among the rocks, more often than you would think. This is just the
kind of country that bighorns like. You mustn't get discouraged too
soon on a hunt. An Injun may be slow to start on a hunt, but when he
gets started he doesn't get discouraged, but keeps on going. Sometimes
our people hunt two or three days without anything to eat.
"But now since you mention it, Mr. John," he added, "I'd like to ask
you, are you sure there are no signs of game around here?"
Both the boys looked for a long time all over the mountain-slopes
before them. Rob had his field-glasses with him, and these he now took
out, steadily sweeping one ridge after another for some time.
"I see, Alex!" he called out, excitedly. "I know what you mean!"
"Where are they?" called John, excitedly.
"Oh, not sheep yet," said Rob, "but just where they've been, I think."
"Look, Mr. John," said Alex, now taking John by the arm and pointing
across the near-by ravines. "Don't you see that long mark, lighter in
color, which runs down the side of that mountain over there, a mile or
two away, and up above us?"
"Yes, I can see that; but what is it?"
"Well, that's a sheep trail, a path," said Alex. "That's a trail they
make coming down regularly from the high country beyond. It looks to
me as though they might have a watering place, or maybe a lick, over
in there somewhere. It looks so good to me, at least, that I think
we'll make a camp."
They turned now, under the old hunter's guidance, and retraced their
steps until they found themselves at the edge of timber, where Alex
threw down his bundle under a tall spruce-tree whose branches spread
out so as almost to form a tent of itself. He now loosened his straps
and bits of rope from about the bundle, and fastened these about his
waist. With remaining pieces of twine he swung up the package to the
bough of the tree above the ground as high as he could reach.
"We don't want any old porcupine coming here and eating up our grub.
They almost gnaw through a steel plate to get at anything greasy or
salty," he explained. "We'll call this camp, and we'll stop here
to-night, because I can see that if we go up to that trail and do any
waiting around it will be too late for us to get back home to-night."
Although no game had as yet been sighted, the confidence that it was
somewhere in the country made the boys forget their fatigue. They
followed Alex up the mountain-slopes, which close at hand proved
steeper than they had looked for, keeping up a pretty fast pace,
until finally they got almost as high up as the trail which Alex had
sighted. This latter lay at some distance to the right of their
present course, and a high, knife-edged ridge ran down from the hills,
separating the hunters from the mountain-side beyond. Alex now turned
to his young companions and said in a low tone:
"You'd better stay here now for a little while. I'll crawl up to the
top yonder and look over. If you see me motion to you, come on up to
where I am."
Rob and John sat down on a near-by rock and watched the hunter as he
cautiously ascended the slope, taking care not to disengage any stones
whose noise might alarm any near-by game. They saw him flatten out,
and, having removed his hat, peer cautiously over the rim. Here he lay
motionless for some time, then, little by little, so slowly that they
hardly noticed he was moving, he dropped down over the rim, and,
looking down over his shoulder, motioned to them to come on up.
When the boys joined Alex at the edge of the ridge they were pretty
much out of breath, as they had hurried in the ascent. "What is it,
Alex?" hissed John, his eyes shining.
"They're over there," said the hunter, quietly. "Five sheep, two good
ones--one a very fine ram. Do you want to have a look at them? Be
very careful--they're up at the top of the slope, and haven't come
down over the trail yet. Be careful, now, how you put your heads
over."
The two boys now slowly approached the crest, and, almost trembling
with excitement, peered over. Alex following, laid a hand on John's
leg and another on Rob's shoulder, for fear they would make some
sudden movement and frighten the game. When at length the boys crawled
back from the ridge they were very much excited. "What'll we do now,
Alex?" asked John. "They're too far off to shoot."
"Wait," said Alex; "they're going to come on down the trail. I think
they water at some spring in the mountain, although I don't know. In
fifteen or twenty minutes they'll be pretty close to us--inside of two
hundred yards, at least, I should think.
"Now listen," he continued to the boys, "and mind what I tell you.
There are two rams there, and if we get them we need nothing more.
I'll not shoot unless I need to. Rob, you'll take the ram which is
farthest to the right, at the time I tell you to fire, and you, Mr.
