MAXIMUS--DEER SPEARING--A SURPRISINGLY BAD SHOT--CHARACTER OF THE
NATIVES.
"Hallo! what have we here?" exclaimed Stanley, starting from his seat in
amazement, as the giant entered the hall of Fort Chimo--his left hand
grasping a blood-stained wolf by the throat, and Edith resting in his
right arm.
At first the startled father imagined his child must have been wounded,
if not killed, by the savage animal; but his mind was immediately
relieved on this point by Edith herself, who was no sooner laid on her
bed than she recovered sufficiently to narrate the circumstances
attending her fall.
"Well, Maximus," said Stanley, returning to the hall and applying to the
bulky savage the term that seemed most appropriate to him, "shake hands
with me, my good fellow. You've saved Chimo's life, it seems; and
that's a good turn I'll not forget. But a--. I see you don't
understand a word I say. Hallo! Moses, Moses! you deaf rascal, come
here!" he shouted, as that worthy passed the window.
"Yis, mossue," said Moses, entering the hall. "Oh, me! what a walrus am
dis! Me do b'lieve him most high as a tree an' more broader nor
iveryt'ing!"
"Hold thy tongue, Moses, and ask the fellow where he came from; but tell
him first that I'm obliged to him for saving Chimo from that villainous
wolf."
While Moses interpreted, Arnalooa and Okatook, being privileged members
of the tribe, crossed over to Edith's room.
"Well, what says he?" inquired Stanley, at the end of a long address
which the giant had delivered to Moses.
"Him say he heered we have come to trade, from Eskeemo to west'ard, and
so him come for to see us."
"A most excellent reason," said Stanley. "Has he brought any furs?"
"Yis; him brought one two fox, and two t'ree deer. No have much furs in
dis country, him say."
"Sorry to hear that. Perhaps his opinion may change when he sees the
inside of our store. But I would like him to stay about the fort as a
hunter, Moses; he seems a first-rate man. Ask him if he will consent to
stay for a time."
"P'raps he fuss-rate, p'raps not," muttered Moses in a disparaging tone,
as he turned to put the question.
"Him say yis."
"Very good; then take him to your house, Moses, and give him some food
and a pipe, and teach him English as fast as you can, and see that it is
grammatical. D'ye hear?"
"Yis, mossue, me quite sure for to teach him dat."
As Moses turned to quit the hall, Stanley called him back. "Ask
Maximus, by-the-bye, if he knows anything of a party of Esquimaux who
seem to have been attacked, not long ago, by Indians in this
neighbourhood."
No sooner was this question put than the face of Maximus, which had worn
a placid, smiling expression during the foregoing conversation, totally
changed. His brows lowered, and his lips were tightly compressed, as he
regarded Stanley for a few moments ere he ventured to reply. Then, in a
deep, earnest tone, he related the attack, the slaughter of his people,
their subsequent escape, and the loss of his bride. Even Moses was
agitated as he went on, and showed his teeth like an enraged mastiff
when the Esquimau came to speak of his irreparable loss.
"Stay one moment," said Stanley, when Maximus concluded. "I have
something to show you;" and hastening into his room, he quickly returned
with the little piece of sealskin that had been found at the deserted
Indian camp. "Do you know anything of this, Maximus? Do you understand
these marks?"
The Esquimau uttered a cry of surprise when his eye fell on the piece of
skin, and he seemed much agitated while he put several quick, earnest
questions to Moses, who replied as earnestly and quickly; then turning
rapidly on his heel, he sprang through the doorway, and was soon lost to
view in the stunted woods of the ravine above the fort.
"That fellow seems in a hurry," exclaimed Frank Morton, entering the
room just as the savage made his exit. "Who is he, and wherefore in so
great haste?"
"As to who he is," answered Stanley, "I'll tell you that after Moses has
explained the cause of his sudden flight."
"He say that him's wife make dat skin, and de arrow on him skin show dat
de Injuns take her to deir tents."
"But did you not tell him that we found the skin long ago, and that the
Indians must be far, far away by this time--nobody knows where?"
demanded Frank.
"Yis, me tell him. But he go for to see de spot. T'ink him find more
t'ings, p'raps."
"Oh, messieurs, voila!" shouted La Roche, pointing towards the river, as
he rushed, breathless with haste, into the hall; "les Esquimaux, dem
kill all de deer dans le kontry. Oui, voila! dans les kayak. Two dozen
at vonce--vraiment!" Without waiting a reply, the excited Frenchman
turned round and rushed out of the house, followed by Stanley and Frank,
who seized their guns, which always hung ready loaded on the walls of
the apartment.
On reaching the water's edge, the scene that met their eye was indeed
sufficient to account for the excitement of La Roche. A herd of perhaps
fifty or sixty deer, on their way to the coast, and ignorant of the foes
who had so recently invaded their solitudes, had descended the ravine
opposite the fort, with the intention of crossing the river. The
Esquimaux had perceived this, and keeping themselves and their kayaks
concealed until most of the animals were in the water, and the leaders
of the herd more than two-thirds over, they then gave chase, and getting
between the deer and the opposite shore, cut off their retreat, and
drove them towards their encampment.
