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[Illustration: Finally they found better going along a narrow ledge]
Girl Scouts in the Rockies
Lillian Elizabeth Roy
1921
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE--OUTFITTING FOR THE TRIP
CHAPTER TWO--VIA A "PRAIRIE SCHOONER"
CHAPTER THREE--JULIE'S STRANGE EXPERIENCE
CHAPTER FOUR--GOING UP!
CHAPTER FIVE--HITTING THE TRAIL
CHAPTER SIX--A MULE'S PLEASANTRIES
CHAPTER SEVEN--TALLY AND OMNEY ENTERTAIN
CHAPTER EIGHT--SCRUB'S UNEXPECTED HUNTING TRIP
CHAPTER NINE--A THRILLING CANOE TRIP
CHAPTER TEN--JULIE AND JOAN'S PREDICAMENT
CHAPTER ELEVEN--ON TO FLAT TOP MOUNTAIN
CHAPTER TWELVE--LOST IN A BLIZZARD
CHAPTER THIRTEEN--A FOREST FIRE
CHAPTER FOURTEEN--LOST IN THE BAD LANDS
CHAPTER FIFTEEN--BACK-TRAILING TO DENVER
CHAPTER ONE
OUTFITTING FOR THE TRIP
"Girls, this is our third Summer as the Dandelion Troop of Girl
Scouts,--do you realize that fact?" commented Mrs. Vernon, generally
called "Verny" by the girls, or "Captain" by her friends.
"That first Summer in camp seems like mere child's play now, Verny,"
returned Juliet Lee, known as "Julie" or just "Jule" by her intimates.
"That really wasn't camping, at all,--what with all the cooked food our
families were bringing weekly to us, and the other housekeeping
equipment they brought that day in the 'furniture shower,'" Joan
Allison added, giggling as she remembered the incident.
"But last Summer in the Adirondacks was real camping!" declared Ruth
Bentley, nodding her head emphatically.
"Yes. Still it wasn't anything like this year's camping experience
promises to be,--in the Rocky Mountains," replied Mrs. Vernon. "Mr.
Gilroy furnished the tents and cots and other heavy camping things
last summer, but this year we will have to do without such luxuries."
"We don't care what we have to do without, Verny, because we are so
thankful to be here at all!" exclaimed Anne Bailey, who was one of the
five additional scout members admitted to the circle of the four
founders of Dandelion Troop the preceding summer.
"I'm so sorry the other girls can't be with us this trip," remarked
Julie, who was Scout Leader of the troop.
"It's a shame that Amy's mother treats her as if she were a babe. Why,
this sort of trip is exactly what the girl needs to help her get rid
of her nerves," said Joan.
"Yes; didn't every one say how well she was after last summer's camp
in the Adirondacks?" added Ruth Bentley.
"Poor Amy, she'll have to stay home now, and hear her mother worry
about her all summer," sighed Betty Lee, Julie's sister.
"Well, I am not wasting sympathy on Amy, when dear old Hester needs
all of it. The way that girl pitched in and helped earn the family
bread when her father died last winter, is courageous, say I!"
declared Julie.
"We all think that, Julie. And not a word of regret out of her when
she found we were coming away, with Gilly, to the Rockies," added
Joan.
"Dear old pal! We must be sure to write her regularly, and send her
souvenirs from our different stopping-places," said Mrs. Vernon, with
tears glistening in her eyes for Hester's sacrifice.
"If Julie hadn't been my sister, I'm sure Mrs. Blake would have
frightened May into keeping me home," announced Betty. "When she told
sister May of all the terrible things that might happen to us in the
Rockies, Julie just sat and laughed aloud. Mrs. Blake was real angry
at that, and said, 'Well, May, if your mother was living _she'd_ never
allow her dear little girls to risk their lives on such a trip.'"
Julie smiled and added, "I told Mrs. Blake, then and there, that
mother would be delighted to give us the opportunity, and so would any
sensible mother if she knew what such a trip meant! Mrs. Blake jumped
up then, and said, I'm sure I'm as sensible as any one, but I wouldn't
_think_ of letting Judith and Edith take this trip.'"
"I guess it pays to be as healthy as I am," laughed Anne Bailey, who
was nicknamed the "heavyweight scout," "'cause no one said I was too
nervous to come, or too delicate to stand this outing."
The other scouts laughed approvingly at Anne's rosy cheeks and
abundant fine health.
The foregoing conversation between Mrs. Vernon and five girl scouts
took place on a train that had left Chicago, and Mr. Vernon, the day
before. He had had personal business to attend to at that city, and so
stopped over for a few days, promising to join the Dandelion Troop at
Denver in good time to start on the Rocky Mountain trip.
"It's perfectly lovely, Verny, to think Uncle is to be one of our
party this summer," remarked Joan. "He and Mr. Gilroy seem to get on
so wonderfully, don't they?"
"Yes, and Mr. Gilroy's knowledge of camping in the Rockies, combined
with Uncle's being with us, lightens much of the responsibility I felt
for taking you all on this outing," answered Mrs. Vernon.
"It will seem ages for us to kill time about Denver when we're so
anxious to get away to the mountains," said Julie.
"But there's plenty to do in that marvelous city; and lots of short
trips to take that will prove very interesting," returned the Captain.
"Besides, we will have to get a number of items to add to our
outfits," suggested Ruth.
"That reminds me, girls; the paper Uncle gave me as he was about to
leave the train is a memo Mr. Gilroy sent, about what to take with us
for this jaunt. Shall I read it to you now?" asked Mrs. Vernon.
