THE HUNTERS OF OZARK.
I must tell you how it was that Deerfoot the Shawanoe came to bring the
important letter of George Linden to his son Frederick.
It has already been stated that it was the custom of a party of hunters
and trappers to leave the settlement of Greville in the autumn of each
year and spend most of the cold weather among the streams at the foot of
a certain part of the Ozark Mountains. At that period, the fur bearing
animals abounded in the section, as they were found in hundreds of other
portions of the vast area known under the general name of the Louisiana
Territory. You must bear in mind that there were thousands of square
miles that had not been trodden by a white man, and so sparse were the
Indian villages that large portions of the country remained to be
visited even by them.
Beaver, otter, foxes, bears, and buffaloes were the chief animals that
were afterward driven west by the advancing tide of civilization, until
the agents of the Missouri and Western Fur Companies were forced to do
most of their work in the far west and north-west, where they came in
collision with that vast monopoly known as the Hudson Bay Company,
which, until recent years, not only trapped and hunted throughout
Oregon, but along the Pacific coast as far south as California.
George Linden, Rufus Hardin and James Bowlby composed the party who, in
the autumn of the year of which I am writing, rode each a horse a
hundred miles to the south of the frontier settlement of Greville, and
pitched their tent at the foot of the Ozark range. Beside the animals
ridden, each hunter took a pack-horse to help bring back the peltries
that were to be gathered during the cold weather. As a matter of course,
they were provided with guns and plenty of munitions, and indeed with
every necessity for their limited wants. They had spent several winters
there and knew what was before them. They had hunted and trapped for
years in other parts of the great west, and more than once had made the
long journey to the post of St. Louis to dispose of their furs, a
necessity that, as I have explained, was removed by the annual visit of
the agents with their long train of pack-horses to gather up the
peltries.
And so, without giving any of the interesting particulars of the ride
southward from Greville, let us take a look at the little party gathered
at their primitive camp in the wild Ozark region.
The six horses had been relieved of their burdens on reaching the place,
and were turned loose to crop the grass that was plentiful in many
places. Although there was snow now and then through the winter, there
was hardly enough to cause any suffering on the part of the animals.
When the storms, however, were violent or prolonged, the hardy beasts
were provided with some of the stores of dried grass that was kept in
stock, as may be said. In case that gave out they could make shift with
the cottonwood and other trees, whose bark was not lacking in succulent
qualities.
Although a tolerable shelter could have been found in any one of the
numerous caves within reach, the hunters preferred to erect a rough
cabin, that was almost strong enough to withstand a cyclone. The keen
axes enabled them to trim off the interfering limbs, and they were
joined at the corners so well that very little, if any, rain or snow
could force its way through. Other logs and branches were laid across
the top and ends fastened to the logs beneath by means of withes, so
that the roof was not likely to be carried away unless the cabin itself
went with it.
On the top of the roof was a thick layer of branches and leaves, packed
so closely that little moisture could find its way through. There were
no windows, for none was needed. The single door in front was large
enough to allow free egress and ingress. At night, when there was a
possibility that some curious wild animal might come snuffing around,
the door was closed by means of a framework of thick limbs, also
fastened together with withes, swinging on leathern hinges, and made
secure by a brace leaning against it from the inside.
Within this structure were stored their supplies, and the blankets on
which they slept were spread upon the bare ground. Their slumber was
sweeter, too, than it would have been had they stretched themselves on
"downy beds of ease," for health and weariness are two soporifics which
art can never supplant.
The traps and appurtenances used in their toil were never taken away
from the place, for there was no call to do so. Such repairs as were
needed from time to time were made in the cabin or on the spot, as the
necessity arose. The rifles, of course, furnished the food needed, while
an abundance of fish could be taken at any time from the streams in the
neighborhood.
A diet solely of flesh and fish is not acceptable to any one. Therefore,
among the supplies annually brought to the cabin, were a quantity of
coarse flour, meal, sugar, coffee, salt and tea. It may be said, that in
one respect they were like modern campers out, except that they took the
wrong season of the year for what so many boys consider the acme of
enjoyment.
