THE COLORADO
"Well, boys," Harry Wade began after they had smoked for some time in
silence, "we have got to look at this matter squarely. So far we have
got out of a mighty tight place better than we expected. Yesterday it
seemed to us that there weren't much chance of our carrying our hair
away, but now we are out of that scrape. But we are in another pretty
nigh as bad, though there ain't much chance of the red-skins getting at
us."
"That air so, Harry. We are in a pretty tight hole, you bet. They ain't
likely to get our scalps for some time, but there ain't no denying that
our chance of carrying them off is dog-goned small."
"You bet there ain't, Jerry," Sam Hicks said. "Them pizon varmint will
camp outside here; for they know they have got us in a trap. They mayn't
attack us at present, but we have got to watch night and day. Any dark
night they may take it into their heads to come up, and there won't be
nothing to prevent them, for the rustling of the stream among the rocks
would cover any little noise they might make. The first we should know
of it would be the yell of the varmint at the foot of this barrier, and
afore we could get to the top the two on guard would be tomahawked, and
they would be down on us like a pack of wolves. I would a'most as soon
put down my rifle and walk straight out now and let them shoot me, if I
knew they would do it without any of their devilish tortures, as go on
night after night, expecting to be woke up with their war-yell in my
ears.
"Of course they will be always keeping a watch there at the mouth of the
cañon,--a couple of boys are enough for that,--for they will know that
if we ride out on our horses we must go right up the valley, and it is a
nasty place to gallop through in the dark; besides, some of them will no
doubt be placed higher up to cut us off, and if we got through, which
ain't likely, they could ride us down in a few hours. If we crept out on
foot and got fairly among the trees we should be no better off, for they
would take up our trail in the morning and hunt us down. I tell you
fairly, boys, I don't see any way out of it. I reckon it will come to
our having to ride out together, and to wipe out as many of the Utes as
possible afore we go down. What do you say, chief?"
"Leaping Horse agrees with his white brother, Straight Harry, whose mind
he knows."
"Waal, go on then, Harry," Sam said. "I thought that you had made an end
of it or I wouldn't have opened out. I don't see no way out of it at
present, but if you do I am ready to fall in with it whatever it is."
"I see but one way out of it, boys. It is a mighty risky thing, but it
can't be more risky than stopping here, and there is just a chance. I
spoke to the chief last night, and he owned that it didn't seem to him
there was a chance in that or any other way. However, he said that if I
went he would go with me. My proposal is this, that we take to the river
and try and get through the cañons."
There was a deep silence among the men. The proposal took them by
surprise. No man had ever accomplished the journey. Though two parties
similarly attacked by Indians had attempted to raft down some of the
cañons higher up; one party perished to a man, one survivor of the other
party escaped to tell the tale; but as to the cañons below, through
which they would have to pass, no man had ever explored them. The
Indians regarded the river with deep awe, and believed the cañons to be
peopled with demons. The enterprise was so stupendous and the dangers to
be met with so terrible, that ready as the western hunters were to
encounter dangers, no one had ever attempted to investigate the windings
and turnings of the river that for two thousand miles made its way
through terrific precipices, and ran its course some three thousand feet
below the surrounding country, until it emerged on to the plains of
Mexico.
"That was why I was so anxious to reach the river," Harry went on after
a pause. "I wanted to see whether there were some trees, by which we
could construct a raft, near its bank. Had there not been, I should have
proposed to follow it up or down, as far as we could make our way, in
hopes of lighting on some trees. However, as it is they are just handy
for us. I don't say as we shall get through, boys, but there is just a
chance of it. I don't see any other plan that would give us a show."
Jerry was the first to speak.
"Waal, Harry, you can count me in. One might as well be drowned in a
rapid or carried over a fall as killed, or, wuss, taken and tortured by
the red-skins."
"That is so, Jerry," Sam Hicks agreed. While Ben said: "Waal, if we git
through it will be something to talk about all our lives. In course
there ain't no taking the horses?"
"That is out of the question, Ben. We shall not have much time to spare,
for the Utes may take it into their heads to attack us any night; and,
besides, we have no means of making a big raft. We might tie two or
three trunks together with the lariats and spike a few cross-pieces on
them, we might even make two such rafts; that is the outside. They will
carry us and our stores, but as for the horses, we must either leave
them down in the hollow for the Indians to find, or put a bullet through
their heads. I expect the latter will be the best thing for them, poor
beasts."