"Oh yes, do!" chorused the girlish voices; so Mrs. Vernon opened the
page which had been torn from a letter addressed to Mr. Vernon by Mr.
Gilroy. Then she began reading:
"About taking baggage and outfit for this trip in the Rockies, let me
give you all a bit of advice. Remember this important point when
considering your wardrobe, etc.,--that we will be on the move most of
the time, and so every one must learn how to do _without_ things. We
must travel as the guides and trappers do--very 'light.' To know when
you are 'traveling light' follow this rule:
"First, make a pyramid of everything you think you must take for use
during the summer, excluding the camp outfit, which my man will look
out for at Denver.
"Next, inventory the items you have in the heap. Study the list
earnestly and cross out anything that is not an actual necessity. Take
the articles eliminated from the heap, throw them behind your back,
and pile up the items that are left.
"Then, list the remainder in the new pyramid, and go over this most
carefully. Cast out everything that you have the least doubt about
there being an imperative need of. Toss such items behind you, and
then gather the much smaller pyramid together again.
"Now, forget all your past and present needs, all that civilized life
claims you should use for wear, or camp, or sleep, and remove
everything from the pyramid excepting such articles as you believe you
would have to have to secure a living on a desert island. If you have
done this problem well, you ought to have a list on hand, after the
third elimination, about as follows:
"A felt hat with brim to shed the rain and to shade your eyes from the
sun; a good all-wool sweater; winter-weight woolen undergarments that
will not chill you when they are dripping with water that is sweated
out from within, or soaked through from without; two or three large
handkerchiefs, one of silk to use for the head, neck, or other parts
of the body in case of need; three pairs of heather stockings,--one
pair for day use, one pair to wear at night when it is cold, and the
third pair to keep for extra need; high boots--one pair to wear and one
to carry; two soft silk shirts--shirt-waists for you girls; a _pure
wool_ army blanket; one good rubber blanket; a toothbrush, hairbrush
and comb, but no other toilet articles. Be sure to have the girl-scout
axe, a steel-bladed sheath knife, a _compass_, the scout pocket-knife,
fishing tackle, and a _gun_. (More about this gun hereafter, girls.)
"Now, being girl scouts, you will naturally wear the approved scout
uniform. If possible, have this made up in good wiry serge that will
shed dust and other things, along the trail. You will want a good
strong riding-habit, and two pairs of silk rubber bloomers, the latter
because of their thin texture and protection against moisture.
"Wear a complete outfit, and then pack your extras in the blanket;
roll the bundle in the rubber blanket, and buckle two straps about the
roll. Then slip this in the duffel-bag, and you are ready.
"About the gun. Don't let your parents have a panic over the item
mentioned. You girls had excellent target practice all last winter, so
the fact of your carrying a rifle on this trip should not unduly
excite any one. In the Rockies, a gun is as necessary as an axe or
knife, and no one incurs a risk from carrying such a weapon unless he
is careless. Being trained scouts, with experience back of you, you
will be perfectly safe on this outing even though you do carry a
rifle.
"An old Indian guide that I had some years ago, sent word that he
would be happy to give us his time for the summer. So he will attend
to all the camping needs,--utensils and canvas and horses, for the
trip. I told him that we would have a party of girls with us this
time, and he smiled when he said he would have to add needle and
thread, cold cream, and such requisites to his list."
"There, girls," continued Mrs. Vernon, when she had concluded the
reading of Mr. Gilroy's instructions, "that is about all Gilly said
about the outfit. But I knew we had conformed to most of these
requirements already, so there is nothing more to do about it. When we
go over the duffel-bags in Denver, Gilly may ask you scouts to throw
out your manicure cases, or whimsical little things you deem an
absolute necessity now, and several articles of wear that you think
you must take, but, otherwise, we are ready to 'travel light,' as he
says."
"Shan't we take our sleeping-bags, Verny?" asked Ruth.
"Gilly doesn't say a word about them, so I don't know whether he
forgot them, or thought you left them home."
"I wonder what sort of an outfit the guide will take?" remarked Julie.
"Aluminum-ware for cooking, and a cup, plate, and cutlery for each
member of the party, Uncle Vernon said," answered Mrs. Vernon.
Just before reaching Denver, Mrs. Vernon asked of the eager scouts,
"Did you girls read the books I mentioned, to become familiar with
this wonderful country through which we are going to travel?"
"I read all I could, and I'm sure the other girls did, too, because
every time I asked for one of those books at the Public Library I was
informed it was out. Upon investigation, I learned that one or the
other of Dandelion Troop was reading it," laughed Julie.
"Well, then, you learned that Colorado can boast of more than fifty
mountain peaks, each three miles or more in height; a hundred or so
nearly that high. And between these peaks can be found the wildest
gorges, most fertile valleys and plains, that any state in the Union
can boast.
"And because of these great peaks with their snow-capped summits, many
of which are snowy all the year round, the flow of water from the
melting snows furnishes the many scenic streams that give moisture to
the plains; which in turn produce the best crops in the West.
"But the plains and valleys were not the attraction that first brought
pioneers to Colorado. It was the gold and silver hidden in the
mountains, and the upthrust of valuable ore from the sides of the
canyons and gulches that was the magnet which caused mankind to swarm
to this state. Thus, you see, it became generally populated, the
mountainous, as well as the ranch sections."
While riding westward from Chicago, the gradual rise of the country
failed to impress the scouts, so they were all the more surprised when
Mrs. Vernon exclaimed, "I verily believe I am the first to see Pike's
Peak, girls!"
