The sight which greeted his eyes was more perplexing than startling. He saw Schoolmaster Hargrave leaning against one corner of the rude desk over which he presided, his face plainly expressing agony or fear; Peleg was unable to determine which feeling predominated.

"What is it, Master Hargrave?" called the boy anxiously.

In reply no articulate words were spoken; but a scream was followed by a groan, and in the midst of it all were also sounds like the gasping and snarling of some wild beast. The suffering of the man was manifest, but the cause was nowhere to be seen.

There flashed into the mind of the young hunter the suggestion which Mistress Horan had made that evil spirits were the cause of the commotion. Such beliefs were not uncommon at the time, and although Peleg had never shared in the superst.i.tions of the more ignorant people, nevertheless the mystery of the terrifying sounds, as well as the expression of Schoolmaster Hargrave's face, caused even the young hunter to hesitate.

"What is it, Master Hargrave?" he shouted, for the uproar still continued.

"Oh-h-h-h! Help me! Help me!"

The cries of the schoolmaster were interrupted by strange noises, that still appeared to come from within the desk. Moans and cries and snarls, such as a wild beast might have emitted, were plainly to be distinguished in the midst of the uproar.

Peleg had stopped a few feet in front of the desk, and in amazement was watching the man before him. Apparently the schoolmaster was struggling and striving with some unseen body or person, and with intense effort he had grasped both sides of the desk and held it with all his strength, as if he was fearful it might escape. In one hand he also held a cylindrical ruler.

At this moment Mrs. Horan, who had gained sufficient courage to enter the building, advanced to Peleg's side. "I fear 'tis sick the man is,"

she said. Turning to the schoolmaster she suggested in a loud whisper: "If 'tis colic you are suffering from, Master Hargrave, I would recommend----"

Her recommendation, however, was interrupted by a terrible scream from the suffering man.

"'Tis good for you," said the kind-hearted woman once more. The schoolmaster, however, still writhed as if in great agony and looked at the woman with an expression that might have quieted the tongue of a less courageous woman than Mrs. Horan.

"Why do you cling to the desk in that manner?" demanded the woman.

The agony in the expression of the schoolmaster's face seemed to be deepened by the question, but he made no response.

"What's the matter, Master Hargrave?" demanded the woman once more.

"'Tis Peleg and I who are here to help you."

Suddenly from the lips of the tormented man came the cry, "I have caught a cat!" Perspiration was streaming from his face, and his manner, expressive of fright, agony, and fatigue combined, made his words scarcely recognizable.

Peleg glanced behind him and saw that many more of the neighbours had arrived and were curiously standing within the room at a safe distance from the desk, watching the actions of the man, who still writhed and twisted as he clung to the desk in front of him.

The young hunter darted around the corner of the rude desk, to discover the cause of all the trouble. He first saw that a part of the clothing of the unfortunate man had been torn from his body, which was pressed against the edge of the desk. Closer inspection showed that the teeth of a huge "cat," or lynx, were fastened in the side of the schoolmaster.

Bringing his gun to his shoulder the scout was about to fire, when the fear of Master Hargrave became stronger even than his sufferings.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! You will hit me! Oh-h-h-h!" he screamed, still striving to hold his adversary against the edge of the desk.

Disregarding the appeal, Peleg fired, and after a few confused struggles, the huge cat was lifeless.

Still the schoolmaster held the body in its place, however, and when his sympathetic friends drew him back they were horrified to discover that the jaws of the dead lynx were locked about one of his ribs. Several minutes elapsed before the man was freed from this death grip.

Meanwhile the a.s.sembly in the room had increased, and several children that had been brought by their mothers lifted up their voices to add to the general confusion.

In the midst of it all, Mrs. Horan was not to be denied the satisfaction of her curiosity. Pressing more closely upon the man who now had been placed on one of the rude benches almost in a fainting condition, she said: "I thought at first, Master Hargrave, that it was spirits, but now I see it was just a cat. Why did you fight the lynx in that way?"

Ignoring his suffering, the schoolmaster managed to gasp out a tolerably full explanation:

"What do you suppose? I was sitting alone at my desk, writing copy for the children to use on the morrow, when I heard a noise at the door and saw this enormous cat with her forefeet upon the step, every hair standing erect and her eyes shining as if they were on fire. My position behind the desk at first concealed me from her sight, but a slight motion of my chair revealed my presence, and in a moment the cat and I were each looking into the eyes of the other."

