[Transcriber's Note: Bold text is surrounded by =equal signs= and
italic text is surrounded by _underscores_.]
THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE COLUMBIA
[Illustration]
OR: IN THE WILDERNESS OF THE GREAT NORTHWEST
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
THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE MISSOURI,
Or: In the Country of the Sioux 1.25
THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE YELLOWSTONE,
Or: Lost in the Land of Wonders 1.25
THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE COLUMBIA,
Or: In the Wilderness of the Great Northwest 1.25
[Illustration]
THE PAGE COMPANY
53 Beacon Street Boston, Mass.
[Illustration: "THE TWO BOYS HAD TO . . . START UPON THE LONG JOURNEY
INTO THE NORTHWEST" (_See page 148_)]
The Young Pioneer Series
THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE COLUMBIA
OR: IN THE WILDERNESS OF THE GREAT NORTHWEST
By HARRISON ADAMS
Author of "The Pioneer Boys of the Ohio," "The Pioneer
Boys of the Missouri," "The Pioneer Boys
of the Yellowstone," etc.
[Illustration]
Illustrated by
WALTER S. ROGERS
THE PAGE COMPANY
BOSTON [Illustration] MDCCCCXVI
[Illustration]
_Copyright, 1916, by_
THE PAGE COMPANY
_All rights reserved_
First Impression,
May, 1916
[Illustration]
PREFACE
DEAR BOYS:--
The time has at last arrived when we must say good-bye to our pioneer
friends, the Armstrongs. You will remember how we have followed their
adventurous careers down the Ohio, along the Mississippi, then up the
great Missouri to the wonder country of the Yellowstone; and now,
between the covers of the present volume, are narrated the concluding
incidents in the story of "Westward Ho!"
Our country is deeply indebted to the class of pioneers typified by the
Armstrong boys. Restless spirits many of them were, always yearning for
richer lands where game would be more plentiful. It was undoubtedly
this desire that led them further and further into the "Country of the
Setting Sun," constantly seeking that which many of them never found;
until at length the Pacific barred their further progress.
Bob and Sandy Armstrong, together with their sturdy sons, Dick and
Roger, are but types of the settlers who opened up the rich territory
of the Mississippi Valley, as well as the Great West. Their kind is not
so numerous now, at least in our own country, since the need for such
adventurous souls has become less acute. In many places, however, like
the Canadian Northwest, they can still be met with, forging the links
that will bind the wilderness to civilization.
If you boys have found one half the enjoyment in reading of the
exploits of our young pioneers that the task has afforded the author
in writing of them, his aim, which has been to instruct as well as to
entertain, will have been accomplished.
HARRISON ADAMS.
May 1, 1916.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
PREFACE v
I THE LURE OF THE SETTING SUN 1
II WRECKED IN THE RAPIDS 11
III WOLVES IN THE TIMBER 22
IV THE BIRCH BARK MESSAGE 33
V WHAT THE PICTURE WRITING TOLD 44
VI STALKING THE BUFFALO 55
VII HUNTERS, ALL 66
VIII CHARGED BY A BULL 74
IX PLANNING A SURPRISE 82
X SPRINGING THE TRAP 96
XI BANISHED FROM CAMP 106
XII ON FISHING BENT 117
XIII GLORIOUS SPORT WITH THE TROUT 128
XIV PRISONERS OF THE DACOTAHS 139
XV WHEN STOUT HEARTS WERE NECESSARY 149
XVI THE ESCAPE 159
XVII SHELTER IN A HOLLOW TREE 170
XVIII THE STORM 180
XIX UNDER THE FALLEN FOREST MONARCH 190
XX THE RETURN FROM CAPTIVITY 199
XXI AT THE FOOT OF THE ROCKIES 211
XXII THE DEATH OF THE BULL MOOSE 222
XXIII HUNTING THE MOUNTAIN SHEEP 232
XXIV ON THE BURNING DESERT 243
XXV THE OASIS 254
XXVI AMONG THE NEZ PERCES 263
XXVII FROM SADDLE TO CANOE AGAIN 276
XXVIII AT THE FALLS OF THE COLUMBIA 287
XXIX NEARING THE SALTY SEA 298
XXX A MOMENT OF PERIL 308
XXXI THE END OF THE LONG TRAIL 316
XXXII TO THE RISING SUN--CONCLUSION 329
NOTES 337
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
"THE TWO BOYS HAD TO . . . START UPON THE LONG
JOURNEY INTO THE NORTHWEST" (_see page 148_) _Frontispiece_
"'HE TRIES TO STRIKE THEM AS THEY JUMP AT HIM'" 32
"'RUN FOR THE TREES, ROGER!' SHOUTED DICK" 74
"THEY PUSHED FORWARD, AND WERE SOON AT THE
FALLEN TREE" 192
"'THERE! YOU CAN SEE HIM MOVE'" 235
"FULLY HALF OF THE FLAT HEAD INDIANS WENT WITH
THE LANDSLIDE" 317
[Illustration]
The Pioneer Boys of the Columbia
CHAPTER I
THE LURE OF THE SETTING SUN
"IT strikes me, Dick, the rapids are noisier to-day than ever before."
