_Deer Hunt.—Encampment.—Indian Night Fires.—Lost Horses.—Doctor’s
Mule._
On the third morning after leaving the village, I started out to hunt on
foot in company with three Indians: two Otoes, who had borrowed rifles
from the soldiers, and a Pawnee. The party, and the train of accompanying
delegates, were journeying in a long line, over the prairie, at some
miles distance. We had hunted for several hours, up and down the deep
ravines, which intersected the prairie. My two companions had become
separated from me; but a sturdy Pawnee lingered with me, and trudged
lustily along at my heels, with the hope of coming in for a share of any
game that I should kill during the day. We travelled up one ravine, and
down another, but nothing was to be found.
“Ugh!” burst from the lips of the Pawnee. I looked round; he was
crouching flat to the ground, and made signs to me to get my rifle in
readiness. Vague suspicions of danger flashed across my mind; we had
heard that there was a band of Sioux Indians lurking round our party.
Could we have come unawares upon them? These ideas flashed momentarily
upon me, but they as quickly subsided, and cocking my gun, I stole
cautiously towards him. He was crouching in some bushes, near the
jagged top of a small ridge, which looked down into a deep ravine. As I
approached him, he shrank still closer into his hiding place, and made
signs to me to pass to the top of the ridge. I crept up slowly, and
peered above its level; at the instant, I caught sight of an Indian,
as he squatted quickly behind a bush. My fears seemed realized. We had
fallen into the snare! I looked back towards the Pawnee; he was still
maintaining his position, and keenly watching my movements. As he caught
my eye he urged me by his gestures to fire: I hesitated. At that instant
the dark form in front of me, rose slowly up from behind the bush; and I
recognised the stern, proud features of one of my Otoe companions. The
next moment, I caught sight of a large buck lying lazily beneath the
shade of a bush. The mystery was explained in an instant. The Pawnee had
seen the animal; and it was the deer, and not the Indian, whom he wished
to be shot. As I rose to fire the Otoe again crouched behind the bush;
the bullet missed, and the beast leaping up, sprang towards the spot
where his foe lay hid. He had scarcely taken three leaps, before a shot
whistled from a clump of bushes, at some distance, and in a different
quarter. The deer changed his course, and springing forward, made for the
opposite side of the ravine. He dashed through the bushes, and bounded
like lightning up the ragged steep. At that moment the Otoe, who had
first secreted himself, had a fair view of him; he must have been about
a hundred yards distant, and was dashing furiously up the craggy hill.
The Indian fired, and the deer fell on one knee, but regained his feet.
In front of him, was a steep bank, covered with shrubbery. He made a
desperate effort to gain it, but failed; and rolled headlong down, until
he splashed in the brook at the bottom. A loud whoop burst from the three
Indians, and the two youngest sprang forward to the spot; while the
third, who was a cautious old fellow, stopped to reload his rifle.
When they arrived at the place where the buck had fallen, they found that
he was not dead, neither was his wound mortal; one of his fore legs was
shivered by the bullet, but he had gained his feet, and now stood at
bay. His head was bent to the ground, and he dashed his antlers furiously
in every direction; his eyes flared with a wild, menacing expression;
and the white foam slavered from his mouth. The Indians made several
attempts to thrust their knives into him, but were as often balked by his
fiercely-brandished antlers. They hovered around him like wolves; now
threatening him in one quarter; now in another; but his horns ever met
them. They then both attacked him at once, and succeeded in inflicting
a slight wound. It served only to increase his fury; he leaped towards
them, with a ferocity that caused them in turn to take to flight. Just
then, the Indian who had remained behind to load his rifle, came up. The
buck faced towards him and again brandished his antlers; but a bullet
hurled him to the ground, and the next moment a tomahawk was buried
between his eyes. A sharp convulsive shudder passed over his frame, he
made a desperate effort to gain his feet, but in vain, a second shudder
concluded his mortal struggle, and falling over upon his side, he expired.
