[Transcriber's Note: Bold text is surrounded by =equal signs= and
italic text is surrounded by _underscores_.]
THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE MISSISSIPPI
[Illustration]
OR: THE HOMESTEAD IN THE WILDERNESS
THE YOUNG PIONEER SERIES
BY HARRISON ADAMS
ILLUSTRATED
[Illustration]
THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE OHIO,
Or: Clearing the Wilderness $1.25
THE PIONEER BOYS ON THE GREAT LAKES,
Or: On the Trail of the Iroquois 1.25
THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
Or: The Homestead in the Wilderness 1.25
_Other Volumes in Preparation_
[Illustration]
L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
53 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass.
[Illustration: "'THE PRECIOUS WAMPUM BELT, SANDY!' HE CRIED."
_See page 332._]
The Young Pioneer Series
THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE MISSISSIPPI
OR: THE HOMESTEAD IN THE WILDERNESS
By HARRISON ADAMS
Author of "The Pioneer Boys of the Ohio," "The Pioneer
Boys on the Great Lakes," etc.
[Illustration]
Illustrated by
H. RICHARD BOEHM
L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
BOSTON [Illustration] MDCCCCXIII
[Illustration]
_Copyright, 1913, by_
L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
(INCORPORATED)
_All rights reserved_
First Impression, June, 1913
THE COLONIAL PRESS
C. H. SIMONDS & CO.
BOSTON, U. S. A.
[Illustration]
PREFACE
DEAR BOYS:--Those of you who have read the earlier volumes in this
series of backwoods stories may remember that I half-promised to follow
the "Pioneer Boys on the Great Lakes" with a third volume. I now have
the pleasure of presenting that story to you. In it you will renew your
acquaintance with the two stout-hearted lads of the border, Bob and
Sandy Armstrong, as well as several other characters you met before,
some of whose names have become famous, and are recorded in the history
of those early days that "tried men's souls." Besides this, there
are some new characters introduced, who, I hope, will appeal to your
interest.
It was hardly to be expected that such a restless spirit as that of
David Armstrong, the Virginia pioneer who built his log cabin on the
bank of the beautiful Ohio, would long rest contented when wonderful
stories constantly reached his ears concerning the astonishing
fertility of the black soil, as well as the abundance of fur-bearing
animals, to be found in the valley of the great river which De Soto
had discovered--the mighty Mississippi; and, as you will learn, his
first serious set-back caused him to start upon another long pilgrimage
toward the "Promised Land."
It was this constant rivalry among the early settlers, this
never-ending desire to find better homesteads in the new country,
always toward the setting sun, that gradually peopled our Middle West,
and finally reached out far across the plains to the shore of the
Pacific.
Trusting that you may enjoy reading the present volume, and that at
no distant day we may again renew our acquaintance, believe me, dear
readers, to be,
Cordially yours,
HARRISON ADAMS.
_May 1st, 1913._
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
PREFACE v
I. CAUGHT IN HIS OWN TRAP 1
II. THE BIRCH-BARK MESSAGE 13
III. FROM ONE PERIL TO ANOTHER 22
IV. AT THE MERCY OF THE FLOOD 35
V. FRIENDS IN TIME OF NEED 48
VI. SIMON GIRTY, THE RENEGADE 61
VII. THE FLINT-TIPPED ARROW ON THE ROOF 73
VIII. THE TREASURE BOX THAT WAS FORGOTTEN 87
IX. THE SPIRIT OF THE PIONEER 97
X. THE CABIN THAT BRAVED THE FLOOD 109
XI. DANIEL BOONE, THE PILOT OF THE SETTLERS 120
XII. STARTING FOR THE NEW WEST 131
XIII. BLUE JACKET GIVES WARNING 148
XIV. A TARGET FOR ARROWS AND BULLETS 157
XV. A HUNT FOR FRESH MEAT 169
XVI. THE FIGURES AGAINST THE SKY 179
XVII. SIGNAL SHOTS 189
XVIII. THE MAN WITH THE CHARMED LIFE 199
XIX. KENTON, THE RECKLESS BORDERER 209
XX. THE TWO-LEGGED WOLF 218
XXI. BAGGING A BUFFALO 228
XXII. AT THE SETTING OF THE EVENING STAR 241
XXIII. WHAT THE DEAD ASHES OF A FIRE TOLD 258
XXIV. A NEW HOME ON THE MISSISSIPPI 268
