_New plans_--_Our travellers join the fur-traders, and see many
strange things_--_A curious fight_--_A narrow escape, and a prisoner
taken_.
Not long after the events related in the last chapter, our four
friends--Dick, and Joe, and Henri, and Crusoe--agreed to become for a
time members of Walter Cameron's band of trappers. Joe joined because
one of the objects which the traders had in view was similar to his
own mission--namely, the promoting of peace among the various Indian
tribes of the mountains and plains to the west. Joe, therefore,
thought it a good opportunity of travelling with a band of men who
could secure him a favourable hearing from the Indian tribes they
might chance to meet with in the course of their wanderings. Besides,
as the traders carried about a large supply of goods with them, he
could easily replenish his own nearly exhausted pack by hunting wild
animals and exchanging their skins for such articles as he might
require.
Dick joined because it afforded him an opportunity of seeing the wild,
majestic scenery of the Rocky Mountains, and shooting the big-horned
sheep which abounded there, and the grizzly "bars," as Joe named them,
or "Caleb," as they were more frequently styled by Henri and the other
men.
Henri joined because it was agreeable to the inclination of his own
rollicking, blundering, floundering, crashing disposition, and because
he would have joined anything that had been joined by the other two.
Crusoe's reason for joining was single, simple, easy to be expressed,
easy to be understood, and commendable. _He_ joined--because Dick did.
The very day after the party left the encampment where Dick had shot
the grizzly bear and the deer, he had the satisfaction of bringing
down a splendid specimen of the big-horned sheep. It came suddenly
out from a gorge of the mountain, and stood upon the giddy edge of a
tremendous precipice, at a distance of about two hundred and fifty
yards.
"_You_ could not hit that," said a trapper to Henri, who was rather
fond of jeering him about his shortsightedness.
"Non!" cried Henri, who didn't see the animal in the least; "say you
dat? ve shall see;" and he let fly with a promptitude that amazed his
comrades, and with a result that drew from them peals of laughter.
"Why, you have missed the mountain!"
"Oh, non! dat am eempossoble."
It was true, nevertheless, for his ball had been arrested in its
flight by the stem of a tree not twenty yards before him.
While the shot was yet ringing, and before the laugh above referred to
had pealed forth, Dick Varley fired, and the animal, springing wildly
into the air, fell down the precipice, and was almost dashed to
pieces at their feet. This Rocky Mountain or big-horned sheep was a
particularly large and fine one, but being a patriarch of the flock
was not well suited for food. It was considerably larger in size than
the domestic sheep, and might be described as somewhat resembling a
deer in the body and a ram in the head. Its horns were the chief point
of interest to Dick; and, truly, they were astounding! Their enormous
size was out of all proportion to the animal's body, and they curved
backwards and downwards, and then curled up again in a sharp point.
These creatures frequent the inaccessible heights of the Rocky
Mountains, and are difficult to approach. They have a great fondness
for salt, and pay regular visits to the numerous caverns of these
mountains, which are encrusted with a saline substance.
Walter Cameron now changed his intention of proceeding to the
eastward, as he found the country not so full of beaver at that
particular spot as he had anticipated. He therefore turned towards
the west, penetrated into the interior of the mountains, and took a
considerable sweep through the lovely valleys on their western slopes.
The expedition which this enterprising fur-trader was conducting was
one of the first that ever penetrated these wild regions in search of
furs. The ground over which they travelled was quite new to them, and
having no guide they just moved about at haphazard, encamping on the
margin of every stream or river on which signs of the presence of
beaver were discovered, and setting their traps.
Beaver skins at this time were worth 25s. a-piece in the markets of
civilized lands, and in the Snake country, through which our friends
were travelling, thousands of them were to be had from the Indians for
trinkets and baubles that were scarce worth a farthing. A beaver skin
could be procured from the Indians for a brass finger-ring or a penny
looking-glass. Horses were also so numerous that one could be procured
for an axe or a knife.
