any. We ought to get a moose, even if we don't see any bear. In the
old times there used to be plenty of buffalo this far to the west in
the mountains. What do you say, Moise--shall we make a hunting camp
here?"
"We'll been got no meat pretty quick bimeby," said Moise. "Maybe so."
They were encamped here on a narrow beach, which, however, sheered up
high enough to offer them security against any rise in the stream.
They were careful to pull up the boats high and dry, and to secure
them in case of any freshet. Used as they were by this time to camp
life, it now took them but a few minutes to complete their simple
operations in making any camp. As all the boys had taken a turn at
paddling this day, and as the exciting scenes of the past few days had
been of themselves somewhat wearying, they were glad enough to get a
long night's sleep.
Before Rob, the leader of the younger members of the party, had rolled
up in his blankets Alex came to him and asked him whether he really
cared to finish running the river, provided they could get out
overland.
"Surely we do," said Rob at once. "We'll go on through, as far as we
can, at least, by boat. We don't want to be modern and ride along on
horseback until we have to. Mackenzie didn't and Fraser didn't! Nor do
we want to go to any trading-post for supplies. We can get butter and
eggs in the States if we want to, but we're _hunters_! You show us a
grizzly to-morrow, Alex, that's all!"
"All right," said Alex, smiling. "Maybe we can."
XVI
THE GRIZZLY HUNT
"Why, Alex, this land along the bayou here looks like a cattle-yard!"
exclaimed Rob as early the next morning they paused to examine a piece
of the moist ground which they had observed much cut up with tracks of
big game.
There were four in party now, Moise alone having remained to keep the
camp. For an hour or more now they had passed back toward the hills,
examining the damp ground around the edges of the willow flats and
alder thickets. From time to time they had seen tracks of bears, some
large and some small, but at this particular point the sign was so
unmistakable that all had paused.
"I don't know that I ever saw more sign on one piece of ground,"
admitted Alex. He spoke in a low tone of voice and motioned for the
others to be very quiet. "The trouble is, they seem to be feeding at
night and working back toward the hills in the daytime. On this
country here there have been six black bears and two grizzlies."
"Yes, and here's that big track again," said Rob. "He sinks in the mud
deep as an ox, and has a hind foot as long as my rifle-stock."
"Six or eight hundred pounds, maybe," said Alex. "He's a good one. The
other one isn't so big. They fed here last night, and seem to be
working up this little valley toward the hills again. If we had plenty
of time I'd be in favor of waiting here until evening, for this seems
to be a regular stamping-ground for bear. What do you think, Mr. Rob?"
"Well," said Rob, "I know it usually isn't much worth while to follow
a bear, but maybe it wouldn't do any harm in here to work on after
this one a little way, because there doesn't seem to be any hunting in
here, and maybe the bears aren't badly scared."
"Very well, that's what I think, too," said Alex; "but if this trail
gets very much fresher I think it is just as well for all of us to
keep out of the thicket and take to the open. Maybe we can find higher
ground on ahead."
They passed on up, making cross-cuts on the trail and circling now and
again through the willow flats as they advanced. Once in a while Alex
would have to search a little before he could pick up the trail, but
always somewhere among the willows he would find the great footprint
of the big bear. Often he showed the boys where the willows had been
broken down by the bear in its feeding, and at some places it left a
path as though a cyclone had gone through.
Having established it in his mind that the bear was steadily advancing
deeper back into the valley they were following, Alex at last left the
willow flats and made for the side of the depression down which a
little stream was coming, striking into the hills at the place where
the valley finally narrowed to a deep coulee. Here they advanced
slowly and cautiously, taking care to be on the side where the wind
would favor them most, and once in a while Alex still dropped down to
the foot of the coulee in search of sign or feeding-ground. As they
advanced, however, the course of the stream became more definite and
the moist ground not so large in extent, so that it became more
difficult to trail any animal on the drier ground. A mile farther on,
none the less, in a little muddy place, they found the track of the
giant bear, still ahead of them. It had sunk eight inches or more into
the soft earth, and a little film of muddy water still was trickling
into the bottom of the track, while at its rim little particles of
mud still hung loose and ragged.
