TURNING OUT A PANTHER.
"I have been in more than one fight with the Indians," continued Adam,
"and have heard their yells more times than I can remember; but I never
heard any that equaled those which rung in my ears when the savages saw
us coming out of the fort. At the moment the gate opened they were
preparing for a second assault, and we must have taken them by surprise,
for they scattered right and left before us like a flock of turkeys. But
they did not forget the weapons they held in their hands, and, as we
dashed through their lines, the bullets and arrows whistled about our
ears thicker than ever. Before we had gone fifty yards from the gate, I
saw riderless horses on all sides of me.
"Our party did not keep together long. Pursuit was commenced on the
instant, and presently Indians, soldiers, and trappers were mixed up in
the greatest confusion, so that I could scarcely distinguish a friend
from a foe. Picture to yourself the scene: A desperate hand-to-hand
contest among mounted men--the horses thundering along at the top of
their speed, their riders too intent upon fighting to know or care where
they were going; sabers, tomahawks, and spears flashing in the air, and
emitting sparks of fire as they clashed together; rifles and revolvers
cracking right and left, their reports sounding faintly above the noise
of the horses' hoofs, and the whoops and yells of the combatants;--if
you can imagine such a scene, you can have a faint idea of the running
fight we carried on with those savages while we were going through the
valley. As for myself, I confess that I took but little part in it, I
was so badly frightened. I emptied both my revolvers before we were
fairly out of the gate, and then clung to the horn of my saddle, and
gazed about me in a sort of stupid bewilderment, while my horse galloped
along with the rest. I seemed to be in a sort of trance; and when I
came to myself I found that I had become separated from my father and
Captain Porter, and that they were nowhere to be seen. I was almost
alone. My horse, frightened by the noise and confusion, had left the
others, and was going toward the mountains at a rate of speed I had
never supposed him capable of. I saw that he was running away with me,
but I did not care for that. If he would only take me out of reach of
the Indians, and carry me to the willows, where I could conceal myself
until daylight, he might run and welcome. I did not try to stop him, but
somebody else did. I heard the report of a rifle close behind me, my
horse fell dead in his tracks, and I went rolling along the ground like
a ball from a bat. I was badly hurt, and stunned by the fall, but still
I retained my senses sufficiently to see that the enemy who had unhorsed
me so suddenly was an Indian, and that he was approaching to finish the
work he had begun. He came on at a gallop, holding in his hand a spear
which was pointed straight at my breast. I gave myself up for lost; but
when the spear was so close to me that I could have touched it, the
Indian fell forward in his saddle (he was tied fast to it, so that he
could not fall to the ground), the spear dropped from his grasp, and his
horse carried him away, dead. Where the bullet that saved my life came
from, I could not tell. It may have been a spent ball; or some friend
may have seen my danger, and discharged his rifle at the Indian; but
that was a matter I could not stop to inquire into. I jumped to my feet,
and made the best of my way toward the willows, but had not gone far
before I found that I had other enemies to contend with. I heard a
shout, and saw a trapper running toward me. I stopped when I discovered
him, for I thought he was one of those belonging to Captain Porter's
expedition, and consequently a friend; but when he came within reach of
me I found out my mistake. He seized me by the collar, and greeted me
with:
"'Who are you, boy? What's your name?'
"'I am Adam Brent,' I replied, astonished at his tone and manner.
"'Then you're jest the chap I've been a lookin' fur,' said he; and
before I could tell what he was going to do, he caught me up in his
arms as if I had been a child, and plunged into the willows. I did not
struggle nor shout for help, nor do I believe I even trembled when,
after carrying me perhaps half a mile into the woods, he put me down on
a log, and, seating himself beside me, coolly announced that he was
Black Bill, and that, having got hold of me at last, it was his
determination to hold fast to me.
"'I've been many a long year tryin' to get you,' said he, with savage
satisfaction, 'an' now I'm goin' to make a second Black Bill of you. I
made that promise to your father more'n twelve year ago, an' I haint
forgot it. When I see you as I have been--hunted through the mountains
like a wild beast, an' shot at by every white feller who crosses your
trail, then I'll be satisfied.'
"I had lived in fear of this man from my earliest boyhood, and had more
than once tried to imagine the terror I should experience if I should
ever be so unfortunate as to fall into his power; but now that I was his
prisoner, I was not at all afraid of him. If your cousin, whom he
captured last night by mistake, had been safe among friends, I should
have felt no uneasiness; but, perhaps, after all, it was a good thing
for Archie that Black Bill carried him to the Indian camp, for if he had
been at the fort during the fight, he might not have been as fortunate
as I was. A good many of our people were cut down, and I don't suppose
that more than a dozen escaped.
"After thinking over my situation, I made up my mind that fate had
destined me to a long captivity among the Indians, in company with this
outlaw, and that I would endure it with what fortitude I could.