Let not the reader, however, hastily conclude that the traders cheated
the Indians in this traffic, though the profits were so enormous. The
ring or the axe was indeed a trifle to the trader, but the beaver skin
and the horse were equally trifles to the savage, who could procure as
many of them as he chose with very little trouble, while the ring and
the axe were in his estimation of priceless value. Besides, be it
remembered, to carry that ring and that axe to the far-distant haunts
of the Red-man cost the trader weeks and months of constant toil,
trouble, anxiety, and, alas! too frequently cost him his life! The
state of trade is considerably modified in these regions at the
present day. It is not more _justly_ conducted, for, in respect of the
value of goods given for furs, it was justly conducted _then_, but
time and circumstances have tended more to equalize the relative
values of articles of trade.
The snow which had prematurely fallen had passed away, and the
trappers now found themselves wandering about in a country so
beautiful and a season so delightful, that it would have seemed to
them a perfect paradise, but for the savage tribes who hovered about
them, and kept them ever on the _qui vive_.
They soon passed from the immediate embrace of stupendous heights and
dark gorges to a land of sloping ridges, which divided the country
into a hundred luxuriant vales, composed part of woodland and part of
prairie. Through these, numerous rivers and streams flowed deviously,
beautifying the landscape and enriching the land. There were also many
lakes of all sizes, and these swarmed with fish, while in some of them
were found the much-sought-after and highly-esteemed beaver. Salt
springs and hot springs of various temperatures abounded here, and
many of the latter were so hot that meat could be boiled in them.
Salt existed in all directions in abundance and of good quality. A
sulphurous spring was also discovered, bubbling out from the base of a
perpendicular rock three hundred feet high, the waters of which were
dark-blue and tasted like gunpowder. In short, the land presented
every variety of feature calculated to charm the imagination and
delight the eye.
It was a mysterious land, too; for broad rivers burst in many places
from the earth, flowed on for a short space, and then disappeared
as if by magic into the earth from which they rose. Natural bridges
spanned the torrents in many places, and some of these were so
correctly formed that it was difficult to believe they had not been
built by the hand of man. They often appeared opportunely to our
trappers, and saved them the trouble and danger of fording rivers.
Frequently the whole band would stop in silent wonder and awe as they
listened to the rushing of waters under their feet, as if another
world of streams, and rapids, and cataracts were flowing below the
crust of earth on which they stood. Some considerable streams were
likewise observed to gush from the faces of precipices, some twenty or
thirty feet from their summits, while on the top no water was to be
seen.
Wild berries of all kinds were found in abundance, and wild
vegetables, besides many nutritious roots. Among other fish, splendid
salmon were found in the lakes and rivers, and animal life swarmed on
hill and in dale. Woods and valleys, plains and ravines, teemed with
it. On every plain the red-deer grazed in herds by the banks of lake
and stream. Wherever there were clusters of poplar and elder trees and
saplings, the beaver was seen nibbling industriously with his sharp
teeth, and committing as much havoc in the forest as if he had been
armed with the woodman's axe; others sported in the eddies. Racoons
sat in the tree-tops; the marten, the black fox, and the wolf prowled
in the woods in quest of prey; mountain sheep and goats browsed on the
rocky ridges; and badgers peeped from their holes.
Here, too, the wild horse sprang snorting and dishevelled from his
mountain retreats--with flourishing mane and tail, spanking step, and
questioning gaze--and thundered away over the plains and valleys,
while the rocks echoed back his shrill neigh. The huge, heavy,
ungainly elk, or moose-deer, _trotted_ away from the travellers with
speed equal to that of the mustang: elks seldom gallop; their best
speed is attained at the trot. Bears, too, black, and brown, and
grizzly, roamed about everywhere.
So numerous were all these creatures that on one occasion the hunters
of the party brought in six wild horses, three bears, four elks, and
thirty red-deer; having shot them all a short distance ahead of the
main body, and almost without diverging from the line of march. And
this was a matter of everyday occurrence--as it had need to be,
considering the number of mouths that had to be filled.
The feathered tribes were not less numerous. Chief among these were
eagles and vultures of uncommon size, the wild goose, wild duck, and
the majestic swan.
