:3$T 3- " #- jfc 
 
THE STAMPEDE OF WILD HORSES. 
 
THE 
 
 DOG CRUSOE 
 
 tit* 
 
 BY 
 
 B. M. BALLANTYNE, 
 
 AUTHOR OP "GASCOYNE, THE SANDAL WOOD TRADER, " "GORILLA 
 
 HUNTERS," "WILD MAN OF THE WEST," "FREAKS 
 
 ON THE FELLS," " RED ERIC," 
 
 "LIFE BOAT," ETC. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 PORTER & COATES. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Backwoods Settlement. Crusoe's Parentage and Early History. 
 The agonizing Pains aod Sorrows of his Puppyhood, and other inter- 
 esting JIatters .................... 8 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 A Shooting Match and its consequences. New Friends introduced to 
 the Reader. Crusoe and his Mother change Masters ...... 20 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Speculative Remarks with which the Reader may or may not agree. An 
 Old Woman. Hopes and Wishes commingled with Hard Facts. The 
 Dog Crusoe's Education begun ............... 84 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Our Hero enlarged upon. Grumps ......... .... 47 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 A Mission of Peace. Unexpected Joys. Dick and Crusoe set off fer 
 the Land of the Red-skins, and meet with Adventures by the way as a 
 matter of course. Night in the Wild Woods ........ 66 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The great Prairies of the Far West. A Remarkable Colony discovered, 
 and a Miserable Night endured ............. 72 
 
 
 M1892S 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The ' Wallering " Peculiarities of Uultalo Bulls. The First Buffalo Hunt 
 and its consequences. Crowe comes to the Rescue. Pawnees dis- 
 covered A Monster Buffalo Hunt. Joe acts the part of Ambassador 84 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 Dick and his Friends visit the Indians and see many Wonders. Crusoe, 
 too, experiences a few Surprises, and teaches Indian Dogs a Lesson. 
 An Indian Dandy. A Foot-race 106 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Crusoe acts a Conspicuous and Humane Part. A Friend gained. A 
 Great Feast 12* 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Perplexities. Our Hunters Plan their Escape. Unexpected Interrup- 
 tion. The Tables turned. Crusoe mounts Guard. The Escape . 138 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Evening Meditations and Morning Reflections. Buffaloes, Badgers, Ante- 
 lopes, and Accidents. An old Bull and the Wolves. u Mad-tails." 
 Henri floored, etc 165 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Wanderings on the Prairie. A War Party. Chased by Indians. A 
 Bold Leap lor Life 171 
 
 CHAPTER XIH. 
 Escape from Indians. A Discovery. Alone in the Desert 180 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Crusoe's Return and his Private Adventure among the Indians. - Dick 
 at a very low Ebb. Crusoe saves Him 19] 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Uealtk and Happiness return. Incidents of the Journey. A Buffalo 
 hot. A Wild Horse " Creased." Dick'fl Battle with a Mustang . . 2(W 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Dick becomes a llortw Tamer. Resumes his Journey. Charlie's doings. 
 Miisfortuiwjy which lead to, but do not terminate in, the Rocky Moun- 
 tains. A Gri/jdy Bear 220 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 Dick's First Fight with a Grizzly. Adventure with a Deer. A Surprise 234 
 
 CHAPTER XVin. 
 
 A Surprise and a Piece of Good News. The Fur Traders. Crusoe 
 proved, and the Peigans pursued 244 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Adventures with the Peigans. Crusoe does good Service as a Discoverer. 
 The Savages outwitted. The Rescue 269 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 New Plans. Our Travellers join the Fur Traders, and see many Strange 
 Things. A Curious Fight. A Narrow Escape and a Prisoner taken . 274 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Wolves attack the Horses, and Cameron circumvents the Wolves. A 
 Bear-hunt, in which Henri shines conspicuous. Joe and the " Nattez- 
 list. ): An Alarm. A Surprise and a Capture 298 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 Charlie's Adventure with Savages and Bears. Trapping Life . . . .314 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Savage Sports. Living Cataracts. An Alarm. Indians and their 
 Doings. The Stampede. Charlie again 822 
 
 CHAPTER XXTV. 
 
 IMans and Prospects. Pick becomes Home-sick, and Henri Metaphysi- 
 cal. -The Indians attack the Camp. A Blow up 840 
 
COMTKNT3. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Dangers of tl e Prairie. Our Travellers attacked by the Indians, and de- 
 livers! iu a Kcinarkable Manner 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Anxious Fears followed by a Joyful Surprise. Safe Home at last, and 
 liappy Hearts ...... 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Rejoicings. The Feast at the Block-hoos*. Grumpa and Crnsoe c _ 
 out stronn. - Th Cloring SOM " g 
 
THE DOG CRUSOE. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 The Backwoods Settlement. Crusoe's Parentage and Early History 
 The agonizing Pains and Sorrows of his Puppyhood, and othei 
 interesting Matters. 
 
 THE dog Crusoe was once a pup. Now do not, courte- 
 ous reader, toss your head contemptuously, and exclaim, 
 " Of course he was ; I could have told you that.'* You 
 know very well that you have often seen a man above 
 six feet high, broad and powerful as a lion, with a 
 bronzed shaggy visage and the stern glance of an eagle, 
 of whom you have said, or thought, or heard others say, 
 " It is scarcely possible to believe that such a man was 
 once a squalling baby." If you had seen our hero in 
 all the strength and majesty of full-grown dog-hood, 
 you would have experienced a vague sort of surprise 
 had we told you as we now repeat that the dog Cru- 
 soe was once a pup a soft, round, sprawling, squeaking 
 pup, as fat as a tallow candle, and as blind as a bat. 
 
 But we draw particular attention to the fact of 
 
10 THE BACKWOODS SETTLEMENT. 
 
 Crusoe's having once been a pup, because in connec- 
 tion with the days oi' his puppyhood there hangs a 
 tale. This peculiar dog may thus be said to have had 
 two tails one in connection with his body, the other 
 with his career. This tale, though short, is very har- 
 ro wing,- and as- H is intimately connected with Crusoe's 
 subsequent history ^ .we will relate it here. But before 
 .'d&iag sb '- w& .'must beg our reader to accompany us 
 beyond the civilized portions of the United States of 
 America beyond the frontier settlements of the " far 
 west," into those wild prairies which are watered by 
 the great Missouri river the Father of Waters and 
 his numerous tributaries. 
 
 Here dwell the Pawnees, the Sioux, the Delawarers, 
 the Crows, the Blackfeet, and many other tribes of Red 
 Indians, who are gradually retreating step by step 
 towards the Rocky Mountains as the advancing white 
 man cuts down their trees and ploughs up their prairies. 
 Here, too, dwell the wild horse and the wild ass, the 
 deer, the buffalo, and the badger ; all, men and brutes 
 alike wild as the power of untamed and ungovernable 
 passion can make them, and free as the wind that 
 sweeps over their mighty plains. 
 
 There is a romantic and exquisitely beautiful spot on 
 ibe banks of one of the tributaries above referred to 
 a long stretch of mingled woodland and meadow, with 
 a magnificent lake lying like a gem in its green bosom 
 
THE BACKWOODS SETTLEMENT. 11 
 
 goes by th*3 name of the Mustang Valley, 
 This remote vale, even at the present day, is but thinly 
 peopled by white men, and is still a frontier settlement 
 round which the wolf and the bear prowl curiously, 
 and from which the startled deer bounds terrified away. 
 At the -period of which we write the valley had just 
 been taken possession of by several families of squatters, 
 who, tired of the turmoil and the squabbles of the then 
 frontier settlements, had pushed boldly into the far 
 west to seek a new home for themselves, where they 
 could have "elbow room," regardless alike of the 
 dangers they might encounter in unknown lands and of 
 the Red-skins who dwelt there. 
 
 The squatters were well armed with axes, rifles, and 
 ammunition. Most of the women were used to dangers 
 and alarms, and placed implicit reliance in the power 
 of their fathers, husbands, and brothers to protect 
 them and well they might, for a bolder set of stalwart 
 men than these backwoodsmen never trod the wilder- 
 ness. Each had been trained to the use of the rifle and 
 the axe from infancy, and many of them had spent so 
 much of their lives in the woods, that they were more 
 than a match for the Indian in his own peculiar pur- 
 suits of hunting and war. When the squatters first 
 issued from the woods bordering the valley, an immense 
 herd of wild horses or mustangs were browsing on the 
 plain. These no sooner beheld the cavalcade of white 
 
12 THK BACKWOODS SETTLEMENT 
 
 men, than, uttering a wild neigh, they tossed their flow- 
 ing manes in the breeze and dashed away like a whirl- 
 wind. This incident procured the valley its name. 
 
 The new-comers gave one satisfied glance at their 
 future home, and then set to work to erect log huts 
 forthwith. Soon the axe was heard ringing through 
 the forests, and tree after tree fell to the ground, while 
 the occasional sharp ring of a rifle told that the hunters 
 were catering successfully for the camp. In course of 
 time the Mustang Valley began to assume the aspect of 
 a thriving settlement, with cottages and waving fields 
 clustered together in the midst of it. 
 
 Of course the savages soon found it out, and paid it 
 occasional visits. These dark-skinned tenants of the 
 woods brought furs of wild animals with them, which 
 they exchanged with the white men for knives, and 
 beads, and baubles and trinkets of brass and tin. But 
 they hated "pale-faces" with bitter hatred, because 
 their encroachments had at this time materially cur- 
 tailed the extent of their hunting grounds, and nothing 
 but the numbers and known courage of the squatters 
 prevented these savages from butchering and scalping 
 them all. 
 
 Tlje leader of this band of pioneers was a Major 
 Hope, a gentleman whose love for nature in its wildest 
 aspects detei mined him to exchange barrack life for a 
 life in the woods. The major was a first-rate shot, a 
 
CRUSOE'S PARENTAGE. 13 
 
 bold, fearless man, and an enthusiastic naturalist. He 
 was past the prime of life, and, being a bachelor, was 
 unencumbered with a family. His first act on reaching 
 the site of the new settlement was to commence the 
 erection of a block-house, to which the people might 
 retire in case of a general attack by the Indians. 
 
 In this block-house Major Hope took up his abode 
 as the guardian of the settlement, and here the dog 
 Crusoe was born ; here he sprawled in the early morn 
 of life; here he leaped, and yelped, and wagged his 
 shaggy tail in the excessive glee of puppy hood, and 
 from the wooden portals of this block-house he bounded 
 forth to the chase in all the fire, and strength, and maj- 
 esty of full grown doghood. 
 
 Crusoe's father and mother were magnificent New- 
 foundlanders. There was no doubt as to their being of 
 the genuine breed, for Major Hope had received them 
 as a parting gift from a brother officer, who had brought 
 them both from Newfoundland itself. The father's 
 name was Crusoe ; the mother's name was Fan. Why 
 the father had been so called no one could tell. The 
 man from whom Major Hope's friend had obtained the 
 pair was a poor, illiterate fisherman, who had never 
 heard of the celebrated " Robinson," in all his life.| All 
 he knew was that Fan had been named after his own 
 wife. As for Crusoe, he had got him from a friend, 
 wfco had got him from another friend, whose cousin had 
 2 
 
14 EARLY TROUBLES. 
 
 received him as a marriage gift from a friend of his 
 and that each had said to the other that the dog's name 
 was " Crusoe," without reasons being asked or given 
 on either side. On arriving at New York the major's 
 friend, as we have said, made him a present of the dogs. 
 Not being much of a dog fancier, he soon tired of old 
 Crusoe, and gave him away to a gentleman, who took 
 him down to Florida, and that was the end of him. He 
 was never heard of more. 
 
 When Crusoe, junior, was born, he was born, of 
 course, without a name. That was given to him after- 
 wards, in honor of his father. He was also born in 
 company with a brother and two sisters, all of whom 
 drowned themselves accidentally, in the first month of 
 their existence, by falling into the river which flowed 
 past the block-house, a calamity which occurred, 
 doubtless, in consequence of their having gone out with- 
 out their mother's leave. Little Crusoe was with his 
 brother and sisters at the time, and fell in along with 
 them, but was saved from sharing their fate by his 
 mother, who, seeing what had happened, dashed with an 
 agonized howl into the water, and, seizing him in her 
 mouth, brought him ashore in a half drowned condition. 
 She (pilerwards brought the others ashore one by one, 
 but the poor little things were dead. 
 
 And now we come to the harrowing part of our tale, 
 for the proper understanding of which the foregoing 
 dissertation was needful. 
 
THE YOUNG HUNTER. 15 
 
 One beautiful afternoon, in that charming season of 
 the American year called the Indian summer, there 
 came a family of Sioux Indians to the Mustang Valley, 
 and pitched their tent close to the block-house. A 
 young hunter stood leaning against the gate-post of the 
 palisades, watching the movements of the Indians, who, 
 having just finished a long " palaver " or " talk " with 
 Major Hope, were now in the act of preparing supper. 
 A fire had been kindled on the green sward in front of 
 the tent, and above it stood a tripod, from which de- 
 pended a large tin camp kettle. Over this hung an 
 ill-favored Indian woman, or squaw, who, besides at- 
 tending to the contents of the pot, bestowed sundry 
 cuffs and kicks upon her little child, which sat near to 
 her playing with several Indian curs that gambolled 
 round the fire. The master of the family and his two 
 sons reclined on buffalo robes, smoking their stone pipes 
 or calumets in silence. There was nothing peculiar in 
 their appearance. Their faces were neither dignified 
 nor coarse in expression, but wore an aspect of stupid 
 apathy, which formed a striking contrast to the counte- 
 nance of the young hunter, who seemed an amused 
 spectator of their proceedings. 
 
 The youth referred to was very unlike, in nlany 
 respects, to what we are accustomed to suppose a back- 
 woods hunter should be. He did not possess that quiet 
 gravity and staid demeanor which often characterize 
 
16 THE YOUNG HUNTER. 
 
 these men. True, he was tall and strongly made, but 
 no one would have called him stalwart, and his frame 
 indicated grace and agility rather than strength. But 
 the point about him which rendered him different from 
 his companions was, his bounding, irrepressible flow of 
 spirits, strangely coupled with an intense love of soli- 
 tary wandering in the woods. None seemed so well 
 fitted for social enjoyment as he ; none laughed so heart- 
 ily, or expressed such glee in his mischief-loving eye ; 
 yet for days together he went off alone into the forest, 
 and wandered where his fancy led him, as grave and 
 silent as an Indian warrior. 
 
 After all, there was nothing mysterious in this. The 
 boy followed implicitly the dictates of nature within 
 him. He was amiable, straightforward, sanguine, and 
 intensely earnest. When he laughed he let it out, as 
 sailors have it, "with a will." When there was good 
 cause to be grave, no power on earth could make him 
 smile. We have called him boy, but in truth he was 
 about that uncertain period of life when a youth is said 
 to be neither a man nor a boy. His face was good- 
 looking (every earnest, candid face is) and masculine ; 
 his hair was reddish brown, and his eye bright blue. 
 He was costumed in the deer-skin cap, leggins, moccas- 
 sins, and leathern shirt common to the western hunter. 
 
 "You seem tickled wi' the Injuns, Dick Varley," 
 said a man who at that moment issued from the Block 
 House. 
 
A NARROW ESCAPE. 17 
 
 That's just what I am, Jo3 Blunt," replied the 
 youth, turning with a broad grin to his companion. 
 
 " Have a care, lad ; do not laugh at 'em too much. 
 They socn take offence ; an' them red-skins never for- 
 give." 
 
 " But I'm only laughing at the baby," returned the 
 youth, pointing to the child, which, with a mixture of 
 boldness and timidity, was playing with a pup, wrink- 
 ling up its fat visage into a smile when its playmate 
 rushed away in sport, and opening wide its jet-black 
 eyes in grave anxiety as the pup returned at full gallop. 
 
 " It 'ud make an owl laugh," continued young Var- 
 ley, " to see such a queer pictur* o' itself." 
 
 He paused suddenly, and a dark frown covered his 
 face as he saw the Indian woman stoop quickly down, 
 catch the pup by its hind-leg with one hand, seize a 
 'heavy piece of wood with the other, and strike it several 
 violent blows on the throat. Without taking the 
 trouble to kill the poor animal outright, the savage then 
 held its still writhing body over the fire in order to 
 singe off the hair before puttiirg it into the pot to be 
 cooked. 
 
 The cruel act drew young Varley's attention more 
 closely to the pup, and it flashed across his mind that 
 th's could be no other than young Crusoe, which 
 neither he nor his companion had before seen, although 
 they had often heard others speak of and describe it. 
 2* 
 
18 THE RESCUE. 
 
 Had the little creature been one of the unfortunate 
 Indian curs, the two hunters would probably have 
 turned from the sickening sight with disgust, feeling 
 that, however much they might dislike such cruelty, 
 it would be of no use attempting to interfere with 
 Indian usages. But the instant the idea that it was 
 Crusoe occurred to Varley he uttered a yell of anger, 
 and sprang towards the woman with a bound that caused 
 the three Indians to leap to their feet and grasp their 
 tomahawks. 
 
 Blunt did not move from the gate, but threw forward 
 his rifle with a careless motion, but an expressive 
 glance, that caused the Indians to resume their seats 
 and pipes with an emphatic " Wah ! " of disgust at hav- 
 ing been startled out of their propriety by a trifle, while 
 Dick Varley snatched poor Crusoe from hit dangerous 
 and painful position, scowled angrily in the woman's 
 face, and, turning on his heel, walked up to the house 
 holding the pup tenderly in his arms. 
 
 Joe Blunt gazed after his friend with a grave, 
 solemn expression of countenance till he disappeared ; 
 then he looked at the ground and shook his head. 
 
 Joe was one of the regular out-and-out backwoods 
 hunters, both in appearance and in fact broad, tall, 
 massive, lion-like, gifted with the hunting, stalking, 
 running, and trail-following powers of the savage, and 
 with a superabundance of the shooting and fighting 
 
THE RESCUE. 19 
 
 powers, the daring and dash of the Anglo-Saxon. He 
 was grave, too seldom smiled, and rarely laughed. 
 His expression almost at all times was a compound oi 
 seriousness and good-humor. With the rifle he was a 
 good, steady shot ; but by no means a " crack " one. 
 His ball never failed to hit, but it often failed to 
 kill. 
 
 After meditating a few seconds, Joe Blunt again 
 shook his head, and muttered to himself, " The boy's 
 bold enough, but he's too reckless for a hunter. There 
 was no need for that yell, now none at all." 
 
 Having uttered this sagacious remark, he threw his 
 rifle into the hollow of his left arm, turned round, and 
 strode off with a long, slow step towards his own cot- 
 tage. 
 
 Blunt was an American by birth, but of Irish extrac- 
 tion, and to an attentive ear there was a faint echo of 
 the brogue in his tone, which seemed to have been handed 
 down to him as a thread-bare and almost worn-out heir- 
 loom. 
 
 Poor Crusoe was singed almost naked. His wretched 
 tail seemed little better than a piece of wire filed off to 
 a point, and he vented his misery in piteous squeaks as 
 the sympathetic Varley confided him tenderly to the 
 care of his mother. How Fan managed to cure him no 
 one can tell, but cure him she did, for, in the course of 
 a few weeks, Crusoe was as well, and sleek, and fat sa 
 ever. 
 
20 THE SHOOTING MATCH. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 A. Shooting Match and its consequences. New Friends introduced 
 to the Reader. Crusoe and his Mother change Masters. 
 
 SHORTLY after the incident narrated in the last chap- 
 ter, the squatters of the Mustang Valley lost their leader. 
 Major Hope suddenly announced his intention of 
 quitting the settlement, and returning to the civilized 
 world. Private matters, he said, required his presence 
 there matters which he did not choose to speak of, 
 but which would prevent his returning again to reside 
 among them. Go he must, and being a man of deter- 
 mination, go he did ; but before going he distributed 
 all his goods and chattels among the settlers. He even 
 gave away his rifle, and Fan, and Crusoe. These last, 
 however, he resolved should go together; and as they 
 were well worth having, he announced that he would 
 give them to the best shot in the valley. He stipu- 
 lated that the winner should escort him to the nearest 
 settlement eastward, after which he might return with 
 the rifle on his shoulder. 
 
 Accordingly, a long level piece of ground on the 
 river's bank, with a perpendicular cliff at the end of it, 
 
THE SHOOTING MATCH. 21 
 
 was selected as the shooting ground, and, on the ap- 
 pointed day, at the appointed hour, the competitors be- 
 gan to assemble. 
 
 " Well, lad, first as usual," exclaimed Joe Blunt, as 
 he reached the ground and found Dick Varley there be- 
 fore him. 
 
 " I've bin here more than an hour lookin' for a new 
 kind o' flower that Jack Morgan told me he'd seen. 
 And I've found it too. Look here ; did you ever see 
 one like it before ? " 
 
 Blunt leaned his rifle against the tree, and carefully 
 examined the flower. 
 
 " Why, yes, I've seed a-many o' them up about the 
 Rocky Mountains, but never one here-away. It seems 
 to have gone lost itself. The last I seed, if I remimber 
 rightly, wos near the head-waters o' the Yellowstone 
 River, it wos jest where I shot a grizzly bar." 
 
 "Was that the bar that gave you the wipe on the 
 cheek?" asked Varley, forgetting the flower in his 
 interest about the bear. 
 
 " It wos. I put six balls in that bar's carcase, and 
 stuck my knife into its heart ten times afore it gave 
 out ; an' it nearly ripped the shirt off my back afore I 
 wos done with it." 
 
 " I would give my rifle to get a chance at a grizzly ! " 
 exclaimed Varley, with a sudden burst of enthusiasm. 
 
 "Whoever got it wouldn't have much to brag of," 
 
22 TIIK SHOOTING MATCH. 
 
 remarked a burly young backwoodsman, as he joined 
 them. 
 
 His remark was true, for poor Dick's weapon was 
 but a sorry affair. It missed fire, and it hung fire, and 
 even when it did fire it remained a matter of doubt in 
 its owner's mind whether the slight deviations from the 
 direct line made by his bullets were the result of his or 
 its bad shooting. 
 
 Further comment upon it was checked by the arrival 
 of a dozen or more hunters on the scene of action. 
 They were a sturdy set of bronzed, bold, fearless men, 
 and one felt, on looking at them, that they would 
 prove more than a match for several hundreds of 
 Indians in open fight. A few minutes after, the major 
 himself came on the ground with the prize rifle on his 
 shoulder, and Fan and Crusoe at his heels the latter 
 tumbling, scrambling, and yelping after its mother, fat 
 and clumsy, and happy as possible, having evidently 
 quite forgotten that it had been nearly roasted alive 
 only a few weeks before. 
 
 Immediately all eyes were on the rifle, and its merits 
 were discussed with animation. 
 
 And well did it deserve discussion, for such a piece 
 had never before been seen on the western frontier. It 
 was shorter in the barrel and larger in the bore than 
 the weapons chiefly in vogue at that time, and besides 
 being of beautiful workmanship, was silver mounted. 
 
THE SHOOTING MATCH. * 
 
 But the grand peculiarity about it, and that which after 
 wards rendered it the mystery of mysteries to the 
 savages, was, that it had two sets of locks one per- 
 cussion, the other flint so that, when caps failed, by 
 taking off the one set of locks and affixing the others, 
 it was converted into a flint-rifle. The major, how- 
 ever, took care never to run short of caps, so that the 
 flint locks were merely held as a reserve in case of need. 
 
 " Now, lads," cried Major Hope, stepping up to the 
 point whence they were to shoot, " remember the terms. 
 He who first drives the nail obtains the rifle, Fan, and 
 her pup, and accompanies me to the nearest settlements. 
 Each man shoots with his own gun, and draws lots for 
 the chance." 
 
 " Agreed," cried the men. 
 
 " Well, then, wipe your guns and draw lots. Henri 
 will fix the nail. Here it is." 
 
 The individual who stepped, or rather plunged for- 
 ward to receive the nail was a rare and remarkable 
 specimen of mankind. Like his comrades, he was half 
 a farmer and half a hunter. Like them, too, he was 
 clad in deer-skin, and was tall and strong nay, more, 
 he was gigantic. But, unlike them, he was clumsy, 
 awkward, loose jointed, and a bad shot. Nevertheless 
 Henri was an immense favorite in the settlement, for 
 his good-humor knew no bounds. No one ever saw 
 him frown. Even g ^hen fighting with the savages, aa 
 
24 THE SHOOTING MATCH. 
 
 he was sometimes compelled to do in self-defence, he 
 went at them with a sort of jovial rage that was almost 
 laughable. Inconsiderate recklessness was one of hia 
 chief characteristics, so that his comrades were rather 
 afraid of him on the war-trail or in the hunt, where 
 caution, and frequently soundless motion, were essential 
 to success or safety. But when Henri had a comrade 
 at his side to check him he was safe enough, being 
 humble-minded and obedient. Men used to say he 
 must have been born under a lucky star, for notwith- 
 standing his natural inaptitude for all sorts of back- 
 woods life, he managed to scramble through every thing 
 with safety, often with success, and sometimes with credit. 
 To see Henri stalk a deer was worth a long day's 
 journey. Joe Blunt used to say he was "all jint? 
 together, from the top of his head to the sole of his 
 moccassin." He threw his immense form into the 
 most inconceivable contortions, and slowly wound his 
 way, sometimes on hands and knees, sometimes flat, 
 through bush and brake, as if there was not a bone in 
 his body, and without the slightest noise. This sort 
 of work was so much against his plunging nature, that 
 he took long to learn it, but when, through hard 
 practice and the loss of many a fine deer, he came at 
 length to break himself in to it, he gradually pro- 
 gressed to perfection, and ultimately became the best 
 stalker in the valloy. This, and this alone, enabled 
 
THE SHOOTING MATCH. 25 
 
 him to pocure game, for being short.-sighted, lie could 
 hit nothing beyond fifty yards, except a buffalo or a 
 barn door. 
 
 Yet that same lithe body, which seemed as though 
 totally unhinged, could no more be bent, when the 
 muscles were strung, than an iron post. No one 
 wrestled with Henri unless he wished to have his back 
 broken. Few could equal and none could beat him at 
 running or leaping except Dick Varley. When Henri 
 ran a race even Joe Blunt laughed out-right, for arms 
 and legs went like independent flails. When he 
 leaped, he hurled himself into space with a degree of 
 violence that seemed to insure a somersault yet he 
 always came down with a crash on his feet. Plunging 
 was Henri's forte. He generally lounged about the 
 settlement, when unoccupied, with his hands behind 
 his back, apparently in a reverie, and when called on 
 to act, he seemed to fancy he must have lost time, and 
 could only make up for it by plunging. This habit 
 got him into many awkward scrapes, but his Herculean 
 power as often got him out of them. He was a French- 
 Canadian, and a particularly bad speaker of the English 
 language. 
 
 We offer no apology for this elaborate introduction 
 of Henri, for he was as good-hearted a fellow as ever 
 lived, and deserves special notice. 
 
 But to return. The sort of lifle practice called 
 
?6 THE SHOOTING MATCH. 
 
 " driving ihe nail," by which this match was to be 
 decided, wa3, and we believe still is, common among 
 the hunters of the far west. It consisted in this, an 
 ordinary large-headed nail was driven a short way into 
 a plank or a tree, and the hunters, standing at a dis- 
 tance of fifty yards or so, fired at it until they succeeded 
 in driving it home. On the present occasion the rnajoi 
 resolved to test their shooting by making the distance 
 seventy yards. 
 
 Some of the older men shook their heads. 
 
 " It's too far," said one ; " ye might as well try to 
 fenuff the nose o' a mosquitoe." 
 
 " Jim Scraggs is the only man as'll hit that," said 
 another. 
 
 The man referred to was a long, lank, lantern-jawed 
 fellow with a cross-grained expression of countenance. 
 He used the long, heavy Kentucky rifle, which, from 
 the ball being little larger than a pea, was called a pea- 
 rifle. Jim was no favorite, and had been named Scraggs 
 by his companions on account of his appearance. 
 
 In a few minutes the lots were drawn, and the 
 shooting began. Each hunter wiped out the barrel of 
 his piece with his ram-rod as he stepped forward ; then, 
 placing a ball in the palm of his left hand, he drew the 
 stopper of his powder-horn with his teeth, and poured 
 out as much powder as sufficed to cover the bullet. 
 This was the regular measure amon^ them. Little time 
 
THE SHOOTING MATCH. 27 
 
 was lost in filing, for these men did not " bang " on 
 their aim. The point of the rifle was slowly raised to 
 the object, and, the instant the sight covered it, the ball 
 sped to its mark. In a few minutes the nail was encir- 
 cled by bullet holes, scarcely two of which were more 
 than an inch distant from the mark, and one fired by 
 Joe Blunt entered the tree close beside it. 
 
 " Ah, Joe ! " said the major, " I thought you would 
 have carried off the prize." 
 
 " So did not I, sir," returned Blunt, with a shake of 
 his head. " Had it a-bin a half-dollar at a hundred 
 yards, I'd ha done better, but I never could hit the nail. 
 It's too small to see." 
 
 " That's cos ye've got no eyes," remarked Jim Scraggs, 
 with a sneer, as he stepped forward. 
 
 All tongues were now hushed, for the expected 
 champion was about to fire. The sharp crack of the 
 rifle was followed by a shout, for Jim had hit the 
 nail-head on the edge, and part of the bullet stuck 
 to it. 
 
 "That wins if there's no better," said the major, 
 scarce able to conceal his disappointment. " Who comes 
 next?" 
 
 To this question Henri answered by stepping up to 
 the line, straddling his legs, and executing preliminary 
 movements with his rifle, that seemed to indicate an 
 intention 03 his part to throw the weapon bodily at 
 
28 THE SHOOMNO MATCH. 
 
 the mark. He was received with a shout of mingled 
 laughter and applause. After gazing steadily at the 
 mark for a few seconds, a broad grin overspread his 
 countenance, and, looking round at his companions, he 
 said 
 
 " Ha ! mes boys, I can-not behold de nail at all ! " 
 
 " Can ye * behold ' the tree ? " shouted a voice, when 
 the laugh that followed this announcement had some- 
 what abated. 
 
 " Oh ! oui," replied Henri quite coolly ; " I can see 
 him, an' a goot small bit of de forest beyond." 
 
 " Fire at ft, then. If ye hit the tree ye desarve the 
 rifle leastwise ye ought to get the pup." 
 
 Henri grinned again, and fired instantly, without tak- 
 ing aim. 
 
 The shot was followed by an exclamation of surprise, 
 for the bullet was found close beside the nail ! 
 
 "It's more be good luck than good shootin'," re- 
 marked Jim Scraggs. 
 
 " Possiblement," answered Henri, modestly, as he re- 
 treated to the rear and wiped out his rifle; "mais I 
 have kill most of my deer by dat same goot luck." 
 
 "Bravo! Henri," said Major Hope as he passed; 
 " you deserve to win, anyhow. Who's next ? " 
 
 " Dick Varley," cried several voices ; " where's Var- 
 ley ? Come on, youngster, an' take yer shot." 
 
 The youth came forward with evident reluctance. 
 
THE SHOOTING MATCH. 29 
 
 " It's of no manner o' use," he whispered to Jce Blunt 
 as he passed, "I can't depend on my old gun." 
 
 " Never give in," whispered Blunt, encouragingly. 
 
 Poor Varley's want of confidence in his rifle waa 
 merited, for, on pulling the trigger, the faithless lock 
 missed fire. 
 
 " Lend him another gun," cried several voices. 
 
 "'Gainst rules laid down by Major Hope," said 
 Scraggs. 
 
 " Well, so it is ; try again." 
 
 Varley did try again, and so successfully, too, that 
 the ball hit the nail on the head, leaving a portion of 
 the lead sticking to its edge. 
 
 Of course this was greeted with a cheer, and a loud 
 dispute began as to which was the better shot of the 
 two. 
 
 "There are others to shoot yet," cried the major. 
 
 " Make way. Look out." 
 
 The men fell back, and the few hunters who had not 
 yet fired, took their shots, but without coming nearer 
 the mark. 
 
 It was now agreed that Jim Scraggs and Dick Var- 
 ley, being the two best shots, should try over again ; 
 and it was also agreed that Dick should nave the use of 
 Blunt's rifle. Lots were again drawn for the first shot, 
 and it fell to Dick, who immediately stepped out, aimed 
 somewhat hastily, and fired. 
 3* 
 
30 THE SHOOTING MATCH. 
 
 " Hit again ! " shouted those who had run forward to 
 examine the mark. " Half the bullet cut off by the 
 nail head ! " 
 
 Some of the more enthusiastic oi' Dick's friends 
 cheered lustily, but the most of the hunters were grave 
 and silent, for they knew .Jim's powers, and felt that he 
 would certainly do his best. Jirn now stepped up to 
 the line, and, looking earnestly at the mark, threw for- 
 ward his rifle. 
 
 At that moment our friend Crusoe tired of tor- 
 menting his mother waddled stupidly and innocently 
 into the midst of the crowd of men, and, in so doing, 
 received Henri's heel and- the full weight of his elephan- 
 tine body on its fore paw. The horrible and electric 
 yell that instantly issued from his agonized throat could 
 only be compared, as Joe Blunt expressed it, " to the 
 last dyin' screech o' a bustin' steam biler ! " We can- 
 not say that the effect was startling, for these back- 
 woodsmen had been born and bred in the midst of 
 alarms, and were so used to them that a " bustin' steam 
 biler " itself, unless it had blown tnem fairly off their 
 legs, would not have startled J;h em. But the effect, 
 such as it was, was sufficient to disconcert the aim of 
 Jim Scraggs, who fired at the same instant, and missed 
 the nail by a hair's breadth. 
 
 Turning round in towering wrath, Scraggs aimed a 
 kick at the poor pup, which, had it taken effect, would 
 
THE WINNER. 31 
 
 certainly have terminated the innocent existence of that 
 remarkable dog on the spot, but quick as lightning 
 Henri interposed the butt of his rifle, and Jim's shin 
 met it with a violence that caused him to howl with 
 rage and pain. 
 
 " Oh ! pardon me broder," cried Henri, shrinking back, 
 with the drollest expression of mingled pity and glee. 
 
 Jim's discretion, on this occasion, was superior to his 
 valor; he turned away with a coarse expression of 
 anger and left the ground. 
 
 Meanwhile the major handed the silver rifle to young 
 Varley. " It couldn't have fallen into better hands," he 
 said. " You'll do it credit, lad, I know that full well, 
 and let me assure you it will never play you false. 
 Only keep it clean, don't overcharge it, aim true, and it 
 will never miss the mark." 
 
 While the hunters crowded round Dick to congratu- 
 late him and examine the piece, he stood with a min- 
 gled feeling of bashfulness and delight at his unexpected 
 good fortune. Recovering himself suddenly, he seized 
 his old rifle, and, dropping quietly to the outskirts of 
 the crowd, while the men were still busy handling and 
 discussing the merits of the prize, went up, unobserved, 
 to a boy of about thirteen years of age, and touched him 
 on the shoulder. 
 
 " Here, Marston, you know I often said ye should 
 have the old rifle when I was rich enough to gel a. new 
 
82 THE WINNER. 
 
 one. Take it now, lad. It's come to ye sooner than 
 either o' us expected." 
 
 "Dick," said the boy, grasping his friend's hand 
 warmly, "yer true as heart of oak. It's good of 'ee, 
 that's a fact." 
 
 " Not a bit, boy ; it costs me nothin' to give away an 
 old gun that I've no use for, an's worth little, but it 
 makes me right glad to have the chance to do it." 
 
 Marston had longed for a rifle ever since he could 
 walk, but his prospects of obtaining one were very poor 
 indeed at that time, and it is a question whether he did 
 not at that moment experience as much joy in hand- 
 ling the old piece, as his friend felt in shouldering the 
 prize. 
 
 A difficulty now occurred which had not before been 
 thought of. This was no less than the absolute refusal 
 of Dick Varley's canine property to follow him. Fan 
 had no idea of changing masters without her consent 
 being asked, or her inclination being consulted. 
 
 " You'll have to tie her up for a while, I fear," said 
 the major. 
 
 " No fear," answered the youth. " Dog riatur's like 
 human natur' ! " 
 
 Saying this he seized Crusoe by the neck, stuffed 
 him comfortably into the bosom of his hunting shirt, 
 and walked rapidly away with the prize rifle on his 
 shoulder. 
 
A MOTHER'S LOVE. 33 
 
 Fan had not bargained for this. She stood irreso- 
 lute, gazing now to the right and now to the left, as the 
 major retired in one direction and Dick with Crusoe in 
 another. Suddenly Crusoe, who, although comfortable 
 in body, was ill at ease in spirit, gave utterance to a 
 melancholy howl. The mother's love instantly pre- 
 vailed. For one moment she pricked up her ears at 
 the sound, and then, lowering them, trotted quietly after 
 her new master, and followed him to his cottage on the 
 margin of the lake. 
 
34 SPECULATIVE REMARKS, 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Speculative Remarks with which the Reader may or nay not agr<*e. 
 An Old Woman. Hopes and Wishes commingled with Hard 
 Facts. The Dog Crusoe's Education begun. 
 
 IT is pleasant to look upon a serene, quiet, humble 
 face. On such a face did Jiichard Varley look every 
 night when he entered his mother's cottage. Mrs. Var- 
 iey was a widow, and she had followed the fortunes of 
 her brother, Daniel Hood, ever since the death of her 
 husband. Love for her only brother induced her to 
 forsake the peaceful village of Maryland, and enter upon 
 the wild life of a backwoods settlement. Dick's mother 
 was thin, and old, and wrinkled, but her face was stamped 
 with a species of beauty which never fades the beauty 
 of a loving look. Ah ! the brow of snow and the peach- 
 bloom cheek may snare the heart of man for a time, 
 but the loving look alone can forge that adamantine chain 
 that time, age, eternity, shall never break. 
 
 Mistake us not, reader, and bear with us if we at- 
 tempt to analyze this look which characterized Mrs. 
 Varley. A rare diamond is worth stopping to glance 
 at, even when one is in a hurry ! The brightest jewel 
 
MRS. TA.RLET. 65 
 
 in the human heart is worth a thought ;>r two ! By a 
 loving look, we do not mean a look of love bestowed or. 
 a beloved object. That is common enough, and thank- 
 ful should we be that it is so common in a world that's 
 overfull of hatred. Still less do we mean that smile 
 and look of intense affection with which some people 
 good people too greet friend and foe alike, and by 
 which effort, to work out their beau ideal of the expres- 
 sion of Christian love, they do signally damage their 
 cause, by saddening the serious and repelling the gay. 
 Much less do we mean that perpetual smile of good will 
 which argues more of personal comfort and self-love 
 than any thing else. No, the loving look we speak of 
 is as often grave as gay. Its character depends very 
 much on the face through which it beams. And it 
 cannot be counterfeited. Its ring defies imitation. 
 Like the clouded sun of April, it can pierce through 
 tears of sorrow; like the noontide sun of summer it 
 can blaze in warm smiles ; like the northern lights of 
 winter, it can gleam in depths of woe but it is always 
 the same, modified, doubtless, and rendered more or 
 less patent to others, according to the natural amia- 
 bility of him or her who bestows it. No one can put 
 it on. Still less can any one put it off. Its range is 
 universal ; it embraces all mankind, though, of course, 
 it is intensified on a few favored objects ; its seat is in 
 the depths of a renewed heart, and its foundation lies 
 in love to God. 
 
36 THE WIDOW'S CCTTAfiK. 
 
 Young Varley's mother lived in a cottage which wag 
 of the smallest possible dimensions consistent with 
 comfort. It was made of logs, as, indeed, were all the 
 other cottages in the valley. The door was in the 
 centre, and a passage from it to the back of the dwell- 
 ing divided it into two rooms. One of these was sub- 
 divided by a thin partition, the inner room being Mrs. 
 Varley's bed-room, the outer Dick's. Daniel Hood's 
 dormitory was a corner of the kitchen, which apartment 
 served also as a parlor. 
 
 The rooms were lighted by two windows, one on 
 each side of the door, which gave to the house the ap- 
 pearance of having a nose and two eyes. Houses of 
 this kind have literally got a sort of expression on if 
 we may use the word their countenances. Square 
 windows give the appearance of easy-going placidity ; 
 longish ones, that of surprise. Mrs. Varley's was a 
 surprised cottage, and this was in keeping with the 
 scene in which it stood, for the clear lake in front, 
 studded with islands, and the distant hills beyond, com- 
 posed a scene so surprisingly beautiful that it never 
 failed to call forth an expression of astonished admira- 
 tion from every new visitor to the Mustang Valley. 
 
 " My boy," exclaimed Mrs. Varley, as her son entered 
 the cottage with a bound, " why so hurried to-day ? 
 Deary me ! where got you the grand gun ? " 
 
 "Won it, mother!" 
 
THE WIDOW AND SON. 37 
 
 " Won it, my sin?" 
 
 "Ay, won it, mother. Druve the nail almost, and 
 would ha' druve it altogether had I bin more used to 
 Joe Blunt's rifle." 
 
 Mrs. Varley's heart beat high, and her face flushed 
 with pride as she gazed at her son, who laid the rifle on 
 the table for her inspection, while he rattled off an 
 animated and somewhat disjointed account of the 
 match. 
 
 " Deary me ! now that was good ; that was cliver. 
 But what's that 'scraping at the door ? " 
 
 "Oh! that's Fan; I forgot her. Here! here! Fan! 
 Come in, good dog," he cried, rising and opening the 
 door. 
 
 Fan entered and stopped short, evidently uncomfort 
 able. 
 
 " My boy, what do ye with the major's dog ? " 
 
 " Won her too, mother ! " 
 
 " Won her, my son ? " 
 
 " Ay, won her, and the pup too ; see, here it is I " 
 and he plucked Crusoe from his bosom. 
 
 Crusoe having found his position to be one of great 
 comfort, had fallen into a profound slumber, and on 
 being thus unceremoniously awakened, he gave forth a 
 yelp of discontent that brought Fan in a state of frantic 
 sympathy to his sitfe. 
 4 
 
38 THE WIDOW AND SON. 
 
 " There you are, Fan, take it to a corner and make 
 yourself at home. Ay, that's right, mother, give her 
 somethin' to eat ; she's hungry, I know by the look o* 
 her eye." 
 
 " Deary me, Dick," said Mrs. Varley, who now pro- 
 ceeded to spread the youth's mid-day meal before him, 
 " did ye drive the nail three times ? " 
 
 " No, only once, and that not parfetly. Brought 'em 
 all down at one shot rifle, Fan, an' pup ! " 
 
 " Well, well, now that was cliver ; but " Here 
 the old woman paused and looked grave. 
 
 " But what, mother ? " 
 
 " You'll be wantin' to go off to the mountains now, 
 I fear me, boy." 
 
 " Wantin' now ! " exclaimed the youth earnestly ; 
 " I'm always wantin'. I've bin wantin' ever since I 
 could walk ; but I won't go till you let me, mother, that 
 I won't!" And he struck the table with his fist so 
 forcibly that the platters rung again. 
 
 " You're a good boy, Dick ; but you're too young yit 
 to ventur' among the red-skins." 
 
 " An' yit, if I don't ventur' young, I'd better not ven- 
 tur' at all. You know, mother dear, I don't want to 
 leave you ; but I was born to be a hunter, and every- 
 body in them parts is a hunter, and I can't hunt in the 
 kitchen you know, mother I " 
 
THE TRAPPERS. 39 
 
 At this point the conversation was interrupted by a 
 sound that caused young Varley to spring up and seize 
 his rifle, and Fan to show her teeth and growl. 
 
 "Hist! nnther; that's like horses' hoofs," he whis- 
 pered, opening the door and gazing intently in the 
 direction whence the sound came. 
 
 Louder and louder it came, until an opening in the 
 forest showed the advancing cavalcade to be a party 
 of white men. In another moment they were in full 
 view a band of about thirty horsemen, clad in the 
 leathern costume, and armed with the long rifle of the 
 far west. Some wore portions of the gaudy Indian 
 dress which gave to them a brilliant, dashing look. 
 They came on straight for the block-house, and saluted 
 the Varleys with a jovial cheer as they swept past at 
 full speed. Dick returned the cheer with compound 
 interest, and calling out, " They're trappers, mother, I'll 
 be back in an hour," bounded off like a deer through 
 the woods, taking a short cut in order to reach the block- 
 house before them. He succeeded, for, just as he ar- 
 rived at the house, the cavalcade wheeled round the 
 bend in the river, dashed up the slope, and came to a 
 sudden halt on the green. Vaulting from their foaming 
 steeds they tied them to the stockades of the little for- 
 tress, which they entered in a body. 
 
