"We were stirring by sunrise next morning; and having breakfasted
heartily, we packed our wagon and started away from our camp, which we
had named `Camp Antelope.' The stream we called `Bighorn Creek' ever
afterwards. We arrived at the upper end of the valley about an hour
before sunset. Here we passed the night. Next day I set forth to find
some path by which we might get down into the bottom. I rode for miles
along the edge of the bluff, but to my surprise I found that on both
sides ran a steep precipice; and I began to fear that the tempting
paradise was inaccessible, and had only been created to tantalise us.
At length I reached the lower end, where, as you have noticed, the
precipice is much less elevated--on account of the sloping of the upper
plain. Here I came upon a path winding gradually down, upon which I saw
the footmarks of animals of various kinds. This was exactly what I
wanted.
"In this valley we could remain until our cattle were sufficiently
recruited to face the Desert, while with our rifles we should be able to
procure a sufficient stock of provisions for the journey.
"I went back for the wagon; but as I had consumed most of the day in my
explorations, it was late when I reached the camp; and we remained
another night on the same spot, which we named the `Willow Camp.'
"Next morning, we started early. On arriving at the point where the
path led down, we halted the wagon. Mary and the children remained with
it, while Cudjo and I descended into the valley to reconnoitre. The
woods were quite thick--the trees apparently all bound together by huge
vines, that stretched from one to the other like immense serpents.
There was a thick undergrowth of cane; but we saw that a trail had been
made through this by the passage of numerous animals. There were no
human footmarks to be seen, nor any signs that a human being had ever
been upon the spot.
"We followed the trail that led us directly to the banks of the stream.
It was then very shallow, and a great part of its shingly bed was dry.
I saw that this would afford a good road for our wagon, and we kept on
up the channel. About three miles from the lower end of the valley, we
came to a place where the forest was more open, and less choked up with
underwood. On the right bank of the stream there was a rising ground,
forming a clear space of large extent, with only a tree growing here and
there. This ground sloped gently down to the stream, and was covered
with beautiful herbage--both grass and flowers. It was a lovely spot;
and as we came suddenly out upon it, several animals, frightened by our
approach, bounded off into the thickets beyond. We stepped for a moment
to gaze upon the bright picture. Birds of brilliant wing were
fluttering among the many-coloured leaves, singing or screaming, and
chasing each other from tree to tree. There were parrots, and
paroquets, and orioles, and blue-jays, and beautiful loxias, both of the
scarlet and azure-coloured species. There were butterflies, too, with
broad wings mottled all over with the most vivid tints, flapping about
from flower to flower. Many of these were as large as some of the
birds, and far larger than others--for we saw flocks of tiny
humming-birds, not bigger than bees, shooting about like sparkling gems,
and balancing themselves over the cups of the open flowers.
"It was a beautiful scene, indeed; and Cudjo and I at once agreed that
that was the very place to pitch our camp. At the time, we meant it
only for a _camp_--a spot where we might remain until our animals had
recruited their strength, and we had collected from the forests around
provision enough for the Desert journey. A temporary camp, indeed!
That, gentlemen, is ten years ago, and here we are upon the same spot at
this moment! Yes, my friends, this house stands in the middle of that
very glade I have been describing. You will be surprised, when I tell
you, there was no lake then, nor the appearance of one. That came
afterwards, as you shall hear.
"What the lake now is was then part of the glade; and its surface, like
the rest, was covered with beautiful vegetation, with, here and there,
trees standing alone, or in small clumps, which gave it a most park-like
appearance. In fact, we could not help fancying, that there was some
splendid mansion in the background, to which it belonged--although we
saw that the thick, dark woods surrounded it on all sides.
"We did not remain longer than was necessary to examine the ground. We
knew that Mary would be anxiously looking for us, so we hastened back to
our wagon. In less than three hours from that time, the wagon, with its
snow-white tilt, stood in the centre of the glade, and the ox and horse,
loosed from their labour, were eagerly browsing over the rich pasture.
The children were playing on the green sward, under the shadow of a
spreading magnolia; while Mary, Cudjo, the boys, and myself, were
engaged in various occupations about the ground. The birds flew around
us, chattering and screaming, to the great delight of our little ones.
They came quite close to our encampment, perching upon the nearest
trees; and wondering, no doubt, what strange creatures we were, who had
thus intruded upon their hitherto untenanted domain. I was glad to see
them thus curious about us, as I argued from this that the sight of man
was new to them, and, therefore, we should be in no danger of meeting
with any of our own kind in the valley. It is strange, that, of all
others, man was the animal we most dreaded to meet! Yet, such was the
case; for we knew that any human beings we might fall in with in such a
place would be Indians, and, in all probability, would prove our most
cruel enemies.
"It was still early in the afternoon, and we determined to do nothing
for the remainder of that day but rest ourselves, as we had all
experienced considerable fatigue in getting far wagon up the stream.