"We have time enough yet, Roger, to paddle ashore, and give up our plan
of running them."
"But that would be too much like showing the white feather, Cousin; and
you must know that we Armstrongs never like to do that."
"Then we are to try our luck in the midst of the snarling, white-capped
water-wolves, are we, Roger?"
"I say, 'yes.' We started to make the run, and a little extra noise
isn't going to frighten us off. Besides, we may not have another chance
to try it."
"You're right there, Roger, for I heard Captain Lewis say we'd have to
start up the river again in a few days, heading into the great West,
the Land of the Setting Sun."
"I am ready, Dick. My paddle can be depended on to see us through.
We'll soon be at the head of the rapids, too."
"Already the canoe feels the pull, and races to meet it. Steady now,
Roger, and let us remember what the Indians told us about the only safe
passage through the Big Trouble Water, as they call it. A little more
to the left--now straight ahead, and both together!"
The two sturdy, well-grown lads who crouched in the frail Indian craft,
made of tanned buffalo skins, need no introduction to those who have
read any of the preceding volumes of this series.
There may be those, however, who, in these pages, are making the
acquaintance of Dick and Roger, the young pioneers, for the first time;
and for their benefit a little explanation may be necessary.
While the pair are shooting downward, on the rapidly increasing current
of the Yellowstone River, toward the roaring rapids, on this spring day
in the year 1805, let us take a brief look backward. Who were these
daring lads of the old frontier days, and how came they so far from
the westernmost settlements of the English-speaking race along the
Mississippi, and about the mouth of the Missouri?
Dick Armstrong and his cousin, Roger, were the sons of two brothers
whose adventures along the Ohio in the days of Daniel Boone occupied
our attention in the earlier stories of border life. They were worthy
of their fathers, for Dick had inherited the thoughtful character of
Bob Armstrong, while Roger at times displayed the same bold disposition
that had always marked Sandy, his parent, in the perilous days when
they founded their homes in the then untrodden wilderness.
The families were now located at that spot which had first been taken
up by the French, and called St. Louis in honor of the King of France.
Their grandfather, David Armstrong, still lived, as did also his wife,
hale and hearty, enjoying the increasing households of their children.
Bob and Sandy had both married, and besides Dick there was a smaller
son, named Sam in the cabin of the former. Roger had a little sister,
called Mary, in honor of her grandmother.
The two cousins had grown up, as did most lads of those early days,
accustomed to think for themselves, and to meet danger bravely. Both
of them were accomplished in all the arts known to successful woodsmen.
They learned from experience, as well as from the lips of old borderers
who visited in their homes, and were able to hold their own with any
boys of their age in the community.
A sudden calamity threatened to disturb the peace of the Armstrong
circle, when it was learned that there was a flaw in the deed by which
their property was held. An important signature was required in order
to perfect this title, and, unless this could be obtained, and shown by
the succeeding spring, everything would pass into the possession of a
rich and unscrupulous French Indian trader, François Lascelles by name.
Inquiry developed the fact that Jasper Williams, the man whose
signature was so important to the happiness of all the Armstrongs, had
gone with the expedition undertaken by Captain Lewis and Captain Clark,
which was headed into the unknown country of the Setting Sun, with the
hope of finding a way to the far distant Pacific Ocean.
No white man had as yet crossed the vast stretches of country that lay
west of the rolling Mississippi, and it was the boldest undertaking
ever known when President Jefferson influenced Congress to stand back
of his proposition to learn the extent of the possessions that had
recently come to the United States. (Note 1.)[1]
The President's private secretary, Captain Lewis, headed the small
party of adventurous spirits, assisted by an army officer, Captain
Clark. They left St. Louis in the spring of 1804, and had been long on
the way when the Armstrongs discovered that the one man whom they could
depend on to save their homes was with the expedition.
Ordinarily Bob and Sandy Armstrong would have been quick to take upon
themselves the duty of overtaking the expedition, and securing the
necessary signature; but a recent injury prevented one of the brothers
from going.
