It was not until he was left alone that the full sense of his
difficulties came upon Reuben Benton. He watched his recent companion
as leading his little train he slowly passed to the north and soon was
hidden from sight among the foothills. He might have gone with him,
although the man had not been cordial in his suggestion, but the chief
barrier was that Reuben had taken an intense dislike to the boastful
man. Not the least of the grounds for his prejudice was the ridicule
which the giant had heaped upon Reuben’s hero, Kit Carson. For a
moment, however, Reuben almost wished that he, too, had gone with the
man, much as he disliked him. At least he would be certain to go
somewhere, and now he did not even know what fate had overtaken Jean
Badeau. As yet no suspicion had occurred to him that any serious
misfortune had befallen the trapper. Indeed, Reuben was inclined to be
angry with the man for having departed without awaiting his return.
He thought, too, of Kit Carson, and the band which he had led into the
defiles of the Rocky Mountains on their trapping expedition. He had
been eager to join that party, but the same opposition greeted him
which years before had been faced by Kit Carson himself. The men were
afraid that he was not sufficiently strong to endure the hardships of
the long journey and the trying winter that was certain to come. For
that reason Reuben had accepted the invitation of Jean to go with him.
Jean did not wish to trap with a band, as we know. And yet he did not
plan to be entirely alone. His own thought had been that if Reuben
should accompany him, at least he would provide company, and if evil
befell him he would not be bereft of all help.
And Reuben had listened to the appeals of Jean, not only because of his
eagerness to become a trapper, but also because he was compelled to
choose between being bound out to some of the Missouri pioneers or else
to learn the harness trade, as Kit Carson had learned it before him.
Reuben’s father, a ne’er-do-well, had urged Reuben to accompany his
older brother William when he had migrated from Virginia to find a new
home in the rich lands of western Missouri. Reuben had been treated
with a degree of kindness by his older brother, but his brother’s wife
objected to his remaining longer a member of the household. She now had
six children of her own to care for, and the addition of another
dependent had become somewhat irksome. She was a worn, nervous,
scolding, irritable woman, and Reuben, after a long talk with his
brother, had decided that it was wiser as well as better for him to
find a home somewhere else.
It was soon after this decision had been made that the homeless lad had
met Jean, who had returned from his annual trip to the fur country. And
Jean had not found it difficult to persuade Reuben to accompany him.
There were visions held out before him of the great wealth that was to
be obtained by trapping, and the adventures which Jean graphically
described with many gestures also had their own appeal for Reuben. He
was now a well-grown boy of sixteen, strong, skilled in the use of the
rifle, and he confidently believed that he was equal to any of the
hardships which an ordinary party of trappers might be compelled to
undergo.
Not much time was required in preparations for the journey. Reuben’s
rifle, a few traps, most of which were unreliable, and a few other
belongings were collected. A pony was provided by Jean, and when he set
forth from Pain Court, aside from his brother William, there was slight
regret in his heart for any one he was leaving behind him.
The long journey had been made with but few mishaps. They were now
within sight of the land of promise, but on the very border he had lost
his companion. And yet, as has been said, Reuben was by no means
convinced that Jean was lost. He was inclined to believe that Jean had
left him, either expecting to return or that the boy would soon find
him. Perhaps he had seen the Indians whom Reuben had met and was
fearful of their evil intentions. They might be only the scouts of a
large band not far away.
The thought for a moment made even Reuben uneasy and he glanced
apprehensively about him. The noisy little mountain brook not far away
made the only sound he could hear. Above him in the sunlight towered
the summits of the lofty mountains. Trees and grass were about him, and
no scene upon which he had ever looked had been more peaceful in its
outward appearance.
It was now late in the afternoon. Reuben was aware that he was not only
tired, but also hungry. It was necessary for him to obtain something to
eat, although he was uncertain where food was to be found. That, like
certain other disagreeable facts, however, must be faced.
Near the little brook he suddenly saw a deer approaching from the upper
part of the gorge. A moment later he was aware that it was a doe
leading her fawn to the brook for a drink. Reuben, who had been seated
motionless, had not been discovered by the timid creatures, and as the
wind was blowing toward the valley below him the keen-scented animals
had not noticed his presence.
Here was his supper sent directly to him!
