AN ENEMY IN CAMP.
One morning, a few days after Jack's sheep hunt, Joe made his appearance
at John Monroe's lodge, carrying a bundle under his arm, and finding
Jack eating his breakfast within, sat down beside him. When Jack had
finished, Joe removed the piece of calico which covered the bundle, and
held out to Jack a buckskin shirt, heavily fringed along the arms and on
the sides, and beautifully ornamented on back and front with stained
porcupine quills.
"My aunt, Fox Eye's woman, sent you this," said Joe.
"Sent it to me?"
"Yes, she made it. Part of it is the skin of the sheep we killed. She
thought maybe you'd like it."
"Like it, well I should say I do. It's the handsomest thing I ever saw.
I've seen some of the men wearing coats and shirts fixed up like this,
and I've wished I had one, too. Tell her I'm awfully obliged to her,
won't you?"
"Well," said Joe, "you can't say that in Indian. I'll tell her it made
you laugh when you got the shirt; then she'll be glad, too. Fox Eye and
Six Lodges are going over to Grassy Lakes to kill antelope, for
clothing; do you want to come?"
"Why yes, of course I want to come. I wonder if I could. You see, I've
got to talk to Hugh before I go off anywhere, for before I left the
ranch I told my uncle I'd try to do what Hugh said, always."
"That's good, White Bull is a wise man; it's good to listen to him.
Everybody in the camp respects him."
"When's Fox Eye going to start?"
"Goin' to start to-day, maybe go along the mountains to Little Lake,
under Chief mountain; camp there to-night. It's not far. Then go on
east."
"Let's go out and see if we can find Hugh now, but first, I want to put
on my shirt."
Just as the boys were about to get up and leave the lodge, John Monroe's
wife called to Jack, "Here, you goin' to be Injin, got to wear
moccasins," and she threw across the lodge to him a pair of prettily
beaded moccasins with parfleche soles.
"All right," said Jack, "I'll put on moccasins and leggings too, if
you'll give them to me," and sitting down he removed his shoes and
replaced them by the moccasins, which exactly fitted him. He did not
know that the kind-hearted woman had taken one of his socks while he
slept, and got the size of his foot from that.
The boys started out from the lodge to look for Hugh, Jack feeling a
little shy in his new finery, and a little bit afraid that people who
saw him might laugh at him. Nobody seemed to do so, and he saw only the
pleasant smiles that had greeted him ever since he had first come into
the camp.
After a little search they found Hugh sitting on the ground near one of
the lodges, talking with two other old men, and stopped by them, waiting
until they should have ceased talking. Then Hugh looked up at Jack and
said, "Well, son, what is it? I can always tell when you want to ask me
something, as far as I can see you. What are you proposing to do now?"
"Well, Hugh," said Jack, "it's this way; Joe says that his uncle and a
few lodges are going off to Grassy Lakes after antelope skins, and he
asked me if I'd like to go along. Of course I'd like to go, but I don't
want to unless you think I'd better."
"Hum," said Hugh; "Grassy Lakes; that's about three or four days, isn't
it, Joe?"
"Yes, sir," said Joe, "about that. They thought they'd go over and camp
there three or four days, and then come back. They say there's lots of
antelope on the prairie, and they thought they could get what skins they
wanted and get back in that time."
"Well," said Hugh, "I don't know; I don't like to have you going so far
off with such a little party, and then of course there's always a chance
of your running onto a war party; like as not, Crows or Assinaboines or
Gros Ventres may be wandering around there, killing buffalo, or going up
to the Blood camp, and you might get into some trouble."
"Oh," said Jack, "I don't believe there's any danger of that kind. It'll
be just a little hunting trip, and I'd like the ride; and I'll try to
take good care of myself and not do any foolish things."
"Well, you've got pretty good sense, and I've always found I could
depend on you pretty well. I guess if you like you can go, but I think
I'll go too."
"Why that's better yet. I guess you'd like the ride too; you've been
sitting round camp now for quite a while, and I haven't done anything
except when I climbed the mountain the other day with Joe."
Hugh turned to Joe and said, "How is it, boy; is there plenty of room in
Fox Eye's lodge?"
"I guess so," said Joe; "nobody lives there but him and my aunt and me.
The lodge is big; there ought to be room for two more people."
"Well," said Hugh, "you go over and ask your uncle if Jack and me can
come along and stop in his lodge, and let me know."
The boys walked quickly across the circle of the camp, and presently
found themselves at Fox Eye's lodge. When they entered they found Joe's
aunt busily engaged in packing things up, and the interior of the lodge
almost dismantled. Fox Eye, himself, had gone out to bring in the
horses, and when Joe gave Hugh's message, the woman replied in a
high-pitched, scolding voice that almost alarmed Jack, for he could not
think what she was finding fault with, unless it was the proposition
that they should quarter themselves on her.