"Oh, where? where?" chorused the scouts, crowding to the windows on
the side of the train where the Captain sat.
"Away off there--where you see those banks of shadowy clouds! There is
one cloud that stands out more distinctly than its companions--that's
it," replied the Captain.
"Oh, Verny, that's not a peak!" laughed Joan.
"Of course not! That's only a darker cloud than usual," added Julie,
while the other scouts laughed at their Captain's faulty eyesight.
Mrs. Vernon smiled, but kept her own counsel, and half an hour later
the girls began to squint, then to doubt whether their hasty judgment
had been correct, and finally to admit that their guide and teacher
had been quite right! They saw the outline of a point that thrust
itself above the hanging clouds which hid its sides in vapor, and the
point that stood clearly defined against the sky was Pike's Peak!
"But it isn't snow-clad, and it isn't a bit beautiful!" cried Ruth in
disappointment.
"Still it is the first Rocky Mountain peak we have seen," Betty Lee
mildly added.
"Scouts, this is known as 'The Pike's Peak Region,'" read Julie from a
guide-book.
"It ought to be called 'Pike's Bleak Region,'" grumbled Anne. "I never
saw such yellow soil, with nothing but tufts of grass, dwarfed bushes,
and twisted little trees growing everywhere."
Mrs. Vernon laughed. "Anne, those tufts are buffalo grass, which makes
such fine grazing for cattle; and your dwarfed bushes are the famous
sage-brush, while the twisted trees are cottonwoods."
"Oh, are they, really?" exclaimed Anne, now seeing these things with
the same eyes but from a changed mental viewpoint.
"And notice, girls, how exhilarating the air is. Have you ever felt
like this before--as if you could hike as far as the Continental Range
without feeling weary?" questioned Mrs. Vernon.
When the train pulled in at Denver, Mr. Gilroy was waiting, and soon
the scouts were taken to the hotel where he had engaged accommodations
for the party.
"Don't say a word until you have washed away some of that alkali dust
and brushed your clothes. Then we will go out to view the village,"
laughed he, when the girls plied him with questions.
But the scouts wasted no time needlessly over their toilets, and soon
were down in the lobby again, eager for his plans.
"Now I'll tell you what Uncle wired me from Chicago to-day," began Mr.
Gilroy, when all were together. "He'll be there three days longer, so
we've almost five days to kill before meeting him at this hotel."
"I've engaged two good touring cars, and as soon as you approve of the
plan, we will start out and see the city. To-morrow morning, early, we
will motor to Colorado City and visit Hot Springs, and all the points
of interest in that section. Then we can return by a different route
and embrace dear old Uncle, who will be waiting for us. How about it?"
"How needless to ask!" exclaimed Mrs. Vernon, when the chorus of
delight had somewhat subsided. Mr. Gilroy laughed.
"Come on, then! Bottle up the news, and stories of crime you
experienced on the way West from New York, until we are _en route_ to
Colorado Springs. Then you can swamp me with it all," said he.
So that day they visited the city of Denver, which gave the scouts
much to see and talk about, for this wonderful city is an example of
western thrift, ambition, and solid progress. Early the following
morning, the touring party started in the two machines to spend a few
days at Colorado Springs.
Without loss of time they drove to the famous Hot Springs, and then on
through the picturesque estate of General Palmer, the founder of
Colorado City. His place was copied after the well-known English
castle Blenheim, and Julie was deeply impressed with the architecture
of the building.
"Girls, to-morrow morning I want you to see the sun rise from the
vantage point of Pike's Peak, so we won't climb that to-day. But we
will go to Manitou, where the setting sun casts long-fingered shadows
into the ravines, turning everything to fairy colors," said Mr.
Gilroy.
The scouts were awed into silence at the grandeur of the scenery they
beheld, and Mr. Gilroy said, "The Ute Indians used to come to the
Manitou Waters for healing, you know. To-morrow, on your way down from
the Peak, we will stop at the Ute Pass. But I want you to see the
marvelous feat of engineering in this modern day that has made an auto
drive to the top of Pike's Peak a possibility."
So very early the next morning the scouts were called, and after a
hurried breakfast started out in the cars for the Peak. Having driven
over the fine auto road, recently completed, to the top of the Peak,
they got out to watch the sunrise. This was truly a sight worth
working for. From the Peak they could see over an expanse of sixty
thousand square miles of country, and when the rays of the sun began
to touch up with silver places here and there on this vast stretch,
the scene was most impressive.
After leaving Pike's Peak, Mr. Gilroy told the chauffeur to drive to
the Ute Pass. That same day the girls visited the scenic marvels of
the Garden of the Gods, the Cave of the Winds, Crystal Park, and other
places.
They dined at the "Hidden Inn," which was a copy of one of the Pueblo
cliff-dwellings of the Mesa Verde. This Inn is built against a cliff,
and is most picturesque with its Indian collection of trophies and
decorations after the Pueblo people's ideals.
They visited William's Canyon and the Narrows, with its marvelous,
painted cliffs of red, purple, and green; and went to Cheyenne
Mountain and the canyon with its beautiful "Seven Falls." Other places
that Mr. Gilroy knew of but that were seldom listed in the guidebooks
because they were out of the way, were visited and admired.
The last day of their visit to Colorado City, they all took the
railroad train and went to Cripple Creek. The train wound over awesome
heights, through rifts in cliffs, and past marvelously colored walls
of rock, and so on to the place where more gold is mined than at any
other spot in the world.