XXV. THE PERIL OF KATE 278
XXVI. THE DRIFTING DUGOUT 288
XXVII. ON THE TRAIL 298
XXVIII. CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY 307
XXIX. THE MISSING WAMPUM BELT 317
XXX. THE MYSTERY SOLVED--CONCLUSION 327
NOTES 339
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
"'THE PRECIOUS WAMPUM BELT, SANDY!' HE CRIED"
(_See page 332_) _Frontispiece_
"HE WAS BEING STALKED BY ONE OF THE MOST DREADED
ANIMALS OF THE FOREST, A GRAY PANTHER" 12
"MADE A SPRING FOR THE SAFETY OF THE LOG THAT
HAD DONE THE DAMAGE" 35
"AT LAST THEY WERE AFLOAT ON THE OHIO, BOUND
INTO THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY THAT LAY FAR AWAY
TO THE WESTWARD" 136
"THEY COULD NOW PLAINLY DISCERN THE FIGURE UNDER
THE WOLFSKIN" 230
"'YES, YOU ARE RIGHT, SANDY, IT _IS_ A BOAT'" 291
[Illustration]
The Pioneer Boys of the Mississippi
CHAPTER I
CAUGHT IN HIS OWN TRAP
"PADDLE harder, brother. The current is stronger than I ever knew it to
be before."
"But, Bob, we must be very near the place where we always land when we
come over to look after our traps?"
"Once we are in the lee of that point ahead, Sandy, we can go ashore.
The river is so high that it's hard to recognize the old landmarks."
"Both together, then, Bob. There! that looks like business! and, just
as you say, our dugout can lie safely under the shelter of that tongue
of land, while we're off 'tending our traps. Another week, and we must
stop setting any snares, for the fur will be getting poor; so Pat
O'Mara said the last time he came to the settlement."
Five minutes later, the two Armstrong boys sprang ashore on the Ohio
side of the river, at a little distance below the spot where, across
the now unusually wide stream, their parents, together with other bold
pioneers from Virginia, had, not more than a year before, started a
frontier settlement.[1]
The clumsy, but staunch boat, fashioned from the trunk of a tree, was
drawn partly out of the water. They had made the passage of the river
with considerable hard labor, because of the vast volume of water which
the heavy spring rains had brought out of the hills all the way up to
and beyond old Fort Duquesne.[2]
Both boys were dressed after the fashion of that time among hunters and
trappers, who, scorning the homespun clothes of the Virginia settlers,
found garments made of buckskin, not unlike those worn by many of the
Indians, to give them the best service when roaming the great forests
that stretched from the Alleghanies, off to the border of the mighty
Mississippi, in the "Land of the Setting Sun."
Having picked up their guns, the brothers started through the thick
woods; but not before Sandy, the younger, had cast a last wistful look
back at the swollen waters of the Ohio, that, seen in the dull light of
the overcast afternoon, flowed steadily toward the west. Truth to tell,
that unknown western region was drawing the thoughts of the pioneer boy
very much of late; and, even as he tramped along at the side of Bob,
his first words told how he envied the rushing waters that were headed
into the country he longed to see.
"Abijah Cook is back at the settlement for a short spell, I heard Mr.
Harkness say," he remarked, with a long sigh that caused his brother to
turn an uneasy glance in his direction.
"And has he given up ranging the woods with young Simon Kenton?" the
older boy asked.
"Oh! no; but he brought his winter's catch of pelts in for Mr. Harkness
to dispose of, when he found the chance," Sandy replied.
"And I suppose the old woodranger has been talking again about the
region of the Mississippi," remarked Bob, who could guess what was on
the mind of his brother.
"Well," Sandy went on, "Abijah has seen that wonderful country, and he
knows how different it is from this hilly place, where the corn washes
down the sides of the slopes whenever a big rain comes. Out there it is
mostly prairie, and the soil, he says, is black and rich. It will grow
maize twice as high as your head. The stories he tells of what he saw
on those prairies fairly make my heart ache."
