A party of travellers were wending their way across a wide-spreading
prairie in the north-west territory of America. As far as the eye could
reach, the ground was covered with waving tufts of dark-green grass,
interspersed with flowers of varied hue, among which could be
distinguished the yellow marigold and lilac bergamot, with bluebells,
harebells, and asters, innumerable; while here and there rose-bushes,
covered with gorgeous bloom, appeared above the particoloured carpet
spread over the country. On the north side the prairie was bounded by
softly rounded knolls, between which tiny lakelets were visible, shining
in the bright rays of the glowing sun. To the northward a silvery
stream could be seen meandering, bordered by willows, aspens, osiers,
and other trees of considerable height, breaking the line of the
horizon.
"I am delighted with your country, Burnett; I had no idea such lovely
scenery and so much rich soil existed on this side of the Rocky
Mountains," said one of the travellers, addressing another, who rode
alongside him.
"I hope, before many years are over, to see this fair region covered
with populous towns and villages, and flourishing farms."
"That time is far distant, I suspect," answered Mr Burnett, a head
clerk of the Hudson's Bay Company, in charge of the party; "and I can
only say that I hope so, for when it comes, our vocation will be
well-nigh gone, as the Company will have to shut up shop--"
"And retire on well-won fortunes," laughingly added the first speaker,
Reginald Loraine. He was a young Englishman of good fortune and family,
who had lately come out to make a tour in Canada; but having heard
conflicting reports of the north-west territory, he had been induced to
continue his journey westward, intending to proceed as far as the foot
of the Rocky Mountains, and to return, before the termination of the
summer, from Fort Edmonton, down the Saskatchewan, and through Lake
Winnipeg to the Red River.
His intelligence, high spirits, and good humour made him an agreeable
companion. He was never put out by any mishaps or inconveniences. His
personal appearance was also much in his favour; while he was a good
rider, and possessed of activity and endurance, equal, if not superior,
to any of the rest of the party, long accustomed though they were to the
mode of life they were leading.
From the sentiments he uttered, and the expression of his handsome
countenance, it might have been surmised that he possessed many other
qualities of a higher character. Young Hector Mackintosh, who had come
with him from Toronto, declared, indeed, that he never wished to have a
stauncher fellow at his back in a skirmish with Redskins, or in a fight
with a grizzly, and that he was as high-minded and generous as he was
brave.
Hector, who was now curvetting over the prairie on a tough little
mustang, had been at school at Toronto, whence he was returning to
rejoin his father, Captain Mackintosh, now a chief officer, or factor,
in charge of Fort Duncan, a Company's post to the south-west, situated
on the borders of the Blackfeet territory. It was a somewhat dangerous
position, which only a man of courage and resolution would willingly
have occupied.
Following at some little distance those who have been mentioned, came
three other horsemen, whose shouts of laughter, interspersed
occasionally with snatches of songs, could be heard far across the
prairie. The centre of the three was a short, portly gentleman, with a
somewhat rubicund countenance--Doctor McCrab, just appointed surgeon to
one of the forts in the west. On either side of him rode two young
clerks. One of them was Dan Maloney, a light-hearted Irishman, with
whom the jolly Doctor amused himself by exchanging jokes, capping
verses, and singing duets which set all the laws of harmony at defiance.
The other was Allan Keith, who, from similarity of taste and mental
qualities, had won the regard of Reginald Loraine; indeed, except in
point of wealth, the two young men greatly resembled each other.
Some way behind the gentlemen came a long team of Red River wooden
carts, escorted by several persons on horseback, under charge of Jacques
Leblanc, a French half-breed, who, from his reputed knowledge of the
country in all directions, had been selected to act as guide to the
whole party.
The carts, which had only two wheels, were built entirely of wood, and
each was dragged by a single horse. Some carried the travellers' tents,
cooking utensils, a tool-chest, and additional axletrees, their arms and
ammunition, together with their clothes, spare blankets, and
waterproofs. The other carts were laden with stores of all sorts for
the forts to the westward.
Accompanying the carts was a drove of loose horses--the animals now
rearing and kicking and biting at each other--now moving along steadily,
under the management of a single driver, Francois Chabot, also a French
half-breed. He had seldom to use his long whip to keep them in order;
and even the most restless showed no inclination to leave their
companions. They were intended to supply the travellers with a change
of steeds once or twice in the day; for in making long journeys, when
day after day forty or fifty miles have to be got over between sunrise
and sunset, one horse seldom possesses sufficient strength and endurance
to carry his rider the whole distance.