That night the scouts returned to the hotel at Colorado City well
tired out, but satisfied with the touring they had accomplished in the
time they had been in Colorado. In the morning they said good-bye to
the gorgeous places in Pike's Peak Park and headed again for Denver.
A splendid road led through Pike View, where the best views of Pike's
Peak can be had. Then they passed the queer formation of rock called
"Monument Park," and on still further they came to a palisade of white
chalk, more than a thousand feet wide and one-fifth that in height,
that was known as Casa Blanca.
Castle Rock was the next place of interest passed. It is said to be a
thousand feet higher than Denver. Then several picturesque little
towns were passed by, and at last Fort Logan was reached. As an army
post this spot interested the scouts, but Mr. Gilroy gave them no time
to watch the good-looking young officers, but sped them on past
Loretto, Overland, and Denver Mile, finally into Denver again.
As they drove into the city, Mr. Gilroy explained why he had to hurry
them. "You see, this is almost the middle of June, and I am supposed
to return from the mountains in September with reports and specimens
for the Government.
"Few people tarry in the Rockies after September, as the weather is
unbearable for 'Tenderfeet.' So I have to get through my work before
that time. Besides, Uncle Vernon is probably now awaiting us at the
hotel, and he must not be left to wander about alone, or we may lose
him."
"When can we start for the Rockies, Gilly?" eagerly asked Julie,
voicing the cry of all the other scouts.
"As soon as the Indian guide gives us the 'high sign,'" replied Mr.
Gilroy.
"About when will that be?" insisted Julie.
"Where is he now, Gilly?" added Ruth.
"I suppose he is in Denver waiting for us, but we can tell better
after we see Uncle. I wired him to meet Tally there and complete any
arrangements necessary to our immediate departure from Denver the day
after we get back there."
"I hope the guide's name is easier to say than Yhon's was last
summer," laughed Mrs. Vernon.
"The only name I have ever given him is 'Tally'; but his correct name
has about ninety-nine letters in it and when pronounced it sounds
something like Talitheachee-choolee. Now can you blame me for quickly
abbreviating it to Tally?" laughed Mr. Gilroy.
"I should say not!" laughed the girls, and Julie added, "Ho, Tally is
great! It will constantly remind the scouts to keep their records up
to date."
Mr. Vernon was found at the hotel, comfortably ensconced in a huge
leather chair. He pretended to be fast asleep, but was soon roused
when the lively scouts fell upon him in their endeavor to tell him how
glad they were to see him again.
"Spare me, I beg, and I will lead you to the nicest meal you ever
tasted!" cried he, gasping.
Mr. Gilroy laughed and added, "You'd better, for it's Tally, and wild
Indian cooking hereafter, for three months!"
"That threat holds no fears for us brave scouts," retorted the
Corporal.
The girls followed quickly after Mr. Vernon, just the same, when he
led the way to the dining-room. Here he had his party seated in a
quiet corner, and then he reported to Mr. Gilroy all he had done since
he landed in Denver in the morning.
"I have the surprise of the season for the scouts, I'm thinking,"
began Mr. Vernon, smiling at the eager faces of the girls. "Have you
formed _any_ idea of how we are going to travel to the Divide?"
Even Mr. Gilroy wondered what his friend meant, for he had asked Tally
to secure the best horses possible in Denver. And the scouts shook
their heads to denote that they were at sea.
Mrs. Vernon laughed, "Not on foot, I trust!"
"No, indeed, my dear! Not with shoe leather costing what it does since
the war," retorted Mr. Vernon.
"We all give up,--tell us!" demanded his wife.
"First I have to tell you a tale,--for thereby hangs the rest of it.
"You see, Tally came here first thing this morning, and when I came in
from my train, which was an hour late from Chicago, he greeted me. I
hadn't the faintest idea who he was until after the clerk gave me the
wire from Gilly, then I saluted as reverently as he had done. Finally
his story was told.
"It seems 'Mee'sr Gil'loy' told Tally to get outfit and all the
horses, including two mules for pack-animals (although I never knew
until Tally told me, that mules were horses). And poor Tally was in an
awful way because he couldn't find a horse worth shucks in the city of
Denver. I fancy Tally knows horseflesh and would not be taken in by
the dealers, eh, Gilly?" laughed Mr. Vernon.
Mr. Gilroy nodded his head approvingly, and muttered, "He is _some_
guide, I tell you!" Then Mr. Vernon proceeded with his tale.
"Well, Tally got word the other day from his only brother, who runs a
ranch up past Boulder somewhere, that a large ranch-wagon, ordered and
paid for several months before, was not yet delivered. Would Tally go
to the wagon-factory, and urge them to ship the vehicle, as the owner
was in sore need of it this summer.
"Tally had gone to the factory all right, but the boss said it was
impossible to make any deliveries to such out-of-the-way ranches, and
the railroad refused freight for the present. Poor Tally wired his
brother immediately, and got a disconcerting reply.
"He was authorized to take the wagon away from the manufacturer and
send it on by _any route_ possible. But the brother did not offer any
suggestions for that route, nor did he provide means by which Tally
could hitch the wagon up and send it on _via_ its own
transportation-power or expenses.
"Fortunately for Tally, and all of us, a horse-dealer had overheard
the story and now joined us. ''Scuse me fer buttin' in,' he said, 'but
I got some hosses I want to ship to Boulder, and no decent driver fer
'em. Why cain't we-all hitch up our troubles an' drive 'em away. Let
your Injun use my hosses as fur as Boulder, and no charge to him. He
drives the animals to a stable I'll mention and c'lect fer feed and
expenses along the road, but no pay fer himself,--that's squared on the
use my beasts give you-all.'
