AN UNCOMFORTABLE STATE OF THINGS--KLUKO PAYS US A VISIT--STARTLING
INTELLIGENCE--THE FATE OF SILAS BRACHER--RETURN TO THE FARM--THE
INDIAN'S FRIENDSHIP FOR DIO--THE RED MAN'S OPINION OF SLAVERY--UNCLE
DENIS'S MENAGERIE--WINTER AT THE FARM--WE HAVE AN ADVENTURE--FIGHT
BETWEEN A SABLE AND PORCUPINE--WE CAPTURE THE COMBATANTS--THEIR
APPEARANCE--TREATMENT IN THE CAGE--TAMING OF THE SABLE AND URSON--LOSS
OF POULTRY--IMPRISONMENT FOR LIFE--SOMETHING ABOUT OURSELVES.
The warning we had received of a projected attack on the farm by the
Indians compelled us to be on our guard. We kept a strict watch at
night, and two or three of us were constantly employed in scouting in
the neighbourhood, so as in good time to discover any red-skins who
might be approaching with hostile intent. Cunning as they may fancy
themselves, they are in reality easily outwitted by the superior
intelligence of white men.
We had got so accustomed to this state of things that we took them as a
matter of course. Even my mother, Kathleen, and Lily, were not in the
slightest degree alarmed, though they became somewhat anxious when my
father and uncle, or Dan and I did not return at the hour they expected.
We were annoyed chiefly by the interruption to our usual avocations,
as, when we had been out all day, neither our worthy Dominie, Dan, nor I
were much inclined for lessons. We, however, managed to hunt as usual,
as we could at the same time act as scouts, though we ran, it must be
confessed, some risk of being caught by any hostile Indians who might be
in the neighbourhood. Impunity, however, made us bold, and we were
inclined to think that the threatened attack would never take place.
The men continued cutting down trees, putting up fences, ploughing, and
sowing, as regularly as before, though, by my father's orders, they
always carried their arms with them, and piled them close at hand, so as
to be ready for instant use.
Mr Tidey, Dan, and I had started on horseback one morning just before
daybreak, agreeing to meet at noon at a certain spot about ten miles
from the farm, by the side of a stream near a wood, where we could light
our fire and cook any game we might have shot. I had had a successful
morning's sport, having shot a fawn, a couple of turkeys, and several
small birds; and at the hour agreed on I arrived with my horse well
loaded at our proposed camp. Finding that the Dominie and my brother
had not yet reached it, I collected sticks and lighted a fire, so that I
might have dinner ready for them.
While I was so employed, occasionally taking a look round in the
expectation of seeing either the Dominie or Dan approaching, I was
startled by discovering an Indian who had suddenly emerged from the wood
about twenty paces off. My first impulse was to seize my rifle which
lay on the ground near me, but a second glance showed me that although
he had a bow in his hand, there was no arrow in the string.
"You are not as cautious as you should be, young pale-face," he
observed, as he came up to me. "This is the second time I have caught
you off your guard; an enemy approaching as I did might have shot you
before you had discovered him."
As he spoke I recognised our friend Kluko. We shook hands, and he
seated himself by the fire, when I offered him some of the food I was
cooking, which would, I knew, suit his taste, though not sufficiently
roasted to please our palates.
"I heard the sound of your rifle several times, and I tracked you here,
as I wanted to bring you good news," he said.
"I thank you, pray speak on," I answered; "I know that it will give
Kluko as much pleasure to tell good news as it will afford me to hear
it."
"When I saw you last, I warned you that a party of Blackfeet, instigated
by a white man, had undertaken the destruction of your farm: I have now
to tell you that they quarrelled with their white friend, and, following
his trail as he journeyed westward, they have attacked his camp, and cut
him and his people to pieces, carrying off their scalps as trophies."
"Do you speak of Silas Bracher?" I asked.
"That was the name of the white chief; I have no doubt about the matter,
although I could not remember it," answered Kluko. "As the red-men
obtained all the booty they could carry off, many times more than the
amount of the reward they expected to receive, they are not likely to
attack your farm, indeed they are already on their road back to their
own hunting-grounds, so you may now rest in peace for some time to come.
Should I again hear that they are out on the war-path, I will give you
timely notice. You know Kluko is your friend, and that you can trust
him."
I assured the Indian that I put full confidence in the information he
had brought, and invited him to accompany us to the farm, as I was sure
my father would be glad to see him and thank him for the service he had
rendered us. He was evidently pleased, and said he would come and see
his pale-faced brothers. In a short time Dan and Mr Tidey arrived, and
after they had saluted our Indian friend in the usual fashion, I told
them of the news he had brought.
