LIFE AT UPHILL--OUR TUTOR--MR. MARK TIDEY'S FIRST LESSON IN
HORSEMANSHIP--STUDIES FROM THE BOOK OF NATURE--OUR TRIPS WESTWARD--A
STRANGE COMBAT--A HASTY SHOT--SOMETHING WORTH KNOWING ABOUT SNAKES--
CAMPING OUT--THE BEAR'S VISIT AND ITS RESULT--WOLVES--DRAWING LOTS--A
SLEEPLESS NIGHT--TIMELY ASSISTANCE--DYING FROM HUNGER--CONSEQUENCES OF
SHELTERING A RUNAWAY SLAVE--OUR TUTOR TURNS NURSE--CHANCES OF
DISCOVERY--WE PART COMPANY--A MID-DAY HALT--AN UNPLEASANT MEETING--THE
BULLY RECEIVES A LESSON--OUR MARCH HOMEWARDS--THE WAY DAN KEPT WATCH--WE
REACH THE FARM.
We had been living at Uphill for some years, the wilderness had been
changed into a smiling garden, though I will not say a perfect paradise,
for I am very sure that no such spot exists on earth. Our education had
not been neglected, for my father had engaged a tutor for Dan and me,
when we grew too old for the instruction our mother could give us. Our
father was too much engaged to attend regularly to our studies, though
very well able himself to teach us. Mr Mark Tidey, our tutor, was a
character; he was fond of field-sports, but fonder still of books, and
had an aptitude for teaching which many professed tutors do not possess.
For the sake of indulging in both his fancies, he undertook to instruct
us at a very moderate stipend. My father had found him during one of
his journeys eastward at a wayside store--which he had visited for the
purpose of obtaining a supply of powder and shot--without a cent in his
pocket to pay for it. He had been endeavouring to persuade the
storekeeper that he would return in the course of a week with a number
of skins amply sufficient to pay his debts; but the wary trader, looking
at his ungainly figure and discovering that he was a "Britisher," was
unwilling to trust him. Finding that all his arguments were useless,
taking a book from his pocket, he had sat down in a corner of the store,
philosophically to console himself by its perusal. My father entering
found him thus engaged, and glancing his eye on the book, his surprise
was considerable to find that it was a copy of one of the Greek
classics. My father addressed the stranger, and soon discovered that he
was a well-informed man. After some further conversation, he was pretty
well satisfied that he was also an honest one. Mr Tidey, finding a
person who could sympathise with him, poured forth the history of his
adventures and misfortunes. He had come over to America with the
intention of establishing a school, but his slender means had been
almost exhausted before he could obtain any pupils, his attainments
indeed being at that time such as were not generally required in the
States. Believing that he could replenish his exhausted exchequer more
satisfactorily by means of his gun than in any other way, he had come
westward; but the game of which he was in search he found had been
driven further into the wilderness than he had expected, and an illness
of some weeks' duration had entirely emptied his purse. He had
notwithstanding, trudged boldly forward, though the game he killed had
been barely sufficient to supply himself with the necessaries of life.
From several letters and other documents which he exhibited, my father,
being convinced that Mr Tidey had given a true account of himself,
invited him to Uphill farm. The poor man jumped at the offer.
"With all the pleasure in the world, my dear sir," he answered, the
tears starting to his eyes. "You have boys to teach, I'll teach them.
If you've game to be shot, I'll shoot it. If you've accounts to be
kept, I'll keep them. If you've any other work to be performed, which a
gentleman and a man of honour can perform, I'll undertake it. You would
not ask me, I am sure, to do anything derogatory to my character."
My father, however, did not accept his offer at once, wishing to see
more of the stranger before he confided us to his care.
"I have a spare horse, and shall be happy if you will accompany me to
Uphill," said my father.
"I am not much accustomed to equestrian exercise, but I'll try,"
answered Mr Tidey; "and unless you have five-bar gates to leap, and the
boundless prairie to gallop over, I trust that I shall stick on the back
of the animal. I don't like to be defeated, and I should not like to
abandon the undertaking on account of my want of equestrian skill.
Practice makes perfect; in the course of a few days I may perchance
become an expert horseman."
As dinner was about to be served, my father invited Mr Tidey to join
him, and from the voracious way in which he shovelled the food into his
mouth, it was very evident that he had long been a stranger to a
satisfactory meal.
The horses being rested, my father ordered Peter, who had left my
Uncle's service, to bring out the steed he intended for his new
acquaintance. Mr Tidey showed his ignorance of horsemanship by
attempting, in the first instance, to mount from the wrong side, until a
hint from Peter made him try the other, when, aided by the black, he
scrambled up into the saddle. My father had advised him to let Peter
carry his rifle and his slightly furnished knapsack, a fortunate
circumstance, as was proved by the sequel. As long as the horse
continued walking Mr Tidey kept his seat with becoming dignity,
endeavouring to imitate the way my father held his rein, though he
shoved his feet far into the stirrups. At length, coming to an even
piece of road, my father put his horse into a trot. For some minutes
Mr Tidey bore the jolting to which the movement subjected him with
wonderful patience, until my father heard him shriek out--
"O captain, captain! for the love of heaven stop, or I shall be worn
down to the bones."