"No want trees," the chief said. "Got horses' skins; make canoes."
"You are right, chief," Harry exclaimed; "I never thought of that. That
would be the very thing. Canoes will go down the rapids where the
strongest rafts would be dashed to pieces, and if we come to a bad fall
we can make a shift to carry them round."
The others were no less pleased with the suggestion, and the doubtful
expression of their faces as they assented to the scheme now changed to
one of hopefulness, and they discussed the plan eagerly. It was agreed
that not a moment should be lost in setting to work to carry it out, and
that they should forthwith retreat to the mouth of the lower cañon; for
all entertained a secret misgiving that the Utes might make their attack
that night, and felt that if that attack were made in earnest it would
succeed. It was certain they would be able to find some point at which
the lower gorge could be held; and at any rate a day would be gained,
for at whatever hour of the night the Indians came up they would not
venture farther until daybreak, and there would probably be a long
palaver before they would enter the lower cañon.
Tom had not spoken. He recognized the justice of Harry's reasoning, but
had difficulty in keeping his tears back at the thought of his horse
being killed. For well-nigh a year it had carried him well; he had
tended and cared for it; it would come to his call and rub its muzzle
against his cheek. He thought that had he been alone he would have
risked anything rather than part with it.
"Don't you like the plan, Tom?" Harry said to him, as, having packed and
saddled the horses, they rode together down the cañon. "I don't suppose
the passage is so terrible after all."
"I am not thinking of the passage at all, uncle," Tom said almost
indignantly; "it will be a grand piece of adventure; but I don't like--I
hate--the thought of my horse being killed. It is like killing a dear
friend to save one's self."
"It is a wrench, lad," Harry said kindly; "I can quite understand your
feelings, and don't like the thought myself. But I see that it has got
to be done, and after all it will be better to kill the poor brutes than
to let them fall into the hands of the Indians, who don't know what
mercy to their beasts means, and will ride them till they drop dead
without the least compunction."
"I know it is better, uncle, ever so much better--but it is horrible all
the same. Anyhow, don't ask me to do it, for I could not."
"I will see to that, Tom. You shall be one of the guards of the cañon.
You would not be of much use in making the canoes, and you won't have to
know anything about it till you go down and get on board."
Tom nodded his thanks; his heart was too full for him to speak, and he
felt that if he said a word he should break down altogether. They rode
rapidly along, passed through the little valley where the bear had been
killed, without stopping, and went down the lower cañon, carefully
examining it to fix upon the most suitable point for defence. There had
been no recent fall, and though at some points great boulders lay
thickly, there was no one place that offered special facilities for
defence.
"Look here, boys," Harry said, reining up his horse at a point within
two hundred yards of the lower end, "we can't do better than fix
ourselves here. An hour's work will get up a wall that will puzzle the
red-skins to get over, and there is the advantage that a shot fired here
by the guard will bring our whole force up in a couple of minutes. I
vote we ride the horses down to the river and let them pick up what they
can, and then come back here and build the wall. It will be getting dark
in an hour's time, and we may as well finish that job at once. Ben and
Sam, you may as well pick out a couple of young fir-trees and bring
them down at once, then there will be no time lost. Five of us will be
enough for the wall. Keep your eyes open. Likely enough there is a bear
or two about, and it would be a great thing for us to lay in a stock of
meat before we start."
As soon as they issued from the gorge the horses were unsaddled and the
stores taken off the pack-animals. As they were doing this Harry said a
few words in a low tone to Sam. He then carefully examined the trees,
and picked out two young firs. Sam and Ben took their axes, and the
other five went up the gorge again, and were soon hard at work
collecting boulders and piling them in a wall.
"There is a gun, uncle," Tom exclaimed presently.
"Well, I hope they have got sight of a bear, we shall want a stock of
meat badly."
A dozen shots were fired, but Tom thought no more of it as he proceeded
with his work. The bottom of the cañon was but fifteen feet wide, and by
the time it was dark they had a solid wall across it nearly six feet
high, with places for them to stand on to fire over.