 Hot haste was in every motion of these men. They 
 were trappers, they said, on their way to the rockj 
 
10 THE TRAPPERS. 
 
 mountains to hunt and trade furs. But one of their 
 number had been treacherously murdered and scalped 
 by a Pawnee chief, and they resolved to revenge his 
 death by an attack on one of the Pawnee villages. 
 They would teach these " red reptiles " to respect white 
 men, they would, come of it what might ; and they had 
 turned aside here to procure an additional supply of 
 powder and lead. 
 
 In vain did the major endeavor to dissuade these 
 reckless men from their purpose. They scoffed at the 
 idea of returning good for evil, and insisted on being 
 supplied. The log hut was a store as well as a place 
 of defence, and as they offered to pay for it there was 
 no refusing their request at least so the major thought. 
 The ammunition was therefore given to them, and in 
 half an hour they were away again at full gallop over 
 the plains on their mission of vengeance. " Vengeance 
 is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord." But these men 
 knew not what God said, because they never read his 
 word, and did not own his sway. 
 
 Young Vaiiey's enthusiasm was considerably damped 
 when he learned the errand on which the trappers were 
 bent. From that time forward he gave up all desire to 
 visit the mountains in company with such men, but he 
 still retained an intense longing to roam at large among 
 their rocky fastnesses, and gallop out upon the wide 
 prairies. 
 
CRUSOE'S EDUCATION. 41 
 
 Meanwhile he dutifully tended his mother's cattle and 
 sheep, and contented himself with an occasional deer 
 hunt in the neighboring forests. He devoted himself 
 also to the training of his dog Crusoe an operation 
 which at first cost him many a deep sigh. 
 
 Every one has heard of the sagacity and almost rea- 
 soning capabilities of the Newfoundland dog. Indeed, 
 some have even gone the length of saying that what is 
 called instinct in these animals is neither more nor less 
 than reason. And, in truth, many of the noble, heroic, 
 and sagacious deeds that have actually been performed 
 by Newfoundland dogs incline us almost to believe that, 
 like man, they are gifted with reasoning powers. 
 
 But every one does not know the trouble and pa- 
 tience that is required in order to get a juvenile dog to 
 understand what its master means when he is endearor- 
 ing to instruct it. 
 
 Crusoe's first lesson was an interesting, but not a 
 very successful one. We may remark here that Dick 
 Varley had presented Fan to his mother to be her 
 watch-dog, resolving to devote all his powers to the 
 training of the pup. We may also remark, in reference 
 to Crusoe's appearance (and we did not remark it 
 sooner, chiefly because up to this period in his eventful 
 history he was little better than a ball of fat and hair), 
 that his coat was mingled jet black and pure white, and 
 
 remarkably glossy, curly, and thick. 
 
 4* 
 
42 CRUSOE'S EDUCATION. 
 
 A week after the shooting match, Crusoe's education 
 began. Having fed him for that period with his own 
 hand, in order to gain his affection, Dick took him out 
 one sunny forenoon to the margin of the lake, to give 
 him his first lesson. 
 
 And here again we must pause to remark that, al- 
 though a dog's heart is generally gained in the first 
 instance through his mouth, yet, after it is thoroughly 
 gained, his affection is noble and disinterested. He 
 can scarcely be driven from his master's side by blows, 
 and even when thus harshly repelled is always ready, 
 on the shortest notice and with the slightest encourage- 
 ment, to make it up again. 
 
 Well; Dick Varley began by calling out " Crusoe ! 
 Crusoe ! come here, pup." 
 
 Of course Crusoe knew his name by this time, for it 
 had been so often used as a prelude to his meals, that 
 he naturally expected a feed whenever he heard it. 
 This portal to his brain had already been open for 
 some days; but all the other doors were fast locked, 
 and it required a great deal of careful picking to open 
 them. 
 
 " Now, Crusoe, come here." 
 
 Crusoe bounded clumsily to his master's side, cocked 
 his ears, and wagged his tail so far his education was 
 perfect. We. say he bounded clumsily, for it must be 
 remembered thafliQ was still a very young pup, with 
 soft, flabby muscles. 
 
CKUSOE'S EDUCATION. 43 
 
 " Now, I'm goin' to begin' yer edication, pup ; think 
 o' that." 
 
 Whether Crusoe thought of that or not we cannot 
 ?ay, but he looked up in his master's face as he spoke, 
 cocked his ears very high, and turned his head slowly 
 to one side, until it could not turn any further in that 
 direction ; then he turned it as much to the other side, 
 whereat his master burst into an uncontrollable fit of 
 laughter, and Crusoe immediately began barking vocif- 
 erously. 
 
 " Come, come," said Dick, suddenly checking his 
 mirth, " we mustn't play, pup, we must work." 
 
 Drawing a leathern mitten from his belt, the youth 
 held it to Crusoe's nose, and then threw it a yard away, 
 at the same time exclaiming in a loud, distinct tone, 
 " Fetch it." 
 
 Crusoe entered at once into the spirit of this part of 
 his training ; he dashed gleefully at the mitten, and pro- 
 ceeded to worry it with intense gratification. As for 
 " Fetch it" he neither understood the words nor cared a 
 straw about them. 
 
 Dick Varley rose immediately, and rescuing the mit- 
 ten, resumed his seat on a rock. 
 
 " Come here, Crusoe," he repeated. 
 
 " Oh ! certainly, by all means," said Crusoe no ! 
 he didn't exactly say it, but really he looked these words 
 so evidently, that w 3 think it right to let them stand a? 
 
44 CRUSOE'S EDUCATION. 
 
 they are written. If he could have finished the sen- 
 tence, he would certainly have said, "Go on with that 
 game over again, old boy ; it's quite to my taste the 
 jolliest thing in life, I assure you ! " At least, if we 
 may not positively assert that he would have said that, 
 no one else can absolutely affirm that he wouldn't. 
 
 Well, Dick Varley did do it over again, and Crusoe 
 worried the mitten over again utterly regardless of 
 'Fetch it? 
 
 Then they did it again, and again, and again, but 
 without the slightest apparent advancement in the path 
 of canine knowledge, and then they went home. 
 
 During all this trying operation, Dick Varley never 
 once betrayed the slightest feeling of irritability or im- 
 patience. He did not expect success at first ; he was 
 not, therefore, disappointed at failure. 
 
 Next day he had him out again and the next 
 and the next and the next again, with the like unfa- 
 vorable result. In short, it seemed at last as if Cru- 
 soe's mind had been deeply imbued with the idea that 
 he had been born expressly for the purpose of worry- 
 ing that mitten, and he meant to fulfil his destiny to the 
 letter. 
 
 Young Varley had taken several small pieces of meat 
 in his pocket each day, with the intention of rewarding 
 Crusoe when he should at length be prevailed on to 
 fetch the mitten, but as Crusoe was not aware of the 
 
CRUSOE'S EDUCATION. 45 
 
 treat that awaited him, of course the mitten never was 
 "fetched." 
 
 At last Dick Varley saw that this system would 
 never do, so he changed his tactics, and the next morn- 
 ing gave Crusoe no breakfast, but took him out at the 
 usual hour to go through his lesson. This new course 
 of conduct seemed to perplex Crusoe not a little, for on 
 his way down to the beach he paused frequently and 
 looked back at the cottage, and then expressively up at 
 his master's face. But the master was inexorable ; he 
 went on and Crusoe followed, for true love had now 
 taken possession of the pup's young heart, and he pre- 
 ferred his master's company to food. 
 
 Varley now began by letting the learner smell a 
 piece of meat which he eagerly sought to devour, but 
 was prevented, to his immense disgust. Then the mit- 
 ten was thrown as heretofore, and Crusoe made a few 
 steps towards it, but being in no mood for play he turned 
 back. 
 
 " Fetch it" said the teacher. 
 
 " I won't," replied the learner mutely, by means of 
 that expressive sign not doing it. 
 
 Hereupon Dick Varley rose, took up the mitten, and 
 put it into the pup's mouth. Then, retiring a couple of 
 yards, he held out the piece of meat and said, k ' Fetch 
 
46 CRUSOE'S EDUCATION. 
 
 Crusoe instantly spat out the glove and bounded to- 
 wards the meat once more to be disappointed. 
 
 This was djne a second time, and Crusoe came for- 
 ward with the mitten in his mouth. It seemed as if it 
 had been done accidentally, for he dropped it before com- 
 ing quite up. If so it was a fortunate accident, for it 
 served as the tiny fulcrum on which to place the point 
 of that mighty lever which was destined ere long to raise 
 him to the pinnacle of canine erudition. Dick Varley 
 immediately lavished upon him the tenderest caresses 
 and gave him a lump of meat. But he quickly tried it 
 again lest he should lose the lesson. The dog evidently 
 felt that if he did not fetch that mitten he should have 
 no meat or caresses. In order, however, to make sure 
 that there was no mistake, Dick laid the mitten down 
 beside the pup, instead of putting it into his mouth, and, 
 retiring a few paces, cried, " Fetch it" 
 
 Crusoe looked uncertain for a moment, then he 
 picked up the mitten and laid it at his master's feet. 
 The lesson was learned at last ! Dick Varley tumbled 
 all the meat out of his pocket on the ground, and, while 
 Crusoe made a hearty breakfast, he sat down on a rock 
 and whistled with glee at having fairly picked the lock, 
 and opened another door into one of the many chambers 
 of his dog's intellect 1 
 
OUR HERO'S CHARACTER. 47 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Our Hero enlarged upon. Grumps. 
 
 Two years passed away the Mustang Valley set* 
 tlement advanced prosperously, despite one or two at- 
 tacks made upon it by the savages who were, however, 
 firmly repelled ; Dick Varley had now become a mau, 
 and his pup Crusoe had become a full-grown dog. The 
 *' Silver rifle," as Dick's weapon had come to be named, 
 was well known among the hunters and the red-skins of 
 the border-lands, and in Dick's hands its bullets were as 
 deadly as its owner's eye was quick and true. 
 
 Crusoe's education, too, had been completed. Faith- 
 fully and patiently had his young master trained his 
 mind, until he fitted him to be a meet companion in the 
 hunt. To " carry " and " fetch " were now but trifling 
 portions of the dog's accomplishments. He could dive 
 a fathom deep in the lake and bring up any article that 
 might have been dropt or thrown in. His swimming 
 powers were marvellous, and so powerful were his 
 muscles, that he seemed to spurn the water while pass- 
 ing through it, with his broad chest high out of the 
 curling wave, at a speed that neither man nor beast 
 
48 OUR HERO'S CIIARAOTEu 
 
 could keep up for a moment. His intellect no* 
 was sharp and quick as a needle ; he never required a 
 second bidding. When Dick went out hunting he 
 used frequently to drop a mitten or a powder horn un- 
 known to the dog, and, after walking miles away from 
 it, would stop short and look down into the mild, gentle 
 face of his companion. 
 
 " Crusoe," he said, in the same quiet tones with which 
 he would have addressed a human friend, " I've dropped 
 ray mitten, go fetch it, pup." Dick continued to call it 
 " pup " from habit. 
 
 One glance of intelligence passed from Crusoe's eye, 
 and in a moment he was away at full gallop ; nor did 
 he rest until the lost article was lying at his master's 
 feet. Dick was loath to try how far back on his track 
 Crusoe would run if desired. He had often gone back 
 five or six miles at a stretch ; but his powers did not 
 stop here. He could carry articles back to the spot 
 from which they had been taken and leave them there. 
 He could head the game that his master was pursuing 
 and turn it back ; and he would guard any object he 
 was desired to " watch " with unflinching constancy. 
 But it would occupy too much space and time to enu- 
 merate all Crusoe's qualities and powers His biogra- 
 phy will unfold them. 
 
 In personal appearance he was majestic, having 
 grown to an immense size even for a Newfoundland. 
 
OUR HERO'S CHARACTER. 49 
 
 Had his visage been at all wolfish in character, his 
 aspect would have been terrible. But he possessed in 
 an eminent degree that mild, humble expression of face 
 peculiar to his race. When roused or excited, and 
 especially when bounding through the forest with the 
 chase in view, he was absolutely magnificent. At other 
 times his gait was slow, and he seemed to prefer a quiet 
 walk with Dick Varley to any thing else under the sun. 
 But when Dick was inclined to be boisterous, Crusoe's 
 tail and ears rose at a moment's notice, and he was 
 ready for any thing. Moreover, he obeyed commands 
 instantly and implicitly. In this respect he put to 
 shame most of the boys of the settlement, who were 
 by no means famed for their habits of prompt obedi- 
 ence. 
 
 Crusoe's eye was constantly watching the face of his 
 master. When Dick said " Go," he went, when he said 
 " Come," he came. If he had been in the midst of an 
 excited bound at the throat of a stag, and Dick had 
 called out, " Down, Crusoe," he would have sunk to the 
 earth like a stone. No doubt it took many months of 
 training to bring the dog to this state of perfection; 
 but Dick accomplished it by patience, perseverance, and 
 love. 
 
 Besides all this, Crusoe could speak ! He spoke by 
 means of the dog's dumb alphabet in a way that defies 
 description. He conversed, so to speak, with his ex- 
 
50 OUR HERO'S CHARACTER. 
 
 tremities hit head and his tail. But his eyes, his soft 
 brown eyes, were the chief medium of communication. 
 If ever the language of the eyes was carried to perfec- 
 tion, it was exhibited in the person of Crusoe. But, 
 indeed, it would be difficult to say which part of his ex- 
 pressive face expressed most. The cocked ears of ex- 
 pectation ; the drooped ears of sorrow ; the bright, full 
 eye of joy ; the half-closed eye of contentment ; and the 
 frowning eye of indignation, accompanied with a slight, 
 a very slight pucker of the nose, and a gleam of daz- 
 zling ivory ha ! no enemy ever saw this last piece of 
 canine language without a full appreciation of what it 
 meant. Then as to the tail the modulations of mean- 
 ing in the varied wag of that expressive member ! Oh ! 
 it's useless to attempt description. Mortal man cannot 
 conceive of the delicate shades of sentiment expressible 
 by a dog's tail, unless he has studied the subject the 
 wag, the waggle, the cock, the droop, the slope, the 
 wriggle ! Away with description it is impotent and 
 valueless here ! 
 
 As we have said, Crusoe was meek and mild. He 
 had been bitten, on the sly, by half the ill-natured curs 
 in the settlement, and had only shown his teeth in re- 
 turn, x He had no enmities though several enemies 
 and he had a thousand friends, particularly among the 
 ranks of the weak and the persecuted, whom he always 
 protected and avenge 1 when opportunity offered. A 
 
DICK AND CRTSOE CONVERSE. 51 
 
 single instance of this kind will serve to show his char- 
 acter. 
 
 One day Dick and Crusoe were sitving on a rock be- 
 side the lake the same identical rock near which, when 
 a pup, the latter had received his first lesson. They 
 were conversing as usual, for Dick had elicited such a 
 fund of intelligence from the dog's mind, and had in- 
 jected such wealth of wisdom into it, that he felt con- 
 vinced it understood every word he said. 
 
 " This is capital weather, Crusoe ; aint it, pup ? " 
 
 Crusoe made a motion with his head which was 
 quite as significant as a nod. 
 
 " Ha ! my pup, I wish that you and I might go and 
 have a slap at the grizzly bars and a look at the Rocky 
 Mountains. Wouldn't it be nuts, pup ? " 
 
 Crusoe looked dubious. 
 
 " What, you don't agree with me ! Now, tell me, 
 pup, wouldn't ye like to grip a bar ? " 
 
 Still Crusoe looked dubious, but made a gentle motion 
 with his tail, as though he would have said, " I've seen 
 neither Rocky Mountains nor grizzly bars, and know 
 nothin' about 'em, but I'm open to conviction." 
 
 "You're a brave pup," rejoined Dick, stroking the 
 dog's huge head affectionately. "I wouldn* give you 
 for ten times your weight in golden dollars if there 
 be sich things." 
 
 Crusoe made no reply whatever to this. He regarded 
 
52 RETRIBUTION. 
 
 it as a truism unworthy of notice ; he evidently felt that 
 a comparison between love and dollars was preposterous 
 
 At this point in the conversation a little dog with a 
 lame leg hobbled to the edge of the rocks in front of 
 the spot where Dick was seated, and looked down into 
 the water, which was deep there. Whether it did so 
 for the purpose of admiring its very plain visage in the 
 liquid mirror, or finding out what was going on among 
 the fish, we cannot say, as it never told us ; but at that 
 moment a big, clumsy, savage-looking dog rushed out 
 from the neighboring thicket and began to worry it. 
 
 " Punish him, Crusoe," said Dick, quickly. 
 
 Crusoe made one bound that a lion might have been 
 proud of, and seizing the aggressor by the back, lifted 
 him off his legs and held him, howling, in the air at 
 the same time casting a look towards his master for 
 further instructions. 
 
 " Pitch him in," said Dick, making a sign with his 
 hand. 
 
 Crusoe turned and quietly dropped the dog into the 
 lake. Having regarded his struggles there for a few 
 moments with grave severity of countenance, he walked 
 slowly back and sat down beside his master. 
 
 The little dog made good its retreat as fast as three 
 legs would carry it, and the surly dog, having swam 
 ashore, retired sulkily, with his tail very much between 
 his legs. 
 
CRUMPS. 58 
 
 t 
 
 Little wonder, then, that Crusoe was beloved by 
 great and small among the well-disposed of the canine 
 tribes of the Mustang Valley. 
 
 But Crusoe was not a mere machine. When not 
 actively engaged in Dick Varley's service, he busied 
 himself with private little matters of his own. He 
 undertook modest little excursions into the woods or 
 along the margin of the lake, sometimes alone, but 
 more frequently with a little friend whose whole heart 
 and being seemed to be swallowed up in admiration of 
 his big companion. Whether Crusoe botanized or 
 geologized on these excursions we will not venture to 
 say. Assuredly he seemed as though he did both, for 
 he poked his nose into every bush and tuft of moss, 
 Rnd turned over the stones, and dug holes in the ground 
 and, in short, if he did not understand these sciences, 
 he behaved very much as if he did. Certainly he 
 knew as much about them as many of the human 
 species do. 
 
 In these walks he never took the slightest notice of 
 Grumps (that was the little dog's name), but Grumps 
 made up for this by taking excessive notice of him. 
 When Crusoe stopped, Grumps stopped and sat down 
 to look at him. When Crusoe trotted on, Grumps 
 trotted on too. When Crusoe examined a bush Grumps 
 sat down to watch him, and when he dug a hole 
 Grumps looked into it to see what was there, Grump? 
 
 6 * 
 
54 GKUMPS. 
 
 V 
 
 never helped him ; his sole delight was in looking on. 
 They didn't converse much, these two dogs. To be in 
 each other's company seemed to be happiness enough 
 at least Grumps thought so. 
 
 There was one point at which Grumps stopped short, 
 however, and ceased to follow his friend ; a'nd that was 
 when he rushed headlong into the lake and disported 
 himself for an hour at a time in its cool waters. Crusoe 
 was, both by nature and training, a splendid water-dog. 
 Grumps, on the contrary, held water in abhorrence, so 
 he sat on the shores of the lake disconsolate when his 
 friend was bathing, and waited till he came out. The 
 only time when Grumps was thoroughly non-plussed, 
 was when Dick Varley's whistle sounded faintly in the 
 far distance. Then Crusoe would prick up his ears, 
 and stretch out at full gallop, clearing ditch, and fence, 
 and brake with his strong elastic bound, and leaving 
 Grumps to patter after him as fast as his four-inch legs 
 would carry him. Poor Grumps usually arrived at the 
 village to find both dog and master gone, and would 
 betake himself to his own dwelling, there to lie down 
 and sleep, and dream, perchance, of rambles and gam- 
 bold with his gigantic friend. 
 
THE MISSION. 5A 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 A. Mk-sion of Peace. Unexpected Joys. Dick and Crusoe set off 
 for the Laud of the Red-skins, and meet with Adventures by the 
 way as a matter of course. Night in the Wild Woods. 
 
 ONE day the inhabitants of Mustang Valley were 
 thrown into considerable excitement by the arrival of 
 an officer of the United States army and a small escort 
 of cavalry. They went direct to the block-house, which, 
 since Major Hope's departure, had become the residence 
 of Joe Blunt that worthy having, by general consent, 
 been deemed the fittest man in the settlement to fill the 
 major's place. 
 
 Soon it began to be noised abroad that liie strangers 
 had been sent by government to endeavor to bring 
 about, if possible, a more friendly state of feeling be- 
 tween the whites and the Indians, by means of presents, 
 and promises, and fair speeches. 
 
 The party remained all night in the block-house, and 
 ere long it was reported that Joe Blunt had been re- 
 quested, and had consented, to be the leader and chief 
 of a party of three men who should visit the neighbor- 
 ing tribes of Indians to the west and north of the val- 
 
&6 VISIT OF JOE BLUNT. 
 
 ley, as government agents. Joe's knowledge of two or 
 three different Indian dialects, and his well-known sa- 
 gacity, rendered him a most fitting messenger on such 
 an errand. It was also whispered that Joe was to have 
 the choosing of his comrades in this mission, and many 
 were the opinions expressed and guesses made as to 
 who would be chosen. 
 
 That same evening Dick Varley was sitting in his 
 mother's kitchen cleaning his rifle ; his mother was 
 preparing supper and talking quietly about the obsti- 
 nacy of a particular hen that had taken to laying her 
 eggs in places where they could not be found; Fan 
 was coiled up in a corner sound asleep, and Crusoe was 
 sitting at one side of the fire looking on at things in 
 general. 
 
 "I wonder," remarked Mrs. Varley, as she spread 
 the table with a pure white napkin, "I wonder what 
 the sodgers are doin* wi* Joe Blunt." 
 
 As often happens when an individual is mentioned, 
 the worthy referred to opened the door at that moment 
 and stepped into the room. 
 
 " Good e'en t'ye, dame," said the stout hunter, doffing 
 his cap, and resting his rifle in a corner, while Dick 
 rose and placed a chair for him. 
 
 "The same to you, Master Blunt," answered the 
 widow; "you're iist corned in good time for a cut o f 
 
AN UNEXPECTED PROPOSAL. 57 
 
 " Thanks, mistress, I s'pose we're beholder to the sil- 
 ver rifle for that." 
 
 " To the hand that aimed it, rather," suggested the 
 widow. 
 
 " Nay, then, say raither to the dog that turned it," 
 said Dick Varley. " But for Crusoe that buck would 
 ha' bin couched in the woods this night." 
 
 " Oh ! if it comes to that," retorted Joe, " I'd lay it 
 to the door o' Fan, for if she'd niver bin born nother 
 would Crusoe. But it's good an' tender meat, whativer 
 ways ye got it. Howsiver, I've other things to talk 
 about jist now. Them sodgers that are eatin' buffalo 
 tongues up at the block-house as if they'd niver ate 
 meat before, and didn't hope to eat agin for a twelve- 
 month " 
 
 " Ay, what o' them ? " interrupted Mrs. Varley ; " I've 
 bin wonderin' what was their errand." 
 
 " Of coorse ye wos, dame Varley ; and I've corned 
 here a' purpis to tell ye. They want me to go to the 
 red-skins to make peace between them and us; and 
 they've brought a lot o' goods to make them presents 
 withal, beads, an' knives, an' lookin' glasses, an' ver- 
 million paint, an' sich like, jist as much as'll be a light 
 load for one horse for, ye see, nothin' can be done wi* 
 the red-skins without gifts." 
 
 "'Tis a blessed mission," said the wr'dow, "I wish it 
 may succeed D'ye think ye'll go ? " 
 
58 AN UNEXPECTED PROPOSAL. 
 
 "Go? ay, that will I." 
 
 " I only wish they'd made the offer to me," said Dick 
 with a sigh. 
 
 " An' so they do make the offer, lad. They've gin 
 me leave to choose the two men I'm to take with me, 
 and I've corned straight to ask you. Ay or no, for we 
 must up an' away by break o' day to-morrow." 
 
 Mrs. Varley started. " So soon ? " she said, with a 
 look of anxiety. 
 
 *' Ay ; the Pawnees are at the Yellow Creek jist at 
 this time, but I've heer'd they're 'bout to break up camp 
 an' away west ; so we'll need to use haste." 
 
 " May I go, mother ? " asked Dick with a look of 
 anxiety. 
 
 There was evidently a conflict in the widow's breast, 
 but it quickly ceased. 
 
 " Yes, my boy," she said in her own low, quiet voice, 
 " an' God go with ye. I knew the time must come soon, 
 an' I thank Him that your first visit to the red-skins 
 will be on an errand o' peace. * Blessed are the 
 peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of 
 God.'" 
 
 Dick grasped his mother's hand and pressed it to his 
 cheek in silence. At the same moment Crusoe, seeing 
 that the deeper feelings of his master were touched, and 
 deeming it his duty to sympathize, rose up and thrust 
 his nose against him. 
 
PIOK AND HIS MOTHER. 59 
 
 All ! pup," cried the young man hastily, " you must 
 go too. Of course Crusoe goes, Joe Blunt ? " 
 
 " Hum ! I don't know that. There's no dependin' on 
 a dog to keep his tongue quiet in times o' danger." 
 
 " Believe me," exclaimed Dick, flashing with enthu- 
 siasm, " Crusoe's more trustworthy than I am myself 
 If ye can trust the master yer safe to trust the pup." 
 
 " Well, lad, ye may be right. We'll take him/' 
 
 " Thanks, Joe. And who else goes with us ? " 
 
 "I've bin castin' that in my mind for some time, 
 an' I've fixed to take Henri. He's not the safest man 
 in the valley, but he's the truest, that's a fact. And 
 now, younker, get your horse an' rifle ready, and come 
 to the block-house at daybreak to-morrow. Good luck 
 to ye, mistress, till we meet agin." 
 
 Joe Blunt rose, and taking up his rifle, without 
 which he scarcely ever moved a foot from his own door, 
 left the cottage with rapid strides. 
 
 " My son," said Mrs. Varley, kissing Dick's cheek as 
 he resumed his seat, "put this in the little pocket I 
 made for it in your hunting shirt." 
 
 She handed him a small pocket Bible. 
 
 " Dear mother," he said, as he placed the book care- 
 fully within the breast of his coat, " the red-skin that 
 takes that from me must take my scalp first. But 
 don t fear for me. You've often said the Lord would 
 
60 DICK AND HIS MOTH KB. 
 
 protect me. So he will, mother, for sure it's an errand 
 o' peace ! " 
 
 " Ay, that's it, that's it," murmuivsd the widow in a 
 half soliloquy. 
 
 Dick Varley spent that night in converse with his 
 mother, and next morning at daybreak he was at the 
 place of meeting mounted on his sturdy little horse, 
 with the " silver rifle " on his shoulder, and Crusoe by 
 his side. 
 
 " That's right, lad, that's right. Nothin' like keepin' 
 yer time," said Joe, as he led out a pack-horse from the 
 gate of the block-house, while his own charger was 
 held ready saddled by a man named Daniel Brand, who 
 had been appointed to the charge of the block-house in 
 his absence. 
 
 " Where's Henri ? oh ! here he comes," exclaimed 
 Dick, as the hunter referred to came thundering up the 
 slope at a charge, on a horse that resembled its rider 
 in size, and not a little in clumsiness of appearance. 
 
 "Ah! mes boy. Him is a goot one to go," cried 
 Henri, remarking Dick's smile as he pulled up. " No 
 hoss on de plain can beat dis one, surement." 
 
 " Now then, Henri, lend a hand to fix this pack, we've 
 no time to palaver." 
 
 By this time they were joined by several of the 
 soldiers and a few hunters who had come *& see them 
 start. 
 
THE PREPARA~TON. 61 
 
 " Remember, Joe," cried one, " if you don t come 
 back in three months we'll all come out in a band to 
 seek you." 
 
 " If we don't come back in less v,han that time, what's 
 left o' us won't be worth seekin' for," said Joe, tighten- 
 ing the girth of his saddle. 
 
 " Put a bit in yer own mouth, Henri," cried another, 
 as the Canadian arranged his steed's bridle ; " ye'll need 
 it more than yer horse when ye git 'mong the red rep- 
 tiles." 
 
 " Vraiment, if mon mout' needs one bit your's will 
 need one padlock." 
 
 " Now, lads, mount ! " cried Joe Blunt, as he vaulted 
 into the saddle. 
 
 Dick Varley sprang lightly on his horse, and Henri 
 made a rush at his steed and hurled his huge frame 
 across its back with a violence that* ought to have 
 brought it to the ground ; but the tall, raw-boned, broad- 
 chested roan was accustomed to the eccentricities of 
 its master, and stood the shock Bravely. Being ap- 
 pointed to lead the pack-horse, Henri seized its halter ; 
 then the three cavaliers shook their reins, and, waving 
 their hands to their comrades, they sprang into the 
 woods at full gallop, and laid their course for the " far 
 west." 
 
 For some time they galloped side by side in silence, 
 each occupied with his own thoughts, Crusoe keeping 
 
62 OFF TO TUE PRAIRIE AT LAST. 
 
 close beside his master's horse. TLe two elder huntera 
 evidently ruminated on the object of their mission and 
 the prospects of success, for their countenances were 
 grave and their eyes cast on the ground. Dick Varley, 
 too, thought upon the red-men, but his musings were 
 deeply tinged with the bright hues of ajirst adventure. 
 The mountains, the plains, the Indians, the bears, the 
 buffaloes, and a thousand other objects, danced wildly 
 before his mind's eye, and his blood careered through 
 his veins and flushed his forehead as he thought of 
 what he should see and do, and felt the elastic vigor of 
 youth respond in sympathy to the light spring of his 
 active little steed. He was a lover of nature, too, and 
 his flashing eyes glanced observantly from side to side 
 as they swept along, sometimes through glades of 
 forest trees; sometimes through belts of more open 
 ground and shrubbery ; anon by the margin Df a stream, 
 or along the shores of a little lake, and often over 
 short stretches of flowering prairie-land, while the 
 firm, elastic turf sent up a muffled sound from the tramp 
 of their mettlesome chargers. It was a scene of wild, 
 luxuriant beauty, that might almost (one could fancy). 
 have drawn involuntary homage to its bountiful Creator 
 from the lips even of an infidel. 
 
 After a time Joe Blunt reined up, and they proceeded 
 at an easy ambling pace. Joe and his friend Henri 
 were so used to these beautiful scenes that they had 
 
THE FIRST DAY IN THE WILDS. 63 
 
 long ceased to be enthusiastically affected by them, 
 though they never ceased to delight in them. 
 
 " I hope," said Joe, " that them sodgers '11 go their 
 ways soon. I've no notion o' them chaps when they're 
 left at a place wi' nothin' to do but whittle sticks." 
 
 " Why, Joe ! " exclaimed Dick Varley in a tone of 
 surprise, " I thought you were admirin' the beautiful 
 face o' nature all this time, and yer only thinkin' about 
 the sodgers. Now, that's strange ! " 
 
 " Not so strange after all, lad," answered Joe. " When 
 a man's used to a thing he gits to admire an' enjoy it 
 without speakin' much about it. But it is true, boy, 
 that mankind gits in coorse o' time to think little o' 
 the blissins' he's used to. 
 
 " Oui, c'est vrai ! " murmured Henri emphatically. 
 
 " Well, Joe Blunt, it may be so ; but I'm thankful 
 I'm not used to this sort o' thing yet," exclaimed Var- 
 ley. " Let's have another gallop so ho ! come along, 
 Crusoe ! " shouted the youth, as he shook his reins, and 
 flew over a long stretch of prairie on which at that mo- 
 ment they entered. 
 
 Joe smiled as he followed his enthusiastic companion, 
 but after a short run he pulled up. 
 
 " Hold on, youngster," he cried, " ye must larn to do 
 as yer bid, lad ; it's trouble enough to be among wild 
 Injuns and wild buffaloes, as I hope soon tc be, without 
 ha"vin' wild comrades to look after/' 
 
64 DICK IS OBSTREPEROUS. 
 
 Dick laughed and reined in his panting horse. " I'll 
 be as obedient as Crusoe," he said, "and no one can 
 beat him." 
 
 "Besides," continued Joe, "the horses won't travel 
 far if we begin by runnin* all the wind out o' them." 
 
 " Wah ! " exclaimed Henri, as the led horse became 
 restive ; " 1 think we must give to him de pack-hoss for 
 *o lead, eh ! " 
 
 " Not a bad notion, Henri. We'll make that the 
 penalty of runnin' off again ; so look out, Master 
 Dick." 
 
 " I'm down," replied Dick with a modest air, " obedient 
 as a baby, and won't run off again till the next 
 time. By the way, Joe, how many days' provisions did 
 ye bring ? " 
 
 " Two. That's 'nough to carry us to the Great Prai- 
 r.ie, which is three weeks distant from this ; our own 
 good rifles must make up the difference, and keep us 
 when we get there." 
 
 " And s'pose we neither find deer nor buffalo," sug- 
 gested Dick. 
 
 " I s'pose we'll have to starve." 
 
 " Dat is comfur'able to tink upon," remarked Henri. 
 
 " More comfortable to think o' than to undergo," said 
 Dick, " but I s'pose there's little chance o' that." 
 
 "Well, not much," replied Joe Blunt, patting his 
 horse's neck, " but d'ye see, lad, ye niver can count for 
 
AN ANTELOPE. 6.5 
 
 sartin on any thin'. The deer and buffalo ought to be 
 thick in them plains at this time and when the buf- 
 falo are thick, they covers the plains till ye can hardly 
 see the end o' them ; but, ye see, sometimes the rascally 
 red-skins takes it into their heads to burn the prairies, 
 and sometimes ye find the place that should ha 'bin 
 black \vi' buffalo, black as a coal wi' fire for miles an' 
 miles on end. At other times the red-skins go huntin' 
 in 'ticular places, and sweeps them clean o' every hoof 
 that don't git away. Sometimes, too, the animals seems 
 to take a scunner at a place and keeps out o' the way. 
 But one way or another men gin'rally manage to scram- 
 ble through." 
 
 " Look yonder, Joe," exclaimed Dick, pointing to the 
 summit of a distant ridge, where a small black object 
 was seen moving against the sky, " that's a deer, aint it ? '' 
 
 Joe shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed earnestly 
 at the object in question. u Yer right, boy; and by 
 good luck we've got the wind of him. Cut in an' take 
 your chance now. There's a long strip o' wood as '11 
 let ye git close to him." 
 
 Before the sentence was well finished, Dick and Cru- 
 soe were off* at full gallop. For a few hundred yards 
 they coursed along the bottom of a hollow ; then turn- 
 ing to the right they entered the strip of wood, and in 
 a few minutes gained the edge of it. Here Dick dis- 
 mounted. 
 
 * 
 
66 DICK DOIXrES HTM. 
 
 " You can't help me here, Crusoe. Stay where you 
 are, pup, and hold my horse." 
 
 Crusoe seized the end of the line, which was fastened 
 to the horse's nose, in his mouth, and lay down on a 
 hillock of moss, submissively placing his chin on his 
 forepaws, and watching his master as he stepped noise- 
 lessly through the wood. In a few minutes Dick 
 emerged from among the trees, and, creeping from bush 
 to bush, succeeded in getting to within six hundred 
 yards of the deer, which was a beautiful little antelope. 
 Beyond the bush behind which he now crouched all was 
 bare open ground, without a shrub or hillock large 
 enough to conceal the hunter. There was a slight undu- 
 lation in the ground, however, which enabled him to 
 advance about fifty yards further, by means of lying 
 down quite flat and working himself forward like a ser- 
 pent. Further than this he could not move without 
 being seen by the antelope, which browsed on the ridge 
 before him in fancied security. The distance was too 
 great even for a long shot, but Dick knew of a weak point 
 in this little creature's nature which enabled him to accom- 
 plish his purpose a weak point which it shares in com- 
 mon with animals of a higher order, namely, curiosity. 
 
 The little antelope of the North American prairies is 
 intensely curious about every thing that it does not quite 
 understand, and will not rest satisfied until it has en- 
 deavored to clear up the mystery. Availing himself 
 
CRUSOE MAKES HIMSELF USEFUL. 67 
 
 *f this propensity, Dick did what both Indians and 
 hunters are accustomed to do on these occasions, he 
 put a piece of rag on the end of his ramrod, and, keep- 
 ing his person concealed and perfectly still, waved this 
 miniature flag in the air. The antelope noticed it at 
 once, and, pricking up its ears, began to advance, timidly 
 and slowly, step by step, to see what remarkable phe- 
 nomenon it could be. In a few seconds the flag was 
 lowered, a sharp crack followed, and the antelope fell 
 dead upon the plain. 
 
 " Ha, boy ! that's a good supper, anyhow," cried Joe, 
 as he galloped up and dismounted. 
 
 " G-oot ! dat is better nor dried meat," added Henri. 
 
 " Give him to me ; I will put him on my hoss, vich is 
 strongar dan yourn. But 'ver is your hoss ? " 
 
 " He'll be here in a minute," replied Dick, putting 
 his fingers to his mouth and giving forth a shrill 
 whistle. 
 
 The instant Crusoe heard the sound he made a savage 
 and apparently uncalled for dash at the horse's heels. 
 This wild act, so contrary to the dog's gentle nature, was 
 a mere piece of acting. He knew that the horse would 
 not advance without getting a fright, so he gave him 
 one in this way which sent him off at a gallop. Crusoe 
 followed close at his heels, so as to bring the line along- 
 side of the nag's body, and thereby prevent its getting 
 entangled ; but despite his best efforts the horse got OD 
 
68 "THROUGH THE WOODS." 
 
 one side of a tree and he on the other, so he wisely let 
 go his hold of the line, and waited till more open ground 
 enabled him to catch it again. Then he hung heavily 
 back, gradually checked the horse's speed, and finally 
 trotted him up to his master's side. 
 
 " ' Tis a cliver cur, good sooth," exclaimed Joe Blunt 
 in surprise. 
 
 "Ah, Joe! you haven't seen much of Crusoe yet. 
 He's as good as a man any day. I've done little else 
 but train him for two years gone by, and he can do 
 most any thing but shoot he can't handle the rifle no- 
 how." 
 
 " Ha ! then, I tink perhaps hims could if he wos try," 
 said Henri, plunging on to his horse with a laugh, arid 
 arranging the carcase of the antelope across the pommel 
 of his saddle. 
 
 Thus they hunted and galloped,'and trotted and am- 
 bled on through wood and plain all day, until the sun 
 began to descend below the tree tops of the bluffs on the 
 west then Joe Blunt looked about him for a place on 
 which to camp, and finally fixed on a spot under the 
 shadow of a noble birch by the margin of a little stream. 
 The carpet of grass on its banks was soft like green vel- 
 vet, and the rippling waters of the brook were clear as 
 crystal very different from the muddy Missouri into 
 tfhich it flowed. 
 
 While Dick Varley felled and cut up firewood, Henri 
 
INDIAN THIEVING PKOl'KNSITIKS. G9 
 
 unpacked the horses and turned them loose to graze, 
 and Joe kindled the fire and prepared venison steaks 
 and hot tea for supper. 
 
 In excursions of this kind it is customary to " hobble " 
 the horses ; that is, to tie their fore-legs together, so 
 that they cannot run either fast or far, but are free 
 enough to amble about with a clumsy sort of hop in 
 search of food. This is deemed a sufficient check on 
 their tendency to roam, although some of the knowing 
 horses sometimes learn to hop so fast with their hobbles 
 as to give their owners much trouble to recapture them. 
 But when out in the prairies where Indians are known 
 or supposed to be in the neighborhood, the horses are 
 picketted by means of a pin or stake attached to the 
 ends of their long laryats, as well as hobbled for In- 
 dians deem it no disgrace to steal or tell lies, though 
 they think it disgraceful to be found out in doing either. 
 And so expert are these dark-skinned natives of the 
 western prairies, that they will creep into the midst of 
 an enemy's camp, cut the laryats and hobbles of several 
 horses, spring suddenly on their backs, and gallop 
 away. 
 
 They not only steal from white men, but tribes that 
 are at enmity steal from each other, and the boldness 
 with which they do this is most remarkable. When 
 Indians are travelling in a country where enemies are 
 prowling, they guard their camps at night with jealous 
 
70 THE CAMP. 
 
 care. The horses in particular are both hobbled and 
 picketted, and sentries are posted all round the camp. 
 Yet, in spite of these precautions, hostile Indians man- 
 age to elude the sentries, and creep into the camp. When 
 a thief thus succeeds in affecting an entrance, his chief 
 danger is past. He rises boldly to his feet, and, wrap- 
 ping his blanket or buffalo robe round him, he walks up 
 and down as if he were a member of the tribe. At the 
 same time he dexterously cuts the laryats of such horses 
 as he observes are not hobbled. He dare not stoop to 
 cut the hobbles, as the action would be observed, and 
 suspicion would be instantly aroused. He then leaps on 
 the best horse he can find, and uttering a terrific war- 
 whoop darts away into the plains, driving the loosened 
 horses before him. 
 
 No such dark thieves were supposed to be near the 
 camp under the birch-tree, however, so Joe, and . Dick, 
 and Henri ate their supper in comfort, and let their 
 horses browse at will on the rich pasturage. 
 
 A bright ruddy fire was soon kindled, which created, 
 as it were, a little ball of light in the midst of surround- 
 ing darkness for the special use of our hardy hunters. 
 Within this magic circle all was warm, comfortable, and 
 cheery. Outside all was dark, and cold, and dreary by 
 contrast. 
 
 When the substantial part of supper was disposed of, 
 tea and pipes were introduced, and conversation began 
 
THE CAMP. VI 
 
 to flow. Then the three saddles were placed in a row ; 
 each hunter wrapped himself in his blanket, and, pillow- 
 ing his head on his saddle, stretched his feet towards 
 the fire and went to sleep, with his loaded rifle by his 
 side and his hunting knife handy in his belt. Crusoe 
 mounted guard by stretching himself out couchant at 
 Dick Varley's side. The faithful dog slept lightly and 
 never moved all night, but had any one observed him 
 closely he would have seen that every fitful flame that 
 burst from the sinking fire, every unusual puff of wind, 
 and every motion of the horses that fed or rested hard 
 by, had the effect of revealing a speck of glittering 
 white in Crusoe's watchful eye. 
 
EARLY MORN IN fi. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The Great Prairies of the Far West. A Remarkable Colony discor- 
 ered, and a Miserable Night endured. 
 
 OP all the hours of the night or day, the hour that 
 succeeds the dawn is the purest, the most joyous, and 
 the best. At least so think we ; and so think hundreds 
 and thousands of the human family; and so thought 
 Dick Varley, as he sprung suddenly into a sitting pos- 
 ture next morning, and threw his arms with an exulting 
 feeling of delight round the neck of Crusoe, who in- 
 stantly sat up to greet him. 
 
 This was an unusual piece of enthusiasm on the part 
 of Dick, but the dog received it with marked satisfac- 
 tion, rubbed his big hairy cheek against that of his 
 young master, and arose from his sedentary position in 
 order to afford free scope for the use of iiis tail. 
 
 " Ho ! Joe Blunt ! Henri ! Up, boys, up ! The sun 
 will have the start o' us. I'll catch the nags." 
 
 So saying, Dick bounded away into the woods with 
 Crusoe gambolling joyously at his heels. Dick soon 
 caught his own horse and Crusoe caught Joe's. Then 
 
THE GREAT PRAIRIE 73 
 
 the former mounted and quickly brought in the other 
 two. 
 
 Returning to the camp he found every thing packed 
 and ready to strap on the back of the pack-horse. 
 
 " That's the way to do it, lad," cried Joe. " Here, 
 Henri, look alive and git yer beast ready. I do believe 
 yer goin' to take another snooze ! " 
 
 Henri was indeed, at that moment, indulging in a 
 gigantic stretch, and a cavernous yawn, but he finished 
 both hastily, and rushed at his poor horse as if he in- 
 tended to slay it on the spot. Pie only threw the sad- 
 dle on its back, however, and then threw himself on the 
 saddle. 
 
