The work upon which the boys were engaged passed unnoticed by the
Indians, who were too much absorbed by the enjoyment of the new
discovery to pay any attention to other matters. The bows and
arrows had been given to them, as anything else in camp for which
they had a fancy would have been given; but beyond that, none had
observed what was being done.
There were, then, many exclamations of astonishment among them,
when Ned and Tom issued from their hut in the morning to join the
hunting party, carrying their new weapons. The bows were, of
course, unstrung; and Ned handed his to the chief, who viewed it
with great curiosity. It was passed from hand to hand, and then
returned to the chief. One or two of the Indians said something,
and the chief tried its strength. He shook his head. Ned signed to
him to string it, but the chief tried in vain, as did several of
the strongest of the Indians. Indeed, no man, however powerful,
could string an old English bow, unless trained to its use.
When the Indians had given up the attempt as hopeless, the two lads
strung their bows without the slightest difficulty, to the intense
surprise of the natives. These again took the bows, but failed to
bend them even to the length of their own little arrows. The lads
then took out their newly-made shafts, and took aim at a young
tree, of a foot diameter, standing at about two hundred yards
distance; and both sent their arrows quivering into the trunk.
The Indians gave a perfect yell of astonishment.
"It is not much of a mark," Tom said; "Hugh Willoughby, of our
village, could hit a white glove at that distance every time; and
the fingers of a glove five times out of six. It is the length of
the shots, not the accuracy, which astounds these fellows. However,
it is good enough to keep up our superiority."
The party now started on their hunt. There was but little
difficulty in finding game, for numerous herds could be seen
grazing. The task was to get within shot. The boys watched
anxiously, to see the course which the Indians would adopt.
First ascertaining which way the wind was blowing, the chief, with
ten others, accompanied by the boys, set off to make a circuit, so
as to approach one of the herds upwind. When they had reached the
point desired, all went down upon their bellies and crawled like
snakes, until they reached a clump of low bushes, a quarter of a
mile from the herd. Then they lay quiet, waiting for their
comrades, whose turn it now was to act.
These, also making a circuit, but in the opposite direction, placed
themselves half a mile to windward of the deer, in a long line.
Then they advanced toward the herd, making no effort to conceal
themselves.
Scarcely had they risen to their feet than the herd winded them.
For a minute or two they stood motionless, watching the distant
figures; and then, turning, bounded away. The chief uttered an
exclamation of disgust, for it was evident at once that, from the
direction that they were taking, the herd would not pass, as he
hoped, close by the bushes.
The lads, however, were well satisfied; for the line would take
them within a hundred and fifty yards. As, in a closely-packed
body, they came along, Ned and Tom rose suddenly to their feet,
drew their bows to their ears, and launched their arrows. Each had,
according to the custom of English archers, stuck two arrows into
the ground by the spot where they would stand up; and these they
also discharged, before the herd was out of shot. With fair
shooting it was impossible to miss so large a mark, and five of the
little deer rolled over, pierced through by the arrows; while
another, hit in a less vital spot, carried off the weapon.
The Indians raised a cry of joy and surprise, at shooting which to
them appeared marvellous, indeed; and when the others came up
showed them, with marks of astonishment, the distance at which the
animals had fallen from the bush from which the arrows had been
aimed.
Two more beats were made. These were more successful, the herds
passing close to the places of concealment, and upon each occasion
ten stags fell. This was considered sufficient.
The animals were not all of one kind. One herd was composed of deer
far larger than, and as heavy as good-sized sheep; while the others
were considerably smaller, and the party had as much as their
united efforts--except those of Ned and Tom, whose offer to assist
was peremptorily declined--could drag back to the village, where
the feasting was at once renewed.
The lads, when the natives had skinned the deer, took some of the
smaller and finer skins, intending to dry them; but the natives,
seeing their intention, brought them a number of the same kind,
which were already well cured and beautifully supple. Fashioning
needles from small pieces of bone, with sinews for thread, and
using their own tattered clothes as patterns, the two lads set to
work; and by the following evening had manufactured doublets and
trunks of deerskin, which were a vast improvement upon their late
ragged apparel; and had, at a short distance, the appearance of
being made of a bright brownish-yellow cloth.
