The hands of the
shiftless one, when the hands were cut, had fallen limply by his
side, and his face looked all the more pallid by contrast with
the yellow hair which fell in length about it. But it was his
old-time friend, the dauntless Shif'less Sol, the last of the
five to vanish so mysteriously.
Henry bent down and pulled him by the shoulder. The captive
yawned, stretched himself a little, and lay still again with
closed eyes. Henry shook him a second time and more violently.
Shif'less Sol sat up quickly, and Henry knew that indignation
prompted the movement. Sol held his arms and legs stiffly and
seemed to be totally unconscious that they were unbound. He cast
one glance upward, and in the dim light saw the tall warrior
bending over him.
"I'll never do it, Timmendiquas or White Lightning, whichever
name you like better!" he exclaimed. "I won't show you how to
surprise the white settlements. You can burn me at the stake or
tear me in pieces first. Now go away and let me sleep."
He sank back on the bark, and started to close his eyes again.
It was then that he noticed for the first time that his hands
were unbound. He held them up before his face, as if they were
strange objects wholly unattached to himself, and gazed at them
in amazement.
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