A Night among the Wolves.
It would be impossible to describe Frank’s feelings, as he stood
there, holding his panting, reeking horse, and listening to that
rumbling sound, which grew fainter and fainter, as the buffaloes
dashed on their way. Now that the danger of being trampled to death
was passed, he did not stop to think of what was still before him. He
cared not that he was forty miles from the old bear’s hole, and that,
in three hours, the sun would be down, and he compelled to pass the
night alone on the prairie. All thoughts of what he knew he must
endure before he reached the camp were swallowed up in thankfulness
that he had been able to bring himself safely out of the most
dangerous position in which he had ever been placed.
In a few moments the last of the buffaloes had passed out of hearing,
and Frank then turned his attention to his horse.
Pete looked very unlike the sleek, spirited animal of which he had
been so proud. He was reeking with sweat, panting loudly, and was
evidently very nearly exhausted. Had he been obliged to carry his
rider a few miles further, Frank might have been compelled to find his
way back to camp on foot. Pete was also very much in need of water;
and now that the danger was over, Frank found that he, too, was very
thirsty. During his excitement and alarm he had not thought of it; but
now that he was able to think calmly, he decided that his first care
should be to find a stream of water, where he might quench his thirst.
After reloading his rifle and revolvers, he again took Pete by the
bridle and led him in the direction of the mountains, which, as near
as he could judge, were twenty miles distant. Although he was most
anxious to reach them before night, in hopes that he might find the
trapper, (for he knew that Dick would not rest easy until he had found
him,) he could not bear the thought of riding his horse while he was
in such distress.
At length he reached the top of a swell, when he paused to look about
him. On his right hand, about a mile distant, as he judged, he saw a
long line of willows, which (so the trappers had told him) were a sure
sign of water. Toward the willows, then, he directed his course, in
hopes that his horse, when he had quenched his thirst and eaten a few
mouthfuls of grass, would be in a condition to travel. But he soon
found that it was more than a mile to the willows--it was five times
that distance--and it was about an hour before sunset when Frank
reached the stream, and, kneeling down on the bank, took a long,
refreshing drink. Here he had a most lively battle with Pete. The
horse was stubborn, and when he had determined upon a course, it
required considerable persuasion to induce him to abandon it. He
wanted to drink his fill of the water at once, to which Frank
objected; and it was not until Pete had received several severe blows
from a branch that his master cut from one of the willows, that he
allowed himself to be led out of the stream. Frank then tied him to a
tree, removed the saddle, and threw himself on the ground to determine
upon his future movements. He was tired and hungry; he did not like
the idea of camping on the prairie alone, but he could see no way to
avoid it. Then he thought of the trapper, and walked out on the
prairie to look for him. But Dick was nowhere to be seen. Had Frank
remained where he had escaped from the buffaloes, he would then have
been in the company of his friend, for the trapper was at that moment
standing on the top of the very swell, where Frank had stood when he
first discovered the willows. Useless sat by his side, looking up into
his master’s face, and whining as if he, too, wondered what had become
of the object of their search. Seeing no signs of Frank, Dick
concluded that he was still among the buffaloes, so he kept on after
them, now and then shaking his head and muttering--“The keerless
feller. It beats all natur’ how that hoss of his’n traveled.” But
Frank did not know that Dick was so near him, and, after waiting
nearly an hour for him to make his appearance, he returned to the
willows, and sat about making his preparations for the night. He first
selected a suitable spot for a camp, and, after gathering a few dry
branches and lighting a fire with a flint and steel he found in
Archie’s haversack, he took his rifle and walked along the bank of
the creek to find something for his supper. He generally took great
pleasure in a hunt, but there was no sport in this one, for he could
not help thinking of his recent adventure with the grizzly. What if he
should meet one of those animals? He could not hope for assistance
from the trapper. He had no one to depend upon but himself. He had
always had great confidence in his skill as a marksman, but he had
never wished for an opportunity to try it on a grizzly bear. If there
were any of those animals among the willows, he did not encounter
them, and, in fact, the woods did not appear to abound in game of any
kind. The only living thing he discovered was a raccoon crossing the
creek on a log just ahead of him.
Frank, knowing that he was working for his supper, made a good shot,
and when he shouldered the ’coon and started for his camp, he felt
relieved to know that he was not compelled to pass the night hungry.
