As adventure with grizzly bears which had befallen the "captain" was
next related. He had been travelling with a strange party--the
"scalp-hunters,"--in the mountains near Santa Fe, when they were
overtaken by a sudden and heavy fall of snow that rendered farther
progress impossible. The "canon," a deep valley in which they had
encamped, was difficult to get through at any time, but now the path, on
account of the deep soft snow, was rendered impassable. When morning
broke they found themselves fairly "in the trap."
"Above and below, the valley was choked up with snow five fathoms deep.
Vast fissures--_barrancas_--were filled with the drift; and it was
perilous to attempt penetrating in either direction. Two men had
already disappeared.
"On each side of our camp rose the walls of the canon, almost vertical,
to the height of a hundred feet. These we might have climbed had the
weather been soft, for the rock was a trap formation, and offered
numerous seams and ledges; but now there was a coating of ice and snow
upon them that rendered the ascent impossible. The ground had been
frozen hard before the storm came on, although it was now freezing no
longer, and the snow would not bear our weight. All our efforts to get
out of the valley proved idle; and we gave them over, yielding
ourselves, in a kind of reckless despair, to wait for--we scarce knew
what.
"For three days we sat shivering around the fires, now and then casting
looks of gloomy inquiry around the sky. The same dull grey for an
answer, mottled with flakes slanting earthward, for it still continued
to know. Not a bright spot cheered the aching eye.
"The little platform on which we rested--a space of two or three acres--
was still free from the snow-drift, on account of its exposure to the
wind. Straggling pines, stunted and leafless, grew over its surface, in
all about fifty or sixty trees. From these we obtained our fires; but
what were fires when we had no meat to cook upon them!
"We were now in the third day without food! Without food, though not
absolutely without eating--the men had bolted their gun-covers and the
cat-skin flaps of their bullet-pouches, and were now seen--the last
shift but one--stripping the _parfleche_ from the soles of their
moccasins!
"The women, wrapped in their _tilmas_, nestled closely in the embrace of
father, brother, husband, and lover; for all these affections were
present. The last string of _tasajo_, hitherto economised for their
sake, had been parcelled out to them in the morning. That was gone, and
whence was their next morsel to come? At long intervals, `_Ay da mi!
Dios de mi alma_!' were heard only in low murmurs, as some colder blast
swept down the canon. In the faces of those beautiful creatures might
be read that uncomplaining patience--that high endurance--so
characteristic of the Hispano-Mexican women.
"Even the stern men around them bore up with less fortitude. Rude oaths
were muttered from time to time, and teeth ground together, with that
strange wild look that heralds insanity. Once or twice I fancied that I
observed a look of still stranger, still wilder expression, when the
black ring forms around the eye--when the muscles twitch and quiver
along gaunt, famished jaws--when men gaze guilty-like at each other. O
God! it was fearful! The half-robber discipline, voluntary at the best,
had vanished under the levelling-rod of a common suffering, and I
trembled to think--
"`It clars a leetle, out tharawa!'
"It was the voice of the trapper, Garey, who had risen and stood
pointing toward the East.
"In an instant we were all upon our feet, looking in the direction,
indicated. Sure enough, there was a break in the lead-coloured sky--a
yellowish streak, that widened out as we continued gazing--the flakes
fell lighter and thinner, and in two hours more it had ceased snowing
altogether.
"Half-a-dozen of us, shouldering our rifles, struck down the valley. We
would make one more attempt to trample a road through the drift. It was
a vain one. The snow was over our heads, and after struggling for two
hours, we had not gained above two hundred yards. Here we caught a
glimpse of what lay before us. As far as the eye could reach, it rested
upon the same deep impassable masses. Despair and hunger paralysed our
exertions, and, dropping off one by one, we returned to the camp. We
fell down around the fires in sullen silence. Garey continued pacing
back and forth, now glancing up at the sky, and at times kneeling down,
and running his hand over the surface of the snow. At length he
approached the fire, and in his slow, drawling manner, remarked--
"`It's a-gwine to friz, I reckin.'
"`Well! and if it does?' asked one of his comrades, without caring for
an answer to the question.
