THE FIRST GAME.
It was an ideal day for hunting among the mountains. The sun shone from
an unclouded sky, and the air had just enough crispness to make exercise
enjoyable. In short, it was a perfect copy of that day which saw the V.
W. W. start from Fort Steele on their long ride northward to Bowman's
ranch.
The other cowmen would have been glad to join in the hunt, but they
could not be spared from duty. Thus it came about that, as in the first
instance, Hank Hazletine was the guide and only companion of Jack Dudley
and Fred Greenwood on that which was destined to prove the most
memorable hunt of their lives.
The three had ridden briskly through a part of the foot-hills until they
reached the more elevated portion, when the hunter led the way up a
winding trail until, early in the afternoon, they arrived at what may be
called the limit of "horse navigation," which is to say their ponies
could give them no more help, since the way was too broken for them to
climb further.
Accordingly the three dismounted and removed all the trappings of the
animals. Hazletine was so familiar with the country that he came to this
favored spot without mistake or hesitation. It was a broad, irregular
inclosure, in the form of a grassy plateau, where grass grew abundantly,
and was walled in on nearly every side by immense rocks and boulders. A
tiny stream of icy water wound along one side, disappearing at a corner
among the rocks, which were so craggy and eccentric in their formation
that a cavity or partial cavern was found, in which the party placed
their bridles, saddles and blankets, and which was capable of giving
them shelter against the most furiously driving rain-storm.
"Surely we couldn't have found a better spot if we had hunted for a
month," said Jack, admiringly surveying their surroundings.
"This is to be our headquarters," explained Hazletine, "during the few
days or the week that we spend in hunting here."
"You mean that we are to spend each night in this place?"
The guide nodded his head.
"I don't know of any better arrangement," said Fred; "we can gather
enough wood to keep a fire going, and, if rain should set in, shall have
as good shelter as if in the house on the ranch."
"That's it; and you mustn't furgit one thing," added Hazletine; "we
fetched along just 'nough stuff fur dinner. We haven't anything left fur
supper. None of the cattle git this fur into the mountains, so we can't
count on them. Therefore, we've the ch'ice atween shooting game or
starving to death."
"That's enough to make us all do our best, but we cannot suffer so long
as we have you for our companion."
"But you ain't going to have me fur your companion."
The boys stared at their friend in astonishment. He explained:
"There ain't much show fur three persons to find game as long as they
stick together. The right way is fur 'em all to part and each keep it up
on his own hook. A chap isn't in half the danger of being seen by the
deer or sheep, or whatever it may be he's after; and he has the chance,
too, to show what stuff he's made of."
"Then you intend to leave us?"
"You've hit it the first time. I'll start out on my own bus'ness,
meaning to be back here while the night's young."
Observing significant looks passing between the boys, the man hastened
to add:
"Now, don't you folks make the mistake of thinking I'll get your supper
fur you, fur I don't mean to do nothing of the kind. I don't intend to
do any hunting, but to git away from you so as to let you have the
chance. I don't say that if a big horn or a antelope or buck walks up in
front of me and asks me to take a shy at him that I won't pop him over,
though some folks that I know wouldn't do the same if the buck happened
to be a two-legged one; but such things don't often happen; and, if you
don't fetch in any game, them appetites of your'n are likely to bother
you as much as they did t'other day when we was riding from the fort."
"Do you wish Fred and me to part company?"
Hank's eyes twinkled and a quizzical expression lit up that part of his
countenance which was visible.
"'Twouldn't be safe."
"Why not?"
"You'd each take the other fur a wild donkey and plug him afore you
found out the mistake, which the same wouldn't be such a mistake after
all."
The boys could well afford to laugh at the pleasantry of the man who, it
was evident, felt a partiality for them. He added, more seriously:
"You'd have more show to shoot game if you parted, but I'd not advise
you to do it till after you've hunted for some days together. It's
mighty easy for younkers like you to git lost in these mountains. You
must keep your bearings, so it won't be any trouble fur you to find your
way back to this spot when it's dark. If you happen to catch sight of
any game, try to not let it see you till you git a fair shot at it; and
there ain't much good in wounding a critter in these parts, fur it's
sure to git away from you."
After some further instructions, Hank bade his young friends good-by and
left them. He strode off in the direction of the trail over which they
had come to reach this interesting spot in the mountains, and
disappeared without once looking back to see what they were doing.
It was odd thus to be left alone in this wild region, and the chums
looked in each other's face with smiles. It certainly was a curious
experience to be set down in one of the greatest mountain spurs of the
West, and to be told that now they must take care of themselves. It was
like being cast into deep water and ordered to choose between swimming
and drowning.
"It's just as well," said Jack, "or he wouldn't have done it. Surely the
V. W. W. ought to be able to take care of ourselves, with our repeaters
and pistols. There's nothing to be feared from wild animals, or he would
have warned us."