My father accordingly drew up, to allow his companion to recover
himself. After a time he again proposed moving forward.
"I'll try, captain, I'll try," was the answer, "_fortes fortuna juvat_;
but I wish that my steed could manage to move forward in a fashion less
calculated to stir up the bile in my system, than that he has hitherto
adopted."
"A canter, or an easy gallop would suit you best," answered my father;
"try him with a touch of your whip behind, and give a gentle jerk with
your left rein. Now, away we go!" and both steeds broke into a canter,
exchanging it in a short time for a gallop.
"Very pleasant, very pleasant; I only hope that my nag won't run away
altogether," said Mr Tidey.
"No fear of that," answered my father; "keep a sufficiently tight hold
on your rein, and he'll go on well enough."
As long as the ground was level his companion stuck on to admiration,
but at length, coming to a rough part, his steed gave a bound over it,
swerving on one side and shooting his rider, fortunately, into the
middle of a bush, from which my father saw him struggling desperately to
get free. Having caught the horse, my father pulled up.
"_Nil desperandum_! I'll try again," cried Mr Tidey; "but I should be
obliged to the animal not to play me such another trick."
"You must be prepared for such tricks," answered my father, calling
Peter to hold the horse.
The Dominie at once bravely remounted, and the party moved forward, but
before long he was again pitched off into the bed of a stream which
flowed by the road-side, happily without any other damage than a
thorough wetting.
"It won't do, captain, it won't do!" he cried; "I must trust to my feet,
and I may hope some day or other to reach your hospitable home. Give me
directions how to find it, and let me have my gun and the ammunition you
were kind enough to obtain for me, and I doubt not but that in due
course I shall present myself at your gate; the exercise will dry my
clothes, and my gun will afford me as much food as I require; I am
accustomed to the vicissitudes of fortune."
My father being anxious to get home, and suspecting that Mr Tidey would
still further delay him, somewhat reluctantly consented to his proposal,
and slipping a couple of dollars into his hand, told Peter to give him
back his rifle and knapsack, with his powder-horn and shot-belt.
"A thousand thanks, a thousand thanks!" exclaimed Mr Tidey; "I shall
think better of the world in future than I have been inclined to do for
some time past."
On leaving Mr Tidey my father had some doubts whether he should ever
see him again. He had, however, thought on his way home of the
conversation which had taken place between them, and came to the
conclusion that he was honest. That he intended to fulfil his promise
was proved by his appearance about ten days afterwards, with a load on
his back.
"I've not been idle, captain, I was anxious to return your kindness," he
said. "The country abounds with game, and I could live here in
contentment for the rest of my days, provided I could occasionally
indulge in a little literary recreation."
From that day Mr Tidey became domesticated in our family. My father
being convinced that he was a man of sterling worth, we were duly placed
under his care, and immediately he set to work to afford us the
instruction which it must be confessed we at the time greatly needed.
We made rapid progress, an evidence that he possessed the art of
teaching; and, as Kathleen grew older, she also came in for her lessons.
Mr Tidey was of opinion, much to our satisfaction, that all work and no
play makes Jack a dull boy; and we consequently spent a portion of each
day in shooting or trapping, often making excursions to a considerable
distance from home. Sometimes in summer we camped out for several days
together. On these occasions we gained a considerable amount of
information from our worthy tutor on natural history.
"You shall have a lesson now from the book of nature," he used to say
when we started. "It is a big book, and, if studied carefully, more
knowledge can be gained from it than from any other source. It might
not be of so much use in the great cities down east, but I opine that
you are not likely to spend much of your time in that direction, and it
is well worth obtaining for many reasons, besides the satisfaction
knowledge always affords."
We used to start with our rifles in our hands and our knapsacks on our
backs, making our beds at night on a heap of leaves, the blue vault of
heaven for our only covering; or, when the sky looked threatening, we
either built a hut of boughs or occasionally took shelter in the log hut
of one of the pioneers of civilisation, as the hardy backwoodsmen are
called, although, in most instances, but little civilised themselves.
We preferred, however, taking up our abode at night in a bower of our
own construction.
We met with many adventures, but, owing to Mr Tidey's caution and
judgment--though sometimes we were exposed to dangers--we always escaped
from them without any serious mishap.
We had had several encounters with bears and wolves, and now and then we
met with more formidable enemies in the shape of a party of Shawanees
who had ventured back to their old hunting-ground in search of game, or
in the hopes of stealing the sheep or hogs of some solitary settler.