In the end the proposition of Dick and Roger to undertake the
stupendous task was agreed to, and the boys started, mounted on two
horses and equipped as well as the times permitted. The adventures they
met with were thrilling in the extreme, and have been described at
length in earlier volumes.[2]
The youths overtook the expedition after it had gone far up the "Great
Muddy," as the Missouri had already become known, and the coveted
signature was obtained. Then the lads were tempted to continue with the
party, since Captain Lewis was sending back one of his most trusted
scouts with an account of what had already happened to the expedition,
for the perusal of President Jefferson; and he could be trusted to see
that the precious document reached the Armstrongs.
During the winter just passed the two boys were kept busy in the rôle
of scouts and providers of fresh meat for the camp, a duty which their
early training made them peculiarly fitted to assume.
The expedition had laid out a comfortable camp near the Indian village
of the Mandan tribe, with whom peaceful relations had been established
at the time of their first arrival in the neighborhood.
Some of the bolder spirits had ventured into the realm of natural
wonders now known as Yellowstone Park, and had viewed with amazement
and awe the strange geysers that spouted hot water hundreds of feet in
the air at stated periods, as well as many other singular mysteries.
Dick and Roger had been among the fortunate few to view these marvels;
but, as a rule, the soldiers and bordermen associated with the two
captains were almost as superstitious as the ignorant red men, and
actually feared to set eyes on these strange freaks of Nature which
they could not understand. The Indians called the place the Bad Lands,
and believed an evil Manitou dwelt there, who was ever ready to
seize upon and enchain those reckless warriors who should invade his
territory.
Slowly the long winter had passed away, and all seemed to be going
well. There had been occasional signs of trouble, when hostile hunting
parties of Indians were encountered; but, thus far, none of the
expedition had been more than wounded in these frays.
Spring was at last at hand, and every one in the party looked forward
with eagerness to the fresh start that was soon to be made. They had
gathered much information concerning the vast stretch of plains and
mountains that still lay between them and their goal; but, since
only Indians had ever penetrated that wilderness, these stories were
invariably untrustworthy, for the mind of the red man was very much
like that of a child, and could see things only from an imaginative
standpoint.
About all that the adventurers really knew was that there was a
tremendous barrier of mountains which they must climb before they could
hope to attain their ambitious aim and gaze upon the Pacific Ocean,
seen at that time only by those, following Balboa, who had crossed the
narrow isthmus where the Panama Canal now joins the rival oceans.
Every evening, when the sun was setting in a maze of glowing colors,
Dick and Roger were accustomed to stand and watch until the last fiery
finger had finally faded from the skies. To them that mysterious West
held out beckoning arms. They never tired of talking about the fresh
wonders they might gaze upon once they started into the trackless
wilds; and their young souls were aflame with eagerness as the days
crept along, each one bringing them closer to the hour of departure.
For some time they had intended to take a canoe through the big rapids
of the river, which they had passed in ascending the stream, before
making the winter camp. From the Indians they had secured all possible
information, and finally, knowing that their time here was now short,
they had set forth with the canoe that had been their property for
months, bent upon undertaking the rather risky voyage.
If the daring canoe-man knows his course, the passing through a rapid,
amidst all the foam and rush of hungry waters, is not the perilous
thing it seems. Besides a knowledge of the way, all that is required is
a bold heart, a quick eye, a stout paddle, and muscular arms to wield
it.
The two lads soon entered the upper stretches of the white-capped
water. They quickly picked out their course, and found themselves
shooting downward with almost incredible speed. Around them on every
hand was boiling, tumultuous water, curling and rushing and leaping as
though eager to seize upon its prey.
Dick and his cousin were not at all dismayed. They had rubbed up
against perils so often in their young lives that they could keep cool
in the face of almost any danger. Roger crouched in the bow and fended
off from the rocks, so that the glancing blows the boat received would
not damage the tough skins of which the craft was made.
Dick occupied the stern, and his was the crafty hand that really guided
the canoe, for Roger always acknowledged that his cousin could handle
a paddle better than he could.
They had passed more than two-thirds of the way down the rapids, and
the worst seemed to be behind them, when something strange happened.
The canoe struck a partly submerged, but perfectly smooth, rock. It was
only a slight blow, and glancing at that, but nevertheless the results
were startling. No sooner had the accident occurred than the bottom of
the boat gaped open and the water rushed in with terrible speed. One
look convinced Dick that it was quite hopeless to try to keep the craft
afloat with their weight to force this flood through the hole.
"Quick! snatch up your gun, and jump overboard, Roger!" he shouted.
"And hold on to the boat, remember, like grim death!"
Roger was nothing if not catlike in his actions when an emergency
arose; and the two lads leaped over into the swirling water as
one, ready to battle for their lives with the rapids, where the
superstitious red men said the evil spirits dwelt amidst continual
strife and warring.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] The notes will be found at the end of the book.
[2] "The Pioneer Boys of the Missouri" and "The Pioneer Boys of the
Yellowstone."