"It strikes me that the most important thing to do is to keep our
bearings, for if we should happen to lose our way it would go hard with
us."
"We took care to bring spy-glasses, as well as everything else that we
thought we were likely to need, but forgot about a compass, which may be
worth all the rest."
"Well, we must be careful not to stray too far until we become familiar
with the country. Let's not delay our start."
The plateau where their ponies were cropping the grass was several acres
in extent, nearly half of it sloping abruptly; but the grass was
abundant enough to furnish the animals with all they could need, no
matter how long they stayed, since it had plenty of opportunity to renew
itself.
Side by side the boys moved across the space, the ponies not raising
their heads to look at them, as they passed near. Instead of following
the course taken by their guide they bore to the right, but at the same
time proceeded nearly westward, which led them deeper into the
mountains. Remembering the caution of their friend they studied the
landmarks around them, in the hope of not losing their way when it
should become time to return to camp.
When fairly clear of the plateau, where they must have been at a
considerable elevation above the sea, they found the way so rough that
travelling became a task. There was nothing in the nature of a path or
trail to follow, and they were compelled to pass around boulders and
rocks, sometimes turning back and retracing their steps, and making long
detours, so as to flank impassable chasms. All this tended to confuse
their knowledge of the points of the compass, but they did not forget to
note everything that could serve as a guide, and were confident of
finding their way whenever it should become necessary to return.
Most of the time Jack Dudley was in the lead, for it was not easy to
walk beside each other. He was perhaps a half-dozen paces in advance of
Fred, when he abruptly stopped with an exclamation of affright.
"What is it?" asked his friend, hardly less startled.
"Look at that!"
He pointed downward, almost at his feet. Still unaware of what he meant,
Fred stepped guardedly forward to his side.
There was good cause, indeed, for the alarm of the elder, for he had
checked himself on the edge of a ravine or canyon fully a thousand feet
deep. One step further and he would have dropped into eternity.
The peculiar formation of the canyon accounted for this peril. The chasm
was barely a dozen feet wide, but the other side was depressed, so that
it was not noticed by the youth until on the edge of the danger. The
walls were of solid rock, showing the numerous strata of sandstone and
other formations, worn so unevenly that it looked possible for a person
to use them as stairs in climbing the sides. Pausing on the edge and
peering cautiously down the dizzy steep, the youths could see a stream
of water, winding its course far down at the bottom, where the roughness
of its bed churned it into foam, and gave it the appearance of a white
ribbon that had been strung along the course. The murmur was so soft and
faint that at times they were not sure they heard it, and when it
reached their ears the voice of the distant ocean was suggested.
A striking feature of this phenomenon was the exceeding narrowness of
the canyon. It has been stated that directly opposite to where the boys
had halted it was scarcely a dozen feet wide, and there were places in
sight with the width still less, though most of it was greater. The ages
that it had taken this stream to erode such a bed for itself was beyond
imagination.
"Jack," said his companion, with that elasticity of spirits natural to
one of his years, "if you had pitched down there, how in the world could
I have pulled you up to the top again?"
"Why would you wish to do that?"
"Well, you would have been pretty well bruised and would have needed
help."
"Possibly; but I wonder whether there are many such pit-holes in this
part of the world. It resembles the fissures in the mountains of ice
which I have read that the Arctic explorers sometimes find."
However, since the youths were on one side of the canyon, naturally they
were seized with the belief that it was necessary immediately to place
themselves on the other side. Why it was so they would have found hard
to explain, but they were unanimous on the point; and, since there was
but the single method of crossing the chasm, they set out to find it.
"It looks narrower over there to the left," said Jack, turning in that
direction.
He did not have to go far when he paused, where the width was barely six
feet--not enough to afford much of a leap for sturdy lads of their
years.
"That's easy," added Jack, measuring it with his eye.
"You must remember one thing, Jack. There's something in the air of this
part of the world which makes a mile look no more than a few hundred
yards. Suppose that that other bank is fifty feet off!"
It was an alarming thought, and Jack recoiled as if again on the edge of
the brink. But he was quick to see the absurdity of the idea.
"If that is so, then the canyon must be several miles deep. But we would
better make sure."
It was easy to do this. Hunting around until a chip from one of the
boulders was found, Jack tossed it across the abyss. It fell as he
expected, proving that, wonderfully deceptive as is the atmosphere of
the West, it cannot mislead in instances like that which confronted
them.
"That makes it right. I am not afraid to make the leap; are you?"
"Not a bit; but wait."
Near them lay a stone, so large that it required their united strength
to move it. By hard work they rolled it to the edge of the canyon and
tumbled it over, carefully watching its descent. A curious thing
followed. At first it shot straight downward for a hundred feet, when it
impinged against a projecting point of the mountain wall, knocked the
fragments in every direction, as if it were a ball fired from a
thousand-pounder, and bounded against the opposite side, further down,
scattering fragments again. By this time it had achieved an almost
inconceivable momentum, and was shooting downward at a terrific rate.
