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Tallyrand and Firefly
By J. NacNEILL JOHNSON
i
CHAPTER VIII
Tallyrand had related to his father
and mother how he and Firefly had
caught Wenona and Minnehaha look
ing at their images in the lake, with
their silk dresses on, and it caused
great merriment, and they all agreed
that a mirror would be a suitable
present. So Tallyrand bought a large
mirror about 18 by 36 inches in size,
and had it packed and ready, and
when the Monday arrived when Tally
rand and Firefly were to start up
the river on the wolf hunt, he placed
the mirror in the hold of the Jack-
snapper along with the double barrel
guns and the cartridges loaded with
buckshot, and got all ready the Sat
urday night before. They were also
to carry a new name for the Cheval
domains which Mrs. Studebolt had se
lected; and the boys felt great im
portance in being the bearer of this
new name.
On Monday morning before 5
o’clock, the boys were in the boat and
spinning up the river, singing as they
sped:
“Up the river row.
Up the river row,
I pull my paddle and I row my boat,
And it’s up the river row.”
They completed their voyage in two
days, arriving at their journey’s end
about sundown on Tuesday evening,
thus making a record trip; for Fire
fly seemed to have inherited the In
dian prowess in the art of paddling
a canoe, and boy as he was, the Jack-
snapper seemed to fly before his oar-
strokes. CWd Horseshoe was not ex
pecting them until noon the next day,
but as soon as he saw them he went
to meet them at the landing, and tolJ
them that he had been baiting the
wolves for three nights, and by the
next night they could make a great
haoil. He helped the boys to unload
the Jacksnapper, and pulled it into
a little cover, moored it to a tree and
made it safe. They all went to the
wigwam, Tallyrand carrying the mir
ror on his shoulder. After cordiallj"
greeting Wenona and Minnehaha, he
called for the hammer he had left
there after they had crated the scalps
and furs, and with it he opened the
box, took out the mirror, and present
ed it to the woman and the girl.
It can better be imagined than de
scribed how they demeaned them
selves. The glass was not broad
enough for them both to stand in
front of it at once, and they were
both so anxious to look, every few
seconds on^ would say: “My time
now,” and the change would hardly
be made before the displaced one
would say: “My time now.” Tally
rand afterwards told his mother they
reminded him of Buck and Tobe push
ing each other in the yoke when
crossing the narrow, rail bridge.
That night the howling and fight
ing of the wolves as they came and
ate the bait, was frightful, and Tally
rand was impatient to go after them,
but Old Horseshoe was obdurate and
would only shake his head and say:
‘Tomorrow night; we spy out the bat
tle tomorrow.” Then to pass the time
till they were sleepy, Tallyrand ex
plained that his mother had selected
a pretty name for the Cheval home,
and when he mentioned the name,
The Shaws of Shawandossa, the old
man and his wife and daughter jump
ed to their feet, clapped their hands
and exclaimed, “The South Winds!”
and their great satisfaction was so
apparent Tallyrand made a mental
note of how his mother would be
pleased when he should tell her about
it. Mrs. Studebolt was of Scottish
parentage, and the ancestral home of
her mother in Scotland had been call
ed “The Shaws,” meaning Thickets
or Woods; so the name selected for
the home of Old Horseshoe, taken
literally would mean The Woods of
the South Wind.
For breakfast next morning they
had broiled fish, fresh from Boone’s
Creek, with hoe-cake corn bread baked
against an oaken board called a
“Johnnie-Cake Board,” and Tallyrand
thought he had never enjoyed a break
fast quite so much before in his life.
After the breakfast was over, and Old
Horseshoe had lit his pipe, the f>Id
man and the two boys took their guns
and started out to spy out the battle
field.
The High Hills is a chain of steep,
rocky cliffs that extend from Boone’s
Creek northward and parallel to the
river, to Mussel Shoals, about six
miles, and with the exception of two
or three passes, the steep rocks can
not be scaled from the west. The
pass by which the wolves had been
coming into Old Horseshoe’s domain
was near the middle of the chain of
the High Hills, and this pass is not
over a hundred feet wide, with very
steep rocks on either side—indeed the
real level land in the pass was not
over fifty feet wide.
