We must now return to the two travellers and their strange guide.
Although Loraine had slept but little the previous night, he could not
close his eyes. He enjoyed the excitement of the life he was leading,
but he did not hide from himself its dangers, and he felt the
responsibility of having induced young Hector to accompany him. He was
also anxious to arrive at the fort, for he had become much interested in
its inmates. Although it was supposed that the Blackfeet had gone to
the westward, he thought it possible that some of them might have
remained behind, and followed up the trail of his party. He had,
however, great confidence in the watchfulness of Greensnake, and he
hoped also that the dogs would give due notice should any enemies
approach.
"If we pass over this night in safety, I think that we shall get through
the rest of our journey without difficulty," he said to himself. "We
have accomplished well-nigh fifty miles to-day, and, as our horses will
have a good feed to-night, we may ride another fifty to-morrow, and by
keeping that up, we shall, as far as I can calculate, reach Fort Duncan
in four or five days."
He was about to drop off to sleep, when he was again aroused by a
continuous howl in the distance. After listening for some time, he was
convinced that it was produced by wolves. He fancied from the sound
that there must have been hundreds of them. It grew nearer and nearer.
The animals were coming that way. They might attack him and Hector, or,
at all events, the horses, and either kill them or put them to flight.
He looked at the fire. By their guide's advice he had allowed it to
burn low, so that no flames casting their light around should betray the
position of the camp to prowling Indians. Still it was better, he
thought, to run even that risk than to allow the savage brutes to get
into the camp. He, therefore, having thrown some more sticks on the
fire, which quickly blazed up, awoke Hector, who naturally inquired what
was the matter.
"Do you not hear the howling of wolves?" asked Loraine. "Get your rifle
ready."
"But Greensnake advised us not to fire, lest we should discover our camp
to the Indians," said Hector; "and I don't fancy that at this time of
the year wolves would be daring enough to attack us."
"They may, however, attack the horses," answered Loraine. "I will go
and warn him, so that he may collect them."
"He is on the alert, depend upon that," said Hector; "and well knows
what to do."
"It is wise to be on the safe side," answered Loraine, getting up.
"Stay by our saddles and provisions, and I will try to find him." He
set off towards where he supposed the horses were feeding.
As soon as he had got beyond the range of the light thrown from the
fire, the darkness became so great that he could with difficulty avoid
running against the trunks of the trees. He stretched out his gun
before him to try and feel the way. Two or three times he saved himself
by this precaution. At last he thought that he must have reached the
spot where Greensnake ought to be found; but though he called out to
him, no answer came. He shouted louder and louder, still there was no
reply, nor could he distinguish the forms of any of the horses against
the sky. He could hear, however, the sound of the yelping and barking
of the wolves, apparently much nearer than before. Still he went on,
forgetting that he ran the risk of losing sight of the fire. At length,
turning round to look for it, intending to go back to the camp, what was
his dismay on being unable to discover the slightest glimmering of light
in any direction! He had proceeded further than he had supposed, and
regretted his folly, for he was well aware how easily he might lose
himself. The sky overhead was obscured, so that the stars afforded him
no guide. He thought that he had turned completely round, but of this
he could not be quite certain, and he feared that by going on he might
only get further and further from the fire. He shouted out--
"Hector, Hector, don't move; but only shout in return, that I may know
where to find you."
Instead of Hector's voice, the barking and yelping of the wolves alone
reached his ear. Probably his shouts had been drowned by the fearful
din they had been making. They served, however, partly to guide him;
but they seemed so near that he expected every moment to be assailed by
them; and in the darkness it would be a difficult matter to defend
himself. Still, being a man of courage and determination, he resolved
to face the danger; and keeping as direct a course as the impediments in
his way would allow, he directed his steps towards the spot whence it
appeared to him the sounds proceeded. He, of course, could move but
slowly. He had gone, as he supposed, far enough to reach the camp, or,
at all events, to be in sight of the fire, when he heard a shot, which
came, it seemed to him, from a point rather more to the left than that
towards which he was making his way. He had no doubt that it had been
fired by Hector, and he immediately turned, hoping soon to catch sight
of the fire. He was unwilling to discharge his own gun, not knowing at
what moment he might require it to defend himself from the wolves. He,
therefore, only shouted as before. He listened, and fancied that above
the yelping chorus he could distinguish Hector's voice. Presently, to
his infinite relief, he caught sight of the gleam of the fire, more
distant, however, than he had supposed it could possibly be. He made
towards it as fast as he could venture to move; notwithstanding his
caution, he first ran against a tree, and soon afterwards stumbled at a
fallen log.