By this time the Indians had become quite accustomed to them. The
men, and sometimes even the women, came to the hut and sat down and
tried to talk with them. The boys did their best to learn, asking
the name of every article, and repeating it until they had
thoroughly learned it, the Indians applauding like children when
they attained the right pronunciation.
The next morning they saw a young Indian starting alone, with his
bow and arrow. Anxious to see how he was going to proceed, by
himself, the boys asked if they might accompany him. He assented,
and together they started off.
After an hour's walking, they arrived at an eminence from which an
extensive view could be obtained. Here their companion motioned to
them to lie down and watch his proceedings. They did so, and saw
him make a wide circuit, and work up towards the herd of deer.
"They will be off long before he can get within bow shot," Tom
said. "Look, they are getting fidgety already. They scent danger,
and he is four hundred yards away. They will be off in a minute.
"Look, what on earth is he doing?"
The Indian was lying on his back, his body being almost concealed
by the grass, which was a foot high. In the air he waved his legs
to and fro, twisting and twining them. The boys could not help
laughing at the curious appearance of the two black objects waving
slowly about. The herd of deer stood staring stupidly at the
spectacle. Then, as if moved by a common impulse of curiosity, they
began slowly to approach, in order to investigate more closely this
singular phenomenon. Frequently they stopped, but only to continue
their advance, which was made with a sort of circling movement, as
if to see the object from all sides.
Nearer and nearer they approached, until the leaders were not more
than fifty yards away; when the native leaped to his feet, and
discharged his arrows with such rapidity, and accuracy, that two of
the animals fell before they could dart away out of range.
The lads soon joined the native, and expressed their approval of
his skill. Then, while he threw one carcass over his shoulder, they
divided the weight of the other between them, and so accompanied
him into camp.
The next day Ned and Tom, walking to an eminence near the camp, saw
in the distance some ostriches feeding. Returning to the huts, they
found the young hunter whom they had accompanied on the preceding
day, and beckoned to him to accompany them. When they reached the
spot from which the ostriches were visible, they motioned to him to
come out and shoot them. He at once nodded.
As they were about to follow him back to camp, for their bows and
arrows, he shook his head and signed to them to stay where they
were; and going off by himself, returned with his bow and arrow
and, to the surprise of the boys, the skin of an ostrich.
To show the lads what he intended to do, he put on the skin,
sticking one arm up the long neck, his black legs alone showing. He
now imitated the motions of the bird, now stalking along, now
picking up bits of grass, and this with such an admirable imitation
of nature that Ned and Tom shouted with laughter.
The three then set off together, taking a line which hid them from
the view of the ostriches. The Indian at last led them to a small
eminence, and signed to them to ascend this, and there to lie down
and watch the result. On arriving at their post, they found
themselves about a quarter of a mile from the group of great birds.
It seemed a long time before they could see any signs of the
native, who had to make a long detour so as to approach the birds
upwind. About a hundred and fifty yards from the spot where they
were feeding was a clump of bushes, and presently the lads suddenly
beheld an ostrich, feeding quietly beside this clump.
"There was no bird near those bushes two minutes ago," Tom said.
"It must be the Indian."
Very quietly, and by degrees, the ostrich approached the group.
When within four yards of them the ostrich, as if by magic,
vanished; and an Indian stood in his place. In another moment his
bow twanged, and the ostrich next to him fell over, pierced through
with an arrow; while the rest of the flock scattered over the
plain, at an immense speed.
Ned and Tom now rose to their feet and ran down the slope to the
Indian, who was standing by the dead bird. He pulled out the tail
feathers and handed them to them; cut off the head and legs; opened
and cleaned the body; and then, putting it on his shoulder, started
again for the camp.
For another week they remained in the Indian village, and in that
time picked up a good many native words. They then determined that
they must be starting on their westward journey. They therefore
called upon the chief and explained to him by signs, eked out with
a few words, that they must leave him and go towards the setting
sun.
