Accordingly, at the time appointed, the day's work being over, Mike and
Quambo made their appearance at the hut; while running at their heels
were their two dogs, who were soon warmly greeted by Pop.
Setting out, we took our way along the banks of the river, near which we
fully expected to fall in with several raccoons. We had our guns, and
were provided with torches and the means of lighting them. We had not
gone far before we heard voices, and soon we were joined by three lads
from the settlement, who had got notice of the expedition. As they had
brought their dogs, we had a full pack of mongrels of high and low
degree, but united by one feeling,--that of deadly enmity to raccoons.
On we went, while the dogs, who had just then scented one of their foes,
yelled in chorus. Over huge logs and rotten trunks, through the brush
and dead trees and briars, we went at full speed; and sometimes wading
across bogs, sometimes climbing up banks, and occasionally tumbling over
on our noses, we continued to make our way at the heels of the dogs,
until old Quambo, waving his torch above his head, and suddenly stopping
short, shouted out, "De 'coon's treed!"
He had made a mistake, however, for the dogs bayed loudly and continued
their course.
"Dat a mighty old 'coon," cried Quambo. "He know what he about."
The raccoon, if it had got up the tree, had come down again, and was
still ahead. Some of the party were almost in despair; but I knew the
habits of the creature too well not to feel sure that we should get it
at last, so I encouraged my friends, while we dashed on as before.
Yelp and Snap, having kept well ahead of the other dogs, were now heard
baying under a big tree, and no doubt remained that the raccoon had
taken refuge amid its branches. Our difficulty was to get it down. As
the others hesitated to encounter the fierce little animal amid the
boughs, Mike, for the honour of "Old Ireland," offered to make his way
up. Without more ado, then, he got on Quambo's shoulders, sprang to a
branch within his reach, and was soon lost to sight among the foliage.
"I see him!" he shouted at last; and bits of bark, leaves, and rotten
twigs came rattling down, while the loud whacks of his stick reached our
ears. Presently there was a "flop;" the raccoon had been compelled to
evacuate its stronghold. The dogs once more gave chase; and I, torch in
hand, followed them. In less than a minute I came up with the dogs, and
found the creature at bay, its eyes flashing fire, while it bravely
faced the pack, which, with gnashing growls and savage yells, were about
to dash upon it, though each seemed unwilling to receive the first bite
from its sharp teeth. But, hearing the voices of their masters, they
gained courage, and in another instant had the poor animal struggling
vainly in their midst; while our blows came rattling down, to finish its
sufferings, and prevent them tearing its skin to pieces.
Such was one of several raccoon-hunts in which I took part.
The raccoon is about the size of a spaniel, and its colour is a blackish
grey. Its tail is short and bushy, and is marked with five or six
blackish rings on a grey ground. When the animal walks slowly, or sits,
it plants the soles of its feet upon the ground; but when in a hurry it
runs along on the tips of its toes. It hunts for its prey chiefly at
night, when it devours any small animals it can catch. It has no
objection, however, to a vegetable diet; and, indeed, its teeth show
that it is capable of feeding on both descriptions of food.
I once caught a young raccoon, which soon became domesticated--being
quite as tame as a dog. It possessed, however, a habit of which I could
not cure it; that of seizing any fowls it set eyes on, and biting off
their heads. It having treated two or three of Aunt Hannah's in this
way, I was compelled to carry it into the forest and set it at liberty.
It enjoyed its freedom but a short time, however, as it was soon
afterwards hunted and killed by some of our boys.
Having got so far from home, our party were not inclined to return
without something in addition to the unfortunate animal we had
slaughtered. Mike, too, announced to us that he had seen a brown bear
at a spot a little further on; so it was at once agreed that we should
"knock up the quarters of Mr Bruin."