He could now clearly distinguish the spot where the fire was burning, by
the lurid light which it cast on the neighbouring trees; and, with more
confidence than before, he was hurrying on, when he saw to his right a
number of glowing eyeballs, and the yelping of the wolves sounded closer
than ever.
Waiting until a pair of the glowing balls were only a few feet off, he
fired. They disappeared. A fearful yell from the whole pack followed.
He could see a number of dark forms surrounding him. There was no time
to reload, so, clubbing his rifle, he swept it round and round on every
side. He felt it striking every now and then on the heads of the
creatures which were thus providentially kept at bay. The fire became
more distinct; but the wolves continued to leap and snarl and yelp as
savagely as at first; and, notwithstanding the blows he was dealing
about, one of the brutes seized him by the coat, and another, still more
daring, flew at his throat, and though it failed to bite him, caught him
by the collar, and it was with the greatest difficulty that he saved
himself from being dragged down. He was afraid that Hector, hearing the
sound of the wolves, and not seeing him, might fire; he, therefore,
shouted at the top of his voice, to show his whereabouts. Presently, he
saw his young friend holding a couple of flaming brands in his hands,
come rushing towards him, accompanied by the two dogs, who, springing
forward with furious barks, attacked his savage assailants. The
assistance came only just in time, for the wolves had nearly succeeded
in pulling him to the ground. The dogs at once sprang upon the brute
hanging to his collar, which let go its hold to defend itself, when a
blow on its head from Loraine's rifle prevented it from offering further
resistance. The dogs then flew at the other wolf, which also let go;
while Hector, dashing the burning brands in the faces of the rest of the
pack, put them to flight, enabling him and Loraine to get back almost
breathless to the camp. The brave dogs were following the wolves, and
would probably soon have been torn to pieces had they not promptly been
called back.
"What can have become of Greensnake?" exclaimed Hector, as soon as they
had time and breath to speak. "I hope that he has not played us false,
and gone off with the horses."
"I have no fear of that," answered Loraine. "The old hunter would not
have sent him with us unless he had perfect confidence in his honesty.
Perhaps he heard the wolves coming long before we did, and took them to
some place of security."
"He was more likely to have driven them into the camp, where we could
have assisted in protecting them," observed Hector. "I am afraid that
he has been surprised by a band of Blackfeet, or Sircees, who are
notorious horse-stealers, and that they have carried off him as well as
the animals. If so, we shall be left in a pretty plight."
"We have our guns and dogs, and a fair stock of ammunition, to obtain
food, and our compass to guide us; and if we find that we have lost our
horses, we must push forward on foot," answered Loraine. "But I am
grievously annoyed at the prospect of being unable to reach the fort as
soon as we expected; however, we must try to make our way on foot, and
although we may be longer about it than we had hoped, we may still
arrive in time to be of service. It is useless, however, talking over
the matter at present. The best thing you can do is to lie down, and
get some sleep while I keep watch."
"No, no," said Hector. "I have had my share already; but pray do you
lie down, and I will watch."