Our tutor always spoke them fair and showed them that he was not afraid,
and if we had any game, presented it to them as a mark of his
friendship. When we came across an Indian trail we took good care to
keep a bright look-out on every side and a strict watch at night, so as
to prevent being surprised, lest the Indians might be tempted to murder
us for the sake of obtaining our arms and ammunition, unable to resist
the desire of possessing what to them would be a rich prize.
I must not step to describe more minutely our adventures at that period,
interesting as they were to us. I will however narrate the particulars
of a curious incident which occurred during one of our excursions.
We had gone further west than usual, and were traversing a space of
low-lying land through which a wide stream flowed onwards towards the
Mississippi. We had expected to reach some higher ground where we could
camp, when we found that the day was drawing to a close. We accordingly
looked out for a dry spot, free from long grass, on which we could light
our fire and spend the night. Some rocky ground just ahead, amid which
grew a number of small trees and bushes, promised to offer us the sort
of place we were looking for.
We had just reached it, when I, happening to be a little in advance of
our Dominie and Dan, saw a squirrel running along the ground towards a
tree, with the evident intention of ascending it. We had already as
much game as we required, so I refrained from firing. Just as the
little creature had gained the foot of the tree, the ominous sound
produced by the tail of a rattle-snake reached my ear, and the next
instant an unusually large reptile of that species, darting forward,
seized the innocent squirrel by the head, and began to draw it down its
throat, the hind-legs of the little animal still convulsively moving.
I beckoned to Mr Tidey and Dan, who ran forward to witness the
operation, in which I knew they would be much interested. Of course we
could quickly have put an end to the snake, though we could not have
saved its victim. The reptile had got half the body of the squirrel
down its throat, when I saw the long grass close at hand violently
agitated, and caught sight of a large black snake moving rapidly through
it. The two creatures were well matched as to size. It was the evident
intention of the black snake to attack the other. Instead of attempting
to escape with its prize, the rattle-snake, though it could not use its
venomous fangs, which would have given it an advantage over its
opponent, whose teeth were unprovided with a poison-bag, advanced to the
encounter. In an instant the two creatures had flown at each other,
forming a writhing mass of apparently inextricable coils. In vain the
rattle-snake attempted to get down the squirrel so as to use its fangs,
the animal sticking in its throat could neither be swallowed nor
ejected. The struggle was truly fearful to look at. Round and round
they twisted and turned their lithe bodies. In the excitement of the
moment we cheered on the combatants, who appeared perfectly heedless of
our cries. By the most wonderful movements the rattle-snake managed to
prevent the black snake from seizing its neck with its sharp teeth, or
coiling its lithe tail round the other.
Had the rattle-snake succeeded in swallowing the little squirrel, one
bite with its venomous fangs would have gained it the victory. For some
time the result of the combat appeared indecisive. In point of size the
two creatures were tolerably well matched, both being upwards of six or
seven feet long, with bodies of about equal thickness, but they differed
greatly in the shape of their heads, and still more so in the form of
their tails, that of the black snake being round and tapering to a fine
point, while the thick rattle of the other was clearly discernible as
they writhed and twisted round and round, its sound never ceasing while
the deadly struggle continued; that and the angry hiss emitted by both
alone broke the perfect silence which otherwise reigned around. At
length the black snake succeeded in seizing the body of its antagonist
at some distance from the head, when by a sudden whisk it encircled with
its long tail the neck of the more venomous reptile. It then gradually
drew the body of the latter within its coils until it had firmly secured
its throat. In vain the rattle-snake attempted to free itself. At
length, to our infinite satisfaction we saw the head of the venomous
reptile drop towards the ground, and we no longer heard the rattle of
its tail; still the black snake, which had from the first kept its sharp
eyes intently fixed on those of the rattle-snake, did not appear
satisfied that life was extinct, but held it in a fast embrace,
carefully avoiding the risk of a puncture from its fangs.
"Hurrah!" shouted Dan when he saw the victory gained by the black snake.
The reptile, the combat being now over, was startled by the sound of
his voice. For an instant it looked at us with head erect, as if about
to spring forward to the attack, when Dan, before Mr Tidey could stop
him, lifted his rifle and fired. The big snake fell, and, after a few
convulsive struggles, was dead beside its conquered foe.
"I wish that you had let the creature live," said Mr Tidey; "it would
have done us no harm and deserved to go free; besides which it would
probably have killed a number more rattlesnakes."
"Unless bitten itself," I remarked.
"It was too wary a creature and too rapid in its movements to be taken
at a disadvantage," observed Mr Tidey. "It would have waited until it
could catch another rattle-snake taking its dinner. However, as the
creature is killed, we will examine it and see how it differs from the
venomous reptile. To prevent the other from coming to life, we will
make sure work by cutting off its head."
"Be careful," cried Dan, "I thought I saw its body move."
Taking his axe from his belt, our tutor, with one blow, severed the head
from the body.