Alex's eyes now gleamed with eagerness, for he saw that the bear was
but a little distance ahead. He examined closely the country about to
see whether the big grizzly was alone, and to his relief found no sign
of the smaller bear.
"I'm not afraid of them both," said he, in a low whisper to Rob, "but
sometimes it's easier to get up to one bear than it is to two, and I
notice it's nearly always the small one that gives the alarm."
The big grizzly, however, still was traveling steadily at times. They
could not locate him in this thicket, and, indeed, a little farther on
found where, apparently but a few moments earlier, he had left this
coulee and crossed a little ridge, apparently intending to change his
course entirely. This was disappointing, but Alex whispered to the
young hunters not to be disturbed, for that possibly the bear might
lie up or go to feeding in some other ravine not far on ahead.
"You'd better wait here, I think," said he at last, as they approached
the top of a little ridge, where evidently another coulee came down.
He began slowly to climb toward the top, from which he could get a
view of the other side. Almost as soon as he raised his head above the
summit he pulled it back again. Quickly he dropped down to where the
others stood.
"Is he there?" asked Rob, eagerly.
Alex nodded. He looked at the faces of all the boys. Not one of them
was pale, and every one seemed only eager to go ahead. Slowly standing
and watching them for a time, at length the old hunter turned,
silently motioning them to follow him.
What Alex had seen when he peered over the top of the ridge was
nothing else than the big bear feeding in the bushes which lay some
sixty yards ahead and below, where the ground was moister. When at
length the boys, however, reached the same place and gazed over
eagerly they saw nothing at all at first.
Rob turned to whisper a question to Alex, but even as he did so he
felt John clutch him by the arm. Then as they all looked on ahead they
saw the great bear rise once more on his hind legs high above the
bushes. He was so close they could see his blocky head, his square
nose, and even his little piggish eyes. Slowly the grizzly turned a
little bit from side to side, nodding his head and whining a little
all to himself, as he started once more to reach out and break down
the tops of the bushes toward him in his great arms.
It was at that instant that the rifle of Alex rang out, and he called
to the others hurriedly, "Shoot! Shoot!"
He needed not to give such counsel, for every boy there had almost at
the same instant fired at the giant grizzly which stood below them. He
fell with a great roar, and began to thresh about in the bushes. No
sight of him for a moment could be obtained. All four now sprang
erect, waiting eagerly for the crippled game to break cover. John and
Rob even started down the slope, until Alex called out to them
peremptorily to come back. As a matter of fact, three of the four
bullets had struck the bear and he was already hurt mortally, but this
could not be determined, and Alex knew too much to go into the cover
after a wounded grizzly.
[Illustration: THE BEAR BROKE COVER WITH A SAVAGE ROAR]
The bear itself heard them shouting, and, having located the presence
of an enemy, now broke cover with a savage roar, limping as best he
could in a vain endeavor to get up the slope and to attack his
enemies. But again and again the rifles spoke, and an instant later
the great bear dropped down and rolled limp at the bottom of the
slope, almost back into the bushes from which he had come.
"He's dead now, all right!" said Alex, even as he held out his hand to
restrain his young companions once more from rushing in on their game.
"Some one hit him in the head that last time. I'm thinking the hide
won't be good for much, for he must be shot full of holes by now!"
Such indeed proved to be the case. The high-power rifles, fired at
close range, with hands excited yet none the less fairly accurate, had
done their work in such fashion as might have finished three or four
bears instead of one even as large as this one proved to be.
Alex turned once more to note the conduct of his young friends as they
gathered at the side of the dead bear. He smiled a little bit grimly.
Whereas their faces had lately been flushed and eager, they now were
just a little pale, and he saw that they all were disposed to tremble
as they stood.
"We're well out of that," said he, quietly. "That's bad as the Parle
Pas. Of course the odds were in our favor, but with a bear of this
size any man or any party is well out of it when they get him down.
But here's your grizzly, young gentlemen."
"My, isn't he a whale!" said Jesse. "There's plenty of meat, I should
think."
"Yes, we've killed him," said Alex, "but what good is he to us?
Grizzlies aren't good to eat, even when they are feeding on berries,
as this one is."
