
He had found the place that nature intended for him.
He was here the wilderness rover, hunter and scout, the border champion and defender, the primitive founder of a state, without whom, and his like, our Union could never have been built up.
Henry gloried in the wilderness and loved its life which was so easy to him.
Paul, the boy of thought, was always looking into the future, and already he foresaw what would come to pass in a later generation.
Neither spoke, and presently, by the same impulse, they started on again, descending the low hill, and plunging once more into the forest.
When they had gone about half a mile, Henry stopped suddenly.
His wonderful physical organism, as sensitive as the machinery of a watch, had sounded an alarm.
A faint sound, not much more than the fall of a dying leaf, came to his ears and he knew at once that it was not a natural noise of the forest.
He held up his hand and stopped, and Paul, who trusted him implicitly, stopped also.
Henry listened intently with ears that heard everything, and the sound came to him again.
It was a footfall.
A human being, besides themselves, was near in the forest!
"Come, Paul," he said, and he began to creep toward the sound, the two darting from tree to tree, and making no noise among the fallen leaves, as they brushed past, with their soft moccasins.
The trained horses remained where they had been left, silent and motionless.
Henry, as was natural, was in front, and he was the first to see the object that had caused the noise.
A man stepped from the shelter of a tree's great trunk, and, although armed, he held up one hand, in the manner of a friend.
He was an Indian of middle age and dignified look, although he was not painted like any of the tribes that came down to make war in Kentucky.
Henry recognized at once the friendly signal, and he too stepped from the cover of the forest, walking slowly toward the warrior, who was undoubtedly a chief and a man of importance.
Twenty feet away, the boy started a little, and a sudden light leaped into his eyes.
Then he strode up rapidly, and took the warrior's hand after the white custom.
"Black Cloud!
My friend!"
he said.
"You know me!
You have not forgotten?"
replied the chief and his eyes gleamed ever so quickly.
"You have come far from your people and among hostile tribes to see me?"
said Henry who instantly divined the truth.
"It is so," replied the chief, "and to ask you to go back with me.
Our warriors miss you."
Henry was moved to the depths of his nature.
Black Cloud had come a thousand miles to ask him this question, and he had a far, sweet vision of a life utterly wild and free.
Again he saw the great plains, and again came to his ears, like rolling thunder, the tread of the myriad-footed buffalo herd.
He was tempted sorely tempted and he knew it, but, with a mighty effort he put the temptation away from him and shook his head.
"It cannot be, Black Cloud," he said.
"My people need me, as yours need you."
A shadow passed over the eyes of the chief, but it was gone in a moment.
He knew that the answer was final, and he said not another word on the subject.
Black Cloud went on with Henry and Paul half a day, then he bade them farewell.
They watched him go, but it could be only for a minute or two, because his form quickly melted away into the forest.
Then the two boys, turning their faces steadily toward duty, marched on, and the great wilderness, gleaming in its reds and yellows and browns curved about them.
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG TRAILERS: A STORY OF EARLY KENTUCKY *** Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed.
Creating the works from print editions not protected by U. S.
copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!
) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties.
Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark.
Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark.
If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy.
You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research.
Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U. S.
copyright law.
Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.
START: FULL LICENSE
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG™ LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg License available with this file or online at www.
gutenberg.
org/license.
Section 1.
General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg electronic works 1. A.
By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement.
If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg electronic works in your possession.
If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1. E.
8. 1. B.
“Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark.
It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.
There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.
See paragraph 1. C below.
There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg electronic works.
See paragraph 1. E below.
1. C.
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg electronic works.
Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States.
If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed.
Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg name associated with the work.
You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg License when you share it without charge with others.
1. D.
The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work.
Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change.
If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg work.
The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States.
1. E.
Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: 1. E.
1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed: This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever.
You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License included with this eBook or online at www.
gutenberg.
org.
If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
1. E.
2. If an individual Project Gutenberg electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U. S.
copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges.
If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1. E.
1 through 1. E.
7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1. E.
8 or 1. E.
9. 1. E.
3. If an individual Project Gutenberg electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1. E.
1 through 1. E.
7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder.
Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
1. E.
4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg.
1. E.
5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1. E.
1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg License.
1. E.
6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form.
However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg website (www.
gutenberg.
org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form.
Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg License as specified in paragraph 1. E.
1. 1. E.
7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg works unless you comply with paragraph 1. E.
8 or 1. E.
9. 1. E.
8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg electronic works provided that: • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.
The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns.
Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
” • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License.
You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works.
• You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1. F.
3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work.
• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.
1. E.
9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark.
Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
1. F.
1. F.
1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U. S.
copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection.
Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.
1. F.
2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1. F.
3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees.
YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.
F.
3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
1. F.
3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from.
If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation.
The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund.
If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.
If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem.
1. F.
4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1. F.
3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1. F.
5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law.
The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
1. F.
6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
Section 2.
Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.
It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg collection will remain freely available for generations to come.
In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg and future generations.
To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.
gutenberg.
org.
Section 3.
Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service.
The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.
S.
federal laws and your state’s laws.
The Foundation’s business office is located at 41 Watchung Plaza #516, Montclair NJ 07042, USA, +1 (862) 621-9288. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.
gutenberg.
org/contact Section 4.
Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment.
Many small donations ( to ,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS.
The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States.
Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements.
We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.
To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.
gutenberg.
org/donate.
While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate.
International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States.
U.
S.
laws alone swamp our small staff.
Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses.
Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
To donate, please visit: www.
gutenberg.
org/donate.
Section 5.
General Information About Project Gutenberg electronic works Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone.
For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U. S.
unless a copyright notice is included.
Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.
gutenberg.
org.
This website includes information about Project Gutenberg, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