"Don't prick your finger with its sharp fangs," said Mr Tidey, "for,
although the creature is dead, the poison may exude and perhaps produce
death even now."
As he spoke he held up the head by the tail of the squirrel. The body
of the little creature had begun to swell and filled the whole of the
snake's mouth. Taking out a sharp knife and pressing the head of the
snake with his axe, he cut open its jaws so as to expose both the upper
and lower portions; by this means also he extracted the body of the
squirrel. He then showed us its poison fangs, which, on removing the
little animal, folded back into the upper jaw, on the sides of which
they were placed. The points were as sharp and fine as needles. He
then cut out from each side of the head, close to the root of the fangs,
the venom-bags.
"You see that, to enable the head to contain these bags, it is very much
broader than that of the harmless snake," he observed. "We shall find
the same breadth of head in all the venomous species. The bags contain
between them about eight drops of poison, one of which would be
sufficient, introduced into the blood, to kill a man or a horse. You
see round the base of each fang, a mass of muscular tissue. By its
means the fang is elevated or depressed. When the snake opens its mouth
to strike its victim, the depressing muscles are relaxed, and the
opposite series become contracted, causing the fangs to rise up ready
for action. Now look through my magnifying glass. You see that the
fang is hollow from the base to the point, from the former the poison is
pressed up out of the poison-bag and exudes through the fang point,
which, as you see, is in the form of a narrow slit on its concave side."
"I don't see how any liquid could get through that," observed Dan.
"It does though, and quite sufficient comes through to produce a deadly
effect. The other teeth enable the serpent to hold its prey, but are
not in communication with the poison-bags. I'll now show you the
poison, but we must be very cautious how we handle it," observed the
Dominie.
On this he cut open the poison-bags and exhibited a small amount of
pale-yellow oil-like substance. He afterwards cleaned his knife
carefully, and observed, "So potent is the venom, that even should a
small drop remain, and were I to cut my finger, after the lapse of many
days, I might fatally poison my blood. And now, to prevent any
accident, we will bury the poison-bags and fangs, where they are not
likely to do any harm," he added.
Having dug a hole with his axe, he did as he proposed, covering it up
with leaves.
"And now we will have an examination of the creature's tail, in which it
differs from all other reptiles."
Having cut it off, he held it up, and counted the joints, of which the
snake--one of the largest of its species--had twenty. Cutting them
apart he showed us how the apparatus was arranged. I could best
describe it by saying it looked as if a number of small cups were placed
one within the other, flattened on both sides, with rings round the
edges and slightly decreasing in size towards the end, the last joint
being the smallest and forming a knob. These cups are horny and loosely
joined, so as to produce the rattling sound for which the creature is
noted. Every year of its life a new joint is supposed to be added, so
that the reptile killed by the black snake, must have been twenty years
old. Each joint was in form somewhat like the tip end of my thumb. I
have often since seen rattlesnakes, though seldom one so large.
Generally I have found them coiled up among the dry herbage, with the
tip of the tail raised in the centre of the coil. On seeing me approach
the creatures have instantly produced a quivering movement of their
tails, which made the joints of the rattle shake against each other. I
cannot find expressions to describe the sound, but having once heard it
I never failed to approach with caution, or to keep out of the
creatures' way.
"We will now have a look at the blue or black snake, or, as it is called
here, `the Racer,'" observed the Dominie, "and a `racer' it is rightly
called, for it moves along, as we saw this one do through the grass, at
the speed of lightning. When I first saw one I fancied from the noise
that it made rushing through the dried grass, that it was a rattle-snake
and shot the creature before I discovered that it was of a non-venomous
species. It can, however, bite very severely with its sharp teeth, and
I once saw a poor man almost frightened to death, believing that he had
been bitten by a rattle-snake. You see that the head is supplied with a
formidable array of teeth, but its tail is much longer and finer than
that of the rattle-snake. It can, however, open its jaws wide enough to
gulp down a good-sized bird. It gains its name of the blue or black
snake from the colour of its back, which is, as you see, blue-black;
while the underside is of an ashen slate hue. The tints vary slightly,
and hence the two names. Its tail is fine in the extreme, and enables
it to steer its rapid course through the herbage."
We let our Dominie run on, though we were well acquainted with the black
snake, for several had at different times come to the farm in search of
rats, of which they kill a vast number. My father gave orders that they
should not be molested; after remaining, however, for some time, they
invariably took their departure, for, as it may be supposed, it is
impossible to detain them against their will, as they can climb over
high palings or walls and insinuate their bodies into very small holes.
The battle and the lecture occupied some time, when we had to hurry in
order to get our camp ready for the night. Our first care was to cut a
sufficient supply of fire-wood to keep up a good blaze during the night,
and as the air in that low situation was somewhat damp, Mr Tidey
advised that we should build a hut, which would serve the double purpose
of sheltering us from the heavy mist, as well as afford a protection
from any wild beasts which might be prowling about. We had killed a
couple of turkeys, and as soon as we had got a good pile of hot embers
we stuck up our game to roast, Dan having plucked them while I formed
the uprights and spits, and Mr Tidey was engaged in erecting the hut.