 ** Now then, all ready ? " 
 
 " Ay, Oui, yis ! " 
 
 And away they went at full stretch again on their 
 journey. 
 
 Thus day after day they travelled, and night after 
 night they laid them down to sleep under the trees of 
 the forest, until at length they reached the edge of the 
 Great Prairie. 
 
 It was a great, a memorable day in the life of Dick 
 Varley, that on which he first beheld the prairie, the 
 vast boundless prairie. He had heard of it, talked of 
 it, dreamed about it, but he had never, no, he had 
 never realized it. 'Tis always thus. Our conceptions 
 of things that we have not seen are almost invariably 
 
74 DICK IS AGAIN OBSTREPEROUS. 
 
 wrong. Dick's eyes glittered, and his heart swelled, 
 And his cheeks flushed, and his breath came thick and 
 quick. 
 
 " There it is," he gasped, as the great rolling plain 
 broke suddenly on his enraptured gaze ; " that's it 
 oh ! " 
 
 Dick uttered a yell that would have done credit to 
 the fiercest chief of the Pawnees, and, being unable to 
 utter another word, he swung his cap in the air and 
 sprang like an arrow from a bow over the mighty ocean 
 of grass. The sun had just risen to send a flood of 
 golden glory over the scene ; the horses were fresh, so 
 the elder hunters, gladdened by the beauty of all around 
 them, and inspired by the irresistible enthusiasm of their 
 young companion, gave the reins to the horses and flew 
 after him. It was a glorious gallop, that first headlong 
 dash over the boundless prairie of the " far west ! " 
 
 The prairies have often been compared, most justly, 
 to the ocean. There is the same wide circle of space 
 bounded on all sides by the horizon; there is the sam^ 
 swell, or undulation, or succession of long low unbroken 
 waves that marks the ocean when it is calm ; they are 
 canopied by the same pure sky, and swept by the same 
 untrammelled breezes. There are islands, too clumpa 
 of trees and willow-bushes, which rise out of this 
 grassy ocean to break and relieve its uniformity; and 
 ttese vary in size and numbers as do the isles of ocean 
 
TROUBLES BEGIN. 75 
 
 . being numerous in some places, while in others they 
 are so scarce that the traveller does not meet one in a 
 long day's journey. Thousands of beautiful flowers 
 decked the green sward, and numbers of little birds 
 hopped about among them. 
 
 " Now, lads," said Joe Blunt, reining up, " our trou- 
 bles begin to day." 
 
 " Our troubles ! our joys, you mean ! " exclaimed Dick 
 Varley. 
 
 " P'raps I don't mean riothin' o' the sort," retorted 
 Joe. " Man wos never intended to swaller his joys 
 without a strong mixtur' o' troubles. I 'spose he couldn't 
 stand 'em pure. Ye see we've got to the prairie 
 now " 
 
 " One blind hoss might see dat ! " interrupted Henri. 
 
 " An' we may or may not diskiver buffalo. An' water's 
 scarce, too, so we'll need to look out for it pretty sharp, 
 I guess, else we'll lose our horses, in which case we may 
 as well give out at once. Besides, there's rattlesnakes 
 about in sandy places we'll ha' to look out for them ; 
 an' there's badger holes we'll need to look sharp for 
 them lest the horses put their feet in 'em ; an' there's 
 Injuns, who'll look out pretty sharp for us if they once 
 get wind that we're in them parts." 
 
 " Oui, yis, mes boys, and there's rain, and tunder, and 
 lightnin'," added Henri, pointing to a dark cloud which 
 was seen rising on the horizon ahead of them. 
 
76 THE PKAJKIFX'OfiS. 
 
 " It'll be rain," remarked Joe, " but there's r o thunder 
 in the air jist now; we'll make for yonder clump o 
 bushes and lay by till it's past." 
 
 Turning a little to the right of the course they had 
 been following, the hunters galloped along one of the 
 hollows between the prairie waves before mentioned, 
 in the direction of a clump of willows. Before reach- 
 ing it, however, they passed over a bleak and barren 
 plain where there was neither flower nor bird. Here 
 they were suddenly arrested by a most extraordinary 
 sight at least it was so to Dick Varley, who had never 
 seen the like before. This was a colony of what Joe 
 called " prairie-dogs." On first beholding them Crusoe 
 uttered a sort of half growl, half bark of surprise, cocked 
 his tail and ears, and instantly prepared to charge, but 
 he glanced up at his master first for permission. Observ- 
 ing that his finger and his look commanded " silence " 
 he dropped his tail at once and stepped to the rear. He 
 did not, however, cease to regard the prairie-dogs with 
 intense curiosity. 
 
 These remarkable little creatures have been egre- 
 giously misnamed by the hunters of the west, for they 
 bear not the slightest resemblance to dogs, either in forma- 
 tion or habits. They are, in fact, the marmot, and in 
 size are little larger than squirrels, which animals they 
 resemble in some degree. They burrow under the light 
 soil and throw it up in mounds like moles 
 
THE PRAIRIE-DOGS. 77 
 
 Thousands of them were running about among their 
 dwellings when Dick first beheld them, but the moment 
 they caught sight of the horsemen rising over the ridge, 
 they set up a tremendous hubbub of consternation ; each 
 little beast instantly mounted guard on the top of his 
 house, and prepared, as it were, " to receive cavalry." 
 
 The most ludicrous thing about them was, that al- 
 though the most timid and cowardly creatures in the 
 world, they seemed the most impertinent things that 
 ever lived ! Knowing that their holes afforded them a 
 perfectly safe retreat they sat close beside them, and as 
 the hunters slowly approached, they elevated their 
 heads, wagged their little tails, showed their teeth, and 
 chattered at them like monkeys. The nearer they 
 came the more angry and furious did the prairie-dogs 
 become, until Dick Varley almost fell off his horse with 
 suppressed laughter. They let the hunters come close 
 up, waxing louder and louder in their wrath ; but the 
 instant a hand was raised to throw a sione or point a 
 gun, a thousand little heads dived into a thousand holes, 
 and a thousand little tails wriggled for an instant in 
 the air then, a dead silence reigned over the deserted 
 scene. 
 
 " Bien, them's have dive into de bo'-els of de eart', " 
 said Henri with a broad grin. 
 
 Presently a thousand noses appeared, and nervously 
 disappeared like the wink of an eye. Then they ap- 
 7* 
 
78 THE PRAIRIE-DOGS. 
 
 peared again, and a thousand pair of eyes followed. 
 Instamiy, like Jack in the box, they were all on the top 
 of their hillocks again, chattering and wagging their 
 little tails as vigorously as ever. You could not say 
 that you saw them jump out of their holes. Suddenly, 
 as if by magic, they were out ; then Dick tossed up 
 his arms, and, suddenly, as if by magic, they were 
 gone ! 
 
 Their number was incredible, and their cities were 
 full of riotous activity. What their occupations were 
 the hunters could not ascertain, but it was perfectly 
 evident that they visited a great deal and gossipped 
 tremendously, for they ran about from house to house, 
 and sat chatting in groups ; but it was also observed 
 that they never went far from their own houses. Each 
 seemed to have a circle of acquaintance in the immediate 
 neighborhood of his own residence, to which in case of 
 sudden danger he always fled. 
 
 But another thing about these prairie-dogs (perhaps, 
 considering their size, we should call them prairie- 
 doggies), another thing about them, we say, was that 
 each doggie lived with an owl, or, more correctly, an 
 owl lived with each doggie ! This is such an extraor- 
 dinary/a^, that we could scarce hope that men would 
 believe us, were our statement not supported by dozens 
 of trust-worthy travellers who have visited and written 
 about these regions. The whole plain was covered with 
 
THE TRAIKIE-DOGS. 79 
 
 these owls. Each hole seemed to be tl e residence of 
 an owl and a doggie, and these incongruous couples 
 lived together apparently in perfect harmony. 
 
 We have not been able to ascertain from travellers 
 why the owls have gone to live with these doggies, so 
 we beg humbly to offer our own private opinion to the 
 reader. We assume, then, that owls find it absolutely 
 needful to have holes. Probably prairie-owls cannot 
 dig holes for themselves. Having discovered, however, 
 a race of little creatures that could, they very likely de- 
 termined to take forcible possession of the holes made 
 by them. Finding, no doubt, that, when they did so, 
 the doggies were too timid to object, and discovering, 
 moreover, that they were sweet, innocent little crea- 
 tures, the owls resolved to take them into partnership, 
 and so the thing was settled that's how it came about, 
 no doubt of it ! 
 
 There is a report that rattlesnakes live in these holes 
 also ! but we cannot certify our reader of the truth of 
 this, still it is well to be acquainted with a report that 
 is current among the men of the backwoods. If it be 
 true, we are of opinion that the doggie's family is the 
 most miscellaneous and remarkable on the face of 
 or, as Henri said, in the bo'-els of the earth. 
 
 Dick and his friends were so deeply absorbed in 
 watching these curious little creatures that they did not 
 observe the rapid spread of the black clouds over the 
 
80 CRUSOE CONTRIBUTES TOWARDS SUPPER. 
 
 sky A few heavy drops of rain now warned them to 
 seek shelter, so wheeling round they dashed off at speed 
 for the clump of willows, which they gained just as the 
 rain began to descend in torrents. 
 
 "Now, lads, do it slick. Off packs and saddles,'* 
 cried Joe Blunt, jumping from his horse. " I'll make a 
 hut for ye, right off." 
 
 " A hut, Joe, what sort o' hut can ye make here ? " 
 inquired Dick. 
 
 " Ye'll see, boy, in a minute." 
 
 " Ach ! lend me a hand here, Dick ; de bockle am 
 tight as de hosse's own skin. Ah ! dere all right." 
 
 " Hallo ! what's this ? " exclaimed Dick, as Crusoe 
 advanced with something in his mouth. " I declare, it's 
 a bird o' some sort." 
 
 "A prairie-hen," remarked Joe, as Crusoe laid the 
 bird at Dick's feet ; " capital for supper." 
 
 " Ah ! Dat chien is superb ! goot dog. Come here, I 
 vill clap you." 
 
 But Crusoe refused to be caressed. Meanwhile, Joe 
 and Dick formed a sort of bee-hive looking hut by 
 bending down the stems of a tall bush and thrusting 
 their points into the ground. Over this they threw the 
 largest buffalo robe, and placed another on the ground 
 below it, on which they laid their packs of goods. These 
 they further secured against wet by placing several 
 robes over them and a skin of parchment. Then they 
 
DREARY PROSPECTS. 81 
 
 Bat down on this pile to rest ami consider what should 
 be done next. 
 
 " ' Tis a bad look-out," said Joe, shaking his head. 
 
 " I fear it is," replied Dick in a melancholy tone. 
 
 Henri said nothing, but he sighed deeply on looking 
 up at the sky, which was now of a uniform watery grey, 
 while black clouds drove athwart it. The rain was 
 pouring in torrents, and the wind began to sweep it in 
 broad sheets over the plains, and under their slight 
 covering, so that in a short time they were wet to the 
 skin. The horses stood meekly beside them, with 
 their tails and heads equally pendulous, and Crusoe sat 
 before his master, looking at him with an expression 
 that seemed to say, " Couldn't you put a stop to this if 
 you were to try ? " 
 
 " This '11 never do. I'll try to git up a fire," said 
 Dick, jumping up in desperation. 
 
 " Ye may save yerself the trouble," remarked Joe, 
 drily at least as drily as was possible under the cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 However, Dick did try, but he failed signally. Every- 
 thing was soaked and saturated. There were no large 
 trees ; most of the bushes were green, and the dead ones 
 were soaked. The coverings were slobbery ; the skins 
 they sat on were slobbery ; the earth itself was slobbery 
 BO Dick threw his blanket (which was also slobbery) 
 round his shoulders, and sat down beside his compan* 
 
82 A DISMAL NIGHT. 
 
 ions to grin and bear it. As for Joe and Henri, they 
 were old hands, and accustomed to such circumstances. 
 From the first they had resigned themselves to their 
 fate, and wrapping their wet blankets round them sat 
 down, side by side, wisely to endure the evils that they 
 could not cure. 
 
 There is an old rhyme, by whom composed we know 
 not and it matters little which runs thus 
 
 " For every evil under the sun 
 There is a remedy or there's none. 
 If there is try and find it ; 
 If there isn't never mind it! " 
 
 There is deep wisdom here in small compass. The 
 principle involved deserves to be heartily recommended. 
 Dick never heard of the lines, but he knew the principle 
 well ; so he began to " never mind it," by sitting down 
 beside his companions and whistling vociferously. As 
 the wind rendered this a difficult feat he took to singing 
 instead. After that he said, " Let's eat a bite, Joe, and 
 then go to bed." 
 
 " Be all means," said Joe, who produced a mass of 
 dried deer's meat from a wallet. 
 
 "It's cold grub," said Dick, "and tough." 
 
 But the hunters' teeth were sharp and strong, so 
 
 they ate a hearty supper and washed it down with a 
 
 drink of rain water collected from a pool on the top of 
 
 their hut. They now tried to sleep, for the night was 
 
A DISMAL NIGHT. 83 
 
 advancing, and it was so dark that they could scarce 
 see their hands when held up before their faces. They 
 sat back to back, and thus, in the form of a tripod, 
 began to snooze. Joe's and Henri's seasoned frames 
 would have remained stiff as posts till morning; but 
 Dick's body was young and pliant, so he hadn't been 
 asleep a few seconds when he fell forward into the mud 
 and effectually awakened the others. Joe gave a grunt, 
 and Henri exclaimed, " Hah ! " but Dick was too sleepy 
 and miserable to say any thing. Crusoe, however? rose 
 up to show his sympathy, and laid his wet head on his 
 master's knee as he resumed his place. This catastrophe 
 happened three times in the space of an hour, and by 
 the third time they were all awakened up so thoroughly 
 that they gave up the attempt to sleep, and amused 
 each other by recounting their hunting experiences and 
 telling stories. So engrossed did they become that day 
 broke sooner than they had expected and, just in 
 proportion as the grey light of dawn rose higher into 
 the eastern sky, did the spirits of these weary men rise 
 within their soaking bodies. 
 
84 THINGS IMPROVK. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The " Wallering " 1 eculiarities of Buffalo Bulls. The First Buffalo 
 Hunt and its consequences. Crusoe conies to the Resme. Paw- 
 nees discovered. A Monster Buffalo Hunt. Joe acts the part of 
 Ambassador. 
 
 FORTUNATELY the day that succeeded the dreary 
 night described in the last chapter was warm and magni- 
 ficent. The sun rose in a blaze of splendor and filled 
 the atmosphere with steam from the moist earth. 
 
 The unfortunates in the wet camp were not slow to 
 avail themselves of his cheering rays. They hung up 
 every thing on the bushes to dry, and by dint of extreme 
 patience and cutting out the comparatively dry hearts 
 of several pieces of wood, they lighted a fire and boiled 
 some rain water, which was soon converted into soup. 
 This, and the exercise necessary for the performance of 
 these several duties, warmed and partially dried them, 
 so that when they once more mounted their steeds and 
 rode away they were in a state of comparative comfort 
 and excellent spirits. The only annoyance was the 
 clouds of musquitoes and large flies that assailed men 
 and horses whenever they checked their speed. 
 
BUFFALOES. 85 
 
 " I tell ye wot it is," said Joe Blunt, one fine morn- 
 ing about a week after they had begun to cross the 
 prairie, " it's my 'pinion that we'll come on buffaloes 
 soon. Them tracks are fresh, an' Bonder's one o' their 
 wallers that's bin used not long agone." 
 
 k ' I'll go have a look at it," cried Dick, trotting away 
 as he spoke. 
 
 Every thing in these vast prairies was new to Dick 
 Varley, and he was kept in a constant state of excite- 
 ment during the first week or two of his journey. It 
 is true he was quite familiar with the names and habits 
 of all the animals that dwelt there, for many a time 
 and oft had he listened to the " yarns " of the hunters 
 and trappers of the Mustang Valley, when they returned 
 laden with rich furs from their periodical hunting ex- 
 peditions. But this knowledge of his only served to 
 whet his curiosity and his desire to see the denizens of 
 the prairies with his own eyes, and now that his wish 
 was accomplished, it greatly increased the pleasures of 
 his journey. 
 
 Dick had just reached the " wallow," referred to by 
 Joe Blunt, and had reined up his steed to observe it 
 leisurely, when a faint hissing sound reached his ear. 
 Looking quickly back he observed his two companions 
 crouching on the necks of their horses, and slowly de- 
 scending into a hollow of the prairie in front of them, 
 as if they wished to bring the rising ground between 
 8 
 
86 BUFFALOES. 
 
 them and some object in advance. Dick instantly 
 followed their example and was soon at their Ljels. 
 
 "Ye needn't look at the waller," whispered Joe, 
 " for a' tother side o' the ridge there's a bull watterin." 
 
 " Ye don't mean it ! " exclaimed Dick, as they all 
 dismounted and picketted their horses to the plain. 
 
 "Oui," said Henri, tumbling off his horse, while a 
 broad grin overspread his good-natured countenance; 
 " it is one fact ! One buffalo bull be wollerin' like a 
 enormerous hog. Also, dere be t'ousands o' buffaloes 
 farder on." 
 
 " Can ye trust yer dog keepin' back?" inquired Joe, 
 with a dubious glance at Crusoe. 
 
 " Trust him ! Ay, I wish I was as sure o' my- 
 self." 
 
 " Look to your primin', then, an' we'll have tongue^ 
 and marrow bones for supper to-night, I'se warrant. 
 Hist! down on yer knees, and go softly. We might 
 ha' run them down on horseback, but it's bad to wind 
 yer beasts on a trip like this, if ye can help it ; an' it's 
 about as easy to stalk them. Least ways, we'll try. 
 Lift yer head slowly, Dick, an' don't show more nor the 
 half o't above the ridge." 
 
 Dick elevated his hend as directed, and the scene 
 that met his view was indeed well calculated to send 
 an electric shock to the heart of an ardent sportsman. 
 The vast plain beyond was absolutely blackened witb 
 
BUFFALO KS. 87 
 
 herds of buffaloes, which were browsing on 
 the rich grass. They were still so far distant that 
 their bellowing, and the trampling of their myriad 
 hoofs, only reached the hunters like a faint murmur on 
 the breeze. In the immediate foreground, however, 
 there was a group of about half-a-dozen buffalo-cows 
 feeding quietly, and in the midst of them an enormous 
 old bull was enjoying himself in his wallow. The 
 animals, towards which our hunters now crept with 
 murderous intent, are the fiercest and the most pon- 
 derous of the ruminating inhabitants of the western 
 wilderness. The name of buffalo, however, is not cor- 
 rect. The animal is the bison, and bears no resemblance 
 whatever to the buffalo proper ; but as the hunters of 
 the far-west and, indeed, travellers generally, have 
 adopted the misnomer, we bow to the authority of 
 custom and adopt it too. 
 
 Buffaloes roam in countless thousands all over the 
 North American prairies, from the Hudson's Bay ter- 
 ritories, north of Canada, to the shores of the Gulf of 
 Mexico. 
 
 The advance of white men to the west has driven 
 them to the prairies between the Missouri and the 
 Rocky Mountains, and has somewhat diminished their 
 numbers ; but even thus diminished, they are still in- 
 numerable in the more distant plains. Their color is 
 dark brown, but it varies a good deal with the seasons. 
 
88 BUFFALOES. 
 
 The hair or fur, from its great length in winter and 
 spring, and exposure to the weather, turns quite light; 
 but when the winter coat is shed off, the new growth is 
 a beautiful dark brown, almost approaching to jet black. 
 In form the buffalo somewhat resembles the ox, but its 
 head and shoulders are much larger, and are covered 
 with a profusion of long shaggy hair, which adds 
 greatly to the fierce aspect of the animal. It has a 
 large hump on the shoulder, and its fore quarters are 
 much larger, in proportion, than the hind quarters. 
 The horns are short and thick ; the hoofs are cloven, 
 and the tail is short, with a tuft of hair at the extrem 
 ity. 
 
 It is scarcely possible to conceive a wilder or more 
 ferocious and terrible monster than a buffalo bull. He 
 often grows to the enormous weight of two thousand 
 pounds. His lion-like mane falls in shaggy confusion 
 quite over his head and shoulders, down to the ground. 
 When he is wounded he becomes imbued with the 
 spirit of a tiger ; he stamps, bellows, roars, and foams 
 forth his rage with glaring eyes and steaming nostrils ; 
 and charges furiously at man and horse with utter reck- 
 lessness. Fortunately, however, he is not naturally 
 pugnacious, and can be easily thrown into a sudden 
 panic. Moreover, the peculiar position of his eye ren- 
 ders this creature not so terrible as he would otherwise 
 be to the hunter. Owing to the stiff structure of the 
 
BUFFALO WALLOWS. 89 
 
 neck, and the sunken, downward-looking eyoball, the 
 buffalo cannot, without an effort, see beyond the direct 
 line of vision presented to the habitual carriage of his 
 head. When, therefore, he is wounded, and charges, 
 he does so in a straight line, so that his pursuer can 
 leap easily out of his way. The pace of the buffalo is 
 clumsy, and apparently slow, yet, when chased, he 
 dashes away over the plains in blind blundering terror, 
 at a rate that leaves all but good horses far behind. 
 He cannot keep the pace up, however, and is usually 
 soon overtaken. Were the buffalo capable of the same 
 alert and agile motions of head and eye peculiar to the 
 deer or wild-horse, in addition to his " bovine rage," he 
 would be the most formidable brute on earth. There is 
 no object, perhaps, so terrible as the headlong advance 
 of a herd of these animals when thoroughly aroused by 
 terror. They care not for their necks. All danger in 
 front is forgotten, or not seen, in the terror of that from 
 which they fly. No thundering cataract is more tre- 
 mendously irresistible than the black bellowing torrent 
 which sometimes pour through the narrow defiles of the 
 Rocky Mountains, or sweeps like a roaring flood over 
 the trembling plains. 
 
 The wallowing, to which we have referred, is a lux- 
 ury usually indulged in during the hot months of sum- 
 mer, when the buffaloes are tormented by flies, and 
 
 heat, and drought. At this season they seek the low 
 8* 
 
90 BUFFALO SHOOTING. 
 
 grounds in the prairies where there is a little stagnant 
 water lying amongst the grass, and the ground under- 
 neath, being saturated, is soft. The leader of the herd, 
 a shaggy old bull, usually take upon himself to prepare 
 the wallow. 
 
 It was a rugged monster of the largest size that did 
 so on the present occasion, to the intense delight of 
 Dick Varley, who begged Joe to lie still and watch the 
 operation before trying to shoot one of the buffalo- 
 cows. Joe consented with a nod, and the four spec- 
 tators for Crusoe was as much taken up with the 
 proceedings as any of them crouched in the grass, 
 and looked on. 
 
 Coming up to the swampy spot the old bull gave a 
 grunt of satisfaction, and, going down on one knee, 
 plunged his short thick horns into the mud, tore it up, 
 and cast it aside. Having repeated this several times, 
 he plunged his head in, and brought it forth saturated 
 with dirty water, and bedaubed with lumps of mud, 
 through which Kis fierce eyes gazed, with a ludicrous 
 expression of astonishment, straight in the direction of 
 the hunters, as if he meant to say, " I've done it that 
 time, and no mistake ! " The other buffaloes seemed to 
 think so too, for they came up and looked on with an 
 expression that seemed to say, " Well done, old fellow ; 
 try that again ! " 
 
 The old fellow did try it again, and again, and again, 
 
BUFFALO SHOOTING. 91 
 
 plunging, and ramming, and tearing up the earth, until 
 he formed an excavation large enough to contain his 
 huge body. In this bath he laid himself comfortably 
 down, and began to roll and wallow about until he 
 mixed up a trough full of thin soft mud, which com- 
 pletely covered him. When he came out of the hole 
 there was scarcely an atom of his former self visible ! 
 
 The coat of mud thus put on by bulls is usually per- 
 mitted by them to dry, and is not finally got rid of until 
 long after, when oft-repeated rollings on the grass and 
 washings by rain at length clears it away. 
 
 When the old bull vacated this delectable bath, 
 another bull, scarcely if at all less ferocious looking, 
 stepped forward to take his turn, but he was inter- 
 rupted by a volley from the hunters, which scattered 
 the animals right and left, and sent the mighty herds 
 in the distance flying over the prairie in wild terror. 
 The very turmoil of their own mad flight added to their 
 panic, and the continuous thunder of their hoofs was 
 heard until the last of them disappeared on the horizon. 
 The family party which had been fired at, however, did 
 not escape so well. Joe's rifle wounded a fat young 
 cow, and Dick Varley brought it down. Henri had 
 done his best, but, as the' animals were too far distant 
 for his limited vision, he missed the cow he fired at and 
 hit the young bull whose bath had been interrupted. 
 The others scattered and fled. 
 
92 DICK 3 S ADVENTURE WITH TIE BULL. 
 
 "Well done, Dick," exclaimed Joe Blunt, as they all 
 ran up to the cow that had fallen. < 4 Your first shot at 
 the buffalo was a good un. Come now an' I'll show ye 
 how to cut it up an' carry off the tit bit." 
 
 " Ah ! mon dear ole bull," exclaimed Henri, gazing 
 after the animal which he had wounded, and which was 
 now limping slowly away. " You is not worth goin* 
 after. Farewell, adieu." 
 
 " He'll be tough enough, I warrant," said Joe, u an' 
 we've more meat here nor we can lift." 
 
 " But wouldn't it be as well to put the poor brute 
 out o' pain," suggested Dick. 
 
 " Oh, he'll die soon enough," replied Joe, tucking up 
 his sleeves and drawing his long hunting knife. 
 
 Dick, however, was not satisfied with this way of 
 looking at it. Saying that he would be back in a few 
 minutes he re-loaded his rifle, and calling Crusoe to his 
 side, walked quickly after the wounded bull, which was 
 now hid from view^in a hollow of the plain. 
 
 In a few minutes he came in sight of it, and ran for- 
 fard with his rifle in readiness. 
 
 " Down, Crusoe," he whispered , " wait for me 
 here." 
 
 Crusoe crouched in the grass instantly, and Dick 
 advanced. As he came on, the bull observed him, and 
 turned round bellowing with rage and pain to receive 
 him. The aspect of the brute on a near vi 3W was so 
 
DICK'S ADVENTURE W1TII TIIK 1HILL. 93 
 
 terrible, that Dick involuntarily stopped too, and gazed 
 with a mingled feeling of wonder and awe, while it 
 bristled with passion, and blood-streaked foam dropped 
 from it open jaws, and its eyes glared furiously. 
 Seeing that Dick did not advance, the bull charged 
 him with a terrific roar; but the youth had firm nerves, 
 and although the rush of such a savage creature at full 
 speed was calculated to try the courage of any man, 
 especially one who had never seen a buffalo bull before, 
 Dick did not lose presence, of mind. He remembered 
 the many stories he had listened to of this very thing, 
 that was now happening, so, crushing down his excite- 
 ment as well as he could, he cocked his rifle, and 
 awaited the charge. He knew that it was of no use to 
 fire at the head of the advancing foe, as the thickness of 
 the skull, together with the matted hair on the forehead, 
 rendered it impervious to a bullet. 
 
 When the bull was within a yard of him he leaped 
 lightly to one side and it passed. . Just as it did so, 
 Dick aimed at its heart and fired, but his knowledge of 
 the creature's anatomy was not yet correct. The ball 
 entered the shoulder too high, and the bull, checking 
 himself as well as he could in his headlong rush, turned 
 round and made at Dick again. 
 
 The failure coupled with the excitement proved too 
 much for Dick; he could not resist discharging his 
 second barrel at the brute's head as it came on. He 
 
94 CRUSOE TO THE RESCUE. 
 
 might as well have fired at a brick wall ; it shook it* ' 
 shaggy front, and with a hideous bellow thundered 
 forward. Again Dick sprang to one side, but in doing 
 so a tuft of grass or a stone caught his foot, and he fell 
 heavily to the ground. 
 
 Up to this point Crusoe's admirable training had 
 nailed him to the spot where he had been left, although 
 the twitching of every fibre in his body and a low con- 
 tinuous whine showed how gladly he would have hailed 
 permission to join in the combat; but the instant he 
 saw his master down and the buffalo turning to charge 
 again, he sprang forward with a roar that would have 
 done credit to his bovine enemy, and seized him by the 
 nose. So vigorous was the rush that he wellnigh 
 pulled the bull down on its side. One toss of its head, 
 however, sent Crusoe high into the air, but it accom- 
 plished this feat at the expense of its nose, which was 
 torn and lacerated by the dog's teeth. 
 
 Scarcely had Crusoe touched the ground, which he 
 did with a sounding thump, than he sprang up and 
 flew at his adversary again. This time, however, he 
 adopted the plan of barking furiously and biting by 
 rapid yet terrible snaps as he found opportunity, thus 
 keeping the bull entirely engrossed, and affording Dick 
 an opportunity of re-loading his rifle which he was not 
 slow to do. Dick then stepped close up, and, while 
 the two combatants were roaring in each other's faces, 
 
CRUSOE TO THE RESCUE. 95 
 
 he shot the buffalo through the heart. It fell to the 
 earth with a deep groan. 
 
 Crusoe's rage instantly vanished on beholding this, 
 and he seemed to be filled with tumultuous joy at his 
 master's escape, for he gambolled round him, and 
 whined and fawned upon him in a manner that could 
 not be misunderstood. 
 
 " Good dog ; thank'ee, my pup," said Dick, patting 
 Crusoe's head as he stooped to brush the dust from his 
 leggings ; " I don't know what would ha' become o' me 
 but for your help, Crusoe." 
 
 Crusoe turned his head a little to one side, wagged 
 his tail, and looked at Dick with an expression that 
 said quite plainly, " I'd die for you, I would not once, 
 or twice, but ten times, fifty times if need be and 
 that not merely to save your life, but even to please you." 
 
 There is no doubt whatever that Crusoe felt some- 
 thing of this sort. The love of a Newfoundland dog to 
 its master is beyond calculation or expression. He who 
 once gains such love carries the dog's life in his hand. 
 But let him who reads note well, and remember, that 
 there is only one coin that can purchase such love, and 
 that is kindness ; the coin, too, must be genuine. Kind- 
 ness merely expressed will not do, it must be felt. 
 
 " Hallo ! boy, ye've bin i' the wars ! " exclaimed Joe, 
 raising himself from his task as Dick and Crusoe re 
 turned. 
 
96 ITOW TO CUT UP BUFFALO MEAT 
 
 " You look more like it than I do," retorted Dick, 
 laughing. 
 
 This was true, for cutting up a buffalo carcase with 
 no other instrument than a large knife is no easy 
 matter. Yet western hunters and Indians can do it 
 without cleaver or saw, in a way that would surprise a 
 civilized butcher not a little. Joe was covered with 
 blood up to the elbows. His hair, happening to have 
 a knack of getting into his eyes, had been so often 
 brushed off with bloody hands, that his whole visage 
 was speckled with gore, and his dress was by no means 
 immaculate. 
 
 While Dick related his adventure, or mis-ad venture 
 with the bull, Joe and Henri completed the cutting 
 out of the most delicate portions of the buffalo, namely, 
 the hump on its shoulder which is a choice piece, 
 much finer than the best beef and the tongue, and 
 a few other parts. The tongues of buffaloes are supe- 
 rior to those of domestic cattle. When all was ready 
 the meat was slung across the back of the pack-horse, 
 and the party, remounting their horses, continued 
 their journey, having first cleansed themselves as well 
 as they could in the rather dirty waters of an old wal- 
 low. 
 
 " See," said Henri, turning to Dick and pointing to 
 a circular spot of green as they rode along, " that is one 
 old dry waller." 
 
INDIANS DISCO \JkiiED. 97 
 
 "Ay," remarked Joe, "after the waller dries, it 
 becomes a ring o' greener grass than the rest o' .he 
 plain, as ye see. 'Tis said the first hunters used to 
 wonder greatly at these myster'ous circles, and they 
 invented all sorts o' stories to account for 'em. Some 
 said they wos fairy-rings, but at last they corned to 
 know they wos nothin' more nor less than places 
 where buffaloes wos used to waller in. It's often 
 seemed to me that if we knowed the raisons o' things 
 we wouldn't be so much puzzled wi' them as we 
 are." 
 
 The truth of this last remark was so self-evi- 
 dent arid incontrovertible that it elicited no reply, and 
 the three friends rode on for a considerable time in 
 silence. 
 
 It was now past noon, and they were thinking of 
 calling a halt for a short rest to the horses and a pipe 
 to themselves, when Joe was heard to give vent to one 
 of those peculiar hisses, that always accompanied either 
 a surprise or a caution. In the present case it indicated 
 both. 
 
 " What now, Joe ? " 
 
 " Injuns ! " ejaculated Joe. 
 
 " Eh ! fat you say ? ou is de ? " 
 
 Crusoe at this moment uttered a low growl. Ever 
 since the day he had been partially roasted he had 
 maintained a rooted antipathy to red-men. Joe im- 
 
98 INDIANS DISCOVERED. 
 
 mediately dismounted, and placing his ear to the 
 ground listened intently. It is a curious fact that by 
 placing the ear close to the ground sounds can be 
 heard distinctly which could not be heard at all if the 
 listener were to maintain an erect position. 
 
 " They're arter the buffalo," said Joe, rising, " an' I 
 think it's likely they're a band o' Pawnees. Listen an' 
 ye'll hear their shouts quite plain." 
 
 Dick and Henri immediately lay down and placed 
 their ears to the ground. 
 
 "Now, me hear noting," said Henri, jumping up, 
 " but me ear is like me eyes ; ver' short-sighted." 
 
 " I do hear something," said Dick, as he got up, " but 
 the beating o' my own heart makes row enough to spoil 
 my hearin'." 
 
 Joe Blunt smiled. " Ah ! lad, yer young, an' yer 
 blood's too hot yet, but bide a bit; you'll cool down 
 soon. I wos like you once, Now, lads, what think ye 
 we should do ? " 
 
 " You know best, Joe." 
 
 " Oui, nodoubtedly." 
 
 " Then wot I advise is that we gallop to the broken 
 sand hillocks ye see yonder, get behind them an' take a 
 peep at the Red-skins. If they are Pawnees we'll go 
 up to them at once ; if not, we'll hold a council o' war 
 on the spot." 
 
 Hating arranged this they mounted and hastened 
 
THE GREAT HUNT. 99 
 
 towards the hillocks in question, which the^ reached 
 after ten minutes' gallop, at full stretch. The sandy 
 mound afforded them concealment, and enabled them 
 to watch the proceedings of the savages in the plain 
 below. The scene was the most curious and exciting 
 that can be conceived. The centre of the plain before 
 them was crowded with hundreds of buffaloes, which 
 were dashing about in the most frantic state of alarm. 
 To whatever point they galloped they were met by 
 yelling savages on horseback, who could not have 
 been fewer in numbers than a thousand all being 
 armed with lance, bow, and quiver, and mounted on 
 active little horses. The Indians had completely sur- 
 rounded the herd of buffaloes, and were now advancing 
 steadily towards them, gradually narrowing the circle, 
 and, whenever the terrified animals endeavored to 
 break through the line, they rushed to that particular 
 spot in a body, and scared them back again into the 
 centre. 
 
 Thus they advanced until they closed in on their 
 prey, and formed an unbroken circle round them, whilst 
 the poor brutes kept eddying and surging to and fro 
 in a confused mass, hooking and climbing upon each 
 other, and bellowing furiously. Suddenly the horse- 
 men made a rush, arid the work of destruction began. 
 The tremendous turmoil raised a cloud of dust that 
 obscured the field in some places, and hid it from our 
 
100 THE GREAT HUNT. 
 
 hunter's view. Some of the Indians galloped round 
 and round the circle, sending their arrows whizzing up 
 to the feathers in the sides of the fattest cows. Others 
 dashed fearlessly into the midst of the black heaving 
 mass, and, with their long lances, pierced dozens of 
 them to the heart. In many instances the buffaloes, 
 infuriated by wounds, turned fiercely on their assailants 
 and gored the horses to death, in which cases the men 
 had to trust to their nimble legs for safety. Sometimes 
 a horse got jammed in the centre of the swaying mass, 
 and could neither advance nor retreat. Then the sav- 
 age rider leaped upon the buffaloes' backs, and spring- 
 ing from one to another, like an acrobat, gained the 
 outer edge of the circle, not failing, however, in his 
 strange flight, to pierce with his lance several of the 
 fattest of his stepping-stones as he sped along. 
 
 A few of the herd succeeded in escaping from the 
 blood and dust of this desperate battle, and made 
 off over the plains, but they were quickly overtaken, 
 and the lance or arrow brought them down on the 
 green turf. Many of the dismounted riders were 
 chased by bulls, but they stepped lightly to one side, 
 and, as the animals passed, drove their arrows deep 
 into their sides. Thus the tumultuous war went 
 on, amid thundering tread, and yell, and bellow, till 
 the green plain was transformed into a sea of blood 
 and mire, and every buffalo of the herd was laid low. 
 
THE MEETING. 101 
 
 It is not to be supposed tha't such reckless \\arfarC; 
 is invariably waged without rf&iiage, ]b'.t$d '^Ivuges; 
 Many were the wounds and bruises received that day, 
 and not a few bones were broken, but happily no lives 
 were lost. 
 
 "Now, lads, now's our time. A bold and fearless 
 look's the best at all times. Don't look as if ye doubted 
 their friendship ; and mind, wot ever ye do, don't use 
 yer arms. Follow me." 
 
 Saying this, Joe Blunt leaped on his horse, and 
 bounding over the ridge at full speed, galloped headlong 
 across the plain. 
 
 The savages observed the strangers instantly, and a 
 loud yell announced the fact as they assembled from 
 all parts of the field brandishing their bows and spears. 
 Joe's quick eye soon distinguished their chief, towards 
 whom he galloped, still at full speed, till within a yard 
 or two of his horse's head ; then he reined up suddenly. 
 So rapidly did Joe and his comrades approach, and so 
 instantaneously did they pull up, that their steeds were 
 thrown almost on their haunches. 
 
 The Indian chief did not move a muscle. He was 
 a tall powerful savage, almost naked, and mounted on 
 a coal-black charger, which he sat with the ease ot a 
 man accustomed to ride from infancy. He was, indeed, 
 a splendid-looking savage, but his face wore a dark 
 frown, for, although he and his band had visited the 
 9* 
 
102 MATTERS LOOK GLOOMY. 
 
 settlements and trafficked with the fur traders on he 
 Missouri, he did hot' love tlie "Pale-faces," whom he 
 regarded as intruders on the hunting-grounds of his 
 fathers, and the peace that existed between them at 
 that time was of a very fragile character. Indeed, it 
 was deemed by the traders impossible to travel through 
 the Indian country at that period except in strong force, 
 and it was the very boldness of the present attempt that 
 secured to our hunters any thing like a civil reception. 
 
 Joe, who could speak the Pawnee tongue fluently, 
 began by explaining the object of his visit, and spoke 
 of the presents which he had brought for the great 
 chief; but it was evident that his words made little 
 impression. As he discoursed to them the savages 
 crowded round the little party, and began to handle and 
 examine their dresses and weapons with a degree of rude- 
 ness that caused Joe considerable anxiety. 
 
 " Mahtawa believes that the heart of the Pale-face is 
 true," said the savage, when Joe paused, " but he does 
 not choose to make peace. The Pale-faces are grasping. 
 They never rest. They turn their eyes to the great 
 mountains, and say * There we will stop.' But even 
 there they will not stop. They are never satisfied, 
 Mahtawa knows them well." 
 
 This speech sank like a death-knell into the hearts of 
 the hunters, for they knew that if the savages refused to 
 make peace, they would scalp them all and appropriate 
 
THE INDIAN CHIEF. 103 
 
 their goods. To make things worse, a dark-v eaged 
 Indian suddenly caught hold of Henri's rifle, and, ere 
 he was aware, plucked it from his hand. The blood 
 rushed to the gigantic hunter's forehead, and he was on 
 the point of springing at the man, when Joe said in a 
 deep, quiet voice, 
 
 " Be still, Henri. You will but hasten death." 
 
 At this moment there was a movement in the out- 
 skirts of the circle of horsemen, and another chief rode 
 into the midst of them. He was evidently higher in 
 rank than Mahtawa, for he spoke authoritatively to the 
 crowd, and stepped in before him. The hunters drew 
 little comfort from the appearance of his face, however, 
 for it scowled upon them. He was not so powerful a 
 man as Mahtawa, but he was more gracefully formed, 
 and had a more noble and commanding countenance. 
 
 " Have the Pale-faces no wigwams on the grout river 
 that they should come to spy out the lands of the Paw- 
 nee ? " he demanded. 
 
 " We have not come to spy your country," answered 
 Joe, raising himself proudly as he spoke, and taking off 
 his cap. We have come with a message from the great 
 chief of the Pale-faces, who lives in the village far 
 beyond the great river where the sun rises. He says 
 why should the Pale-face and the Red-man fight! 
 They are brothers. The same Manitou * watch es ovei 
 
 * The Indian name for God. 
 
104 THE INDIAN CHIEF. 
 
 both. The Pale-faces have more beads, and guns, and 
 blankets, and knives, and verraillion than they require ; 
 they wish to give some of these things for the skins 
 and furs which the Red-man does not know what to do 
 with. The great chief of the Pale-faces has sent me to 
 say, ' Why should we fight ? let us smoke the pipe of 
 peace?'" 
 
 At the mention of beads and blankets the face of the 
 wily chief brightened for a moment. Then he said, 
 sternly, 
 
 " The heart of the Pale-face is not true. He has 
 come here to trade for himself. San-it-sa-rish has eyes 
 that can see they are not shut. Are not these your 
 goods ? " The chief pointed to the pack-horse as he 
 spoke. 
 
 " Trappers do not take their goods into the heart of 
 an enemy's camp," returned Joe ; " San-it-sa-rish is 
 wise and will understand this. These are gifts to the 
 chief of the Pawnees. There are more awaiting him 
 when the pipe of peace is smoked. I have said, What 
 message shall we take back to the great chief of the 
 Pale-faces?" 
 
 San-it-sa-rish was evidently mollified. 
 " The hunting-field is not the council tent," he said. 
 " The Pale-faces will go with us to our village." 
 
 Of course Joe was too glad to agree to this proposal, 
 but he now deemed it politic to disolav a little firmness. 
 
THE INDIAN CHIEF. 105 
 
 " We cannot go till our rifle is restored. It will not 
 do to go back and tell the great chief of the Pale-faces 
 that the Pawnees are thieves." 
 
 The chief frowned angrily. 
 
 " The Pawnees are true they are not thieves. They 
 choose to look at the rifle of the Pale-face. It shall be 
 returned." 
 
 The rifle was instantly restored, and then our hunters 
 rode off with the Indians towards their camp. On the 
 way they met hundreds of women and children going to 
 the scene of the great hunt, for it was their special duty 
 to cut up the meat and carry it into camp. The men, 
 considering that they had done quite enough in killing 
 it, returned to smoke and eat away the fatigues of the 
 chase. 
 
 As they rode along, Dick Varley observed that some 
 of the " braves," as Indian warriors are styled, were eat- 
 ing pieces of the bloody livers of the buffaloes in a raw 
 state, at which he expressed not a little disgust. 
 
 ** Ah ! boy ; you're green yet," remarked Joe Blunt 
 in an under tone. " Mayhap ye'll be thankful to do 
 that same yerself some day." 
 
 " Well, I'll not refuse to try when it is needful," said 
 Dick with a laugh, " meanwhile I'm content to see the 
 Red-skins do it, Joe Blunt." 
 
106 THE PAWNEE VILLAGE. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Dick and his Friends visit the Indians and see many Wotders. 
 Crusoe, too, experiences a few Surprises and teaches Indian Dogs 
 a Lesson. An Indian Dandy. A Foot-race. 
 
 THE Pawnee village, at which they soon arrived, was 
 situated in the midst of a most interesting and pictur- 
 esque scene. 
 