It was necessary to proceed with caution; for though the "musquaw" or
brown bear will seldom attack a human being unless first assaulted, our
friend, if unceremoniously disturbed at night, would probably not be in
a good-humour. Our three well-trained dogs kept at our heels, but the
other curs went yelping away through the forest; nor could their
masters' voices succeed in calling them back. We feared, therefore,
that they would rouse up the bear, and thus give it time to escape
before we could reach its dwelling.
"Faix, though, I am not sure that the noise outside won't make the old
gentleman keep quiet in his den," observed Mike. "He will be after
saying to his wife, `Sure, what would be the use, Molly, of turning out
to go hunting thim noisy spalpeens of dogs? I'll sit snug and quiet
till they come to the door; and thin, sure, it will be toime enough to
axe thim what they want.'"
Mike's notion encouraged us to go on; and at length Pop, Snap, and Yelp
gave signs of uneasiness, and showed a decided inclination to rush
forward.
"Let dem go!" exclaimed Quambo.
"Off with you!" we cried at once; and the dogs darted on, barking
furiously, until they stopped before the decayed trunk of a huge tree,
round which several smaller trees, once saplings, had grown up--a
well-selected natural fortification. As the light of our torches fell
on it, we fully expected to see Mr Bruin stalk forth and inquire what
we wanted.
Quambo proposed that we should light a fire in the neighbourhood, so
that, did our enemy appear, we might be better able to attack him and
defend ourselves. We followed the black's advice; but still nothing
appeared. The dogs, however, showed they were convinced that some
animal or other was concealed within the trunk.
At last, growing impatient, we approached and thrust our long sticks
into the hollow, feeling about in every direction.
"I am sure that mine has struck something soft!" I exclaimed; and
scarcely had I uttered the words when a low growl reached our ears. A
dark body next appeared for an instant among the stems of the trees
surrounding the hollow trunk, and then out rushed a bear through an
opening which we had not perceived.
The dogs gave chase, and so did we. Bruin had but a short start; and
although he must have been well acquainted with the locality, we,
scorning all impediments, soon overtook him--the dogs having already
commenced biting at his hind feet. This was too much for his
equanimity, so, suddenly turning round, he struck two or three of them
with his fore paws, sending them sprawling to a distance. As he did so
the glare of our torches dazzled his eyes, and so perplexed him that he
seemed not to know what to do. Of one thing only he must have been
convinced,--that he was in for a fight; and, brave bear as he was, he
sat up on his hind legs and prepared to receive us.
Mike fired, but only wounded him in the shoulder. This stirred up
Bruin's anger to a pitch of fury, and, with a growl like thunder, he
dashed forward at his opponent. Mike, however, nimbly skipped on one
side, and the bear's eye fell on Quambo, who had lifted his rifle to
fire. But scarcely had he pulled the trigger when the bear was upon
him, and both rolled over together.
For an instant I thought that the black was killed, but his voice
shouting to us to drag off the bear reassured me; and Mike's
hunting-knife quickly finished the animal, which was struggling in the
agonies of death. Happily, his teeth had only torn Quambo's jacket; and
on our dragging away the dead body the black sprang to his feet.
"Berry good sport," he observed, shaking himself. "I'se wonder wedder
Mrs Bear not remain behind! and piccaninny bears too, perhaps! We look
as we go by. Howeber, we now make ready dis gen'leman to carry home."
He and Mike then fastened the bear's feet together, and hung the animal
to a long pole, which they cut from a sapling growing near. Then having
placed it on their shoulders, with short pieces at right angles at
either end to prevent it slipping, they announced that they were ready
to set off; so, while they led the way with our prize, we commenced our
homeward journey.
Whether Mrs Bruin had occupied part of the trunk, we could not
positively ascertain. Quambo expressed his belief that she had been
there, but had taken the opportunity, while we went in chase of her
spouse, to make her escape with her offspring. We possibly might have
found her; but, with her young to defend, she would have proved a
dangerous foe, and, as our torches were almost burnt out, we should have
had to encounter her in the dark. We therefore considered it prudent to
proceed on our way.