When a horse shows signs of fatigue, his saddle is removed to the back
of another, and he contentedly runs on with the herd. The horses were
mostly small, and many of them sorry-looking steeds; but they had,
notwithstanding, carried their riders without showing signs of fatigue,
or growing thinner. Their only food was the grass they could pick up
while the party were encamped at night, or during their noon-day halt,
neither beans nor corn being given them.
Reginald Loraine and the Doctor had provided themselves with English
saddles; the rest of the party bestrode those of native manufacture,
which were merely large pads of dressed leather, stuffed with hair or
grass, and having a broad and fringed crupper. Several of them were
trimmed and handsomely adorned with quills, the talent of the
manufacturer being especially exerted in ornamenting the saddle-cloths.
The stirrups were formed of curved pieces of wood, hanging by leather
thongs to the primitive saddle. The bridles might more properly be
called halters. They consisted of a thong of raw hide, thirty feet in
length, called an _atscacha_. One end was tied round the animal's lower
jaw, and the other, after being brought over the neck to the rider's
hand, was allowed to drag on the ground some fifteen feet behind. It
requires care, particularly by those in the rear, not to tread on the
thongs trailing behind. By so doing, the mouth of the horse receives a
jerk which seldom fails to make it rear and curvet from side to side.
The object of this long thong is to enable the rider, when he dismounts,
to hold his horse while he fires at a foe; or, should he be thrown by
the animal stumbling in a rabbit-burrow, to prevent it running off. The
long thong serves also as a halter, ever ready to tie it up, or to catch
it when at liberty. Even the gentlemen who used English bridles found
it convenient to have these halters secured to their horses' heads.
Day after day the travellers had been making their way along the Fertile
Belt, the name given to a broad tract of country extending between the
Red River and the base of the Rocky Mountains, bordered on the north by
forests, lakes, and rivers, and on the south by that sandy and desert
region which extends along the whole frontier of the United States.
The party rode steadily on, every man carrying his rifle at his back;
for although the natives were generally friendly, it was considered wise
to be prepared, lest so rich a booty as the carts would afford might
tempt them. At night, too, a constant watch was kept on the horses, as
the Crees roaming over that part of the country are notorious
horse-stealers, and would have considered it a creditable feat to have
carried off as many of the travellers' steeds as they could catch.
They had proceeded some distance, when, shading his eyes with his hand,
Mr Burnett looked out eagerly ahead.
"What is it you see?" asked Loraine, imitating his example.
"A party of horsemen, whom I at first thought might be Blackfeet on the
war-path, but I am satisfied they are Red River men, on a buffalo hunt,"
answered Burnett. "We shall soon know. See, Leblanc has gone forward
to ascertain who they are."
The guide in a short time returned, saying that the strangers were Red
River hunters; that they had just sighted buffalo, and would be glad if
any of the gentlemen of the party would join them.
Loraine and Hector were delighted to accept the invitation, and Allan
Keith and Maloney were anxious to try their skill as hunters. While
they galloped on to join the half-breeds, Burnett and his men moved
towards the spot which had been fixed on for camping at night.
The buffalo hunt need not be described, except to say that the young
Englishmen won the admiration of their new friends by their courage and
dexterity, each having brought a couple of the shaggy monsters to the
ground.
The travellers spent the evening with their new friends, the hunters,
who, as soon as the buffalo they had last killed had been turned into
pemmican, intended to return to the Red River. Next morning they
continued their journey westward, pushing on at greater speed than
usual, to make up for lost time, Burnett being very anxious to reach the
fort by the day he was expected.
The country was generally lovely, being well wooded, with numerous
lakelets, now rising into softly rounded knolls, and occasionally
opening out into a wide, fair landscape. The soil was of rich loam, and
the vegetation luxuriant, sprinkled with flowers of many tints.
They had been moving on for a couple of hours or more, when Loraine,
looking to the southward, observed a remarkable appearance in the
horizon, which wore an unearthly ashen hue. Pointing it out to Burnett,
he asked--
"Can that be produced by a prairie fire?"
"No; but if I mistake not, we shall have, before long, a flight of
locusts passing over our heads. That peculiar look of the sky is
produced by the light reflected from their transparent wings."
As he spoke, the whole sky appeared to be changing from blue to silvery
white, then to ashy grey and lead colour; while, opposite to the sun,
the prevailing hue was a silver white--perceptibly flashing, the air
seeming as if rilled with flakes of snow.