In the midst of such profusion the trappers spent a happy time of it,
when not molested by the savages, but they frequently lost a horse or
two in consequence of the expertness of these thievish fellows. They
often wandered, however, for days at a time without seeing an Indian,
and at such times they enjoyed to the full the luxuries with which a
bountiful God had blessed these romantic regions.
Dick Varley was almost wild with delight. It was his first excursion
into the remote wilderness; he was young, healthy, strong, and
romantic; and it is a question whether his or his dog's heart, or that
of the noble wild horse he bestrode, bounded most with joy at
the glorious sights and sounds and influences by which they were
surrounded. It would have been perfection, had it not been for the
frequent annoyance and alarms caused by the Indians.
Alas! alas! that we who write and read about those wondrous scenes
should have to condemn our own species as the most degraded of all the
works of the Creator there! Yet so it is. Man, exercising his reason
and conscience in the path of love and duty which his Creator points
out, is God's noblest work; but man, left to the freedom of his own
fallen will, sinks morally lower than the beasts that perish. Well
may every Christian wish and pray that the name and the gospel of the
blessed Jesus may be sent speedily to the dark places of the earth;
for you may read of, and talk about, but you _cannot conceive_ the
fiendish wickedness and cruelty which causes tearless eyes to glare,
and maddened hearts to burst, in the lands of the heathen.
While we are on this subject, let us add (and our young readers
will come to know it if they are spared to see many years) that
_civilization_ alone will never improve the heart. Let history speak,
and it will tell you that deeds of darkest hue have been perpetrated
in so-called civilized though pagan lands. Civilization is like the
polish that beautifies inferior furniture, which water will wash off
if it be but _hot enough_. Christianity resembles dye, which permeates
every fibre of the fabric, and which nothing can eradicate.
The success of the trappers in procuring beaver here was great. In all
sorts of creeks and rivers they were found. One day they came to one
of the curious rivers before mentioned, which burst suddenly out of
a plain, flowed on for several miles, and then disappeared into the
earth as suddenly as it had risen. Even in this strange place beaver
were seen, so the traps were set, and a hundred and fifty were caught
at the first lift.
The manner in which the party proceeded was as follows:--They marched
in a mass in groups or in a long line, according to the nature of
the ground over which they travelled. The hunters of the party went
forward a mile or two in advance, and scattered through the woods.
After them came the advance-guard, being the bravest and most stalwart
of the men mounted on their best steeds, and with rifle in hand;
immediately behind followed the women and children, also mounted, and
the pack-horses with the goods and camp equipage. Another band of
trappers formed the rear-guard to this imposing cavalcade. There was
no strict regimental order kept, but the people soon came to adopt the
arrangements that were most convenient for all parties, and at length
fell naturally into their places in the line of march.
Joe Blunt usually was the foremost and always the most successful of
the hunters. He was therefore seldom seen on the march except at the
hour of starting, and at night when he came back leading his horse,
which always groaned under its heavy load of meat. Henri, being a
hearty, jovial soul and fond of society, usually kept with the main
body. As for Dick, he was everywhere at once, at least as much so as
it is possible for human nature to be! His horse never wearied; it
seemed to delight in going at full speed; no other horse in the troop
could come near Charlie, and Dick indulged him by appearing now at
the front, now at the rear, anon in the centre, and frequently
_nowhere_!--having gone off with Crusoe like a flash of lightning
after a buffalo or a deer. Dick soon proved himself to be the best
hunter of the party, and it was not long before he fulfilled his
promise to Crusoe and decorated his neck with a collar of grizzly bear
claws. Well, when the trappers came to a river where there were signs
of beaver they called a halt, and proceeded to select a safe and
convenient spot, near wood and water, for the camp. Here the property
of the band was securely piled in such a manner as to form a
breastwork or slight fortification, and here Walter Cameron
established headquarters. This was always the post of danger, being
exposed to sudden attack by prowling savages, who often dogged the
footsteps of the party in their journeyings to see what they could
steal. But Cameron was an old hand, and they found it difficult to
escape his vigilant eye.