"I was very sure that that wretched man would come to a violent end,"
observed Mr Tidey; "although he intended evil against us, we are bound
not to rejoice over his fate; we have been protected by a higher power."
"The great Spirit takes care of those who trust him," observed Kluko
reverently.
Having as much game as our horses could carry, we set off to return
home. The Indian, although on foot, easily kept up with us, and I could
not but admire his firm step and graceful carriage as he moved over the
ground, whether rough or smooth. The information he brought, relieved
my mother's mind of a constant source of care, but though my father
believed it to be true, he still considered it possible that the farm
might some day or other be attacked, and insisted that we should
continue the precautions we had hitherto adopted to escape being
surprised.
Kluko remained with us nearly a month, and won our regard by his quiet,
intelligent, and unobtrusive manners. Although dressed in skins, he was
perfectly the gentleman, moreover an enlightened and sincere Christian,
for he had thrown aside all heathen customs and superstitions. His
great object appeared to be to benefit his fellow-creatures. He became
strongly attached to Dio, whose history he had heard, and expressed
himself highly indignant that any people should reduce another race to
slavery.
"They speak with contempt of the red-men, but no red-men, cruel and
blood-thirsty as they are, ever do that," he observed. "When they take
prisoners they torture them, it is true, for a short time, but they then
put them to death; they would not subject them to a long life of torture
of soul and body."
Kluko accompanied us on several hunting expeditions, but he was much
less expert than we were in the use of the rifle. He could shoot very
well when he got his weapon on a rest, but could never manage to bring
down game on the wing. The first time he saw me kill a bird flying, he
expressed his astonishment. He had been accustomed to the bow from his
boyhood, he said, and, that his people never attempted to shoot at any
creature except on the bough of a tree, or running along the ground.
At length he took his departure, promising to pay us another visit ere
long, should his life be spared. Month after month went by without any
alarms from Indians, while we heard nothing more of the threatened
attack on the farm by the Blackfeet.
Uncle Denis was successful in trapping several animals to add to his
menagerie. One day he arrived with two wolf cubs, which, although
ill-tempered at first, soon became as tame as puppies, though less
playful. We obtained also three young fawns, of different species of
deer; charming little creatures they were, great pets with Kathleen and
Lily, and would follow them round the farm and into the house. They
were of course not allowed to go to a distance, lest they might be
carried off by any wild animal prowling about. The young wolves at
first showed an inclination to bite at them when they came near, but
were soon taught better manners, and afterwards never attempted to
molest them.
Bruin soon became on the most friendly terms with them, and would roll
on the ground, while they leapt over and over his body, and frolicked
round and round him. One of the last animals added to the menagerie,
was the most difficult to tame, and great doubt was entertained whether
it would be prudent to allow it to associate with the other members of
the happy family. Uncle Denis arrived with it on horseback in a big bag
hung to the saddle-bow, late one evening.
"What have you got there?" we all asked eagerly, as we saw that there
was a living creature kicking about in the bag.
"Something which, although at present somewhat inclined to be unruly,
will, I hope, before long become as gentle as Lily's pet lamb. I must
send it to school, however, at first, to receive instruction, before I
allow it to mix in the world. Here, Mike, take it to the cage; don't
let it out until I come and help you."
I took the bag from him, and by the weight I supposed that it contained
an animal the size of a large cat. The cage, I should say, was about
six feet high and eight square, composed of strong hickory, or oak bars,
placed so close together, that no animal could force its way out, while
only such as had teeth as strong as those of the beaver, could have
bitten through the wood. The door was made to slide from side to side,
in order that only as much of it as was necessary need be opened at a
time. Uncle Denis, having untied the string of the bag, put the mouth
inside, when out bounded a beautiful little animal of a tawny hue, with
a long tail and a remarkably small head, somewhat more elongated than
that of a cat. On its back and sides were several rows of dark streaks,
and on its shoulders some spots of similar colour, resembling those of
the leopard. It made towards the opposite bars, but finding it could
not get out, began circling round and round the cage, looking very much
astonished on finding that, although out of the bag, it could not
escape.
"Why, that's a young panther," exclaimed Dan. "Do you hope ever to tame
it, Uncle Denis?"
"A `painter' it is, or rather a puma, to give it its proper name: I have
no doubt that in a short time, it will be as gentle as a domestic cat,"
answered our uncle; "but we must take care not to irritate it, as its
temper is none of the sweetest."