"Now then, Tom, you may as well take post here at once. I will send Sam
or Ben up to watch with you. I don't think there is a shadow of chance
of their coming to-night, but there is never any answering for
red-skins. I would leave Hunting Dog with you, but we shall want him to
help make the framework for the canoes; the Indians are a deal handier
than we are in making lashings. I will send your supper up here, lad,
and your buffalo robes. Then you can take it by turns to watch and
sleep. I reckon we shall be at work all night; we have got to get the
job finished as quick as we can."
A quarter of an hour later Sam Hicks came up.
"Have you got the trees down, Sam?"
"Lor' bless you, it didn't take a minute to do that. We got them down
and split them up, then lit a fire and got the meat over it and the
kettle, and mixed the dough."
"Did you kill another bear? We heard you firing."
"No; the critter was too high up, and I ain't much good at shooting.
Perhaps they will get sight of him tomorrow, and Harry and the chief
will bring him down if he is within range of their shooting-irons. It is
'tarnal dark up here."
In twenty minutes two lights were seen approaching, and Harry and
Hunting Dog came up carrying pine-wood torches. Each had a great faggot
of wood fastened on his back, and Harry also carried the frying-pan, on
which were a pile of meat and two great hunks of bread, while Hunting
Dog brought two tin pannikins of hot tea.
"That will make it more cheerful for you," Harry said, as he unfastened
the rope that tied the faggot to his shoulders. "Now, Hunting Dog, get a
good fire as soon as you can, and then come down again to us."
The fire was soon blazing merrily, and Tom and Sam sat down to enjoy
their meal.
"Don't you think one of us ought to keep watch, Sam?"
"Not a bit of it," Sam said. "The red-skins will never dare to enter
that cañon until after dark, and if they started now and made their way
straight on, they would not be here for another three or four hours. I
would bet my boots they don't come at all tonight; even if they were not
scared at us, they would be scared at coming near the river in the dark.
No, we will just take our meal comfortable and smoke a pipe, and then I
will take first watch and you shall take a sleep. We ain't closed an eye
since the night before last."
Tom, indeed, was nearly asleep before he had finished his pipe, and felt
that he really must get a nap. So saying to Sam, "Be sure and wake me in
two hours," he rolled himself in his robe and instantly fell asleep.
It seemed to him that he had only just gone off when Sam roused him. He
leapt to his feet, however, rifle in hand. "Anything the matter, Sam?"
"Everything quiet," the miner replied.
"What did you wake me for then? I have not been asleep five minutes."
"According to my reckoning, mate, you have been asleep better'n five
hours. It was about half-past eight when you went off, and I reckon it
is two now, and will begin to get light in another hour. I would not
have waked you till daybreak, but I found myself dropping off."
"I am awfully sorry," Tom began.
"Don't you trouble, young un. By the time you have been as long in the
West as I have you won't think anything of two nights' watch. Now you
keep a sharp lookout. I don't think there is much chance of their
coming, but I don't want to be woke up with a red-skin coming right down
on the top of me."
"I see you have let the fire out, Sam," Tom said, with a little shiver.
"I put it out hours ago," Sam said, as he prepared to lie down. "It
would never have done to keep it all night, for a red-skin would see my
head over the top of the wall, while I should not get a sight of him
till he was within arm's-length."
Tom took up his post, and gazed earnestly into the darkness beyond the
wall. He felt that his sense of vision would be of no use whatever, and
therefore threw all his faculties into that of listening. Slight as was
the chance of the Indians coming, he yet felt somewhat nervous, and it
was a satisfaction to him to see beyond the mouth of the cañon the glow
of the fire, by which, as he knew, the others were hard at work.
In an hour the morning began to break, and as soon as he could see well
up the cañon he relighted the fire, jumping up to take a look over the
wall every minute or so. It was not long before he saw his uncle
approaching with a kettle.
"I saw your smoke, Tom, and guessed that you would be glad of a mug of
hot tea. You have seen no signs of Indians, I suppose?"
"We have heard nothing, uncle. As to seeing, up to half an hour ago
there was no possibility of making out anything. But I have not even
been listening; Sam went on guard directly we had finished supper, and I
asked him to call me in two hours, but he did not wake me until two
o'clock."
"He is a good fellow," Harry said. "Well, don't wake him now. I can't
leave you the kettle, for we have to keep boiling water going, but you
can put his tin into the ashes and warm it up when he wakes. Here are a
couple of pieces of bread."