"I ruminated. Here we were with Tally who had a wagon on his hands and
no horses, and here was a dealer with four horses and no wagon. It
sure seemed a fine hitch to make, so we all hitched together. So now
we are all starting early in the morning _via_ a prairie schooner to
Boulder. How do you like it?"
A cry of mingled excitement and delight soon told him what the scouts
thought of the plan, but Mr. Gilroy remarked, "But what am I to do
about horses for the rest of the jaunt?"
"Oh, Tally says he can drive much better bargains with ranchers than
in the city here, and the horses trained for mountain climbing by the
ranchers are far superior to the hacks that have been used for years
to trot about Denver City. So I decided to put it right up to Tally,
and he agreed to supply splendid mounts for each one of us, or guide
you free of charge all summer," said Mr. Vernon.
CHAPTER TWO
VIA A "PRAIRIE SCHOONER"
Imagination had painted for the scouts a most thrilling ride in a
prairie schooner, but they learned to their sorrow that the great
ranch wagon built for travel over the heavy western roads and rough
trails, was not quite as luxurious as a good automobile, going on
splendid eastern state roads.
Ranch wagons are manufactured to withstand all sorts of ditches and
obstructions in western roadways. They are constructed with great
stiff springs, and the wheels have massive steel bands on still more
massive rims. Into such a vehicle were packed the baggage and camping
outfits that were meant to provide lodging and cooking for the party
for the summer.
The four strong horses, which were to be delivered to a dealer in
Boulder, pulled the wagon. Tally understood well how to drive a
four-in-hand, but the going was not speedy, accustomed as the
passengers were to traveling in fast automobiles.
Tally took the direct road to Boulder because it was the best route to
the Rocky Mountain National Park, where Mr. Gilroy wished to examine
certain moraines to find specimens he needed for his further work.
The wagon had rumbled along for several hours, and the tourists were
now in the wonderful open country with the Rockies frowning down upon
them from distant great heights, while the foothills into which they
were heading were rising before them.
The road they were on ran along a bald crest of one of these
foothills. Turning a bend in the trail, the scouts got their first
glimpse of a genuine cattle-ranch. It was spread out in the valley
between two mountains, like a table set for a picnic. The moving herd
of cattle and the cowboys looked like dots on the tablecloth.
"Oh, look, every one! What are those tiny cowboys doing to the
cattle?" called Julie, eagerly pointing to a mass of steers which were
being gathered together at one corner of the range.
"I verily believe they are working the herd, Vernon! What say
you,--shall we detour to give the scouts an idea of how they do it?"
asked Mr. Gilroy.
Mr. Vernon took the field glasses and studied the mass for a few
moments, then said, "To be sure, Gilroy! I'd like to watch the boys do
it, too."
"I have never witnessed the sight, although we all have heard about
it," added Mrs. Vernon. "It will be splendid to view such a scene as
we travel along."
Mr. Gilroy then turned to the driver. "Tally, when we reach the foot
of this descent, take a trail that will lead us past that ranch where
the cowboys are working cattle out of the herd."
Tally nodded, and at the first turn he headed the horses towards the
ranch a few miles away. When the tourists passed the rough ranch-house
of logs, a number of young children ran out to watch the party of
strangers, for visitors in that isolated spot were a curiosity.
The guide reined in his horses upon a knoll a short distance from the
scene where the cattle were being rounded up. Spellbound, the scouts
watched the great mass of the broad brown backs of the restless
cattle, with their up-thrusting, shining horns constantly tossing, or
impatient heads swaying from side to side. All around the vast herd
were cowboys, picturesque in sombreros, and chaps with swinging ropes
coiled ready to "cut out" a certain steer. Meanwhile, threading in and
out of the concentrated mass, other horsemen were driving the cattle
to the edge of the round-up.
"What do they intend doing with those they lasso, Gilly?" asked Joan.
"They will brand them with the ranch trade-mark, and then ship them to
the large packing-houses."
Mrs. Vernon managed to get several fine photographs of the interesting
work, and then the Indian guide was told to drive on. Seeking for a
way out to the main trail again, Tally ascended a very steep grade.
Upon reaching the top, the scouts were given another fine view of the
valley on the other side of the ridge. The scene looked like a Titanic
checkerboard, with its squares accurately marked off by the various
farms that dotted the land. But these "dots" really were extensive
ranches, as the girls learned when they drove nearer and past them.
The day had been unusually hot for the month of June in that altitude,
and towards late afternoon the sky became suddenly overcast.
"Going to get wet, Tally?" asked Mr. Gilroy, leaning out to glance up
at the scudding clouds.
"Much wet," came from the guide, but he kept his horses going at the
same pace as before.
Thunderstorms in the Rockies do not creep up gradually. They just
whoop up, and then empty the contents of their black clouds upon any
place they select,--although the clouds are impartial, as a rule, in
the selection of the spot.
Had the storm known that a crowd of tenderfeet were in the ranch wagon
it could scarcely have produced a greater spectacle. It seemed as if
all the elements combined to make impressive for the girls this, their
first experience of a thunderstorm in the Rockies.
Before the sun had quite hidden behind an inky curtain, a blinding
flash cleft the cloud and almost instantaneously a deafening crash
followed. Even though every one expected the thunder, it startled
them. In another minute's time the downpour began. Wherever water
could find entrance, there the howling wind drove in the slanting
rain.