Rocks had to be removed, and occasionally a way hewed through the thick
branches. But the difficulty being now over, we felt as though we had
reached a home, and we set about enjoying it Cudjo built a fire, and
erected a crane over it, upon which to hang our pots and kettles. The
crane consisted of two forked sticks driven in to the ground, one on
each side of the fire, with a long pole placed horizontally, and resting
upon the forks. This is the usual manner of making the crane among
backwoods' travellers, who cook their meals in the open air. The tripod
crane, used by gipsies in Europe, is rarely to be seen among the
wanderers of the American wilderness.
"In a short time, our camp-kettle, filled with pure water, was boiling
and bubbling to receive the aromatic coffee; and the remainder of the
antelope, suspended over the fire, was roasting and sputtering in the
blaze. Mary had set out the great chest, covered with a clean white
cloth--for she had washed it the day before; and upon this our tin
plates and cups--scoured until they were shining like silver--were
regularly arranged. When all these little preparations had been made,
we seated ourselves around the fire, and watched the dainty venison as
it became browned and crisped in the blaze. Cudjo had suspended the
joint by a piece of strong cord, so that, by simply whirling it around,
it would then continue for some time turning itself, as well as if it
had been upon a patent jack-spit. We were congratulating ourselves on
the fine supper we were likely soon to partake of, when, all at once,
our attention was directed to a noise that came out of the woods, near
the border of the open ground. There was a rustling of leaves, with a
cracking sound as of dead sticks, broken by the hoofs of some heavy
animal. All our eyes were immediately turned in that direction.
Presently we saw the leaves in motion; and the next moment three large
animals stepped out into the glade, apparently with the intention of
crossing it.
"At first sight we thought they were deer--for each of them carried a
pair of branching antlers--but their great size at once distinguished
them from any of the deer species we had ever seen. Any one of them was
as large as a Flemish horse; and their huge antlers rising several feet
above their heads, gave them the appearance of being still much larger.
On seeing the branched and towering horns, we took them for deer,--and
in fact they were so; but far differing from either the red or
fallow-deer that are to be met with in parks and forests. They were
elk--the great elk of the Rocky Mountains.
"On coming out of the timber, they marched forward, one after the other,
with a proud step, that showed the confidence they placed in their great
size and strength--as well as in the pointed weapons which they carried
upon their heads, and which they can use upon an enemy with terrible
effect. Their appearance was extremely majestic; and we all admired
them in silence as they approached, for they came directly towards our
camp.
"At length they caught sight of our wagon and fire,--neither of which
objects, up to this time, they had seen. All at once they halted,
tossed up their heads, snorted, and then continued for some moments to
gaze at us with an expression of wonder.
"`They will be off now,' I muttered in an undertone to my wife and
Cudjo. `No doubt they will be off in a moment, and they are entirely
out of reach of my rifle.'
"I had caught hold of the gun on first seeing them, and held it in
readiness across my knees Harry and Frank had also seized their small
pieces.
"`What pity, Massa Roff,' said Cudjo, `de big rifle no reach 'em!
Golly! de be ebery one fat as 'possum!'
"I was thinking whether I might not creep a little closer to them, when,
to our surprise, the animals, instead of starting off into the woods
again, came several paces nearer, and again halted, tossing up their
heads with a snort similar to that which they had uttered before. I say
that this astonished all of us, for we had heard that the elk was an
exceedingly shy animal. So, too, they are, of any danger to which they
are accustomed; but, like most of the deer and antelope tribe, their
curiosity is greater than their fear; and they will approach any object
which may be new to them, and examine it minutely, before running off.
I saw that curiosity had brought them so much closer to us; and,
thinking they might advance still nearer, I cautioned my companions to
remain silent, and without making any stir.
"The wagon, with its great white tilt, appeared to be the main
attraction to our strange visitors; and, after eyeing it a moment with
looks of wonder, they again moved several paces forward, and stopped as
before. A third time they advanced towards it, and again made halt.
"As the wagon was at some distance from where we were sitting by the
fire, their movements towards it brought their great sides somewhat into
our view. Their last advance, moreover, had brought the leader within
range of my rifle. He was much the largest of the three, and I
determined to wait no longer, but let him have it; so, levelling my
piece at the place which I supposed lay nearest to his heart, I pulled
trigger.
"`Missed him!' thought I, as the three great animals wheeled in their
tracks, and went away like lightning. What was strange to us, they did
not gallop, as most deer do, but went off in a sort of shambling trot,
like a `pacing' horse, and quite as fast as a horse could gallop.
"The dogs--which, up to this time, Cudjo had been holding by their
necks--dashed after with yelps and barking. They were all--both elk and
dogs--soon lost to our eyes; but for some time we could hear the elk
breaking through the thick cane and bushes, with the dogs yelling in
close pursuit.
"I thought there would be no chance of the mastiffs coming up with them,
and was, therefore, not intending to follow; when, all at once, I heard
the voices of the dogs change from yelping to that of a worrying sound,
as though they were engaged in a fierce conflict with one another.