John, will take the other ram, no matter whether it's the big one or
the little one. Let the ewes alone. And whatever you do, don't shoot
into the flock--wait until each of you can see his animal ready for a
distinct shot. If either of you misses, I'll help him out--there's
three or four hundred yards of good shooting all up that mountain
face. Now mind one thing; don't have any buck fever here! None of
that, do you hear me?"
Alex spoke rather sternly this time, but it was with a purpose. He saw
that the hands of both the boys were rather trembling, and knew that
sometimes when a man is in that nervous condition a sharp word will
have the effect of quieting and steadying him.
Rob looked at him quickly, and then smiled. "Oh, I see," said he.
They were all talking in low whispers, so that they might not be
overheard by the game, if it should come closer. "It's no disgrace to
have buck fever," said Alex, in his low tone. "Injuns even get
excited, and I've known old hunters to get buck fever right in the
middle of a hunt, without any reason they could tell anything about.
But now, when you're steady enough, we'll all crawl up once in a while
and have a look."
He kept a steadying hand on both the boys when a few minutes later
they approached the rim of the ridge once more. By this time the
sheep, which had not in the least taken alarm, were advancing rather
steadily down the narrow path on the steep mountain face. The biggest
ram was in advance, a stately and beautiful game creature, such as
would have made a prize for the most experienced of hunters. It was
all Rob could do to keep from an exclamation of delight at seeing
these rather queer creatures so close at hand and unsuspicious of the
hunters' presence.
Alex pulled them down once more, and sternly admonished them to be
quiet. "Wait now," he whispered, "one minute by the watch."
When the minute, which seemed an hour in length, had elapsed, Alex put
his finger on his lips for silence and motioned to each boy to see
that his rifle was ready. Then cautiously they all pushed up once more
to the edge of the ridge.
This time they saw all five of the sheep standing closely bunched
together, two or three of them with their heads down. There seemed to
be a slight moist place among the slate rocks where perhaps some sort
of saline water oozed out, and it was this that these animals had
visited so often as to make a deep trail on the mountain-side. Alex
shook his head as Rob turned an inquiring glance at him, and the boys,
who by this time were steady, did not shoot into the huddled band of
sheep.
They lay thus for what seemed a long time, eagerly watching the game
animals which were unconscious of any hunters' presence. One of the
sheep, a yearling, began to jump up and down, bouncing like a rubber
ball in its sportive antics, which almost made John laugh as he
watched it. Turning to look at this, the smaller ram paced off to the
right, followed now by the larger ram. Both creatures now, as if they
had some sense of danger, stood with their majestic heads raised,
looking steadily about and apparently scanning the air to catch the
taint of danger. Thus they offered a good mark to the riflemen.
"Shoot!" whispered Alex, quickly; and almost as he spoke two reports
rang out.
At the report of Rob's rifle the lesser ram, which was the one that
stood to the left, fell as though struck by a hammer, shot through the
shoulders and killed at once. The larger ram, which had fallen to
John's lot, was not struck beyond a slight singe of the bullet along
the hair of its back. It sprang, and with incredible speed began to
make its way up the opposite slope. The ewes also scattered and ran.
Alex was on the point of using his rifle, when again John's piece rang
out, and this time the great ram, hit fair by the bullet, fell and
rolled over and over until it reached the bottom of the slope quite
dead.
Both of the boys sprang to their feet and gave a wild whoop of
exultation. They were trembling now, although they did not know it,
and jabbered excitedly as they started on down the slope to their
game. Alex followed slowly, calmly filling his pipe and smiling his
approval.
"That's good work for young hunters," said he. "I couldn't have done
better. Mr. John, you missed your first shot. Do you know why?"
"I know," said Rob. "He didn't allow for shooting downhill. A fellow
nearly always shoots too high when he shoots at anything away down
below him."
"Quite right," nodded Alex, "and a very common fault in mountain
hunting."
"Well, I got him the next time," said John. "If you can see where your
bullet goes you can tell how to shoot the next shot."
"They're two magnificent sheep," said Alex, admiringly, "and we've got
to take out both these heads, for they're too good to leave in the
mountains. I suppose now we will have to do a little butchering."