The little creature continued running round and round, sometimes leaping
up, and trying to scramble to the top of the cage, expecting, probably,
to find an outlet in that direction. When at length it found all its
efforts of no avail, it seemed to resign itself to its fate. Uncle
Denis having brought it some small pieces of meat, it devoured them
greedily, and looked towards his hands, expecting more. He gave it a
very small portion at a time, refusing to give it any food, until it
came humbly crawling up to receive the morsel. He then put in a number
of leafy boughs, under which it crawled and went to sleep. The next day
it was evidently tamer, and more accustomed to the sight of human
beings, and after this, the moment he appeared, it came towards him in a
suppliant manner to receive its food. In less than a week, it was
perfectly tame, and before a month was over, followed him about like a
dog, while it became on perfectly friendly terms with the rest of the
animals. At first it evidently stood in awe of Bruin, conscious that
the bear had the power of giving it an unpleasant gripe, but finding
itself unharmed, began to play with its shaggy coated companion, and the
two in a short time became fast friends.
Once more wintry blasts blew up the valley, the ground was covered with
snow, and lakes and streams were frozen over. We had plenty of
occupation, both indoors and out, and although the days were short, the
moon for nearly half the month afforded us light sufficient to move
about with as great ease as in summer. Habited in dresses of fur, we
hunted often at considerable distances from home, either bison or deer,
or smaller animals.
On such occasions we built a shanty in some sheltered wood, of birch
bark, when it was to be procured, or boughs stuck into the ground close
together, with a thick mass of snow piled up against them, while a
cheerful fire blazed in front.
Very frequently, however, we dispensed with any shelter beyond such as
the wood afforded, and, wrapt in our blankets, lay down to sleep on the
snow, canopied by the starry vault of heaven.
Uncle Denis and I were out on one of these hunting expeditions, when, as
we were following the tracks of a deer through a wood, accompanied by
Boxer and Toby, my uncle, who was ahead, made a sign to me to advance
cautiously, while he, stopping, concealed himself behind a tree. I
crept forward as he desired, not knowing whether he had sighted a deer
or a party of Indians on the war-path. On getting up to him, I found
that he was observing the movements of two animals, very different in
appearance to each other. On the trunk of a fallen tree, stood a
porcupine, or urson, with quills erect, looking down on a smaller
animal, which I at once recognised as a marten, or rather, a sable,
which was gazing up in a defiant way, apparently meditating an attack on
the other.
"I should like to catch and tame both those animals," whispered Uncle
Denis. "Keep back the dogs or the sable will escape and the urson will
treat them in a way they are not likely to forget." The sable was
evidently bent on having some porcupine meat for breakfast, and kept
moving backwards and forwards, meditating a spring at the nose of its
formidable antagonist; but, aware of the power of the latter's tail, was
waiting for a favourable opportunity to seize it. The porcupine, though
so much larger, and naturally moving only at a slow pace, seemed aware
of the superior agility of the sable, which would enable it to spring
from side to side, or dash forward and attack it in front, when its
armed tail would have been of no avail. Presently the sable retired to
a distance, and I thought would have discovered us, but at that moment
it made a dash at the nose of the porcupine, who, whisking round its
tail in an extraordinary fashion, sent a shower of darts into the body
of its opponent. This did not, however, prevent the latter from seizing
it with its sharp teeth and dragging it to the ground.
"Now is our time," whispered Uncle Denis, putting down his rifle and
unstrapping his blanket, and I imitating his example, we rushed forward
and threw them over the two combatants. The sable, however, managed to
spring out, when the dogs gave chase, but we were too much occupied to
see with what result. The porcupine in its struggles whisked about its
tail, sending several of its quills through the blanket, but the rest of
its body being unarmed, we managed to press it down until we had tied
the blanket tightly round it. Having secured the urson in a way which
made its escape impossible, we turned our attention to the sable, which
the dogs had brought to bay, but the brave little creature was becoming
faint, from the wounds inflicted on it from the porcupine's tail, the
quills from which were sticking out all over one side of its body.