"Why do you have to keep the kettle boiling, uncle?"
"To bend the wood with. The piece we are working on is kept damp with
boiling water. We hold it for a time over the fire, pouring a little
water on as fast as it evaporates; that softens the wood, and we can
bend it much more evenly than we could if we did it by force. Besides,
when it is fastened into its position it remains, when it is dry, in
that shape, and throws no strain on to anything."
"Are you getting on well?"
"Capitally. We should have done both the frames by now, but we were
obliged to make them very strong so as to resist the bumps they are sure
to get against rocks. When they are finished you might almost let them
drop off the top of a house, they will be so strong and elastic. If the
Indians will but give us time we shall make a first-rate job of them."
Three hours later Harry came up again with the kettle and some cooked
meat. Sam had just woke up, and was quite angry with Tom for not rousing
him before. "The others have been working all night," he said, "and here
have I been asleep for five hours; a nice sort of mate they will think
me."
"Well, but you were watching five hours, Sam; and I would a deal rather
work all night than stand here for two hours in the dark, wondering all
the time whether the Indians are crawling up, and expecting at any
moment to hear a rush against the wall."
"I am going to take your place, Sam, when you have finished your
breakfast," Harry said, as he came up. "If the Utes found out last night
that we had gone, their scouts may be coming down before long. My rifle
shoots a bit straighter than yours does."
"It ain't the rifle, Harry," Sam said good-temperedly; "it is the eye
that is wrong, not the shooting-iron. I never had much practice with
these long guns, but when it comes to a six-shooter, I reckon I can do
my share as well as most. But they won't give me a chance with it."
"I hope they won't, Sam. I am sure they won't as long as there is light,
and I hope that before it gets dark they will conclude to leave us
alone."
A vigilant watch was kept now.
"I think I saw a head look out from that corner," Tom exclaimed
suddenly, two hours after Sam had left them.
"I am quite sure I did, Tom. We must wait until he shows himself a bit
more. I reckon it is a good three hundred yards off, and a man's head is
a precious small mark at that distance. Stand a bit higher and lay your
rifle on the wall. Don't fire if he only puts his head out. They know we
can shoot, so there is not any occasion to give them another lesson. I
don't hold to killing, unless you have got to do it. Let him have a good
look at us.
"When he goes back and tells the tribe that there is a three hundred
yards' straight passage without shelter, and a strong wall across the
end of it, and two white men with rifles ready to shoot, I reckon they
will know a good deal better than to try to come up it, as long as there
is light. Besides, they won't think there is any occasion to hurry, for
they won't count on our taking to the river, and will know that we shall
be keeping watch at night. So it may very well be that they will reckon
on wearing us out, and that we may not hear of them for a week. There is
the fellow's head again!"
The head remained visible round the corner of the rock for two or three
minutes.
"He knows all about it now, Tom. You won't see any more of him to-day. I
will go down and lend them a hand below."
Tom asked no questions about the horses; he had thought of them a score
of times as he stood on guard, and the thought had occurred to him that
it was possible the shots he had heard while they were building the wall
on the previous afternoon, had been the death shots of the horses. It
did not occur to him when Sam was telling the story about the bear, that
this was a got-up tale, but when he came to think it over, he thought it
probable that it was so. Sam himself was not much of a shot, but Ben,
although inferior to Harry or either of the two Indians, shot as well as
Jerry, and would hardly have missed a bear three or four times running.
Each time the thought of the horses occurred to him he resolutely put it
aside, and concentrated his mind upon the probable perils of the passage
down the cañons and the wonderful gorges they would traverse, and the
adventures and excitement they were sure to pass through. He thought how
fortunate it was they had taken the precaution of sending their
specimens of quartz back to the fort; for were they in the canoes, the
fruits of the journey would be irrevocably lost were these to upset; for
now the Indians had twice discovered the presence of whites in the
valley they would be sure to watch it closely, and it would not be
possible to go up to the mine again unless in strong force.
The day passed quietly. Harry brought up Tom's meals, and late in the
afternoon all hands came up, and the wall of stones was raised four
feet, making it almost impregnable against a sudden attack. The two
Indians took post there with Tom, and watched alternately all night. The
Utes, however, remained perfectly quiet. They probably felt sure that
the fugitives must sooner or later be forced to surrender, and were
disinclined to face the loss that must occur before so strong a
position, defended by seven men armed with rifles and revolvers, could
be carried.