"Every one huddle in the middle of the wagon--keep away from the canvas
sides!" Mr. Gilroy tried to shriek to those behind him.
Flashes with the accompanying cracks of thunder followed closely one
upon the other, so that no one could be heard to speak, even though he
yelled at the top of his lungs. The wind rose to a regular gale and
the wagon rocked like a cockleshell on a choppy sea. The Indian sat
unconcerned and kept driving as if in the most heavenly day, but the
four horses reared their heads, snorting with fear and lunging at the
bits in nervousness.
The storm passed away just as unexpectedly as it came, but it left the
road, which was at best rough and full of holes, filled with water.
The wagon wheels splashed through these wells, soaking everything
within a radius of ten feet, and constantly shaking the scouts up
thoroughly.
"I feel like a pillow, beaten up by a good housekeeper so that the
feathers will fluff up," said Julie.
"I'd rather feel like a pillow than to have my tongue chopped to
bits," cried Ruth, complainingly. "If I have any tongue left after
this ride, I shall pickle it for safekeeping."
"Can't Featherweight sit still?" laughed Joan.
Mrs. Vernon placed an arm about Ruth's shoulder to hold her steadier,
just as an unusually deep hole shook up everybody and all the baggage
in the wagon.
"There now! That's the last bite left in my tongue! Three times I
thought it was bitten through, but this last jolt twisted the roots so
that I will have to have an artificial one hinged on at the first
hospital we find," wailed Ruth, showing the damaged organ that all
might pity her.
Instead of giving sympathy, every one laughed, and Julie added, "At
least your tongue is still in use, but my spine caved in at that last
ravine we passed through, and now I have no backbone."
Just as the scouts began laughing merrily at the two girls the front
wagon wheel on the right side dropped into a hole, while the horses
strained at the traces. The awful shock and jar given the passengers
threw them against the canvas sides, and then together again in a
heap.
The babel of shouting, screaming, laughing voices that instantly
sounded from the helpless pile of humanity frightened the nervous
horses. The leaders plunged madly, but the wheel stuck fast in the
hole. Tally held a stiff rein, but the leaders contaminated the two
rear horses, and all four plunged, reared, snorted, and pulled
different ways at once. The inevitable was sure to happen!
"Jump, Tally, and grab the leaders! I'll hold them in!" cried Mr.
Gilroy, catching hold of the reins.
"Here, Gill, let me hold the reins while you help Tally!" shouted Mr.
Vernon, instantly crawling over the front seat and taking the reins in
hand.
So Mr. Gilroy sprang out after Tally, and made for one of the leaders
while the guide caught hold of the other. But just as the Indian
reached up to take the leather, the horse managed to work the bit
between his teeth. At the same time, the lunging beasts yanked the
wagon wheel up out of the hole, and feeling the release of what had
balked their load, the horses began tearing along the road.
Tally dangled from the head of the first horse whose bit he had tried
to work back into place. Mr. Vernon held firmly to the reins as he sat
on the driver's seat of the wagon. But Mr. Gilroy was left clear out
of sight, standing in the middle of the muddy road, staring
speechlessly after the disappearing vehicle. The scouts were tossed
back and forth like tennis balls, but the tossing was not done as
gracefully as in a game of tennis.
Fortunately for all concerned, the road soon ascended a steep grade,
and a long one. The cumbersome wagon was too heavy to be flipped up
that hill without the four horses becoming breathless. The leaders
were the first to heave and slow down in their pace; then the two rear
beasts panted and slowed, and finally all came to a dead stop. This
gave Tally his opportunity to drop from his perilous clutch and glare
at the horses.
"_Outlaws!_" hissed he at the animals, as if this ignominious western
term was sufficient punishment to shame the horses.
"Poor Gilly! Have we lost him?" cried Betty, who had been shaken into
speechlessness during the wild ride.
Mr. Vernon took the field glasses from his pocket and focussed them
along the road he had so recently flown over in the bouncing wagon.
Suddenly a wild laugh shook him, and he passed the glasses to his
wife.
The Captain leveled them and took a good look, then laughing as
heartily as her husband, she gave them to Julie and hurriedly adjusted
the camera.
The Scout Leader took them and looked. "Oh, girls! You ought to see
Gilly. He is trying to hurry up the long road, but he is constantly
jumping the water holes and slipping in the mud. Here--every one take a
squint at him."
By the time Mr. Gilroy came up the long steep hill, every scout had
had a good laugh at the appearance he made while climbing, and the
Captain had taken several funny snapshots of him.
Upon reaching the wagon, Mr. Gilroy sighed, "Well, I am not sure which
was worse--Tally's ride or that walk!"
"Um--him walk, badder of all!" grinned the Indian.
The scouts rolled up the side curtains of the wagon that they could
admire the view as they passed. And with every one feeling resigned to
a mild shaking as compared to the last capers of the four horses, the
journey was resumed.
Great overhanging boulders looked ready to roll down upon and crush
such pigmies as these that crawled along the road under them. Then,
here and there, swift, laughing streams leaped over the rocks to fall
down many, many hundreds of feet into the gorges riven between the
cliffs. The falling waters sprayed everything and made of the mist a
veritable bridal-veil of shimmering, shining white.
"Tally, shall we reach Boulder to-night?" asked Mr. Gilroy, gazing at
the fast-falling twilight.
"Late bimeby," Tally said, shrugging his shoulders to express his
uncertainty.
"Well, then, if we are going to be late, and as the way is not too
smooth, I propose we pitch camp for the night. What say you?"
suggested Mr. Gilroy, turning to hear the verdict of the scouts.