 It occupied an extensive plain which sloped gently 
 down to a creek,* whose winding course was marked 
 by a broken line of wood, here and there interspersed 
 with a fine clump of trees, between the trunks of which 
 the blue waters of a lake sparkled in the distance. 
 Hundreds of tents or " lodges " of buffalo skins covered 
 the ground, and thousands of Indians men, women, 
 and children moved about the busy scene. Some 
 were sitting in their lodges, lazily smoking their pipes. 
 But these were chiefly old and infirm veterans, for all 
 the young men had gone to the hunt which we have 
 just described. The women were stooping over their 
 fires, busily preparing maize and meat for their hus- 
 bands and brothers, while myriads of little brown and 
 naked children romped about everywhere, filling the air 
 
 * In America small rivers or rivulets are termed " creeks." 
 
THE PAWNEES. 107 
 
 with their yells and screams, which were only equalled, 
 if not surpassed, by the yelping dogs that seemed innu- 
 merable. 
 
 Far as the eye could reach were seen scattered herds 
 of horses. These were tended by little boys who were 
 totally destitute of clothing, and who seemed to enjoy 
 with infinite zest the pastime of shooting-practice wit! 
 little bows and arrows. No wonder that these Indians 
 become expert bowmen. There were urchins there, 
 scarce two feet high, with round bullets of bodies and 
 short spindle-shanks, who could knock blackbirds off 
 the trees at every shot, and cut the heads off the taller 
 flowers with perfect certainty! There was much 
 need, too, for the utmost proficiency they could at 
 tain, for the very existence of the Indian tribes of the 
 prairies depends on their success in hunting the 
 buffalo. 
 
 There are hundreds and thousands of North American 
 savages who would undoubtedly perish and their tribes 
 became extinct if the buffaloes were to leave the prairies 
 or die out. Yet, although animals are absolutely essen- 
 tial to their existence, they pursue and slay them with 
 improvident recklessness, sometimes killing hundreds of 
 them merely for the sake of the sport, the tongues, and 
 the marrow bones. In the bloody hunt described in the 
 last chapter, however, the slaughter of so many was not 
 wanton, because the village that had to be & jpplied with 
 
108 
 
 food was large, and, just previous to 'the hunt, they had 
 been living on somewhat reduced allowance. Even the 
 blackbirds, shot by the brown-bodied urchins before 
 mentioned, had been thankfully put into the pot. 
 Thus precarious is the supply of food among the Red- 
 men, who on one day are starving, and the next are 
 revelling in superabundance. 
 
 But to return to our story. At one end of this vil- 
 lage the creek sprang over a ledge of rock in a low cas- 
 cade and opened out into a beautiful lake, the bosom of 
 which was studded with small islands. Here were 
 thousands of those smaller species of wild water-fowl 
 which were either too brave or too foolish to be scared 
 away by the noise of the camp. And here, too, dozens 
 of children were sporting on the beach, or paddling 
 about in their light bark canoes. 
 
 "Isn't it strange," remarked Dick to Henri, as they 
 passed among the tents towards the centre of the vil- 
 lage, " isn't it strange that them Injuns should be so 
 fond o' fightin' when they've got all they can want a 
 fine country, lots o' buffalo, an' as far as I can see, 
 happy homes ? " 
 
 " Oui, it is remarkaibel, vraiment. Bot dey do more 
 love war to peace. De loves to be excit-ed, I s'pose." 
 
 " Humph ! One would think the hunt we seed a 
 little agone would be excitement enough. But, I say, 
 that must be the chief's tent, by the look o't." 
 
CHIEF'S TENT. 109 
 
 Dick w;*s right; the horsemen pulled up and dis- 
 mounted opposite the principal chief's tent, which was 
 a larger and more elegant structure than the others. 
 Meanwhile an immense concourse of women, children, 
 and dogs gathered round the strangers, and, while the 
 latter yelped their dislike to white men, the former 
 chattered continuously, as they discussed the appear- 
 ance of the strangers and their errand, which latter soon 
 became known. An end was put to this by San-it-sa- 
 rish desiring the hunters to enter the tent, and spreading 
 a buffalo robe for them to sit on. Two braves carried 
 in their packs and then led away their horses. 
 
 All this time Crusoe had kept as close as possible to 
 his master's side, feeling extremely uncomfortable in 
 the midst of such a strange crowd, the more especially 
 that the ill-looking Indian curs gave him expressive 
 looks of hatred, and exhibited some desire to rush upon 
 him in a body, so that he had to keep a sharp look-out 
 all round him. When, therefore, Dick entered the tent 
 Crusoe endeavored to do so along with him, but he was 
 met by a blow on the nose from an old squaw, who 
 scolded him in a shrill voice and bade him begone. 
 
 Either our hero's knowledge of the Indian language 
 was insufficient to enable him to understand the order. 
 or he had resolved not to obey it, for instead of retreat- 
 ing he drew a deep gurgling breath, curled his nose, 
 and displayed a row of teeth that caused the old woman 
 10 
 
110 CRUSOE'S RECEPTION BY THE INDIAN DOGS. 
 
 to drfcw back in alarm. Crusoe's was a forgiving spirit. 
 The instant that opposition ceased he forgot the injury, 
 and was meekly advancing when Dick held up his 
 finger. 
 
 " Go outside, pup, ard wait." 
 
 Crusoe's tail drooped ; with a deep sigh he turned 
 and left the tent. He took up a position near the en- 
 trance, however, and sat down resignedly. So meek, 
 indeed, did the poor dog look, that six mangy-looking 
 curs felt their dastardly hearts emboldened to make a 
 rush at him with boisterous yells. 
 
 Crusoe did not rise. He did not even condescend to 
 turn his head towards them, but he looked at them out 
 of the corner of his dark eye, wrinkled very slightly 
 the skin of his nose, exhibited two beautiful fangs, 
 and gave utterance to a soft remark, that might be de- 
 scribed as quiet, deep-toned gargling. It wasn't much, 
 but it was more than enough for the valiant six, who 
 paused and snarled violently. 
 
 It was a peculiar trait of Crusoe's gentle nature, that, 
 the moment any danger ceased, he resumed his expres- 
 sion of nonchalant gravity. The expression on this, 
 occasion was misunderstood, however, and, as about 
 two dozen additional yelping dogs had joined the ranks 
 of the enemy, they advanced in close order to the at- 
 tack. 
 
 Crusoe still sat quiet and kept his head high, but h 
 
THE ATTACK. Ill 
 
 looked at them again and exhibited four fangs for their 
 inspection. Among the pack there was one Indian dog 
 of large size almost as large as Crusoe himself 
 which kept well in the rear, and apparently urged the 
 lesser dogs on. The little dogs didn't object, for little 
 dogs are generally the most pugnacious. At this big 
 dog Crusoe directed a pointed glance, but said nothing. 
 Meanwhile a particularly small and vicious cur, with a 
 mere rag of a tail, crept round by the back of the tent, 
 and, coming upon Crusoe in rear, snapped at his tail 
 sharply, and then fled shrieking with terror and sur- 
 prise, no doubt, at its own temerity. 
 
 Crusoe did not bark ; he seldom barked ; he usually 
 either said nothing, or gave utterance to a prolonged 
 roar of indignation of the most terrible character with 
 barks, as it were, mingled through it. It somewhat 
 resembled that peculiar and well-known species of thun- 
 der, the prolonged roll of which is marked at short inter- 
 vals in its course by cannon-like cracks. It was a con- 
 tinuous, but, so to speak, knotted roar. 
 
 On receiving the snap, Crusoe gave forth the roar 
 with a majesty and power that scattered the pugnacious 
 front rank of the enemy to the w r inds. Those that still 
 remained, half stupefied, he leaped over with a huge 
 bound and alighted, fangs first, on the back of the big 
 dog. There was one hideous yell, a muffled scramble 
 of an instant's duration, and the big dog lay dead upop 
 the plain ! 
 
112 THE PAWNEES. 
 
 It was an awful thing to do; but Crusoe evidently 
 felt that the peculiar circu instates of the case required 
 that an example should be made and to say truth, all 
 things considered, we cannot blame him. The news 
 must have been carried at once through the canine por- 
 tion of the camp, for Crusoe was never interfered with 
 again after that. 
 
 Dick witnessed this little incident ; but he observed 
 that the Indian chief cared not a straw about it, and as 
 his dog returned quietly and sat down in its old place, 
 he took no notice of it either, but continued to listen to 
 the explanations which Joe gave to the chief, of the de- 
 sire of the Pale-faces to be friends with the Red-men. 
 
 Joe's eloquence would have done little for him on 
 this occasion had his hands been empty ; but he followed 
 it up by opening one of his packs and displaying the 
 glittering contents before the equally glittering eyes of 
 die chief and his squaws. 
 
 " These," said Joe, " are the gifts that the great chief 
 of the Pale-faces sends to the great chief of the Paw- 
 nees, and he bids me say that there are many more 
 things in his stores which will be traded for skins with 
 the Red-men, when they visit him ; and he also says 
 that if the Pawnees will not steal horses any more from 
 the Pale-faces, they shall receive gifts of knives, and 
 guns, and powder, and blankets, every year." 
 
 " Wah ! " grunted the chief, it is good. The great 
 chief is wise. We will smoke the pipe of peace." 
 
TTTE PAWNEES. 113 
 
 The things that afforded so much satisfaction to 
 San-it-sa-rish were the veriest trifles. Penny looking- 
 glasses in yellow gilt tin frames, beads of various col- 
 ors, needles, cheap scissors, and knives, vermillion 
 paint, and coarse scarlet cloth, etc. They were of 
 priceless value, however, in the estimation of the sav- 
 ages, who delighted to adorn themselves with leggings 
 made from the cloth, beautifully worked with beads by 
 their own ingenious women. They were thankful, too, 
 for knives even of the commonest description, having 
 none but bone ones of their own ; and they gloried in 
 daubing their faces with intermingled streaks of charcoal 
 and vermillion. To gaze at their visages, when thus 
 (reated, in the little penny looking-glasses, is their sum- 
 mit of delight ! 
 
 Joe presented the chief with a portion of these 
 coveted goods and tied up the remainder. We may 
 remark here, that the only thing which prevented the 
 savages from taking possession of the whole at once, 
 without asking permission, was the promise of the 
 annual gifts, which they knew would not be forthcom- 
 ing were any evil to befall the deputies of the Pale- 
 faces. Nevertheless, it cost them a severe struggle to 
 restrain their hands on this occasion, and Joe and his 
 companions felt that they would have to play theii 
 part well in order to fulfil their mission with safety and 
 credit. 
 
 10* 
 
114 AN INDIAN DANDY. 
 
 "The Pale-faces may go now and talk with the 
 braves," said San-it-sa-rish, after carefully examining 
 every thing that was given to him ; " a council will be 
 called soon, and we will smoke the pipe of peace." 
 
 Accepting this permission to retire, the hunters im- 
 mediately left the tent, and being now at liberty to do 
 what they pleased, they amused themselves by wander- 
 ing about the village. 
 
 " He's a 'cute chap that," remarked Joe, with a sar- 
 castic smile ; " I don't feel quite easy about gettin' away. 
 He'll bother the life out o' us to get all the goods we've 
 got, and, ye see, as we've other tribes to visit, we must 
 give away as little as we can here." 
 
 " Ha ! you is right," said Henri ; " dat fellow's eyes 
 twinkle at de knives and tings like two stars." 
 
 "Fire-flies, ye should say. Stars are too soft an' 
 beautiful to compare to the eyes o' yon savage," said 
 Dick, laughing. "I wish we were well away from 
 them. That rascal Mahtawa is an ugly customer." 
 
 "True, lad," returned Joe; "had he bin the great 
 chief our scalps had bin dryin' in the smoke o' a Paw- 
 nee wigwam afore now. What now, lad ? " 
 
 Joe's question was put in consequence of a gleeful 
 smile that overspread the countenance of Dick Varley, 
 who replied by pointing to a wigwam towards which 
 they were approaching. 
 
 a Oh ! that's only a dandy," exclaim 3d Joe. " There's 
 
AN INDIAN DANDY. 115 
 
 lots o' them in every injun camp. They're fit for nothin 
 but dress, poor contemptible critters." 
 
 Joe accompanied his remark with a sneer, for of all 
 pitiable objects, he regarded an unmanly man as the 
 most despicable. He consented, however, to sit down 
 on a grassy bank and watch the proceedings of this 
 Indian dandy, who had just seated himself in front 
 of his wigwam for the purpose of making his 
 toilet 
 
 He began it by greasing his whole person carefully 
 and smoothly over with buffalo-fat, until he shone like 
 a patent leather boot ; then he rubbed himself almost 
 dry, leaving the skin sleek and glossy. Having pro- 
 ceeded thus far he took up a small mirror, a few inches 
 in diameter, which he or some other member of the 
 tribe must have procured during one of their few 
 excursions to the trading forts of the Pale-faces, and 
 examined himself, as well as he could, in so limited a 
 space. Next, he took a little vermillion from a small 
 parcel and rubbed it over his face until it presented 
 the somewhat demoniac appearance of a fiery red. He 
 also drew a broad red score along the crown of his 
 head, which was closely shaved, with the exception of 
 the usual tuft or scalplock on the top. This scalplock 
 stood bristling straight up a few inches, and then 
 curved over and hung down his back about two feet. 
 Immense care and attention was bestowed on this lock, 
 
116 AN 1NDFAN DANDY. 
 
 He smoothed i ;, greased it, and plaited it in o the form 
 of a pigtail. Another application was here made to 
 the glass, and the result was evidently satisfactory, to 
 judge from the beaming smile that played on his feat- 
 ures. But, not content with the general effect, he tried 
 the effect of expression frowned portentously, scowled 
 savagely, gaped hideously, and grinned horribly a ghastly 
 smile. 
 
 Then our dandy fitted into his ears, which were 
 bored in several places, sundry ornaments, such as 
 rings, wampum, etc., and hung several strings of beads 
 round his neck. Besides these he affixed one or two 
 ornaments to his arms, wrists, and ancles, and touched 
 in a few effects with vermillion on the shoulders and 
 breast. After this, and a few more glances at the 
 glass, he put on a pair of beautiful moccasins, which, 
 besides being richly wrought with beads, were soft as 
 chamois leather, and fitted his feet like gloves ; a pair of 
 leggings of scarlet cloth were drawn on, attached to a 
 waist-belt, and bound below the knee with broad garters 
 of variegated bead-work. 
 
 It was some time before this Adonis was quite satis- 
 fied with himself. He re-touched the paint on his 
 shoulders several times, and modified the glare of that 
 on his wide-mouthed, high-cheek-boned visage before 
 he sould tear himself away ; but at lasl he did so and, 
 
AN INDIAN DANDY. 117 
 
 throwing a, large piece of scarlet cloth over his should- 
 ers, he thrust his looking-glass under his belt, and 
 proceeded to mount his palfrey, which was held in 
 readiness near to the tent door by one of his whes. 
 The horse was really a fine animal, and seemed worthy 
 of a more warlike master. His shoulders, too, were 
 striped with red paint, and feathers were intertwined 
 with his mane and tail, while the bridle was decorated 
 with various jingling ornaments. 
 
 Vaulting upon his steed, with a large fan of wild- 
 goose and turkey feathers in one hand, and a whip 
 dangling at the wrist of the other, this incomparable 
 dandy sallied forth for a promenade that being his 
 chief delight when there was no buffalo hunting to be 
 done. Other men who were not dandies sharpened 
 their knives, smoked, feasted, and mended their spears 
 and arrows at such seasons of leisure, or played at 
 athletic games. 
 
 " Let's follow rny buck," said Joe Blunt. 
 
 "Oui. Come 'long," replied Henri, striding after 
 the rider at a pace that almost compelled his comrades 
 to run. 
 
 " Hold on ! " cried Dick, laughing ; ' we don't want 
 to keep him company. A distant view is quite enough 
 o* sich a chap as that." 
 
 " Mais, you forgit, I cannot see far." 
 
118 INDIAN GAMES. 
 
 u So much the better," remarked Joe ; " it's my 
 opinion we've seen enough o' him. Ah ! he's goin' to 
 look on at the games. Them's worth lookin' at." 
 
 The games to which Joe referred were taking place 
 on a green level plain close to the creek, and a little 
 above the waterfall before referred to. Some of the 
 Indians were horse-racing, some jumping, and o-thers 
 wrestling ; but the game which proved most attractive 
 was throwing the javelin, in which several of the young 
 braves were engaged. 
 
 This game is played by two competitors, each armed 
 with a dart, in an arena about fifty yards long. One 
 of the players has a hoop of six inches in diameter. 
 At a signal they start off on foot at full speed, and on 
 reaching the middle of the arena the Indian with the 
 hoop rolls it along before them, and each does his best 
 to send a javelin through the hoop before the other. 
 He who succeeds counts so many points if both miss, 
 the nearest to the hoop is allowed to count, but not so 
 much as if he had " ringed " it. The Indians are very 
 fond of this game, and will play at it under a broiling 
 sun for hours together. But a good deal of the inter- 
 est attaching to it is owing to the fact that they make 
 it a means of gambling. Indians are inveterate gam- 
 blers, and will sometimes go on until they lose horses, 
 Oows, blankets, robes, and, in short, their whole per- 
 
INDIAN GAMES. 119 
 
 sonal property. The consequences are, as might be 
 expected, that fierce and bloody quarrels sometimes 
 arise in which life is often lost. 
 . " Try your hand at that," said Henri to Dick. 
 
 " By all means," cried Dick, handing his rifle to his 
 friend, and springing into the ring enthusiastically. 
 
 A general shout of applause greeted the Pale-face, 
 who threw off his coat and tightened his belt, while a 
 young Indian presented him with a dart. 
 
 " Now, see that ye do us credit, lad," said Joe. 
 
 " I'll try," answered Dick. 
 
 In a moment they were off. The young Indian rolled 
 away the hoop, and Dick threw his dart with such vigor 
 that it went deep into the ground, but missed the hoop 
 by a foot at least. The young Indian's first dart went 
 through the centre. 
 
 " Ha ! " exclaimed Joe Blunt to the Indians near him, 
 "the lad's not used to that game, try him at a race. 
 Bring out you best brave he who's bound is like the 
 hunted deer." 
 
 We need scarcely remind the reader that Joe spoke 
 in the Indian language, and that the above is a correct 
 rendering of the sense of what he said. 
 
 The name of Tarwicadia, or the little chief, immedi- 
 ately passed from lip to lip, and in a few minutes an 
 Indian, a little below the medium size, bounded into the 
 
120 THE RACE. 
 
 arena with an India-rubber-like elasticity that caused a 
 shade of anxiety to pass over Joe's face. 
 
 "Ah, boy!" he whispered, "I'm afeared you'll find 
 him a tough customer." 
 
 " That's just what I want," replied Dick. " He's sup- 
 ple enough, but he wants muscle in the thigh. We'll 
 make it a long heat." 
 
 " Right, lad, yer right." 
 
 Joe now proceeded to arrange the conditions of the 
 race with the chiefs around him. It was fixed that the 
 distance to be run should be a mile, so that the race 
 would be one of two miles, out and back. Moreover, 
 the competitors were to run without any clothes, except 
 a belt and a small piece of cloth round the loins. This 
 to the Indians was nothing, for they seldom wore more 
 in warm weather, but Dick would have preferred to 
 keep on part of his dress. The laws of the course, how- 
 ever, would not permit of this, so he stripped and stood 
 forth, the beau-ideal of a well-formed, agile man. He 
 was greatly superior in size to his antagonist, and more 
 muscular, the savage being slender and extremely lithe 
 and springy. 
 
 " Hah ! I will run too,'* shouted Henri, bouncing for- 
 ward with clumsy energy, and throwing off his coat just 
 as they were going to start. 
 
 The savages smiled at this unexpected burst and 
 made no objection, considering the thing in the light of 
 a joke. 
 
THE RACE. 121 
 
 The signal was given, and away they went. Oh ! it 
 would have done you good to have seen the way in 
 which Henri manoeuvred his limbs on this celebrated 
 occasion ! He went over the ground with huge ele- 
 phantine bounds, runs, and jumps. He could not have 
 been said to have one style of running ; he had a dozen 
 styles, all of which came into play in the course of half 
 as many minutes. The other two ran like the wind; 
 yet, although Henri appeared to be going heavily over 
 the ground, he kept up with them to the turning point. 
 As for Dick, it became evident in the first few minutes 
 that he could outstrip his antagonist with ease, and 
 was hanging back a little all the time. He shot ahead 
 like an arrow when they came about half way back, 
 and it was clear that the real interest of the race was 
 to lie in the competition between Henri and Tarwi- 
 cadia. 
 
 Before they were two thirds of the way back, Dick 
 walked in to the winning point, and turned to watch 
 the others. Henri's wind was about gone, for he ex- 
 erted himself with such violence that he wasted half 
 his strength. The Indian, on t*he contrary, was com- 
 paratively fresh, but he was not so fleet as his an- 
 tagonist, whose tremendous strides carried him over 
 the ground at an incredible pace. On they came neck 
 and neck, till close on the score that marked the win- 
 ning-point. Here the value of enthusiasm came out 
 11 
 
122 THE RACE. 
 
 strongly in the case of Henri. He felt that he could 
 not gain an inch on Tarwicadia to save his life; but, 
 just as he came up, he observed the anxious faces of his 
 comrades and the half-sneering countenances of the sav- 
 ages. His heart thumped against his ribs, every mus- 
 cle thrilled with a gush of conflicting feelings, and he 
 hurled himself over the score like a cannon shot, full 
 six inches ahead of the little chief! 
 
 But the thing did not by any means end here. Tar- 
 wicadia pulled up the instant he had passed. Not 
 so our Canadian. Such a clumsy and colossal frame 
 was not to be checked in a moment. The crowd of 
 Indians opened up to let him pass, but unfortunately a 
 small tent that stood in the way was not so obliging. 
 Into it he went, head foremost, like a shell, carried away 
 the corner post with his shoulder, and brought the 
 whole affair down about his own ears, and those of its 
 inmates, among whom were several children, and two 
 or three dogs. It required some time to extricate them 
 all from the ruins, but when this was effected, it was 
 found :hat no serious damage had been done to life or 
 limb! 
 
WAMPUM. 123 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 O Boe acts a Conspicuous and Humane Part. A Friend 
 gained. A Great Feast. 
 
 WHEN the foot-race was concluded, the three hunters 
 hung about, looking on at the various games for some 
 time, and then strolled towards the lake. 
 
 "Ye may be thankful yer neck's whole," said Joe, 
 grinning, as Henri rubbed his shoulder with a rueful look. 
 "An* we'll have to send that Injun and his family a 
 knife and some beads to make up for the fright they 
 got." 
 
 " Hah ! an' fat is to be give to me for my broke 
 shoulder?" 
 
 " Credit, man, credit," said Dick Varley, laughing. 
 
 "Credit! fat is dat?" 
 
 " Honor and glory, lad, and the praises of them 
 savages." 
 
 " Ha ! de praise ? more probeebale de ill vill of de 
 rascale. I seed dem scowl at me not ver' pritty." 
 
 " That's true, Henri, but sich as it is it's all ye'll git." 
 
 " I vish," remarked Henri after a pause "I vish I 
 
124 THE ACCIDENT. 
 
 could git de vampura belt de leetle chief had on. It 
 vas superb. Fat place do vampums corne from " 
 
 "They're shells " 
 
 " Oui," interrupted Henri. " I know fat de is. Dey 
 is shells, and de Injuns tink dem goot monish ; inais, 
 I ask you fat place de come from." 
 
 tt They are thought to be gathered on the shores o 
 the Pacific," said Joe ; " the Injuns on the west o' the 
 Rocky Mountains picks them up and exchanges them 
 wi' the fellows hereaway for horses and skins so I'm 
 told." 
 
 At this moment theie was a wild cry of terror heard 
 a short distance ahead of them. Rushing forward they 
 observed an Indian woman flying frantically down the 
 river's bank towards the waterfall, a hundred yards 
 above which an object was seen struggling in the water. 
 
 " 'Tis her child," cried Joe, as the mother's frantic cry 
 reached his ear. It'll be over the fall in a minute ! 
 Run, Dick, you're quickest." 
 
 They had all started forward at speed, but Dick and 
 Crusoe were far ahead, and abreast of the spot in a few 
 seconds. 
 
 "Save it, pup," cried Dick, pointing to the child 
 which had been caught in an eddy, and was for a few 
 moments hovering on the edge of the stream that rushed 
 impetuously towards the fall. 
 
 The n^ble Newfoundland did not require to be told 
 
CRUSOE A FRIEND IN NEED. 125 
 
 what to do. It seems a natural instinct in this saga- 
 cious species of dog to save man or beast that chances to 
 be struggling in the water, and many are the authentic 
 stories related of Newfoundland dogs saving life in cases 
 of shipwreck. Indeed, they are regularly trained to the 
 work in some countries, and nobly, fearlessly, disinter- 
 estedly, do they discharge their trust, often in the midst 
 of appalling dangers. Crusoe sprang from the bank 
 with such impetus that his broad chest ploughed up the 
 water like the bow of a boat, and the energetic workings 
 of his muscles were indicated by the force of each suc- 
 cessive propulsion as he shot ahead. 
 
 In a few seconds he reached the child and caught it 
 by the hair. Then he turned to swim back, but the 
 stream had got hold of him. Bravely he struggled, and 
 lifted the child breast-high out of the water in his pow- 
 erful efforts to stem the current. In vain. Each mo- 
 ment he was carried inch by inch down until he was on 
 the brink of the fall, which, though not high, was a large 
 body of water, and fell with a heavy roar. He raised 
 himself high out of the stream, with the vigor of his last 
 struggle, and then fell back into the abyss. 
 
 By this time the poor mother was in a canoe as close 
 to the fall as she could with safety approach, and the 
 little bark danced like a cockle shell on the turmoil of 
 waters as she stood with uplifted paddle and staring eye- 
 balls awaiting the rising of the child. 
 11* 
 
126 THE RESCUE. 
 
 Crusoe came up almost instantly, but alone, for the 
 dash over the fall had wrenched the child from his teeth. 
 He raised himself high up and looked anxiously round 
 for a moment. Then he caught sight of a little hand 
 raised above the boiling flood. In one moment he had 
 the child again by the hair, and, just as the prow of the 
 Indian woman's canoe touched the shore, he brought the 
 child to land. 
 
 Springing towards him, the mother snatched her child 
 from the flood and gazed at its death-like face with eye- 
 balls starting from their sockets ; then she laid her cheek 
 on its cold breast and stood like a statue of despair. 
 There was one slight pulsation of the heart and a gentle 
 motion of the hand ! The child still lived. Opening 
 up her blanket she laid her little one against her naked 
 warm bosom, drew the covering close around it, and, 
 sitting down on the bank, wept aloud for joy. 
 
 " Come, come 'way quick," cried Henri, hurrying 
 off to hide the emotion which he could not crush down. 
 
 " Ay, she don't need our help now," said Joe, follow- 
 ing his comrade. 
 
 As for Crusoe, he walked along by his master's side 
 with his usual quiet, serene look of good-will towards all 
 mankind. Doubtless a feeling of gladness at having 
 saved a human life filled his shaggy breast, for he wagged 
 his tail gently, after each shake of his dripping sides, 
 but his meek eyes were downcast, save when raised to 
 
DIFFICULTIES AND FEARS. 127 
 
 receive the welcome and unusually fervent caress. Cru 
 soe did not know that those three men loved him aa 
 though he had been a brother. 
 
 On their way back to the village the hunters were 
 met by a little boy, who said that a council was to be 
 held immediately, and their presence was requested. 
 
 The council was held in the tent of the principal 
 chief, towards which all the other chiefs and many of 
 the noted braves hurried. Like all Indian councils, it 
 was preceded by smoking the " medicine pipe/' and was 
 followed by speeches from several of the best orators. 
 The substance of the discourse differed little from what 
 has been already related in reference to the treaty be- 
 tween the Pale-faces, and upon the whole it was satifac- 
 tory. But Joe Blunt could not fail to notice that Mah- 
 tawa maintained sullen silence during the whole course 
 of the meeting. 
 
 He observed, also, that there was a considerable change 
 in the tone of the meeting when he informed them that 
 he was bound on a similar errand of peace to several of 
 the other tribes, especially to one or two tribes which 
 were the Pawnees' bitter enemies at that time. These 
 grasping savages having quite made up their minds 
 that they were to obtain the entire contents of the two 
 bales of goods, were much mortified on hearing that 
 part was to go to other Indian tribes. Some of them 
 even hinted that this would not be allowed, and Joe 
 
128 THE INDIAN FEAST. 
 
 feared at one time that things were going to take an 
 unfavorable turn. The hair of his scalp, as he after- 
 wards said, " began to lift a little and feel oneasy." 
 But San-it-sa-rish stood honestly to his word ; said that 
 it would be well that the Pale-faces and the Pawnees 
 should be brothers, and hoped that they would not for- 
 get the promise of annual presents from the hand of the 
 great chief who lived in the big village near the rising sun. 
 
 Having settled this matter amicably, Joe distributed 
 among the Indians the proportion of his goods designed 
 for them, and then they all adjourned to another tent 
 where a great feast was prepared for them. 
 
 " Are ye hungry ? " inquired Joe of Dick as they 
 walked along. 
 
 " Ay, that am I. I feel as if I could eat a buffalo 
 alive. Why, it's my 'pinion we've tasted nothin' since 
 daybreak this mornin'." 
 
 " Well, I've often told ye that them Red-skins think it 
 a disgrace to give in eatin' till all that's set before them 
 at a feast is bolted. We'll ha' to stretch oursel's we will.'' 
 
 " I'se got a plenty room," remarked Henri. 
 
 " Ye have, but ye'll wish ye had more in a little." 
 
 " Bien, I not care ! " 
 
 In a quarter of an hour all the guests invited to this 
 great medicine feast were assembled. No women were 
 admitted. They never are at Indian feasts. 
 
 We may remark in passing, that the word "medi- 
 
THE INDIAN F*;AST. 129 
 
 cine," as used among the North American Indians, has 
 a very much wider signification than it has with us. 
 It is an almost inexplicable word. When asked, they 
 cannot give a full or satisfactory explanation of it them- 
 selves. In the general, we may say that whatever is 
 mysterious is " medicine." Jugglery and conjuring, of 
 a noisy, mysterious, and, we must add, rather silly 
 nature, is " medicine," and the juggler is a " medicine 
 man." These medicine men undertake cures, but they 
 are regular charlatans, and know nothing whatever of 
 the diseases they pretend to cure, or their remedies. 
 They carry bags containing sundry relics ; these are 
 "medicine bags." Every brave has his own private 
 medicine bag. Every thing that is incomprehensible or 
 supposed to be supernatural, religious, or medical, is 
 u medicine." This feast, being an unusual one, in honor 
 of strangers, and in connection with a peculiar and unex- 
 pected event, was " medicine." Even Crusoe, since his 
 gallant conduct in saving the Indian child, was " medi- 
 cine ; " and Dick Varley's double-barrelled rifle, which 
 had been an object of wonder ever since his arrival at 
 the village, was tremendous " medicine ! " 
 
 Of course the Indians were arrayed in their best; 
 several wore necklaces of the claws of the grizzly bear, 
 of which they are extremely proud ; and a gaudily pic- 
 turesque group they were. The chief, however, had 
 undergone a transformation that wellnigb upset the 
 
130 THE INDIAN FEAST. 
 
 gravity of our hunters, and rendered Dick's efforts to 
 look solemn quite abortive. San-it-sa-rish had once 
 been to the trading forts of the Pale-faces, and while 
 there had received the customary gift of a blue surtout 
 with brass buttons, and an ordinary hat, such as gentle- 
 men wear at home. As the coat was a good deal too 
 small for him, a terrible length of dark, bony wrist ap- 
 peared below the cuffs. The waist was too high, and it 
 was with great difficulty that he managed to button the 
 garment across his broad chest. Being ignorant of the 
 nature of a hat, the worthy savage had allowed the 
 paper and string with which it had been originally cov- 
 ered, to remain on, supposing them to be part and par- 
 cel of the hat ; and this, together with the high collar 
 of the coat, which gave him a crushed-up appearance, 
 the long black naked legs, and the painted visage, gave 
 to him a tout, ensemble which we can compare to noth- 
 ing, as there was nothing in nature comparable to it. 
 
 Those guests who assembled first passed their time 
 in smoking the medicine-pipe until the others should ar- 
 rive ; for so long as a single invited guest is absent, the 
 feast cannot begin. Dignified silence was maintained 
 while the pipe thus circulated from hand to hand. When 
 the last guest arrived they began. 
 
 The men were seated in two rows, face to face. 
 Feasts of this kind usually consist of but one species of 
 food, and on the present occasion it was an enormous 
 
THE INDIAN FEAST. 131 
 
 cauldron full of maize which had to be devoured. 
 About fifty sat down to eat a quantity of what may be 
 termed thick porridge, that would have been ample al- 
 lowance for a hundred ordinary men. Before com- 
 mencing, San-it-sa-rish desired an aged medicine man 
 to make an oration, which he did fluently and poetically. 
 Its subject was the praise of the giver of the feast. At 
 the end of each period there was a general " Hou ! 
 hou ! " of assent equivalent to the hear ! hear ! of civ- 
 ilized men. 
 
 Other orators then followed, all of whom spoke with 
 great ease and fluency, and some in the most impas- 
 sioned strains, working themselves and their audience 
 up to the highest pitch of excitement, now shouting 
 with frenzied violence till their eyes glared from their 
 sockets, and the veins of their foreheads swelled almost 
 to bursting as they spoke of war and chase anon 
 breaking into soft modulated and pleasing tones, while 
 they dilated upon the pleasures of peace and hospital- 
 ity. 
 
 After these had finished, a number of wooden bowls 
 full of maize porridge were put down between the 
 guests one bowl to each couple facing each other. 
 But before commencing, a portion was laid aside and 
 dedicated to their gods, with various mysterious cere- 
 monies; for here, as in other places, where the gos- 
 pel is not known, the poor savages fancied that they 
 
132 THE INDIAN FEAST. 
 
 could propitiate God with sacrifices. They had nevet 
 heard of the "sacrifice of a broken spirit and a contrite 
 heart." This offering being made, the feast began in 
 earnest. Not only was it a rule in this feast that every 
 mouthful should be swallowed by each guest, however 
 unwilling and unable he should be to do so, but he 
 who could dispose of it with greatest speed was deemed 
 the greatest man at least on that occasion while the 
 last to conclude his supper was looked upon with some 
 degree of contempt ! 
 
 It seems strange that such a custom snould ever 
 have arisen, and one is not a little puzzled in endeav- 
 oring to guess at the origin of it. There is one fact 
 that occurs to us as the probable cause. The Indian is, 
 as we have before hinted, frequently reduced to a state 
 bordering on starvation, and in a day after, he may be 
 burdened with superabundance of food. He oftentimes, 
 therefore, eats as much as he can stuff into his body 
 when he is blessed with plenty, so as to be the better 
 able to withstand the attacks of hunger that may pos- 
 sibly be in store for him. The amount that an Indian 
 will thus eat at a single meal is incredible. He seems 
 to have the power of distending himself for the reception 
 of a quantity that would kill a civilized man. Children, 
 in particular, become like tightly inflated |fttle balloons 
 after a feast, and as they wear no clothing, the extra- 
 ordinary rotundity is very obvious, not to say ridiculous. 
 
THE INDIAN FEAST. 133 
 
 We conclude, therefore, that unusual powers of gor- 
 mandizing, being useful, come at last to be cultivated as 
 praiseworthy. 
 
 By good fortune Dick and Joe Blunt happened to 
 have such enormous gluttons as vis-a-vis, that the por- 
 tions of their respective bowls which they could not de- 
 vour were gobbled up for them. By good capacity and 
 digestion, with no small amount of effort, Henri man- 
 aged to dispose of his own share ; but he was last of 
 being done, and fell in the savages' esteem greatly. 
 The way in which that sticky compost of boiled maize 
 went down was absolutely amazing. The man opposite 
 Dick, in particular, was a human boa-constrictor. He 
 well nigh suffocated Dick with suppressed laughter. 
 He was a great raw-boned savage, with a throat of India- 
 rubber, and went quickly and quietly on swallowing 
 mass after mass, with the solemn gravity of an owl. It 
 mattered not a straw to him that Dick took compara- 
 tively small mouthfuls, and nearly choked on them too 
 for want of liquid to wash them down. Had Dick 
 eaten none at all he would have uncomplainingly dis- 
 posed of the whole. Jack the Giant-Killer's feats were 
 nothing to his, and when at last the bowl was empty, he 
 stopped short like a machine from which the steam ha^ 
 been suddenly cut off, and laid down his buffalo horn 
 spoon without a sigh. 
 
 12 
 
134 HOWLING DOGS. 
 
 Dick sighed, though with relief and gratitude when 
 his bowl was empty. 
 
 " I hope I may never have to do it again," said Joe 
 that night as they wended their way back to the chief's 
 tent after supper. " I wouldn't be fit for any thing for 
 a week arter it." 
 
 Dick could only laugh, for any allusion to the feast 
 instantly brought back that owl-like gourmand to whom 
 he was so deeply indebted. 
 
 Henri groaned. " Oh ! raes boy, I am speechless ! 
 I am ready for bust ! Oui, Hah ! I veesh it vas to- 
 morrow." 
 
 Many a time that night did Henri " veesh it vas to- 
 morrow," as he lay helpless on his back, looking up 
 through the roof of the chief's tent at the stars, and lis- 
 tening enviously to the plethoric snoring of Joe Blunt. 
 
 He was entertained, however, during those waking 
 hours with a serenade such as few civilized ears ever 
 listen to. This was nothing else than a vocal concert 
 performed by all the dogs of the village, and as they 
 amounted to nearly two thousand, the orchestra was a 
 pretty full one. 
 
 These wretches howled as if they had all gone mad. 
 Yet there was "method in their madness," for they 
 congregated in a crowd before beginning, and sat down 
 on their haunches. Then one, which seemed to be the 
 
HOWLING DOGS. 135 
 
 conductor, raised his snout to the sky, and uttered a 
 long, low, melancholy wail. The others took it up by 
 twos and threes, until the whole pack had their noses 
 pointing to the stars, and their throats distended to the 
 uttermost, while a prolonged yell filled the air. Then 
 it sank gradually, one or two (bad performers probably) 
 making a yelping attempt to get it up again at the 
 wrong time. Again the conductor raised his nose, and 
 out it came full swing. There was no vociferous 
 barking. It was simple wolfish howling increased in 
 fervor to an electric yell, with slight barks running con 
 tinuously through it like an obligate accompaniment. 
 
 When Crusoe first heard the unwonted sound he 
 sprang to his feet, bristled up like a hyena, showed all 
 his teeth, and bounded out of the tent blazing with in- 
 dignation and astonishment. When he found out what 
 it was, he returned quite sleek, and with a look of pro- 
 found contempt on his countenance as he resumed his 
 place by his master's side and went to sleep. 
 
136 i'EKl'LEXlTIES. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Perplexities. Our Hunters Plan their Escape. Unexpected Inter- 
 ruption. The Tables turned. Crusoe mounts Guard. The Es- 
 cape. 
 
 DICK YARLEY sat before the fire ruminating. We 
 do not mean to assert that Dick had been previously 
 eating grass. By no means. For several days past he 
 had been mentally subsisting on the remarkable things 
 that he heard and saw in the Pawnee village, and won- 
 dering how he was to get away without being scalped ; 
 lie was now chewing the cud of this intellectual fare. 
 \Ve therefore repeat emphatically in case any reader 
 should have presumed to contradict us that Dick 
 Varley sat before the fire ruminating ! ^ 
 
 Joe Blunt likewise sat by the fire along with him, 
 ruminating too, and smoking besides. Henri also sat 
 there smoking, and looking a little the worse of his late 
 supper. 
 
 " I don't like the look o' things," said Joe, blowing a 
 whiff of smoke slowly from his lips, and watching it 
 as it ascended into the still air. "That blackguard 
 Mahtawa is determined not to let us off till he gits all 
 
THE MYSTERIOUS RIFLE. 137 
 
 our goods, an' if he gits them, he may as well take our 
 scalps too, for we would come poor speed in the prairies 
 without guns, horses, or goods." 
 
 Dick looked at his friend with an expression of con- 
 cern: " What's to be done ? " said he. 
 
 " Ve must escape," answered Henri ; but his tone 
 was not a hopeful one, for he knew the danger of their 
 position better than Dick. 
 
 " Ay, we must escape ; at least we must try ; " said 
 Joe, " but I'll make one more effort to smoothe over 
 San-it-sa-rish, an' git him to snub that villain Mahtawa." 
 
 Just as he spoke the villian in question entered the 
 tent with a bold, haughty air, and sat down before the 
 fire in sullen silence. For some minutes no one spoke, 
 and Henri, who happened at. the time to be examining 
 the locks of Dick's rifle, continued to inspect them with 
 an appearance of careless indifference that he was far 
 from feeling. 
 
 Now, this rifle of Dick's had become a source of 
 unceasing wonder to the Indians, wonder which was 
 greatly increased by the fact that no one could dis- 
 charge it but himself. Dick had, during his short stay 
 at the Pawnee village, amused himself and the savages 
 by exhibiting his marvellous powers with the " silver 
 rifle." Since it had been won by him at the memorable 
 match in the Mustang Valley, it had scarce ever been 
 out of his hand, so that he had become decidedly the 
 12* 
 
138 MAHTAWA. 
 
 best shot in the settlement, could "bark" squirrels 
 (that is, hit the bark of the branch 01; which a squirrel 
 happened to be standing, and so kill it by the concus- 
 sion alone), and could "drive the nail" every shot. 
 The silver rifle, as we have said, became " great medi- 
 cine " to the Red-men, when they saw it kill at a dis- 
 tance which the few wretched guns they had obtained 
 from the fur traders could not even send a spent ball 
 to. The double shot, too, filled them with wonder and 
 admiration; but that which they regarded with an 
 almost supernatural feeling of curiosity was the percus- 
 sion cap, which, in Dick's hands, always exploded, but 
 in theirs was utterly useless ! 
 
 This result was simply owing to the fact, that Dick 
 after firing handed the rifle to the Indians without 
 renewing the cap. So that when they loaded and 
 attempted to fire, of course it merely snapped. When 
 he wished again to fire, he adroitly exchanged the old 
 cap for a new one. He was immensely tickled by the 
 solemn looks of the Indians at this most incomprehen- 
 sible of all " medicines," and kept them for some days 
 in ignorance of the true cause, intending to reveal it 
 before lie left. But circumstances now arose which 
 banished all trifling thoughts from his mind. 
 
 Mahtawa raised his head suddenly, and said, pointing 
 to the silver rifle, " Mahtawa wishes to have the two- 
 shotted medicine gun. He will give his best horse in 
 exchange. 
 
MAIITAWA. 139 
 
 " Mahtawa is liberal," answered Joe, " but the pale- 
 faced youth cannot part with it. He has far to travel, 
 and must shoot buffaloes by the way." 
 
 " The pale-faced youth shall have a bow and arrows 
 to shoot the buffalo," rejoined the Indian. 
 
 " He cannot use the bow and arrow," answered Joe ; 
 " he has not been trained like the Red-man." 
 
 Mahtawa was silent for a few seconds, and his 
 dark brows frowned more heavily than ever over his 
 eyes. 
 
 " The Pale-faces are too bold," he exclaimed, working 
 himself into a passion ; " they are in the power of 
 Mahtawa. If they will not give the gun he will take 
 it." 
 
 He sprang suddenly to his feet as he spoke, and 
 snatched the rifle from Henri's hand. 
 
 Henri being ignorant of the language, had not been 
 able to understand the foregoing conversation, although 
 he saw well enough that it was not an agreeable one, 
 but no sooner did lie find himself thus rudely and unex- 
 pectedly deprived of the rifle, than he jumped up, 
 wrenched it in a twinkling from the Indian's grasp, and 
 hurled him violently out of the tent. 
 
 In a moment Mahtawa drew his knife, uttered a sav- 
 age yell, and sprang on the reckless hunter, who, how- 
 ever, caught his wrist, and held it as if in a vice. The 
 yell brought a dozen warriors instantly to the spot, and 
 
140 THE 15 R AWL. 
 
 before Dick had time to recover from his astonishment, 
 Henri was surrounded and pinioned despite his Hercu- 
 lean struggles. 
 
 Before Dick could move, Joe Blunt grasped his arm, 
 and whispered quickly, " Don't rise ! You can't help 
 him ! They daren't kill him till San-it-sa-rish agrees." 
 
