_A Hunted Deer.—Deserted Encampment.—Distant Indians.—Night
Camp.—Owls.—Burning Sycamore._
For hours I continued my course, pausing upon the summit of every hill,
in a faint, but vain hope of seeing my comrades. At last, at a distance,
I saw a deer scouring over the top of a ridge, and making directly
towards me. I crouched upon the burnt sod, cocked my rifle, and waited
for him. I wondered at his speed, for there was no hunter in sight; but
it was soon explained. As he descended into a hollow, three wolves came
following at full speed, over the hill. The deer soon rose out of the
bend, and kept on towards me. Almost without breathing, I watched him. I
had eaten nothing since the morning of the preceding day, and there was
something of ferocity in my feelings, as I gazed at him. I gathered my
feet under me, and slowly raised my rifle. The animal still approached. I
should have waited; but a burning feverishness rendered me impatient, and
while he was at least a hundred and fifty yards distant, I rose and took
aim. He stopped short, and gazed steadily at me, with his head raised
high in the air, and presenting only his front. I pulled the trigger; the
bullet might have grazed him, but did him no injury. He did not wait for
a second shot, but darted like an arrow across the prairie. I watched him
until he faded from my sight, and then re-loaded my rifle.
This incident, which for an instant had diverted the current of my
thoughts, now served only to render them more heavy. At the sound of
my rifle, the wolves in pursuit, had scampered off as hastily in one
direction, as the deer had done in the other; and I felt a kind of
selfish satisfaction in knowing, that if I had not been able to obtain a
meal from his ribs, this gang of vagabonds was equally disappointed.
Once more I proceeded on my journey, directing my course by the sun. I
had hunted much on foot, and my limbs had become hardened by toil; so
that I could journey long without sinking, though not without feeling
fatigue. It was about an hour after mid-day when I again came in sight of
a forest. There was a golden mark upon the prairie. The blackness stopped
abruptly, and pointed out the spot where the fire, from some cause or
other, had ceased its course in this direction. A lowering column of
smoke, however, hanging like a sullen pall, in another quarter, showed
that the element was still at work.
Within half an hour, I reached the wood, and striking an Indian trail,
entered it. It was a grove of tall, and beautiful hickories; and in the
centre were the remains of an Indian hunting-camp. It had been occupied
for some time, as the frames of the wigwams were more strong and durable
in their structure, than those usually erected for transient purposes.
They could have been abandoned but lately; for the bark was still green
on the boughs composing them, and there were the recent foot-prints of
horses. The dead pea-vines were trampled down by hoofs: and there was one
rock, jutting out in the small stream meandering through the grove, which
was covered with racoon fur, and here and there sprinkled with drops of
blood. I sat down upon the rock, watched the waters, and thought of the
former occupants of the grove. Had I been a day sooner, I might have met
them; but then they might have been enemies. So I began to think that
things were better as they were; for even the most friendly tribes, are
apt to lose their good will towards he whites, when a single one falls
into their power. Desolate as I was, I could not but be sensible of the
beauty of the grove. I could see far down deep vistas, gilded here and
there by the sunbeams. The wind had gradually died away. The stream
glided murmuring over a rocky bottom, and here and there glittered like
silver in the beams of the sun. The wild cry of the blue-jay was heard,
hailing some noisy comrade in a distant tree-top. As I sat looking upon
the water, I heard a slight noise in the stream, above me, and caught
sight of a number of wood-ducks, borne on by the current. They are a
beautiful bird. Now they glided beneath the shade of some plant that
drooped over the water’s edge; now they whirled easily round, as some
changeful current caught them in its lilliputian whirlpool. They chased
each other sportively across the water, sometimes scouring up the stream,
then again relinquishing themselves to its course. They were small game,
but I was famished, and had my rifle in readiness. I waited until I got
two of them in a range, and then fired. My bullet struck off the head of
the first, and considerably confused the ideas of the second; but after
splashing about, bottom upwards, and trying several other novel modes of
navigation, he recovered himself, and flew after his companions.
Having secured my prize, I crossed the brook, and struck into a winding
pathway, which led up the steep bank opposite.
I had scarcely left the grove, when upon looking round, I caught sight
of a train of figures moving along the top of a ridge, far away to the
westward. There were six in it, and they must have been many miles
distant. So faint was their outline, and so small did they appear in the
vast space that lay open in that direction, that they reminded me of the
dim, spectre-like forms of a phantasmagoria. At first I felt a start
of joy, for I thought that they might be my companions: but a second
reflection convinced me that I was mistaken, for the train was moving
along to the northwest—the very reverse of the route to the settlements.