Here the slaughter commenced, and Stanley and Frank arrived at the scene
of action while they were in the midst of the wholesale destruction. In
all directions the kayaks, with their solitary occupants, were darting
about hither and thither like arrows in the midst of the affrighted
animals; none of which, however, were speared until they were driven
quite close to the shore. In their terror, the deer endeavoured to
escape by swimming in different directions; but the long double-bladed
paddles of the Esquimaux sent the light kayaks after them like
lightning, and a sharp prick on their flanks turned them in the right
direction. There were so many deer, however, that a few succeeded in
gaining the land; but here the guns of the traders awaited them. In the
midst of this wild scene, Frank's attention was arrested by the cool
proceedings of an Esquimau, whose name was Chacooto. He had several
times exhibited a degree of shrewdness beyond his fellows during his
residence near the fort, and was evidently a man of importance in the
tribe. Chacooto had collected together a band of the herd, amounting to
fifteen, and, by dint of cool decision and quick movements, had driven
them to within a few yards of the shore, exactly opposite the spot
whereon his tent stood. One young buck, of about two years old, darted
away from the rest more than once, but, with a sweep of the paddle and a
prick of the lance, Chacooto turned it back again, while a quiet
sarcastic smile played on his countenance. Having driven the herd close
enough in for his purpose, the Esquimau ended the career of the
refractory buck with a single thrust of his lance, and then proceeded
coolly to stab them all one after another.
"Och, the spalpeen!" said a voice at Frank's ear. "'Tis himsilf knows
how to do it, an' no mistake. Musha! his lance goes out and in like a
thailor's needle; an' he niver strikes more nor wance, the haythen!"
"He certainly does know how to do it, Bryan," replied Frank; "and it's a
comfort to know that every thrust kills in a moment. I like to see as
little of the appearance of cruelty as possible in work of this kind."
"Arrah! there's wan that'll chate 'im, anyhow," cried Bryan, throwing
forward his gun in nervous haste, as one of the deer gained the land,
despite Chacooto's rapidity, and bounded towards the hills.
Frank smiled at the eager haste of his companion, who was one of the
poor shots of the party, and, consequently, always in a hurry. "Now,
Bryan, there's a chance. Take your time. Just behind the shoulder; a
little low, for that gun kicks horribly."
"Murder and blazes, she won't go off!" cried the exasperated Irishman,
as, after a wavering effort to take aim, he essayed unsuccessfully to
pull the trigger.
"Half-cock, man! Cock it!" said Frank quickly.
"So 'tis, be the mortial! Och, Bryan, yer too cliver, ye are!" he
exclaimed, rectifying his error with a force that nearly tore off the
dog-head. At that instant there was a sharp crack, and the deer,
bounding into the air, fell dead on the sand at the edge of the willows.
"Forgive me, Bryan," said Massan, chuckling and reloading his piece as
he walked up to his comrade. "I would not ha' taken't out o' yer teeth,
lad, if ye had been ready; but one bound more would ha' put the beast
beyond the reach o' a bullet."
"Faix, Massan, ye desarve to be hanged for murther. Shure I was waitin'
till the poor crayture got into the bushes, to give it a chance o' its
life, before I fired. That's the way that gintlemen from the ould
country does when we're out sportin'. We always put up the birds first,
and fire afterwards; but you salvages murther a poor brute on the sand,
whin it's only two fathoms from ye. Shame on ye, Massan."
"See, Massan," cried Frank, pointing to another deer, which, having
escaped its pursuers, had gained the heights above. "That fellow is
beyond us both, I fear. Be ready when it comes into view beyond the
cliff there."
But Massan did not move; and when Frank threw forward his gun, he felt
his arm arrested.
"Pardon me, monsieur," said Massan respectfully; "there's a sure bullet
about to start for that deer."
As he spoke, he pointed to Dick Prince, who, ignorant of the fact that
the deer had been seen by Frank, was watching its reappearance from
behind a neighbouring rock, at some distance from where they stood. In
a second it came into view--the bullet sped--and the deer bounded
lightly into the bushes, evidently unhurt!
It is difficult to say whether Dick Prince or his comrades exhibited
most amazement in their looks at this result. That the crack shot of
the party--the man who could hit a button in the centre at a hundred
yards, and cut the head off a partridge at a hundred and fifty--should
miss a deer at ninety yards, was utterly incomprehensible.
"Is it yer own gun ye've got?" inquired Bryan, as the discomfited
marksman walked up.
"No; it's yours," replied Prince.