The odour from the roasting turkeys filled the air and was wafted by a
light breeze into the recesses of the forest. Preparations for the
night were made. We had taken our seats before the fire, with one of
the turkeys already placed on a large leaf, which served as a dish, when
a rustling sound, accompanied by that of the breaking of branches,
reached our ears. Dan and I started to our feet.
"Stay quiet!" whispered Mr Tidey, lifting his rifle which lay by his
side: "we will see what will happen, no red-skins make those sounds,
they would approach far more cautiously." The sound of the snapping of
the branches and underwood increased, and presently we saw a shaggy
creature, which, by the light of the fire thrown upon it, we immediately
recognised as a huge bear.
"What a monster!" cried Dan; "let me shoot it."
"No, no, you might miss; the creature would become dangerous if
wounded," answered the Dominie.
We all three were at this time kneeling down with our rifles ready for
action. The bear advanced cautiously, sniffing up the odours of the
roast turkey, but not liking the glare in his eyes.
"Don't either of you fire until I tell you," whispered our tutor.
The next instant the bear, one of the brown species, raised itself on
its hind-legs to look round. The Dominie pulled his trigger. So well
aimed was his shot, that "bruin" rolled over, giving a few kicks with
his thick legs.
"Stay, boys; don't go near his head until you're sure that he is dead,"
cried the Dominie, who was always very careful of us; and advancing axe
in hand, he dealt the prostrate bear a blow, which effectually knocked
any life it might have retained out of it.
"It's a pity we are not nearer home, or we might take the skin with us
as a trophy," I observed.
"Oh, I'll carry it!" cried Dan, "provided that I have not to take the
head."
"I'll help you," said I.
"And I'll relieve you when you get tired," observed the Dominie. "At
all events we will have some bear-steaks for breakfast as a change from
turkeys."
That bear, though easily gained, cost us a sleepless night. We had
eaten our supper and had just thrown ourselves on our leafy couches,
when a low howl was heard, followed by several yelps.
"Those are wolves!" cried Mr Tidey, starting up; "they'll eat the bear
and then eat us, if we don't drive them off."
"They sha'n't have the bear!" cried Dan; "let's drag him up to the fire
and fight over his body."
"It would be more prudent to skin him and cut off the steaks we may
require," said the Dominie: "we will then drag the body to a distance
and allow the wolves to fight over it, so that we can pick them off at
our leisure or drive the survivors away when they have done their
feast." Shouting and waving brands in our hands we drove the hungry
pack to a distance, where they sat down howling with rage and
disappointment while we, by the bright flames of the fire, succeeded in
skinning the bear and cutting off the tit-bits; we then, as proposed,
dragged the carcase to the borders of the forest-glade in which we were
encamped, and returned to our fire with the skin and meat. No sooner
had the flames produced by some fresh wood thrown on the fire decreased,
than the howling pack drew near the carcase. Concealing ourselves
behind our hut, we waited to watch what would next take place. It was
evident that the brutes were still wary of the fire, for they approached
cautiously: at last one bolder or more hungry than the rest, rushed
forward and commenced gnawing at the carcase. His example was followed
by his companions. We counted upwards of thirty of the savage
creatures, a formidable pack had we been without arms, or a fire, but
they caused us no anxiety about our safety. "Now, boys, wait until I
give the word, and we'll fire together," whispered our Dominie. "I'll
take the one to the right; and you, Mike, take a fellow in the centre;
and you, Dan, knock over a third to the left. We may exterminate the
whole pack, if we take good aim, as the survivors are sure to kill their
wounded companions. Now, fire!"
Dan and I did as he desired, and three wolves rolled over.
Notwithstanding this the greater part of the pack were too eager in
devouring the bear to take much notice of what had occurred. A few,
apparently young wolves, who stood at a distance, howling and yelping,
afraid to approach while the elders were enjoying their feast, ran back
alarmed at the shots. They, however, quickly returned. We immediately
reloaded, and at another signal from Mr Tidey again fired. Two more
wolves were killed, but Dan only slightly wounded an animal, which went
howling away, creating a panic among the outsiders. The rest, still
regardless of the death of so many of their number, continued gnawing
away at the bear, snarling and yelping, and wrangling over their feast.
The third time we fired, with the same success as at first.
"We may let them alone for the present until they have eaten up the
bear, as there is no chance of their molesting us," observed Mr Tidey;
"and we shall expend too much of our ammunition, if we attempt to kill
the whole pack. Let us make up the fire and they will not venture near
us."
