[Transcriber's Note: Bold text is surrounded by =equal signs= and italic
text is surrounded by _underscores_.]
THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE YELLOWSTONE
[Illustration]
OR: LOST IN THE LAND OF WONDERS
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
_Other Volumes in Preparation_
[Illustration]
THE PAGE COMPANY
53 Beacon Street Boston, Mass.
[Illustration: "SOME OF THE BRAVES STARTED TO FASTEN THE PRISONERS TO
TWO TREES" (_See page 219_)]
The Young Pioneer Series
THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE YELLOWSTONE
OR: LOST IN THE LAND OF WONDERS
By HARRISON ADAMS
Author of "The Pioneer Boys of the Ohio," "The Pioneer
Boys on the Great Lakes," "The Pioneer Boys of
the Mississippi," "The Pioneer Boys of
the Missouri," etc.
[Illustration]
Illustrated by
WALTER S. ROGERS
THE PAGE COMPANY
BOSTON [Illustration] MDCCCCXV
[Illustration]
_Copyright, 1915, by_
THE PAGE COMPANY
_All rights reserved_
First Impression,
June, 1915
PRINTED BY
THE COLONIAL PRESS
C. H. SIMONDS CO.,
BOSTON, U. S. A.
PREFACE
DEAR BOYS:--
In my last story, the title of which was "The Pioneer Boys of
Missouri," I half-promised that later on I might continue the recital
of Dick and Roger Armstrong's fortunes, and carry them further along
their pathway toward the far-distant Pacific. The opportunity to redeem
that promise having been given to me, I gladly meet you once more in
these pages; and I trust this story will afford you quite as much
pleasure in the reading as I have taken in the writing.
It will be remembered that we left the two pioneer lads in the winter
camp of the Lewis and Clark exploring party. This company had been
sent out, chiefly through the personal influence of the President at
Washington, to find a way across the newly-acquired country, and blaze
a path to the Pacific. They had gone into camp close to the quaint
Mandan Indian village, far up on the Yellowstone River, which stream
they had been following since leaving the Missouri.
Apparently their troubles and difficulties had all been smoothed
away, and there seemed to be clear sailing ahead for Dick and his
cousin. They anticipated spending the long winter months in various
ways--studying Indian character and habits, doing more or less hunting
and trapping, and possibly learning if there could be any real truth in
the strange stories they had heard from numerous sources concerning a
Land of Enchantment that existed near the "Big Water" at the source of
the river of the yellow rocks and the troubled current.
Unexpected developments, it chanced, caused the boys to venture into
this unknown and mysterious region, where they met with many adventures
which I have endeavored to narrate in this volume. It will be seen
that, although the various tribes of Indians inhabiting the Great
Northwest country at that time undoubtedly knew of the marvels embraced
in what is now Yellowstone Park, a superstitious feeling of awe for the
Evil Spirit's workings made their visits to that region few and far
between, though their love for the chase did take them there at times.
I trust that if any of you ever get a chance to visit this National
Reservation you will do so. And if you read the history of Yellowstone
Park you will find that perhaps the first authentic account of its
astonishing wonders was given to the world by a member of the Lewis and
Clark expedition.
HARRISON ADAMS.
_April 1, 1915._
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
PREFACE v
I THE YOUNG EXPLORERS 1
II SAVED BY A JACK-RABBIT 11
III THE TERROR OF THE MOUNTAINS 22
IV BAD NEWS 32
V READY FOR A FRESH START 43
VI ON THE TRAIL TO THE BAD LANDS 54
VII THE STRANGE AWAKENING 65
VIII THE VALLEY OF ENCHANTMENT 76
IX SURROUNDED BY MYSTERIES 86
X ATTACKED BY HOSTILE BLACKFEET 97
XI ON THE BANK OF THE YELLOWSTONE 107
XII UNEXPECTED HELP 117
XIII DEEPER INTO THE WONDERLAND 127
XIV THE LANDSLIDE 138
XV SHELTER FROM THE BITING NORTH WIND 148
XVI THE BATTLE IN THE CAVE 159
XVII THANKS TO THE WOLF PACK 170
XVIII THE GIANT PAINT POT 180
XIX A SUDDEN PERIL 190
XX PRISONERS OF THE BLACKFEET 201
XXI BINDING UP AN ENEMY'S WOUNDS 211
XXII IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT 223
XXIII THE ESCAPE 231
XXIV AN INDIAN'S GRATITUDE 241
XXV THE SNOW AVALANCHE 253
XXVI TRACKING A BUFFALO 261
XXVII FIRE FANCIES 271
XXVIII WITH HOPEFUL HEARTS 282
XXIX THE HUNTERS' FEAST 293
XXX ALLIES WITH COPPER-COLORED SKINS 303
XXXI THE CAMP ON THE BIG WATER 314
XXXII A WELL WON VICTORY--CONCLUSION 325
NOTES 335
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
"SOME OF THE BRAVES STARTED TO FASTEN THE PRISONERS
TO TWO TREES" (_See page 219_) _Frontispiece_
"HIS TREMBLING FINGER SUDDENLY PRESSED THE TRIGGER" 23
"MEAGER THOUGH THAT SUPPER MAY HAVE BEEN, THERE WAS
NOT A WORD OF COMPLAINT" 68
"BEFORE THEM THEY SAW A MIGHTY COLUMN OF STEAMING
WATER" 126
"TURNING AROUND FROM TIME TO TIME AS THOUGH HALF
INCLINED TO COME BACK" 175
"THE BUFFALO WAS JUST IN THE ACT OF TURNING WHEN
THE FRONTIERSMAN FIRED" 294
[Illustration]
The Pioneer Boys of the Yellowstone
CHAPTER I
THE YOUNG EXPLORERS
"I THINK we have gone far enough from the camp, Roger."