He drew his great knife from his belt, and now in very skilful way
began to skin, clean, and dismember the sheep, doubling back the
half-disjointed legs and the hams and shoulders and throwing the
separated pieces of meat on the skins, which were spread out, flesh
side up, on the ground. He took out the shoulders and hams of each
sheep and split the remainder of the carcass, detaching the ribs along
the spine with blows of his heavy bladed knife. After a little he
rolled up the meat of each sheep in its own hide, lashed it firmly
with thong, and made it into two packs. The heads he next skinned out,
showing the boys how to open the skin along the back of the neck, and
across the head between the horns. He asked for their smaller and
keener knives when it came to skinning out the ears, eyes and
nostrils, but removed the scalp from each sheep without making a cut
which showed through the skin.
"Now," said he at last, "when we get the meat trimmed off these
skull-bones you'll have a couple of sheep heads that many a hunter
would give hundreds of dollars to kill for himself. They are going to
be awkward to carry, though, I'll tell you that."
"How much would one of these rams weigh, Alex?" asked Rob.
"The biggest one a couple of hundred pounds, maybe," said Alex. "The
green head, this way, might make fifty of that, I don't know. We'll
have to make two trips down to the bivouac, that's one thing sure.
Maybe we can lighten the heads by trimming out to-night."
"I'll tell you, Alex," said Rob; "if you can take one of the meat
packs we'll take one of the heads between us. It's downhill from here
to where we left the blankets."
"All right," answered Alex. "I could carry a couple of hundred pounds
down here, I suppose, but there's plenty of time, as we aren't more
than a mile from camp. So come ahead."
Proceeding in this way they finally did get all their meat down to the
little bivouac they had made under the spruce-trees. They were very
tired but happy by this time, and hungry as well, for now evening was
closing down.
"I'll show you how to make a fire now," said Alex, "because you will
see that we aren't over sand or gravel in this camping place, as we
are on the river."
He scraped away the bed of spruce needles and loose soil until he got
down to the moist and sandy layer, with some rocks here and there
projecting through.
"That'll do, I think," said he. "We won't build a big fire, and we'll
have rocks under and around it all we can. You always want to remember
that a forest fire is a terrible thing, and nearly always they come
from careless camp-fires. You know the earth itself burns in a forest
like this. Never allow a fire to get away, and never leave it burning.
These are laws which we have to follow up here, or we get into
trouble."
IX
A NIGHT IN THE MOUNTAINS
"I believe I like it up here better than I do along the river," said
John, after they finally had their little fire going.
"Yes," remarked Rob, "you can see out farther here. The mountains are
fine. See how pink they are over where the snow is--the sun from the
west makes it all like a picture, doesn't it?"
"I never tire of the mountains," said Alex, "and I've lived among them
many years."
"I'd like to be a hunter," Rob began.
"Not to-day," rejoined Alex. "Our people can't make a living that way
now. We have to buy things of the Company, and pay for them with our
furs and robes. But we'll be hunters for this time, sure, with meat in
camp and two fine heads as well. I wish we could eat some to-night."
"Why, why can't we?" demanded John, who looked as though he could eat
a good-sized piece quite raw.
"We could if we had to," said Alex, "but the meat will be better if we
let it hang over night. If we ate too much of the very fresh meat it
might make us sick."
"Men eat bear liver the day it is killed."
"Yes, white men do, but not many Indians will eat bear liver at all.
We can try some of the sheep liver, if you like, for I've brought it
down in the packs. For that matter, it won't hurt us maybe to try a
little piece of meat roasted on a stick before the fire, the way the
Indians cook. That, with a bit of bacon and some bannock that I'll
make, will do us, if we have a cup of tea. You see, I've a little can
along which I got in Moise's cook-bag."
"I don't see how you're going to make bread," began John, "for you
haven't got any pan."
"No, Injuns don't always have pans like white people," said Alex,
laughing, "but I'll show you. I'll use the flour-sack for a pan--just
pour the water right in on the flour and mix it up in the sack. All
outdoor men know that trick. An Injun would take a stick and roll
around in that white dough and roast that dough ball before the fire
along with his meat," he said, "but I think by taking a slab of bark
we can cook our bannock somehow, a little bit, at least, as though we
had a pan to lean up before the fire."
The boys found new proof of the old saying that hunger is the best
sauce. For though their meal was really very frugal, they enjoyed it
heartily, and having had a cup of tea, they forgot all about their
fatigue.