Then too the idea flashed across me, that they must be Indians—perhaps
hostile ones. Although so distant that there was scarcely a probability
of their seeing me, I returned to the grove, where I watched their
gliding forms, until they at last sunk behind one of the ridges, and
then I pursued my course. In front of me again, was a prairie which
had escaped the flame, and was covered with herbage. But though it was
pleasing to the eye, I soon began to wish for the black waste; for
the tangled grass impeded my steps, and rendered my journey extremely
toilsome. I had not accomplished many miles before the sun began to sink
in the west. I then determined to travel no farther that night, but
take up my quarters in a small clump of trees, which clustered like
an island upon the borders of a brook. I collected a pile of dry wood;
kindled a fire; made a spit of a green twig, on which I impaled my duck,
and stuck it upright in the ground in front of the fire; then stretching
myself upon a bed of dry grass, I watched the roasting of my supper with
a hungry eye. When I had made a meal with the relish of a half-famished
man, I turned upon my bed and fell asleep. After a time I awoke; added
fresh fuel to the fire, and stretched myself upon my pallet, again to
sleep.
It was a bright and beautiful night; the moon was shining amidst myriads
of stars, veiled now and then by a light, fleecy cloud, from which she
seemed to emerge with increased splendour. I lay gazing at her as she
moved along like a queen surrounded by her maids of honour.
“Whoop! whoop! whoo!” sounded a loud voice near me.
I started to my feet: for I thought that I had heard a human cry; perhaps
one of my party, and with a loud hail I answered the sound.
“Whoop! whoo! whoo!” again repeated the voice. A gigantic sycamore reared
its naked and scathed trunk in the moonlight. At the extremity of a
single dry limb, which stretched out from nearly the top of the tree, was
seated an owl of the largest species.
He repeated the cry which had started me. “Whoop! whoo! whoo!”
“Whoop! whoo! whoo!” responded another from a different quarter, and a
dusky bird flitted by, and perched on the long limb beside his companion.
I again stretched myself upon my couch and watched them, as they sat
between me and the moon. There was a confused jabbering carried on
between them: they probably had charge of the grove, and were puzzled,
at the intrusion of a stranger. After debating for some time, they
concluded to take a nearer view of the intruder, and descended to a lower
branch. Here they carried on the debate; apparently wondering who I was,
and what I wanted. They rubbed their huge heads together with an air of
vast perplexity: they rocked and fluttered on their perch. Occasionally
one of them threw his head on one side, and cast a very inquisitive look
down upon me; and then a fresh jabbering went on. After about fifteen
minutes spent in this way, the two dignitaries giving a farewell “whoop!
whoop! whoo!” flapped off and disappeared.
Again I turned and fixed my gaze upon the moon. There was a feeling of
fellowship connected with it. I knew that other eyes were resting upon
her pale orb, and I knew that while she was shining upon my solitary
couch, she was at the same time pouring her mellow light, upon the
abodes of my friends, far away and unconscious of my situation.
Chilled by the night air, I turned away and looked into the fire—forming
palaces, groves, and arcades, amid its glowing embers, until gradually my
eyes closed, and I slept.
When I awoke the sun was shining, and I resumed my solitary journey.
I continued on foot from sunrise till sunset, without seeing a living
thing, unless, perhaps, a distant deer; and halted for the night, in a
forest of thick timber. I found a large, dead sycamore standing upright,
with a complete chamber formed in its trunk by decay. I kindled a fire in
front of it, and filled the empty trunk with dried grass, and pea-vines
for a couch. I was wearied and slept soundly, until near midnight, when I
was awakened by the intense heat. The fire had by some means communicated
to a pile of fuel, which I had collected to sustain it during the night.
This was in a furious blaze, causing the old tree to smoke with the heat.
The hollow trunk was no place for me, unless I chose to be roasted. I
pulled my cap from my head, and wrapped it round my powder-horn—seized my
rifle, and sprang through the fire. The next instant, the flame leaped
upon my bed of dried vines, and the whole interior of the dead tree,
was in a blaze, that lasted for an instant and then expired. As it was
no longer possible to return to it, I seated myself upon a stump, and
remained half shivering, half dozing, until morning.