"Just as you say, Dick. I never seem to know when to stop, once I get
started."
"And it's easy to start you, too. That was why the boys, back at the
settlement of St. Louis, came to call you 'Headstrong Roger.'"
"Well, Dick, I hope to outgrow that fault in time. You know my father
was the same way, when he and Uncle Bob used to hunt and trap and fish
on the Ohio River, and later along the Mississippi."
"It seems hard to believe, Roger, that we are so far from our
homes. Sometimes I shut my eyes and can picture all the dear ones
again--father, mother, and my younger brother, Sam."
"Yes, but here we are, hundreds and hundreds of miles from them, and in
the heart of the Western wilderness," said the boy who had been called
Roger; "and planning to spend the coming winter with our good friends
Captain Lewis and Captain Clark."
"Sometimes," remarked his companion, "I am sorry we determined to stay
here and winter near the Mandan Indian village. We might have turned
back and gone home, along with the messengers who were dispatched with
documents for the President at Washington."
"And who also carried the precious paper that Jasper Williams signed,
which will save our parents' homes from being taken away from them by
that scheming French trader, Lascelles."
"And yet," observed Dick, thoughtfully, "when I think of the wonderful
things we have seen, and what a glorious chance we have of setting eyes
on the great Pacific Ocean next summer, I am glad we decided to stay up
here on this strange river of the wilderness that in the Indian tongue
means Yellowstone."
"It is a different stream from the 'Big Muddy' or the Missouri, and
as full of rapids as it can be. Before long the expedition will have
to abandon all boats, and trust to the horses to carry the camp outfit
over the mountains to the west."
"Listen, Roger, what was that sound?"
"I thought it was the whinny of a horse," replied the impetuous one of
the pair, as they dropped behind some brush that grew on the brow of a
gradual slope leading to a lower level.
"And it came from below us, too. What could a horse be doing here? Do
you think any of our men are out after fresh meat to-day?"
"There are a few horses among some of the Indian tribes around here,
and it might be--there, look, something is coming yonder, Dick!"
"Don't move again, Roger; it is an Indian brave, and there follows
another, treading in his trail."
"They are not of our friends, the Mandans, Dick, and they don't look
like the Sioux we met a while ago. There come three more, and now I can
see the horse!"
"H'sh! Not a whisper now, and lie as still as a rock. They have sharp
eyes, even if they are not on the warpath."
Roger knew why his cousin made this last remark, for the horse was
dragging two poles after him, the ends of which trailed on the ground.
Upon this primitive wagon rested quite a pile of stuff, evidently the
skin teepee of the family and other articles, as well as a buxom squaw
and a small papoose.
Back of the first horse came a second, similarly equipped, and then
another tall, half-naked brave, armed with bow and arrows. Dick knew
that the little procession was a portion of some Indian community
moving their camp to a place where the game would be more abundant,
for this was the season when they laid in their winter store of jerked
venison or "pemmican."
"Don't move yet, Roger," whispered Dick, after the last figure had
gone some little distance along the trail; "I believe there is another
party coming. Yes, I can already see them a little way back there. Just
crouch down and watch."
While the two boys are lying hidden, and waiting for the passage of
the hostile Indians, belonging to some tribe with which they hitherto
had had no dealings, we might take advantage of the opportunity to
ascertain just who Dick and Roger Armstrong are, and what they could
be doing in this unknown region, far back in 1804, when the headwaters
of the Missouri had never been fully explored by any white man.
Many years previous to this time their grandfather, David Armstrong,
had emigrated from Virginia to the banks of the Ohio, being tempted to
take this step because of wonderful stories concerning that country
told to him by his good friend, the famous pioneer, Daniel Boone.