In the depths of this narrow canyon, where the sunlight never penetrated
for more than a few minutes at a time, it was always twilight. At the
bottom it was almost dark, so that the stream would hardly have been
visible but for its yeasty foam. At some point near the base, when the
flinty stone was speeding forward like a meteor, it abraded a harder
portion than before. Instantly a stream of fire shot out, such as
sometimes flashes from a murky cloud in the sky, and, as if it were an
echo of the impact, the splash and thunderous thump were heard by the
boys at the top.
It was a tempting theme for the imagination, but they were too practical
to linger. Having agreed that the canyon could be readily jumped, they
did not hesitate. Running a few steps, Jack Dudley cleared the passage
and landed on the other side, with several feet to spare. He did not
take the trouble to toss his rifle in advance, but kept it in his hand.
"I had a queer feeling," he said, as Fred joined him, "when I was right
over the middle of the canyon, and knew, if I had made any
miscalculation, I should never stop until pretty well down toward the
centre of the earth."
"It doesn't take long to do a deal of thinking at such time, but what
bothered me was whether I was going to make as good a jump as you. I
believe I beat you by two or three inches."
"You wouldn't have done it if I had tried. But, Fred, since we are on
this side of that split in the mountain, we have got to jump it again to
get back to camp."
"And we must manage to do it before dark, for it isn't safe to take
chances where there is so much variance in the width."
"Fact of it is," remarked Jack, expressing that which had been clear to
both from the first, "there was no need of our jumping it at all. But we
are here, and must make the best of it. It's time we found some game."
And Jack looked sharply around, as if he expected to see a fat deer or
big horn step forward and sacrifice himself for their good.
But they were more fortunate than they were warranted in expecting.
While surveying the rocks and heights which seemed to wall them in, Fred
exclaimed:
"There's our game!"
He pointed to a cliff fully two hundred yards distant, and of half that
height. On this projecting ledge stood a noble buck, with antlers and
head raised, while he seemed to be gazing over the wild expanse of
country below him. They knew he was a fine animal, though the distance
made him appear diminutive.
[Illustration: "On the projecting ledge stood a noble buck."]
"I wonder if he sees us?" said Jack in a whisper, as if afraid of being
overheard.
"If he does, he knows we are too far off to harm him."
The next instant the boys had unslung their glasses and leveled them at
the fellow, who formed a striking picture, as he stood out in bold
relief, with his spreading antlers, his fine head, and his brown, sinewy
limbs. The next remark by Jack may not have been romantic, but it was
characteristic:
"What a fine meal he will make for us!"
"Provided we can secure him. We must get a good deal nearer."
"Our rifles will carry a bullet that far."
"No doubt; but if we hit him he would be only slightly wounded and would
make off. We must go closer."
This necessity was self-evident, but the task was certain to be a
difficult one. As they approached the animal they were likely to expose
themselves to his keen gaze, when he would disappear on the instant.
"Remember what Hank said. There is twice the chance for one that there
is for two. I'll stay here, Fred, while you go on. If I see him move
I'll try it, and you must do the same. Between us, we may bring him
down."
The plan was acted upon. It was agreed that Fred should steal as near to
the buck as possible, in the hope of securing him, while Jack should
hold himself in readiness to make a shot, with precious little prospect
of success.
If the game would maintain his position it looked as if there was a good
prospect of the younger lad getting within shooting distance, for the
way was so rugged, and offered so many opportunities for screening his
approach, that he did not believe he would be detected if he used proper
care. Meanwhile Jack took position behind the nearest boulder, where he
could keep an eye on the animal and it was impossible for the latter to
see him.
Fred was lost to sight almost immediately. He grew so anxious as the
interval decreased that he trembled, and it was hard to fight off an
attack of what is called "buck fever," and which is fatal to the best
hunter; but by and by his nerves settled, and he became as cool and
self-possessed as Hank Hazletine himself would have been under the
circumstances.
It seemed improbable that the buck would wait where he was, even if not
alarmed, for the time necessary to afford a good shot for his enemy. It
was some whim that had led him out upon the top of the towering bluff,
where he was in view of the young hunters. It is not to be supposed that
his kind appreciate such a thing as beauty in a landscape or scene
spread before them, and yet the action of the buck almost indicated
something of that nature; for he stood motionless, minute after minute,
as if absorbed, and suggesting a statue carved from the rock itself.
Foot by foot Fred Greenwood stole forward, crouching behind boulders,
creeping beside immense rocks which shut him from the gaze of the
watchful animal, until with a rapidly beating heart he whispered:
"I'm near enough to try a shot."
He was making ready, when he observed a well-screened point a few rods
in advance, which impressed him as the right place. Once there, he could
ask no better opportunity to test his skill. Was it safe to wait a
minute or two longer? Yes, he would make the attempt.
With infinite care, and holding his nerves in superb control, he worked
his way to the spot without alarming the buck.