After she had finished speaking, Joe said to Jack: "Well, let's go over
and tell him."
"Well, but Joe," said Jack, "what did she say? I thought she was mad
because we wanted to go with you."
"Ho," said Joe, "she was mad; that is, she was a little mad, but that
isn't the reason why; she said, 'Why does White Bull talk like that?
Doesn't he know that if he wants to stop in our lodge he shall come
into it and sit down and stay as long as he wants? Tell him he talks
like a foolish person, and that Fox Eye will be glad to see him whenever
he comes, and glad to have him stop as long as he feels like stopping.'"
The boys went back to Hugh and gave the message that Joe's aunt had
sent, and Jack and Hugh went to the lodge, packed up the two beds, and
got out some sugar and coffee and flour, luxuries which were to be their
contribution to the supplies of Fox Eye's lodge. It occurred to Jack,
also, that it would be a nice thing to give Fox Eye, himself, a present
of tobacco, and to his wife some beads and red cloth, as some
acknowledgement of her kindness to him. When the bundles were ready Jack
went out and brought in Pawnee, saddled him, and riding out to the horse
herd on the hills, selected one of their own pack animals, brought it in
and tied it up ready for packing when the time should come for starting.
About mid-day the little train started northeast, and camped that night
at a small lake not far from the base of the Chief Mountain, which rose
like a great wall to the west of them. Two days more brought them to the
Grassy Lakes, and there they camped, to stop for four or five days.
While they were marching, Hugh usually rode with the two boys, off to
one side, and they hunted antelope with some success. Jack killed two
and Hugh three, and then Jack loaned his rifle to Joe, who proved
himself a good hunter and a good shot, and killed four antelope. The
hunters among the Indians had also killed a number, and before long
much meat and many hides were put out to dry at each camp. Buffalo were
in sight all the time, but the Indians did not disturb them, for it had
been understood before they left the camp that no buffalo should be
killed. A sharp lookout was kept all the time for enemies, but no signs
were seen that any one was in the country.
The second day of their stay at Grassy Lakes was dull and overcast, and
the wind which had been always from the west, now worked around to the
north and northeast. Hugh and the Indians said that they were going to
have a rain storm, and that it might be a long one. Jack and Joe hunted
during the day not far from camp, and each killed an antelope. They
reached camp with their game in the middle of the afternoon, and after
eating, Jack lay down in the lodge on the bed and went to sleep and did
not wake up until after dark. When he sat up to look about him he saw
that it was night, and almost every one in the lodge was in bed, and the
fire was beginning to burn low. He tried to talk a little with Joe and
Hugh, but both were sleepy, and presently he lay down again to sleep
through the night. The fire died down, so that now it gave no light, and
the heavy, regular breathing of the people in the lodge showed that all
were sleeping, but Jack could not go to sleep. His long rest in the
afternoon had made him wakeful, and though he turned from side to side
on his soft bed of robes, sleep would not come to him. At length, after
what seemed to him three or four hours, he thought he would get up and
go outside of the lodge, stretch his legs, and perhaps this would make
him sleep. He rose very softly, for fear of disturbing any one, took
his gun in his hand, and stepping over to the door, stood outside. For
an instant he could hardly believe his eyes, for there, close in front
of the lodge, was the dark form of some one stooping down and holding
the rope by which one of the horses was tied in front of the lodge.
Although the night was cloudy there was a moon, which enabled him to see
very plainly that this was a man who was doing something with one of the
ropes. In an instant it flashed through his mind that this must be an
enemy stealing horses, and as he thought this, the man stood erect and
then sprang on the back of the horse which started to walk away. Jack
did not know what to do. A few jumps of the horse would take it out of
sight. There was nothing that he could do to stop it, except to shoot,
and possibly this might be one of the men in the camp who had a right to
the horse. All these things flashed through Jack's mind in a moment, but
he felt that he must find out what this was that was being done. He
called out--not considering that the man could not understand him--"Hold
on, there! What are you doing with that horse?" Evidently the man had
not seen him, for as the call reached him he thrust his heels into the
horse's side and brought down the rope on its back and it began to
gallop.
"Hold on!" Jack called again, "or I'll shoot."
By this time there was stirring in the lodge, but there was no time to
wait; Jack's gun was at his shoulder, he fired, and as the smoke cleared
away he saw the riderless horse galloping on, and then it disappeared.
He called:
"Help! Hugh! Joe! they're stealing the horses!" And throwing another
cartridge into his gun he rushed forward to where he had last seen the
horse. There on the ground was the man, trying to scramble to his feet.
