ed orator of the
five, but tonight the cloak of inspiration was spread over the shoulders
of Long Jim Hart.

"Why don't you come into our little house?" he shouted. "It's a nice
place, a warm place, an' the rain can't git at you here. Won't you walk
into our parlor, ez the spider said to the fly! It's a good place,
better than any wigwam you've got, nice an' warm, with a roof that the
rain can't get through, an' plenty of cool runnin' water! An' ef you
want our scalps you'd never find grander heads uv ha'r. They're the
finest an' longest an' thickest that ever grew on the head uv man.
They're jest waitin' to be took. Any warrior who took one uv 'em would
be made a chief right away. Why don't you come on an' git 'em? It can't
be that you're afraid, you Shawnees and Miamis an' Delawares an'
Wyandots. Here's our gyarden, jest waitin' fur you, the door open an'
full uv good things. Why don't you come on? Ef I had a dog an' told him
to run after a b'ar cub an' he wouldn't run I'd kill him fur a coward!"

Henry heard a roar of rage from the thickets, and once more he laughed
behind his teeth. Long Jim Hart was still in his grandest form, and
although many Indian chiefs were great orators, masters of taunt and
satire, Long Jim, inspired that night, was the equal of their best. The
gift of tongues had come to him.

"I heard a noise down thar in the holler!" he shouted. "Wuz it made by
warriors, men? No! it wuz dogs barkin' an' crows cawin' an' wolves
whinin' an' rabbits squeakin'. Sech ez them would never come up ag'in a
white man's rifle. I hear the wind blowin' too, but it don't bring me no
sound 'cept that uv dogs barkin', low-down curs that would run away from
a chipmunk with their tails atween their legs. I'm gittin' mighty tired
now uv waitin' fur them that called theirselves warriors, but are
nothin' but old squaws in war paint. Ef I don't hear from 'em ag'in
soon I'll go to sleep an' leave here my little boy, ten years old, to
meet 'em with a switch ez they come up."

There was another roar of rage from the brush, and Henry said under his
breath:

"Well done, Long Jim! Well done, twice and again!"

Long Jim now softened his voice and began to beg.

"Why don't you come up here, you red Indian fellers?" he cried. "All my
friends, knowin' thar is no danger, hev gone to sleep, leavin' me to
welcome the guests, when they stan' afore our door. I'm waitin'! I've
been waitin' a long time, an' ef you don't come soon I'll