At length Loraine consented to do this, expecting to be able to arouse
himself in a short time; while Hector, taking his rifle in hand, began
to walk up and down, anxiously looking out for Greensnake. The wolves,
however, still snarling and yelping a short distance off, would, it at
length occurred to him, prevent the guide from making his appearance
till the morning. Having now time for thought, he recollected the
warning Greensnake had given; and he reflected that possibly at any
moment, should a party of Blackfeet have been in the neighbourhood, and
heard the reports of their rifles, guided by the light of their fire,
they might come suddenly upon them. He kept, therefore, a vigilant
watch with his ears rather than his eyes, listening for any sound which
might indicate their approach, and trusting also to the dogs, which were
on the alert, and accompanied him whenever he moved a few feet from the
camp. When he returned they went back again, and lay down near the
fire, with their noses on their paws, and ears erect, showing that they
were wide awake.
At length Loraine awoke, and insisted on Hector's lying down, who,
before he did so, mentioned the ideas which had occurred to him.
"Never mind now what you think, but go to sleep," said Loraine. "I'll
keep a bright look-out; depend upon that."
Soon after this the wolves, attracted possibly by a passing stag or some
other game, greatly to his relief, scampered off, their cries becoming
less and less distinct as they got to a distance.
The night seemed interminably long, but the morning came at length.
Loraine aroused Hector, and having made up the fire, intending to come
back for breakfast, he charged the dogs to watch over the baggage, and
then set out in search of Greensnake and the horses. Loraine
endeavoured to trace the course he had taken during the night, but the
trail was so indistinct that he could not be certain in what direction
he had gone. As he and Hector advanced, they looked round for the
horses, but they were not near the spot to which Greensnake had taken
them on the previous evening, nor were they anywhere to be seen. They
came, however, upon what Hector believed were their tracks; but as they
were scattered about over a wide space of ground, he could not be
positive as to what course they had taken. Loraine still argued that
the guide would return, and that it would be prudent to go back to camp
and wait for his appearance. This they accordingly did, shooting on
their way a couple of ducks, which served them for breakfast, the
remains being given to the dogs. After some time Loraine went to the
top of the highest point near at hand--a small knoll or hillock--that he
might take a look-out for the missing horses, but he soon came back
without having seen them.
"I think we should wait a little longer," he observed. "The young
Indian may have thought it prudent to go to a considerable distance on
account of the wolves. He may have slept until the morning, or may have
stopped to catch and cook some food."
"I will have another look round," said Hector. "A few ducks won't come
amiss, if I can kill them on the way, either to us or our dogs, before
we finally make a start;" and, calling the two dogs, he set off, they
willingly accompanying him.
While Hector was away from the camp Loraine thoughtfully employed
himself in examining their baggage, and in selecting such articles of
food and clothing as they could carry on their backs, and in doing them
up in two packs, making the heaviest for himself. He was thus engaged
when he heard a couple of shots, but concluding that Hector had fired at
some ducks, as he proposed, went on with his occupation. As he looked
at their saddle-bags and valises, he regretted having to leave them, but
without horses he saw no possibility of carrying them. Noon was
approaching, Hector had not returned, and he became seriously anxious;
so, taking his gun, he set out to look for him. "If he returns while I
am away, he will, I hope, guess why I have gone, and will remain quietly
here for my return," he said to himself. As he walked along he searched
on every side, but Hector was nowhere to be seen. The dreadful thought
occurred that his young friend might have met with some accident, or
that, should Indians have carried off Greensnake, they might have
entrapped him also. His own position was trying in the extreme; but
being a man of courage, he nerved himself up to encounter whatever might
happen. As he was casting his eyes around, he caught sight of a small,
dark object on the ground. He hastened on. It was a powder-flask. It,
however, was certainly not Hector's. He had no doubt that it belonged
to Greensnake. A short distance beyond he came on a ramrod. The ground
was covered with a rich grass, and there were signs of horses having fed
on it, so that no doubt remained on his mind that it was here Greensnake
had been during the night, and on further examination he discovered
traces of the animals' feet moving to the eastward, but he was unable to
ascertain whether Hector had passed that way. Had he done so, he would
probably have followed up the trail of the horses. Loraine, therefore,
hurried on in the same direction. He marked as carefully as he could
the course he was taking, examining his compass to guide himself.