 Though much surprised, Dick obeyed, but it required 
 all his efforts, both of voice and hand, to control Cru- 
 soe, whose mind was much too honest and straight- 
 forward to understand such subtle pieces of diplomacy, 
 and who strove to rush to the rescue of his ill-used 
 friend. 
 
 When the tumult had partly subsided, Joe Blunt 
 rose and said : 
 
 " Have the Pawnee braves turned traitors that they 
 draw the knife against those who have smoked with 
 them the pipe of peace and eaten their maize? The 
 Pale-faces are three ; the Pawnees are thousands. If 
 evil has been done, let it be laid before the chief. 
 Mahtawa wishes to have the medicine gun. Although 
 we said No, we could not part with it, he tried to take 
 it by force. Are we to go back to the great chief of 
 the Pale-faces, and say that the Pawnees are thieves? 
 Are the Pale-faces henceforth to tell their children when 
 they steal, 'That is bad; that is like the Pawnee ?" 
 No ! this must not be. The rifle shall be restored, and 
 we will forget this disagreement. Is it not so ? " 
 
THE BRAWL. 141 
 
 There was an evident disposition on the part of 
 many of the Indians, with whom Mahtawa was no fa- 
 vorite, to applaud this speech ; but the wily chief sprang 
 forward, and, with flashing eye, sought to turn the ta- 
 bles. 
 
 " The Pale-face speaks with soft words, but his heart 
 is false. Is he not going to make peace with the ene- 
 mies of the Pawnee ? Is he not going to take goods to 
 them, and make them gifts and promises ? The Pale- 
 faces are spies. They come to see the weakness of the 
 Pawnee camp, but they have found that it is strong. 
 Shall we suffer the false-hearts to escape ? Shall they 
 live ? No ! we will hang their scalps in our wigwams, 
 for they have struck a chief, and we will keep all their 
 goods for our squaws wah ! " 
 
 This allusion to keeping all the goods had more effect 
 on the minds of the vacillating savages than the chief's 
 eloquence. But a new turn was given to their thoughts 
 by Joe Blunt remarking in a quiet, almost contemptuous 
 tone : 
 
 " Mahtawa is not the great chief." 
 
 " True, true," they cried, and immediately hurried to 
 the tent of San-it-sa-rish. 
 
 Once again this chief stood between the hunters and 
 the savages, who wanted but a signal to fall on them. 
 There was a long palaver, which ended in Henri being 
 set at liberty, and the rifle being restored. 
 
142 CRITICAL MOMENTS. 
 
 That evening, as the three friends sat beside their fire 
 eating their supper of boiled maize and buffalo meat, 
 they laughed and talked as carelessly as ever ; but the 
 gaiety was assumed, for" they were at the time planning 
 their escape from a tribe which, they foresaw, would not 
 long refrain from carrying out their wishes, and robbing, 
 perhaps murdering them. 
 
 " Ye see," said Joe, with a perplexed air, while he 
 drew a piece of live charcoal from the fire with his fin- 
 gers, and lighted his pipe, " ye see, there's more diffi- 
 culties in the way o' gettin' off than ye think " 
 
 " Oh ! nivare mind de difficulties," interrupted Henri, 
 whose wrath at the treatment he had received had not 
 yet cooled down. " Ve must jump on de best horses 
 ye can git hold, shake our fist at de red reptiles, and 
 go away fast as ve can. De best hoss must vin de 
 race." 
 
 Joe shook his head. "A hundred arrows would be 
 in our backs before we got twenty yards from the camp. 
 Besides, we can't tell which are the best horses. Our 
 own are the best in my 'pinion, but how are we to git 
 'em?" 
 
 " I know who has charge o' them," said Dick ; " I 
 saw them grazing near the tent o' that poor squaw 
 whose baby was saved by Crusoe. Either her husband 
 looks after them or some neighbo-s." 
 
 " That's well," said Joe. " That's one o' my diffi- 
 culties gone." 
 
PLANS OF ESCAPE. 143 
 
 " What are the others ? " 
 
 " Well, d'ye see, they're troublesome. We can't git 
 the horses out o' camp without bein' seen, for the red 
 rascals would see what we were at in a jiffy. Then, if 
 we do git 'em out, we can't go off without our bales, 
 an' we needn't think to take 'em from under the nose 
 o' the chief and his squaws without bein' axed ques- 
 tions. To go off without them would niver do at 
 all." 
 
 " Joe," said Dick, earnestly, " I've hit on a plan." 
 
 " Have ye, Dick, what is't ? " 
 
 " Come and I'll let ye see," answered Dick, rising 
 hastily and quitting the tent, followed by his comrades 
 and his faithful dog. 
 
 It may be as well to remark here, that no restraint 
 whatever had yet been put on the movements of our 
 hunters as long as they kept to their legs, for it was 
 well known that any attempt by men on foot to escape 
 from mounted Indians on the plains would be hopeless. 
 Moreover, the savages thought that as long as there was 
 a prospect of their being allowed to depart peaceably 
 with their goods, they would not be so mad as to fly 
 from the camp, and, by so doing, risk their lives and 
 declare war with their entertainers. They had, there- 
 fore, been permitted to wander unchecked, as yet, far 
 beyond the outskirts of the camp, and amuse themselves 
 in paddling about the lake in the small Indian canoes 
 and shooting wild-fowl. 
 
14:4 PLANS OF ESCAPE. 
 
 Dick now led the way through the labyrinths of 
 tents in the direction of the lake, and they talked and 
 laughed loudly, and whistled to Crusoe as they went, 
 in order to prevent their purpose being suspected. For 
 the purpose of further disarming suspicion they went 
 without their rifles. Dick explained his plan by the way, 
 and it was at once warmly approved of by his comrades. 
 
 On reaching the lake they launched a small canoe, 
 into which Crusoe was ordered to jump; then, em- 
 barking, they paddled swiftly to the opposite shore, sing- 
 ing a canoe song as they dipped their paddles in the 
 moonlit waters of the lake. Arrived at the other side, 
 they hauled the canoe up and hurried through the thin 
 belt of wood and willows that intervened between the 
 lake and the prairie. Here they paused. 
 
 " Is that the bluff, Joe ? " 
 
 " No, Dick, that's too near. "Pother one '11 be best. 
 Far away to the right. It's a little one, and there's 
 others near it. The sharp eyes o' the Red-skins won't 
 be so likely to be prowlin' there." 
 
 " Come on, then ; but we'll have to take down by the 
 lake first." 
 
 In a few minutes the hunters were threading their 
 way through the outskirts of the wood at a rapid trot, 
 in the opposite direction from the bluff, or wooded 
 knoll, which they wished to reach. This they did lest 
 prying eyes should have followed them. In quarter of 
 
PLANS OF ESCAPE. 145 
 
 ari hour thuy turned at right angles to their track, and 
 struck straight out into the prairie, and after a long run 
 they edged round and came in upon the bluff from 
 behind. It was merely a collection of stunted, but 
 thick-growing willows. 
 
 Forcing their way into the centre of this they begun 
 to examine it. 
 
 "It'll do," said Joe. 
 
 " De very ting," remarked Henri. 
 
 " Come here, Crusoe." 
 
 Crusoe bounded to his master's side, and looked up in 
 his face. 
 
 " Look at this place, pup ; smell it well." 
 
 Crusoe instantly set off all round among the willows, 
 in and out, snuffing everywhere, and whining with excite- 
 ment. 
 
 " Come here, good pup ; that will do. Now, lads, 
 we'll go back." So saying, Dick and his friends left the 
 bluff and retraced their steps to the camp. Before they 
 had gone far, however, Joe halted, and said, 
 
 " D'ye know, Dick, I doubt if the pup's so cliver as 
 ye think. What if he don't quite onderstand ye ? " 
 
 Dick replied by taking off his cap and throwing it 
 down, at the same time exclaiming, " Take it yonder, 
 pup," and pointing with his hand towards the bluff. 
 The dog seized the cap, and went off with it at full 
 speed towards the willows, where it left it, and came 
 13 
 
146 PLANS OP ESCAPE, 
 
 galloping back for the expected reward not now, as in 
 days of old, a bit of meat, but a gentle stroke of its 
 head and a hearty clap on its shaggy side. 
 
 " Good pup, go now sari* fetch it" 
 
 Away he went with a bound, and, in a few seconds, 
 came back and deposited the cap at his master's 
 feet. 
 
 " Will that do ? " asked Dick, triumphantly. 
 
 " Ay, lad, it will. The pup's worth its weight in 
 goold." 
 
 " Oui, I have said, and I say it agen, de dog is hu- 
 man, so him is. If not fat am he ? " 
 
 Without pausing to reply to this perplexing question, 
 Dick stepped forward again, and in half an hour or so 
 they were back in the camp. 
 
 " Now for your part of the work, Joe ; yonder's the 
 squaw that owns the half-drowned baby. Every thing 
 depends on her." 
 
 Dick pointed to the Indian woman as he spoke. She 
 was sitting beside her tent, and, playing at her knee, 
 was the identical youngster who had been saved by 
 Crusoe. 
 
 " I'll manage it," said Joe, and walked towards her, 
 while Dick and Henri returned to the chief's tent. 
 
 " Does the Pawnee woman thank the Great Spirit 
 that her child is saved ? " began Joe, as he came up. 
 
 " She does," answered the woman, looking up at 
 
A FRIEND. 147 
 
 the hunter. "And her heart is warm to the Pale- 
 faces." 
 
 After a short silence Joe continued 
 
 " The Pawnee chiefs do not love the Pale-faces. 
 Some of them hate them." ^ 
 
 " The Dark Flower knows it," answered the woman ; 
 " she is sorry. She would help the Pale-faces if she 
 could." 
 
 This was uttered in a low tone, and with a meaning 
 glance of the eye. 
 
 Joe hesitated again could he trust her? Yes; the 
 feelings that filled her breast and prompted her words 
 were not those of the Indian just now they were 
 those of a mother, whose gratitude was too full for utter- 
 ance. 
 
 "Will the Dark Flower," said Joe, catching the 
 name she had given herself, " help the Pale-face if he 
 opens his heart to her ? Will she risk the anger of her 
 nation ? " 
 
 " She will," replied the woman ; " she will do what 
 she can." 
 
 Joe and his dark friend now dropped their high- 
 sounding style of speech, and spoke for some minutes 
 rapidly in an under tone. It was finally arranged that 
 on a given day, at a certain hour, the woman should 
 take the four horses down the shores of the lake t,o 
 
1 48 PREPARATIONS. 
 
 its lower end, as if she were going for fire -wood, there 
 cross the creek at the ford, and drive them to the 
 willow bluff, and guard them till the hunters should ar- 
 rive. 
 
 Having settled this, Joe returned to the tent and in- 
 formed his comrades of his success. 
 
 During the next three days Joe kept the Indians 
 in good humor, by giving them one or two trinkets, and 
 speaking in glowing terms of the riches of the white 
 men, and the readiness with which they would part 
 with them to the savages if they would only make 
 peace. 
 
 Meanwhile, during the dark hours of each night 
 Dick managed to abstract small quantities of goods 
 from their pack, in room of which he stuffed in pieces 
 of leather to keep up the size and appearance. The 
 goods thus taken out he concealed about his person, and 
 went off with a careless swagger to the outskirts of the 
 village, with Crusoe at his heels. Arrived there, he 
 tied the goods in a small piece of deerskin, and gave the 
 bundle to the dog, with the injunction, " Take it yonder, 
 pup." 
 
 Crusoe took it up at once, darted off at full speed 
 with the bundle in his mouth, down the shore of the 
 lake towards the ford of the river, and was soon lost to 
 view. Tn this way, little by little, the goods were con 
 
PREPARATIONS. 149 
 
 veyed by the faithful dog to the willo.v bluff and left 
 there, while the stuffed pack still remained in safe keep- 
 ing in the chief's tent. 
 
 Joe did not at first like the idea of thus sneaking off 
 from the camp ; and more than once made strong efforts 
 to induce San-it-sa-rish to let him go, but even that 
 chief's countenance was not so favorable as it had been, 
 It was clear that he could not make up his mind to let 
 slip so good a chance of obtaining guns, powder, and 
 shot, horses and goods, without any trouble; so Joe 
 made up his mind to give them the slip at once. 
 
 A dark night was chosen for the attempt, and the 
 Indian woman went off with the horses to the place 
 where firewood for the camp was usually cut. Unfor- 
 tunately the suspicion of that wily savage Mahtawa had 
 been awakened, and he stuck close to the hunters all 
 day not knowing what was going on, but feeling con- 
 vinced that something was brewing which he resolved 
 to watch, without mentioning his suspicions to any 
 one. 
 
 " I think that villain's away at last," whispered Joe 
 to his comrades ; " it's time to go, lads, the moon won't 
 be up for an hour. Come along." 
 
 " Have ye got the big powder horn, Joe ? " 
 
 "Ay, ay, all right." 
 
 " Stop ! stop ! my knife, my couteau. Ah I here it 
 be. Now, boy." 
 
 13* 
 
150 AN UNEXPECTED INTERRUPTION. 
 
 The three set off as usual, strolling carelessly to the 
 outskirts of the camp ; then they quickened their pace, 
 and, gaining the lake, pushed off in a small canoe. 
 
 At the same moment Mahtawa stepped from the 
 bushes, leaped into another canoe and followed them. 
 
 " Hah! he must die," muttered Henri. 
 
 "Not at all," said Joe, "we'll manage him without 
 that." 
 
 The chief landed and strode boldly up to them, for 
 he knew well that whatever their purpose might be, 
 they would not venture to use their rifles within sound 
 of the camp at that hour of (he night; as for their 
 knives, he could trust to his own active limbs and the 
 woods to escape and give the alarm if need be. 
 
 " The Pale-faces hunt very late," he said with a mali- 
 cious grin. " Do thf y love the dark better than the 
 sunshine ? " 
 
 " Not so," replied Joe, coolly, " but we love to walk 
 by the light of the moon. It will be up in less than 
 an hour, and we mean to take a long ramble to- 
 night." 
 
 " The Pawnee chief loves to walk by the moon too, 
 he will go with the Pale-faces." 
 
 " Good," ejaculated Joe. " Come along, then." 
 
 The party immediately set forward, although the 
 savage was a little taken by surprise at the indifferent 
 way in which Joe received his proposal to accompany 
 
MAHTAWA SEIZED. 151 
 
 them. He talked on to the edge of the prairie, how- 
 ever, and then stopped. 
 
 " The Pale-faces must go alone," said he, " Mahtawa 
 will return to his tent." 
 
 Joe replied to this intimation by seizing him suddenly 
 by the throat and choking back the yell, that would 
 otherwise have brought the Pawnee warriors rushing to 
 the scene of action in hundreds. Mahtawa's hand was 
 on the handle of his scalping-knife in a moment, but be- 
 fore he could draw it, his arms were glued to his sides 
 by the bear-like embrace of Henri, while Dick tied a 
 handkerchief quickly yet firmly round his mouth. The 
 whole thing was accomplished in two minutes. After 
 taking his knife and tomahawk away they loosened their 
 gripe and escorted him swiftly over the prairie. 
 
 Mahtawa was perfectly submissive after the first con- 
 vulsive struggle was over. He knew that the men who 
 walked 011 each side of him grasping his arms were 
 more than his match singly, so he wisely made no re- 
 sistance. 
 
 Hurrying him to a clump of small trees on the plain 
 which was so far distant from the village that a yell 
 could not be heard, they removed the bandage from 
 Mahtawa's mouth. 
 
 "Must he be kill?" inquired Henri, in a tone of 
 commiseration 
 
152 CRUSOE MOUNTS GUARD. 
 
 " Not at all," answered Joe, " we'll tie him to a tree 
 and leave him there." 
 
 " Then he vill be starve to deat'. Oh \ dat is more 
 horrobell ! " 
 
 " He must take his chance o' that. I've no doubt his 
 friends '11 find him in a day or two, an' he's game to 
 last for a week or more. But you'll have to run to the 
 willow-bluff, Dick, and bring a bit of line to tie him. 
 We can't spare it well ; but there's no help." 
 
 " But there is help," retorted Dick. " Just order the 
 villain to climb into that tree." 
 
 "Why so, lad?" 
 
 " Don't ask questions, but do what I bid ye." 
 
 The hunter smiled for a moment as he turned tc 
 the Indian, and ordered him to climb up a small tree 
 near to which he stood. Mahtawa looked surprised, 
 but there was no alternative. Joe's authoritative tone 
 brooked no delay, so he sprang into the tree like a mon- 
 key. 
 
 " Crusoe," said Dick, " watch him ! " 
 
 The dog sat quietly down at the foot of the tree, and 
 fixed his eyes on the savage with a glare that spoke un- 
 utterable things. At the same time he displayed his 
 full compliment of teeth, and uttered a sound like dis- 
 tant thunder. 
 
 Joe almost laughed, and Henri did laugh outright. 
 
THE ESCAPE. 153 
 
 " Come along, he's safe now," cried Dick, hurrying 
 away in the direction of the willow-bluff, which they 
 soon reached, and found that the faithful squaw had 
 tied their steeds to the bushes, and, moreover, had bun- 
 dled up their goods into a pack, and strapped it on the 
 back of the pack-horse ; but she had not remained with 
 them. 
 
 " Bless yer dark face," ejaculated Joe, as he sprang 
 into the saddle and rode out of the clump of bushes. 
 He was followed immediately by the others, and in 
 three minutes they were flying over the plain at full 
 speed. 
 
 On gaining the last far off ridge, that afforded a 
 distant view of the woods skirting the Pawnee camp, 
 they drew up, and Dick, putting his fingers to his mouth, 
 drew a long, shrill w T histle. 
 
 It reached the willow-bluff like a faint echo. At the 
 same moment the moon arose and more clearly revealed 
 Crusoe's catalyptic glare at the Indian chief, who being 
 utterly unarmed, was at the dog's mercy. The instant 
 the whistle fell on his ear, however, he dropped his eyes, 
 covered his teeth, and leaping through the bushes, flew 
 over the plains like an arrow. At the same instant 
 Mahtawa, descending from his tree, ran as fast as he 
 could towards the village, uttering the terrible war- 
 whoop when near enough to be heard. No sound sends 
 such a thrill through an Indian camp. Every warrior 
 
154 THE ESCAPE. 
 
 flew to arms, and vaulted on his steed. So quickly was 
 the alarm given that in less than ten minutes a thousand 
 hoofs were thundering on the plain, and faintly reached 
 the ears of the fugitives. 
 
 Joe smiled. " It'll puzzle them to come up wi' nags 
 like ours. They're in prime condition too, lots o' wind 
 in 'em. If we only keep out o' badger holes we may 
 laugh at the red varmints." 
 
 Joe's opinion of Indian horses was correct. In a very 
 few minutes the sound of hoofs died away, but the fugi- 
 tives did not draw bridle during the remainder of that 
 night, for they knew not how long the pursuit might be 
 continued. By pond, and brook, and bluff they passed, 
 down in the grassy bottoms, and over the prairie 
 waves, nor checked their headlong course till the sun 
 blazed over the level sweep of the eastern plain as if it 
 arose out of the mighty ocean. 
 
 Then they sprang from the saddle and hastily set 
 about the preparation of their morning meal. 
 
REST. 155 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Evening Meditations and Morning Reflections. Buffaloes, Badgers, 
 Antelopes, ind Accidents. An old Bull and the Wolves. " Mad- 
 tails." Henri floored, etc. 
 
 THERE is nothing that prepares one so well for the 
 enjoyment of rest, both mental and physical, as a long- 
 protracted period of excitement and anxiety, followed 
 up by bodily fatigue. Excitement alone banishes rest ; 
 but, united with severe physical exertion, it prepares 
 for it. At least, courteous reader, this is our experi- 
 ence, and certainly this was the experience of our three 
 hunters as they lay on their backs beneath the branches 
 of a willow bush, and gazed serenely up at the twink- 
 ling stars, two days after their escape from the Indian 
 village. 
 
 They spoke little ; they were too tired for that ; also, 
 they were too comfortable. Their respective suppers 
 of fresh antelope steak, shot that day, had just been dis- 
 posed of; their feet were directed towards the small 
 fire on which the said steaks had been cooked, and 
 which still threw a warm, ruddy glow over the encamp- 
 ment. Their blankets were wrapped comfortably round 
 
156 REST. 
 
 them, and tucked in as only hunters and mothers know 
 how to tuck them in. Their respective pipes delivered 
 forth, at stated intervals, three richly yellow puffs of 
 smoke, as if a three-gun battery were playing upon the 
 sky from that particular spot of earth. The horses 
 were picketted and hobbled in a rich grassy bottom close 
 by, from which the quiet munch of their equine jaws 
 tiounded pleasantly, for it told of healthy appetites, and 
 promised speed on the morrow. The fear of being 
 overtaken during the night was now passed, and the 
 faithful Crusoe, by virtue of sight, hearing, and smell, 
 guaranteed them against sudden attack during the hours 
 of slumber. A perfume of wild flowers mingled with 
 the loved odors of the " weed," and the tinkle of a tiny 
 rivulet fell sweetly on their ears. In short, the *' Pale- 
 faces " were supremely happy, and disposed to be thank- 
 ful for their recent deliverance and their present com- 
 forts. 
 
 " I wonder what the stars are," said Dick, languidly 
 taking the pipe out of his mouth. 
 
 " Bits o' fire," suggested Joe. 
 
 " I tink dey are vorlds," muttered Henri, " an' have 
 peepels in dem. I have hear men say dat." 
 
 A long silence followed, during which, no doubt, the 
 star-gazers \\ere working out various theories in their 
 own minds. 
 
 " Wonder," said Dick again, " how far off they be." 
 
REST. 1 57 
 
 u A milj or two, maybe," said Joe. 
 
 Henri was about to laugh sarcastically at this ; but, 
 on further consideration, he thought it would be more 
 comfortable not to, so he lay still. In another minute 
 he said, 
 
 " Joe Blunt, you is ver' igrant. Don't you know dat 
 de books say de stars be hondreds, tousands, oh! 
 milleryons of mile away to here, and dat de is more 
 bigger dan dis vorld ? " 
 
 Joe snored lightly, and his pipe fell out of his mouth 
 at this point, so the conversation dropped. Presently 
 Dick asked, in a low tone, " I say, Henri, are ye asleep ? " 
 
 " Oui," replied Henri, faintly. " Don't speak, or you 
 vill vaken me." 
 
 " Ah ! Crusoe, you're not asleep, are you, pup ? " No 
 need to ask that question. The instantaneous wag of 
 that speaking tail, and the glance of that wakeful eye, 
 as the dog lifted his head and laid his chin on Dick's 
 arm, showed that he had been listening to every wor 3 
 that was spoken. We cannot say whether he under- 
 stood it, but beyond all doubt he heard it. Crusoe never 
 presumed to think of going to sleep until his master 
 was sound as a top ; then he ventured to indulge in 
 that light species of slumber which is familiarly known 
 as " sleeping with one eye open." But, comparatively, 
 as well as figuratively speaking, Crusoe slept usually 
 14 
 
158 MORNING. 
 
 with one eye and a half open, and the other half was 
 never very tightly shut. 
 
 Gradually Dick's pipe fell out of his mouth, an event 
 which the dog, with an exercise of instinct almost, if 
 not quite amounting to reason, regarded as a signal for 
 him to go off. The camp fire went slowly out, the stars 
 twinkled down at their reflections in the brook, and a 
 deep breathing of wearied men was the only sound that 
 rose in harmony with the purling stream. 
 
 Before the sun rose next morning, and while many 
 of the brighter stars were still struggling for existence 
 with the approaching day, Joe was up and buckling on 
 the saddle-bags, while he shouted to his unwilling com- 
 panions to rise. 
 
 " If it depended on you," he said, " the Pawnees 
 wouldn't be long afore they got our scalps. Jump, ye 
 dogs, an' lend a hand, will ye ! " 
 
 A snore from Dick and a deep sigh from Henri was 
 the answer to this pathetic appeal. It so happened, 
 however, that Henri's pipe, in falling from his lips, had 
 emptied the ashes just under his nose, so that the sigh 
 referred to drew a quantity thereof into his throat, and 
 almost choked him. Nothing could have been a more 
 effective awakener. He was up in a moment coughing 
 vociferously. Most men have a tendency to vent ill- 
 humor on some one, and they generally do it on one 
 
BADGER HOLES. 159 
 
 whom they deem to be worse than themselves. Henri, 
 therefore, instead of growling at Joe for rousing him, 
 scolded Dick for not rising. 
 
 " Ha, mauvais dog ! bad chien, vill you dare to look 
 to me ? " 
 
 Crusoe did look with amiable placidity, as though to 
 say, " Howl away, old boy, I won't budge till Diet 
 loes." 
 
 With a mighty effort Giant Sleep was thrown off al 
 last, and the hunters were once more on their journey, 
 cantering lightly over the soft turf. 
 
 " Ho ! let's have a run," cried Dick, unable to re- 
 press the feelings aroused by the exhilarating morning 
 air. 
 
 " Have a care, boy," cried Joe, as they stretched out 
 at full gallop. " Keep off the ridge ; it's riddled wi' 
 badger Hah ! I thought so." 
 
 At that moment Dick's horse put its foot into a bad- 
 ger-hole, and turned completely over, sending its rider 
 through the air in a curve that an East Indian acrobat 
 would have envied. For a few seconds Dick lay flat on 
 his back ; then he jumped up and laughed, while his 
 comrades hurried up anxiously to his assistance. 
 
 " No bones broke ? " inquired Joe. 
 
 Dick gave a hysterical gasp. "I I think not." 
 
 " Let's have a look. No, nothin' to speak o', be 
 g >od luck. Ye should niver go slap thr ugh a badger 
 
160 THE ANTELOPE CHASE. 
 
 country like that, boy; always keep i' the bottoms, 
 where the grass is short. Now then, up ye go. That's 
 it!" 
 
 Dick remounted, though not with quite so elastic a 
 spring as usual, and they pushed forward at a more rea- 
 sonable pace. 
 
 Accidents of this kind are of common occurrence in 
 the prairies. Some horses, however, are so well trained 
 that they look sharp out for these holes, which are gen- 
 erally found to be most numerous on the high and dry 
 grounds. But in spite of all the caution both of man 
 and horse, many ugly falls take place, and sometimes 
 bones are broken. 
 
 They had not gone far after this accident, when an 
 antelope leaped from a clump of willows and made for 
 a belt of woodland that lay along the margin of a stream 
 not half a mile off. 
 
 " Hurrah ! " cried Dick, forgetting his recent fall. 
 " Come along, Crusoe." And away they went again 
 full tilt, for the horse had not been injured by its somer- 
 sault. 
 
 The antelope which Dick was thus wildly pursuing 
 was of the same species as the one he had shot some 
 time before, namely, the prong-horned antelope. These 
 graceful creatures have long, slender limbs, delicately- 
 formed heads, and large, beautiful eyes. The horns 
 are black, and rather short; they have no branches 
 
THE ANTELOPE CHA.SE. 161 
 
 like the antlers of the red-deer, but have a single pro- 
 jection on each horn, near the head, and the extreme 
 points of the horns curve suddenly inwards, forming 
 the hook or prong from which the name of the animal 
 is derived. Their color is dark yellowish brown. 
 They are so fleet that not one horse in a hundred 
 can overtake them, and their sight and sense of smell 
 are so acute, that it would be next to impossible to 
 kill them, were it not for the inordinate curiosity 
 which we have before referred to. The Indians manage 
 to attract these simple little creatures by merely lying 
 down on their backs and kicking their heels in the air, 
 or by waving any white object on the point of an 
 arrow, while the hunter keeps concealed by lying flat 
 in the grass. By these means a herd of antelopes may 
 be induced to wheel round and round an object in 
 timid, but intense surprise, gradually approaching until 
 they come near enough to enable the hunter to make 
 sure of his mark. Thus the animals, which of all others 
 ought to be the most difficult to slay, are, in consequence 
 of their insatiable curiosity, more easily shot than any 
 other deer of the plains. 
 
 May we not gently suggest to the reader for his or 
 her consideration that there are human antelopes, so to 
 speak, whose case bears a striking resemblance to the 
 prong-horn of the North American prairie ? 
 
 Dick's horse was no match for the antelope ; neither 
 H* 
 
162 BUFFALOES SEEN. 
 
 was Crusoe, so they pulled up shortly ana returned to 
 their companions to be laughed at. 
 
 " It's no manner o' use to wind yer horse, lad, after 
 sich game. They're not much worth, an' if I mistake 
 not, we'll be among the buffalo soon. There's fresh 
 tracks everywhere, and the herds are scattered now. 
 Ye see, when they keep together in bands o' thousands 
 ye don't so often fall in wi' them. But when they scat- 
 ters about in twos, an' threes, an' sixes, ye may shoot 
 them every day as much as ye please." 
 
 Several groups of buffalo had already been seen on 
 the horizon ; but as a red-deer had been shot in a belt 
 of woodland the day before, they did not pursue them. 
 The red-deer is very much larger than the prong-horned 
 antelope, and is highly esteemed both for its flesh and 
 its skin, which latter becomes almost like Chamois 
 leather when dressed. Notwithstanding this supply of 
 food, the hunters could not resist the temptation to give 
 chase to a herd of about nine buffaloes that suddenly 
 came into view as they overtopped an undulation in the 
 plain. 
 
 " It's no use," cried Dick, " I must go at them ! " 
 
 Joe himself caught fire from the spirit of his young 
 friend, so calling to Henri to come on and let the pack- 
 torse remain to feed, he dashed away in pursuit. The 
 buffaloes gave one stare of surprise, and then fled as 
 fast as possible. At first it seemed as if such huge, im- 
 
BUFFALO CHASE. 163 
 
 wieldy carcases could not run very fast ; but in a few 
 minutes they managed to get up a pace that put the 
 horses to their mettle. Indeed, at first it seemed aa 
 if the hunters did not gain an inch, but by degrees 
 they closed with them, for buffaloes are not long 
 winded. 
 
 On nearing the herd, the three men diverged from 
 each other, and selected their animals. Henri, being 
 short-sighted, naturally singled out the largest ; and the 
 largest, also naturally, was a tough old bull. Joe 
 brought down a fat young cow at the first shot, and Dick 
 was equally fortunate. But he wellnigh shot Crusoe 
 who, just as he was about to fire, rushed in unexpectedly 
 and sprang at the animal's throat, for which piece of 
 recklessness he was ordered back to watch the pack- 
 horse. 
 
 Meanwhile, Henri, by dint of yelling, throwing his 
 arms wildly about, and digging his heels into the sides 
 of his long-legged horse, succeeded in coming close up 
 with the bull, which once or twice turned his clumsy 
 body half round and glared furiously at its pursuer with 
 its small black eyes. Suddenly it stuck out its tail, 
 stopped short, and turned full round. Henri stopped 
 short also. * Now, the sticking out of a buffalo's tail 
 has a peculiar significance which it is well to point out. 
 It serves, in a sense, the same purpose lo the hunter 
 that the compass does to the mariner it points out 
 
164 HENRI FLOORED. 
 
 where to go and what to do. When galloping away in 
 ordinary flight the buffalo carries his tail like ordinary 
 cattle, which indicates that you may push on. When 
 wounded, he lashes it from side to side, or carries it 
 over his back, up in the air ; this indicates " Look out ! 
 haul off a bit ! " But when he carries it stiff and hori- 
 zontal, with a slight curve in the middle of it, it says 
 plainly, " Keep back, or kill me as quick as you can," 
 for that is what Indians call the mad tail, and is a sign 
 that mischief is brewing. 
 
 Henri's bull displayed the mad tail just before turn- 
 ing, but he didn't observe it, and, accordingly, waited 
 for the bull to move and show his shoulder for a favor- 
 able shot. But instead of doing this he put his head 
 down, and, foaming with rage, went at him full tilt. 
 The big horse never stirred ; it seemed to be petrified. 
 Henri had just time to fire at the monster's neck, and 
 the next moment was sprawling on his back, with the 
 horse rolling over four or five yards beyond him. It 
 was a most effective tableau. Henri rubbing his shins 
 and grinning with pain, the horse gazing in affright as 
 he rose trembling from the plain, and the buffalo-bull 
 looking on half stunned, and, evidently, very much sur- 
 prised at the result of his charge. 
 
 Fortunately, before he could repeat the experiment, 
 Dick galloped up and put a ball through his heart. 
 
 Joe and his comrades felt a little ashamed of their 
 
BUFFALOES. 165 
 
 exploit on this occasion, for there was no need to have 
 killed three animals ; they could not have carried with 
 them more than a small portion of one, and they up- 
 braided themselves several times during the operation of 
 cutting out the tongues and other choice portions of the 
 two victims. As for the bull, he was almost totally 
 useless, so they left him as a gift to the wolves. 
 
 Now that they had come among the buffalo, wolves 
 were often seen sneaking about and licking their hungry 
 jaws ; but although they approached pretty near to the 
 camp at nights, they did not give the hunters any con- 
 cern. Even Crusoe became accustomed to them at 
 last, and ceased to notice them. These creatures are 
 very dangerous sometimes, however, and when hard 
 pressed by hunger will even attack man. The day 
 after this hunt the travellers came upon a wounded 
 old buffalo which had evidently escaped from the 
 Indians (for a couple of arrows were sticking in its 
 side), only to fall a prey to his deadly enemies, the 
 white wolves. These savage brutes hang on the skirts 
 of the herds of buffaloes to attack and devour any one 
 that may chance, from old age, or from being wounded, 
 to linger behind the rest. The buffalo is tough and 
 fierce, however, and fights so desperately that although 
 surrounded by fifty or a hundred wolves, he keeps up 
 the unequal combat for several days before he finally 
 succumbs. 
 
166 THE OLD BULL AND THE WOLVES. 
 
 The old bull that our travellers discovered had evi- 
 dently been long engaged with his ferocious adversa 
 ries, for his limbs and flesh were torn in shreds in 
 many places, and blood was streaming from his sides. 
 Yet he had fought so gallantly that he had tossed and 
 stamped to death dozens of the enemy. There could 
 not have been fewer than fifty wolves round him ; and 
 they had just concluded another of many futile attacks, 
 when the hunters came up, for they were ranged in a 
 circle round their huge adversary some lying down, 
 some sitting on their haunches to rest, and others sneak- 
 ing about, lolling out their red tongues, and licking their 
 chops as if impatient to renew the combat. The poor 
 buffalo was nearly spent, and it was clear that a few 
 hours more would see him torn to shreds, and his bones 
 picked clean. 
 
 " Ugh ! de brutes," ejaculated Henri. 
 
 " They don't seem to mind us a bit," remarked Dick, 
 as they rode up to within pistol shot. 
 
 "It'll be merciful to give the old fellow a shot," 
 said Joe. "Them varmints are sure to finish him at 
 last." 
 
 Joe raised his rifle as he spoke, and fired. The old 
 bull gave his last groan and fell, while the wolves, 
 alarmed by the shot, fled in all directions ; but they did 
 not run far. They knew well that some portion, at 
 least, of the carcase would fall to their share, so they 
 
THE OLD BULL AND THE WOLVES. 167 
 
 *at down at various distances all round, to wait as pa- 
 tiently as they might for the hunters to retire. Dick 
 left the scene M ith a feeling of regret that the vilainous 
 wolves should have their feast so much sooner than 
 they expected. 
 
 Yet, after all, why should we call these wolves vil- 
 lainous? They did nothing wrong nothing contrary 
 to the laws of their peculiar nature. Nay, if we come 
 to reason upon it, they rank higher in this matter than 
 man, for while the wolf does no violence to the laws of 
 its instincts, man often deliberately silences the voice 
 of conscience, and violates the laws of his own nature. 
 But we will not insist on the term, good reader, if you 
 object strongly to it. We are willing to admit that the 
 wolves are not villainous, but, assuredly, they are un- 
 loveable. 
 
 In the course of the afternoon the three horsemen 
 reached a small creek, the banks of which were lined 
 with a few stunted shrubs and trees. Having eaten 
 nothing since the night before, they dismounted here to 
 " feed," as Joe expressed it. 
 
 " Cur'ous thing," remarked Joe, as he struck a light 
 by means of flint, steel, and tinder-box, "cur'ous thing 
 that we're made to need sich a lot o' grub. If we could 
 only ge^i on like the sarpints, now, wot can breakfast on 
 a rabbit, and then wait a month or two for dinner! 
 Ain't it cur'ous ? ' 
 
168 A MISFORTUNE. 
 
 Dick admitted that it was, and stooped to blow the 
 fire into a blaze. 
 
 Here Henri uttered a cry of consternation, and stood 
 speechless, with his mouth open. 
 
 "What's the matter? what is't?" cried Dick and 
 Joe, seizing their rifles instinctively. 
 
 " De grub him be forgat ! " 
 
 There was a look of blank horror, and then a burst 
 of laughter from Dick Varley. " Well, well," cried he, 
 " we've got lots o' tea an' sugar, an' some flour ; we can 
 git on wi' that till we shoot another buffalo, or a ha ! " 
 
 Dick observed a wild turkey stalking among the wil- 
 lows as he spoke. It was fully a hundred yards off, and 
 only its head was seen above the leaves. This was a 
 matter of little moment, however, for by aiming a little 
 lower he knew that he must hit the body; but Dick 
 had driven the nail too often to aim at its body ; he 
 aimed at the bird's eye and cut its head off. 
 
 " Fetch it, Crusoe." 
 
 In three minutes it was at Dick's feet, and it is not 
 too much to say that in five minutes more it was in the 
 pot. 
 
 As this unexpected supply made up for the loss of 
 the meat which Henri had forgotten at their last halt- 
 ing-place, their equanimity was restored, and while the 
 meal was in preparation, Dick shouldered his rifle and 
 went into the bush to try for another turkey. He did 
 
DICK TRIES A NEW DISH. 169 
 
 not got one, however, but he shot a couple of prairie 
 hens, which are excellent eating. Moreover, he found 
 a large quantity of wild grapes and plums. These were 
 unfortunately not nearly ripe, but Dick resolved to try 
 his hand at a new dish, so he stuffed the breast of his 
 coat full of them. 
 
 After the pot was emptied Dick washed it out, and 
 put a little clean water in it. Then he poured some 
 flour in, and stirred it well. While this was heating, 
 he squeezed the sour grapes and plums into what Joe 
 called a " mush," mixed it with a spoonful of sugar, and 
 emptied it into the pot. He also skimmed a quantity 
 of the fat from the remains of the turkey soup, and 
 added that to the mess, which he stirred with earnest 
 diligence till it boiled down into a sort of thick por- 
 ridge. 
 
 "D'ye think it'll be good?" asked Joe, gravely; 
 " I've me doubts of it." 
 
 " We'll see. Hold the tin dish, Henri." 
 
 " Take care of de fingers. Ha ! it looks magnifique 
 superb ! 
 
 The first spoonful produced an expression on Henri's 
 face that needed not to be interpreted. It was as sour 
 as vinegar. 
 
 "Ye'll ha* to eat it yerself, Dick, lad," cried Joe, 
 throwing down his spoon, and spitting out the unsavorj* 
 mess. 
 
 15 
 
170 A FAILURE. 
 
 " Nonsense," cried Dick, bolting two or three mouth- 
 fuls, and trying to look as if he liked it. " Try again ; 
 it's not so bad as you think." 
 
 " Ho-o-o-o-o ! " cried Henri, after the second mouth- 
 ful. " 'Tis vine'gre. All de sugare in de pack would 
 not make more sweeter one bite of it." 
 
 Dick was obliged to confess the dish a failure, so it 
 was thrown out after having been offered to Crusoe, who 
 gave it one sniff and turned away in silence. Then they 
 mounted and resumed their journey. 
 
 At this place mosquitoes and horse flies troubled our 
 hunters and their steeds a good deal. The latter espec- 
 ially were very annoying to the poor horses. They bit 
 them so much that the blood at last came trickling down 
 their sides. They were troubled also, once or twice, by 
 cockchafers and locusts, which annoyed them, not indeed 
 by biting, but by flying blindly against their faces, and 
 often narrowly missed hitting them in the eyes. Once 
 particularly they were so bad, that Henri in his wrath 
 opened his lips to pronounce a malediction on the whole 
 race, when a cockchafer flew straight into his mouth, 
 and, to use his own forcible expression, " nearly knocked 
 him off de hoss." But these were minor evils, and 
 scarcely cost the hunters a thought. 
 
WANDERINGS ON THE PRAIRIE. 171 
 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Wanderings on the Prairie. A War Party. Chased by Indians. 
 A Bold Leap for Life. 
 
 FOR many days the three hunters wandered over the 
 trackless prairie in search of a village of the Sioux In- 
 dians, but failed to find one, for the Indians were in the 
 habit of shifting their ground, and following the buffalo. 
 Several times they saw small isolated bands of Indians, 
 but these they carefully avoided, fearing they might turn 
 out to be war parties, and if they fell into their hands 
 the white men could not expect civil treatment, whatever 
 nation the Indians might belong to. 
 
 During the greater portion of this time, they met with 
 numerous herds of buffalo and deer, and were well sup- 
 plied with food, but they had to cook it during the day, 
 being afraid to light a fire at night while Indians were 
 prowling about. 
 
 One night they halted near the bed of a stream which 
 was almost dry. They had travelled a day and a night 
 without water, and both men and horses were almost 
 choking, so that when they saw the trees on the horizon 
 
172 WANDERINGS ON THE PRAIRIE. 
 
 which indicated the presence of a stream, they pushed 
 forward with almost frantic haste. 
 
 " Hope it's not dry," said Joe anxiously as they gal 
 loped up to it. "No, there's water, lads," and they 
 dashed forward to a pool that had not yet been dried 
 up. They drank long and eagerly before they noticed 
 that the pool was strongly impregnated with salt. Many 
 streams in those parts of the prairies are quite salt, but 
 fortunately this one was not utterly undrinkable, though 
 it was very unpalatable. 
 
 " We'll make it better, lads," said Joe, digging a deep 
 hole in the sand with his hands, a little below the pool. 
 In a short time the 'water tillered through, and though 
 not rendered fresh, it was, nevertheless, much im- 
 proved. 
 
 " We may light a fire to-night, d'ye think ? " inquired 
 Dick ; " we've not seed Injuns for some days." 
 
 " Pr'aps 'twould be better not," said Joe, " but I dare- 
 say we're safe enough." 
 
 A fire was therefore lighted in as sheltered a spot as 
 could be found, and the three friends bivouacked as 
 usual. Towards dawn they were aroused by an angry 
 growl from Crusoe. 
 
 " It's a wolf likely," said Dick, but all three seized 
 and cocked their rifles nevertheless. 
 
 Again Crusoe growled more angrily thar.. before, and 
 springing out of the caop snuffed the breez-j anxiously. 
 
A WAR-PA HTY. 173 
 
 rt Up, lads ; catch the nags ! There's something in the 
 wind, for the dog niver did that afore." 
 
 In a few seconds the horses were saddled and the 
 packs secured. 
 
 " Call in the dog," whispered Joe Blunt ; " if he barks 
 they'll find out our whereabouts." 
 
 " Here, Crusoe, come ." 
 
 It was too late ; the dog barked loudly and savagely 
 at the moment, and a troop of Indians came coursing 
 over the plain. On hearing the unwonted sound they 
 wheeled directly and made for the camp. 
 
 " It's a war party ; fly, lads ; nothiii' '11 save our scalps 
 now but our horses' heels," cried Joe. 
 
 In a moment they vaulted into the saddle, and urged 
 their steeds forward at the utmost speed. The savages 
 observed them, and, with an exulting yell dashed after 
 them. Feeling that there was now no need of conceal- 
 ment, the three horsemen struck off into the open 
 prairie, intending to depend entirely on the speed and 
 stamina of their horses. As we have before remarked, 
 they were good ones, but the Indians soon proved that 
 they were equally well if not better mounted. 
 
 " It'll be a hard run," said Joe in a low, muttering 
 tone, and looking furtively over his shoulder. " The 
 varmints are mounted on wild horses, leastways they 
 were wi-ld not long agone. Them chaps can throw the 
 lasso and trip a mustang as well as a Mexican. Mind 
 15* 
 
174 CHASED BY SAVAGES. 
 
 the badger holes, Dick. Hold in a bit, Henri, yer nag 
 don't need drivin' a foot in a hole just now would cost 
 us our scalps. Keep down by the creek, lads." 
 