Jack pushed him back with the muzzle of his rifle and held the gun to
his shoulder, ready to fire again, saying, "Lie still there, or I'll
shoot." The man fell back and lay upon the ground still. Almost at the
same instant, Hugh and Joe, followed by Fox Eye, came running up. Hugh's
first question was:
"How many of 'em were there?"
"I only saw this one, I didn't want to shoot at him, but he had jumped
on the horse and was riding off, and I didn't know what else to do."
Meantime, Joe and Fox Eye each, as he came up, had struck the man lying
there, Joe with his bow and Fox Eye with the muzzle of his gun.
"What are they going to do with him, Hugh?" said Jack; "keep him for a
prisoner?"
"Why no," said Hugh, stooping over and putting his hand on the man's
breast; "I don't think we'll need to tie him up. You made a pretty good
shot, son, even if it was dark."
"Did I hit him?" said Jack. "I thought he fell off the horse because I
shot at him; he was just getting up when I got here, and I pushed him
over with the muzzle of my gun and told him to lie still or I'd shoot
again."
"Well," said Hugh, "he'll lie still all right. I guess we can leave him
here till morning."
"Why, how do you mean, Hugh?" said Jack.
"Why son, he's dead."
"Dead," said Jack; "do you mean that I killed him?"
"I expect so," said Hugh, "and a good job, too." He lit a match, and
stooping down, looked at the man's face and moccasins, and then spoke to
Fox Eye and to the other men, who by this time had come up and were
crowding about them, and then turned to Jack and said, "He's an
Assinaboine, and a horse thief, and you done mighty well to shoot just
the way you did. If you hadn't done that we might all have been left
afoot before morning; no reason why he shouldn't have taken every hoof
of stock there is in the camp. You done well, son, and I'm mighty glad
of it; but how did you come to see him?"
Jack told how it was that he could not sleep, and how he had gone out of
the lodge to stretch his legs, in the hope that this would make sleep
come; and he gave a detailed account of all he had seen and thought and
done. When he had finished, Hugh said to him again, "You done well. No
man could have done better, and when you get back to the camp I expect
these Indians'll think more of you than ever. Are you sure that when the
man was trying to get up you touched him with your gun?"
"Why yes, of course I am, Hugh; I gave him a right hard punch with it,
and he lay down right off."
"Well, if that's so, you've not only killed an enemy, but you've counted
coup on him, and that makes you a warrior right off. All these people
here have been thinking of you as just a boy, but from now on they'll
say that you're a sure enough man, all right."
While they were talking, Hugh and Jack had returned to Fox Eye's lodge,
in which his wife had built up a brilliant fire. They sat down there,
and while Hugh told the woman what had happened, she was warming up a
kettle of food, and presently set some of it before the two. While they
were eating, Fox Eye came in, followed by several men, one of whom
carried in his hand the scalp of the enemy and another his bow case and
quiver. The scalp was, of course, the first that Jack had ever seen, and
he looked at it with some awe, nor could he rid himself of a feeling of
a good deal of solemnity when he thought that he had killed a man. Joe,
who had come into the lodge and sat down near him, spoke to him
presently, and said, "My friend, I am glad that you have done this great
thing. You have shown that you are brave. I wish that I had had the
chance."
"Well," said Jack, "I wish you had had it; you could have done as much
with your bow as I did with my gun."
"Weren't you afraid," said Joe, "when you ran up to that person lying on
the ground?"
"No," said Jack, "I didn't think about being afraid. I expect I didn't
know enough to be scared. The only thing I was afraid of was that he'd
get up and run away."
Meantime, Hugh had been talking to the men, and presently, when he
stopped, Fox Eye spoke for quite along time. After he had finished, Joe
whispered to Jack:
"Say, you ought to have heard what he said about you. Wouldn't I be glad
if anybody talked that way about me."
"What did he say?" said Jack.
"Oh, he praised you," said Joe; "he said you were brave; didn't fear
anything; that you were watchful; that you had eyes like an eagle; ears
like a prairie fox; that you could hear a long ways, and see straight
and shoot good. Lord, he said nice things about you."
Hugh had been speaking again, and now he turned to the two boys and
said, "Now, boys, there may be more of these fellows around, and we've
got to stand guard to-night and look out for these horses. I think you
boys and young Bull Calf, here, had better go on watch for three hours,
and then three of us will relieve you. Have you got your watch on,
Jack?"
"Yes," said Jack, pulling it out, "it's half past twelve."
"Well, you three boys go out on three sides of the camp, a little way
outside, and on the hills, and watch for three hours. Then, son, come in
and call me, and three others will go out and relieve you. In the
morning, as soon as it gets light, we'll pack up and strike for the main
camp. It's liable to be dangerous here before long."