At three o'clock on the following afternoon Hunting Dog came up. "Tom go
down and get dinner," he said, "Hunting Dog will watch."
Tom took his rifle and started down the cañon.
"Come on, lad," his uncle shouted. "We are pretty near ready for a
start, and have all had our dinner; so be quick about it. We want to get
well away from here before night."
Tom went to the fire and ate his meal. As he sat down he saw that the
stores, blankets, and robes had all been carried away. When he finished,
his uncle led him down to the river. Two canoes were floating in the
water, and the other men were standing beside them.
"There, Tom, what do you think of them?"
"They are splendid, uncle; it seems impossible that you can have built
them in two days."
"Five hands can do a lot of canoe-building in forty-eight hours' work,
Tom."
The canoes were indeed models of strength if not of beauty. They were
each about twenty feet long and five feet wide. Two strong pieces of
pine two inches square ran along the top of each side, and one of the
same width but an inch deeper formed the keel. The ribs, an inch wide
and three-quarters of an inch thick, were placed at intervals of
eighteen inches apart. The canoes were almost flat-bottomed. The ribs
lay across the keel, which was cut away to allow them to lie flush in
it, a strong nail being driven in at the point of junction--these being
the only nails used in the boat's construction. The ribs ran straight
out to almost the full width of the canoe, and were then turned sharp
up, the ends being lashed with thongs of hide to the upper stringers.
Outside the ribs were lashed longitudinal wattles of tough wood about an
inch wide. They were placed an inch apart, extending over the bottom and
halfway up the side. Over all was stretched the skin, five horses' hides
having been used for each boat. They were very strongly sewed together
by a double row of thongs, the overlaps having, before being sewed, been
smeared with melted fat. Cross-pieces of wood at the top kept the upper
framework in its place. The hair of the skin was outward, the inner
glistened with the fat that had been rubbed into it.
"They are strong indeed," Tom said. "They ought to stand anything,
uncle."
"Yes, I think they would stand a blow against any rock if it hadn't a
cutting edge. They would just bound off as a basket would. Of course
they are very heavy for canoes; but as they won't have to carry more
than the weight of four men each, they will draw little over a couple of
inches or so of water.
"That is why we made them so wide. We could not get strength without
weight; and as there is no saying what shallows there may be, and how
close in some places rocks may come up to the surface, we were obliged
to build them wide to get light draught. You see we have made ten
paddles, so as to have a spare one or two in case of breakage. We have
two spare hides, so that we shall have the means of repairing damages."
Tom said nothing about the horses. Manufactured into a boat, as the
skins were, there was not much to remind him of them; but he pressed his
uncle's hand and said, "Thank you very much, uncle; I don't mind so much
now, but I should not like to have seen them before."
"That is all right, Tom; it was a case of necessity. Sam and Ben shot
them directly we got here."
The stores were all laid by the boats, being divided between them so
that the cargoes were in all respects duplicates of each other. Before
Tom came down some had already been placed in each boat, with a blanket
thrown over them.
"You have got the gold, I suppose, uncle?"
"You may bet that we did not leave that behind. There is half in each
boat, and the bags are lashed to the timbers, so that if there is an
upset they cannot get lost."
"How are we going?"
"We have settled that you and I and the two Indians shall go together,
and the rest in the other boat. The Indians know nothing of canoeing,
and won't be of very much use. I know you were accustomed to boats, and
I did some rowing when I was a young man. I wish we had a couple of
Canadian Indians with us, or of half-breeds; they are up to this sort of
work, and with one in the stern of each canoe it would be a much less
risky business going down the rapids. However, no doubt we shall get
handy with the paddles before long."
When everything was ready Harry fired his rifle, and in a couple of
minutes Hunting Dog came running down. The others had already taken
their seats. He stepped into Harry's boat, and they at once pushed off.
The river was running smoothly here, and Harry said, "Directly we get
down a little way we will turn the boat's head up stream and practise
for a bit. It would never do to get down into rough water before we can
use the paddles fairly."