"Never mind," said Rob; "this is a pretty good robe, I want to tell
you, even if it is only in August. It is finer and closer than our
Alaska bears; see how white on the shoulders and face. I believe he's
about as ugly a customer, too, as most of our big Alaska bears, that
live on fish."
"Yes," said Alex, "he's what you call a bald-face, and whether there's
any truth in it or not, Injuns always say that these white-faced bears
are the most savage. Look at his claws--they're white too. All of them
perfect, however, which shows that he hasn't been digging among the
rocks very much, but has been feeding in low country for quite a
while. I suppose Moise would call this bear his cousin, and I doubt if
he'd want to help skin him. But that's what we've got to do now, and
it's no easy job either."
"We'll all help," said Rob.
"Well, you'd better go and help by finding some sort of rock for a
whetstone," said Alex, "for I see I have left my file down in camp.
There's nothing in the world takes the edge off the best steel like
skinning a big bear--the hide is like sandpaper inside."
"Here's something," said Jesse, picking up a flat stone, "and maybe we
can sharpen the knives on it."
They all fell to work now, each with his own hunting-knife. Alex, of
course, did most of the work, first ripping down the tough hide with
his big buffalo knife, along each leg and up the middle of the body.
Then giving each of the boys a leg, and himself keeping clear of the
eager knife blades, they all began the work of skinning off the hide.
"Skin it close," said Alex, "and don't leave on much meat. The Injuns
never skin a bear hide close, for the women like the fat, it seems,
and they do all the scraping in camp. But this hide is so big that I'm
not anxious to carry any more weight on it than I have to--I should
not wonder if it would weigh seventy-five to a hundred pounds, the
best we can do."
At last, however, they had the great hide free from the carcass, with
the footpads and long claws attached, and the scalp all skinned
carefully free from the skull at eyes, ears, and nose. Rob insisted on
taking the skull also, although Alex demurred.
"We'll carry it, Alex," said he. "This is a splendid robe, I'm
telling you, fine color, and not worn nearly as badly as I should have
expected in the summer-time. We're going to have a rug made out of it
for Uncle Dick's house, and we want the skull, too. We'll carry that
down the hill."
"All right," said Alex; "I'll have plenty to do with the rest of this
old fellow."
He rolled the green hide into a pack, which he lashed tightly with
some thongs, and once more using his belt as a pack-strap, which he
rested on the top of his head, he managed to get under the weight of
the green hide, and started off at a half trot, following the nearest
valley down to the river where their camp was pitched.
Strong as the old hunter was, at times even he was willing enough to
set down his pack and rest awhile, and to smoke a pipe. The boys, who
were carrying his rifle and also making shifts at carrying the heavy
bear skull, themselves were willing enough to join him when he
stopped. At last, however, they got to the top of the bank under which
their camp was pitched.
"Listen!" said Rob. "There's some one talking."
Alex nodded. They stepped up to the top of the bank and looked over.
XVII
THE YOUNG ALASKANS' "LOB-STICK"
They saw sitting near the fire three men beside Moise, all of them
Indians or half-breeds. They were all of them talking and laughing
eagerly, certainly not showing very much of the so-called Indian
reserve, at the time the hunters peered over at them. Yet occupied as
they were, their senses were always alert. One of them heard a twig
snap, and turned his face to the bank.
Alex said nothing, but kicked over the edge of the bank the big rolled
hide of the grizzly; after which, silently and with proper dignity,
all the hunters, old and young, advanced down the bank and across the
beach toward the fire. No one said anything until after the rifles
were all lined up against the blanket rolls and the pipes of the men
had been filled once more. Moise at length could be dignified no more,
and broke out into a loud series of French, English, and Cree terms,
all meant to express his delight and approval at the success of the
hunt. The three breeds also smiled broadly and nodded approvingly,
once in a while saying a word in their own tongue to one another. They
did not, however, seem to ask any questions regarding the hunt as yet.
Alex spoke a word or so to Moise.
"She's been my cousin," said Moise, pointing indifferently to all
three of the new-comers. He also pointed to their means of locomotion,
a long and risky looking dugout which lay at the beach.
"He'll gone on up the river," said Moise, "from Hudson's Hope."