Sometimes, when I thought of the scenes I had witnessed during that
hand-to-hand fight, and reflected upon my father's chances for escape, I
did not care what became of me. Black Bill said I would never see him
again, and I believed him; and told myself that, if I must live without
my father, I might as well be among savages as anywhere else. But I
think differently, now that you have rescued me. I hope to be a man some
day, and when that time comes, such fellows as Black Bill and his mates,
who are constantly spreading dissatisfaction among the Indians, and
urging them on to the war-trail, will have good cause to remember me. To
whom are you making signals?" continued Adam, suddenly raising himself
on his elbow, and looking earnestly at the outlaw.
Frank had been so intent upon his breakfast, and so deeply interested in
his friend's story, that he had not thought of keeping a lookout for
enemies; consequently he did not see the figure clad in buckskin, which
crept stealthily through the trees on the opposite side of the brook,
and took up a position behind a huge bowlder, from which a good view of
the camp could be obtained. But the figure was there, and it was that of
an outlaw--one of Black Bill's mates. His eyes, which swept rapidly over
the camp, were open to their widest extent, and on his face, as he
raised it cautiously above the bowlder, was an expression of great
astonishment. Black Bill saw him, if the boys did not; and, by turning
partly around and showing his confined hands, and by nodding his head,
and winking his eyes, and making other mysterious signs, he must have
succeeded in making the spy understand the situation, for he disappeared
behind the bowlder, and stole back into the woods.
"You were making signals to somebody," exclaimed Adam, catching up the
outlaw's rifle, and casting suspicious glances through the trees around
him.
"Makin' signals to the air, then," replied Black Bill, sullenly. "Thar
aint nobody within miles of here that I knows on."
But Adam had lived too long on the frontier, and knew too much about the
outlaw to be easily deceived. He had distinctly seen the prisoner
nodding his head, and with the quick instinct of one who had passed his
life surrounded with foes of every sort, he scented danger. Frank might
have been satisfied with Black Bill's reply, and the innocent, surprised
expression on his face, but Adam was not. He jumped to his feet, and
running across the brook, looked up at the top of the cliffs under which
they had been sitting. As he did so, he passed behind the bowlder where
the spy had been concealed but a moment before, and there he stopped,
and leaning carelessly upon the rock, said, in a whisper to Frank, who
had followed close at his heels:
"Don't exhibit any surprise, but look down at those leaves. Somebody has
been here."
Frank looked, but could see nothing suspicious. Adam's trained eye, as
keen as an Indian's, had, at a single glance, discovered signs of an
enemy that Frank could not have found after an hour's careful search.
"I may have passed behind this rock when I first came to the brook,"
said he.
"If you did you never left those tracks," said Adam. "They were made by
moccasins; and you've got shoes on. They were made by a white man, too,
for the toes point out. If it had been an Indian, the toes would point
in. A friend of Black Bill's was here not more than two minutes ago; and
the sooner we get away from here the better it will be for us. What
shall we do with our prisoner?"
"Let's take him with us, and compel him to show us the way to Fort
Benton," replied Frank, astonished at his friend's skill in wood-craft,
and at the coolness and deliberation with which he spoke.
"That would never do," said Adam, quickly. "His friends will be after us
in less than five minutes, and he would shout to guide them in the
pursuit. Besides, we are completely lost, and how could we tell whether
or not he was guiding us to the fort? He would take us as straight to
the Indian camp as he could go."
"Well, if we leave him here he will call for help the minute we are out
of sight."
"Perhaps he will not be able to call for help by the time we are done
with him. I'll tell you what we will do," continued Adam, glancing
toward the outlaw, who still sat on the ground, closely watching all
their movements, "do you get behind him, throw your arm around his neck,
and choke him with all your power; and I'll cram my handkerchief into
his mouth. Then catch him by the shoulders, and drag him to that sapling
and tie him there; and while you are doing that, I will secure his knife
and tomahawk, and also his powder-horn and bullet-pouch. After that
we'll take to our heels, and do some of the best running we ever did in
our lives. There's not a single instant to be lost. Don't flinch, now."
Adam knew that Frank was a remarkably swift runner, an excellent
wrestler, and a splendid shot with the rifle; but he had never seen him
in a situation like this, and he did not know how cool and determined he
could be. If he had, he would not have talked to him about "flinching."
"Wal," exclaimed the outlaw, as the boys sprang across the brook, "seen
any thing wuth lookin' at? Didn't diskiver none of my mates hangin'
around in the bushes, did you?"
"We saw all we wanted to see," replied Adam. "We saw foot-prints behind
that bowlder, and we know who made them. That's the way to do it! Choke
him till he opens his mouth."