An Indian is a quick butcher, and not more than ten minutes had elapsed,
before the animal was skinned, and cut up. Each of us took a quarter upon
our backs and set off for the encampment; which we reached about an hour
after night fall.
The party had encamped in a small isolated grove. It was completely
clear of underwood, except here and there a tall bush; and there was not
another tree in sight. A spring gushed out at the foot of a hill at a
short distance, and flowed in a pure but scanty stream through the grove.
When we came in we found that the Indians had divided into squads, and
that every ten or a dozen had kindled their own night fires. All the
arrangements, preparatory to remaining quiet, were not yet completed.
The soldiers were felling dead trees, for fuel. Joseph was busily
employed, in hobbling and swearing at his mules; while Mordecai with the
air of a connoiseur, stood by, assisting him with his advice.
Some of the Pawnees, and Otoes, were scattered through the grove in
search of fuel. Some breaking dead limbs from off the trees, and others
collecting what was already strewed upon the ground. Two or three were
erecting shantees to keep off the dews of the night. And several young
Otoes were employed in weaving a shed of boughs, to shelter the wife of
the Iotan, who had been unwell for several days past; and whose disease
always grew worse towards evening, when she would have been obliged to
assist in the labour, if she had been in good health.
In the course of an hour, the Indians completed their arrangements, and
kindled a string of fires along the dry bed of a stream. As I had never
seen them when encamped, except upon the Platte, where all vivacity had
been soaked out of them. I strolled among the different groups. They were
all in high glee. I came to the fire, occupied by the Wild Horse’s family
and a few of his dependants. The old warrior was in the keen enjoyment
of some witticism just uttered by a little shrivelled fellow, a hanger
on, who was evidently trying to make himself agreeable; that he might be
invited to partake of a racoon that was cooking over the fire, under the
superintendence of the squaw of his host. The Wild Horse made room for me
by his side, so I seated myself, nor was I permitted to leave until I had
partaken of his viands. From his fire I went to that of the Long Hair,
who was huddled up, with his whole soul apparently engaged, in roasting
a small piece of venison, upon the point of a green stick. He looked up
for a moment, and then turned his attention to the roasting meat. I soon
left him and strolled off to the fire of the Otoes. Here I found the
Doctor very cosily seated between the Iotan, and his wife, prescribing
for _her_, and taking care of _himself_, by occasionally cutting a rib
from a large piece of venison standing in front of the fire, impaled upon
a stake of green wood.
Early the next morning the tents were struck, when Mordecai made his
appearance with a very lugubrious face, informing us that two horses
had disappeared, and that the mule belonging to the Doctor was also
missing. The Doctor was in a fever. He ran down to the place where the
animals pastured; he examined the bushes, and beat through all the
long grass; but his mule, Kitty Keero, was not to be found. He then
seated himself upon the stump of a tree, and thrusting his hands in his
breeches-pockets, shouted the name of his mule at the top of his lungs;
but no Kitty Keero answered him. At last the Interpreter pointed to a
savage-looking Pawnee, leaning against a tree, with his hair matted and
twisted in every direction, and a few long elf locks reaching down to
his naked waist. He advised the Commissioner to send him in search of
the horses; as he was a first rate fellow to track a hoof. A blanket was
accordingly promised the Indian in case of success, and after hovering
around the grove for a short time, in search of the hoof mark, he hit
upon it, and started off like a hound.
In an hour he returned, bringing with him the vagrant animals. Kitty
Keero gave utterance to a long apologetic bray, as she entered the grove.
This was well received by her master, who was so much overjoyed at once
more seeing her, that two or three reproachful repetitions of her name,
were all the chidings she received.
The wagons then drove out of the grove, followed by the Indians; the
rear being brought up by the horsemen. In front of them rode the Doctor
mounted upon Kitty; and as they jogged slowly along, I could not help
thinking, that they would have formed no inapt illustration of Sancho
Panza and his beloved Dapple.