Although the flames burnt up brightly, the wolves did not appear to be
scared by them, but continued as before tearing the carcase to pieces,
presenting a surging mass of heads, tails, and bodies twisting and
turning and struggling together, while they kept up an incessant chorus
of snarls and yelps. The Dominie proposed that we should lie down while
he kept watch.
"No, no, we will take it by turns to do that," I observed; "let us draw
lots who shall take the first watch; we shall all of us then obtain some
sleep and be ready to proceed in the morning."
My proposal was agreed to, three pieces of stick served our purpose held
in Dan's hand. I drew the longest and had the first watch, promising to
call the Dominie in a couple of hours. I took good care to keep up a
blazing fire, while I paced backwards and forwards, between it and the
hut. I had no fear of falling asleep, while the uproar continued,
though scarcely had Dan stretched himself on the ground, than his eyes
closed, while the snores which proceeded from the spot where the Dominie
had thrown himself assured me that he too was in the land of dreams.
As the "patriarchs" of the pack had somewhat appeased their hunger, the
younger members rushed, in uttering sharp yelps, to which the elders
replied with still louder snarls, greatly increasing the horrible din.
The Dominie and Dan started up, fancying that the wolves were upon us.
Neither of them could after this go to sleep.
"Come, Mike, I'll take your place," said Mr Tidey. This I declined,
for I knew it would be useless to lie down. We therefore all three sat
round the fire, hoping that the wolves would at length leave us quiet.
The savage brutes, however, having finished the bear began to tear up
the bodies of their companions, wrangling over them as they had done
over that of bruin.
At last the Dominie, losing patience, jumped up exclaiming, "We must
drive these brutes off, though they are not worth any more of our powder
and shot."
Each of us taking a burning brand, we advanced towards the wolves, and,
waving our torches, raised a loud shout. The brutes hearing the noise
and seeing us coming, took to flight, disappearing in the depths of the
forest. Where the body of the bear had been, part of the skull, and a
few of the larger bones alone remained, while most of the wolves had
also been torn to pieces and the whole ground round was strewn with the
fragments and moist with gore. Disgusted by the sight, we hurried back
to our camp.
"We shall get some rest now, I hope, for I don't think the wolves will
come near us," said Dan.
"Not so sure about that," observed the Dominie; "however, we will try
and obtain some sleep."
Before our eyes were closed the horrible chorus of howls and yelps and
barking recommenced, and continued apparently on every side of our camp;
still, while the fire burned brightly, there was no fear of the brutes
rushing in on us. To sleep, while those dismal howls broke the
stillness of night, was simply impossible. Now the creatures appeared
to be coming nearer, now they retreated, now they seemed on this side,
now on that; their voices had summoned a fresh pack, who, rushing in,
quickly devoured the remainder of the feast. All night long the tumult
was kept up. Occasionally Mr Tidey or I rose to attend to the fire.
Upon each occasion I caught sight of numerous glaring eyes staring out
at us from amid the darkness. As morning approached the sounds
gradually ceased, and we had the satisfaction of believing that the
wolves had retreated to the recesses of the forest. I immediately fell
asleep, and when Mr Tidey roused Dan and me, the sun was already
several degrees above the horizon. We breakfasted on some bear-steak,
which we had fortunately secured, then set to work to scrape the skin
and to pack it up in a tight compass. As we had no wish to carry the
skin further than we could help, we put about and steered a course for
home, which we calculated it would take us four days to reach. Nothing
occurred worth narrating for the next three days.
We had still a march of about twenty-five miles to accomplish, and were
looking for a convenient spot to camp in near a stream bordered by a
wood, when we heard a low moan, which seemed to proceed from no great
distance off.
"That's a human voice," observed Mr Tidey; "some poor fellow wounded by
the Indians, or who perhaps has been injured by some other means."
We hunted about, being still uncertain of the exact spot whence the
sound proceeded. Again a moan reached our ears, and guided by it we
hurried on, when behind a bush we found stretched on the ground,
apparently at the last gasp, a negro dressed in the usual costume of the
slaves, a rough shirt and loose trousers. His feet were cut and
bleeding, probably from the sharp rocks and prickly bushes among which
he had passed. He opened his languid eyes as the sound of our footsteps
reached his ears, and pointing to his mouth murmured--
"Eat, eat,--massa, eat."
Having fortunately the remains of our last dinner in our knapsacks, we
were at once able to give him some food, while Mr Tidey poured some rum
and water down his throat. The effect was most satisfactory. In a few
minutes he was able to sit up, when he gazed at us earnestly.
"Where were you wanting to go, my poor fellow?" asked the Dominie in a
kind tone.
The black's eye brightened.
"Oh, massa, you kind to poor nigger," he said in a weak voice.
"White man or nigger, we are all of the same stock, whatever the
philosophers may say to the contrary. I won't ask where you came from,
except you wish to tell us; but perhaps we can help you on your way if
you have friends you desire to reach."
I don't think the black quite understood the Dominie's remarks, but he
comprehended enough to know that they were dictated by a kind spirit and
that he might trust us.