While Adam was occupying the outlaw's attention, Frank had stepped
behind him, and thrown his arm around his neck. He struggled and tried
to shout for help; but the strong grasp on his throat rendered him
powerless, and effectually stifled his cries. His under jaw dropped
down, and the handkerchief which Adam held ready in his hand, was forced
into his mouth. A moment afterward Black Bill was lying flat on his
back, held down by Frank's handkerchief, which was passed around his
neck and tied to the sapling of which Adam had spoken, and the boys,
having possessed themselves of their weapons, and the outlaw's
ammunition, were scrambling up the cliff like a couple of goats. They
looked back now and then to satisfy themselves that their prisoner was
still secure, and both told themselves that if they should be so
unfortunate as to again fall into his power, their treatment would be
very different from that which they had already received at his hands.
Black Bill seemed almost beside himself with rage. He glared up at them
like a madman, and made the most desperate attempts to free himself from
his bonds; but the boys, although they had done their work quickly, had
done it well, and as long as they remained in sight of the outlaw, he
had accomplished nothing toward liberating himself.
Arriving at the top of the cliff, Adam shouldered his rifle, and sprang
forward at the top of his speed, closely followed by Frank, who stepped
as nearly as possible in his tracks. For nearly half an hour they flew
along without speaking, turning their heads occasionally to listen for
sounds of pursuit, making use of all their skill to render their trail
as indistinct as possible, and finally they slackened their pace to a
rapid walk, which they kept up for two hours longer without once
stopping to rest. At the end of that time, Frank, being satisfied that
they were out of danger for the present, proposed "half an hour for
refreshments." The half hour was really not more than ten minutes, for
the boys were so much afraid of the enemies who they knew were following
them, that they regarded every instant spent in needful repose as so
much time wasted. Their refreshments consisted of just nothing at
all--not even a drop of water to cool their lips. They could not stop to
cook a dinner, even if they had had any thing to cook; and after a very
short rest, during which they talked over their situation, and tried to
determine upon their plans for the future, they sprang up, and resumed
their flight, Adam, as before, leading the way.
The outlaw had told his nephew that Fort Benton, which was the nearest
trading-post, and the place to which all the trappers and soldiers who
escaped the massacre would be likely to direct their course, was a
hundred miles distant; and the boys had decided, after much debate, that
it lay nearly due east of Fort Stockton. A hundred miles from the
nearest place of refuge, in the heart of an unbroken wilderness, every
step of the way they must travel beset with dangers, and their path
waylaid by crafty foes who might spring out on them without an instant's
warning! Twenty miles of mountains and ravines to be passed over, and
eighty miles more of prairie, where there was not even a thicket of
bushes to afford them concealment from their enemies, to be traversed on
foot! Would they ever succeed in reaching the fort?
"It looks like a slim chance, doesn't it?" said Adam, who easily read
the thoughts that were passing through Frank's mind. "But father used to
tell me that a fellow never knows how much he can accomplish until he
tries. We will do the best we can, and if we fail we shall have the
satisfaction of knowing that it isn't our fault."
Frank's endurance was severely tested that day. He found that traveling
through the mountains on foot was something besides a holiday pastime,
especially with such a guide as Adam, who moved along without any
apparent effort, threading his way through the thick, tangled bushes
with a celerity that was surprising. The afternoon wore slowly away, and
just as the sun was sinking out of sight behind the mountains, the boys,
weary and footsore, halted in the edge of the willows, and looked out
over the prairie which stretched away before them as far as their eyes
could reach. Adam stood for a long time with his chin resting on the
muzzle of his rifle, and his gaze fixed upon the horizon, thinking of
his father and Captain Porter, and wondering if he should meet them if
he succeeded in reaching the fort; while Frank, after satisfying himself
that there were no Indians in sight, became interested in objects in his
immediate vicinity. He thought the place looked familiar. There was a
wide, shallow creek flowing through the ravine in which they were
standing, and on its left bank arose a rocky cliff, which hung over the
bed of the stream. Under the branches of a spreading oak which grew near
the foot of the cliff, were the remains of a camp-fire; and a little
farther on was a sapling which had been stripped of its bark. Frank
remembered that sapling. It was the one to which Roderick had been tied
when the trappers first brought him into camp. The horse was wild and
vicious then, and after trying in vain to break the lasso with which he
was confined, he had attacked the tree with his teeth, and peeled off
the bark as neatly as it could have been done with a knife.
"We have accomplished the hardest part of our journey," said Adam, his
gaze still wandering over the prairie in the direction he supposed the
trading-post to be, "and now comes the dangerous part. If what father
said about a general rising of the Indians was correct, the savages are
scattered all over the plains between here and the fort; and if we get
through, it will be more by good luck than good management. Do you see
any thing?"