From this point all the trappers were sent forth in small parties
every morning in various directions, some on foot and some on
horseback, according to the distances they had to go; but they never
went farther than twenty miles, as they had to return to camp every
evening.
Each trapper had ten steel traps allowed him. These he set every
night, and visited every morning, sometimes oftener when practicable,
selecting a spot in the stream where many trees had been cut down by
beavers for the purpose of damming up the water. In some places as
many as fifty tree stumps were seen in one spot, within the compass of
half an acre, all cut through at about eighteen inches from the
root. We may remark, in passing, that the beaver is very much like a
gigantic water-rat, with this marked difference, that its tail is very
broad and flat like a paddle. The said tail is a greatly-esteemed
article of food, as, indeed, is the whole body at certain seasons of
the year. The beaver's fore legs are very small and short, and it uses
its paws as hands to convey food to its mouth, sitting the while in an
erect position on its hind legs and tail. Its fur is a dense coat of
a grayish-coloured down, concealed by long coarse hair, which lies
smooth, and is of a bright chestnut colour. Its teeth and jaws are of
enormous power; with them it can cut through the branch of a tree as
thick as a walking-stick at one snap, and, as we have said, it gnaws
through thick trees themselves.
As soon as a tree falls, the beavers set to work industriously to lop
off the branches, which, as well as the smaller trunks, they cut into
lengths, according to their weight and thickness. These are then
dragged by main force to the water-side, launched, and floated to
their destination. Beavers build their houses, or "lodges," under the
banks of rivers and lakes, and always select those of such depth of
water that there is no danger of their being frozen to the bottom.
When such cannot be found, and they are compelled to build in small
rivulets of insufficient depth, these clever little creatures dam up
the waters until they are deep enough. The banks thrown up by them
across rivulets for this purpose are of great strength, and would do
credit to human engineers. Their lodges are built of sticks, mud, and
stones, which form a compact mass; this freezes solid in winter, and
defies the assaults of that housebreaker, the wolverine, an animal
which is the beaver's implacable foe. From this lodge, which is
capable often of holding four old and six or eight young ones, a
communication is maintained with the water below the ice, so that,
should the wolverine succeed in breaking up the lodge, he finds the
family "not at home," they having made good their retreat by the
back-door. When man acts the part of housebreaker, however, he
cunningly shuts the back-door _first_, by driving stakes through the
ice, and thus stopping the passage. Then he enters, and, we almost
regret to say, finds the family at home. We regret it, because the
beaver is a gentle, peaceable, affectionate, hairy little creature,
towards which one feels an irresistible tenderness. But to return from
this long digression.
Our trappers, having selected their several localities, set their
traps in the water, so that when the beavers roamed about at night
they put their feet into them, and were caught and drowned; for
although they can swim and dive admirably, they cannot live altogether
under water.
Thus the different parties proceeded; and in the mornings the camp was
a busy scene indeed, for then the whole were engaged in skinning the
animals. The skins were always stretched, dried, folded up with the
hair in the inside, and laid by; and the flesh was used for food.
But oftentimes the trappers had to go forth with the gun in one hand
and their traps in the other, while they kept a sharp look-out on the
bushes to guard against surprise. Despite their utmost efforts, a
horse was occasionally stolen before their very eyes, and sometimes
even an unfortunate trapper was murdered, and all his traps carried
off.
An event of this kind occurred soon after the party had gained the
western slopes of the mountains. Three Iroquois Indians, who belonged
to the band of trappers, were sent to a stream about ten miles off.
Having reached their destination, they all entered the water to
set their traps, foolishly neglecting the usual precaution of one
remaining on the bank to protect the others. They had scarcely
commenced operations when three arrows were discharged into their
backs, and a party of Snake Indians rushed upon and slew them,
carrying away their traps and horses and scalps. This was not known
for several days, when, becoming anxious about their prolonged
absence, Cameron sent out a party, which found their mangled bodies
affording a loathsome banquet to the wolves and vultures.
After this sad event, the trappers were more careful to go in larger
parties, and keep watch.