Old Horseshoe carried the boys to
this pass, and showed them the places
on each side they were to take pos
session of after the wolves had come
in for a night’s foraging. He had it
all planned, and explained his plans
to the boys: “At sunset Tallyrand
hide two bow-shots south of this rock,
where hill steep; same time Firefly
hide* two bow-shots north of that
other shelving rock on north side of
pass. When wolves are through and
gone down valley, Tallyrand move up
to this shelving rock north edge of
pass; take positions and wait; Old
Horseshoe be hid down valley near
bait. Horseshoe shoot into pack, kill
two, three, four, maybe five, then Old
Horseshoe shout loud; pack try run
through pass; Tallyrand and Firefly
shoot into pack; shoot again; then
shoot with other gun.” Then the old
man held up both hands with his fin
gers spread significantly, then held up
his left had alone, but with his thumb
folded inward in his hand, thus indi
cating that they all ought to get as
many as fourteen wolves.
The plan of battle all made plain
to the boys, they all returned to the
wigwam to a dinner of wild turkey,
roasted* whole in the embers, and with
the feathers on. The meat was so
very delicious Tallyrand asked Wen
ona to explain its preparation, which
was that the turkey is first drawn,
then filled with savory herbs and nut
kernels, with sufficient salt, but the
feathers left on to protect the flesh
from burning. Previously oak and
hickory logs must have been burnt to
coals and embers. These coals and
embers are hurriedly moved to one
mm
m
m
side, and an excavation made in the
ground-where, the fire had heated the
earth. This hole is then half filled
with coals and embers, and the tur
key after being wet to the skin, is
placed in the hole and quickly cover
ed three or four inches deep with
more coals and embers.. The feathers
soon become burnt to a cake, and it is
removed when the turkey is taken up.
It must be cooked three hours, and it
is a great deal of trouble, but Tally
rand thought it well worth the work,
for it was the most delicious meat
he had ever eaten.
They all rested until time to just
about reach the pass by sundown, and
then taking two guns each, started
for their respective stations. Old
Horseshoe had planned the battle well.
The boys had not been at their hiding
places more than an hour before the
mournful sound of wolves howling
away back of the High Hills began
to reach their ears. The sounds
grew louder and nearer, and now the
yapping and snarling of the pack
could be heard near the east end of
the pass. Now the pack makes a
great rush and run through the pass,
snapping and fighting as they ran.
Now the wolves descend the valley
towards the bait, and all becomes
quiet at the pass.
About the same mirtute Tallyrand
and Firefly come out of their hiding
places and make their way along the
foot of the high, steep rock wall, to
the two shelving rocks on either side
of the pass, and as they are not over
forty yards apart they could speak to
each other, and then take their places
and wait, one gun in their hands, and
one lying on the great rock beside
them.
They do not have to wait long till
they hear Old Horseshoe’s gun go
off, and its roar had hardly reached
their ears when it went off again, and
as the echoes were bounding back
from the High Hills, there came up
the valley such a squalling and howl
ing of wounded wolves as you never
did hear. Then they could heaar Old
Horseshoe’s shouts far above the din
of the howling wolves, and then the
blows of his club as he killed those
that he had wounded with shot.
In three minutes here came the
pack, heading pell-mell for the pass.
In the starlight it seemed to the boys
that there were five hundred of them,
and it looked like the wolves would
rtin right over them. When the fore
most of the pack were at the place
where the valley narrows to the pass,
the wolves pressed closer together,
and it was there both boys discharged
their first shots. As a great hole
was torn in the bulk of the pack, it
was quickly filled up by those behind,
and then both boys poured in their
second shots. Its effect was the same
as the first volleys, and a great pile
of dead and wounded wolves almost
choked up the mouth of the pass.
(Continued on page 11)
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