We were standing on the surface of a flat table-rock, which jutted out
from the face of the towering cliff and overhung the valley that was
spread out like a map beneath us. About twenty feet back from the edge
of the rock was a pile of debris heaped up against the face of the
cliff; but the remaining surface of the stone was clean bare and
weather-beaten. The talus against the cliff was composed of loose
fragments of stone and other products of wash and erosion. This was
overgrown with a thicket of stunted shrubs, wry-necked goblin thistles
and murderous devil's clubs. These bludgeon-shaped plants, thickly
covered with sharp thorns, reared aloft their weapons as if in menace to
all living things; the unstable ground and thorny thicket formed the
only shelter where we could be ambushed in the rear, and it was not a
likely spot to be chosen for such a purpose by man or beast.
When Big Pete wheeled about face with his trusty revolvers in hand, I
quickly followed his example, and our mutual surprise may be imagined
when we found ourselves gazing in the faces of a semicircle of gigantic
wolves. The animals were squatting on their haunches at the foot of the
talus, their wicked slant eyes fixed upon us and their red tongues
lolling out from their cavernous mouths.
I cannot tell why, whether it was the state of my nerves or the effect
of the rare air of the high altitude, or what, but I felt no fear at
facing this strange wolf pack. Indeed, to me they appeared all to be
laughing and their red tongues lolled from their open mouths in a very
humorous fashion.
The whole scene appeared to me to be exceedingly funny and, in a spirit
of utter reckless bravado, I doffed my fur cap, with exaggerated
politeness made a low bow, and, addressing the largest and most
devilish-looking wolf in the pack, exclaimed,
"Ah! this is Monsieur Loup-Garou, I believe. Pardon me, Monsieur, but
did you speak a moment since?"
But Big Pete Darlinkel looked at the wolves, and great beads of sweat
stood on his forehead. It was his turn to have the shivers. There was no
more color in his face than in a peeled turnip. His gun shook in his
left hand like a aspen, while the spangled gun in his right hand dropped
its muzzle towards earth and there was scarcely strength enough in his
nerveless fingers to have pulled a hair-trigger.
Pete's great baby-blue eyes turned helplessly to me; but it was now my
innings, and with a cheery voice I cried,
"Why, Pete, old fellow, what ails you?" Then meanly quoting his own
words, I added, "They hain't nothing but wolves!"
There is not a shadow of a doubt that Pete expected the wolves to answer
me with human voice, and I am willing to confess that, even to me,
there seemed to be no other alternative for the slant-eyed bandits to
pursue. But for the present they appeared to prefer to maintain a solemn
silence.
The middle wolf had been looking intently at us for some time before a
well-modulated voice said,
"I have answered your call, gentlemen; how can I serve you?"
I was more than half expecting some such answer, but if it had not been
so evident that Big Pete was badly frightened and had lost all his
self-possession, I should have thought he was again practising his art
as ventriloquist.
Of course I deceived myself. The wolves had no more power of speech than
a house-dog. But I really thought the wolves were doing the talking
until I caught sight of a tall man of handsome and distinguished
appearance seated among the weird goblin-thistles just above the wolves.
The stranger appeared to be a man of almost any age; he might be young
but, if old, he was wonderfully well preserved. He was clad in a
light-colored buckskin suit of clothes, edged and trimmed with fur, a
fur cap on his head and moccasins on his feet. And I noticed, with a
start, that he had that same red porcupine quill ornament on his hunting
shirt that the young Indian wore.
When I saw how his dress blended perfectly with his surroundings I
excused myself for not sooner detecting him. I could not help but admire
his easy grace and the sense of reserved strength in his strong figure.
The calmness and repose forcibly reminded me of the mountain lion we had
lately encountered.
"You kin hackle me and card my sinews, if it hain't the Wild Hunter
himself an' his pack," said Big Pete under his breath.
The color now began to return to his face and at the recollection of his
late rude words the big fellow blushed like a school girl. Gradually he
recovered his self-possession, and, doffing his cap, made a low bow as
graceful and as courtly as that of any polished courtier. This was an
entirely new side to my friend's character and I listened with interest
when he said,
"Sir, whether you be loup-garou, werwolf, witch-b'ar or all them to
onct, I do not care. What I want ter say is ef that tha' ranch yander be
your'n, you may hamstring me ef I hain't proud to have such a man for a
neighbor. Whatever else you be yore no shavetail or shorthorn, an'
that's howsomever. I don't mind sayin' that yore a better shot an' all
around hunter an' mountain man than Daniel Boone, Simon Kenton, Davy
Crockett, Kit Carson, Bison McClean and Jim Baker all rolled in one.
Yore the slickest woodsman on the divide. I'm powerful proud of you as a
neighbor and would be still prouder ef I might call you my friend."
Our strange visitor displayed a beautiful white set of teeth as a frank
smile played over his smooth face. But his only answer at that moment
was an inclination of his head and a muttered command to the wolves,
which they instantly obeyed by silently disappearing in the underbrush.
After a pause the tall stranger came forward, and, removing his own cap,
made a bow even more courtly than that of Big Pete, as he thus replied:
"Sir, I feel highly honored at this flattering expression of
commendation. I can honestly say that it is the greatest compliment I
have ever received from a stranger, and," he added with another winning
smile, "you are the first stranger with whom I have held converse in
nearly twenty years. That I am not unfriendly I have already proved by
some trifling services, but the honor of the acquaintance is mine."
After the formalities of our meeting were over the stranger stood for a
few moments with his chin resting on his breast. He was evidently
thinking over some serious subject. His head was bare, his fur cap being
in his hands, and his hands locked behind his back. A mass of light
colored hair fell over his forehead and shoulders.
Presently he looked at us again, with that same grave smile on his face,
and said that if we would consent to be blindfolded and trust ourselves
implicitly to his care, he would be glad to take us to his home and
would feel honored if we should choose to visit him.
"You can proceed no further on this trail for it ends here, and not even
a goat can go beyond the rock on which we stand, therefore we must
retrace our steps a few hundred yards," he explained, as he apologized
for his strange proposition. He securely bandaged our eyes with our own
handkerchiefs, and after turning us around until I at least had lost all
sense of direction, he placed thongs in our hands, and then we
discovered that we were to be led by some sort of animals, presumably
wolves. Whatever else they were, they proved to be careful and sagacious
leaders.
After a short distance of rough climbing where we constantly needed the
personal help of our mysterious host, we began to descend and soon our
feet told us that we were traveling on a comparatively smooth though
steep trail. Now and again our guide would speak to warn us of stones or
other obstructions in our path, but, with the exception of these
necessary words of caution and brief words expressing approval or
reproof to the animals, we made the journey in silence and in due time
reached the bottom, and our feet told us that we were walking on a level
shale-covered path.
At this point the creatures leading us were dismissed and we could hear
them scrambling back over the trail. We heard the bleating of sheep, the
lowing of cattle and all the multiplicity of noises so familiar on a
well-stocked farm, and we could easily detect the different odors as
familiar and characteristic as the noises. We enjoyed to its fullest
extent the novelty of the homely sensations aroused by the smell of
new-mown hay and the familiar medley of sounds peculiar to the farm.
In due time we found ourselves at the foot of a couple of wooden steps,
which we ascended, and, crossing a broad veranda, entered a doorway.
Here we stood awaiting further commands in utter ignorance of our
surroundings. Of course, we surmised we were in the ranch house which we
saw from the table rock, but this was only a surmise.
"Gentlemen," said the strange old man, "you are welcome to my home, and
allow me to add that you are the only white men who have ever crossed
the threshold of this house."
As he ceased speaking he removed the bandages from our eyes.