Several times he thought that it would be better to retrace his steps,
lest Hector should have returned during his absence to the camp. He was
at length on the point of doing so when he saw before him a wood. At
the same instant, he fancied that he heard the bark of a dog. He
hurried forward, feeling sure that it was that either of Muskey or
Buster, and he hoped that, if so, Hector was not far off, and had
escaped being captured by Indians. In a short time he again heard the
dogs bark, and as he approached the wood a voice, which he knew was
Hector's, shouted out--
"Take care, there's a big she-grizzly, with a couple of cubs, in that
thicket. I wounded her, and she's very savage."
"Where are you?" asked Loraine.
"Here, up a tree," cried Hector. "Whenever I attempt to descend, she
rushes out, and I have dropped my gun, so that I have no chance of
killing her."
"Come down then, and find your gun, and I will stand by to shoot the
bear if she appears."
"She got hold of my gun and broke it to pieces, so that you must not
depend upon my help," cried Hector. "You'll do better to get up here,
and kill her when she shows herself."
"I'll take post behind the tree, and when she sees you descending,
perhaps she will come out from the cover," answered Loraine. The dogs
meantime were barking furiously outside the thicket.
No sooner did Hector begin to descend than the bear, which had
apparently had her eyes fixed on him, came waddling out from her place
of concealment, growling savagely. The two dogs wisely scampered off
out of her reach, and Hector sprang up again. Loraine then stepped out
from behind the trunk, when the bear rose on her hind quarters, growling
and showing her fangs. The opportunity was as favourable as he could
desire. He took a steady aim, and over she rolled. At this, Hector
gave a shout of satisfaction, while the dogs came back, though afraid to
approach, as she was still struggling violently. Loraine then reloaded,
and advancing, sent another shot crashing through her brain. The two
cubs had come out, and looked as if inclined to give battle, but the
dogs kept them at bay, giving time to Loraine to load again, when he
fired and killed one of them, and the next was settled in the same way.
Hector, who had come down from his perch, expressed his regret at having
caused his friend so much anxiety. He had been following up the track
of the horses, when he caught sight of the bear, which he unwisely fired
at and wounded. She at first had gone off with her cubs, but just as he
had reached the wood, she had turned and rushed at him. He had again
fired, but having no time to reload, in attempting to escape up the tree
had dropped his gun, when the bear, seizing it, had gnawed and twisted
it in such a manner as to render it perfectly useless. Had not the dogs
held her in check, he acknowledged that he should have been caught.
"Had we our horses, we might supply ourselves with bears' flesh
sufficient to last for the whole of our journey; as it is, we can only
take as much as we can conveniently carry," observed Loraine. They
speedily, if not very scientifically, cut off a portion of the meat,
which they did up with strips of the cubs' hides into two packages, the
dogs meantime enjoying a magnificent feast off the remains. They then
retired to the camp, still as much in the dark as ever as to what had
become of Greensnake and the horses.
"I don't know what I shall do without my gun," said Hector, as they
walked along. "If we meet with enemies, I shall be unable to help you
to fight; nor can I kill any game."
Loraine did his best to comfort him. "We must keep out of the way of
enemies, and my gun will enable me to obtain as much food as we shall
require, while you can assist me with your advice, as you know more
about the country than I do," he observed.
When Loraine pointed to the articles they must abandon, Hector suggested
that they should be placed _en cache_ by hanging them up to the bough of
a tree, deep in the wood, so as to be concealed from passers-by.
They might thus some day have an opportunity of sending for them.
"There, you see how at once you can help me," remarked Loraine. "I have
been sadly puzzled to know what to do with them."
Having taken a substantial meal of bears' flesh, they carefully put out
their fire, and obliterated as far as they could the traces of their
encampment. They then strapped on their packs, and Hector supplying
himself with a pointed stick, in the place of his damaged rifle, they
set off, followed by the dogs, in the direction, as they supposed, of
Fort Duncan.