"Well, when they go," said Alex, "I suppose you'll have to give them
something to eat, as you seem to be doing now. Only please don't part
with quite all our supplies--we're going to need a little tea and
flour for ourselves before we get out of here. You can tell these men
there's plenty of game in this part of the country, so they can easily
make a hunt if they like."
"Sure," said Moise, "I'll dream last night you'll catch grizzly this
time. But how we'll go to put heem in boat, _hein_? S'pose we put that
hide in canoe, she'll sink unless we eat up all the grub pile."
Alex told Moise to unroll the bear hide so that it might dry as much
as possible. He then set all of them at fleshing the hide, a task none
of them seemed to relish. Afterward, he also added some sort of
counsel in the Cree language which presently resulted in the three
visitors tightening up their belts, taking their solitary rifle, and
passing out of sight in the bush at the top of the bank.
"Where are they going?" asked John, curiously, of Moise.
"She'll say she'll go after bear meat," said Moise. "Not got much
meat, for she'll ain't seen much moose yet."
"Well, they're welcome to that grizzly meat," grinned Alex. "I didn't
think they'd eat it. They must be starving. Make them up a little
package of tinned stuff, Moise, and put it in their boat. I think
we'll need about all the bacon we've got, and they can use the fat of
the bear better than we can. Give them some tea, and a little flour
too. What do they say about the river below here at the big canyon?"
"Says bad water," said Moise. "She'll rose perhaps four, three, two
inches to-day, maybe so, here, and that's all same so many foots in
the canyon. She'll say best way to do is to take portage trail and
leave those boat on west end of those canyon."
"Yes, but we want to get our boats through," said Alex, "although it
must be a dozen miles anyhow by way of the carrying trail, and not too
good at that."
"He'll say," resumed Moise, "s'pose we take those boat through to the
big mountain--through big water, ver' wide, with many islands--we'll
come on a place where boats can go up the bank, if plenty men carry
them up. Then she'll been ten mile, eight mile, to some place below
the mountain. All the tam she'll say best way is to go by horse, on
the north side of the river, on the police trail from Fort St. John,
s'pose we'll could find that trail, an' s'pose we'll had some horse."
"What do you say, Mr. Rob?" asked Alex. "We ought to get our boats
down. Shall we haul out at the west end, or try for Hudson's Hope?"
"I'd be in favor of getting down as far as we can," said Rob. "We can
reach the head of the mountain in a couple of days. I'm for moving on
down and taking a chance on the rest of it! Of course we'll have to
portage the canyon somehow."
"That suits me," said John. And even Jesse, the youngest of the three,
was all for continuing the journey as originally planned.
"All right," said Alex, "I'm with you. We're learning the game now,
certainly, and I don't think we'll find this part of the river any
worse than it has been up above. There isn't anything bad marked on
the map, anyhow, for quite a way."
At about this time, as they were all busied about the camping place,
the boys noticed Alex and Moise step a little apart and begin to
converse in low tones. From their looks and gestures, the boys
gathered that the men were speaking of something in which they
themselves were concerned, in just what way they could not tell.
Presently Moise smiled and nodded vigorously. Approaching the
camp-fire, he took up his short-handled ax and slung it at his back by
a bit of thong. Then he stepped over to the tallest and straightest
pine-tree which grew close to the water's edge thereabout. Active as a
cat, he soon had climbed the lower branches, where, without pausing,
he began to hack off, close to the trunk, every branch within his
reach. Having done so, he climbed yet higher up and repeated the
operation, as though it were his purpose to cut off nearly all the
branches to the top of the tree. At first the boys thought he was
gathering boughs for the beds, but as they were almost ready to break
camp they could not understand this.
"Let's go up and help him, fellows!" exclaimed John.
Alex restrained them. "No, you mustn't do that." John stopped rather
abashed.
"You see," explained the old hunter, "you are concerned in this, so
you must not help."
"I don't understand--" began John.
"Well, the truth is, we are going to give you a celebration. In short,
we are making a monument for you young gentlemen, all of you."
Rob broke into the conversation. "A monument? But we're not dead, and
aren't going to be soon!"
"This is a monument of the Far North. It is not necessary to die. We
are making you what we call a 'lob-stick,' or 'lop-stick.'"