"Oh, that will be more fun than stopping at a hotel in Boulder!"
exclaimed the Leader, the other girls agreeing with her.
"Very well, Gilly; let us find a suitable place for camp," added the
Captain.
"We need not pitch the tents, as you scouts can sleep in the wagon,
and we three men will stretch out beside the campfire. Tally can pull
in at the first good clearing we find along the way," explained Mr.
Gilroy.
"If we bunk in the wagon, we'll have to stretch out in a row,"
remarked Joan.
"We'll look like a lot of dolls on the shelf of a toy-shop," giggled
Julie.
"I don't want to sleep next to you, Julie--you're such a kicker in your
sleep," complained Betty. Everybody laughed at the sisters, and Anne
said:
"I don't mind kicks, as I never feel them when I'm asleep."
Tally had brought canned and prepared food for just such an emergency
as an unexpected camp; so now the supper was quickly cooked and the
travelers called to enjoy it.
Night falls swiftly in the mountains, and even though the day may have
been warm, the nights in the Rockies are cold. A fire is always a
comfort, so when supper was over the scouts sat around the fire,
thoroughly enjoying its blaze.
The late afterglow in the sky seemed to hover over the camp as if
reluctant to fade away and leave the scouts in the dark. The
atmosphere seemed tinged with orchid tints, and a faint, almost
imperceptible white chill pervaded the woods.
"Girls," said Mr. Gilroy, "we have shelter, food and clothing enough,
in this wonderful isolation of Nature--is there anything more that
humans can really secure with all their struggling for supremacy? Is
not this life in grand communion with Mother Nature better than the
cliff-dwellers in great cities ever have?"
Mrs. Vernon agreed thoroughly with him and added, "Yes, and man can
have, if he desires it, this sublime and satisfying life in the
mountains, where every individual is supreme over all he surveys--as
the Creator willed it to be."
Tally finished clearing away the supper, and sat down to have a smoke.
But Mr. Gilroy turned to him, and said, "Tally, we would like to hear
one of your tribe's legends, like those you used to tell me."
"Oh, yes, Tally! please, please!" immediately came from the group of
girls.
Tally offered no protest, but removed the pipe from his lips and
asked, "You like Blackfeet tale?"
"Yes, indeed!" chorused those about the fire.
"My people, Blackfeet Tribe. Him hunt buffalo, elk, and moose. Him
travel far, and fight big. Tally know tribe history, an' Tally tell
him."
Then he began to relate, in his fascinating English, a tale that
belonged to his people. The Dandelion Scouts would have liked to write
the story down in their records as Tally gave it, but they had to be
satisfied with such English as they knew.
"Long ago, when the First People lived on earth, there were no horses.
The Blackfeet bred great dogs for hauling and packing. Some Indians
used elk for that purpose, but the wild animals were not reliable, and
generally broke away when they reached maturity.
"In one of the camps of a Blackfeet Tribe lived two children, orphaned
in youth. The brother was stone deaf, but the sister was very
beautiful, so the girl was made much of, but the boy was ignored by
every one.
"Finally the girl was adopted by a Chief who had no children, but the
squaw would not have the deaf boy about her lodge. The sister begged
that her brother be allowed to live with her, but the squaw was
obdurate and prevailed. So the poor lad was kicked about and thrust
away from every tent where he stopped to ask for bread.
"Good Arrow, which was the boy's name, kept up his courage and faith
that all would still be righted for him. The sister cried for her
brother's companionship until a day when the tribe moved to a new
camp. Then the lad was left behind.
"Good Arrow lived on the scraps that he found in the abandoned camp
until, at last, he had consumed every morsel of food. He then started
along the trail worn by the moving tribe. It was not a long journey,
but he had had no food for several days now, and he knew not where to
find any until he reached his sister.
"He was traveling as fast as he could run, and his breath came pumping
forth like gusts from an engine. The perspiration streamed from every
pore, and he felt dizzy. Suddenly something sounded like a thunderclap
inside his head, and he felt something snap. He placed both hands over
his ears for a moment, and felt something soft and warm come out upon
the palms. He looked, and to his consternation saw that a slender
waxen worm had been forced from each ear.
"Then he heard a slight sound in the woods. And he realized, with joy,
that he could hear at last! So distinctly could he hear, that he heard
a wood-mouse as it crept carefully through the grass a distance from
the trail.
"Almost bursting with joy and happiness over his good news, he ran on
regardless of all else. He wanted only to reach his sister and tell
her.
"But that same morning the Chief, who had adopted the girl, announced
to his squaw that he could not stand the memory of the lad's sad face
when the tribe abandoned him. The Chief declared that he was going
back and adopt the poor child, so he could be with his sister.
"In spite of his wife's anger the Chief started back, but met the boy
not far down the trail. The lad cried excitedly and showed the waxen
worms upon his palms in evidence of his story. The Chief embraced him
and told him what he had planned to do that very day. Good Arrow was
rejoiced at so much good fortune, and determined to be great, and do
something courageous and brave for his Chief.
"He grew to be a fine young brave, more courageous and far more
learned in all ways than any other youth in the tribe. Then one day he
spoke to his Chief:
"'I want to find Medicine, but know not where to get it.'
"'Be very brave, fearless with the enemy, exceedingly charitable to
all, of kind heart to rich and poor alike, and always think of others
first,--then will the Great Spirit show you how to find Medicine,'
replied the Chief.
"'Must I be kind to Spotted Bear? He hates me and makes all the
trouble he can, in camp, for me,' returned Good Arrow.