As long as beaver were taken in abundance, the camp remained
stationary; but whenever the beaver began to grow scarce, the camp was
raised, and the party moved on to another valley.
One day Dick Varley came galloping into camp with the news that there
were several bears in a valley not far distant, which he was anxious
not to disturb until a number of the trappers were collected together
to go out and surround them.
On receiving the information, Walter Cameron shook his head.
"We have other things to do, young man," said he, "than go a-hunting
after bears. I'm just about making up my mind to send off a party to
search out the valley on the other side of the Blue Mountains yonder,
and bring back word if there are beaver there; for if not, I mean
to strike away direct south. Now, if you've a mind to go with them,
you're welcome. I'll warrant you'll find enough in the way of
bear-hunting to satisfy you; perhaps a little Indian hunting to boot,
for if the Banattees get hold of your horses, you'll have a long hunt
before you find them again. Will you go?"
"Ay, right gladly," replied Dick. "When do we start?"
"This afternoon."
Dick went off at once to his own part of the camp to replenish his
powder-horn and bullet-pouch, and wipe out his rifle.
That evening the party, under command of a Canadian named Pierre, set
out for the Blue Hills. They numbered twenty men, and expected to be
absent three days, for they merely went to reconnoitre, not to trap.
Neither Joe nor Henri was of this party, both having been out hunting
when it was organized; but Crusoe and Charlie were, of course.
Pierre, although a brave and trusty man, was of a sour, angry
disposition, and not a favourite with Dick; but the latter resolved to
enjoy himself, and disregard his sulky comrade. Being so well mounted,
he not unfrequently shot far ahead of his companions, despite their
warnings that he ran great risk by so doing. On one of these occasions
he and Crusoe witnessed a very singular fight, which is worthy of
record.
Dick had felt a little wilder in spirit that morning than usual, and
on coming to a pretty open plain he gave the rein to Charlie, and with
an "_Adieu, mes camarade_," he was out of sight in a few minutes. He
rode on several miles in advance without checking speed, and then came
to a wood where rapid motion was inconvenient; so he pulled up, and,
dismounting, tied Charlie to a tree, while he sauntered on a short way
on foot.
On coming to the edge of a small plain he observed two large birds
engaged in mortal conflict. Crusoe observed them too, and would soon
have put an end to the fight had Dick not checked him. Creeping as
close to the belligerents as possible, he found that one was a wild
turkey-cock, the other a white-headed eagle. These two stood with
their heads down and all their feathers bristling for a moment; then
they dashed at each other, and struck fiercely with their spurs, as
our domestic cocks do, but neither fell, and the fight was continued
for about five minutes without apparent advantage on either side.
Dick now observed that, from the uncertainty of its motions, the
turkey-cock was blind, a discovery which caused a throb of compunction
to enter his breast for standing and looking on, so he ran forward.
The eagle saw him instantly, and tried to fly away, but was unable
from exhaustion.
"At him, Crusoe," cried Dick, whose sympathies all lay with the other
bird.
Crusoe went forward at a bound, and was met by a peck between the eyes
that would have turned most dogs; but Crusoe only winked, and the next
moment the eagle's career was ended.
Dick found that the turkey-cock was quite blind, the eagle having
thrust out both its eyes, so, in mercy, he put an end to its
sufferings.
The fight had evidently been a long and severe one, for the grass all
round the spot, for about twenty yards, was beaten to the ground, and
covered with the blood and feathers of the fierce combatants.
Meditating on the fight which he had just witnessed, Dick returned
towards the spot where he had left Charlie, when he suddenly missed
Crusoe from his side.
"Hallo, Crusoe! here, pup! where are you?" he cried.
The only answer to this was a sharp whizzing sound, and an arrow,
passing close to his ear, quivered in a tree beyond. Almost at the
same moment Crusoe's angry roar was followed by a shriek from some one
in fear or agony. Cocking his rifle, the young hunter sprang through
the bushes towards his horse, and was just in time to save a Banattee
Indian from being strangled by the dog. It had evidently scented out
this fellow, and pinned him just as he was in the act of springing on
the back of Charlie, for the halter was cut, and the savage lay on the
ground close beside him.