"`Wal, an iv it does,' repeated the trapper, `we'll walk out o' this
hyar jug afore sun-up, an' upon a good hard trail too.'
"The expression of every face was changed, as if by magic. Several
leaped to their feet. Gode, the Canadian, skilled in snow-craft, ran to
a bank, and drawing his hand along the combing, shouted back--
"`_C'est vrai; il gele; il gele_!'
"A cold wind soon after set in, and, cheered by the brightening
prospect, we began to think of the fires, that, during our late moments
of reckless indifference, had been almost suffered to burn out. The
Delawares, seizing their tomahawks, commenced hacking at the pines,
while others dragged forward the fallen trees, lopping off their
branches with the keen scalping-knife.
"At this moment a peculiar cry attracted our attention, and, looking
around, we perceived one of the Indians drop suddenly upon his knees,
striking the ground with his hatchet.
"`What is it? what is it?' shouted several voices, in almost as many
languages.
"`_Yam-yam! yam-yam_!' replied the Indian, still digging at the frozen
ground.
"`The Injun's right; it's _man-root_!' said Garey, picking up some
leaves which the Delaware had chopped off.
"I recognised a plant well-known to the mountain-men--a rare, but
wonderful convolvulus, the _Iponea leptophylla_. The name of `man-root'
is given to it by the hunters from the similarity of its root in shape,
and sometimes in size, to the body of a man. It is esculent, and serves
to sustain human life.
"In an instant, half-a-dozen men were upon their knees, chipping and
hacking the hard clay, but their hatchets glinted off as from the
surface of a rock.
"`Look hyar!' cried Garey; `ye're only spoilin' yer tools. Cut down a
wheen o' these pine saplin's, and make a fire over him!'
"The hint was instantly followed, and in a few minutes a dozen pieces of
pine were piled upon the spot, and set on fire.
"We stood around the burning branches with eager anticipation. Should
the root prove a `full-grown man,' it would make a supper for our whole
party; and with the cheering idea of supper, jokes were ventured upon--
the first we had heard for some time--the hunters tickled with the
novelty of unearthing the `old man' ready roasted, and speculating
whether he would prove a `fat old hoss.'
"A hollow crack sounded from above, like the breaking of a dead tree.
We looked up. A large object--an animal--was whirling outward and
downward from a ledge that projected half-way up the cliff. In an
instant it struck the earth, head foremost, with a loud `bump,' and,
bounding to the height of several feet, came back with a somersault on
its legs, and stood firmly.
"An involuntary `hurrah!' broke from the hunters, who all recognised, at
a glance, the `Carnero cimmaron,' or `bighorn.' He had cleared the
precipice at two leaps, alighting each time on his huge crescent-shaped
horns.
"For a moment, both parties--hunters and game--seemed equally taken by
surprise, and stood eyeing each other in mute wonder. It was but for a
moment. The men made a rush for their rifles, and the animal,
recovering from his trance of astonishment, tossed back his horns, and
bounded across the platform. In a dozen springs he had readied the
selvedge of the snow, and plunged into its yielding bank; but, at the
same instant, several rifles cracked, and the white wreath was crimsoned
behind him. He still kept on, however, leaning and breaking through the
drift.
"We struck into his track, and followed with the eagerness of hungry
wolves. We could tell by the numerous _gouts_ that he was shedding his
life-blood, and about fifty paces farther on we found him dead.
"A shout apprised our companions of our success, and we had commenced
dragging back the prize, when wild cries reached us from the platform,--
the yells of men, the screams of women, mingled with oaths and
exclamations of terror!
"We ran on towards the entrance of the track. On reaching it, a sight
was before us that caused the stoutest to tremble. Hunters, Indians,
and women were running to and fro in frantic confusion, uttering their
varied cries, and pointing upward. We looked in that direction--a row
of fearful objects stood upon the brow of the cliff. We knew our enemy
at a glance,--the dreaded monsters of the mountains--the grizzly bears!
"There were; five of them--five in sight--there might be others in the
background. Five were enough to destroy our whole party, caged as we
were, and weakened by famine.