Tom sat in the bow of his boat, Hunting Dog was next to him, then came
the chief, and Harry sat in the stern. A paddle is a much easier
implement to manage for a beginner than is an oar, and it was not long
before they found that they could propel the boats at a fair rate. In a
short time they had passed the end of the shelf at the mouth of the
cañon, and the cliffs on that side rose as abruptly as they did on the
other. The river was some eighty yards wide.
"We will turn here," Harry said, "and paddle up. We sha'n't do more than
keep abreast of these rocks now, for the stream runs fast though it is
so smooth."
They found, indeed, that they had to work hard to hold their position.
"Now, Tom," Harry sang out, "it is you and I do the steering, you know.
When you want the head to go to the right you must work your paddle out
from the boat, when you want to go to the left you must dip it in the
water rather farther out and draw it towards the boat. Of course when
you have got the paddle the other side you must do just the contrary.
You must sing out right or left according as you see rocks ahead, and I
shall steer with my paddle behind. I have a good deal more power over
the boat than you have, and you must depend upon me for the steering,
unless there is occasion for a smart swerve."
At first the two boats shot backwards and forwards across the stream in
a very erratic way, but after an hour's practice the steersmen found the
amount of force required. An hour later Harry thought that they were
competent to make a start, and turning they shot rapidly past the
cliffs. In a couple of miles there was a break in the rocks to the left.
"We will land there," Harry said. "There are trees near the water and
bushes farther up. We will make a camp there. There is no saying how far
we may have to go before we get another opportunity. We have done with
the Utes for good, and can get a sound night's sleep. If you, chief,
will start with Hunting Dog as soon as we land, we will get the things
ashore and light the fire. Maybe you will be able to get a bear for us."
They did not trouble to haul up the canoes, but fastened them by the
head-ropes, which were made from lariats, to trees on the shore.
Daylight was beginning to fade as they lighted the fire. No time was
lost before mixing the dough, and it was in readiness by the time that
there were sufficient glowing embers to stand the pot in. The kettle was
filled and hung on a tripod over the fire. In a short time the Indians
returned empty-handed.
"No find bear," the chief said, "getting too dark to hunt. To-morrow
morning try."
Harry got up and went to the boats, and returned directly with a joint
of meat. Tom looked up in surprise.
"It is not from yours, Tom," Jerry said as he saw him looking at it. "We
took the hind-quarters of the four pack-ponies, but left the others
alone. It was no use bringing more, for it would not keep."
"So it is horseflesh!" Tom rather shrank from the idea of eating it, and
nothing would have induced him to touch it had he thought that it came
from his own favourite. Some steaks were cut and placed in the
frying-pan, while strips were hung over the fire for those who preferred
the meat in that way. Tom felt strongly inclined to refuse altogether,
but when he saw that the others took their meat as a matter of course,
and proceeded to eat with a good appetite, he did not like to do so. He
hesitated, however, before tasting it; but Harry said with a laugh,
"Fire away, Tom. You can hardly tell it from beef, and they say that in
Paris lots of horseflesh is sold as beef."
Thus encouraged, Tom took a mouthful, and found it by no means bad, for
from their long stay in the valley the animals were all in excellent
condition, and he acknowledged to himself that he would not have known
the flesh from beef.
"I call it mighty good for a change." Terry said. "Out on the plains,
where one can get buffalo, one would not take horse for choice, but as
we have been eating deer and bear meat for about a year, horse-meat
ain't bad by no means. What! You won't take another bit, Tom?"
"Not to-night, Jerry; next time I shall be all right. But it is my first
trial, you know, and though I can't say it is not good, it gives me a
queer feeling, so I will stick to the bread."
"Well, boys," Harry said presently, "we have made a first-rate start,
and have got out of a big scrape, easier than I ever looked for. We
could not have got two better canoes for our work if we had had them
brought special from Canada, and it seems to me that they ought to go
down pretty near anywhere without much damage. We shall get real handy
with our paddles in two or three days, and I hope we sha'n't meet with
any big rapids until we have got into the way of managing them well."
"You bet, Harry, we have got out well," said Jerry. "I tell you it
looked downright ugly, and I wouldn't have given a continental for our
chances. As for the rapids, I guess we shall generally find rocks one
side or the other where we can make our way along, and we can let down
the canoes by the ropes. Anyhow, we need not get skeery over them. After
getting out of that valley with our hair on, the thought of them does
not trouble me a cent."