I remained at the hut while the rest of the party went back to the
settlement. Aunt Hannah was well pleased to obtain so valuable a prize;
and she sent us, some weeks afterwards, a smoked bear's ham as our share
of the spoil.
I can give but a very brief account of the adventures of those days;
indeed, sometimes weeks went by during which I was hard at work without
intermission, either assisting Uncle Mark, or joining in one or other of
the "bees" got up for various purposes--when we went to help others, as
our neighbours, when required, came to help us.
Sometimes we joined what was called a "logging bee," which I may explain
thus:--When a new hut was to be erected, we and others united to drag
the logs out of the forest, and to hew them into proper lengths to form
the walls of the hut. These are placed, not upright, but horizontally,
one above another. The length of the outside walls is first determined;
whereupon the lowest log is let a little way into the earth, and a
groove is cut on the upper side with a deep notch at each end. The next
log is placed on the top of it, each end being so cut as to dovetail
into the others at right angles; thus one log is placed upon another
until the destined height of the wall is reached. Doors and windows are
afterwards sawed out; and the rafters are fixed on in the usual fashion.
The roof is formed of rough slabs of wood called shingles; the
interstices being filled up with clay. A big iron stove, the flues
running from one end to the other, keeps the hut thoroughly warm in
winter; while the thickness of the walls causes it to be cool in summer.
Many of the settlers had large houses of this description; but stores,
and buildings where warmth was not of so much consequence, had their
walls merely of planks nailed on to the framework. Uncle Stephen's
house was built of logs raised on a platform above the ground, with
steps leading to it, and a broad verandah in front. It contained a
sitting-room, several bedrooms, and a kitchen; the verandah being
painted a bright green, with stripes of pink, while the window-frames
and doors were yellow. I used to think it a beautiful mansion, but
perhaps that was on account of those who lived within. The abode of
Lily was of necessity, to my mind, charming.
The autumn of that year was now approaching its close. There is in
North America, at that period of the year, what is called the "Indian
summer." The air is balmy, but fresh, and mere existence to those in
health is delightful; a light gauze-like mist pervades the atmosphere,
preventing the rays of the sun, beaming forth from an unclouded sky,
from proving over-oppressive. Already the forest has assumed its
particoloured tints. The maple has put on a dress of every hue,--of
yellow, red, pink, and green. The leaves of the beeches become of a
golden tinge, and those of the oak appear as if turned into bronze,
while numerous creepers present the richest reds.
We settlers, however, had but little time in which to admire the
beauties of Nature, for we knew that every day was rapidly bringing us
to the period when all agricultural labour must cease, and the ground
would be covered with a sheet of snow. Not that we were then doomed to
idleness, however, for we had abundance of out-of-door work during the
winter, in felling trees; and, as soon as the snow had hardened,
dragging them over it,--either to form huge heaps, where they could be
burned, or to be placed in the spots where they were required for
putting up buildings or fences.
Uncle Stephen having engaged some new hands,--who, being fresh from the
"old country," were unwilling, as they were unfit, to go further into
the forest,--allowed Mike and Quambo to come to us. We therefore put up
a room for them next to our own, and which could be heated in winter by
the same stove. We were thus able to get on much more rapidly with our
task of clearing the ground. Mike, indeed, was a great acquisition to
our party; for, besides singing a good Irish song, he had learned to
play the fiddle,--and, of course, he had brought his "Cremona," of which
he was justly proud, along with him. He beguiled the long winter
evenings with many a merry tune, and not unfrequently set old Quambo
dancing. Sometimes we would look in; and we found it great fun to see
Quambo, in the confined space of the cabin, coming the "double
shuffle"--bounding up and down, and whirling round and round, snapping
his fingers and stamping his feet, until the perspiration streamed down
his sooty cheeks. Mike would continue bobbing his head, meanwhile, and
applauding with voice and gesture, though keeping his countenance, and
looking as grave as a judge while listening to the counsel for a
prisoner.