"They had reached the cliff in chase of the cimmaron, and hunger and
disappointment were visible in their horrid aspects. Two of them had
already crawled close to the scarp, and were pawing over and snuffing
the air, as if searching for a place to descend. The other three reared
themselves up on their hams, and commenced manoeuvring with their
forearms, in a human-like and comical pantomime!
"We were in no condition to relish this amusement. Every man hastened
to arm himself, those who had emptied their rifles hurriedly re-loading
them.
"`For your life don't!' cried Garey, catching at the gun of one of the
hunters.
"The caution came too late: half-a-dozen bullets were already whistling
upwards.
"The effect was just what the trapper had anticipated. The bears,
maddened by the bullets, which had harmed them no more than the pricking
of as many pins, dropped to their all-fours again, and, with fierce
growls, commenced descending the cliff.
"The scene of confusion was now at its height. Several of the men, less
brave than their comrades, ran off to hide themselves in the snow, while
others commenced climbing the low pine-trees!
"`Cache the gals!' cried Garey. `Hyar, yer darned Spanish greasers! if
yer won't light, hook on to the weemen a wheen o' yer, and toat them to
the snow. Cowardly slinks,--wagh!'
"`See to them, doctor,' I shouted to the German, who, I thought, might
be best spared from the fight; and the next, moment, the doctor,
assisted by several Mexicans, was hurrying the terrified girls towards
the spot where we had left the cimmaron.
"Many of us knew that to hide, under the circumstances, would be worse
than useless. The fierce but sagacious brutes would have discovered, us
one by one, and destroyed, us in detail. `They must, be met and
fought!' that was the word; and we resolved to carry it into execution.
"There were about a dozen of us who `stood up to it'--all the Delaware
and Shawanoes, with Garey and the mountain-men.
"We kept firing at the bears as they ran along the ledges in their
zigzag descent, but our rifles were out of order, our fingers were
numbed with cold, and our nerves weakened with hunger. Our bullets drew
blood from the hideous brutes, yet not a shot proved deadly. It only
stung them into fiercer rage.
"It was a fearful moment when the last shot was fired, and still not an
enemy the less. We flung away the guns, and, clutching the hatchets and
hunting-knives, silently awaited our grizzly foes.
"We had taken our stand close to the rock. It was our design to have
the first blow, as the animals, for the most part, came stern-foremost
down the cliff. In this we were disappointed. On reaching a ledge some
ten feet from the platform, the foremost bear halted, and, seeing our
position, hesitated to descend. The next moment, his companions,
maddened with wounds, came tumbling down upon the same ledge, and, with
fierce growls, the five huge bodies were precipitated into our midst.
"Then came the desperate struggle, which I cannot describe,--the shouts
of the hunters, the wilder yells of our Indian allies, the hoarse
worrying of the bears, the ringing of tomahawks from skulls like flint,
the deep, dull `thud' of the stabbing-knife, and now and then a groan,
as the crescent claw tore up the clinging muscle. O God! it was a
fearful scene!
"Over the platform bears and men went rolling and struggling, in the
wild battle of life and death. Through the trees, and into the deep
drift, staining the snow with their mingled blood! Here, two or three
men were engaged with a single foe--there, some brave hunter stood
battling alone. Several were sprawling upon the ground. Every moment,
the bears were lessening the number of their assailants!
"I had been struck down at the commencement of the struggle. On
regaining my feet, I saw the animal that had felled me hugging the
prostrate body of a man.
"It was Gode. I leaned over the bear, clutching its shaggy skin. I did
this to steady myself; I was weak and dizzy; so were we all. I struck
with all my force, stabbing the animal on the ribs.
"Letting go the Frenchman, the bear turned suddenly, and reared upon me.
I endeavoured to avoid the encounter, and ran backward, fending him off
with my knife.
"All at once I came against the snow-drift, and fell over on my back.
Next moment, the heavy body was precipitated upon me, the sharp claws
pierced deep into my shoulder,--I inhaled the monster's fetid breath;
and striking wildly with my right arm, still free, we rolled over and
over in the snow.