The sight of the graceful little fawn, however, caused Reuben to
hesitate. He hated to shoot the pretty little creature. He watched the
fawn as it glanced up into its mother’s face with an expression that
was as filled with affection as that which he had seen sometimes in the
face of a child. Already he had raised his rifle to his shoulder, but
for some reason he did not shoot. The sudden loosening of a stone by
his foot produced a sound which made the two animals look quickly in
his direction, and instantly he was aware that he had been discovered.
For a moment the doe anxiously gazed at the intruder, and then like a
flash she was gone, followed by the fawn. The supper which had come to
him almost miraculously was lost, and for a moment Reuben was inclined
to blame himself for yielding to his feeling of sympathy for the fawn.
And yet what was he to do for his supper? Carelessly he advanced to the
border of the brook and looked with interest at the hoof-prints of the
doe and the fawn. He was aware that there were occasional pools in the
little stream, and as he glanced into one he had a momentary vision of
a fish darting under the shadow of the overhanging bank. Reuben had
never heard of mountain trout, but the sight of the fish instantly
suggested a plan by which he might be able to obtain his supper.
A few yards below the place where he was standing the stream narrowed
until it was not more than two feet wide. Quickly he rolled some of the
loose stones to the place so that when they fell into the water they
served as a barrier in the stream. When a half-dozen stones had been
placed in the narrow neck of water Reuben cut a good sized club, and,
going up the stream a short distance, stepped into the water. As he
advanced he shouted and struck the water and was positive that several
times he saw fish dart swiftly down the stream before him. Proceeding
cautiously and using his club all the time, he soon drew near the dam
he had made. As he did so he began to leap up and down in the water and
shout and strike the bank as well as the stream with his club.
The hungry boy was delighted when a few moments later a fish, finding
its progress barred in either direction, leaped out of the water.
Reuben succeeded in striking it with the club he was carrying, and
watched it as it fell on the ground several feet away from the stream.
If there was one fish in the water, he concluded there must be others,
and quickly he repeated his tactics. After two failures he succeeded in
obtaining another fish, and finally threw the third up on the bank. The
last was larger than the other two combined.
Again the problem of his supper had been solved. He soon secured the
three fish he had taken and, returning to the spot where he had left
his belongings, he at once made them ready for cooking. Afterward he
collected a mass of branches which had fallen from the nearby trees and
was preparing to kindle a fire.
In the midst of his occupation he abruptly stopped. Should he light a
fire? It is true it might not only provide a means of cooking the fish,
but also indicate to Jean, who could not be far away, the presence of
his camp. On the other hand, the Indians he recently had seen had told
him that many more redmen were among the mountains. They, too, might
see the fire and might steal upon him unaware.
The feeling of hunger, however, was so strong that Reuben soon decided
in favour of a fire. Disregarding the danger, by means of his flint and
tinder he soon started a roaring blaze. He had made a rude little
fireplace by piling some of the stones in such a manner that the top
was covered. On this top he placed a large, flat stone, and upon this
he laid two of the trout.
It was not long before Reuben had a supper not only “fit for a king,”
but such a supper as a king is seldom permitted to enjoy. It is true
all the salt which he and Jean had brought had been in the saddlebags
of the trapper, but the mountain trout were delicious even without
salt.
By the time Reuben’s supper was eaten he was aware that the brief
sunset was nearly ended. Much of his anxiety had now departed and he
was quite content, as he said to himself, to let Jean do the searching.
He seated himself upon the ground, leaning back against the trunk of a
huge tree, and as he listened to the music of the noisy little brook
and watched the scurrying clouds pass across the evening sky he was
even more decided that Jean might find him if he should search
diligently.
Not long after the coming of the night, however, this feeling of
confidence gave place to one of loneliness. Indeed, the consciousness
that he was alone soon became oppressive. He recalled the sight of the
pack of gaunt and hungry wolves that had run down the buffalo calf.
Perhaps they would be glad to feast upon a young trapper for supper,
just as he himself had feasted upon the trout he had taken from the
mountain stream. Aroused by the suggestion, Reuben started to his feet
and made a tour of his camp. Although he walked one hundred yards in
every direction, he was unable to discover any signs of danger. When he
returned to his camp the fire had burned low, but it was plain that
everything was as he had left it. His troubles might wait until
morning, he finally decided, and not long afterward, stretching himself
upon his blanket, he was sleeping soundly.
It was daylight when he awoke, and as soon as consciousness returned
Reuben was aware that he had been awakened by sounds that even now he
could still hear in the distance.