"You no gib up de poor slave to his hard massa?" he said in a whisper,
his voice trembling as if he was divulging a secret on which his life
depended.
"No, that I'll not," said the Dominie; "I don't hold with those who
think they have a right to buy and sell their fellow-creatures, and in
my opinion those fellow-creatures are perfectly justified in
endeavouring to get away from them, though if I was to say so down east,
I might chance to be the victim of `Lynch law.'"
The countenance of the negro brightened still more.
"Dis nigger go whar you go, massa," he said, attempting to rise. His
strength, however, was insufficient for the exertion, and he sank back
to the ground.
"You are not able to journey yet, and it will take you two or three days
to regain your strength," observed the Dominie; "so we will camp here,
boys, and as we are not expected home for a day or two, it will be no
great loss to us. We have light enough yet to shoot our suppers, and I
heard a turkey `gobble' not far off. You stay by the black man, collect
wood for a fire and boughs for a shanty, while I go and try my luck."
Saying this, our kind-hearted tutor took his rifle and soon disappeared
in the forest. We, in the meantime, were too much occupied in obeying
his directions to put any further questions to the negro, whose eyes,
however, were turned towards us as we moved about. We had soon
collected sufficient fuel to last us during the night, and then employed
ourselves in cutting down some young trees and lopping off some boughs.
While thus engaged we heard two shots. A short time afterwards the
Dominie appeared, carrying a turkey in one hand and a small fawn over
his shoulder.
"We've food here, boys, for ourselves and enough to set the negro on his
legs again," he exclaimed as he approached us. "Well done, I see you
haven't been idle; now kindle the fire while I fix up the shanty. I
should like to get our poor friend here under cover as soon as possible,
for more reasons than one, and he'll be the better for a mug of soup."
The Dominie, among other articles, had carried, I should have said, a
small saucepan, which had served to fetch water, boil our tea, and was
equally applicable for making a small quantity of soup. While I made up
the fire, Dan, having filled the saucepan from the stream, plucked the
turkey and cut up a part of it into small pieces. We then put it on to
boil. The Dominie in the meantime had flayed the deer and spitted a
couple of joints to roast, together with the remainder of the bird.
This done, he finished the shanty, into which we lifted the black, and
placed him on a bed of small twigs and leaves, a far more comfortable
couch than from his appearance we suspected he had enjoyed for a long
time. His looks, more than his words, expressed his gratitude, though
he continued to murmur--
"Tankee, tankee, massa; God bless massa!" his vocabulary not enabling
him to use any set phrases.
It was dark before the soup was ready. As soon as it was sufficiently
cool, and I had added some pepper and salt, I took it to him.
"Oh, massa! dis too much good to poor nigger," he murmured as he supped
it up; and almost immediately afterwards sinking back, he fell into a
deep slumber.
"I don't care whether the black is a runaway slave or not, but I tell
you what, boys, we must be cautious how we proceed with him, the chances
are that he is pursued," said the Dominie as we were seated before the
fire eating our ample supper. "If so, the fellows who come after him
are likely to treat us with scant courtesy."
"I'm sure my father would wish to help the black, if he is a runaway
slave, for he hates the system of slavery as much as any man," observed
Dan.
"I tell you what we must do, then," continued the Dominie, "if any
strangers appear, we must keep him inside the hut and cover him up with
boughs and leaves. They will scarcely suspect he is with us, and you
must leave me to answer any questions they put to us."
"Suppose they have blood-hounds with them, the brutes are sure to scent
him out."
"If we see the dogs approaching, we must shoot them without ceremony,
and take our chances of the consequences. I am only supposing what may
not happen, but we must be prepared for contingencies."
As on other nights, we kept watch, giving Dan a short one, the Dominie
and I taking the longest. Our object, however, was to scare away wolves
or bears, for no human enemies were likely to approach us during the
night.
We got up as soon as it was daylight, but the black did not awake until
the sun rose and we had finished our breakfast. We gave him some more
soup, which suited him better than our own fare, but it was evident that
he was still too weak to move.
"The chances are that he remains in this state several days, and your
mother will become alarmed if you do not make your appearance," said the
Dominie. "You know your way home as well as I do, and I wish that you
would set off alone, while I remain with the black. State what has
happened, and perhaps your father will think fit to send the waggon to
bring us in."
As there appeared no objection to this proposal, Dan and I agreed to
start immediately. Tears came into the eyes of the negro when we went
into the hut to wish him good-bye.
"Oh, massa, you like angel from heaven, so good to poor black fellow,"
he exclaimed.
