SAVED BY A JACK-RABBIT
AT first, the stone seemed satisfied to merely slide downward, so that
Dick hoped it would lodge in some crevice and not be noticed by any of
the passing Indians. This hope was short-lived, however, for, gaining
momentum as the slope grew steeper, the stone began to skip and jump,
until, bursting through a little patch of dead grass, it attracted the
attention of the nearest brave.
Dick heard him utter a guttural exclamation, and, at the same time saw
him hastily reach for his bow, which was slung over his shoulder. The
others, too, manifested immediate interest in the bounding stone, for
such things do not roll down a slope without some cause and there were
red enemies of their tribe who often lay in hiding to attack them.
Roger gave a gasp of dismay. That was not the first time he had been
guilty of bringing some sort of trouble upon the heads of himself and
his cousin. Dick laid his hand on the arm of the impetuous one, and
his low-whispered "Be still" doubtless prevented Roger from making
matters worse by showing himself above the bush that sheltered them.
It would seem as though some good cherub aloft must have interposed to
save the two lads from the peril which confronted them. Even as they
lay there and stared, they saw one of the Indians point at something
a little further along the slope, and then, strange to say, the
procession again resumed its forward movement, as though all suspicion
had been allayed.
Roger was almost bursting with curiosity to know what had intervened.
He had not been able to see, because Dick chanced to be on that side of
him and, much as he wanted to stretch his neck and look, he dared not
attempt it after what had happened.
Accordingly they lay perfectly still until the last of the Indians had
disappeared in the distance. Even then Dick would not start to leave
their hiding place until absolutely sure no others were coming along
the trail.
Unable to longer restrain the overpowering curiosity that gripped him,
Roger presently put the question that was burning on his tongue.
"What was it happened to make them pass by, and not start up here to
see how that stone started to roll down?" he asked.
"Then you didn't see the jack-rabbit, Roger?"
"A rabbit, you say, Dick?"
"Yes. It was the most fortunate thing that could have happened for us,
and we ought to be thankful to the little beast that he took it in his
head to skip out when that stone jumped through the patch of dead grass
where he was hiding."
"Oh! was that what happened?" exclaimed the other boy, chuckling now
because of the lucky event. "And, of course, when the Indians saw the
rabbit running off, they believed it had started the stone to falling.
It sometimes seems to me as if we were guarded by some invisible power,
we have so many wonderful escapes!"
"It may be that we are, Roger, because we know that not a day passes
but that our mothers, far away down the Missouri, are praying that we
may be spared to come back to them. But, now that the coast is clear,
let us head once more for Fort Mandan, as we call our camp."
Of course both these wide-awake lads knew how to find their way through
the densest woods, or over unknown ground, by using their knowledge of
woodcraft to tell them the cardinal points of the compass.
When the sky was clear, they could find the north by means of the sun,
moon, or some of the stars. If clouds obscured their vision, they knew
how to discover the same fact through the moss on the trees, or even
the thickness of the bark. Besides the methods mentioned, there were
others that experience and association with other rovers of the woods
had taught them.
Consequently, although they might be traversing country that neither of
them had ever set eyes on before, they always knew just which way to
head in order to reach camp.
Dick was constantly taking mental notes as he went along. These
included not only the prospects for game, but the lay of the land, for
Captain Lewis wished to know all that was possible about such things
before once more starting out in the spring to complete his great trip
to the Western Sea.
At the same time, Dick was also on the alert for every sign of danger,
from whatever source. His keen vision took in all that went on around
him. Not a leaf rustled to the ground, as some passing breeze loosened
its hold on the branch above, but he saw it eddying through the air;
never a little ground squirrel frisked behind some lichen-covered
rock, or tree root, that Dick did not instantly note.
They presently found themselves traversing what seemed to be a rough
belt of rocky land, where the trees were not very plentiful. It was
even difficult at times to advance, and they had to be careful where
they placed their feet, since a fall might result in serious bruises.
Just as they passed around a huge bowlder, that had at some time fallen
from the face of the cliff towering above them, the two boys heard a
queer, sniffing sound. Before either had time to draw back, there came
shuffling into view, not more than fifty feet beyond them, a terrifying
figure such as they had never up to that moment set eyes upon.
It was a huge bear, far larger than any they had met with in all their
hunting trips along the Missouri. From some of the hunters connected
with the exploring party they had heard the wildest stories concerning
a monster species of brown, or grizzly bear that was said to have its
home amidst the rocky dens of the mountains and foothills lying to the
west. The Indians always spoke of this animal as though it were to
be dreaded more than any creature of the wilds. The brave who could
produce the long claws of a grizzly bear was immediately honored with
the head feathers of a chief.