"But Sandy, you must try to forget all that," returned Bob, who often
found it necessary to restrain his impatient young brother. "You are
needed at home, for father is not able to hunt and trap, besides taking
care of his crops. Nobody in the whole settlement brings in as much
game as you do. Wait a few years, and then, when we are grown men,
perhaps we may strike out for that country you have been hearing so
much about; where De Soto discovered the greatest of rivers, and lies
buried under its waters."
Sandy sighed again.
"I suppose I must wait, just as you say, Bob," he observed, "but it
may not be for years, as you seem to think. Already some of the men
are beginning to talk of making a flatboat, and floating down the Ohio
until they reach the father of all the waters. They do not like the
idea of the rascally French taking possession of all that fine land,
which is a part of our own Virginia. And it may not be so very long
before we will lose some of our people in that way." (Note 1.)[3]
These brave men, who had already successfully braved the dangers that
beset them on their journey across the mountains to the Ohio valley,
had heard stories from the lips of trappers who had penetrated far
into the western land in pursuit of the rich skins of otter, beaver,
fox, mink and marten. When their crops failed to turn out as well as
they had anticipated, a spirit of unrest began to pervade the little
community; and these wonderful tales were repeated, from lip to lip,
always with a longing to obtain a glimpse of the country that offered
such astonishing opportunities.
It was this spirit of unrest that peopled our great West. Those who
found themselves out-distanced in the race, unwilling that others
should get ahead, gave up their holdings, partly improved as they might
be, and once more started out to get in the van of the procession
headed toward the setting sun.
"Do you think we will have any trouble getting back to the other shore
of the river, this afternoon?" Sandy asked, after they had walked along
for a few minutes in silence, headed for the first of their traps.
"I admit that I don't just like the way we were buffeted around on the
voyage over," replied Bob; "and, if the waters keep on rising to-night,
as I think they are going to, we will not be able to visit our traps on
this side for several days."
"Then had we better take them along with us?" asked Sandy.
"No, they would bother us in the dugout," replied Bob; then, noticing
the quick glance his brother shot in his direction, he added: "Yes, I
am figuring on the chance of our boat being upset in the flood; and,
if that happened, we'd have all we could do to save ourselves and our
guns, let alone half a dozen heavy traps. They can stay here until we
find a chance to cross again, after the water goes down."
"But, I wonder if Colonel Boone knew about such a thing as a flood when
he led us to where the settlement now stands?" remarked Sandy, with a
frown. "Because, if the water rises very much more, we, as well as some
of the other settlers, stand to lose our cabin. Already the water has
covered the land where open fields lay, ready to be planted in maize
this spring. All Mr. Bancroft's new fence has been taken down, to save
it from being swept away."
"No, I do not believe such a rise has been known for many years," Bob
went on to say. "You know how it flows between banks that are covered
with trees. These countless hills are crowned with great forests, and
under the trees the ground is carpeted with moss and dead leaves. This
is like a great sponge, father says, that soaks up the water during
rainy seasons, and lets it out again in time of drought. I heard him
say only this morning that the Indians never knew of a flood like this
one. They believe that the Great Spirit is angry because they have not
driven the palefaces from Kentucky. And there will be a renewal of the
fighting, after this rainy spell is over, he fears." (Note 2.)
"Well, here's where we set our first trap," Sandy cried. "And the next
is only a short distance along the trail. I'll take a look at this
one, while you go on and attend to the next."
"That is the best way, Sandy," returned Bob, with a quick glance toward
the darkening heavens. "I do not like the looks of those clouds, and it
may be that the rain will set in again. If that happens, we would find
it all we could do to make a safe passage across the river, for the
darkness will fall early to-night."