The shadows were coming down across the near-by ridges when at length
they turned to Alex inquiringly.
"We want to know where we're going to make our beds."
"Well, this big spruce-tree is a good enough tent for me--the lower
branches spread out almost like an umbrella. We won't keep much fire,
but if I get cold in the night, not having any blankets, I'll just
make a little fire. You know, I don't need to sleep as warmly as you
do."
"Well," said John, "you ought to get under part of our blanket."
"Then we'd all be cold. Keep some of the blanket under you, for that's
where the cold comes from, not from above. I may after a while push
the ashes back from our fireplace and lie down on the ground where it
has been made warm by the fire. Injuns sometimes do that when they
can't do any better. Mostly, however, we depend on keeping up a fire
if it is very cold and we have no robe or blanket."
High up in the hills where they were it grew very cold at night, and
the boys, shivering in their scanty covering, woke up more than once.
Sometimes they would see Alex lying quite asleep, and again he would
be sitting up smoking his pipe, leaning against the trunk of the tree.
In some way, however, the night wore through, although they were glad
when at length the sun came up and they could all stretch their
cramped and stiffened limbs.
"My eyes have got sticks in them," said John, rubbing at his face.
"And my hair pulls a little bit, too," Rob added. "I forgot to bring
my comb, or even my tooth-brush."
"Well, one thing," said Alex, as he built up the fire. "We'll have
some sheep meat for breakfast, all right. The animal heat will be all
out of it now, and we'll have a hearty meal. We'll need it too, for
it's quite a way down to camp, several miles, that's sure."
They finished their breakfast while the sun was still low over the
eastern mountains, and presently began to think about the homeward
march.
"They'll be wondering about us down there," said Rob, "and I'm mighty
glad we've made our hunt and can get home so soon."
"We might not be able to do it again in a dozen hunts," said Alex.
"Game isn't as abundant as it once was."
"I should say not," said John. "When you read in the stories about
Mackenzie and Fraser, and all those old fellows, they'll tell about
seeing all kinds of game from the boat just as they went along."
"We'll do the same when we get out of the mountains," Alex replied;
"but not buffalo and caribou any more. Bear and moose we'll be very
apt to see.
"We'll double-portage these loads for one trip, at least," he resumed.
"I'll make the first trip with one head on top of my pack, and if you
can manage the other one for a little way I'll come back for the rest
of the meat, and we'll go about half-way down toward the boats on our
first trip. As you probably can't travel as fast as I can, I'm going
ahead, but I'll blaze the trees as I go. Then I'll drop my load and
come back to meet you. When you come to my first load you must stop
there until I catch up with you again. As I'll be below you all the
time, at first, there'll be no danger about your getting off the
trail."
"No danger anyhow," said Rob. "We've often followed a trail that way."
Indeed, the young hunters proved themselves quite good woodsmen enough
to follow Alex down the mountain face into the thicket of the plateau.
He went almost at a trot, loaded as he was, and as the boys found the
big ram's head a heavy load for them to carry between them on the
stick, they met him as he was coming back up the mountains, when they
themselves were not a great deal more than half-way down to the place
where he had dropped his pack.
"It's all plain," said Alex, "for I followed our old trail down the
hill, and put a branch across two or three places so that you'll know
when you're near the pack."
They found no difficulty in obeying his instructions, and so tired
were they that it seemed but a short time before presently Alex joined
them for a second time, carrying the remainder of the meat on his
tump-strap.
"Now," said he, "we're a great deal more than half-way down to the
boats. We won't come back for the second trip at all now, and we'll
take our time with the loads. I'll send Moise up for one pack, which
we will leave here."
"Suppose he doesn't want to come?" asked John.
"Oh, Moise will be glad to come. He's a good packer and a cheerful
man. Besides, I suppose that would be his business as we look at it
among our people. In the old times, when Sir Alexander came through, a
hunter did nothing but hunt. If he killed a head of game the people
around the post had to go out and get it for themselves if they wanted
it brought in."
"But how will Moise find this place?" asked John, anxiously. "I don't
want to lose this head, I'll tell you that."
Alex laughed. "He'll come right to the place! I'll explain to him, so
he'll know right where it is."
"Although he has never been here before?"