Dick called off the dog, and motioned to the Indian to rise, which he
did so nimbly that it was quite evident he had sustained no injury
beyond the laceration of his neck by Crusoe's teeth, and the surprise.
He was a tall strong Indian for the tribe to which he belonged, so
Dick proceeded to secure him at once. Pointing to his rifle and to
the Indian's breast, to show what he might expect if he attempted to
escape, Dick ordered Crusoe to keep him steady in that position.
The dog planted himself in front of the savage, who began to tremble
for his scalp, and gazed up in his face with a look which, to say the
least of it, was the reverse of amiable, while Dick went towards his
horse for the purpose of procuring a piece of cord to tie him with.
The Indian naturally turned his head to see what was going to be done,
but a peculiar _gurgle_ in Crusoe's throat made him turn it round
again very smartly, and he did not venture thereafter to move a
muscle.
In a few seconds Dick returned with a piece of leather and tied his
hands behind his back. While this was being done the Indian glanced
several times at his bow, which lay a few feet away, where it had
fallen when the dog caught him; but Crusoe seemed to understand him,
for he favoured him with such an additional display of teeth, and
such a low--apparently distant, almost, we might say, subterranean
--_rumble_, that he resigned himself to his fate.
His hands secured, a long line was attached to his neck with a running
noose, so that if he ventured to run away the attempt would effect its
own cure by producing strangulation. The other end of this line was
given to Crusoe, who at the word of command marched him off, while
Dick mounted Charlie and brought up the rear.
Great was the laughter and merriment when this apparition met the eyes
of the trappers; but when they heard that he had attempted to shoot
Dick their ire was raised, and a court-martial was held on the spot.
"Hang the reptile!" cried one.
"Burn him!" shouted another.
"No, no," said a third; "don't imitate them villains: don't be cruel.
Let's shoot him." "Shoot 'im," cried Pierre. "Oui, dat is de ting; it
too goot pour lui, mais it shall be dooed."
"Don't ye think, lads, it would be better to let the poor wretch off?"
said Dick Varley; "he'd p'r'aps give a good account o' us to his
people."
There was a universal shout of contempt at this mild proposal.
Unfortunately, few of the men sent on this exploring expedition were
imbued with the peace-making spirit of their chief, and most of them
seemed glad to have a chance of venting their hatred of the poor
Indians on this unhappy wretch, who, although calm, looked sharply
from one speaker to another, to gather hope, if possible, from the
tones of their voices.
Dick was resolved, at the risk of a quarrel with Pierre, to save the
poor man's life, and had made up his mind to insist on having him
conducted to the camp to be tried by Cameron, when one of the men
suggested that they should take the savage to the top of a hill about
three miles farther on, and there hang him up on a tree as a warning
to all his tribe.
"Agreed, agreed!" cried the men; "come on."
Dick, too, seemed to agree to this proposal, and hastily ordered
Crusoe to run on ahead with the savage; an order which the dog obeyed
so vigorously that, before the men had done laughing at him, he was a
couple of hundred yards ahead of them.
"Take care that he don't get off!" cried Dick, springing on Charlie
and stretching out at a gallop.
In a moment he was beside the Indian. Scraping together the little of
the Indian language he knew, he stooped down, and, cutting the thongs
that bound him, said,--
"Go! white men love the Indians."
The man cast on his deliverer one glance of surprise, and the next
moment bounded aside into the bushes and was gone.
A loud shout from the party behind showed that this act had been
observed; and Crusoe stood with the end of the line in his mouth,
and an expression on his face that said, "You're absolutely
incomprehensible, Dick! It's all right, I _know_, but to my feeble
capacity it _seems_ wrong."
"Fat for you do dat?" shouted Pierre in a rage, as he came up with a
menacing look.
Dick confronted him. "The prisoner was mine. I had a right to do with
him as it liked me."
"True, true," cried several of the men who had begun to repent of
their resolution, and were glad the savage was off. "The lad's right.