A smile, which resolved itself into a myriad of wrinkles, flitted over
the blacksmith's face as he said--
"Ah, Prince! ye'll requare long practice to come to the parfect use o'
that wipon. I've always fired three yards, at laste, to the left, iver
since we fell over the hill togither. If it's a very long shot, it
requares four to take the baste in the flank, or four an' a half if ye
want to hit the shoulder, besides an allowance o' two feet above its
head, to make up for the twist I gave it the other day in the forge, in
tryin' to put it right!"
This explanation was satisfactory to all parties, especially so to
Prince, who felt that his credit was saved; and if Prince had a weakness
at all, it was upon this point.
The deer were now all killed, with the exception of those of the band
that had been last in entering the river. These, with a few stragglers,
had returned to the shore from which they started. The remainder of the
evening was devoted to skinning and cutting up the carcasses--an
operation requiring considerable time, skill, and labour.
While the people at the fort were thus employed, Maximus (who adopted at
once the name given to him by Stanley) returned from his fruitless
journey to the Indian camp, and assisted the men at their work. He made
no allusion whatever to his visit to the deserted Indian camp; but, from
the settled expression of deep sadness that clouded his countenance, it
was inferred that what he had seen there had not tended to raise his
hopes.
The supply of deer obtained at this time was very seasonable, for the
frost had now begun to set in so steadily that the meat could be hung up
to freeze, and thus be kept fresh for winter's consumption. Some of it,
however, was dried and stored away in bales; while a small quantity was
pounded after being dried, made into pemmican, and reserved for future
journeys.
As for the Esquimaux, they gave themselves up, during the first night,
to feasting and rejoicing. During the short time that they had been at
the fort, they had converted the promontory on which they were encamped
into a scene of the utmost confusion and filth. A regard for truth
constrains us to say, that although these poor creatures turned out to
be honest, and simple, and kind-hearted, they did not by any means turn
out to be cleanly; quite the reverse.
They had erected four summer tents on the beach, which were composed of
skins sewed together, and supported on poles in such a way as to afford
ample room for the accommodation of their families. The entrance to
each tent was through a passage, which was also made of skins, hung over
a line fastened to a pole at the distance of twelve or fifteen feet from
the tent. Each side of this entrance was lined with piles of
provisions--seals, fish, ducks, and venison, in various stages of decay,
which rendered the passage into the interior a trying operation. True,
it was intended that the frost should prevent this decay; but,
unfortunately, the frost did not always do its duty. The manner in
which they cut up their deer and prepared them for future use was
curious. After cutting the animals into two, without skinning them,
they pinned up the front half with the heart and liver in the cavity.
The other half they treated in a similar way, minus the heart and liver,
and then put them out to freeze until required. When frozen, they were
frequently used in their tents as seats, until the gradual diminution of
the larder demanded that they should be appropriated to their proper
use.
The tribe of Esquimaux who resided near Fort Chimo at this time were
possessed of an enormous stone kettle, in which they boiled an entire
deer at one time; and while the good people luxuriated on the flesh of
the animal in their tents, the dogs assembled round the boiler to await
the cooling of the soup--thus verifying the assertion formerly made by
Massan on that head.
The dogs resembled those of the Newfoundland breed in some respects, but
were scarcely so large or good-looking, and had erect instead of pendent
ears. There were about a dozen of them; and it was wonderful to observe
the patience with which they sat in a circle round the kettle, gazing
earnestly at the soup, licking their chaps the while, in anticipation of
the feast.
The successful hunt was regarded as worthy of being specially celebrated
by the distribution of a glass of grog to the men, and also to the
Esquimaux; for at the time we write of, the Hudson's Bay Company had not
yet instituted the wise and humane regulation which has since become a
standing order throughout all parts of the country, except where there
is opposition--namely, that ardent spirits shall not be given to the
natives. However, Stanley's natural disposition led him to be very
circumspect in giving spirits to the men and natives, and the supply now
issued was very small.
In the men it produced a desire for the violin, and created a tendency
to sing and tell stories. In the Esquimaux it produced at first
dislike, and afterwards wild excitement, which, in the case of Chacooto,
ended in a desire to fight. But his comrades, assisted by his wives,
overpowered him, tied him in a sack made of sealskin, and left him to
roar and kick till he fell asleep!
The honesty of these natives was exhibited very strikingly in all their
dealings with the fur-traders. Although iron tools of every description
were scattered about the fort, while the men were engaged in erecting
the several buildings, not one was missed; and even the useless nails
and scraps of metal that were thrown away, when they were found by
chance by the Esquimaux, were always brought to the house, and the
question asked, "Were they of any use?" before being appropriated. They
were great beggars, however; which was not surprising, considering the
value of the articles possessed by the traders, and their own limited
means of purchasing them. Their chief wealth at this time lay in boots
and deerskins, which the women were constantly employed in preparing;
but Stanley urged them to go into the interior and hunt, as, although
deerskins and boots were useful, furs were infinitely more valuable.
But the Esquimaux had much too lively a dread of the Indians to venture
away from the coast, and seemed inclined to hang about the place in
comparative idleness much longer than was desirable.