"I was blinded by the dry drift. I felt myself growing weaker and
weaker; it was the loss of blood. I shouted--a despairing shout--but it
could not have been heard at ten paces' distance. Then there was a
strange hissing sound in my ears,--a bright light flashed across my
eyes; a burning object passed over my face, scorching the skin; there
was a smell as of singeing hair; I could hear voices, mixed with the
roars of my adversary; and all at once the claws were drawn out of my
flesh, the weight was lifted from my breast, and I was alone!
"I rose to my feet, and, rubbing the snow out of my eyes, looked around.
I could see no one. I was in a deep hollow made by our struggles, but
I was alone!
"The snow all around me was dyed to a crimson; but what had become of my
terrible antagonist? Who had rescued me from his deadly embrace?
"I staggered forward to the open ground. Here a new scene met my gaze:
a strange-looking man was running across the platform, with a huge
firebrand,--the bole of a burning pine-tree,--which he waved in the air.
He was chasing one of the hears, that, growling with rage and pain, was
making every effort to reach the cliffs. Two others were already
half-way up, and evidently clambering with great difficulty, as the
blood dripped back from their wounded flanks.
"The bear that was pursued soon took to the rocks, and, urged by the red
brand scorching his shaggy hams, was soon beyond the reach of his
pursuer. The latter now made towards a fourth, that was still battling
with two or three weak antagonists. This one was `routed' in a
twinkling, and with yells of terror followed his comrades up the bluff.
The strange man looked around for the fifth. It had disappeared.
Prostrate, wounded men were strewed over the ground, but the bear was
nowhere to be seen. He had doubtless escaped through the snow.
"I was still wondering who was the hero of the firebrand, and where he
had come from. I have said he was a strange-looking man. He was so--
and like no one of our party that I could think of. His head was
bald,--no, not bald, but naked,--there was not a hair upon it, crown or
sides, and it glistened in the clear light like polished ivory. I was
puzzled beyond expression, when a man--Garey--who had been felled upon
the platform by a blow from one of the bears, suddenly sprang to his
feet, exclaiming,--
"`Go it, Doc! Three chyars for the doctor!'
"To my astonishment, I now recognised the features of that individual,
the absence of whose brown locks had produced such a metamorphosis as, I
believe, was never effected by means of borrowed hair.
"`Here's your scalp, Doc,' cried Garey, running up with the wig, `by the
livin' thunder! yer saved us all;' and the hunter seized the German in
his wild embrace.
"Wounded men were all around, and commenced crawling together. But
where was the fifth of the bears? Four only had escaped by the cliff.
"`Yonder he goes!' cried a voice, as a light spray, rising above the
snow-wreath, showed that some animal was struggling through the drift.
"Several commenced loading their rifles, intending to follow, and, if
possible, secure him. The doctor armed himself with a fresh pine; but
before these, arrangements were completed, a strange cry came from the
spot, that caused our blood to run cold again. The Indians leaped to
their feet, and, seizing their tomahawks, rushed to the gap. They knew
the meaning of that cry--it was the death-yell of their tribe!
"They entered the road that we had trampled down in the morning,
followed by those who had loaded their guns. We watched them from the
platform with anxious expectation, but before they had reached the spot,
we could see that, the `stoor' was slowly settling down. It was plain
that the struggle had ended.
"We still stood waiting in breathless silence, and watching the floating
spray that noted their progress through the drift. At length they had
reached the scene of the struggle. There was an ominous stillness, that
lasted for a moment, and then the Indian's fate was announced in the
sad, wild note that came wailing up the valley. It was the dirge of a
Shawano warrior!
"They had found their brave comrade dead, with his scalping-knife buried
in the heart of his terrible antagonist!
"It was a costly supper, that bear-meat, but, perhaps, the sacrifice had
saved many lives. We would keep the `cimmaron' for to-morrow; next day,
the man-root; and the next,--what next? Perhaps--the man!
"Fortunately, we were not, driven to this extremity. The frost, had
again set in, and the surface of the snow, previously moistened by the
sun and rain, soon became caked into ice strong enough to bear us, and
upon its firm crust we escaped out of the perilous pass, and gained the
warmer region of the plains in safety."