Both were well armed, and, as was usual with
people of their origin on the war-path, they were clad only in the
customary scanty covering of waist-cloths and leggings. The former,
however, were of scarlet, and the latter were rich in the fringes and
bright colors of Indian ornaments. The elder of the two wore a gay belt
of wampum around his head, in the form of a turban; but the younger
appeared with a shaven crown, on which nothing but the customary
chivalrous scalp-lock was visible.
The consultation, like most of the incidents that have been just related,
occupied but a very few minutes. The eldest of the chiefs issued some
orders. The mind of Dudley was anxiously endeavoring to anticipate their
nature, when the two disappeared together. The Ensign would now have been
left entirely to vague conjectures, had not the rapid execution of the
mandates that had been issued to the youngest of the Indians, soon left
him in no doubt of their intentions. Another loud and general shout drew
his attention towards the right; and when he had endeavored to strengthen
his position by calling three or four of the best marksmen to that end of
his little line, the youngest of the chiefs was seen bounding across the
meadow, leading a train of whooping followers to the covers that commanded
its opposite extremity.
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