 " Hah ! how dey yell," said Henri in a savage tone, 
 looking back, and shaking his rifle at them an act that 
 caused them to yell more fiercely than ever. " Dis old 
 pack-hoss give me moche trobel." 
 
 The pace was now tremendous. Pursuers and pur- 
 sued rose and sank on the prairie billows as they swept 
 along, till they came to what is termed a "dividing 
 ridge," which is a cross wave, as it were, which cuts 
 the others in two, thus forming a continuous level. 
 Here they advanced more easily, but the advantage 
 was equally shared with their pursuers, who continued 
 the headlong pursuit with occasional yells, which served 
 to show the fugitives that they at least did not gain 
 ground. 
 
 A little to the right of the direction in which they 
 were flying a blue line was seen on the horizon. This 
 indicated the existence of trees to Joe's practised eyes; 
 and feeling that if the horses broke down they could 
 better make a last manful stand in the wood than on 
 the plain he urged his steed towards it. The savages 
 noticed the movement at once, and uttered a yell of exult- 
 ation, for they regarded it as an evidence that the fugi- 
 tives doubted the strength of their horses. 
 
 " Ye haven't got us yet," muttered Joe, with a sar- 
 
CHASED BY SAVAGES 175 
 
 donic grin. " If they get near us, Dick, keep yet eyes 
 open, an' look out for yer neck, else they'll drop a noose 
 over it ; they will, afore ye know they're near, an* haul 
 ye off like a sack." 
 
 Dick nodded in reply, but did not speak, for at that 
 moment his eye was fixed on a small creek ahead which 
 they must necessarily leap or dash across. It was 
 lined with clumps of scattered shrubbery, and he 
 glanced rapidly for the most suitable place to pss. 
 Joe and Henri did the same, and having diverged a 
 little to the different points chosen, they dashed through 
 the shrubbery, and were hid from each other's view. 
 On approaching the edge of the stream, Dick found to 
 his consternation that the bank was twenty feet high 
 opposite him, and too wide for any horse to clear. 
 Wheeling aside without checking speed, at the risk of 
 throwing his steed, he rode along the margin of the 
 stream for a few hundred yards until he found a ford 
 at least such a spot as might be cleared by a bold 
 leap. The temporary check, however, had enabled an 
 Indian to gain so close upon his heels, that his exulting 
 yell sounded close in his ear. 
 
 With a vigorous bound his gallant little horse went 
 over. Crusoe could not take it, but he rushed down 
 the one bank and up the other, so that he only lost a 
 few yards. These few yards, however, were sufficient 
 to bring the Indian close upon him as he cleared the 
 
176 CRUSOE CAPTURED. 
 
 stream at full gallop. The savage whirled his lasso 
 swiftly round for a second, and in another moment Cru- 
 soe uttered a tremendous roar as he was tripped up vio- 
 lently on the plain. 
 
 Dick heard the cry of his faithful dog, and turned 
 quickly round, just in time to see him spring at the 
 horse's throat, and bring both steed and rider down 
 upon him. Dick's heart leaped to his throat. Had a 
 thousand savages been rushing on him, he would have 
 flown to the rescue of his favorite ; but an unexpected 
 obstacle came in the way. His fiery little steed, 
 excited by the headlong race and the howls of the 
 Indians, had taken the bit in his teeth and was now 
 unmanageable. He tore at the reins like a maniac, and 
 in the height of his frenzy even raised the butt of his 
 rifle with the intent to strike the poor horse to the earth, 
 but his better nature prevailed. He checked the up- 
 lifted hand, and with a groan dropped the reins, and sank 
 almost helplessly forward on the saddle, for several of 
 the Indians had left the main body and were pursuing 
 him alone, so that there would have been now no chance 
 of his reaching the place where Crusoe fell, even if he 
 could have turned his horse. 
 
 Spiritless, and utterly indifferent to what his fate 
 might be, Dick Varley rode along with his head droop- 
 ing, and keeping his seat almost mechanically, while 
 khe mettlesome little steed flew on over wave and hoi- 
 
DICK IX DANGER. 177 
 
 low. Gradually he awakened from this state of despair 
 to a sense of danger. Glancing round he observed that 
 the Indians were now far behind him, though still pur- 
 suing. He also observed that his companions were gal- 
 loping miles away on the horizon to the left, and that 
 he had foolishly allowed the savages to get between 
 him and them. The only chance that remained for 
 him was to outride his pursuers, and circle round to- 
 wards his comrades, and this he hoped to accomplish, 
 for his little horse had now proved itself to be superior 
 to those of the Indians, and there was good running in 
 him still. 
 
 Urging him forward, therefore, he soon left the sav- 
 ages still further behind, and feeling confident that they 
 could not now overtake him, he reined up and dis- 
 mounted. The pursuers quickly drew near, but short 
 though it was, the rest did his horse good. Vaulting 
 into the saddle, he again stretched out, and now skirted 
 along the margin of a wood which seemed to mark the 
 position of a river of considerable size. 
 
 At this moment his horse put his foot into a badger 
 hole, and both of them came heavily to the ground. 
 In an instant Dick rose, picked up his gun, and leaped 
 unhurt into the saddle. But on urging his poor horse 
 forward, he found that its shoulder was badly sprained. 
 There was no room for mercy, however, life and 
 death were in the balance, so he plied the lash vigor- 
 
178 DICK'S HORSE KILLED. 
 
 ously, and the noble steed warmed into something like a 
 run, when again it stumbled, and fell with a crash on 
 the ground while the blood burst from its mouth and 
 nostrils. Dick could hear the shout of triumph uttered 
 by his pursuers. 
 
 " My poor, poor horse ! " he exclaimed, in a tone of 
 the deepest commiseration, while he stooped and stroked 
 its foam-studded neck. 
 
 The dying steed raised his head for a moment, it al- 
 most seemed as if to acknowledge the tones of affection, 
 then it sank down with a gurgling groan. 
 
 Dick sprang up, for the Indians were now upon him, 
 and bounded like an antelope into the thickest of the 
 shrubbery; which was nowhere thick enough, how- 
 ever, to prevent the Indians following. Still, it suffi- 
 ciently retarded them to render the chase a more equal 
 one than could have been expected. In a few minutes 
 Dick gained a stripe of open ground beyond, and found 
 himself on the bank of a broad river, whose evidently 
 deep waters rushed impetuously along their unob- 
 structed channel. The bank at the spot where he 
 reached it was a sheer precipice of between thirty and 
 forty feet high. Glancing up and down the river he 
 retreated a few paces, turned round and shook his 
 clenched fist at the savages, accompanying the action 
 with a shout of defiance, and then running to the edge 
 of the bank, sprang far out into the boiling flood and 
 sank. 
 
A. BOLD LEAP FOR LIFE. 179 
 
 The Indians pulled up on reaching the .spot. There 
 was no possibility of galloping down the wood-encum- 
 bered banks after the fugitive, but quick as thought 
 each red-man leaped to the ground, and fitting an arrow 
 to his bow, awaited Dick's re-appearance with eager gaze. 
 
 Young though he was, and unskilled in such wild 
 warfare, Dick knew well enough what sort of reception 
 he would meet with on coming to the surface, so he 
 kept under water as long as he could, and struck out as 
 vigorously as the care of his rifle would permit. At 
 last he rose for a few seconds, and immediately half a 
 dozen arrows whizzed through the air; but most of 
 them fell short ; only one passed close to his cheek, and 
 went with a " whip " into the river. He immediately 
 sank again, and the next time he rose to breathe he was 
 far beyond the reach of his Indian enemies. 
 
180 DICK'S ESCAPE. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Es cape from Indians. A Discovery. Alone in the Desert. 
 
 DICK VARLEY had spent so much of his boyhood in 
 sporting about among the waters of the rivers and 
 lakes near which he had been reared, and especially 
 during the last two years had spent so much of his 
 leisure time in rolling and diving with his dog Crusoe 
 in the lake of the Mustang Valley, that he had become 
 almost as expert in the water as a south-sea islander ; 
 so that when he found himself whirling down the rapid 
 river, as already described, he was more impressed with 
 a feeling of gratitude to God for his escape from the 
 Indians, than anxiety about getting ashore. 
 
 He was not altogether blind, or indifferent, to the 
 danger into which he might be hurled if the channel of 
 the river should be found lower down to be broken 
 with rocks, or should a waterfall unexpectedly appear. 
 After floating down a sufficient distance to render pur- 
 suit out of the question, he struck in to the bank oppo- 
 site to that from which he had plunged, and, clamber- 
 ing up to the green sward above, stripped off the greater 
 part of his clothing and hung it on the branches of a 
 
DICK'S ESCAPE. 181 
 
 bush to dry. Then he sat down on the truak of a 
 fallen tree to consider what course he had best pursue 
 in his present circumstances. 
 
 These circumstances were by no means calculated to 
 inspire him with hope or comfort. He was in the 
 midst of an unknown wilderness, hundreds of miles 
 from any white man's settlement ; surrounded by sav- 
 ages; without food or blanket; his companions gone, 
 he knew not whither ; perhaps taken and killed by the 
 Indians ; his horse dead, and his dog, the most trusty 
 and loving of all his friends, lost to him, probably, for- 
 ever! A more veteran heart might have quailed in 
 the midst of such accumulated evils, but Dick Varley 
 possessed a strong, young, and buoyant constitution 
 which, united with a hopefulness of disposition that al- 
 most nothing could overcome, enabled him very quickly 
 to cast aside the gloomy view of his case and turn to its 
 brighter aspects. 
 
 He still grasped his good rifle, that was some com- 
 fort, and as his eye fell upon it, he turned with anxiety 
 to examine into the condition of his powder-horn and 
 the few things that he had been fortunate enough to 
 carry away with him about his person. 
 
 The horn in which western hunters carry their 
 
 powder is usually that of an ox. It is closed up at the 
 
 large end with a piece of hard wood fitted tightly into 
 
 it, and the small end is closed with a wooden peg or 
 
 16 
 
182 DICK'S ESCAPE. 
 
 stopper. It is, therefore, completely water-tight, and 
 may be for hours immersed without the powder getting 
 wet, unless the stopper should chance to be knocked 
 out. Dick found, to his great satisfaction, that the 
 stopple was fast, and the powder perfectly dry. More- 
 over, he had by good fortune filled it full two days 
 before from the package that contained the general 
 stock of ammunition, so that there were only two or 
 three charges out of it. His percussion caps, however, 
 were completely destroyed, and even though they had 
 not been, it would have mattered little, for he did not 
 possess more than half a dozen. But this was not so 
 great a misfortune as at first it might seem, for he had 
 the spare flint locks and the little screw-driver neces- 
 sary for fixing and unfixing them stowed away in his 
 ehot pouch. 
 
 To examine his supply of bullets was his next care, 
 and slowly he counted them out, one by one, to the 
 number of thirty. This was a pretty fair supply, and 
 with careful economy would last him many days. 
 Having relieved his mind on these all-important points, 
 he carefully examined every pouch and corner of his 
 dress to ascertain the exact amount and value of his 
 wealth. 
 
 Besides the leather-leggins, moccasins, deer-skin hunt- 
 ing-shirt, cap, and belt which composed his costume, he 
 had a short heavy hunting-knife, a piece of tinder, a 
 
A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS. 183 
 
 little tin pannikin, which he had been in the habit of 
 carrying at his belt, and a large cake of maple sugar. 
 This last is a species of sugar which is procured by the 
 Indians from the maple-tree. Several cakes of it had 
 been carried off from the Pawnee village, and Dick 
 usually carried one in the breast of his coat. Besides 
 these things, he found that the little Bible, for which 
 his mother had made a small inside breast pocket, was 
 safe. Dick's heart smote him when he took it out and 
 undid the clasp, for he had not looked at it until that 
 day. It was firmly bound with a brass clasp, so that 
 although the binding and edges of the leaves were 
 soaked, the inside was quite dry. On opening the book 
 to see if it had been damaged, a small paper fell out. 
 Picking it up quickly, he unfolded it, and read, in his 
 mother's handwriting, " Call upon me in the time of trou- 
 ble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shall glorify me. 
 My son, give me thine heart" 
 
 Dick's eyes filled with tears while the sound, as it 
 were, of his mother's voice thus reached him unexpect- 
 edly in that lonely wilderness. Like too many whose 
 hearts are young and gay, Dick had regarded religion, 
 if not as a gloomy, at least as not a cheerful thing. But 
 he felt the comfort of these words at that moment, and 
 he resolved seriously to peruse his mother's parting gift 
 in time to come. 
 
 The sun was hot, and i warm breeze gently shook 
 
184 HOPES AND FEARS. 
 
 the leaves, so that Dick's garments were soon dry. A 
 few minutes served to change the locks of his rifle, draw 
 the wet charges, dry out the barrels, ant! re-load. Then, 
 throwing it across his shoulder, he entered the wood, 
 and walked lightly away. And well he might, poor 
 fellow, for at that moment he felt light enough in person 
 if not in heart. His worldly goods were not such as to 
 oppress him, but the little note had turned his thoughts 
 towards home, and he felt comforted. 
 
 Traversing the belt of woodland that marked the 
 course of the river, Dick soon emerged on the wide 
 prairie beyond, and here he paused in some uncertainty 
 as to how he should proceed. 
 
 He was too good a backwoodsman, albeit so young, 
 to feel perplexed as to the points of the compass. He 
 knew pretty well what hour it was, so that the sun 
 showed him the general bearings of the country, and he 
 knew that when night came he could correct his course 
 by the pole-star. Dick's knowledge of astronomy was 
 limited ; he knew only one star by name, but that one 
 was an inestimable treasure of knowledge. His per- 
 plexity was owing to his uncertainty as to the direction 
 in which his companions and their pursuers had gone, 
 for he had made up his mind to follow their trail if 
 possible, and render all the succor his single arm 
 might afford. To desert them, and make for the settle 
 mont, he held, would be a faithless and cowardly act. 
 
HOPES AND FEARS. 185 
 
 While they were together, Joe Blunt had often talked 
 k> him about the route he meant to pursue to the Rocky 
 Mountains, so that, if they had escaped the Indians, he 
 thought there might be some chance of finding them at 
 last. But, to set against this, there was the probability 
 that they had been taken and carried away in a totally 
 different direction, or they might have taken to the 
 river, as he had done, and gone further down without 
 his observing them. Then, again, if they had escaped, 
 they would be sure to return and search the country 
 round for him, so that if he left the spot he might miss 
 them. 
 
 " Oh, for my dear pup Crusoe ! " he exclaimed aloud 
 in this dilemma; but the faithful ear was shut now, 
 and the deep silence that followed his cry was so op- 
 pressive that the young hunter sprang forward at a run 
 over the plain, as if to fly from solitude. He soon be- 
 came so absorbed, however, in his efforts to find the 
 trail of his companions, that he forgot all other consid- 
 erations, and ran straight forward for hours together, 
 with his eyes eagerly fixed on the ground. At last he 
 felt so hungry, having tasted no food since supper-time 
 the previous evening, that he halted for the purpose of 
 eating a morsel of maple sugar. A line of bushes in 
 the distance indicated water, so he sped on again, arjd 
 was soon seated beneath a willow, drinking water froaa 
 
J86 ALONE IN THE PRAIRIE. 
 
 the cool stream. No game was to be found here ; but 
 there were several kinds of berries, among which wild 
 grapes and plums grew in abundance. With these and 
 some sugar he made a meal, though not a good one, for 
 the berries were quite green, and intensely sour. 
 
 All that day Dick Varley followed up the trail of his 
 companions, which he discovered at a ford in the river. 
 They had crossed, therefore, in safety, though still pur- 
 sued, so he ran on at a regular trot, and with a little 
 more hope than he had felt during the day. Towards 
 night, however, Dick's heart sank again, for he came 
 upon innumerable buffalo tracks, among which those of 
 the horses soon became mingled up, so that he lost them 
 altogether. Hoping to find them again more easily by 
 broad daylight, he went to the nearest clump of willows 
 he could find, and encamped for the night. 
 
 Remembering the use formerly made of the tall wil- 
 lows, he set to work to construct a covering to protect 
 him from the dew. As he had no blanket or buffalo- 
 skin, he used leaves and grass instead, and found it a 
 better shelter than he had expected, especially when the 
 fire was lighted, and a pannikin of hot sugar and water 
 smoked at his feet ; but as no game was to be found, he 
 was again compelled to sup off unripe berries. Before 
 lying down to rest he remembered his resolution, and, 
 pulling out the little Bible, read a portion of it by the 
 
DTCK AMONG THE SAND-PLAINS. 187 
 
 lit ful blaze of the fire, and felt great comfort in its blessed 
 words. It seemed to him like a friend with whom he 
 eould converse in the midst of his loneliness. 
 
 The plunge into the river having broken Dick's pipe 
 and destroyed his tobacco, he now felt the want of that 
 luxury very severely, and, never having wanted it be- 
 fore, he was greatly surprised to find how much he had 
 become enslaved to the habit. It cost him more than 
 an hour's rest that night, the craving for his wonted 
 pipe. 
 
 The sagacious reader will doubtless not fail here to 
 ask himself the question, whether it is wise in man to 
 create in himself an unnatural and totally unnecessary 
 appetite, which may, and often does, entail hours ay, 
 sometimes months of exceeding discomfort; but we 
 would not for a moment presume to suggest such a 
 question to him. We have a distinct objection to the 
 ordinary method of what is called " drawing a moral." 
 It is much better to leave wise men to do this for them- 
 selves. 
 
 Next morning Dick rose with the sun, and started 
 without breakfast, preferring to take his chance of find- 
 ing a bird or animal of some kind before long, to feeding 
 again on sour berries. He was disappointed, however, 
 in finding the tracks of his companions. The ground 
 here was hard and sandy, so that little or no impression 
 of a distinct kind was made on it; and, as buffaloes 
 
188 DICK'S SUFFERINGS AND SORROWS. 
 
 had traversed it in all directions, he was soon utterly 
 bewildered. He thought it possible that, by running 
 out for several miles in a straight line, and then taking 
 a wide circuit round, he might find the tracks emerging 
 from the confusion made by the buffaloes. But he was 
 again disappointed, for the buffalo tracks still continued, 
 and the ground became less capable of showing a foot- 
 print. 
 
 Soon Dick began to feel so ill and weak from eating 
 such poor fare, that he gave up all hope of discovering 
 the tracks, and was compelled to push forward at his 
 utmost speed in order to reach a less barren district, 
 where he might procure fresh meat ; but the further he 
 advanced the worse and more sandy did the district 
 become. For several days he pushed on over this arid 
 waste without seeing bird or beast, and, to add to his 
 misery, he failed at last to find water. For a day and 
 a night he wandered about in a burning fever, and his 
 throat so parched that he was almost suffocated. To- 
 wards the close of the second day he saw a slight line 
 of bushes away down in a hollow on his right. With 
 eager steps he staggered towards them, and, on drawing 
 near, beheld blessed sight ! a stream of water glanc- 
 ing in the beams of the setting sun. 
 
 Dick tried to shout for joy, but his parched throat 
 refused to give utterance to the voice It mattered 
 not; exerting all his remaining strength he rushed 
 
DICK'S SUFFERINGS AND SORROWS. 189 
 
 down the bank, dropped his rifle, and plunged head- 
 foremost into the stream. 
 
 The first mouthful sent a thrill of horror to his heart 
 it was salt as brine ! 
 
 The poor youth's cup of bitterness was now full to 
 overflowing. Crawling out of the stream, he sank down 
 on the bank in a species of lethargic torpor, from which 
 he awakened next morning in a raging fever. Delirium 
 soon rendered him insensible to his sufferings. The 
 sun rose like a ball of fire, and shone down with scorch- 
 ing power on the arid plain. What mattered it to 
 Dick ? He was fa'r away in the shady groves of the 
 Mustang Valley, chasing the deer at times, but more 
 frequently cooling his limbs and sporting with Crusoe 
 in the bright blue lake. Now he was at his mother's 
 cottage, telling her how he had thought of her when 
 far away on the prairie, and what a bright, sweet word 
 it was she had whispered in his ear, so unexpectedly, 
 too. Anon he was scouring over the plains on horse- 
 back, with the savages at his heels ; and at such times 
 Dick would spring with almost supernatural strength 
 from the ground, and run madly over the burning 
 plain ; but, as if by a species of fascination, he always 
 returned to the salt river, and sank exhausted by its 
 side, or plunged helplessly into its waters. 
 
 These sudden immersions usually restored him for a 
 short time to reason, and he would crawl up the bank 
 
190 CRUSOE'S RETURN. 
 
 and gnaw a morsel of the maple sugar ; but he could 
 not eat much, for it was in a tough, compact cake, which 
 his jaws had not power to break. All that day and 
 the next night he lay on the banks of the salt stream, 
 or rushed wildly over the plain. It was about noon of 
 the second day after his attack that he crept slowly 
 out of the water, into which he had plunged a few 
 seconds before. His mind was restored, but he felt an 
 indescribable sensation of weakness, that seemed to him 
 to be the approach of death. Creeping towards the 
 place where his rifle lay, he fell exhausted beside it, 
 and laid his cheek on the Bible, which had fallen out 
 of his pocket there. 
 
 While his eyes were closed in a dreamy sort of half- 
 waking slumber, he felt the rough, hairy coat of an ani- 
 mal brush against his forehead. The idea of being torn 
 to pieces by wolves flashed instantly across his mind, 
 and with a shriek of terror he sprang up, to be almost 
 overwhelmed by the caresses of his faithful dog. 
 
 Yes, there he was, bounding round his master, bark- 
 ing and whining, and giving vent to every possible ex- 
 pression of canine joy ! 
 
CRUSOE'S PRIVATE ADVENTURES. 191 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Crusoe's Return and his Private Adventures among the Indians. 
 Dick at a very low Ebb. Crusoe saves Him. 
 
 THE means by which Crusoe managed to escape from 
 his two-legged captors, and rejoin his master, requires 
 separate and special notice. 
 
 In the struggle with the fallen horse and Indian, 
 which Dick had seen begun but not concluded, he was 
 almost crushed to death; and the instant the Indian 
 gained his feet, he sent an arrow at his head with sav- 
 age violence. Crusoe, however, had been so well used 
 to dodging the blunt-headed arrows that were wont to 
 be shot at him by the boys of the Mustang Valley, that 
 he was quite prepared, and eluded the shaft by an ac- 
 tive bound. Moreover, he uttered one of his own pecu- 
 liar roars, flew at the Indian's throat, and dragged him 
 down. At the same moment the other Indians came 
 up, and one of them turned aside to the rescue. This 
 man happened to have an old gun, of the cheap sort at 
 that time exchanged for peltries by the fur-traders. 
 With the butt of this he struck Crusoe a blow on the 
 head that sent him sprawling on the grass. 
 
192 CRUSOE'S PRIVATE ADVENTURES. 
 
 The rest of the savages, as we have seen, continued 
 in pursuit of Dick until he leaped into the river ; then 
 they returned, took the saddle and bridle off his dead 
 horse, and rejoined their comrades. Here they held a 
 court-martial on Crusoe, who was now bound, foot and 
 muzzle, with cords. Some were for killing him ; others, 
 who admired his noble appearance, immense size, and 
 courage, thought it would be well to carry him to their 
 village and keep him. There was a pretty violent dis- 
 pute on the subject ; but at length it was agreed that 
 they should spare his life in the mean time, and perhaps 
 have a dog-dance round him when they got to their wig- 
 wams. 
 
 This dance, of which Crusoe was to be the chief 
 though passive performer, is peculiar to some of the 
 tribes east of the Rocky Mountains, and consists in 
 killing a dog and cutting out its liver, which is after- 
 wards sliced into shreds or strings and hung on a pole 
 about the height of a man's head. A band of warriors 
 then come and dance wildly round this pole, and each 
 one in succession goes up to the raw liver and bites a 
 piece off it, without, however, putting his hands near 
 it. Such is the dog-dance, and to such was poor Cru- 
 soe destined by his fierce captors, especially by the one 
 whose throat still bore very evident marks of his 
 teeth. 
 
 But Crusoe was much too clever a dog to be dis- 
 
CRUSOE'S PRIVATE ADVENTURES. 193 
 
 posed of in so disgusting a manner. He had privately 
 resolved in his own mind that he would escape, but 
 the hopelessness of his ever carrying that resolution 
 into effect would have been apparent to any one who 
 could have seen the way in which his muzzle was se- 
 cured, and his four paws were tied together in a bunch, 
 as he hung suspended across the saddle of one of the 
 savages ! 
 
 This particular party of Indians who had followed 
 Dick Varley determined not to wait for the return of 
 their comrades who were in pursuit of the other two 
 hunters, but to go straight home, so for several days 
 they galloped away over the prairie. At nights, when 
 they encamped, Crusoe was thrown on the ground like a 
 piece of old lumber, and left to lie there with a mere 
 scrap of food till morning, when he was again thrown 
 across the horse of his captor, and carried on. When 
 the village was reached, he was thrown again on the 
 ground, and would certainly have been torn to pieces 
 in five minutes by the Indian curs which came howling 
 round him, had not an old woman come to the rescue 
 and driven them away. With the help of her grand- 
 son a little naked creature, just able to walk, or 
 rather to stagger she dragged him to her tent, and un- 
 doing the line that fastened his mouth, offered him a 
 bone. 
 
 Although lying in a position that was unfavorable 
 17 
 
194 CRUSOE'S ESCAPE FROM THE INDIANS. 
 
 for eating purposes, Crusoe opened his jaws and took it. 
 An awful crash was followed by two crunches and it 
 was gone ; and Crusoe looked up in the old squaw's 
 face with a look that said plainly, " Another of the same, 
 please, and as quick as possible." The old woman 
 gave him another and then a lump of meat, which lat- 
 ter went down with a gulp but he coughed after it ! 
 and it was well he didn't choke. After this the squaw 
 left him, and Crusoe spent the remainder of that night 
 gnawing the cords that bound him. So diligent was 
 he that he was free before morning, and walked delib- 
 erately out of the tent. Then he shook himself, and 
 with a yell that one might have fancied was intended for 
 defiance, he bounded joyfully away, and was soon out of 
 sight. 
 
 To a dog with a good appetite which had been on 
 short allowance for several days, the mouthful given to 
 him by the old squaw was a mere nothing. All that 
 day he kept bounding over the plain from bluff to bluff 
 in search of something to eat, but found nothing until 
 dusk, when he pounced suddenly and most unexpectedly 
 on a prairie-hen fast asleep. In one moment its life was 
 gone. In less than a minute its body was gone too 
 feathers and bones and all down Crusoe's ravenous 
 throat. 
 
 On the identical spot Crusoe laid down and slept like 
 a top for four hours. At the end of that time he jumped 
 
THE RE-UNION. 195 
 
 up, bolted a scrap of skin that somehow had been 
 overlooked at supper, and flew straight over the prairie 
 to the spot where he had had the scuffle with the 
 Indian. He came to the edge of the river, took pre- 
 cisely the same leap that his master had done before 
 him, and came out on the other side a good deal highei 
 up than Dick had done, for the dog had no savages to 
 dodge, and was, as we have said before, a powerful 
 swimmer. 
 
 It cost him a good deal of running about to find the 
 trail, and it was nearly dark before he resumed his 
 journey ; then, putting his keen nose to the ground, he 
 ran step by step over Dick's track, and at last found 
 him, as we have shown, on the banks of the Salt 
 Creek. 
 
 It is quite impossible to describe the intense joy 
 which filled Dick's heart on again beholding his favor- 
 ite. Only those who have lost and found such an one 
 can know it. Dick seized him round the neck and 
 hugged him as well as he could, poor fellow, in his fee- 
 ble arms ; then he wept, then he laughed, and then he 
 fainted. 
 
 This was a consummation that took Crusoe quite 
 aback ! Never having seen his master in such a state 
 before he seemed to think at first that he was playing 
 some trick, for he bounded round him, and barked, and 
 wagged his tail But as Dick lay quite still and 
 
196 FKESH WATER. 
 
 motionless, he went forward with a look of alarm ; 
 snuffed him once or twice and whined piteously ; then 
 he raised his nose in the air and uttered a long melan- 
 choly wail. 
 
 The cry seemed to revive Dick, for he moved, and 
 with some difficulty sat up, to the dog's evident relief. 
 There is no doubt whatever that Crusoe learned an 
 erroneous lesson that day, and was firmly convinced 
 thenceforth that the best cure for a fainting-fit is a mel- 
 ancholy yell. So easy is it for the wisest of dogs as well 
 as men to fall into gross error ! 
 
 " Crusoe," said Dick, in a feeble voice, " dear good 
 pup, come here." He crawled, as he spoke, down to 
 the water's edge, where there was a level tract of dry 
 sand. 
 
 " Dig," said Dick, pointing to the sand. 
 
 Crusoe looked at him in surprise, as well he might, 
 for he had never heard the word " dig " in all his life 
 before. 
 
 Dick pondered a minute ; then a thought struck him. 
 He turned up a little of the sand with his fingers, and, 
 pointing to the hole cried, " Seek him out, pup ! " 
 
 Ha ! Crusoe understood that. Many and many a 
 time had he unhoused rabbits, and squirrels, and other 
 creatures at that word of command, so, without a mo- 
 ment's delay, he commenced to dig down into the sand, 
 every now and then stopping for a moment and shov- 
 
HOPE RETURNS. 197 
 
 ing in his nose, and snuffing interrogatively, as if ha 
 fully expected to find a buffalo at the bottom of it. 
 Then he would resume again, one paw after another, so 
 fast that you could scarce see them going "hand 
 over hand," as sailors would have called it while the 
 sand flew out between his hind legs in a continuous 
 shower. "When the sand accumulated so much behind 
 him as to impede his motions he scraped it out of his 
 way, and set to work again with tenfold earnestness. 
 After a good while he paused and looked up at Dick 
 with an " it-won't-do,-I-fear,-there's-nothing-here " ex- 
 pression on his face. 
 
 " Seek him out, pup ! " repeated Dick. 
 
 "Oh! very good," mutely answered the dog, and 
 went at it again, tooth and nail, harder than ever. 
 
 In the course of a quarter of an hour there was a 
 deep yawning hole in the sand, into which Dick peered 
 with intense anxiety. The bottom appeared slightly 
 damp. Hope now reanimated Dick Varley, and by 
 various devices he succeeded in getting the dog to 
 scrape away a sort of tunnel from the hole, into which 
 he might roll himself and put down his lips to drink 
 when the water should rise high enough. Impatiently 
 and anxiously he lay watching the moisture slowly 
 accumulate in the bottom of the hole, drop by drop, 
 and while he gazed he fell into a troubled, restless slum- 
 ber, and dreamed that Crusoe's return was a dream, 
 17* 
 
198 FOOD OBTAINED. 
 
 and that he was alone again perishing for want of 
 water. 
 
 When he awakened the hole was half full of clear 
 water, and Crusoe was lapping it greedily. 
 
 " Back, pup ! " he shouted, as he crept down to the 
 hole and put his trembling lips to the water. It was 
 brackish, but drinkable, and as Dick drank deeply of 
 it he esteemed it at that moment better than nectar. 
 Here he lay for half an hour alternately drinking and 
 gazing in surprise at his own emaciated visage as re- 
 flected in the pool. 
 
 The same afternoon, Crusoe, in a private hunting ex- 
 cursion of his own, discovered and caught a prairie-hen, 
 which he quietly proceeded to devour on the spot, 
 when Dick, who saw what had occurred, whistled to 
 him. 
 
 Obedience was engrained in every fibre of Crusoe's 
 mental and corporeal being. He did not merely an- 
 swer at once to the call he sprang to it, leaving the 
 prairie-hen untasted. 
 
 " Fetch it, pup," cried Dick eagerly as the dog came 
 up. 
 
 In a few moments the hen was at his feet. Dick's 
 circumstances could not brook the delay of cookery; 
 he gashed the bird with his knife and drank the blood, 
 and then gave the flesh to the dog, while he crept to the 
 pool again for another draught. Ah ! think not, reader, 
 
FOOD OBTAINED. 199 
 
 that although we have treated this subject in a slight 
 vein of pleasantry, because it ended well, that therefore 
 our tale is pure fiction. Not only are Indians glad to 
 satisfy the urgent cravings of hunger with raw flesh, 
 but many civilized men and delicately nurtured, have 
 done the same ay, and doubtless, will do the same 
 again, as long as enterprising and fearless men shall 
 go forth to dare the dangers of flood and field in the 
 wild places of our wonderful world ! 
 
 Crusoe had finished his share of the feast before Dick 
 returned from the pool. Then master and dog lay 
 down together side by side and fell into a long, deep, 
 peaceful slumber. 
 
200 RETURNING HEALTH. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Health and Happiness return. Incidents of the Journey. A Buf- 
 falo Shot. A Wild Horse creased." Dick's Battle with a 
 Mustang. 
 
 DICK VARLEY'S fears and troubles, in the mean time, 
 were ended. On the day following he awoke refreshed 
 and happy so happy and light at heart, as he felt the 
 glow of returning health coursing through his veins, that 
 he fancied he must have dreamed it all. In fact, he was 
 so certain that his muscles were strong that he endea- 
 vored to leap up, but was powerfully convinced of his 
 true condition by the miserable stagger that resulted 
 from the effort. 
 
 However, he knew he was recovering, so he rose, and 
 thanking God for his recovery and for the new hope 
 that was raised in his heart, he went down to the pool 
 and drank deeply of its water. Then he returned, and, 
 sitting down beside his dog, opened the Bible and read 
 long and, for the first time, earnestly the story of 
 Christ's love for sinful man. He at last fell asleep 
 over the book, and when he awakened felt so much re- 
 freshed in body and mind that he determined to attempt 
 to pursue his journey. 
 
DICK CONTINUES HIS JOURNEY. 201 
 
 He had not proceeded far when he came upon a 
 colony of prairie-dogs. Upon this occasion he was 
 little inclined to take a humorous view of the vagaries 
 of these curious little creatures, but he shot one, and, as 
 before, ate part of it raw. These creatures are so 
 active that they are difficult to shoot, and even when 
 killed generally fall into their holes and disappear. 
 Crusoe, however, soon unearthed the dead animal on 
 this occasion. That night the travellers came to a 
 stream of fresh water, and Dick killed a turkey, so that 
 he determined to spend a couple of days there to re- 
 cruit. At the end of that time he again set out, but 
 was able only to advance five miles when he broke 
 down. In fact, it became evident to him that he must 
 have a longer period of absolute repose ere he could 
 hope to continue his journey, but to do so without food 
 was impossible. Fortunately there was plenty of water, 
 as his course lay along the margin of a small stream, 
 and, as the arid piece of prairie was now behind him, 
 he hoped to fall in with birds, or perhaps deer, soon. 
 
 While he was plodding heavily and wearily along, 
 pondering these things, he came to the brow of a wave 
 from which he beheld a most magnificent view of green 
 grassy plains, decked with flowers, and rolling out to 
 the horizon, with a stream meandering through it, and 
 clumps of trees scattered everywhere far and wide. It 
 was a glorious sight ; but the most glorious object in 
 
202 A HAPPY SHOT. 
 
 it to Dick, at that time, was a fat buffalo which stood 
 grazing not a hundred yards off. The wind was blow- 
 ing towards him, so that the animal did not scent him, 
 and, as he came up very slowly, and it was turned away, 
 it did not see him. 
 
 Crusoe would have sprung forward in an instant, but 
 his master's finger imposed silence and caution. Trem- 
 bling with eagerness Dick sank flat down in the grass, 
 cocked both barrels of his piece, and, resting it on his 
 left hand with his left elbow on the ground, he waited 
 until the animal should present its side. In a few sec- 
 onds it moved ; Dick's eyes glanced along the barrel, 
 but it trembled his wonted steadiness of aim was gone. 
 He fired, and the buffalo sprang off in terror. With a 
 groan of despair he fired again, almost recklessly, 
 and the buffalo fell ! It rose once or twice and stum- 
 bled forward a few paces, then it fell again. Meanwhile 
 Dick re-loaded with trembling hand, and advanced to 
 give it another shot, but it was not needful, the buffalo 
 was already dead. 
 
 " Now, Crusoe," said Dick, sitting down on the buf- 
 falo's shoulder, and patting his favorite on the head, 
 u we're all right at last. You and I shall have a jolly 
 time o't, pup, from this time forward." 
 
 Dick paused for breath, and Crusoe wagged his tail 
 and looked as if to say pshaw ! " as if! " 
 
 We tell ye what it is, reader, it's of no use at all to 
 
DICK AND CRUSOE CONVERSE. 203 
 
 go on writing " as if," when we tell you what Crusoe 
 said. If there is any language in eyes whatever, if 
 there is language in a tail; in a cocked ear; in a 
 mobile eyebrow ; in the point of a canine nose ; if 
 there is language in any terrestrial thing at all, apart 
 from that which flows from the tongue then Crusoe 
 spoke. Do we not speak at this moment to yon ? and 
 if so, then tell me, wherein lies the difference between a 
 written letter and a given sign ? 
 
 Yes, Crusoe spoke. He said to Dick as plain as dog 
 could say it, slowly and emphatically, " That's my opin- 
 ion precisely, Dick. You're the dearest, most beloved, 
 jolliest fellow that ever walked on two legs, you are ; 
 and whatever's your opinion is mine, no matter how ab- 
 surd it may be." 
 
 Dick evidently understood him perfectly, for he 
 laughed as he looked at him and patted him on the head, 
 and called him a " funny dog." Then he continued his 
 discourse 
 
 " Yes, pup, we'll make our camp here for a long bit, 
 old dog, in this beautiful plain. We'll make a willow 
 wigwam to sleep in, you and me, jist in yon clump o* 
 trees, not a stone's throw to our right, where well have 
 a run o' pure water beside us, and be near our buffalo 
 at the same time. For, ye see, we'll need to watch him 
 lest the wolves take a notion to eat him that'll be 
 your duty, pup. Then I'll skin him when I get strong 
 
204 THE ENCAMPMENT. 
 
 enough, which*!! be in a day or two I hope, and we'll 
 put one half of the skin below us and t'other half above 
 us i' the camp, an' sleep, an' eat, an' take it easy for a 
 week or two won't we pup ? " 
 
 " Hoora-a-a-y ! " shouted Crusoe, with a jovial wag 
 of his tail, that no human arm with hat, or cap, or ker- 
 chief ever equalled. 
 
 Poor Dick Varley ! He smiled to think how earnestly 
 he had been talking to the dog, but he did not cease to 
 do it, for, although he entered into discourses, the drift 
 of which Crusoe's limited education did not permit him 
 to follow, he found comfort in hearing the sound of his 
 own voice, and in knowing that it fell pleasantly on 
 another ear in that lonely wilderness. 
 
 ( )ur hero now set about his preparations as vigorously 
 as he could. He cut out the buffalo's tongue a mat- 
 ter of great difficulty to one in his weak state and 
 carried it to a pleasant spot near to the stream where 
 the turf was level and green, and decked with wild 
 flowers. Here he resolved to make his camp. 
 
 His first care was to select a bush whose branches 
 were long enough to form a canopy over his head when 
 bent, and the ends thrust into the ground. The com- 
 pleting of this exhausted him greatly, but after a rest 
 he resumed his labors. The next thing was to light a 
 fire a comfort which he had not enjoyed for many 
 weary days. Not that he required it for warmth, for 
 
DELICACIES AND COMFORTS. 205 
 
 the weather was extremely warm, but he required it to 
 cook with, and the mere sight of a blaze in a dark place 
 is a most heart-cheering thing as every one knows. 
 
 When the fire was lighted he filled his pannikin at 
 the brook and put it on to boil, and, cutting several 
 slices of buffalo tongue, he thrust short stakes through 
 them and set them up before the fire to roast. By this 
 time the water was boiling, so he took it off* with diffi- 
 culty, nearly burning his fingers and singing the tail of 
 his coat in so doing. Into the pannikin he put a lump 
 of maple sugar and stirred it about with a stick, and 
 tasted it. It seemed to him even better than tea or 
 coffee. It was absolutely delicious ! 
 
 Really one has no notion what he can do if he makes 
 believe very hard. The human mind is a nicely balanced 
 and extremely complex machine, and when thrown a 
 little off the balance can be made to believe almost any 
 thing, as we see in the case of some poor monomaniacs, 
 who have fancied that they were made of all sorts of 
 things glass and porcelain, and such like. No wonder 
 then that poor Dick Varley, after so much suffering 
 and hardship, came to regard that pannikin of hot syrup 
 as the most delicious beverage he ever drank. 
 
 During all these operations Crusoe sat on his 
 naunches beside him and looked. And you haven't 
 
 - no, you haven't, got the most distant notion of the 
 
 18 
 
206 DELICACIES AND COMFORTS. 
 
 way in which that dog manoeuvred with his head and 
 face ! He opened his eyes wide, and cocked his ears, 
 and turned his head first a little to one side, then a 
 little to the other. After that he turned it a good deal 
 to one side and then a good deal more to the other. 
 Then he brought it straight and raised one eye-brow a 
 little, and then the other a little, and then both together 
 very much. Then, when Dick paused to rest and did 
 nothing, Crusoe looked mild for a moment, and yawned 
 vociferously. Presently Dick moved up went the 
 ears again and Crusoe came in military parlance 
 " to the position of attention ! " At last supper was ready 
 and they began. 
 
 Dick had purposely kept the dog's supper back from 
 him in order that they might eat it in company. And 
 between every bite and sup that Dick took he gave a 
 bite but not a sup to Crusoe. Thus lovingly they 
 ate together ; and, when Dick lay that night under the 
 willow branches looking up through them at the stars 
 with his feet to the fire and Crusoe close along his side, 
 he thought it the best and sweetest supper he ever ate, 
 and the happiest evening he ever spent so wonder- 
 fully do circumstances modify our notions of felicity ! 
 
 Two weeks after this " Richard was himself again." 
 The muscles were springy, and the blood coursed fast 
 and free, as was its wont. Only a slight, and, perhaps, 
 
CREASING A WILD HORSE. 207 
 
 salutary feeling of weakness remained, to remind him 
 that young muscles might again become more helpless 
 than those of an aged man or a child. 
 
 Dick had left his encampment a week ago, and was 
 now advancing by rapid stages towards the Rocky 
 Mountains, closely following the trail of his lost com- 
 rades, which he had no difficulty in finding and keeping, 
 now that Crusoe was with him. The skin of the 
 buffalo that he had killed was now strapped to his 
 shoulders, and the skin of another animal that he had 
 shot a few days after was cut up into a long line and 
 slung in a coil round his neck. Crusoe was also laden. 
 He had a little bundle of meat slung on each side of him. 
 
 For some time past numerous herds of mustangs, or 
 wild horses, had crossed their path, and Dick was now 
 on the look out for a chance to crease one of those mag- 
 nificent creatures. 
 
 On one occasion a band of mustangs galloped close 
 up to him before they were aware of his presence, and 
 stopped short with a wild snort of surprise on beholding 
 him ; then, wheeling round, they dashed away at full 
 gallop, their long tails and manes flying wildly in the 
 air, and their hoofs thundering on the plain. Dick did 
 not attempt to crease one upon this occasion, fearing 
 that his recent illness might have rendered his hand too 
 unsteady for so extremely delicate an operation. 
 
 In order to crease a wild horse the hunter requirea 
 
208 WILD HORSES OF THE FAR WEST. 
 
 to be a perfect shot, and it is not every man of the west 
 who carries a rifle that can do it successfully. Creasing 
 consists in sending a bullet through the gristle of the 
 mustang's neck, just above the bone, so as to stun the 
 animal. If the ball enters a hair's- -breadth too low, 
 the horse falls dead instantly. If it hits the exact 
 spot the horse fall as instantaneously, and dead to all 
 appearance ; but, in reality, he is only stunned, and if 
 left for a few minutes will rise and gallop away nearly 
 as well as ever. When hunters crease a horse success- 
 fully they put a rope, or halter, round his under jaw, 
 and hobbles round his feet, so that when he rises he 
 is secured, and, after considerable trouble, reduced to 
 obedience. 
 