Seeing that there was no other way of capturing it, I picked up a stick
and dealt it a blow on the head, sufficient to stun it, but not to
deprive it of life. While I kept back the dogs, Uncle Denis, kneeling
down, pulled out the quills, and then throwing my blanket over the
animal, he secured it as we had done the urson. It seemed very
doubtful, however, whether it would revive, but my uncle said that he
would take it home, and should it recover, would try, with gentle
treatment, to tame its fierce spirit. To carry our unusual prizes, we
formed a long pole from a sapling, to which we secured the creatures
side by side. Placing the pole on our shoulders, we began our homeward
march. We had the best part of the day before us, and hoped to reach
the farm before dark. The urson, weighed heavily, and sometimes it made
a convulsive struggle and very nearly worked itself out of the blanket.
The sable for some time lay perfectly quiet, but at last we observed a
movement in the blanket, which gave us hopes that it was reviving, and
we had to put on additional fastenings lest it should escape. To make a
long story short, we at length arrived, pretty well tired with our heavy
burden. Our friends were somewhat disappointed on finding that we had
brought a couple of living animals instead of the fat venison or buffalo
they had expected. We, however, relieved their minds by telling them
that we had left the meat of a couple of wapiti and a big-horn sheep _en
cache_, and Martin and another man were sent off with the horses to
bring it in. We had now to dispose of our captives. The urson was
tumbled into the cage, which had before served as a prison to the young
puma, while one of smaller dimensions, with iron bars, served as the
present habitation of the sable. I cannot stop to describe the process
by which both creatures were tamed. The next morning Kathleen and Lily
came eagerly to look at them, as they had never seen anything of the
kind before. They were greatly surprised at the size of the urson,
which was nearly four feet long; the body measured upwards of three
feet, and the tail rather less than nine inches. At first they thought
it was a young bear, which, from the long blackish brown hair which
covered it, concealing the quills, it somewhat resembled, it having also
lost a considerable number of the longer quills in its fight with the
sable. It had, however, others on the head and hind-quarters, which
were more visible than the short ones on the rest of its body. The
urson plays a not unimportant part in the destruction of the forests of
North America, as it feeds entirely on the bark of trees. This it
separates from the branches with its sharp teeth, commencing at the
highest and working its way downwards. Having destroyed one tree, it
climbs up to the top of another, and carries on the same process, always
proceeding in a straight line, and I have often, when passing through a
forest, been able to trace its progress by the line of barked trees,
which are sure ultimately to die. It is asserted by some hunters, that
a single urson will consume the bark of a hundred trees in the course of
a year. Our urson, though it became attached to Uncle Denis and would
feed out of his hand, was always an object of awe to the rest of the
animals, who seemed well aware of its power of inflicting punishment on
any of them who might offend it. Even Bruin held it in respect, and
none of them ever attempted to be on too familiar terms.
The sable took even longer to tame than the urson. We used to feed it
partly on vegetable and partly on animal diet. In winter it preferred
the latter. After it had had its meals, it had the habit of going to
sleep so soundly that it was difficult to awaken it. It was about
eighteen inches long, exclusive of its bushy tail, and much resembled
the ordinary marten in shape. The fur was of a rich brown, with white
about the neck, and on the head there was a grey tinge. It was of
unusual length for so small an animal, and its most remarkable
peculiarity was, that in whatever way the hair was pressed down, it lay
smoothly on the animal's back. It extended down the legs to the end of
the claws. So tame did it at last become, that it was allowed to roam
about at large. Shortly afterwards Kathleen and Lily lost a favourite
hen and several young chickens, and as there could be no doubt as to who
was the criminal, the sable was doomed to imprisonment for life. Its
health suffered in consequence, and in a couple of years it died, but
Uncle Denis got 10 pounds for its skin, so that it thus became far more
profitable dead than alive.
I have said little of the doings of my sister and Lily. Both were
growing into charming young girls, and certainly looked older than they
really were. They were also--which was of more importance--sensible and
good, devoted to our mother. I always looked upon Lily as a sister;
indeed our mother treated her with the same affection as she did
Kathleen.
Months and years went by, faster than I could suppose possible. We
brought more and more ground under cultivation, our cattle increased, as
did our herds of swine even still faster, while the few sheep we had
brought became a large flock. Mr Tidey still acted as tutor to the
family. Dan had, however, become almost a young man, and I had long
considered myself grown up. We laboured on the farm, hunted and fished
and traded in furs; some of the furs we bought from the Indians, and a
considerable number we trapped or shot ourselves.
Uncle Denis remained a bachelor, although, when urged by my mother, he
sometimes talked of going eastward to look out for a wife. I had no
intention of following his example even if he did go. I could not tell
whether Lily would consent to marry me, but I determined some day to ask
her, feeling now that I should never find her equal in any part of the
world.