We had a pretty long day's march before us, for although on a beaten
road the distance would have been nothing, we had to make our way
through forests and across streams and bogs, some pretty rough hills to
climb, and valleys to pass. We carried a portion of the venison with
us, which was still uncooked, and felt sure that without going out of
our way we should be able to kill something or other to serve us for
supper should we not reach home in time. At first we had some
difficulty in making our way, and without great care we knew that we
might be steering too far to the right or left. Every mile we advanced
the country became more and more familiar. At noon we camped, lighted a
fire, and cooked the venison. We calculated that by this time we had
done about twelve miles, so Dan thought, but I was not quite sure of
that. There was no means of ascertaining which was right. "At all
events, we must not spend much time here," I exclaimed, as we finished
the last of our venison, and jumping up I buckled on my knapsack, and
took my rifle in my hand. Dan was in no hurry to start. Seeing that I
was determined to go, he got up, and we trudged on together at the same
speed as before. We had not got far when, as we reached the brow of a
hill, we caught sight of two men on horseback passing along the valley
at our feet. We instinctively drew back, hoping that we had not been
seen, but their voices reached our ears hailing us.
"Hulloa! youngsters, have you seen a nigger-boy running in this
direction?" asked one of the men as we drew near.
"We have seen no nigger-boy running in this direction," I replied, such
being the fact.
"If you do, just take him along with you, and threaten to shoot him if
he won't move; don't do it though, for he's worth a heap of dollars, and
if you don't catch him, some one else will."
"It's not our business to catch runaway slaves," Dan answered unwisely.
"Whew! my young cock sparrow, to whom do you belong?" asked the man,
squirting a stream of tobacco juice out of his mouth, which Dan narrowly
escaped.
"We belong to our father," answered Dan, "and to no one else."
"And who is your father, master cock-a-hoop?" asked the man.
"Call me by my proper name and I'll answer a civil question."
"You'll answer whether I put the question civilly or not," cried the
fellow, raising his whip and spurring his horse on towards Dan, on which
I brought my rifle to bear on the man, exclaiming--
"If you touch my brother, I'll shoot you, as sure as you're a living
man."
On this he pulled in his rein, while his companion, bursting into a loud
laugh, exclaimed--
"These young cocks crow loudly! I say, youngsters, who is your father?
he must be a smart fellow to own such a pair of bantlings."
"Our father is Captain Loraine who lives at Uphill, and he's not the
person to stand nonsense from you or any other man like you!" exclaimed
Dan, whose Irish temper had risen almost to boiling pitch.
The strangers, seeing that they could not get much change out of us,
rode on; the last man who had spoken bantering his companion on their
defeat. I saw the other turn his head several times as though not quite
sure that we should not fire after him.
"I am glad they didn't come upon our camp this morning, although as they
have no blood-hounds with them, we might have managed to conceal the
negro without having had resort to force," I remarked.
"But we should have had to tell lies if they had put questions to us, or
have given him up or fought for him," observed Dan.
"Still better reason why we should be thankful that they did not find
us," I answered.
We were so excited by what had occurred that we slackened our speed for
a considerable way. We were still several miles from home when night
overtook us; we had therefore again to camp out. We did not mind this,
but we were anxious to get to the farm, to send assistance to our tutor
and the poor black. According to our usual plan, we built a shanty,
lighted a fire, and one of us sat up to keep the latter blazing. We
heard strange sounds during the night, which kept us wakeful, and during
my watch I caught sight of a bear, though the fire made him keep at a
respectful distance. After surveying us for a few minutes, and not
discovering any tempting odour, he slunk away, convinced that he would
gain nothing by paying us a visit. When I roused up Dan, I told him to
keep a look-out, lest bruin should come back, and lay down to snatch a
short sleep, expecting to be roused up again before long. Dan, however,
saw nothing during his watch to induce him to call me, so I had my sleep
out. I was awakened by feeling him shaking my shoulder.
"It is near morning, Mike, I think," he said; "I suspect that I must
have nodded, for the fire is lower than it should be, but I have thrown
on some sticks and it will soon be blazing up again."
I sprang to my feet just in time to see a big shaggy beast emerging from
the surrounding darkness. I gave a poke to the fire with my foot, it
made some dry leaves burst into a flame, and then Dan and I both shouted
at the top of our voices. The bear, who had again scented us out, might
in another instant have caught Dan or me in his unfriendly embrace; but
he stopped short, and then, turning round, retreated much faster than he
had come. We did not fire, as we should probably only have wounded him
and have excited him to rage.
Soon after this daylight broke. Having eaten the remainder of our
provisions, we started off, hoping to reach home in three or four hours.
We met with no other adventures by the way. The first person we saw on
approaching our home was our father. We told him of our discovery of
the apparently dying black, and that the dominie had remained behind to
take care of the poor fellow.
"Mr Tidey has done as I would have had him, and acted the part of the
good Samaritan. We'll send the waggon off at once, to bring him and the
negro in," said my father.
Though I wanted to go too, our father declared that we looked so much
knocked up from our long tramp and sleepless nights, that we must turn
in and get some rest, and he said that he would despatch Peter, who knew
the country better than we did, for the purpose.