We had now made an opening which enabled us to see the river from our
hut; and Mike declared that we were getting quite civilised, and were
beginning to look like being in the midst of a great city, barring the
houses, and streets, and people.
"Sure, they'll be afther coming one of these days," he added.
"When that happens, it will be time for us to think of moving further
westward," observed Uncle Mark.
A violent storm, which sent the boughs and leaves flying about our
heads, brought the "Indian summer" to a conclusion, and the frost set in
soon afterwards.
One evening, after the day's work was over, and supper had been
finished, we were sitting in our hut employed in various occupations
before turning in for the night, when a low howl reached our ears.
"What is that?" I exclaimed.
Before Uncle Mark could make answer, the howl was answered by another;
and presently, others joining in, the whole forest reverberated with a
melancholy and spirit-depressing chorus.
"Wolves!" said Uncle Mark. "The frost has driven them from the high
ground, and they are contemplating a raid on our porkers and cattle. We
must send them to the right-about, or they will become audacious."
Calling to Mike and Quambo, we put on our coats and sallied forth, armed
with guns and sticks. The moon was shining brightly, so we required no
torches. We made our way over the fallen trunks and rough rocks which
formed the bank of the river, but after a while the howls appeared to
come from a still greater distance than before.
Uncle Mark now called a halt. "The brutes hear us, and are retreating,"
he said. "Keep silence for a few minutes, and maybe we shall catch
sight of them."
Under his directions I seated myself on the trunk of a tree, while he
and the two men stayed near. Presently I caught sight of a pair of
glaring eyeballs, and soon another wolf came into view.
"Get your rifles ready," whispered Uncle Mark. "You, Roger, shoot the
one to the left. I will aim at the next. Mike and Quambo, you take two
others. Unless they run off, we may give a good account of the whole
pack."
As he finished speaking I fired, followed by Uncle Mark and the other
men; and, as the result, four wolves rolled over dead. The rest of
them, however, disappointed us by turning tail and scampering off to a
safe distance, from whence only their howls reached us. Uncle Mark,
however, did not consider it prudent to follow them. Indeed, had they
heard us approaching they would probably have retreated out of shot; for
wolves, though they will follow a fugitive, like other savage animals,
will generally try to escape when pursued. So, having secured the skins
of those we had killed, although they were of no great value, we
returned homewards.
After this we had alternately rain and frost, with a few fine days, till
the snow came down, and the winter commenced in earnest. But we were
all pretty well inured to it. Indeed, except when the wind blew, we
were in the habit of hewing in the forest with our coats off; and even
then we often found it hot work.
Mike came back one day from the settlement--where he had been sent for a
few stores and powder and shot--with the information that a party of
lumberers had commenced operations some miles up a river which ran into
the great lake, and that the "boss" had sent a ganger to hire hands,
more of whom were wanted.
"A few dollars of ready cash would be very acceptable," observed Uncle
Mark. "What say you, Roger? We'll start away, and spend a month or so
with them. We can take Mike with us, while Quambo will look after the
hut, the cattle, and pigs."
I was ready, of course; and so, as my uncle was a man of action, he
determined to set off the next morning. We were all good skaters; and
although, during the first part of our journey, we should be unable to
make use of our skates, we settled to carry them with us.
At daybreak, then, we were up, and having taken breakfast, were ready to
start,--our provisions consisting of flour-cakes and cold pork, with a
pot and pannikins. Mike also carried his fiddle hung around his neck.
"It will help to amuse the gossoons--and maybe put a few dollars in my
pocket," he remarked with a wink. "Bedad! I'll keep their feet going,
when the work is over for the day, and they are afther sharpening their
axes."
We had but one gun with us, which Mike carried, as we wished to travel
with as little encumbrance as possible.
But just as we were starting off, Uncle Mark recollected that he had
forgotten to write to Uncle Stephen upon a matter of importance.