The grief of the chief was great, as was that of the tribe, when he
communicated the tidings to them. There was great talking among the
groups round the fire that night, and Ned saw that some question
was being debated, at great length. The next morning the chief and
several of the leading men came into their hut, and the chief made
a speech, accompanied with great gesticulation. The lads gathered
that he was imploring them not to leave them, and pointing out that
there would be hostile Indians on the road, who would attack them.
Then the chief led them to the fires, and signed that if they went
out the tribe would be cold again, and would be unable to cook
their food.
Already, indeed, on one occasion after a great feast, the tribe had
slept so soundly that all the fires were out before morning, and
Ned had been obliged to have recourse to his flint and steel. After
this, two fires had been kept constantly burning, night and day.
Others were lighted for cooking, but these were tended constantly,
and Ned saw that there was little chance of their ever going out
together, so long as the tribe remained in the village.
Now, however, he proceeded to show them how to carry fire with
them. Taking one blazing stick, and starting out as for a journey,
he showed that the fire gradually went out. Then he returned to the
fire and took two large pieces, and started, keeping them so
crossed that the parts on fire were always in contact. In this way,
as he showed them, fire could be kept in for a very long time; and
that, if two brands were taken from each fire, there would be
little difficulty in keeping fire perpetually.
Finally he showed them how, in case of losing fire in spite of all
these precautions, it could be recovered by means of friction. He
took two pieces of dried wood; one being very hard grained, and the
other much softer. Of the former he cut a stick of about a foot
long and an inch round, and pointed at both ends. In the other he
made a small hole. Then he unstrung one end of a bowstring, twisted
it once round the stick, and strung it again. Then he put one point
of the stick in the hole in the other piece of wood, which he laid
upon the ground. Round the hole he crumbled into dust some dry
fungus. On the upper end of the short stick he placed a flat stone,
which he bade one of the natives press with moderate force.
Now, working the bow rapidly backwards and forwards, the stick was
spun round and round like a drill. The Indians, who were unable to
make out what Ned was doing, watched these proceedings with great
attention. When a little smoke began to curl up from the heated
wood they understood at once, and shouted with wonder. In a few
minutes sparks began to fly from the stick, and as these fell on
the dried fungus they rapidly spread. Tom knelt down and blew
gently upon them, adding a few dried leaves, and in another minute
a bright flame sprang up.
The natives were delighted. They had now means of making fire, and
could in future enjoy warmth and cooked food, and their gratitude
to the lads was unbounded. Hitherto they had feared that, when
these strange white beings departed, they would lose their fires,
and return to their former cheerless existence, when the long
winter evenings had to be spent in cold and darkness. That evening
the chief intimated to his visitors that he, and a portion of the
men of the tribe, would accompany them for some distance; the women
remaining behind, with the rest of the fighting men as their guard.
This decision pleased the young men much, for they could not hope
to go far without meeting other tribes; and although, as had been
found in the present instance, the gift of fire would be sure to
propitiate the Indians; it was probable that they might be attacked
on the march, and killed without having an opportunity of
explanation. Their friends, however, would have the power of at
once explaining, to all comers, the valuable benefits which they
could bestow.
During the time that they had been staying in the village, they had
further improved their bows by taking them to pieces, fitting the
parts more accurately together, and gluing them with glue, prepared
by boiling down sinews of animals in a gourd. Then, rebinding them
with fine sinews, they found that they were, in all respects, equal
to their English weapons. They had now no fear as to their power of
maintaining themselves with food on the way, and felt that, even
when their new friends should leave them, they would have a fair
chance of defending themselves against attack, as their bows would
carry more than thrice as far as those of the natives.
The following morning the start was made. The chief and twenty
picked warriors accompanied them, together with six young Indians,
two of whom carried lighted brands. The others dragged light
sleighs, upon which were piled skins and long poles, for making
tents at night, for the temperature was exceedingly cold after
sundown. The whole village turned out to see the party off, and
shouts of farewell, and good wishes, rang in the air.