"The insects are flying from five hundred to a thousand feet above our
heads; and I hope we may get clear of them before we camp, or they will
play mischief with everything made of leather, which is left exposed,"
observed Burnett.
He was, however, disappointed; for, in a short time, the locusts
descended--the whole air became filled with them, until they reached the
ground, where they clung to the blades of grass in countless multitudes.
During the remainder of the day the creatures continued coming on; and
when the party at length stopped at night, they had to clear away the
ground to form their camp.
The voracity of the insects was proved by the way they attacked and
destroyed several articles of clothing, which had carelessly been left
on the grass. The travellers found, indeed, that the only way to
protect their property was to pile it up in the carts out of reach. Dan
Maloney appeared with a melancholy countenance, exhibiting a leather bag
and a pair of woollen trousers, which he had thrown down outside the
tent, eaten through and through in all directions. At night the
insects, fortunately, did not move. Early in the morning they were
found busily feeding; but as soon as the sun had evaporated the dew,
they began taking short flights, and then cloud after cloud rose, and
pursued their way to the northward.
Burnett assured his companions that he had never seen so large a flight
before; and, as far as he could ascertain, many years had passed without
the country receiving a similar visitation.
Scarcely had the locusts disappeared, than what looked like a thick,
black fog-bank was seen rising from the direction whence they had come.
It approached nearer and nearer. Leblanc, riding forward, pointed it
out to Burnett.
"The prairie is on fire," he remarked.
"I know it is; I saw it from the first. But I don't think it will come
near us."
"I am not quite so sure of that. It comes on fast, and the grass here
is very long," said the guide.
"Then we'll make our way to yonder knoll, where it is shorter," said
Burnett, who was not to be put out by Indians, locusts, or prairie
fires.
The word was given to drag the carts towards the spot Burnett had
indicated.
"A fire on the prairie is a serious matter, is it not?" observed
Loraine, in a tone of inquiry.
"I do not much fear it, notwithstanding," answered Burnett. "We shall
have a storm before long, I suspect, and that will fight the flames."
"I should have thought that a storm would be more likely to fan them
into greater fury," remarked Loraine, who considered that Burnett was
not sufficiently alive to the dangers they might have to encounter from
the fire.
"Not if it rains as I expect it will," observed Burnett. "Look at that
cloud ahead. It contains a torrent sufficient to extinguish the
fiercest flames."
Loraine had hitherto been admiring the beautiful appearance of the sky.
To the south it was of that bright blue such as is seldom seen in the
British Isles. To the west it was bordered with vast, billowy clouds of
the softest, snowy white. Beneath the black cloud, which was every
instant extending, were grey masses whirling on at a terrific rate;
while, suddenly, to the north and east the expanse of heaven assumed a
dun-coloured hue, vivid with lightning, where rain appeared to be
descending in torrents. The whole atmosphere was charged with
electricity. The lightning rushed towards the earth, in straight and
zig-zag currents, the thunder varying from the sharp rattle of musketry
to the roar of artillery. Still no rain had fallen from overhead, while
scarcely a breath of air was blowing.
Meantime, however, the fire came rushing on across the prairie, the
flames, as they caught the tall grass, growing brighter and brighter,
every now and then rising and expanding, as they seized on shrubs and
trees in their onward course.
Burnett at last seemed to think that matters were growing serious, and
made a signal to the drivers of the carts to push forward. There was no
necessity, as they were doing their utmost to urge on their steeds by
uttering strange oaths and by the liberal use of their whips.
"We must try and get to the other side of the knoll, and camp; for we as
yet have only seen the beginning of the storm," remarked Burnett.
Scarcely had he said this, than, with the suddenness of a tornado, the
wind came rushing down upon them; at first, without a drop of rain, but
so fiercely that the horses were forced from the track. Again and again
it seemed hopeless to drive against it. The lightning flashed more
vividly than before; the thunder roared; while the fire advanced across
the prairie like a fiery host bent on their destruction.
"I say, I don't see why we should lose our lives, even though Burnett
thinks it is his duty to stick by the carts," said Hector, riding up to
Loraine. "We can gallop ahead, in spite of the wind; it will be better
than being turned into Guy Fawkeses."
Loraine was much inclined to follow his young friend's advice; indeed,
he suspected the rest of the party would soon leave the carts to their
fates, and try to save themselves by flight from the fiery sea, which
was tossing and heaving not a quarter of a mile away from them. He
would not go, however, without first urging Burnett, the other clerks,
and the Doctor to try and save themselves.