"You, Roger, and Mike, can go on ahead," he said, "while I finish my
letter, which I will leave with Quambo to be forwarded; and I will soon
overtake you."
As there was now light enough for us to see our way through the forest,
we commenced our tramp. There was no risk of our taking the wrong road,
seeing there was but one--along the course of the stream, which ran into
the larger river; and it was now frozen in such a manner as to afford us
a good highway. Mike was always amusing, and I was glad of his company;
besides which, as we had had a good start of my uncle, I was in hopes
that we might have time to get a shot at something.
We had accomplished three or four miles, and I had begun to wonder why
Uncle Mark had not overtaken us, as he was a quick walker, and intended
to carry only his axe, and a small skin bag over his shoulder containing
some necessaries. We were looking about us, in the hope of catching
sight of a raccoon or opossum, or some larger game, when a howl, such as
had aroused us one night a short time before, sounded through the
forest.
"Sure, that comes from a pack of wolves," observed Mike. "But no! I
belave one of the brutes is capable of making that noise. We have heard
the echoes among the trees. I hope that there are not many of them, as
they might take it into their heads to attack us, and that would not be
pleasant."
We went on, however, troubling ourselves very little about the wolf, for
I felt sure that there was only one, or a couple at the most. The
stream, as we proceeded, became wider, running round the foot of some
hills, with larches scattered on either side, their boughs bent down by
the snow which had frozen hard on them. The sky had become cloudy by
this time, too, and there was every appearance of a fresh fall.
"Surely Uncle Mark will be up with us soon, Mike!" I observed.
But scarcely had I spoken when I heard my uncle shouting to us. He was
in the middle of the frozen stream, and was hurrying towards us, axe in
hand. He had good reason to keep it there, for just then we saw a huge
wolf rush out from behind a clump of trees close at hand. He stopped to
receive his assailant, which, probably well nigh famished, seemed bent
on his destruction.
Mike, without saying a word, had unslung the gun and dropped on his
knee, for there was not a moment to be lost. In another instant the
fierce wolf would have sprung at my uncle's throat, and might have taken
his life; or, at all events, have severely injured him, and that before
we could get near enough to render him any assistance. It all depended
on Mike's steady aim, therefore; and although I was a good shot, still I
was thankful that he had the gun.
He fired; and the brute, the moment that it was making its spring, fell
over, snarling and hissing, with its shoulder broken. A blow on the
head from my uncle's axe finished its existence.
"You have rendered me good service, Laffan," said my uncle, when we got
up to him. "Had you not taken steady aim, that brute's fangs would have
been at my throat in another moment."
"Faix, thin, Mr Mark, it is only what I would have wished to be done,"
answered Mike. "And if you ever catch sight of a bear about to give me
a hug, or such a brute as this at my heels,"--and he gave the dead wolf
a kick--"you will be afther shooting him, sure enough!"
"Well, Mike, we shall then be quits. In the meantime I am your debtor,"
answered my uncle, laughing. Notwithstanding the danger he had been in,
he was quite unmoved. His cheek had not lost its ruddy glow, nor did a
limb tremble.
We quickly skinned the wolf, and hung the hide up to the branch of a
tree a little way from the bank, where it would be concealed from any
passers-by. We did not wish to encumber ourselves with it in the
meantime, and we hoped to find it on our return. We were not likely to
forget the spot, any more than those boys in the "old country" would do,
who, as I have heard, are taken to certain landmarks and whipped, in
order that they may afterwards bear them duly in mind.
We were thankful that the wolf which had attacked my uncle was alone, as
it would have been unpleasant to find ourselves followed by a howling
pack; and we now regretted that we had not all of us brought our guns.
Trudging on some miles further, we came upon a part of the river which
had not been frozen over until after the snow fell. Here, the ice being
clear, we put on our skates, and glided merrily along towards the spot
where we understood the lumberers were at work.