He had often heard that the flesh of the ’coon was excellent, and he
found it was so; whether it was because he was hungry, or because the
meat was really good, he could not decide; but at any rate, he ate
nearly half the ’coon, and hung the remainder upon a limb to save it
for his breakfast. Then, after gathering a supply of firewood,
sufficient to last all night, he again walked out on the prairie to
look for the trapper. But he was not in sight; and when it began to
grow dark, Frank returned to his camp, feeling rather lonesome. After
he had hobbled Pete, (which he did by tying one end of his halter
around his neck, and the other to one of his fore legs,) and turned
him loose to graze, he seated himself by the fire, and heartily wished
it was morning.
There was nothing pleasant in the thought that he was obliged to pass
the night alone. He had often camped out, but he was not accustomed to
living in such a wilderness. Had Dick been with him, he would have
slept as soundly as he ever did at home; but, as it was, there was no
probability of his enjoying a good night’s rest. It grew dark rapidly,
and the prairie, so deserted and still in the day-time, now seemed to
be crowded with wolves. He had heard them every night since he had
been on the plains, but he had never listened to such a chorus as
saluted his ears that evening. The fact was, they had been attracted
by a buffalo that lay but a short distance from Frank’s camp. It had
been wounded by the hunters in the morning, and, becoming separated
from the herd, had come to the creek for water, and died. Frank knew
that the wolves had found something, for he could hear them growling
and fighting over their meal. Suddenly they all set up a howl, and
took to their heels. They did not go far, however, but appeared to be
running in circles about their prey, as if they had been driven away
by some larger animal. Frank was not pleased with his neighbors, and
did not feel at all inclined to go to sleep. He sat before his fire,
with his rifle across his knees, and his revolvers close at hand,
sincerely hoping that the wolves would not approach his camp. For two
hours he remained in this position, and finally, becoming more
accustomed to the howls of the wolves, he leaned against a tree, and
was fast losing all consciousness of what was going on around him,
when he was aroused by his horse, which came snorting through the
willows, and did not stop until he had placed himself close to his
master for protection. This alarmed Frank, who, remembering how Pete
had acted the day before, was certain that there was a grizzly bear
prowling about his camp; and, fearful that his horse, if left to
himself, would run away, he slipped the bridle over his head, and
tied him securely to a tree. While thus engaged, he heard a slight
noise in the bushes, as if some heavy animal was endeavoring to pass
carefully through them. This continued for half an hour, during which
the animal, whatever it was, walked entirely around his camp. This
tried Frank’s nerves severely. To sit there, in those woods, and
listen to some animal walking about, perhaps watching for an
opportunity to spring upon him, was almost as bad as facing a grizzly.
Again and again the animal made the circuit of the camp, and presently
Frank saw a pair of eyes, that looked like two coals of fire, glaring
at him through the darkness. Should he fire at the animal? If it was a
grizzly, and the wound should not prove fatal, his life would not be
worth a moment’s purchase. There might be bushes between him and the
beast, that would glance the ball, or his hand might prove unsteady.
It was a risk he did not like to take; but he could try the effect of
fire on him. So, catching up a brand, he threw it at the eyes, which
instantly disappeared.
During the livelong night did Frank sit by the fire, holding his rifle
in his hands, now and then caressing his horse, which stood close
beside him, trembling with fear; while, at regular intervals, he heard
a rustling in the willows, which told him that his enemy was still on
the watch.
But all things have an end. At length, to Frank’s immense relief, day
began to dawn. As soon as he could distinctly discern the nearest
objects, he again hobbled his horse, and, after turning him loose to
graze, began to prepare his breakfast. After he had cooked and eaten
the last vestige of the ’coon, he saddled Pete, and, turning his back
upon the place where he had passed a most uncomfortable night, set out
toward the mountains.
About the same hour, the trapper arose from the prairie, where he had
made his camp, and where he had slept soundly, in spite of the howling
of the wolves, and, mounting Sleepy Sam, began to follow up the trail
of the buffaloes. Each was looking for the other, and both were
traveling in exactly opposite directions.
Frank had a long ride before him, and it was monotonous and tiresome.
Pete appeared to have fully recovered from the effects of his long
run, for he carried his rider at a rapid pace; but, at sunset, Frank
had not reached the mountains. He could not bear the thought of
camping on that bare prairie, where he could have no fire, and he
resolved to ride until he reached the timber at the base of the
mountains, if it took him until midnight. Darkness settled down over
the prairie, and, a short time afterward, he reached the woods. As he
rode slowly along, in the hope of discovering some stream, on the
banks of which he could camp, he saw a light shining through the
trees. A second look showed him that it was a camp-fire. No doubt he
would find Dick there. Without hesitating an instant, he put spurs to
his horse, and rode up in full view of the fire, around which he saw
four men lying on their blankets.