"And we must not forget to keep our eyes open for a sight of those
rascally French trappers, Jacques Larue and Henri Lacroix," remarked
Sandy, with a suggestive movement of his gun. "They have been reported
as being seen not far away from here of late, and you know, Bob, they
have never forgiven us the way we managed to outwit Larue last fall,
and bring Henri Lacroix's brother to justice."[4]
"But they also know," Bob replied, "that because you and I were able
to do the great Indian sachem, Pontiac, a favor, he gave us his wampum
belt, which has served to keep the Indians who were on the war-path
away from our little settlement. Those Frenchmen understand that, if
either of us were hurt, the Indians would visit vengeance on the head
of the guilty party. Larue learned that before he escaped from the
Indians." (Note 3.)
The boys had learned that Jacques Larue had loosened his bonds and
escaped from his Indian captors through the connivance of a young buck
for whom he had once performed some service, and was again free to work
with Henri Lacroix such damage against the latest English settlers as
their evil minds might suggest.
"I am convinced it was they who robbed our traps several times this
winter, so that we had to change their location," Sandy declared,
indignantly. "And, when that brush was piled up against our cabin, that
dark night, and fired, did we not find tracks that were never made by
Indian feet? I seem to feel that we have not seen the last of those
French trappers. And Pat O'Mara told me that, if ever I had to shoot to
defend myself against either of them, to get the full value of my lead!"
"Well, let us hope that they will go elsewhere, and do their trapping,"
said Bob, as he turned and left his brother. "I think it is a great
pity that, with a string of trading posts all the way from the big
lakes down to the sea, these greedy French from the North cannot let
us alone here. They seem to want the earth. But I'll wait for you at
the second trap, Sandy. Be as quick as you can."
Sandy made no reply, but hastened forward to where they had set the
first trap. He was filled with thoughts of the stories he had heard
connected with the Mississippi country, and he pictured in his mind the
loveliest scene that could ever greet the eager eyes of a pioneer--game
waiting to be shot and trapped; the earth so rich that it would grow
bountiful crops upon being simply stirred; the fields glorious with
myriads of wild flowers; and all to be had by simply reaching out a
hand and taking possession, in defiance of the French, who claimed
everything from the far North to the gulf.
He found in the trap a fine red fox, which he succeeded in knocking on
the head without injuring the pelt. Laying his gun aside, Sandy started
to reset the trap, believing that, as it seemed to be a lucky place,
perhaps the mate of the fox might come along, and also step into the
steel circle.
As he began his task, an accident occurred that had never happened to
Sandy before in all his trapping experience, and probably never would
again. In some manner, which he could not fully explain, in turning
around to secure something, he managed to thrust his foot into the set
trap, which he had quite forgotten.
There was a snap, and an acute feeling of pain that caused the boy to
give a startled cry. His heavy leggings saved him to a great extent
from the cruel teeth of the trap, for at that time the smooth jaws now
in universal use had not come into vogue; but the boy knew he would
have a sore ankle for some days because of his carelessness.
Sandy tried to get at the trap to release himself, and found that,
because of the formation of the ground at that particular spot, it
would prove a difficult task. He persisted in his efforts, however,
and refrained from calling out to his brother, not wishing the more
cautious Bob to learn what a foolish thing he had done.
He was still striving to squirm around so as to get at the double
spring, and by pressure release his foot, when he heard a sound close
by that riveted his attention. Looking up, what was the boy's dismay to
discover a creeping animal gradually drawing closer and closer to him.
It needed only that one look to tell Sandy that he was being stalked
by one of the most dreaded animals of the forest, a gray panther, that
had evidently scented the blood of the captured fox, and was bent on
securing a supper.
[Illustration: "HE WAS BEING STALKED BY ONE OF THE MOST DREADED ANIMALS
OF THE FOREST, A GRAY PANTHER."]
Of course, Sandy's first thought was of his musket. He remembered
placing this against a neighboring tree, and, sure enough, it still
stood there; but, when he made a movement to reach the weapon, he found
to his dismay that the chain of the fox trap was too short to allow his
fingers to come within a foot of the gun!
In vain he writhed and pulled; the trap had been made only too secure,
and Sandy realized that there was nothing he could do but lift up his
lusty young voice in an appeal for help.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] See "The Pioneer Boys of the Ohio."
[2] Now known as Pittsburg.
[3] The notes will be found at the end of the book.
[4] See "The Pioneer Boys on the Great Lakes."