Get along, Pierre."
"You had no right, you vas wrong. Oui, et I have goot vill to give you
one knock on de nose."
Dick looked Pierre in the face, as he said this, in a manner that
cowed him.
"It is time," he said quietly, pointing to the sun, "to go on. Your
bourgeois expects that time won't be wasted."
Pierre muttered something in an angry tone, and wheeling round his
horse, dashed forward at full gallop, followed by the rest of the men.
The trappers encamped that night on the edge of a wide grassy plain,
which offered such tempting food for the horses that Pierre resolved
to forego his usual cautious plan of picketing them close to the camp,
and set them loose on the plain, merely hobbling them to prevent their
straying far.
Dick remonstrated, but in vain. An insolent answer was all he got for
his pains. He determined, however, to keep Charlie close beside him
all night, and also made up his mind to keep a sharp look-out on the
other horses.
At supper he again remonstrated.
"No 'fraid," said Pierre, whose pipe was beginning to improve his
temper. "The red reptiles no dare to come in open plain when de moon
so clear."
"Dun know that," said a taciturn trapper, who seldom ventured a remark
of any kind; "them varmints 'ud steal the two eyes out o' you' head
when they set their hearts on't."
"Dat ar' umposs'ble, for dey have no hearts," said a half-breed; "dey
have von hole vere de heart vas be."
This was received with a shout of laughter, in the midst of which an
appalling yell was heard, and, as if by magic, four Indians were seen
on the backs of four of the best horses, yelling like fiends, and
driving all the other horses furiously before them over the plain!
How they got there was a complete mystery, but the men did not wait
to consider that point. Catching up their guns they sprang after them
with the fury of madmen, and were quickly scattered far and wide. Dick
ordered Crusoe to follow and help the men, and turned to spring on the
back of Charlie; but at that moment he observed an Indian's head and
shoulders rise above the grass, not fifty yards in advance from him,
so without hesitation he darted forward, intending to pounce upon him.
Well would it have been for Dick Varley had he at that time possessed
a little more experience of the wiles and stratagems of the Banattees.
The Snake nation is subdivided into several tribes, of which those
inhabiting the Rocky Mountains, called the Banattees, are the most
perfidious. Indeed, they are confessedly the banditti of the hills,
and respect neither friend nor foe, but rob all who come in their way.
Dick reached the spot where the Indian had disappeared in less than a
minute, but no savage was to be seen. Thinking he had crept ahead, he
ran on a few yards farther, and darted about hither and thither,
while his eye glanced from side to side. Suddenly a shout in the camp
attracted his attention, and looking back he beheld the savage on
Charlie's back turning to fly. Next moment he was off and away far
beyond the hope of recovery. Dick had left his rifle in the camp,
otherwise the savage would have gone but a short way. As it was, Dick
returned, and sitting down on a mound of grass, stared straight before
him with a feeling akin to despair. Even Crusoe could not have helped
him had he been there, for nothing on four legs, or on two, could keep
pace with Charlie.
The Banattee achieved this feat by adopting a stratagem which
invariably deceives those who are ignorant of their habits and
tactics. When suddenly pursued the Banattee sinks into the grass, and,
serpent-like, creeps along with wonderful rapidity, not _from_ but
_towards_ his enemy, taking care, however, to avoid him, so that when
the pursuer reaches the spot where the pursued is supposed to be
hiding, he hears him shout a yell of defiance far away in the rear.
It was thus that the Banattee eluded Dick and gained the camp almost
as soon as the other reached the spot where he had disappeared.
One by one the trappers came back weary, raging, and despairing. In a
short time they all assembled, and soon began to reproach each other.
Ere long one or two had a fight, which resulted in several bloody
noses and black eyes, thus adding to the misery which, one would
think, had been bad enough without such additions. At last they
finished their suppers and their pipes, and then lay down to sleep
under the trees till morning, when they arose in a particularly silent
and sulky mood, rolled up their blankets, strapped their things on
their shoulders, and began to trudge slowly back to the camp on foot.