"I never heard of anything like that."
"Very likely not. Nor do I suppose there is one this far to the west,
although there are some which we may see down the Peace River. Had
Mackenzie and Fraser got their dues, each of them would have had a
'lob-stick' somewhere in here. Probably they were too busy in those
days. But if either of them had had a 'lob-stick' made for him it
would very likely be standing to-day. In that case every man who went
past on the river would know why it had been given."
The boys were very much excited over this and demanded of Alex that he
should explain more precisely these matters.
"Well," said the old hunter, kindly, "each country has its own ways.
When I was in London with General Kitchener I went to Westminster
Cathedral, and saw there engraved in brass the names of men who had
done deeds worth commemorating. It is our way in this country also to
perpetuate the memory of deeds of goodness or of bravery, anything
which is remarkable and worth remembering. Here and there along the
Peace River, and far to the north on the Athabasca, you will see a
tree trimmed like this, different from the others, and noticeable to
all passers-by. Perhaps one tells where a man has saved the life of
another man, or where a party have divided their food until all
starved, or where some great deed was done, such as a fight with some
animal. Any great event in our history we may keep in mind in this
way. When the men go by on the river they think of that. We believe it
may make their hearts stronger, or make them more disposed to do good
or brave things themselves. It is our custom."
"But what have we done to deserve this?" demanded Rob.
"Moise and I and those other men who were here have the right to
decide in regard to that," said Alex. "We would not be foolish enough
to leave a 'lob-stick' for any light reason. To us it seemed that you
were brave, considering your years, in facing the grizzly this morning
as you did; also, that you are brave to undertake this trip, young as
you are, and with us whom you did not know, across this wild country,
which daunted even Mackenzie and Fraser in the old days. Having met in
council, Moise and I have determined to do this. We think there is no
other 'lob-stick' on the river above here, and that there is not apt
to be."
By this time Moise had lopped off all the branches of the tree except
the top ones, which stood out like an umbrella. Descending from stub
to stub, he now trimmed off all the remaining branches clear to the
ground. As Alex had said, the tree stood straight and unmistakable, so
that any _voyageur_ on the river must notice it.
Rob took off his hat, and the others did the same. "We do not know how
to thank you for this honor, Alex and Moise," said he, "but we will
try never to do anything which shall make you ashamed of us. If we do,
you may come and cut down this tree."
"I believe it will stand," smiled Alex. "Not many men pass here in
these days, but by and by every man who does come here will know where
this tree stands and why it was made a 'lob-stick.' They will measure
distances by it on the river. And always when the _voyageurs_ pass, or
when they camp here near the tree, they will know your story. That is
the way history is made in this country. I think that a hundred years
from now, perhaps, men will know your story as well as you do that of
Mackenzie and Fraser, although theirs was written in books. This is
our custom. If it pleases you, we are very glad."
Hats still in hand, the boys now stepped up one by one and shook hands
with Alex and Moise. When they left this camp they looked back for a
long time, and they could see their commemorative tree standing out
tall, slender, and quite distinct from all the others. No doubt it
stands there to-day just as it was left in the honor of our young
_voyageurs_.
XVIII
BAD LUCK WITH THE "MARY ANN"
Alex now went down to the boats and began to rearrange the cargo, from
which the boys saw that in his belief it was best to continue the
journey that evening, although it now was growing rather late.
Evidently he was for running down ahead of the flood-water if any such
should come, although it seemed to all of them that after all they
need have no great fear, for the river had risen little if any since
morning.
They determined to put the big bear hide in the _Mary Ann_, and
shifted some of the burden of that boat to the _Jaybird_, folding up
the long hide and putting it at the bottom of the canoe under the
thwarts, so that the weight would come as low as possible. When the
_Mary Ann_ had received the rest of her necessary cargo she showed
most of her bundles and packages above the gunwale, and Alex looked at
the two boats a little dubiously, even after Moise had carried down to
the dugout of his cousins such of the joint supplies as even his
liberality thought proper.
"We'll try her, anyhow," said Alex, taking a look up the river, which
came rolling down, tawny now, and not white and green in its colors.
So saying, they pushed off.