He had turned his horse for the purpose, when the rain came down thick
and furious, with even greater suddenness than the wind had arisen.
They saw that it almost immediately produced an effect on the fire. It
was a struggle between the two elements. At first it seemed doubtful,
however, which would prove victorious; but water, they trusted, had
gained the day; for, mingled with the rain came hail, not only ordinary
hail, but mixed with lumps half an inch to an inch across.
"Och! I'd as soon have a whack from an honest shillaly as be pelted by
thim threacherous lumps," cried Dan Maloney.
The travellers in vain raised their hands to protect their heads from
the hail. The long line of horses and carts was broken. Some of the
poor creatures clung to the road, struggling desperately. Others were
driven on to the prairie, and turning their backs to the storm, stood
still or moved sideways, with cowering heads, their manes and tails
floating wildly, like those of Highland shelties.
Hector declared that he could hear the hissing of the rain as it fell on
the hitherto victorious fire, effectually, however, quenching it. A few
minutes after the storm had broken, the whole ground to the left was a
blackened expanse. The danger was passed, and they hastened on to the
foot of the knoll, where a lakelet, fringed by aspens and poplars,
afforded them good camping ground. With astonishing speed the
arrangements for the night were made; every man exerted himself. The
horses were unharnessed, the erratic ones hobbled, the tents pitched,
and the travellers assembled round the blazing fires which were quickly
lighted to dry their saturated clothing.
Almost before these arrangements were made, the storm passed away. The
setting sun burst forth again until not a blot was left in the sky, save
fragments of mist to the south and south-east. It was too late to think
of moving on again, and Leblanc was glad of the opportunity of halting
to repair some of the carts with the ever serviceable "Shaganappi," a
large supply of which was carried for the purpose, as also to mend the
harness and other gear which had been broken by the restive movements of
the horses during the storm.
In the mean time, while Francois, another Canadian, who acted as cook,
was preparing the evening meal, Loraine and Hector took their guns to
shoot some ducks which were seen on the other side of the lakelet.
Having knocked over several birds, before returning they took a
refreshing plunge in the water, which was sufficiently deep for the
purpose.
The twilight had faded away into darkness before the whole party were
seated round the camp-fires, discussing their suppers with such
appetites as few fail to obtain while travelling in that region. Supper
was over; and "early to bed, and early to rise" being a standing order,
those of the party who enjoyed the luxury of tents retired within, while
the rest lay down, wrapped in their blankets, beneath the carts
arranged, as usual, in a circle to serve as a defence against any
attacks of hostile Indians. Although Burnett did not expect any
annoyance of the sort, he considered it his duty to take the precautions
which no traveller at that period omitted to make. Two or three men
were also stationed as sentries to keep watch, especially on the horses.
Loraine had seen Hector, who shared his tent, fall fast asleep; but not
being inclined to close his own eyes, he stepped out of his tent to take
a look at the stars which shone from the heavens, undimmed by a single
cloud. Happening to turn his eyes towards the summit of the knoll, he
was somewhat surprised to see what he felt sure was a human figure, the
outline being distinctly marked against the sky. The man was evidently
taking a survey of the camp. Loraine, thinking it possible that he
might be a scout sent out by a party of Blackfeet, made his way to the
nearest sentry to tell him to be on the watch, and to ask his opinion on
the subject. By the time he had reached the sentry, however, the figure
had disappeared. The sentry thought he might have been mistaken; but
when Loraine made him understand what he had seen, he went round to the
other men on watch, and urged them to be on the alert and to keep the
horses well together. Loraine was just going back to his tent, when he
heard a shout. It was answered by the sentry on the south side of the
camp; and a conversation in a language he could not understand took
place. On going up to them, he could dimly distinguish an Indian of
somewhat diminutive size and of deformed figure.
"What does he want?" inquired Loraine.
"He says, as far as I can make out, that his chief, who will be here
directly, sent him to find out who we are; for he thought at first, when
he saw our camp-fire, that we might be Crees, or a party of Blackfeet,
for such he knows are at present out on the war-path," answered the
sentry.
"Tell him that we shall be glad to see his chief, whoever he is, if he
comes as a friend," said Loraine. "Until I know his business, I will
not arouse Mr Burnett, who requires a good rest; and I dare say it will
keep until to-morrow morning."
The sentry spoke to the hump-backed Indian, who quickly disappeared in
the gloom; and Loraine walked up and down, waiting for his return.