"`Perhaps I have wounded the animal, and they have overtaken it,' said
I. `Come, Cudjo! let us after and see. Boys, remain to take care of
your mother.'
"I laid hold of Harry's rifle, and followed by Cudjo, ran across the
glade in the track which both elk and dogs had taken. As we entered the
bushes, I saw that their leaves were sprinkled with blood.
"`No doubt,' said I, `he is wounded, and badly, too. We shall have him
yet.'
"`Dat we shall, Massa!' cried Cudjo; and we ran on as fast as we could
through the thick cane-brake, in the track made by the animals. I ran
ahead of my companion, as Cudjo was rather slow of foot. Every here and
there I saw gouts of blood on the leaves and cane; and, guided by the
hoarse voices of the mastiffs, I soon reached the spot where they were.
Sure enough the wounded elk was there, down upon his knees, and
defending himself with his antlers; while one of the dogs lay sprawling
on the ground and howling with pain. The other still kept up the fight,
endeavouring to seize the elk from behind; but the latter spun round, as
though his knees were upon a pivot, and always presented his horny
spikes in the direction of the attack.
"I was afraid the elk might get a blow at one of our brave dogs, and put
an end to him, so I fired hastily; and, regardless of consequences, ran
forward to finish the elk with the butt of the rifle. I struck with all
my might, aiming directly for his head, but in my hurry I missed him;
and, carried forward with the force which I had thrown into the blow, I
fell right into the midst of his branching antlers! I dropped my rifle,
and seized hold of the points, with the intention of extricating myself;
but before I could do so, the elk had risen to his feet, and with a
powerful jerk of his head tossed me high into the air. I came down upon
a thick network of vines and branches; and, my presence of mind still
remaining, I clutched them as I fell, and held on. It was well that I
did so, for directly under me the infuriated animal was bounding from
point to point, evidently in search of me and wondering where I had
gone. Had I fallen back to the earth, instead of clinging to the
branches, he would no doubt have crushed me to pieces with his powerful
horns.
"For some moments I lay quite helpless where I had been flung, watching
what was passing below. The mastiff still continued his attack, but was
evidently cowed by the fate of his companion, and only snapped at the
elk when he could get round to his flanks. The other dog lay among the
weeds howling piteously.
"At this moment Cudjo appeared in sight, for I had headed him some
distance in my haste. I could see the whites of his great eyes turned
up in wonderment when he perceived the rifle lying upon the ground
without seeing me. I had barely time to utter a shout of warning, when
the elk spied him; and lowering his head, rushed upon him with a loud
and furious snort.
"I was filled with fear for my faithful follower and friend. I saw that
he carried a large Indian spear--which he had found at the camp where
our companions had been massacred--but I had no hope of his being able
to ward off the impetuous attack. I saw that he did not even point the
weapon to receive the enraged animal, but stood like a statue. `He is
paralysed with terror,' thought I; and I expected the next moment to see
him impaled upon the sharp antlers and gored to death. But I had very
much mistaken my man Cudjo. When the horns were within two feet of his
breast, he stepped nimbly behind a tree, and the elk passed him with a
rush. So quick had been the action, that for a moment I thought he had
gone under; but, to my agreeable surprise, the next moment I saw him
start out from the tree, and, making a lounge with the spear, bury it
among the ribs of the animal! No matador in all Spain could have
performed the feat more cleverly.
"I shouted with delight as I saw the huge body rolling to the earth;
and, dropping down from my perch, I ran toward the spot. On reaching
it, I found the elk panting in the throes of death, while Cudjo stood
over his body safe and triumphant.
"`Bravo!' cried I, `my brave Cudjo, you have ended him in earnest!'
"`Yes, Massa,' replied Cudjo, coolly, though evidently with some slight
symptoms of triumph in his manner; `yes, Massa Roff, dis black niggur
hab gin de gemman a settler under de rib number five. He butt de breath
out of poor Cassy no more--poor ole Cassy!' and Cudjo commenced
caressing the dog Castor, which was the one that had suffered most from
the horns of the elk.
"We were now joined by Harry, who, hearing the struggle, could remain no
longer in the camp. Fortunately we found his rifle quite safe; and
Cudjo drawing his knife, let the blood out of the animal in a scientific
manner. From its great weight--not less than a thousand pounds--we saw
that we could not take the whole carcass to camp without yoking either
the horse or ox to it, so we resolved to skin and quarter it where it
lay. After going back for the necessary implements, as well as to
announce our success, we returned again, and soon finished the
operation. Before the sun had set, nearly a thousand pounds of fresh
elk-meat were dangling from the trees around our little encampment. We
had purposely delayed eating until our work should be done; and while
Cudjo and I were engaged in hanging up the huge quarters, Mary had been
busy with the gridiron, and an elk rump-steak--quite equal to the best
beef--added to the excellence of our supper."