For the first three days no adventures were met with. The party had
no difficulty in killing game sufficient for their needs, and at
night they halted at streams or pools. Ned observed, however, that
at the last halting place the chief, who had hitherto taken no
precaution at night, gave some orders to his followers; four of
whom, when the rest laid down to rest, glided off in different
directions into the darkness.
Ned pointed to them inquiringly, and the chief intimated that they
were now entering the hunting grounds of another tribe. The
following day the band kept closely together. A vigilant lookout on
the plains was kept up, and no straggling was allowed. They had
sufficient meat left over, from their spoils of the day before, to
last for the day; and no hunting was necessary.
The next evening, just as they had retired to rest, one of the
scouts came in and reported that he heard sounds around, which
betokened the presence of man. The calls of animals were heard on
the plain; and a herd of deer, which had evidently been disturbed,
had darted past at full speed.
The chief now ordered great quantities of dried wood to be thrown
into the fire, and a vast blaze soon shot up high, illuminating a
circle of a hundred yards in diameter. Advancing to the edge of
this circle, the chief held out his arms, to show that he was
unarmed; and then shouted, at the top of his voice, to the effect
that he invited all within hearing to come forward, in peace. The
strange appearance that they saw was a boon, given to the Indian
people by two great white beings, who were in his camp; and that,
by its aid, there would be no more cold.
Three times he shouted out these words, and then retired to the
fire and sat down. Presently from the circle of darkness a number
of figures appeared, approaching timidly and with an awe-struck
air, until within a short distance of the fire.
Then the chief again rose, and bade them welcome. There were some
fifty or sixty of them, but Ned and his friend had no fear of any
treachery, for they were evidently under the spell of a sense of
amazement greater than that which had been excited among those they
first met; and this because they first saw this wonder by night.
When the newcomers had taken their seats, the chief explained to
them the qualities of their new discovery. That it made them warm
and comfortable their own feelings told them; and on the morrow,
when they had meat, he would show them how great were its effects.
Then he told them of the dancing water, and how it softened and
made delicious the vegetables placed in it. At his command one of
his followers took two brands, carried them to a distance, and soon
lighted another fire.
During the narrative, the faces of the Indians lighted up with joy;
and they cast glances of reverence and gratitude towards the young
white men. These, finding that amity was now established, retired
to sleep to the little skin tents which had been raised for them;
while the Indians remained sitting round the fire, engrossed with
its wonders.
The young men slept late next morning, knowing that no move could
be made that day. When they came out of the tents, they found that
the natives had lost no time. Before daybreak hunting parties had
gone out, and a store of game was piled near the fire; or rather
fires, for a dozen were now burning, and the strangers were being
initiated in the art of cooking by their hosts.
Two days were spent here; and then, after much talk, the tribe at
which they had now arrived arranged to escort and pass the boys on
to their neighbors, while the first party returned to their
village. Ned and Tom were consulted before this matter was settled,
and approved of it. It was better that they should be passed on,
from tribe to tribe, than that they should be escorted all the way
by a guard who would be as strange as themselves to the country,
and who would naturally be longing to return to their homes and
families.
For some weeks the life led by the travelers resembled that which
has been described. Sometimes they waited for a few days at
villages, where great festivities were held in their honor The news
of their coming, in many cases, preceded them; and they and their
convoy were often met at the stream, or other mark which formed the
acknowledged boundary between the hunting grounds, by large bodies
eager to receive and welcome them.
They had, by this time, made considerable progress in the language,
knew all the names of common objects, and could make themselves
understood in simple matters. The language of savage people is
always simple. Their range of ideas is narrow; their vocabulary
very limited, and consequently easily mastered.
Ned knew that, at any time, they might come across people in a
state of active warfare with each other; and that his life might
depend upon the ability to make himself understood. Consequently he
lost no opportunity of picking up the language. On the march Tom
and he, instead of walking and talking together, each went with a
group of natives; and kept up a conversation, eked out with signs,
with them; and consequently they made very considerable progress
with the language.