 The mustangs which roam in wild freedom on the 
 prairies of the far west, are descended from the noble 
 Spanish steeds that were brought over by the wealthy 
 cavaliers who accompanied Fernando Cortez, the con- 
 queror of Mexico, in his expedition to the new world in 
 1518. These bold, and, we may add, lawless cavaliers, 
 were mounted on the finest horses that could be pro- 
 cured from Barbary and the deserts of the Old World. 
 The poor Indians of the New World were struck with 
 amazement and terror at these awful beings, for, never 
 having seen horses before, they believed that horse and 
 rider were one animal. During the wars that followed 
 many of the Spaniards were killed and their steeds 
 
WILD HORSES OF THE FAR WEST. 209 
 
 bounded into the wilds of the new country to enjoy a 
 life of unrestrained freedom. These were the forefathers 
 of the present race of magnificent creatures which are 
 found in immense droves all over the western wilderness, 
 from the Gulf of Mexico to the confines of the snowy 
 regions of the far north. 
 
 At first the Indians beheld these horses with awe 
 and terror, but gradually they became accustomed to 
 them, and finally succeeded in capturing great numbers 
 and reducing them to a state of servitude. Not, how- 
 ever, to the service of the cultivated field, but to the 
 service of the chase and war. The savages soon ac- 
 quired the method of capturing wild horses by means of 
 the lasso as the noose at that end of a long line of 
 raw hide is termed which they adroitly threw over 
 the heads of the animals and secured them, having pre- 
 viously run them down. At the present day many of 
 the savage tribes of the west almost live upon horse- 
 back, and without these useful creatures they could 
 scarcely subsist, as they are almost indispensable in the 
 chase of the buffalo. 
 
 Mustangs are regularly taken by the Indians to 
 the settlements of the white men tor trade, but very 
 poor specimens are these of the breed of wild horses. 
 This arises from two causes. First, the Indian can- 
 not overtake the finest of a drove of wild mustangs, 
 
 because his own steed is inferior to the best among the 
 
 18* 
 
210 WILD ASSES. 
 
 wild ones besides being weighted with a rider, so that 
 only the weak and inferior animals aie captured. And, 
 secondly, when the Indian does succeed in lassoing a 
 first-rate horse, he keeps it for his own use. Thus, 
 those who have not visited the far off prairies and seen 
 the mustang in all the glory of untrammelled freedom, 
 can form no adequate idea of its beauty, fleetness, and 
 strength. 
 
 The horse, however, was not the only creature im- 
 ported by Cortez. There were priests in his army 
 who rode upon asses, and, although we cannot imagine 
 that the " fathers " charged with the cavaliers and were 
 unhorsed, or, rather, un-assed in battle, yet, somehow, 
 the asses got rid of their riders and joined the Spanish 
 chargers in their joyous bound into a new life of free- 
 dom. Hence wild asses also are found in the western 
 prairies. But think not, reader, of those poor misera- 
 ble wretches we see at home, which seem little better 
 than rough door-mats sewed up and stuffed ; with head, 
 tail, and legs attached, and just enough of life infused to 
 make them move ! No, the wild ass of the prairie is a 
 large, powerful, swift creature. He has the same long 
 ears, it is true, and the same hideous, exasperating ray, 
 and the same tendency to flourish his heels ; but, for all 
 that, he is a very fine animal, and often wages success' 
 fid warfare with the wild horse ! 
 
 But to return. The next drove of mustangs that 
 
DICK'S PREPARATIONS. 211 
 
 Dick and Crusoe saw, were feeding quietly and unsus 
 pectingly in a rich green hollow in the plain. Dick's 
 heart leaped up as his eyes suddenly fell on them, for 
 he had almost discovered himself before he was aware 
 of their presence. 
 
 " Down, pup ! " he whispered, as he sank and disap- 
 peared among the grass which was just long enough to 
 cover him when lying quite flat. 
 
 Crusoe crouched immediately, and his master made 
 his observations of the drove, and the dispositions of the 
 ground that might favor his approach, for they were not 
 within rifle range. Having done so he crept slowly 
 back until the undulation of the prairie hid him from 
 view ; then he sprang to his feet, and ran a considerable 
 distance along the bottom until he gained the extreme 
 end of a belt of low bushes, which would effectually con- 
 ceal him while he approached to within a hundred yards 
 or less of the troop. 
 
 Here he made his arrangements. Throwing down 
 his buffalo robe, he took the coil of line and cut off a 
 piece of about three yards in length. On this he made 
 a running noose. The longer line he also prepared 
 with a running noose. These he threw in a coil over 
 his arm. 
 
 He also made a pair of hobbles and placed them in 
 the breast of his coat, and then, taking up his rifle, ad- 
 vanced cautiously through the bushes Crusoe follow- 
 
212 THE SUCCESSFUL SHOT. 
 
 ing close behind him. In a few minutes he was gazing 
 in admiration at the mustangs which were now within 
 easy shot, and utterly ignorant of the presence of man, 
 for Dick had taken care to approach in such a way that 
 the wind did not carry the scent of him in their direc- 
 tion. 
 
 And well might he admire them. The wild horse of 
 these regions is not very large, but it is exceedingly 
 powerful, with prominent eye, sharp nose, distended 
 nostril, small feet, and a delicate leg. Their beautiful 
 manes hung at great length down their arched necks, 
 and their thick tails swept the ground. One magnifi- 
 cent fellow in particular attracted Dick's attention. 
 It was of a rich dark-brown color, with black mane and 
 tail, and seemed to be the leader of the drove. 
 
 Although not the nearest to him, he resolved to crease 
 this horse. It is said that creasing generally destroys or 
 damages the spirit of the horse, so Dick determined to 
 try whether his powers of close shooting would not serve 
 him on this occasion. Going down on one knee he 
 aimed at the creature's neck, just a hair-breadth above 
 the spot where he had been told that hunters usually 
 hit them, and fired. The effect upon the group was 
 absolutely tremendous. With wild cries and snorting 
 terror they tossed their proud heads in the air, uncer- 
 tain for one moment in which direction to fly ; then there 
 was a rush as if a hurricane swept over the place, and 
 they were gone. 
 
DICK'S BATTLE WITH A MUSTANG. 213 
 
 But the brown horse was down. Dick did not wait 
 until the others had fled. He dropped his rifle, and 
 with the speed of a deer, sprang towards the fallen 
 horse, and affixed the hobbles to his legs. His aim had 
 been true. Although scarcely half a minute elapsed 
 between the shot and the fixing of the hobbles the 
 animal recovered, and with a frantic exertion rose on 
 his haunches, just as Dick had fastened the noose of 
 the short line in his under jaw. But this was not 
 enough. If the horse had gained his feet before the 
 longer line was placed round his neck, he would have 
 escaped. As the mustang made the second violent 
 plunge that placed it on its legs, Dick flung the noose 
 hastily; it caught on one ear, and would have fallen 
 off, had not the horse suddenly shaken its head, and 
 unwittingly sealed its own fate by bringing the noose 
 round its neck. 
 
 And now the struggle began. Dick knew well 
 enough, from hearsay, the method of " breaking down " 
 a wild horse. He knew that the Indians choke them 
 with the noose round the neck until they fall down ex- 
 hausted and covered with foam, when they creep up, 
 fix the hobbles and the line in the lower jaw, and then 
 loosen the lasso to let the horse breathe, and resume its 
 plungings till it is almost subdued, when they gradually 
 draw near and breathe into its nostrils. But the vio- 
 lence and strength of this animal rendered this an -appar- 
 
214 THE BATTLE. 
 
 ently hopeless task. We have already seen that the 
 hobbles and noose in the lower jaw had been fixed, so 
 that Dick had nothing now to do but to choke his captive 
 and tire him out, while Crusoe remained a quiet, though 
 excited spectator of the scene. 
 
 But there seemed to be no possibility of choking this 
 horse. Either the muscles of his neck were too strong, 
 or there was something wrong with the noose which 
 prevented it from acting, for the furious creature 
 dashed and bounded backwards and sidewise in its 
 terror for nearly an hour, dragging Dick after it, till 
 he was almost exhausted, and yet, at the end of that 
 time, although flecked with foam and panting with 
 terror, it seemed as strong as ever. Dick held both 
 lines, for the short one attached to its lower jaw gave 
 him great power over it. At last he thought of seeking 
 assistance from his dog. 
 
 " Crusoe," he cried, " lay hold, pup." 
 
 The dog seized the long line in his teeth, and pulled 
 with all his might. At the same moment Dick let go 
 the short line and threw all his weight upon the long 
 one. The noose tightened suddenly under this strain, 
 and the mustang, with a gasp, fell choking to the ground. 
 
 Dick had often heard of the manner in which the 
 Mexicans "break" their horses, so he determined to 
 abandon the method which had already almost worn him 
 out, and adopt the other, as far as the means in his power 
 
THE BATTLE. 215 
 
 rendered it possible. Instead, therefore, of loosening 
 the lasso and re-commencing the struggle, he tore a 
 branch from a neighboring bush, cut the hobbles, strode 
 with his legs across the fallen steed, seized the end of 
 the short line or bridle, arid then, ordering Crusoe to 
 quit his hold, he loosened the noose which compressed 
 the horse's neck, and had already wellnigh terminated 
 its existence. 
 
 One or two deep sobs restored it, and in a moment 
 it leaped to its feet with Dick firmly on its back ! To 
 say that the animal leaped and kicked in its frantic 
 efforts to throw this intolerable burden would be a 
 tame manner of expressing what took place. "Words 
 cannot adequately describe the scene. It reared, 
 plunged, shrieked, vaulted into the air, stood straight 
 up on its hind legs, and then almost as straight upon 
 iu fore ones, but its rider held on like a burr. Then 
 the mustang raced wildly forwards a few paces, then 
 as wildly back, and then stood still and trembled vio- 
 lently. But this was only a brief lull in the storm, so 
 Dick saw that the time was now come to assert the 
 superiority of his race. 
 
 "Stay back, Crusoe, and watch my rifle, pup," he 
 cried, and, raising his heavy switch he brought it down 
 with a sharp cut across the horse's flank, at the same 
 time loosening the rein which hitherto he had held tight. 
 
216 THE J3ATTLE. 
 
 The wild horse uttered a passionate cry, and sprang 
 forward like the bolt from a cross-bow 
 
 And now commenced a race which, if not as pro- 
 longed, was at least as furious as that of the far-famed 
 Mazeppa. Dick was a splendid rider, however, at 
 least as far as " sticking on " goes. He might not 
 have come up to the precise pitch desiderated by a 
 riding-master in regard to carriage, &c., but he rode 
 that wild horse of the prairie with as much ease as he 
 had formerly ridden his own good steed, whose bones 
 had been picked by the wolves not long ago. 
 
 The pace was tremendous, for the youth's weight 
 was nothing to that muscular frame which bounded 
 with cat-like agility from wave to wave of the undulat- 
 ing plain in ungovernable terror. In a few minutes 
 the clump of willows where Crusoe and his rifle lay 
 were out of sight behind, but it mattered not, for Dick 
 had looked up at the sky and noted the position of the 
 sun at the moment of starting. Away they went on 
 the wings of the wind, mile after mile over the ocean- 
 like waste curving slightly aside now and then to 
 avoid the bluffs that occasionally appeared on the 
 scene for a few minutes and then swept out of sight 
 behind them. Then they came to a little rivulet ; it 
 was a mere brook of a few feet wide, and two or three 
 yards, perhaps, from bank to bank. Over Ihis they 
 
THE BATTLE. 217 
 
 flew, so easily that the spring was scarcely felt, and 
 continued the headlong course. And now a more bar- 
 ren country was around them. Sandy ridges and scrubby 
 grass appeared everywhere, reminding Dick of the place 
 where he had been so ill. Rocks, too, were scattered 
 about, and at one place the horse dashed with clattering 
 hoofs between a couple of rocky sand-hills which, for a 
 few seconds, hid the prairie from view. Here the mus- 
 tang suddenly shied with such violence that his rider 
 was nearly thrown, while a rattlesnake darted from the 
 path. Soon they emerged from this pass, and again 
 the plains became green and verdant. Presently a dis- 
 tant line of trees showed that they were approaching 
 water, and in a few minutes they were close on it. For 
 the first time Dick felt alarm ; he sought to check hia 
 steed, but no force he could exert had the smallest influ- 
 ence on it. 
 
 Trees and bushes flew past in bewildering confusion ; 
 the river was before him; what width, he could not 
 tell, but he was reckless now, like his charger, which 
 he struck with the willow rod with all his force as they 
 came up. One tremendous bound, and they were 
 across, but Dick had to lie flat on the mustang's back 
 as it crashed through the bushes to avoid being scraped 
 off by the trees. Again they were on the open plain, 
 
 and the wild horse began to show signs of exhaustion. 
 19 
 
218 VICTORY. 
 
 Now was its rider's opportunity to assert Ais do- 
 minion. He plied the willow rod and urged the pant- 
 ing horse on, until it was white with foam and labored 
 a little in its gait. Then Dick gently drew the halter, 
 and it broke into a trot ; still tighter and it walked 
 and in another minute stood still, trembling in every 
 limb. Dick now quietly rubbed its neck, and spoke 
 to it in soothing tones, then he wheeled it gently 
 round and urged it forward. It was quite subdued 
 and docile. In a little time they came to the river 
 and forded it, after which they went through the belt 
 of woodland at a walk. By the time they reached the 
 open prairie, the mustang was recovered sufficiently to 
 feel its spirit returning, so Dick gave it a gentle touch 
 with the switch, and away they went on their return 
 journey. 
 
 But it amazed Dick not a little to find how long that 
 journey was. Very different was the pace, too, from 
 the previous mad gallop, and often would the poor horse 
 have stopped had Dick allowed him. But this might 
 not be. The shades of night were approaching, and the 
 camp lay a long way ahead. 
 
 At last it was reached, and Crusoe came out with 
 great demonstrations of joy, but was sent back lest he 
 should alarm the horse. Then Dick jumped off his 
 back, stroked his head, put his cheek close to his moulh, 
 
VICTORY. 219 
 
 and whispered softly to him, after which he fastened 
 him to a tree and rubbed him down slightly with a 
 bunch of grass. Having done this, he left him to graze 
 as far as his tether would permit, arid, after supping 
 with Crusoe, lay down to rest, not a little elated with 
 his success in this first attempt at "creasing" and 
 u breaking " a mustang. 
 
DICK A HORSE TAMEK. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Dick becomes a Horse Tamer. Resumes his Journey. Charlie's 
 doings. Misfortunes which lead to, but do not terminate in, the 
 Rocky Mountains. A Grizzly Bear. 
 
 THERE is a proverb or a saying or at least some- 
 body or book has told us, that some Irishman once 
 said " Be aisy, or, if ye can't be aisy, be as aisy as 
 ye can." 
 
 Now, we count that good advice, and strongly re- 
 commend it to all and sundry. Had we been at the 
 side of Dick Varley on the night after his taming of 
 the wild horse, we would have strongly urged that 
 advice upon him. Whether he would have listened to 
 it or not is quite another question we rather think 
 not. Reader, if you wish to know why, go and do 
 what he did, and if you feel no curious sensations 
 about the region of the loins after it, we will tell you 
 why Dick Varley wouldn't have listened to that ad- 
 vice. Can a man feel as if his joints were wrenched 
 out of their sockets, and listen to advice be that 
 advice good or bad? Can he feel as though these 
 joints vi 3re trying to re-set and re-dislocate themselves 
 
WILD HORSE TAMING. 221 
 
 perpetually and listen to advice ? Can he feel as if 
 he were sitting down on red-hot iron, when he's not 
 sitting down at all and listen to advice ? Can he 
 but no! why pursue the subject? Poor Dick spent 
 that night in misery, and the greater part of the follow- 
 ing day in sleep, to make up for it. 
 
 When he got up to breakfast in the afternoon, he felt 
 much better, but shaky. 
 
 " Now, pup," he said, stretching himself, " we'll go 
 and see our horse. Ours, pup ; yours and mine : didn't 
 you help to catch him, eh ! pup ? " 
 
 Crusoe acknowledged the fact with a wag, and a 
 playful " bow-wow wow-oo-ow ! " and followed his 
 master to the place where the horse had been picketed. 
 It was standing there quite quiet, but looking a little 
 timid. 
 
 Dick went boldly up to it and patted its head and 
 stroked its nose, for nothing is so likely to alarm either 
 a tame or a wild horse as any appearance of timidity or 
 hesitation on the part of those who approach them. 
 
 After treating it thus for a short time, he stroked 
 down its neck, and then its shoulders the horse eye- 
 ing him all the time nervously. Gradually he stroked 
 its back and limbs gently, and walked quietly round 
 and round it once or twice, sometimes approaching and 
 sometimes going away, but never either hesitating or 
 doing any thing abruptly. This done, he went down to 
 19* 
 
222 WILD HORSE TAMING. 
 
 the stream and filled his cap with water and carried it 
 to the horse, which snuffed suspiciously and backed a 
 little, so he laid the cap down, and went up and patted 
 him again. Presently he took up the cap and carried 
 it to his nose; the poor creature was almost choking 
 with thirst, so that, the moment he understood what was 
 in the cap, he buried his lips in it and sucked it up. 
 
 This was a great point gained, he had accepted a 
 benefit at the hands of his new master ; he had be- 
 come a debtor to man, and no doubt he felt the obli- 
 gation. Dick filled the cap, and the horse emptied it 
 again, and again, and again, until its burning thirst was 
 slaked. Then Dick went up to his shoulder, patted him, 
 undid the line that fastened him, and vaulted lightly on 
 his back ! 
 
 We say lightly, for it was so, but it wasn't easily, as 
 Dick could have told you ! However, he was deter- 
 mined not to forego the training of his steed on account 
 of what he would have called a " little bit pain." 
 
 At this unexpected act the horse plunged and reared 
 a good deal, and seemed inclined to go through the per- 
 formance of the day before over again, but Dick patted 
 and stroked him into quiescence, and having done so, 
 urged him into a gallop over the plains, causing the 
 dog to gambol round in order that he might get accus- 
 tomed to him. This tried his nerves a good deal, and 
 no wonder, for if he took Crusoe for a wolf, which no 
 
WILD HORSE TAMING. 223 
 
 doubt he did, he must have thought him a very giant of 
 the pack. 
 
 By degrees they broke into a furious gallop, and after 
 breathing him well, Dick returned and tied him to the 
 tree. Then he rubbed him down again, and gave him 
 another drink. This time the horse smelt his new mas- 
 ter all over, and Dick felt that he had conquered him 
 by kindness. No doubt the tremendous run of the day 
 before could scarcely be called kindness, but without 
 this subduing run he never could have brought the 
 offices of kindness to bear on so wild a steed. 
 
 During all these operations Crusoe sat looking on 
 with demure sagacity drinking in wisdom and taking 
 notes. We know not whether any notes made by the 
 canine race have ever been given to the world, but 
 certain are we that, if the notes and observations made 
 by Crusoe on that journey were published, they would 
 to say the least surprise us ! 
 
 Next day Dick gave the wild horse his second 
 lesson, and his name. He called him " Charlie," after 
 a much loved companion in the Mustang Valley. 
 And long and heartily did Dick Varley laugh as he 
 told the horse his future designation in the presence of 
 Crusoe, for it struck him as somewhat ludicrous that a 
 mustang, which, two days ago, pawed the earth in all the 
 pride of independent freedom, should suddenly come 
 down so low as to carry a hunter 311 his back and be 
 named Charlie 1 
 
224 WILD HORSE TAMING. 
 
 The next piece of instruction began by Crusoe being 
 led up under Charlie s nose, and while Dick patted the 
 dog with his right hand he patted the horse with his 
 left. It backed a good deal at first and snorted, but 
 Crusoe walked slowly and quietly in front of him 
 several times, each time coming nearer, until he again 
 stood under his nose, then the horse smelt him ner- 
 vously, and gave a sigh of relief when he found that 
 Crusoe paid no attention to him whatever. Dick then 
 ordered the dog to lie down at Charlie's feet, and went 
 to the camp to fetch his rifle, and buffalo robe, and 
 pack of meat. These and all the other things belong- 
 ing to him were presented for inspection, one by one, to 
 the horse, who arched his neck, and put forward his 
 ears, and eyed them at first, but smelt them all over, 
 and seemed to feel more easy in his mind. 
 
 Next, the buffalo robe was rubbed over his nose, 
 then over his eyes and head, then down his neck and 
 shoulder, and lastly was placed on his back. Then it 
 was taken off and flung on ; after that it was strapped 
 on, and the various little items of the camp were at- 
 tached to it. This done, Dick took up his rifle and let 
 him smell it ; then he put his hand on Charlie's shoul- 
 der, vaulted on to his back, and rode away. 
 
 Charlie's education was completed; and now our 
 hero's journey began again in earnest, and with some 
 prospect of its speedy termination. 
 
DICK RESUMES HIS JOURNEY. 225 
 
 In this course of training through which Dick put 
 his wild horse, he had been at much greater pains and 
 had taken far longer time than is usually the case among 
 the Indians, who will catch, and " break," and ride a 
 wild horse into camp in less than three hours. But 
 Dick wanted to do the thing well, which the Indians 
 are not careful to do ; besides, it must be borne in re- 
 membrance that this was his first attempt, and that his 
 horse was one of the best and most high-spirited, while 
 those caught by the Indians, as we have said, are gene- 
 rally the poorest of a drove. 
 
 Dick now followed the trail of his lost companions 
 at a rapid pace, yet not so rapidly as he might have 
 done, being averse to exhausting his good dog and 
 his new companion. Each night he encamped under the 
 shade of a tree or a bush when he could find one, or in 
 the open prairie when there were none, and, picketing 
 his horse to a short stake or pin which he carried with 
 him for the purpose, lit his fire, had supper, arid 
 lay down to rest. In a few days Charlie became 
 so tame and so accustomed to his master's voice that 
 he seemed quite reconciled to his new life. There can 
 be no doubt whatever that he had a great dislike to 
 solitude, for on one occasion, when Dick and Crusoe 
 went off a mile or so from the camp where Charlie was 
 tied, and disappeared from his view, he was heard to 
 neigh so loudly that Dick ran back, thinking the wolves 
 
226 CHARLIE'S DOINGS. 
 
 must have attacked him. He was all right, however, 
 and exhibited evident tokens of satisfaction when they 
 returned. 
 
 On another occasion his fear of being left alone was 
 more clearly demonstrated. 
 
 Dick had been unable to find wood or water that 
 day, so he was obliged to encamp upon the open plain. 
 The want of water was not seriously felt, however, for 
 he had prepared a bladder in which he always carried 
 enough to give him one pannikin of hot syrup, and 
 leave a mouthful for Crusoe and Charlie. Dried buffalo 
 dung formed a substitute for fuel. Spreading his 
 buffalo robe, he lit his fire, put on his pannikin to boil, 
 and stuck up a piece of meat to roast, to the great de- 
 light of Crusoe who sat looking on with much interest. 
 
 Suddenly Charlie, who was picketed a few hundred 
 yards off in a grassy spot, broke his halter close by the 
 head-piece, and with a snort of delight bounded away, 
 prancing and kicking up his heels ! 
 
 Dick heaved a deep sigh, for he felt sure that his 
 horse was gone. However, in a short time Charlie 
 stopped, and raised his nose high in the air, as if to look 
 for his old equine companions. But they were gone ; no 
 answering neigh replied to his; and he felt, probably 
 for the first time, that he was really alone in the world. 
 Having no power of smell, whereby he might have 
 traced them out as a dog would have done, he looked 
 
CHARLIE'S DOINGS. 227 
 
 in a bewildered and excited state all round the horizon. 
 Then his eye fell on Dick and Crusoe sitting by their 
 little fire. Charlie looked hard at them, and then again 
 at the horizon ; and then, coming to the conclusion, no 
 doubt, that the matter was quite beyond his comprehen- 
 sion, he quietly took to feeding. 
 
 Dick availed himself of the chance, and tried to catch 
 him; but he spent an hour with Crusoe in the vain 
 attempt, and at last they gave it up in disgust and re- 
 turned to the fire, where they finished their supper and 
 went to bed. 
 
 Next morning they saw Charlie feeding close at hand ; 
 so they took breakfast, and tried to catch him again. 
 But it was of no use ; he was evidently coquetting with 
 them, and dodged about and defied their utmost efforts, 
 for there was only a few inches of line hanging to his 
 head. At last it occurred to Dick that he would try 
 the experiment of forsaking him. So he packed up his 
 things, rolled up the buffalo robe, threw it and the rule 
 on his shoulder, and walked deliberately away. 
 
 " Come along, Crusoe ! " he cried, after walking a few 
 paces. 
 
 But Crusoe stood by the fire with his head up, and 
 an expression on his face that said, " Hollo, man ! what's 
 wrong ? You've forgot Charlie ! Hold on ! Are you 
 mad?" 
 
 " Come here, Crusoe ! " cried his master in a decided 
 tone. 
 
228 CHARLIE'S DOINGS. 
 
 Crusoe obeyed at once. Whatever mistake there 
 might be, there was evidently none in that command ; 
 so he lowered his head and tail humbly, and trotted on 
 with his master ; but he perpetually turned his head as 
 he went, first on this side and then on that, to look and 
 wonder at Charlie. 
 
 When they were far away on the plain, Charlie sud- 
 denly became aware that something was wrong. He 
 trotted to the brow of a slope with his head and tail 
 very high up indeed, and looked after them ; then he 
 looked at the fire and neighed ; then he trotted quickly 
 up to it, and seeing that every thing was gone, he began 
 to neigh violently, and at last started off at full speed, 
 and overtook his friends, passing within a few feet of 
 them, and wheeling round a few yards off, stood trem- 
 bling like an aspen leaf. 
 
 Dick called him by his name and advanced, while 
 Charlie met him half-way, and allowed himself to be 
 saddled, bridled, and mounted forthwith. 
 
 After this Dick had no further trouble with his wild 
 horse. 
 
 At his next camping- place, which was in the midst of 
 a cluster of bushes close beside a creek, Dick came un- 
 expectedly upon a little wooden cross, which marked 
 the head of a grave. There was no inscription on it, 
 but the Christian symbol told that it was the grave of a 
 white man. It is impossible to describe the rush of min- 
 
THE SOLITARY GRAVE. 229 
 
 gled feelings that filled the soul of the young hunter aa 
 he leaned on the muzzle of his rifle and looked at this 
 solitary resting-place of one who, doubtless like himself, 
 had been a roving hunter. Had he been young or old 
 when he fell ? had he a mother in the distant settle- 
 ment, who watched, and longed, and waited for the son 
 that was never more to gladden her eyes ? had he 
 been murdered, or had he died there and been buried 
 by his sorrowing comrades? These and a thousand 
 questions passed rapidly through his mind as he gazed 
 at the little cross. 
 
 Suddenly he started. " Could it be the grave of Joe 
 or Henri ? " For an instant the idea sent a chill to his 
 heart ; but it passed quickly, for a second glance showed 
 that the grave was old, and that the wooden cross had 
 stood over it for years. 
 
 Dick turned away with a saddened heart ; and that 
 night, as he pored over the pages of his Bible, his mind 
 was filled with many thoughts about eternity and the 
 world to come. He, too, must come to the grave one 
 day, and quit the beautiful prairies and his loved rifle. 
 It was a sad thought; but while he meditated he 
 thought upon his mother " After all," he murmured, 
 " there must be happiness without the rifle, and youth, 
 and health, and the prairie ! My mother's happy, yet 
 she don't shoot, or ride like wild-fire over the plains." 
 Then that word which had been sent so sweetly to him 
 
230 A MISFORTUNE. 
 
 through her hand came again to his mind, " My son, 
 give me thine heart ; " and as he read God's book, he 
 met with the word, " Delight thyself in the Lord, and 
 he shall give thee the desire of thine heart." " The 
 desire of thine heart" Dick repeated this, and pon- 
 dered it till he fell asleep. 
 
 A misfortune soon after this befell Dick Varley, which 
 wellnigh caused him to give way to despair. For some 
 time past he had been approaching the eastern slopes 
 of the Rocky Mountains those ragged, jagged, mighty 
 hills, which run through the whole continent from north 
 to south in a continuous chain, and form, as it were, 
 the back-bone of America. One morning, as he threw 
 the buffalo robe off his shoulders and sat up, he was 
 horrified to find the whole earth covered with a mantle 
 of snow. We say he was horrified, for this rendered it 
 absolutely impossible any further to trace his compan- 
 ions either by scent or sight. 
 
 For some timo he sat musing bitterly on his sad 
 fate, while his dog came and laid his head sympathiz- 
 ingly on his arm. 
 
 "Ah! pup," he said, "I know ye'd help me if yo 
 could ! But it's all up now ; there's no chance of findin' 
 them none." 
 
 To this Crusoe replied by a low whine. He knew 
 full well that something distressed his master, but he 
 hadn't yet ascertained what it was. As something 
 
CRUSOE AT FAULT. 231 
 
 had to be done, Dick put the buffalo robe on his steed, 
 and, mounting, said, as he was in the habit of doing each 
 morning, " Lead on, pup." 
 
 Crusoe put his nose to the ground and ran forward a 
 few paces, then he returned and ran about snuffing and 
 scraping up the snow. At last he looked up, and uttered 
 a long melancholy howl. 
 
 "Ah! I knowed it," said Dick, pushing forward 
 " Come on, pup, you'll have to follow now. Any way 
 we must go on." 
 
 The snow that had fallen was not deep enough to 
 offer the slightest obstruction to their advance. It was, 
 indeed, only one of those occasional showers common to 
 that part of the country in the late autumn, which 
 season had now crept upon Dick almost before he was 
 aware of it, and he fully expected that it would melt 
 away in a few days. In this hope he kept steadily 
 advancing, until he found himself in the midst of those 
 rocky fastnesses which divide the waters that flow into 
 the Atlantic from those that flow into the Pacific Ocean. 
 Still the slight crust of snow lay on the ground, and he 
 had no means of knowing whether he was going in the 
 right direction or not. 
 
 Game was abundant, and there was no lack of wood 
 now, so that his night bivouac was not so cold or dreary 
 as might have been expected. 
 
 Travelling, however, had become difficult, and even 
 
232 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 
 
 dangerous, owing to the rugged nature of the ground 
 over which he proceeded. The scenery had completely 
 changed in its character. Dick no longer coursed over 
 the free, open plains, but he passed through beautiful 
 valleys filled with luxuriant trees, and hemmed in by 
 stupendous mountains, whose rugged sides rose upward 
 until the snow-clad peaks pierced the clouds. 
 
 There was something awful in these dark solitudes, 
 quite overwhelming to a youth of Dick's temperament ; 
 his heart began to sink lower and lower every day, and 
 the utter impossibility of making up his mind what to 
 do became at length agonizing. To have turned and 
 gone back the hundreds of miles over which he had 
 travelled would have caused him some anxiety under any 
 circumstances, but to do so while Joe and Henri were 
 either wandering about there or in the power of the 
 savages, was, he felt, out of the question. Yet, in which 
 way should he go? Whatever course he took might 
 lead him further and further away from them. 
 
 In this dilemma he came to the determination of 
 remaining where he was, at least until the snow should 
 leave the ground. 
 
 He felt great relief even when this hopeless course 
 was decided upon, and set about making himself an 
 encampment with some degree of cheerfulness. When 
 he had completed this task, he took his rifle, and 
 leaving Charlie picketed in the centre of a dell, where 
 
A GRIZZLY BEAR. 233 
 
 the l^ng, rich grass rose high above the snow, went off 
 to hunt. 
 
 On turning a rocky point his heart suddenly bounded 
 into his throat, for there, not thirty yards distant, stood 
 a huge grizzly bear ! 
 
 Yes, there he was at last, the monster to meet which 
 the young hunter had so often longed, the terrible 
 size and fierceness of which he had heard so often spo- 
 ken about by the old hunters. There it stood at last ; 
 but little did Dick Varley think that the first time he 
 should meet with his foe should be when alone in the 
 dark recesses of the Rocky Mountains, and with none to 
 succor him in the event of the battle going against him. 
 Yes ! there was one. The faithful Crusoe stood by his 
 side, with his hair bristling, all his formidable teeth 
 exposed, and his eyes glaring in their sockets. Alas ! 
 for poor Crusoe, had he gone into that combat alone. 
 One stroke of that monster's paw would have 
 him dead upon the ground. 
 
 20* 
 
234 THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Dick's First Fight with a Grizzly. Adventure with a Deer. A 
 Surprise. 
 
 THERE is no animal in all the land so terrible and 
 dangerous as the grizzly bear. Not only is he the 
 largest of the species in America, but he is the fiercest, 
 the strongest, and the most tenacious of life, facts 
 which are so well understood that few of the western 
 hunters like to meet him single-handed, unless they 
 happen to be first-rate shots; and the Indians deem 
 the encounter so dangerous, that to wear a collar com- 
 posed of the claws of a grizzly bear of his own killing, 
 is counted one of the highest honors to which a young 
 warrior can attain. 
 
 The grizzly bear resembles the brown bear of Europe, 
 but it is larger, and the hair is long, the points being 
 of a paler shade. About the head there is a consider- 
 able mixture of gray hair, giving it the " grizzly " appear- 
 ance, from which it derives its name. The claws are 
 dirty white, arched, and very long, and so strong that 
 when the animal strikes with its paw they cut like a 
 chisel. These claws are not embedded in the paw, as 
 
THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 235 
 
 is the case with the cat, but always project fai beyond 
 the hair, thus giving to the foot a very ungainly appear- 
 ance; they are not sufficiently curved to enable the 
 grizzly bear to climb trees, lik. the black and brown 
 bears, and this inability on their part is often the only 
 hope of the pursued hunter, who, if he succeeds in 
 ascending a tree, is safe, for the time at least, from the 
 bear's assaults ; but " Caleb " is a patient creature, and 
 will often wait at the foot of the tree for many hours for 
 his victim. 
 
 The average length of his body is about nine feet, 
 but he sometimes attains to a still larger growth. 
 Caleb is more carnivorous in his habits than other 
 bears ; but, like them, he does not object to indulge 
 occasionally in vegetable diet, being partial to the bird- 
 cherry, the choke-berry, and various shrubs. He has 
 a sweet tooth, too, and revels in honey when he can 
 get it. 
 
 The instant the grizzly bear beheld Dick Varley 
 standing in his path, he rose on his hind legs, and 
 made a loud hissing noise, like a man breathing quick, 
 but much harsher. To this Crusoe replied by a deep 
 growl, and showing the utmost extent of his teeth, 
 gums and all ; and Dick cocked both barrels of his rifle. 
 
 To say that Dick Varley felt no fear would be simply 
 to make him out that sort of hero which does not exist 
 in nature, namely a perfect hero. He did feel a sensa- 
 
236 ADVENTURE WITH A BEAR. 
 
 tion as if his bowels had suddenly melted into water I 
 Let not our reader think the worse of Dick for this. 
 There is not a man living who, having met with a huge 
 grizzly bear for the first time in his ] ife, in a wild, soli- 
 tary place, all alone, has not experienced some such sen- 
 sation. There was no cowardice in this feeling. Fear 
 is not cowardice. Acting in a wrong and contemptible 
 manner because of our fear, is cowardice. 
 
 It is said that Wellington or Napoleon, we forget 
 which, once stood watching the muster of the men who 
 were to form the forlorn hope in storming a citadel. 
 There were many brave, strong, stalwart men there, in 
 the prime of life, and flushed with the blood of high 
 health and courage. There were also there a few stern- 
 browed men of riper years, who stood perfectly silent, 
 with lips compressed, and as pale as death. " Yonder 
 veterans," said the general, pointing to these soldiers, 
 " are men whose courage I can depend on ; they know 
 what they are going to, the others don't / " Yes, these 
 young soldiers very probably were brave ; the others 
 certainly were. 
 
 Dick Varley stood for a few seconds as if thunder- 
 struck, while the bear stood hissing at him. Then the 
 liquefaction of his interior ceased, and he felt a glow of 
 fire gush through his veins. Now, Dick knew well 
 enough that to fly from a grizzly bear was the sure and 
 certain way of being torn to pieces, as when taken thus 
 
ADVENTURE WITH A BEAK. 237 
 
 by surprise, they almost invariably follow a retreating 
 enemy. He also knew that if he stood where he was, 
 perfectly still, the bear would get uncomfortable under 
 his stare, and would retreat from him. But he neither 
 intended to run away himself, nor to allow the bear to 
 do so ; he intended to kill it, so he raised his rifle 
 quickly, " drew a bead," as the hunters express it, on 
 the bear's heart, and fired. 
 
 It immediately dropped on its four legs and rushed at 
 him. 
 
 " Back, Crusoe, out of the way, pup," shouted Dick, 
 as his favorite was about to spring forward. 
 
 The dog retired, and Dick leaped behind a tree. As 
 the bear passed he gave it the contents of the second 
 barrel behind the shoulder, which brought it down ; but 
 in another moment it rose and again rushed at him. 
 Dick had no time to load, neither had he time to spring 
 up the thick tree beside which he stood, and the rocky 
 nature of the ground out of which it grew rendered it 
 impossible to dodge round it. His only resource was 
 flight ; but where was he to fly to ? If he ran along 
 the open track, the bear would overtake him in a few 
 seconds ; on the right was a sheer precipice, a hundred 
 feet high ; on the left was an impenetrable thicket. In 
 despair he thought for an instant of clubbing his rifle 
 and meeting the monster in close conflict ; but the utter 
 hopelessness of such an effort was too apparent to be 
 
238 ADVENTURE WITH A BEAR. 
 
 entertained for a moment. He glanced up at the over- 
 hanging cliffs. There were one or two rents and pro- 
 jections close above him. In the twinkling of an eye 
 he sprang up and grasped a ledge of about an inch 
 broad, ten or twelve feet up, to which he clung while 
 he glanced upward. Another projection was within 
 reach, he gained it, and in a few seconds he stood 
 upon a ledge about twenty feet up the cliff, where he 
 had just room to plant his feet firmly. 
 
 Without waiting to look behind he seized his powder- 
 horn and loaded one barrel of his rifle ; and well was it 
 for him that his early training had fitted him to do this 
 with rapidity, for the bear dashed up the precipice after 
 him at once. The first time it missed its hold, and fell 
 back with a savage growl, but, on the second attempt, it 
 sunk its long claws into the fissures between the rocks, 
 and ascended steadily till within a foot of the place 
 where Dick stood. 
 
 At this moment Crusoe's obedience gave way before 
 a sense of Dick's danger. Uttering one of his lion-like 
 roars, he rushed up the precipice with such violence 
 that, although naturally unable to climb, he reached and 
 ueized the bear's flank, despite his master's stern order 
 to " keep back," and in a moment the two rolled down 
 the face of the rock together, just as Dick completed 
 loading. 
 
 Knowing that one stroke of the bear's paw would be 
 
ADVENTURE WITH A BEAK. 239 
 
 certain death to his poor dog, Dick leaped from his 
 perch, and, with one bound reached the ground at the 
 same moment with the struggling animals, and close 
 beside them, and, before they had ceased rolling, he 
 placed the muzzle of his rifle into the bear's ear, and 
 blew out its brains. 
 
 Crusoe, strange to say, escaped with only one scratch 
 on the side. It was a deep one, but not dangerous, and 
 gave him but little pain at the time, although it caused 
 him many a smart for some weeks after. 
 
 Thus happily ended Dick's first encounter with a 
 grizzly bear ; and although, in the course of his wild 
 life, he shot many specimens of " Caleb," he used to say 
 that " he an' pup were never so near goin' under as on 
 the day he dropped that bar ! " 
 
 Having refreshed himself with a long draught from a 
 neighboring rivulet, and washed Crusoe's wound, Dick 
 skinned the bear on the spot. 
 
 " We chawed him up that time, didn't we, pup ? " said 
 Dick, with a smile of satisfaction, as he surveyed his 
 prize. 
 
 Crusoe looked up and assented to this. 
 
 " Gave us a hard tussle, though ; very nigh sent us 
 both under, didn't he, pup ! " 
 
 Crusoe agreed entirely, and, as if the remark reminded 
 him of honorable scars, he licked his wound. 
 
240 A COLLAR WON. 
 
 " Ah, pup ! " cried Dick, sympathetically, " does't hurt 
 ye, eh, poor dog ? " 
 
 Hurt him! such a question! No, he should think 
 not ; better ask if that leap from the precipice hurt your- 
 self. 
 
 So Crusoe might have said, but he didn't ; he took 
 no notice of the remark whatever. 
 
 " We'll cut him up now, pup," continued Dick. " The 
 skin'll make a splendid bed for you an' me o' nights, and 
 a saddle for Charlie." 
 
 Dick cut out all the claws of the bear by the roots, and 
 spent the remainder of that night in cleaning them and 
 stringing them on a strip of leather to form a necklace. 
 Independently of the value of these enormous claws 
 (the largest as long as a man's middle finger) as an evi- 
 dence of prowess, they formed a remarkably graceful 
 collar, which Dick wore round his neck evtr after with 
 as much pride as if he had been a Pawnee warrior. 
 
 When it was finished he held it out at arm's length, 
 and said, " Crusoe, my pup, ain't ye proud of it ? I'll 
 tell ye what it is, pup, the next time you an' I floor 
 Caleb, I'll put the claws round your neck, an' make ye 
 wear em ever arter, so I will." 
 
 The dog did not seem quite to appreciate this piece 
 of prospective good fortune. Vanity had no place in his 
 bonest breast, and, sooth to say, it had not a large place 
 
A DEER HUNT. 241 
 
 in that of his master either, as wo may well grant when 
 we consider that this first display of it was on the occa- 
 sion of his hunter's soul having at last realized its 
 brightest day-dream. 
 
 Dick'? dangers and triumphs seemed to accumulate 
 on him rather thickly at this place, for on the very next 
 day he had a narrow escape of being killed by a deer. 
 The way of it was this. 
 
 Having run short of meat, and not being particularly 
 fond of grizzly bear steak, he shouldered his rifle and 
 sallied forth in quest of game, accompanied by Crusoe, 
 whose frequent glances towards his wounded side 
 showed that, whatever may have been the case the day 
 before, it " hurt " him now. 
 
 They had not gone far when they came on the track 
 of a deer in the snow, and followed it up till they spied 
 a magnificent buck about three hundred yards off, 
 standing in a level patch of ground which was every- 
 where surrounded either by rocks or thicket. It was a 
 long shot ; but as the nature of the ground rendered it 
 impossible for Dick to get nearer without being seen, 
 he fired, and wounded the buck so badly that he came 
 up with it in a few minutes. The snow had drifted in 
 the place where it stood bolt upright, ready for a spring, 
 so Dick went round a little way, Crusoe following, till 
 he was in a proper position to fire again. Just as he 
 pulled the trigger, Crusoe gave a howl behind him, and 
 21 
 
242 FIGHT WITH A DEER. 
 
 disturbed his aim, so he feared he had missed; bul 
 the deer fell, and he hurried towards it. On coming 
 up, however, the buck sprang to its legs, rushed at him 
 with its hair bristling, knocked him down in the snow, 
 and deliberately commenced stamping him to death. 
 
 Dick was stunned for a moment, and lay quite still, 
 so the deer left off pommelling him, and stood looking 
 at him. But the instant he moved it plunged at him 
 again and gave him another pounding, until he was con- 
 tent to lie still. This was done several times, and Dick 
 felt his strength going fast. He was surprised that Cru- 
 soe did not come to his rescue, and once he cleared his 
 mouth and whistled to him; but as the deer gave 
 him another pounding for this, he didn't attempt it 
 again. He now for the first time bethought him of his 
 knife, and quietly drew it from his belt ; but the deer 
 observed the motion, and was on him again in a moment. 
 Dick, however, sprang up on his left elbow, and, making 
 several desperate thrusts upward, succeeded in stabbing 
 the animal to the heart. 
 
 Rising and shaking the snow from his garments, he 
 whistled loudly to Crusoe, and, on listening, heard him 
 whining piteously. He hurried to the place whence 
 tfie sound came, and found that the poor dog had fallen 
 >nto a deep pit or crevice in the rocks, which had been 
 concealed from view by a crust -of snow, and he was 
 now making frantic but unavailing efforts to leap out. 
 
CRUSOE'S MISHAP. 243 
 
 Dick soon freed him from his prison by means of his 
 belt, which he let down for the dog to grasp, and then 
 returned to camp with as much deer-meat as he could 
 carry. Dear meat it certainly was to him, for it had I 
 nearly cost him his life, and left him all black and blue 
 for weeks after. Happily no bones were broken, so the 
 incident only confined him a day to his encampment. 
 
