IT WAS soon found that the camping ground possessed another advantage
which, during the discussion, had been altogether overlooked.
During the afternoon they had shot a fine-looking antelope, cooking a
portion at the time upon the prairie. A goodly portion was left, and
they now had an opportunity of kindling their fire without the
liability of its being seen, as would have been the case had they
encamped in any other place.
This being agreed to, the fire was speedily kindled, and the trapper
himself began the culinary performance. It was executed with the
characteristic excellence of the hunter, and a luscious meal was thus
provided for all. At its conclusion, all stretched themselves upon the
ground for the purpose of smoking and chatting, as was their usual
custom at such times.
The evening whiled pleasantly away, and when it had considerably
advanced, the question of who should act as sentinel was discussed. Up
to this, young Brainerd had never once performed that duty at night,
although he had frequently solicited the privilege. He now-asked
permission to try his hand. After considerable talk it was agreed that
he might do. The trapper had lost so much sleep, that he was anxious
to secure a good night's rest, and the careful scrutiny which he had
taken of the surrounding prairie convinced him that no danger
threatened. So he felt little apprehension in acceding to the wish of
the boy.
At a late hour the two men stretched themselves upon the ground, with
their blankets gathered about them, and they were soon wrapped in
profound slumber, while Johnny, filled with the importance and
responsibility of his duty, felt as though he should never need
another hour's sleep. He was sure of being able to keep up an
unintermitting watch several days and nights, should it become
necessary.
Following the usual custom of sentinels, he shouldered his gun and
paced back and forth before the smoldering camp-fire, glancing in
every direction, so as to make sure that no enemy stole upon him
unawares.
It formed a curious picture, the small fire burning in the
valley, motionless forms stretched out before it, the huge steam man
silent and grim standing near, the dwarfed boy, pacing slowly back and
forth, and, above all, the moon shining down upon the silent prairie.
The moon was quite faint, so that only an indistinct view of objects
could be seen. Occasionally Johnny clambered up the bank and took a
survey of the surrounding plains; bat seeing nothing at all
suspicious, he soon grew weary of this, and confined his walks to the
immediate vicinity of the camp-fire, passing back and forth between
the narrow breadth of the valley.
As the hours dragged slowly by, the boy gradually fell into a reverie,
which made him almost unconscious of external things. And it was while
walking thus that he did not observe a large wolf advance to the edge
of the gully, look down, and then whisk back out of sight before the
sentinel wheeled in his walk and faced him.
Three separate times was this repeated, the wolf looking down in such
an earnest, searching way that it certainly would have excited the
remark and curiosity of any one observing it. The third glance
apparently satisfied the wolf; for it lasted for a few seconds, when
he withdrew, and lumbered away at an awkward rate, until a rod or two
had been passed, when the supposed wolf suddenly rose on its hind
legs, the skin and head were shifted to the arms of the Indian, and he
continued on at a leisurely gait until he joined fully fifty comrades,
who were huddled together in a grove, several hundred yards away.
In the meantime young Brainerd, with his rifle slung over his
shoulder, was pacing back and forth in the same deliberate manner, his
mind busily engaged on an 'improvement' upon the steam man, by which
he was to walk backward as well as forward, although he couldn't
satisfactorily determine how he was to go up and down hill with
safety.
Still occupied in the study of the subject, he took a seat by the
half-extinguished camp-fire and gazed dreamily into the embers. It had
been a habit with him, when at home, to sit thus for hours, on the
long winter evenings, while his mind was so busily at work that he was
totally oblivious to whatever was passing around him.
It must have been that the boy seated himself without any thought of
the inevitable result of doing so; for none knew better than he that
such a thing was fatal to the faithful performance of a sentinel's
duty: and the thought that his three companions, in one sense, had put
their safety in his hands, would have prevented anything like a
forgetfulness of duty.
Be that as it may, the boy had sat thus less than half an hour when a
drowsiness began stealing over him. Once he raised his head and
fancied he saw a large wolf glaring down upon him from the bank above,
but the head was withdrawn so quickly that he was sure it was only a
phantom of his brain.
So he did not rise from his seat, but sitting still he gradually sunk
lower, until in a short time he was sleeping as soundly as either of
the three around him.
Another hour wore away, and the fire smoldered lower and all was
still.
Then numerous heads peered over the edge of the ravine for a few
seconds, and as suddenly withdrew.
A few minutes later a curious sight might have been seen, a sight
somewhat resembling that of a parcel of school-boys making their
gigantic snow-balls. The fifty Indians, the greater portion of whom
had patiently waited in the adjoining grove, while their horses were
securely fastened near, issued like a swarm of locusts and began
rolling huge bowlders toward the valley. Some of them were so large
that half a dozen only succeeded in moving them with the greatest
difficulty.
But they persevered, working with a strange persistency and silence,
that gave them the appearance of so many phantoms engaged at their
ghostly labor. Not a word was exchanged, even in the most guarded of
tones, for each understood his part.
In time half a dozen of these immense stones reached the edge of the
ravine. They were ranged side by side, a few feet apart, so as not to
be in each other's way, and the Indians stood near, waiting until
their work should be completed.
Some signal was then made, and then one of these bowlders rolled down
in the ravine. Even this scarcely made any perceptible noise, the
yielding ground receiving it like a cushion, as it came to a halt near
the center of the valley.
When this was done a second followed suit, being so guided that it did
not grate against its companion, but came to rest very near it.
Then another followed, and then another and another, in the same
stealthy manner, until over a dozen were in the valley below.
This completed, the phantom-like figures descended like so many
shadows, and began tugging again at the bowlders.
Not a word was exchanged, for each knew what was required of him.
Fully an hour more was occupied, by which time the labor was finished.
The bowlders were arranged in the form of an impassable wall across
the narrow valley, and the steam man was so thoroughly imprisoned that
no human aid could ever extricate him.