"You must not be thrown off your guard, Pierre, lest some trick should
be intended," he remarked, recollecting the numberless tales of Indian
treachery he had heard.
"I know the coquins (rogues) too well for that," answered Pierre.
In a short time, Loraine saw through the gloom two persons on horseback,
with a couple of led horses, approaching. They rode fearlessly up to
the camp. The first, from the white hair hanging down under his fur
cap, and his snowy beard, and wrinkled, weather-beaten features, though
he sat upright and firmly in his saddle, was apparently an old man. His
costume, consisting of a leathern coat and leggings, fringed in the
usual fashion, and the rifle slung at his back, showed that he was one
of the free white hunters, or trappers, who have been wont for many a
year to roam amid the prairies and forests in the north-west in search
of peltries. The other person, leading the two pack horses, Loraine
recognised as the hump-backed Indian who had just before come to the
camp.
"I am glad to have fallen in with you, friends," said the old man,
dismounting. "You keep early hours and a careful watch. I expected to
have seen you carousing, and quaffing the accursed fire-water, as so
many of you travellers from the Far East are wont to do. To say the
truth, when I first caught sight of your camp-fires, I was uncertain
whether they were those of Crees or Blackfeet; and as I had no fancy to
fall in with the one or the other, I sent on my lad Greensnake to learn
the state of the case."
"Then he was the person I saw at the top of the hillock out there,"
observed Loraine.
"Not he; he would not have exposed himself in that fashion," said the
old man.
"Then my eyes must have deceived me, after all," said Loraine. "I'm
sure Mr Burnett, the leader of our party, will welcome you to the camp;
but he is asleep at present, and I should be sorry to disturb him
unnecessarily. I will, however, call up one of the men to get ready
some supper for you and your attendant."
"I shall be glad of some food, for I have not fired a shot for the last
three days, and my stock of provisions has run short," replied the old
man.
He now called up Greensnake, took off the saddles from the led horses,
and unloaded the baggage animals, placing the packs inside the circle of
carts.
Meantime, Loraine found out where Francois was sleeping, and, arousing
him, told him to get some food ready for their unexpected guests.
Francois at first eyed the strangers askance. Satisfied, however, at
length, that he was a white man, and perhaps a person of more importance
than his costume might betoken, he set diligently to work to boil the
kettle and fry some buffalo meat; the old hunter, who had taken a seat
on a pile of wood near the fire, looking complacently on.
Loraine having assisted Francois in preparing the supper, prompted by
good feeling, and perhaps slightly by curiosity, took a seat by the side
of the stranger, that he might attend to his wants. Immediately
afterwards, the lad who has been introduced as Greensnake glided
noiselessly up in a fashion appropriate to his name, and squatted down
close to his master, waiting patiently until Loraine handed him a share
of the food. Having no cause to conceal the object of their journey,
Loraine explained that he and his companions were bound for Fort
Edmonton, and were pushing on as fast as they could travel, without the
risk of knocking up their horses.
"I wish that you were directing your course rather to Fort Duncan, for I
suspect that Captain Mackintosh and his small garrison are greatly in
want of assistance. From some information brought me by Greensnake, I
suspect that the Blackfeet have formed a plot to take it. Hearing that
the Captain holds the Indians cheaply, and is not likely to be warned by
what I might tell him, I am on my way to Fort Edmonton to advise that he
should be put on his guard, and that assistance may be sent him without
delay."
Loraine was struck by the old man's mode of expressing himself--so
different to the slang language used in general by the rough trappers
and traders of the Far West.
"This is important information, indeed!" he said, feeling anxious about
the safety of his young friend's family, and especially of that young
friend's two sisters; for although he had never seen them, Hector had
shown him their portraits, one of which, called Sybil, possessed a face
of rare loveliness. Effie, the younger, was very attractive; but Hector
declared that there never was, or never could be, anybody like Sybil.
Hector had told him that the portrait, not being his own, he could not
give it to him, but that he was welcome to look at it as often as he
liked--a privilege of which, it must be confessed, Reginald frequently
took advantage; and he had resolved, if possible, to pay a visit to the
residence of the fair original. Even had this not been the case, his
chivalry would have made him eager to set off to the assistance of
Hector's relatives. He felt that the matter was of so much importance
that he should be justified in calling up Mr Burnett to discuss what
measures should be taken. He, of course, knew that Hector would be as
anxious to go as he was; he, therefore, let him sleep on. Burnett, who
did not appear very well satisfied at being aroused from his slumbers,
came and sat down to hear the old man's account. He questioned him
narrowly, apparently not altogether crediting his statements.