His family consisted of three children, a girl and two boys, Bob and
Sandy. The brothers grew up versed in woods lore, as did all border
boys. They knew all about the secrets of the great forest and the
mighty waters. And, indeed, in those days, with peril constantly
hovering over their heads, it was essential that boys should learn how
to handle a rifle as soon as they could lift one of the long-barreled
weapons to their shoulder.[1]
Later, the pioneer was tempted to continue still further into the
Golden West, always with the rainbow of promise luring him onward
toward the setting sun. With other families, the Armstrongs drifted
down the beautiful Ohio, and finally settled on the Missouri, above
the trading post of St. Louis.
Here the two sturdy lads grew to manhood, married, and built cabins of
their own, near that of old David and his wife. To Bob came two boys,
Dick and Sam; while his brother had a son, Roger, and a sweet girl
named Mary, after her grandmother.
These two cousins, Dick and Roger, hunted in company, and were as fond
of one another as their fathers had been. Dick was a little the older,
and acted as a sort of safety valve upon the more impulsive Roger; but
both learned the lessons of Nature, day by day, until, at the time we
make their acquaintance in this volume, they were capable of meeting
the craftiness of the Indian, or the fury of the forest wild beast,
with equal cunning.
On the previous spring there had fallen a bombshell into the happy
homes of the Armstrongs near the thriving settlement named after the
French king. When David, on his arrival years before, had purchased
a large section of land that was bound to grow very valuable for
his heirs in later years, he had believed his title to be clear and
unquestioned.
Later, it turned out that a certain signature was lacking to make the
title valid, and unless this could be obtained within a certain time
from an heir of the original owners, the entire tract would be taken
from them. An unscrupulous French trader, named François Lascelles, had
secured the opposing claim, and threatened to evict the Armstrongs in
the coming spring, unless they could produce that valuable signature.
This impending family trouble affected Dick and Roger greatly. They
began to make investigations and learned that the man whose signature
was wanted, Jasper Williams by name, a hunter and trapper, was then far
away in the unknown regions of the West.
They also learned that this forest ranger expected to join an exploring
party headed by two men who had recently been in St. Louis, and whom
they had met in company with their grandfather, David Armstrong. These
were Captain Lewis and Captain Clark, sent out by the President of the
United States to learn what lay far beyond the Mississippi Valley, and
possibly to proceed all the way to the Pacific Ocean, which was known
to lie hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles west of the Mississippi
Valley. (Note 1.)[2]
So, determined to do everything in their power to get that paper signed
by the one man whose name would save their homes, Dick and Roger
had finally gained the consent of their parents to their making the
perilous trip.
Many weary weeks the boys followed after the expedition, which had had
quite a start ahead of them. They met with strange vicissitudes and
wonderful adventures by the way, yet through it all their courage and
grim determination carried them safely, so that in the end they finally
reached the little company of bold spirits forging ahead through this
unknown land.[3]
They were received with kindness by the two captains, who admired the
spirit that had brought these lads through so many difficulties.
In the end the valuable signature was attached to the paper, which was
placed in charge of a special messenger whom Captain Lewis was sending,
with two other men, to carry reports of the progress of the expedition
to the President, who had great faith in the enterprise.
This messenger had instructions to proceed straight to St. Louis, first
of all, and deliver the document to David Armstrong before heading for
Washington.
The boys had yielded to the invitation of their new friends to remain
with the expedition in camp through the approaching winter, and
continue on in the spring to the great ocean that all believed lay
beyond the mountain barrier. Such a chance would never come to them
again in all their lives. The document would reach the hands of the
home folks in due time, and also the letters they had dispatched with
it.
And so it is that we find Dick and Roger off on a little exploring trip
on a day when the chill winds told of the winter that was soon to wrap
all the land in an icy mantle.
They huddled there in security behind the thick brush, and, by peeping
through little openings, could watch all that went on below them.
The moving Indians interested them greatly, because they apparently
belonged to a tribe with which the boys, until then, had had no
intercourse; although Dick guessed, from the style of head-dress of the
warriors, that in all probability they were Blackfeet, and not Crows.
At any rate, he did not like their looks, and felt that it would be a
serious thing for himself and his companion if by any accident they
attracted the attention of the passing party. Even if they were not
just then on the warpath, they possessed arms, and might consider a
white intruder on their hunting grounds as a bitter enemy, who should
be exterminated at any cost.
The second detachment had now come along and was passing by. It
consisted of several braves, and another horse dragging the poles upon
which a squaw and three dark-faced Indian papooses sat amidst the camp
equipage.
Suddenly Roger, in his eagerness to see a little better, when something
especially attracted his attention, chanced to make a hasty move, with
the result that he dislodged quite a good-sized stone, which started
down the slope, gathering speed as it went.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] See "The Pioneer Boys of the Ohio."
[2] The notes will be found at the end of the book.
[3] See "The Pioneer Boys of the Missouri."