Master Hargrave stopped to recover his breath, and aware of the interest of his hearers, for all the visitors now had gathered about him, he resumed his story: "I had heard much from hunters concerning the power of the human eye to quell the fury of wild beasts. Accordingly, I frowned savagely at my visitor. Apparently, however, she was not alarmed. Her eyes flashed fire and she began to gnash her teeth, seemingly bent upon serious hostilities. Aware of my danger, I immediately made great haste and s.n.a.t.c.hed this cylindrical ruler from the desk, but the wildcat was too quick for me."

"Why didn't you hit her?"

"I had nothing but the ruler with which to strike; besides, she was too quick. Springing upon me with all the proverbial ferocity and activity of her tribe, she fastened upon my side with her teeth and began to rend and tear with her claws like unto a fury. In vain did I strive to disengage her. Her teeth seemed to be fastened about my ribs, and all my efforts served but to enrage her the more.

"When I saw the blood flowing so copiously from my wounded side I became seriously alarmed, and as a last resort threw myself upon the edge of the desk and with the entire weight of my body pressed the animal against a sharp corner. It was at this moment that the cat began to utter the most discordant cries to which I ever listened, and as doubtless I was somewhat excited at the time and lost a measure of my self-control, I have no question that we engaged in a duet that must have resounded loudly throughout the settlement."

"That's enough of the story," said Peleg. "We have killed the cat and we shall now take you and put you in bed."

CHAPTER XII

AN ATTACK

Several weeks elapsed before the schoolmaster recovered sufficiently from his wounds to enable him to resume his task.

It was now March, 1775, and Daniel Boone had returned to the settlement on the Clinch. The task which Governor Dunmore had a.s.signed him had been accomplished. He found Peleg and the members of his family engaged in their preparations for the spring work.

At the close of the first day after his homecoming, the great scout once more had an interview with Peleg. "I have just come from Watage," he explained when no one was near, "where there has been an a.s.sembly of the Cherokees. I went at the request of a gentleman named Henderson, who is acting for several other men as well as for himself. He desired me to represent him in the purchase of land south of the river of Kantuckee. I did as he requested, and arrangements for the purchase of all the land as far as the Tennessee River were completed."

"Why did Mr. Henderson----"

"Colonel Henderson," broke in the scout; "Colonel Richard Henderson."

"Why did Colonel Richard Henderson," repeated Peleg, "and the other gentlemen wish to purchase so much land?"

"Because they had learned of the fertility of the soil through the reports which my brother and I had given them. In a way I am to be their agent."

"Did the Cherokees sell to him?"

"They did. I fancy they were glad to part with an empty t.i.tle for a solid though moderate recompense. Trouble arose, though, when Colonel Henderson and his friends prepared to take possession, relying upon the validity of the deed which the Indians had given them. Unfortunately, the land lies within the limits of Virginia, according to the old charter which King James gave, and I understand that the Virginians are claiming for themselves the privilege of purchasing the t.i.tle to all land which the Indians held within the limits of their state. Already the treaty of Colonel Henderson has been p.r.o.nounced null and void as far as he is concerned, but the Virginians declare that the t.i.tle given by the Cherokees is valid, and that they will a.s.sume the rights. That is a very peculiar method of dealing, according to my light. But 'tis not concerning that, lad, that I would speak to you to-day."

The scout was silent a moment, and Peleg, interested far more than his quiet manner betrayed, looked eagerly into the face of his friend, waiting for him to explain.

"I agreed," resumed Boone, "to take a band of men with me and mark out or clear a road to this region in Kantuckee."

"A road?" asked Peleg in surprise.

"Yes, a road over which packhorses and wagons can be driven. It will require patience and much labour, but the reward will be great. Whenever I think of that marvellous country and of the possibilities contained in it for families like my own, I am eager to open the way to it. I am authorized by Colonel Henderson to say that he will pay thirty-three cents per day to every man whom I may select to be of our company."

"When do we go?" inquired Peleg eagerly.

"On the day after to-morrow. How is Singing Susan?" inquired Boone with a smile.

"She is doing famously. I have gained a reputation in the settlement for being a better shot than I would be warranted in claiming to be, unless I had the song of Susan to help me."