"You may think what you will, Mr Burnett; but people are not apt in
general to doubt the word of Isaac Sass," said the old man at length, in
an offended tone.
"Are you Isaac Sass?" exclaimed Burnett. "I have often heard of you.
Then, I say, I don't doubt your word. But why are you so sure that the
fort will be attacked?"
"For a strong reason, which, as I don't wish to keep you longer from
your rest, I will give in the morning."
"A word for yourself, friend Sass, I ken?" observed Burnett.
"No, no; I can do without sleep," answered Isaac Sass; "but before I lie
down, I wish to know--yes or no--whether you will direct your course
towards Fort Duncan, instead of going on to Edmonton."
"I wish that I could do as you suggest," answered Burnett. "If Captain
Mackintosh wants help, I should like to give it him; but I must carry
out my instructions, at all costs. It would not do to run the risk of
getting our train plundered, as both stores and ammunition are much
wanted at Edmonton."
"But will you allow one of your factors to be exposed to the danger our
friend here has spoken of?" exclaimed Loraine. "I should be unwilling
under any other circumstances to part company; but I feel bound, whether
or not I can get anybody to go with me, to set off with my friend, young
Mackintosh, to warn his family, and give them such assistance as we
can."
"You, of course, are at liberty to go, Mr Loraine; and, as young
Mackintosh was committed to your care, to take him with you," answered
Burnett, somewhat stiffly. "But duty is duty. I must obey my orders,
and those are, to conduct this train to Edmonton with as little delay as
possible. I have no discretionary power to go out of the way, under any
excuse whatever."
"But, surely, you would not object to one of the clerks, and some few of
the men who could be spared, accompanying me!" exclaimed Loraine. "Even
a small addition to the number would be of consequence in the defence of
the fort, should it be attacked; and that it will be so, our friend here
seems to think there is every probability."
"I have explained how I am situated in the matter, Mr Loraine," said
Mr Burnett, in the same tone as before; "and I think it right to say,
that, without a guide and a body of men well-armed, you and young
Mackintosh will be unable to accomplish the journey. You will either
lose yourselves and be starved, or be attacked and cut off by the
Blackfeet. The Crees are not to be trusted either; for though they are
civil enough to us, knowing that we have the power to punish them, yet
they would steal our horses if they could; and, looking upon you as
strangers, they would not only take your horses, but your scalps into
the bargain."
"I shall not be afraid of meeting either them or the Blackfeet,"
answered Loraine. "What do you say, friend?" he added, turning to Isaac
Sass. "Can I, or can I not, get to Fort Duncan, and warn the garrison
of the danger which threatens them?"
The old hunter looked up at the countenance of the young Englishman,
without speaking for a few seconds. He then said, "If pluck and courage
would enable a man to do it, you would; but I cannot say how much you
know about the country and the ways of the Redskins. It would not be an
easy matter for any man, as there are several war parties out--of that I
have certain knowledge; and I had no small difficulty in keeping clear
of them. I wish that I could go with you, but I cannot get along as
fast as I used to do, and my beasts are pretty well knocked up. But
this is what I'll do: I'll send my lad Greensnake with you; whatever I
tell him to do, he'll do, and prove as true as steel. People call him
an idiot; but he's no more an idiot than I am, if a person knows how to
get the sense out of him, and that's what I do."
Greensnake, on hearing his name mentioned, glanced up with a pleased
look, and nodded at his master, as a dog often does when spoken about.
"I gladly accept your offer, and will give him any reward you think
right for his services," said Loraine. "I should like to set off
to-night."
"That would be impossible, as the lad and your horses want rest,"
answered the old trapper. "To-morrow morning he shall be at your
service, and perhaps by that time Mr Burnett will have thought the
matter over, and will send two or three of his men to accompany you. I
will take the duties of those who go, and he knows I am worth
something."
"Well, well, I'll think it over, and to-morrow morning let you know my
decision," said Burnett. "Now, Mr Loraine, I'd advise you to lie down
and get some rest, or you won't be fit for the work you propose to
undertake."
Loraine, hoping that Burnett would consent to spare him a few men,
followed his advice, and turned into his camp bed, while the old hunter,
wrapping himself in his buffalo robe, lay down with his feet to the
fire, as did Greensnake in a horse-cloth, which he took from the baggage
he had deposited inside the camp.