Dick knew, therefore, that they were now facing one of these terrible
animals. He could well understand the awe with which they were viewed
by the red men, and the half-breed trappers, for the appearance of this
monster was certainly alarming. Perhaps, if left to his own device, the
more cautious Dick might have considered it best for them to decline a
combat and, if the bear did not attack them, they could withdraw and
seek a safer trail across the rocky ridge.
In figuring on this course, however, he failed to count on the
impetuous nature of his companion. The hunter-instinct was well
developed in Roger. He looked upon nearly everything that walked on
four feet and carried a coat of fur as his legitimate prize, if only he
could succeed in placing a bullet where it would do the most good.
So it came about that, as Dick started to put out his hand with the
intention of drawing his comrade back, he was startled to hear the
crash of a gun close to his ear. Roger had instinctively thrown his
weapon to his shoulder, and, with quick aim, pulled the trigger.
Under ordinary conditions Roger was a very clever marksman. There were
times, however, when he failed to exercise the proper care, and then
he was apt to make a poor shot. That may have happened in the present
instance; or else, it must be true, as the Indians said, that the
grizzly bear could carry off more lead, or survive more arrows, than
any other living creature.
Dick was shocked to see that, instead of falling over as the shot rang
out, the great bear started toward them, roaring, and acting as though
rendered furious by the wound he had received.
There was nothing for it but that Dick should try to complete the
tragedy. He aimed as best he could, considering the fact that the
animal was now moving swiftly, if clumsily, in their direction, and
pulled the trigger.
His rifle was always kept well primed and the powder did not simply
flash in the pan; but he realized at once that he had not given the
monster his death wound, for the bear still advanced, displaying all
the symptoms of rage.
"We must get out of this, Roger!" cried Dick, for, as it would be
utterly impossible for either of them to reload in time to meet the
oncoming beast, they must either escape, or else engage in a terrible
fight with their knives at close quarters.
The remembrance of the long, sharp claws he had seen around the neck
of the Sioux chief, Running Elk, caused Dick to decide on the former
course. As he turned to run, he dragged Roger with him.
He remembered hearing that these terrible denizens of the Western
mountains could not climb a tree like their black cousins. To this fact
many a man owed his life, when attacked by a grizzly bear. As he ran,
Dick strained his eyes to discover a convenient tree into which he and
Roger might climb to safety.
Glancing back over his shoulder when a chance occurred, he saw, to his
dismay, that the wounded animal was coming after them with a rush, and
evidently had no idea of giving over the pursuit simply because his
two-legged enemies were retreating.
"What can we do, Dick?" gasped Roger, now beginning to realize the
foolishness of taking that haphazard shot at such a terrible beast,
against which he had been warned by others who knew something of its
ferocity.
"We must climb a tree, it is our only hope!" replied the other, between
his set teeth.
"There's one just ahead of us, Dick!" cried Roger, hopefully.
"We could never get up before the bear caught us, for there are no
limbs low enough to be easily reached," Dick answered. "A little
further on I think I can see the one we must gain. Try to run faster;
he is gaining on us, I'm afraid!"
Both lads were soon breathing heavily, for they found the uneven
nature of the rock-strewn ground to be very much against them. But,
fortunately, neither chanced to fall, and thus delay their flight and,
while the oncoming grizzly was yet some little distance in their wake,
they managed to reach the hospitable tree that offered them hope of a
refuge.
"Up as fast as you can, Roger!" urged Dick.
Roger would not have stirred an inch, only he saw that his cousin was
already clambering as fast as he could go. Impulsive, headstrong and
even careless Roger might be at times, but he was no coward, and he
would not climb to safety, leaving his chum to face any peril from
which he was freed.
They managed to get fairly well lodged in the bare branches of the
mountain oak before the pursuing animal arrived. The bear stood up on
his hind legs and tried to reach their dangling moccasin-covered feet,
meanwhile snarling savagely, and manifesting the most determined desire
to avenge his injuries.
"At any rate," said Roger, "we both hit him, Dick, for you can see
he is bleeding from two wounds. Oh! why did I let my gun fall when I
stumbled that time? If I had it here with me now I could soon fix that
fellow!"
"Then you must leave that to me this time, Roger," remarked the other,
who had managed to slip the strap of his gun over his shoulder as he
drew near the tree, so as to have both hands free for climbing--and he
had certainly needed them, too.
Dick now began to load his gun, meanwhile watching the actions of the
furious bear. The grizzly was trying to gain lodgment among the lower
limbs of the tree that had offered the fugitives an asylum; but he did
not seem to know how to go about it, or to utilize those long, sharp
claws that had been given to him by Nature more as a means of offense
than for climbing purposes.
Several times he fell back heavily, only to give vent to his ferocity
in sullen roars. Finally Dick, having sent the patched bullet home
with his ramrod, began to prime the pan of his long gun, so as to be
ready to make use of the weapon.