"Yes, I do," said Frank; "I see plenty of old friends. I know every
stick of timber about here, for I passed three of the pleasantest weeks
of my life in this very ravine. You have heard Dick and Bob speak of the
Old Bear's Hole, haven't you? Come with me, and I will show it to you."
Frank crossed the creek and began pulling aside the bushes at the base
of the cliff, searching for the entrance to the cave. Dick had told him
that more than one sharp-eyed Comanche had looked for it in vain, and
for a long time Frank thought he should meet with no better success; but
at last he discovered the entrance by stepping into it accidentally. The
mouth of the passage was filled with leaves, which had effectually
concealed it from his view.
"The cave must be a mile or two below, isn't it?" asked Adam, gazing
dubiously at the dark opening.
"No; it is above ground altogether, and is inside this rock," replied
Frank, pointing to the cliff. "But the question is, Shall we use it, now
that we have found it? Do you suppose that Black Bill and his friends
are in pursuit of us?"
"Of course they are. They won't give us up so easily."
"But we have taken a great deal of pains to conceal our trail, and they
may not be able to follow it."
"Don't you believe it," replied Adam, with a laugh. "Those men's eyes
are as sharp as a hound's nose. If they can track an Indian when he is
doing his best to cover up his trail, they can surely follow us. We are
not done with them yet."
"Then I propose that we sleep in the Old Bear's Hole. I can't travel any
farther to-night, and I should feel much safer in the cave than I should
if we camped in the open air. We can't get along without some supper,
and we must have a fire to cook it; and that might attract the attention
of the outlaws if they should happen to be in the neighborhood."
The matter was settled without any further debate, and the boys began to
busy themselves in collecting a supply of pine-knots to serve as
torches. This done, Adam lighted one of them with his flint and steel,
and handed it to Frank, who backed down into the opening; but, to his
friend's surprise, he came out of it again much more quickly than he had
gone in.
"I have just thought of something," said he, in reply to Adam's
inquiring look. "The first night we camped here, while we were on our
way to California, Dick Lewis went into the cave and found that a
grizzly bear had taken possession of it. He had a terrible fight with
the animal, and was so badly clawed up that his most intimate friend
would not have recognized him. There may be a bear in there now for all
we know."
"That's so," said Adam. "Must we give up the idea of sleeping in the
cave?"
"Not yet. Dick and Bob, who spent many a day here hiding from the
Indians, were old foxes, and had two holes to their burrow. Come with
me, and I will show you the other."
Frank led the way to the top of the cliff, and, after a short search,
discovered the entrance to the upper passage-way. He was not greatly
encouraged when he found it, for he saw that a path, hard and well
beaten as any road, led from it down the side of the cliff. Then he
blessed his lucky stars that he had not gone into the cave. It had an
occupant, the character of which was proved by the bones that lay
scattered about on both sides of the path. It was some ravenous beast of
prey, which probably would not feel disposed to abandon his snug
quarters without a fight. Adam kneeled down beside the passage-way, and,
after a single glance into the cave, sprang up and threw his rifle
forward in readiness to shoot. Frank looked in and saw a pair of eyes,
which shone like coals of fire, glaring at him through the darkness.
"It isn't a grizzly," said Adam, "but something almost as bad. It's a
panther. He must come out of there, too," he added, pulling off his hat
and digging his fingers into his head to stir up his ideas. "That cave
is the only safe place we can find, and we must have it, whether he is
willing or not."
"Hand me your rifle," said Frank; "I'll fix him."
"Not for the world," replied Adam, quickly. "You must remember that we
have enemies not a great way off, and that it stands us well in hand to
be quiet about what we do. Besides, there may be a whole family of
panthers in there, and if you should wound one of them, we'd have a
fight on our hands directly. I know how to manage him. Take this rifle
and climb up into that tree, and when he comes out tell me."
Frank did as his companion requested. He mounted into the topmost
branches of the tree, and, after settling himself into a comfortable
position, from which he could watch the mouth of the passage-way, he
turned to observe Adam's movements. He saw him, with a long stick in his
hand, kneeling before the opening at the foot of the cliff, engaged in
pushing a quantity of dried leaves and pine-knots into the passage-way.
Then his plan was clear enough to Frank: he was going to smoke the
panther out.
Adam worked steadily for half an hour, and then Frank, seeing him take
his flint and steel from his pocket, turned his attention to the
passage-way at the top of the hill. There was draught sufficient to make
the fire burn well, and presently Frank heard a great roaring and
crackling in the cave, and a thin wreath of smoke came curling out. With
the smoke came the panther, which was evidently very much alarmed by
this unexpected assault upon his home, for he flew down the path like a
flash of light, and speedily disappeared in the bushes. Adam's plan had
worked to perfection. The Old Bear's Hole had been cleared of its
dangerous occupant, and the boys were at liberty to take possession of
it.