"Surely; one Injun can tell another how to go to a place. Besides, our
trail will be as plain as a board-walk to him. He's used to that kind
of work, you see."
All of this came out quite as Alex had said. They took their time in
finishing their journey, but it was long before noon when they arrived
at the boat encampment on the banks of the river, where they were
greeted with great joy by Jesse and Moise. Then, although it was not
yet time for lunch, Moise insisted on cooking once more, a plan to
which John gave very hearty assent, and in which all the others
joined.
After a while Alex and Moise, each smoking contentedly, began to
converse in their own tongue, Alex sometimes making a gesture toward
the mountains off to the east, and Moise nodding a quiet assent. After
a time, without saying anything, Moise got up, tightened his belt,
filled his pipe once more, and departed into the bush.
"Are you sure he'll find that meat?" demanded John, "and bring down
that bighorn head?"
"He certainly will," said Alex; "he'll run that trail like a dog, and
just about as fast. Moise used to be a good man, though he says now he
can't carry over two hundred pounds without getting tired."
"Well, listen at that!" said Jesse. "Two hundred pounds! I shouldn't
think anybody could carry that."
"Men have carried as much as six hundred pounds for a little way,"
said Alex. "On the old portage trails two packets, each of ninety
pounds, was the regular load, and some men would take three. That was
two hundred and seventy pounds at least; and they would go on a trot.
You see, a country produces its own men, my young friends."
"Well, that's the fun of a trip like this," said Rob. "That, and
following out the trails of the old fellows who first came through
here."
"Now," continued Alex, getting up and looking about the camp, "we have
meat in camp, and fish also. I think perhaps we'd better dry a part of
our sheep meat, as we used to the meat of the buffalo in the old days.
We'll smoke it a little, cutting it thin and spreading it in the sun.
By keeping the fresh meat under boughs so the flies won't get at it,
it'll stay good for quite a little while too. We don't want to waste
anything, of course."
They were busy about their odd jobs in the camp when, long before they
would have expected it, Moise came trotting down the base of the
timbered ridge above the camp, and, still smoking and still smiling,
tossed down the big bundle of meat and the other sheep-head on the
ground beside the fire.
"By gosh! Those will be fine head!" said he. "If I'll had this head in
Winnipeg I'll got hondred dollars for each one, me, maybe so. Now I'll
show you how for cook some sheep to-night after supper."
"You mean at supper, don't you?" asked Rob.
"_Non! Non!_ We'll eat supper, wait a while, then those sheep meat
he'll look good some more. I'll show you."
"Are you going to tell us another story to-night?" asked Jesse,
eagerly.
"Yes, after supper I'll tol' you some more story," assented Moise. "We
stay here maybe two, three day now, so to-morrow I think we'll be in
camp. All right. To-night we'll tell the story some more."
X
HOW THE SPLIT-STONE LAKE WAS NAMED
As Moise was even hungrier than John, there seemed no objection to
eating another meal even before sundown. The evening came off fair and
cool, so that the mosquitoes did not bother the campers. As the chill
of the mountain night came on, the boys put on their blanket coats and
pulled the bed-rolls close up to the fire, near which the men both sat
smoking quietly. Already the boys were beginning to learn reticence in
camp with men like these, and not to interrupt with too many
questions; but at length Jesse's eagerness to hear Moise's story could
no longer be restrained.
"You promised to tell us something to-night, Moise," said he. "What's
it going to be?"
"First I'll must got ready for story," said Moise. "In the camp my
people eat when they tell story. I'll fix some of those sheep meat
now."
Borrowing his big knife from Alex, Moise now cut himself a
sharp-pointed stick of wood, two or three feet long, and stuck one end
of this into each end of the side of sheep ribs which lay at the meat
pile. Finding a thong, he tied it to the middle of the stick, and
making himself a tall tripod for a support, he suspended the piece of
meat directly over the fire at some distance above, so that it could
not burn, but would revolve and cook slowly.
"Suppose in a half-hour I'll can tell story now," said Moise, laughing
pleasantly. "No use how much sheep meat you eat, always you eat more!"
At last, however, at what must have been nine or ten o'clock at night,
at least, perhaps later, after Moise had cut for each of the boys a
smoking hot rib of the delicious mountain mutton, he sat back, a
rib-bone in his own hand, and kept his promise about the story.