There was little in the appearance of the three men to call for special
description. All were in middle life, strong, rugged, and inured to
hardship. Linden was rather tall, his face covered by a heavy beard in
which not a gray hair had yet appeared. Hardin was fully as tall, with
shoulders somewhat bent, and his scant, dark beard was plentifully
sprinkled with gray. Bowlby was short and stocky in appearance. When in
the woods he allowed his black beard to grow all over his face, but at
home he was always smooth-shaven. He was of a swarthy complexion,
inclined to be silent, and often moody, but like his companions he was
brave, industrious and patient, holding a strong dislike of all Indians,
though not inclined to go to any unjustifiable length in his feelings.
The dress of the three men was similar to that of Fred and Terry, which
has already been described. No one of them knew any thing about the
modern overcoat or cloak. If there should come a spell of unusually
severe weather, they had only to wrap a blanket or buffalo robe about
the shoulders when compelled to visit the traps or remain long
outdoors. Should it become necessary to kindle a fire within the cabin
for the sake of warmth, a broad, flat stone was removed from an opening
in the roof directly over the blaze, and the smoke, if so inclined,
found its way to the clear air outside. The cooking was done under the
adjoining trees. Of course it was of the most primitive character, but
it suited, and that is all that is necessary.
The hunters reached their cabin about the middle of the forenoon of an
autumn day. They had eaten their regular morning meal, and they got to
work without delay. The horses were unloaded and turned adrift, the
stores safely housed, the blankets spread on the floor of simple earth
in the cabin, and then the men scattered to look after their traps. This
was a large job, for the implements had to be examined and many of them
slightly repaired, after which they must be carried long distances and
set.
These traps were of the ordinary pattern, such as have been in general
use for hundreds of years. The iron jaws was forced wide apart and kept
in place by a catch, which was sprung by a slight pressure on the broad,
flat portion in the middle. The trap being carefully hidden from sight,
the unsuspecting animal had hardly time to rest one paw on this plate,
when the fierce jaws, impelled by steel springs of prodigious strength,
came together with the suddenness of lightning, and the animal, whatever
he be, was in a grip from which there was no escape.
You can understand the care required to set these traps so that they
would do their work. The beaver is highly intelligent, and quick to
detect the signs of man's presence. Nothing can tempt him to venture
where he sees that his worst enemy has been before him. The fox is the
synonym of cunning, and will often outwit the shrewdest trapper. He will
walk around the trap and stealthily secure the bait without harm to
himself. One of those animals has been known to reach forward and spring
the implement, jerking back his paw quickly enough to escape the sharp
teeth. A fox, too, when caught in a steel trap will sometimes gnaw off
the leg just above where it is imprisoned, and afterward go through
life with little inconvenience on three legs. You may be sure that he is
never caught again in that fashion.
It was easy to see where the sagacious beavers were in the habit of
leaving the water and climbing the bank. The trap was carefully placed
below the surface out of sight, and often it had no bait at all, for it
would seem that the bait itself was liable to awaken the suspicion of
the beavers. Occasionally, however, when it was desirable to attract
them to the spot, an oily odoriferous substance obtained from the animal
itself was smeared over the ground near the bank.
The otters were scarcer than the beavers, but were hunted much in the
same manner. For foxes and fur-bearing animals that roamed the the
woods, the steel trap was baited with such food as they were fond of
(which was about every thing), and they were so numerous through that
part of the territory that the hunters had little difficulty in securing
what was wanted.
At the end of the second day all the traps were in position, and the
three friends were grouped on the outside of the cabin smoking their
pipes and talking over the outlook for the winter, which all agreed was
favorable.
The bison or buffaloes, of which mention has been made, were found in
the open spaces or prairies where there was plenty of grass. No such
multitudinous herds were seen as have been gathered in later years on
the western prairies, but there were enough to make very lively hunting
for the trio, who had shot and skinned several while on their way to the
beaver runs.
Within a half hour's walk of the camp was a beaver dam fully half a mile
wide, built with astonishing skill and strength. The backwater flooded
the country for many square miles, and gave the remarkable animals just
the place they wanted for their curious huts, of which I shall have
something to tell you further on.