"'Then must you love Spotted Bear, not treat him as an enemy, but turn
him into a friend to you. Let me tell you his story,' said the Chief.
"'One day Spotted Bear took a long journey to a lake where he had
heard of wonderful Medicine that could be had for the asking. He says
he met a stranger who told him how to secure the Medicine he sought.
And to prove that he had found it he wears that wonderful robe, which
he claims the Great Medicine Man presented to him. He also told us,
upon his return, of great dogs that carried men as easily as baggage.
"'We asked him why he had not brought back the dogs for us, and he
said that they were not for us, but were used only by the gods that
lived near the lake where he met the Medicine Man.'
"Good Arrow listened to this story and then exclaimed, 'I shall go to
this lake and ask the Medicine Man to give me the dogs.'
"All the persuasions of his sister failed to change his determination,
so he started one day, equipped for a long journey. When Spotted Bear
heard that Good Arrow had gone for the dogs he had failed to bring to
camp, he was furious and wanted to follow and kill the youth. The
other braves restrained him, however.
"Good Arrow traveled many days and finally arrived at a lake such as
had been described to him by the Chief. Here he saw an old man who
asked him what he sought.
"'Knowledge and wisdom to rule my people justly.'
"'Do you wish to win fame and wealth thereby?' asked the bent-over old
man.
"'I would use the gifts for the good of the tribe, to help and
enlighten every one,' returned Good Arrow.
"'Ah! Then travel south for seven days and you will come to a great
lake. There you will meet one who can give you the Medicine you crave.
I cannot do more.'
"Then the young brave journeyed for seven days and seven nights,
until, utterly exhausted, he fell upon the grass by the side of the
trail. How long he slept there, he knew not; but upon awakening, he
saw the great lake spread out before his eyes, and standing beside him
was a lovely child of perfect form and features.
"Good Arrow smiled on the child; then the little one said, 'Come, my
father said to bring you. He is waiting to welcome you.'
"With these words spoken, the child ran straight into the lake and
disappeared under the water.
"Fearfully the youth ran after, to save the little one. He plunged
into the deep water, thinking not of himself, but of how to rescue the
babe.
"As he touched the water, it suddenly parted and left a dry trail that
ran over to a wonderful lodge on the other side. He now saw the child
running ahead and calling to a Chief who stood before the lodge.
"Good Arrow followed and soon met the Chief whom he found to be the
Great Medicine Man he had sought. The purpose of his journey was soon
explained, then the Chief beckoned Good Arrow to follow him.
"'I will show you the elk-dogs that were sent from the Great Spirit
for the use of mortals. But no man has been found good enough or kind
enough to take charge of them.'
"Then Good Arrow was taken to the wide prairie, where he saw the most
wonderful animals feeding. They were larger than elk and had shining
coats of hair. They had beautiful glossy manes and long sweeping
tails. Their sensitive ears and noses were quivering in wonderment as
they watched a stranger going about their domain.
"'Young man of the earth,' said the Chief, patting one of the animals
that nuzzled his hand, 'these are the horses that were meant for
mankind. If you wish to take them back with you it is necessary that
you learn the Medicine I have prepared for you.'
"Good Arrow was thrilled at the thought that perhaps he might be the
one to bring this blessing on man. He thought not of the wealth and
fame such a gift would bring to him. The Chief smiled with pleasure.
"'Ah, you have passed the first test well. This offer to you, that
might well turn a great Chief's head, only made you think of the good
it would bring to the children of earth. It is well.'
"So every lesson given Good Arrow was not so much for muscular power
or physical endurance, but tests of character and moral worth. The
youth passed these tests so creditably that the Chief finally said,
'My son, you shall return to your people with this great gift from the
Spirit, if you pass the last test well.'
"'Journey three days and three nights without stopping, and _do not
once turn to look back_! If you turn, you shall instantly be
transformed into a dead tree beside the trail. Obey my commands, and
on the third night you shall hear the hoofs of the horses who will
follow you.
"'Leap upon the back of the first one that comes to you, and all the
others will follow like lambs to to the camp you seek.
"'Now let me present you with a token from myself. This robe is made
for Great Medicine Chiefs,' and as he spoke the Chief placed a mantle
like his own over Good Arrow's shoulders. And in his hand he placed a
marvelous spear.
"Good Arrow saw that the robe was exactly like the one worn by Spotted
Bear, but he asked no questions about it. When the Chief found the
young brave was not curious, he smiled, and said, 'Because you did not
question me about Spotted Bear, I will tell you his story, that you
may relate it again to the tribe and punish him justly for his
cowardice.
"'Spotted Bear reached the lake where the child stood, but he would
not follow her into the water,--not even to rescue her, when she cried
for help. He was driven back by evil spirits, and when he found the
old man who had sent him onward to find the elk-dogs, he beat him and
took away his robe. That is the robe he now wears, but I permitted him
to wear it until a brave youth should ask questions regarding its
beauty,--then will it have accomplished its work. You are the youth,
and now you hear the truth about Spotted Bear. Judge righteous
judgment upon him, and do not fear to punish the crime.
"'Now, farewell, Good Arrow. You are worthy to guide my horses back to
mortals. The robe will never wear out, and the spear will keep away
all evil spirits and subdue your enemies.'
"When Good Arrow would have thanked the Chief, he found he was alone
upon the shore where he first saw the child. Had it not been for the
gorgeous robe upon his back and the spear in his hand, he would have
said it was all a dream from which he had but just awakened.