 Soon after this the snow fell thicker than ever, and 
 it became evident that an unusually early winter was 
 about to set in among the mountains. This was a ter- 
 rible calamity, for, if the regular snow of winter set in, it 
 would be impossible for him either to advance or retreat. 
 
 While he was sitting on his bear-skin by the camp- 
 fire one day, thinking anxiously what he should do, and 
 feeling that he must either make the attempt to escape, 
 or perish miserably in that secluded spot, a strange, un- 
 wonted sound struck upon his ear, and caused both him 
 and Crusoe to spring violently to their feet and listen. 
 Could he be dreaming? it seemed like the sound of 
 human voices. For a moment he stood with his eyes 
 riveted on the ground, his lips apart, and his nostrils 
 distended, as he listened with the utmost intensity. 
 Then he darted out and bounded round the edge of a 
 rock which concealed an extensive but narrow valley 
 from his view, aqd there, to his amazement, he beheld 
 a band of about a hundred human beings advancirg on 
 horseback slowly through the snow ! 
 
244 STRANGEIIS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 A Surprise and a Piece of Good News. The Fur Traders. Crusoe 
 proved, and the Peigans pursued. 
 
 DICK'S first and most natural impulse, on beholding 
 this band, was to mount his horse and fly, for his mind 
 naturally enough recurred to the former rough treatment 
 he had experienced at the hands of Indians. On second 
 thoughts, however, he considered it wiser to throw him- 
 self upon the hospitality of the strangers ; " for," thought 
 he, " they can but kill me, an' if I remain here I'm like 
 to die at any rate." 
 
 So Dick mounted his wild horse, grasped his rifle in 
 his right hand, and, followed by Crusoe, galloped full 
 tilt down the valley to meet them. 
 
 He had heard enough of the customs of savage tribes, 
 and had also of late experienced enough, to convince 
 him that when a man found himself in the midst of an 
 overwhelming force, his best policy was to assume an 
 air of confident courage. He therefore approached them 
 at his utmost speed. 
 
 The effect upon the advancing band was electrical 
 and little wonder, for the young hunter's appearance 
 
DICK'S CHARGE. 245 
 
 was very striking. His horse, from having rested a 
 good deal of late, was full of spirit; its neck was 
 arched, its nostrils expanded, and its mane and tail, 
 never having been checked in their growth, flew wildly 
 around him in voluminous curls. Dick's own hair, not 
 having been clipped for many months, appeared scarcely 
 Jess wild as they thundered down the rocky pass at 
 what appeared a break-neck gallop. Add to this the 
 grandeur of the scene out of which they sprang, and the 
 gigantic dog that bounded by his side, and you will not 
 be surprised to hear that the Indian warriors clustered 
 together, and prepared to receive this bold horseman as 
 if he, in his own proper person, were a complete squad- 
 ron of cavalry. It is probable, also, that they fully ex- 
 pected the tribe of which Dick was the chief to be at 
 his heels. 
 
 As he drew near the excitement among the strangers 
 seemed very great, and, from the peculiarity of the 
 various cries that reached him, he knew that there were 
 women and children in the band a fact which, in such 
 a place and at such a season, was so unnatural, that it 
 surprised him very much. He noted also that, though 
 the men in front were Indians, their dresses were those 
 of trappers and hunters, and he almost leaped out of his 
 saddle when he observed that " Pale-faces " were among 
 them. But he had barely time to note these facts when 
 he was up with the band. According to Indian custom, 
 21* 
 
246 THE FUR TRADERS. 
 
 he did not check his speed till he was within four 01 
 five yards of the advance guard, who stood in a line be- 
 fore him, quite still, and with their rifles lying loosely 
 in their left palms ; then he reined his steed almost on 
 its haunches. 
 
 One of the Indians advanced and spoke a few words 
 in a language which was quite unintelligible to Dick, 
 who replied in the little Pawnee he could muster, that 
 he didn't understand him. 
 
 " Why, you must be a trapper ! " exclaimed a thick- 
 set, middle-aged man, riding out from the group. " Can 
 you speak English ? " 
 
 " Ay, that can I," cried Dick, joyfully, riding up and 
 shaking the stranger heartily by the hand ; " an' right 
 glad am I to fall in wi' a white-skin an' a civil tongue 
 in his head." 
 
 " Good sooth, sir," replied the stranger, with a quiet 
 smile on his kind, weather-beaten face, " I can return 
 you the compliment, for when I saw you come thun- 
 dering down the corrie with that wonderful horse and 
 no less wonderful dog of yours, I thought you were the 
 wild man o* the mountain himself, and had an ambush 
 ready to back you. But, young man, do you mean to 
 say that you live here in the mountain all alone after 
 this fashion ? " 
 
 " No, that I don't. I've corned here in my travels ; 
 but, truly, this bean't rny home. But, sir (for I see you 
 
THE FUR TRADERS. 247 
 
 are what the fur-traders call a bourgeois), how comes it 
 that such a band as this rides i' the mountains ? D'ye 
 mean to say that they live here ? " Dick looked round 
 in surprise, as he spoke, upon the crowd of mounted men 
 and women, with children and pack-horses, that now 
 surrounded him. 
 
 " 'Tis a fair question, lad. I am a principal among 
 the fur-traders whose chief trading-post lies near the 
 Pacific Ocean, on the west side of these mountains, and 
 I have come with these trappers and their families, a? 
 you see, to hunt the beaver and other animals for a 
 season in the mountains. We've never been here be- 
 fore ; but that's a matter of little moment, for it's not 
 the first time I've been on what may be called a dis- 
 covery-trading expedition. We are somewhat entangled, 
 however, just now, among these wild passes, and, if you 
 can guide us out of our difficulties to the east side of 
 the mountains, I'll thank you heartily and pay you 
 well. But first tell me who and what you are, if it's a 
 fair question." 
 
 " My name is Dick Varley, and my home's in the 
 Mustang Valley, near the Missouri River. As to what 
 I am I'm nothin' yet, but I hope to desarve the name 
 o' a hunter some day. I can guide you to the east side 
 o' the mountains, for I've corned from there; but more 
 than that I can't do, for I'm a stranger to the country 
 
248 NEWS OF JOE kND HENRI. 
 
 here, like yourself. But you're on the east side o* the 
 mountains already, if I mistake not ; only these moun- 
 tains are so rugged and jumbled up, that it's not easy 
 tellin' where ye are. And what," continued Dick, 
 "may be the name o' the bourgeois who speaks to 
 me?" 
 
 " My name is Cameron Walter Cameron a well- 
 known name among the Scottish hills, although it 
 sounds a little strange here. And now, young man, 
 will you join my party as guide, and afterwards remain 
 as trapper ? It will pay you better, I think, than roving 
 about alone." 
 
 Dick shook his head, and looked grave. " I'll guide 
 you," said he, " as far as my knowledge 11 help me ; 
 but after that I must return to look for two comrades 
 whom I have lost. They have been driven into the 
 mountains by a band of Injuns. God grant they may 
 not have bin scalped." 
 
 The trader's face looked troubled, and he spoke with 
 one of his Indians for a few minutes in earnest, hurried 
 tones. 
 
 " What were they like, young man ? " 
 
 Dick described them. 
 
 "The same," continued the trader; "they've been 
 seen, lad, not more than two days ago, by this Indian 
 here, when he was out hunting alone some miles away 
 
THE FUR TRADERS. 249 
 
 from our camp. He came suddenly oi\ a band of In- 
 dians, who had two prisoners with them, such as you 
 describe. They were stout, said you ? " 
 
 " Yes, both of them," cried Dick, listening with in- 
 tense eagerness. 
 
 " Ay. They were tied to their horses, an* from what 
 I know of these fellows I'm sure they're doomed. But 
 I'll help you, my friend, as well as I can. They can't 
 be far from this. I treated my Indian's story about 
 them as a mere fabrication, for he's the most notorious 
 liar in my company ; but he seems to have spoken truth 
 for once." 
 
 " Thanks, thanks, good sir," cried Dick. " Had we 
 not best turn back and follow them at once ! " 
 
 "Nay, friend, not quite so fast," replied Cameron, 
 pointing to his people. " These must be provided for 
 first, but I shall be ready before the sun goes down. 
 And now, as I presume you don't bivouac in the snow, 
 will you kindly conduct us to your encampment, if it be 
 not far hence ? " 
 
 Although burning with impatience to fly to the rescue 
 of his friends, Dick felt constrained to comply with so 
 reasonable a request, so he led the way to his camping- 
 place, where the band of fur-traders immediately began 
 to pitch their tents, cut down wood, kindle fires, fiR their 
 kettles with water, cook their food, and, in fact, make 
 themselves comfortable. The wild spot which, a 
 
250 THE FUR TRADERS. 
 
 before, had been so still, and grand, and gloomy, waa 
 now, as if by magic, transformed into a bustling village, 
 with bright fires blazing among the rocks and bushes, 
 and merry voices of men, women, and children ringing 
 in the air. It seemed almost incredible, and no wonder 
 Dick, in his bewilderment, had difficulty in believing it 
 was not all a dream. 
 
 In days long gone by, the fur-trade in that country 
 was carried on in a very different way from the manner 
 in which it is now conducted. These wild regions, in- 
 deed, are still as lonesome and untenanted (save by 
 wild beasts and wandering tribes of Indians), as they 
 were then; but the Indians of the present day have 
 become accustomed to the " pale-faced " trader, whose 
 little wooden forts or trading-posts are dotted here and 
 there, at wide intervals, all over the land. But in the 
 days of which we write it was not so. The fur-traders 
 at that time went forth in armed bands into the heart 
 of the Indians' country, and he who went forth did so 
 " with his life in his hand." As in the case of the soldier 
 who went out to battle, there was great probability that 
 he might never return., 
 
 The band of which Walter Cameron was the chief 
 had, many months before, started from one of the dis- 
 tant posts of Oregon on a hunting expedition into the 
 then totally unknown lands of the Snake Indians. It 
 consisted of about sixty men, thirty women, and as uiairy 
 
THE FUR TRADERS. 251 
 
 children of various ages, about a hundred and twenty 
 souls in all. Many of the boys were capable of using 
 the gun and setting a beaver trap. The men were a 
 most motley set. There were Canadians, half-breeds, 
 Iroquois, and Scotchmen. Most of the women had 
 Indian blood in their veins, and a few were pure In- 
 dians. 
 
 The equipment of this strange band consisted of up- 
 wards of two hundred beaver-traps which are similar 
 to our rat-traps, with this difference, that they have two 
 springs and no teeth seventy guns, a few articles for 
 trade with the Indians, and a large supply of powder 
 and ball ; the whole men, women, children, goods, and 
 chattels being carried on the backs of nearly four 
 hundred horses. Many of these horses at starting, 
 were not laden, being designed for the transport of furs 
 that were to be taken in the course of the season. 
 
 For food this adventurous party depended entirely 
 on their guns, and during the march hunters were kept 
 constantly out ahead. As a matter of course, their 
 living was precarious. Sometimes their kettles' were 
 overflowing ; at others they scarce refrained from eat- 
 ing their horses. But, during the months they had 
 already spent in the wilderness, good living had been 
 the rule, starvation the exception. They had already 
 collected a large quantity of beaver skins, which at that 
 
252 THE FUR TRADERS. 
 
 time were among the most valuable in the market, 
 although they are now scarcely salable ! 
 
 Having shot two wild horses, seven elks, six small 
 deer, and four big-horned sheep, the day before they 
 met Dick Varley, the camp kettles were full, and the 
 people consequently happy. 
 
 " Now, Master Dick Varley," said Cameron, touch- 
 ing the young hunter on the shoulder as he stood 
 ready equipped by one of the camp fires ; " I'm at your 
 service. The people won't need any more looking after 
 to-night. I'll divide my men thirty shall go after 
 this rascally band of Peigans, for such I believe they 
 are, and thirty shall remain to guard the camp. Are 
 you ready ? " 
 
 " Ready ! ay, this hour past." 
 
 " Mount then, lad ; the men have already been told 
 off and are mustering down yonder where the deer gave 
 you such a licking." 
 
 Dick needed no second bidding. He vaulted on 
 Charlie's back and along with their commander joined 
 the men, who were thirty as fine, hardy, reckless look- 
 ing fellows as one could desire for a forlorn hope. They 
 were chatting and laughing while they examined their 
 guns and saddle girths. Their horses were sorry look- 
 ing animals compared with the magnificent creature 
 that Dick bestrode, but they were hardy, nevertheless, 
 and well fitted for their peculiar work. 
 
DICK SURPRISES THE TRADERS. 253 
 
 "My! wot a blazer," exclaimed a trapper as Dick 
 rode up. 
 
 " Where you git him ? " inquired a half-breed. 
 
 " I caught him," answered Dick. 
 
 " Baw ! " cried the first speaker. 
 
 Dick took no notice of this last remark. 
 
 " No, did ye though ? " he asked again. 
 
 " I did," answered Dick, quietly ; " I creased him in 
 the prairie you can see the mark on his neck if you 
 look." 
 
 The men began to feel that the young hunter was 
 perhaps a little beyond them at their own trade, and re- 
 garded him with increased respect. 
 
 " Look sharp now, lads," said Cameron, impatiently, 
 to several dilatory members of the band. " Night will 
 be on us ere long." 
 
 " Who sold ye the bear-claw collar? " inquired another 
 man of Dick. 
 
 " I didn't buy it. I killed the bear and made it." 
 
 " Did ye, though, all be yer lone ? " 
 
 u Ay, that wasn't much, was it ? " 
 
 " You've begun well, yonker, said a tall middle-aged 
 hunter, whose general appearance was not unlike that 
 of Joe Blunt. " Jest keep clear o' the Injuns an' the 
 grog bottle an' ye've a glor'ous life before ye." 
 
 At this point the conversation was interrupted by the 
 order being given to move on, which was obeyed in 
 22 
 
254 CRUSOE PROVED. 
 
 silence, and the cavalcade, descending the valley, entered 
 one of the gorges in the mountains. 
 
 For the first half mile Cameron rode a little ahead of 
 his men, then he turned to speak to one of them and for 
 the first time observed Crusoe trotting close beside his 
 master's horse. 
 
 " Ah ! Master Dick," he exclaimed, with a troubled 
 expression, " that won't do. It would never do to take 
 a dog on an expedition like this." 
 
 " Why not ? " asked Dick, " the pup's quiet and peace- 
 able." 
 
 " I doubt it not, but he will betray our presence to 
 the Indians, which might be inconvenient." 
 
 " I've travelled more than a thousand miles through 
 prairie and forest, among game an' among Injuns, an' 
 the pup never betrayed me yet," said Dick, with sup- 
 pressed vehemence ; " he has saved my life more than 
 once though." 
 
 " You seem to have perfect confidence in your dog, 
 but as this is a serious matter you must rot expect me 
 to share in it without proof of his tr/ot-woithinesss." 
 
 " The pup may be useful to us ; bow would you have 
 it proved ? " inquired Dick. 
 
 " Any way you like." 
 
 " You forgot your belt at starting, I think }( 
 ye say." 
 
 " Yes, I did ; " replied the trader, smiling. 
 
SRUSOE PROVED. 255 
 
 Dick immediately took hold of Cameron's coat, and 
 bade Crusoe smell it, which the dog did very carefully. 
 Then he showed him his own belt and said : " Go back 
 to the camp and fetch it, pup." 
 
 Crusoe was off in a moment, and in less than twenty 
 minutes returned with Cameron's belt in his mouth. 
 
 "Well, I'll trust him," said Cameron, patting Cru- 
 soe's head. " Forward, lads ! " and away they went at 
 a brisk trot along the bottom of a beautiful valley, on 
 each side of which the mountains towered in dark 
 masses. Soon the moon rose and afforded light suffi- 
 cient to enable them to travel all night in the track of 
 the Indian hunter who said he had seen the Peigans, 
 and who was constituted guide to the party. Hour 
 after hour the horsemen pressed on without check, now 
 galloping over a level plain, now bounding by the banks 
 of a rivulet, or bending their heads to escape the boughs 
 of overhanging trees, and anon toiling slowly up among 
 the rocks of some narrow defile. At last the moon set, 
 and the order was given to halt in a little plain where 
 there was wood and water. 
 
 The horses were picketed, a fire kindled, a mouth- 
 ful of dried meat hastily eaten, the watch was set, and 
 then each man scraped away the snow, spread some 
 branches on the ground, and, wrapping himself in his 
 blanket, went to sleep with his feet presented towards 
 the fire. 
 
256 THE PURSUIT. 
 
 Two hours were allowed for rest; then they were 
 awakened and in a few minutes were off again by the 
 gray light of dawn. In this way they travelled two 
 nights and a day. At the end of that time they came 
 suddenly on a small party of nine Indians who were 
 seated on the ground with their snow-shoes and blan- 
 kets by their side. They had evidently been taken by 
 surprise, but they made no attempt to escape, knowing 
 that it was useless. Each sat still with his bow and 
 arrows between his legs on the ground ready for instant 
 use. 
 
 As soon as Cameron spoke, however, in their own 
 language, they felt relieved and began to talk. 
 
 " Where o you come from, and what are you doing 
 here ? " asked the trader. 
 
 " We have come to trade with the white men," one 
 of them replied, " and to hunt. We have come from 
 the Missouri. Our country is far away." 
 
 " Do Pcigans hunt with war-arrows ? " asked Came- 
 ron, pointing to their weapons. 
 
 This question seemed to perplex them, for they saw 
 that their interrogator knew the difference between a 
 war and a hunting arrow the former being barbed in 
 order to render its extraction from the wound difficult, 
 while the head of the latter is round and can be drawn 
 out of game that has been killed, and used again. 
 
 " And do Peigans," continued Cameron, " come from 
 
INDIAN DECEPTION. 257 
 
 a far country to trade with the white men with noth- 
 ing?" 
 
 Again the Indians were silent, for they had not an 
 article of trade about them. 
 
 Cameron now felt convinced that this party of 
 Peigans, into whose hands Joe Blunt and Henri had 
 fallen, were nothing else than a war-party, and that the 
 men now before him were a scouting party sent out 
 from them, probably to spy out his own camp, on the 
 trail of which they had fallen, so he said to them : 
 
 " The Peigans are not wise men, they tell lies to the 
 traders. I will tell you that you are a war-party, and 
 that you are only a few warriors sent out to spy the 
 traders' camp. You have also two pale-face prisoners 
 m your camp. You cannot deceive me. It is useless 
 to try. Now, conduct me to your camp. My object is 
 not war ; it is peace. I will speak with your chiefs 
 about trading with the white men, and we will smoke 
 the pipe of peace. Are my words good ? " 
 
 Despite their proverbial control of muscle, these 
 Indians could not conceal their astonishment at hearing 
 so much of their affairs thus laid bare, so they said 
 that the Pale-face chief was wise, that he must be a 
 great medicine-man, and that what he said was all true 
 except about the white men. They had never seen any 
 Pale-face?, and knew nothing whatever about those he 
 spoke of. 
 
 22* 
 
258 INDIAN DECEPTION. 
 
 This was a terrible piece of news to poor Dick, and 
 at first his heart fairly sank within him, but by degrees 
 he came to be more hopeful. He concluded that if 
 these men told lies in regard to one thing they would 
 do it in regard to another, and perhaps they might have 
 some strong reason for denying any knowledge of Joe 
 and Henri. 
 
 The Indians now packed up the buffalo robes on 
 which they had slept, and the mouthful of provisions 
 they had taken with them. 
 
 " I don't believe a word of what they say about your 
 friends," said Cameron to Dick in a low tone while the 
 Indians were thus engaged. " Depend upon it they 
 hope to hide them till they can send to the settlements 
 and get a ransom, or till they get an opportunity of 
 torturing them to death before their women and children 
 when they get back to their own village. But we'll 
 baulk them, my friend, do not fear." 
 
 The Indians were soon ready to start, for they were 
 lumbered with marvellously little camp equipage. In 
 less than half an hour after their discovery they were 
 running like deer ahead of the cavalcade in the direction 
 of the Peigan camp. 
 
THE PKIGAN CAMP. 259 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Adven turos with the Peigans. Crusoe does good Service as s Dia- 
 coverer. The Savages outwitted. The Rescue. 
 
 A RUN of twenty miles brought the travellers to a 
 rugged defile in the mountains, from which they had a 
 view of a beautiful valley of considerable extent. Dur- 
 ing the last two days a steady thaw had been rapidly 
 melting away the snow, so that it appeared only here 
 and there in the landscape in dazzling patches. At the 
 distance of about half a mile from where they halted 
 to breathe the horses before commencing the descent 
 into this vale, several thin wreaths of smoke were seen 
 rising above the trees. 
 
 " Is that your camp ? " inquired Cameron, riding up 
 to the Indian runners who stood in a group in front, 
 looking as fresh after their twenty miles' run as though 
 they had only had a short walk. 
 
 To this they answered in the affirmative, adding thai 
 there were about two hundred Peigans there. 
 
 It might have been thought that thirty men would 
 have hesitated to venture to attack so large a number 
 as two hundred ; but it had always been found in the 
 
260 THE PE1GAN CAMP. 
 
 experience of Indian life, that a few resolute white men 
 well armed were more than a match for ten times their 
 number of Indians. And this arose not so much from 
 the superior strength or agility of the whites over their 
 red foes, as from that bull-dog courage and utter reck- 
 lessness of their lives in combat, qualities which the 
 crafty savage can neither imitate nor understand. The 
 information was received with perfect indifference by 
 most of the trappers, and with contemptuous laughter 
 by some, for a large number of Cameron's men were 
 wild, evil-disposed fellows, who would have as gladly 
 taken the life of an Indian as a buffalo. 
 
 Just as the word was given to resume the march, Dick 
 Varley rode up to Cameron, and said in a somewhat 
 anxious tone, 
 
 " D'ye obsarve, sir, that one o' the Red-skins has gone 
 off ahead o' his comrades." 
 
 " I see that, Master Dick, and it was a mistake of 
 mine not to have stopped him, but he was gone too far 
 before I observed it, and I thought it better to appear 
 unconcerned. We must push on, though, and give him 
 as short time as possible to talk with his comrades in the 
 camp." 
 
 The trappers pressed forward accordingly at a gallop, 
 and were soon in front of the clump of trees amongst 
 which the Peigans were encamped. Their approach 
 had evidently spread great alarm among them, for there 
 
THE PETGAN CAMP. 4t)l 
 
 was a good deal of bustle and running to a*id fro, but 
 by tho time the trappers had dismounted and advanced 
 in a body on foot, the savages had resumed their usual 
 quiet dignity of appearance, and were seated calmly 
 round their fires with their bows and arrows beside 
 them. There were no tents, no women or children, and 
 the general aspect of the men showed Cameron conclu- 
 sively that his surmise about their being a war party 
 was correct. 
 
 A council was immediately called; the trappers 
 ranged themselves on one side of the council fire and 
 the Indians on the other. Meanwhile, our friend Crusoe 
 had been displaying considerable irritability against the 
 Indians, and he would certainly have attacked the whole 
 two hundred single-handed if he had not been ordered 
 by his master to lie still, but never in his life before had 
 Crusoe obeyed with such a bad grace. He bristled and 
 whined in a low tremulous tone, and looked imploringly 
 at Dick as if for permission to fly at them. 
 
 " The Pale-faced traders are glad to meet with tho 
 Peigans," began Cameron, who determined to make no 
 allusion to his knowledge that they were a war-party, 
 " for they wish to be friends with all the children of 
 the woods and prairies. They wish to trade with them ; 
 to exchange blankets, and guns, and beads, and other 
 goods which the Peigans require, for furs of animals 
 which the Pale- faces require." 
 
262 THE PALAVER. 
 
 " Ho ho ! " exclaimed the Indians ; which expression 
 might be translated, " Hear, hear." 
 
 " But/' continued Cameron, " we wish to have no war. 
 We wish to see the hatchet buried, and to see all the 
 red men and the white men smoking the pipe of peace, 
 and hunting like brothers." 
 
 The " Ho ho ing " at this was very emphatic. 
 
 " Now," resumed the trader, " the Peigans have got 
 two prisoners two Pale-faces in their camp, and, as 
 we cannot be on good terms while our brothers are de- 
 tained, we have come to ask for them, and to present 
 some gifts to the Peigans." 
 
 To this there was no " Ho " at all, but a prolonged 
 silence, which was at length interrupted by a tall chief 
 stepping forward to address the trappers. 
 
 " What the Pale-face chief has said is good," began 
 the Indian. " His words are wise, and his heart is not 
 double. The red men are willing to smoke the pipe of 
 peace, and to hunt with all men as brothers, but they 
 cannot do it while many of their scalps are hanging in 
 the lodges of their enemies and fringing the robes of the 
 warriors. The Peigans must have vengeance ; then 
 they will make peace." 
 
 After a short pause he continued, 
 
 " The chief is wrong when he says there are Pale- 
 faces in the Peigan camp. The Peigans are not at war 
 with the Pale-faces ; neither have they seen any on their 
 
COMING TO THE POINT. 263 
 
 march. The camp is open. Let the Pale-faces look 
 round and see that what we say is true." 
 
 The chief waved his hand towards his warriors as he 
 concluded, as if to say, " Search amongst them. There 
 are no Pale-faces there." 
 
 Cameron now spoke to Dick in a low tone. " They 
 speak confidently," he said, " and I fear greatly that 
 your poor comrades have either been killed or conveyed 
 away from the camp and hidden among the mountains, 
 in which case, even though they should not be far off, 
 it would be next to impossible to find them, especially 
 when such a band o' rascals is near, compelling us to 
 keep together. But I'll try what a little tempting them 
 with goods will do. At any rate we shan't give in with- 
 out a scuffle." 
 
 It now, for the first time, flashed across Dick Varley 
 that there was something more than he imagined in 
 Crusoe's restless anxiety, which had not in the least 
 abated, and the idea of making use of him now occurred 
 to his mind. 
 
 " I've a notion that I'll settle this matter in a shorter 
 time than you think," he said hurriedly, " if you'll agree 
 to try what threatening will do." 
 
 The trader looked grave and undecided. u I never 
 resort to that except as a last hope," he answered, " but 
 I've a good deal of confidence in your prudence, what 
 would you advise ? " 
 
264 COMING TO THE POINT. 
 
 Dick and the trader whispered a few minutes to- 
 gether, while some of the men, in order to show the 
 Indians how perfectly unconcerned they were, and how 
 ready for any tiring, took out their pipes and began to 
 smoke. Both parties were seated on the ground, and 
 during this interval the Indians also held eager discus- 
 sion. 
 
 At length Cameron stood up, and said to his men in 
 a quiet tone, " Be ready, lads, for instant action ; when 
 I give the word ( Up,' spring to your feet and cock your 
 guns, but don't fire a shot till you get the word. He 
 then stepped forward and said, 
 
 " The Peigan warriors are double-tongued ; they 
 know that they have hid the Pale-face prisoners. We 
 do not wish to quarrel, but if they are not delivered 
 up at once, the Pale-faces and the Peigans will not be 
 friends." 
 
 Upon this the Indian chief again stood forward and 
 said, "The Peigans are not double-tongued. They 
 have not seen Pale-faces till to-day. They can say no 
 more." 
 
 Without moving hand or foot, Cameron then said in 
 a firm tone, " The first Peigan that moves shall die ! 
 Up, lads, and ready ! " 
 
 In the twinkling of an eye the trappers sprang to 
 their feet, and cocking their rifles stood perfectly motion- 
 less, scowling at tin savages, who were completely taken 
 
CAMERON'S ENERGY. 265 
 
 by surprise at the unusual suddenness and inforn ality 
 of such a declaration of war. Not a man moved, for, 
 unlike white men, they seldom risk their lives in open 
 fight ; and as they looked at the formidable row of muz- 
 zles that waited but a word to send instant death into 
 their midst, they felt that discretion was at that time 
 the better part of valor. 
 
 " Now," said Cameron, while Dick Varley and Crusoe 
 stepped up beside him, " my young warrior will search 
 for the Pale-face prisoners. If they are found, we will 
 take them and go away. If they are not found, we 
 will ask the Peigans to forgive us, and will give them 
 gifts. But in the mean time, if a Peigan moves from 
 the spot where he sits, or lifts a bow, my young men 
 shall fire, and the Peigans know that the rifle of the 
 Pale-face always kills." 
 
 Without waiting for an answer, Dick immediately 
 said, " Seek 'em out, pup," and Crusoe bounded away. 
 
 For a few moments he sprang hither and thither 
 through the camp, quite regardless of the Indians, and 
 snuffed the air several times, whining in an excited tone, 
 as if to relieve his feelings. Then he put his nose to 
 the ground and ran straight forward into the woods. 
 Dick immediately bounded after him like a deer, while 
 the trappers kept silent guard over the savages. 
 
 For some time Crusoe ran straight forward. Then 
 he came to a spot where there was a good deal of drifted 
 23 
 
2GG CRUSOE RENDERS GOOD SERVICE. 
 
 snow on the ground. Here he seemed to lose ilie trail 
 for a little, and ran about in all directions, whining in a 
 most piteous tone. 
 
 " Seek 'em out, pup," repeated Dick encouragingly, 
 while his own breast heaved with excitement and ex- 
 pectation. 
 
 In a few seconds the dog resumed its onward course, 
 and led the way into a wild, dark spot, which was so 
 overshadowed by trees and precipitous cliffs that the light 
 of the sun scarce found entrance. There were many 
 huge masses of rock scattered over the ground, which 
 had fallen from the cliffs. Behind one of these lay a 
 mound of dried leaves, towards which Crusoe darted 
 and commenced scraping violently. 
 
 Trembling with dread that he should find this to be 
 the grave of his murdered companions, Dick rushed 
 forward and hastily cleared away the leaves. The first 
 handful thrown off revealed part of the figure of a man. 
 Dick's heart beat audibly as he cleared the leaves from 
 the face, and he uttered a suppressed cry on beholding 
 the well-known features of Joe Blunt ! But they were 
 not those of a dead man. Joe's eyes met his with a 
 scowl of anger, which instantly gave place to one of in- 
 tense surprise. 
 
 " Joe Blunt ! " exclaimed Dick in a voice of intense 
 amazement, while Crusoe snuffed round the heap of 
 leaves, and whined with excitement But Joe did not 
 
THE RESCUE. 267 
 
 \ 
 
 move, neither did he speak a word in reply for the 
 very good reasons that his mouth was tightly bound 
 with a band of leather, his hands and feet were tied, 
 and his whole body was secured in a rigid, immovable 
 position by being bound to a pole of about his own 
 Length. 
 
 In a moment Dick's knife was out, bands and cords 
 were severed, and Joe Blunt was free. 
 
 " Thank God," exclaimed Joe with a deep, earnest 
 sigh, the instant his lips were loosened, " and thanks to 
 you, lad," he added, endeavoring to rise, but his limbs 
 had become so benumbed in consequence of the cords 
 by which they had been compressed that for some time 
 he could not move. 
 
 " I'll rub ye, Joe I'll soon rub ye into a right state," 
 said Dick, going down on his knees. 
 
 " No, no, lad, look sharp and dig up Henri. He's 
 just beside me here." 
 
 Dick immediately rose, and, pushing aside the heap 
 of leaves, found Henri securely bound in the same 
 fashion. But he could scarce refrain from laughing at 
 the expression of that worthy's face. Hearing the voices 
 of Joe and Dick Varley in conversation, though unable 
 to see their persons, he was filled with such unbounded 
 amazement that his eyes, when uncovered, were found 
 to be at their largest possible stretch, and as for the 
 
2G8 THE RESCUE. 
 
 eye-brows, they were gone, utterly lost among the roots 
 of his voluminous hair. 
 
 u Henri, friend, I knew I should find ye," said Dick, 
 cutting the thongs that bound him. " Get up if ye can, 
 we haven't much time to lose, an' mayhap we'll have to 
 fight afore we're done wi* the Red-skins. Can ye rise ? " 
 
 Henri could do nothing but lie on his back and gasp, 
 " Eh ! possible ! mon fre*re ! Oh, non, non, not possible, 
 Oui ! my bruder Deek ! " 
 
 Here he attempted to rise, but, being unable, fell 
 back again, and the whole thing came so suddenly, and 
 made so deep an impression on his impulsive mind, 
 that he incontinently burst into tears ; then he burst into 
 a long laugh. Suddenly he paused, and scrambling up 
 to a sitting posture, looked earnestly into Dick's face 
 through his tearful eyes. 
 
 " Oh, non, non ! " he exclaimed, stretching himself 
 out at full length again, and closing his eyes ; " it are 
 too goot to be true. I am dream. I vill wait till I am 
 wake." 
 
 Dick roused him out of this resolute sleep, however, 
 somewhat roughly. Meanwhile Joe had rubbed and 
 kicked himself into a state of animation, exclaiming that 
 he felt as if he wos walkin' on a thousand needles and 
 pins, and in a few minutes they were ready to accom- 
 pany their overjoyed delf verer back to the Peigan camp. 
 
THE RESCUE. 269 
 
 Crusoe testified his delight in various elephantine gam- 
 bols round the persons of his old friends, who were not 
 slow to acknowledge his services. 
 
 " They haven't treated us overly well," remarked Joe 
 Blunt, as they strode through the underwood. 
 
 "Non, de rascale, vraiment, de am villains. Oui! 
 How de have talk, too, 'bout oh-o-oo-ooo-wah ! 
 roastin' us alive, an' puttin' our scalp in de vigvam for 
 de poopoose to play wid ! " 
 
 "Well, niver mind, Henri, we'll be quits wi' them 
 now," said Joe, as they came in sight of the two bands, 
 who remained in precisely the same position in which 
 they had been left, except that one or two of the more 
 reckless of the trappers had lit their pipes and taken to 
 smoking, without, however, laying down their rifles or 
 taking their eyes off the savages. 
 
 A loud cheer greeted the arrival of the prisoners, and 
 looks of considerable discomfort began to be evinced by 
 the Indians. 
 
 " Glad to see you, friends," said Cameron, as they 
 came up. 
 
 " Ve is 'appy ov de same," replied Henri, swaggering 
 up in the joviality of his heart, and seizing the trader's 
 hand in his own enormous fist. " Shall ve go to work 
 an' slay dem all at vonce, or von at a time ? " 
 
 " We'll consider that afterwards, my lad. Meantime 
 go you to the rear, and get a weapon of some sort." 
 23* 
 
270 THE RESCUE. 
 
 " Oui. Ah ! c'est charmant," he cried, going with an 
 immense flounder into the midst of the amused trappers, 
 and slapping those next to him on the back. " Give me 
 veapon, do, mes ami gun, pistol, any ting cannon, 
 if you have von." 
 
 Meanwhile Cameron and Joe spoke together for a few 
 moments. 
 
 " You had goods with you, and horses, I believe, when 
 you were captured," said the former. 
 
 " Ay, that we had. Yonder stand the horses under 
 the pine-tree, along wi' the rest o' the Red-skin troop, 
 an* a hard time they've had o't, as their bones may tell 
 without speakin'. As for the goods," he continued, 
 glancing round the camp, " I don't know where ah ! 
 yes, there they be in the old pack. I see all safe." 
 
 Cameron now addressed the Indians. 
 
 " The Peigans," he said, " have not done well. Their 
 hearts have not been true to the Pale-faces. Even now 
 I could take your scalps where you sit ; but white men 
 do not like war, they do not like revenge. The Peigans 
 may go free." 
 
 Considering the fewness of their numbers, this was 
 bold language to use towards the Indians; but the 
 boldest is generally the best policy on such occasions. 
 Moreover, Cameron felt that, being armed with rifles, 
 while the Indians had only bows and arrows, the trap- 
 pers had a great advantage over them. 
 
JOE RETURNS GOOD FOR EVIL. 271 
 
 The Indian who had spoken before now rose and said 
 he was sorry there should be any cause of difference 
 between them, and added he was sorry for a great many 
 more things besides, but he did not say he was sorry 
 for having told a lie. 
 
 " But, before you go, you must deliver up the horses 
 and goods belonging to these men," said Cameron, point- 
 ing to Joe and Henri. 
 
 This was agreed to. The horses were led out, the 
 two little packs containing Joe's goods were strapped 
 upon them, and then the trappers turned to depart. The 
 Indians did not move until they had mounted ; then they 
 rose and advanced in a body to the edge of the wood, to 
 see the Pale-faces go away. Meanwhile Joe spoke a 
 few words to Cameron, and the men were ordered to 
 halt, while the former dismounted and led his horse 
 towards the band of savages. 
 
 " Peigans," he said, "you know the object for which 
 I came into this country was to make peace between 
 you and the Pale-faces. I have often told you so when 
 you would not listen, and when you told me that I had 
 a double heart, and told lies. You were wrong when 
 you said this ; but I do not wonder, for you live among 
 nations who do not fear God, and who think it right to 
 lie. I. now repeat to you what I said before. It 
 would be good for the Red-men if they would make 
 peace with the Pale-faces, and if they would make 
 
272 AMICABLE PARTING. 
 
 peace with each other. I will now convince you that 
 I am in earnest, and have all along been speaking the 
 truth." 
 
 Hereupon Joe Blunt opened his bundle of goods, and 
 presented fully one half of the gaudy and brilliant con- 
 tents to the astonished Indians, who seemed quite taken 
 aback by such generous treatment. The result of this 
 was that the two parties separated with mutual expres- 
 sions of esteem and good- will. The Indians then returned 
 to the forest, and the white men galloped back to their 
 camp among the hills. 
 
NEW PLANS. 273 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 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 Cam- 
 eron'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 
 favorable 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 Moun- 
 
274 NEW PLANS, 
 
 tains, 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 inclina- 
 tion of his own rollicking, blundering, floundering, crash- 
 ing disposition, and because he would have joined any 
 thing 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 speci- 
 men 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. 
 
 " Ton could not hit that," said a trapper to Henri, 
 who was rather fond of jeering him about his short- 
 sightedness. 
 
 " 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 I " 
 
 " Oh, non ! dat am eempossoble." 
 
BIG-HORNED SHEEP. 275 
 
 It was true, nevertheless, for his ball had been ar- 
 rested 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 con- 
 siderably 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 pro- 
 portion 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 pro- 
 ceeding to the eastward, as he found the country not 
 so full of beaver at that particular spot as he had antici- 
 pated. He therefore turned towards the west, penetrated 
 
276 THE FUR TKADE. 
 
 into the interior of the mountains, and took a consider- 
 able 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 hap-hazard, encamp- 
 ing 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 coun- 
 try, through which our friends were travelling, thou- 
 sands of them were to be had from the Indians for trin- 
 kets 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 estima- 
 
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 277 
 
 tion 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 con- 
 stant toil, trouble, anxiety, and, alas ! too frequently cost 
 him his life ! The state of trade is considerably modi- 
 fied in these regions at the present day. It was 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 wander- 
 ing about in a country so beautiful and a season so de- 
 lightful, 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 slop- 
 ing 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 enrich- 
 ing the land. There were also many lakes of all sizes, 
 and these swarmed with fish, while in some of them wero 
 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 
 
278 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 
 
 meat could he boiled in them. Salt existed in al\ 
 directions in abundance, and of good quality. A sul- 
 phurous 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 a short space, 
 and then disappeared as if by magic into the earth from 
 which they rose. Natural bridges spanned the tor- 
 rents in many places, and some of these were so cor- 
 rectly 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 ob- 
 served 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. 
 
BIRDS, BEASTS, AND FISHES. 279 
 
 Among other fish splendid salmon were found in the 
 lakes and rivers ; and animal life swarmed on hill and 
 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 forests as if 
 they had been armed with the woodman's axe ; otters 
 sported in the eddies ; racoons sat in the tree-tops ; the 
 martin, 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 di- 
 shevelled 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,- hav- 
 
280 SAVAGES. 
 
 ing 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 every day 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 ques- 
 tion 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 spe- 
 
TRAPPING. 281 
 
 cies 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 eve 17 
 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 mad- 
 dened 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 fab- 
 ric, 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 
 
 24* 
 
282 DICK, CRUSOE, AND CHARLEY. 
 
 the earth as suddenly as it had risen. Even in this 
 etrange 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 fol- 
 lows : 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 thi& 
 imposing cavalcade. There was no strict regimental 
 order kept, but the people soon came to adopt the ar- 
 rangements 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 sel- 
 dom 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 
 
TRAPPING BEAVER. 283 
 
 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 breast- 
 work or slight fortification, and here Walter Cameron 
 established head-quarters. 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 dis- 
 tances they had to go ; but they never went further 
 than twenty miley, as they had to return lu camp every 
 evening. 
 
284 TRAPPING BEAVER. 
 
 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-colored down, concealed by long 
 coarse hair, which lies smooth, and is of a bright chest- 
 nut color. 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 indus- 
 triously 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 
 
HABITS OF THE BEAVER. 285 
 
 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 house- 
 breaker, 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 house-breaker, however, he cun- 
 ningly shuts the back-door fast, 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 I But, to re- 
 turn from this long digression. 
 
286 TRAPPING BEAVER. 
 
 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 \\cre caught and drowned; for, although they can 
 swim and dive admirably, they cannot live altogether 
 under water. 
 
 Tims the different parties proceeded, and in the morn- 
 ings the camp was a busy scene indeed, for then the 
 whole were engaged in skinning the animals. The bea- 
 vers thus taken were always skinned, stretched, dried, 
 folded u<p with the hair in the inside, laid by, and the 
 flesh 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 occa- 
 sionally 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 trap- 
 pers, were sent to a stream about ten miles off. Hav- 
 ing reached their destination, they all entered the water 
 to set their traps, foolishly neglecting the usual precau- 
 tion of one remaining on the bank to protect the others. 
 They had scarcely commenced operations, when three 
 
AN EXPEDITION. 287 
 
 arrows were discharged into their backs, and a pz*rty 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 ban- 
 quet 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 
 be, "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, 
 
288 EXPEDITION TO THE BLUE HILLS. 
 
 I'll warrant you'll find enough in the way of beai* 
 hunting to satisfy you ; perhaps a little Indian hunting 
 to boot, for if the Banatees 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 Cana- 
 dian 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 were 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 favorite with Dick, 
 but the latter resolved to enjoy himself and disregard 
 his sulky comrade. Being so well mounted, he not un- 
 frequently 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 
 
A STRANGE FIGHT. 289 
 
 than usual, and on coming to a pretty open plain he 
 gave the rein to Charlie, and with an " Adieu mes come' 
 rades" 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 incon- 
 venient, 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 ob- 
 served them too, and soon would 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 whiteheaded eagle! 
 These two stpod 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 advan- 
 tage 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. 
 
 25 
 
290 AN ENEMY IN AMBUSH, 
 
 Crusoe went forward at a bound, and was .net 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 Char- 
 lie, when he suddenly missed Crusoe from his side. 
 
 " Hallo, Crusoe ! here, pup, where are you ? " ha 
 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 Banatee Indian from being 
 strangled by the dog. It had evider tly 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'S PRISONER. 291 
 
 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 re- 
 verse of amiable, while Dick went towards his horse 
 for the purpose of pi'ocuring 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 favored him with such an additional display 
 of teeth, and such a low apparently distant, almost, 
 
292 DICK'S PRISONER. 
 
 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 pro- 
 ducing 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 'irn," 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'raps 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 
 
THE PRISONER LET OFF. 293 
 
 spirit of their chief ; and most of them seemed glad to 
 have a chance of venting their hatred of the poor In- 
 dians 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 hia 
 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 further 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 has- 
 tily 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, spring- 
 ing 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, 
 
 25* 
 
294 PIERRE INSOLENT. 
 
 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 encamp d that night on the edge of a 
 
THIEVES IN CAMP. 2$5 
 
 wide grassy plain, whicb offered such tempting food for 
 the horses that Pierre r2solved to forego his usual cau- 
 tious plan of picketing them close to the camp, and set 
 them loose on the plain, merely hobbling them to pre- 
 vent 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 sel- 
 dom 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 de 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 
 
296 BANATTEE ROBBERS. 
 
 their guns they sprang after them with the fury of mad- 
 men, 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 with- 
 out 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 
 sub-divided 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 disap- 
 peared in less than a minute, but no savage was to be 
 seen ! Thinking he had crept ahead he ran on a few 
 yards further, and darted about hither and thitherj 
 while his eyes 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 sa "age would have gone but a short way 
 -as it was, Dick returned, and sitting down on a mound 
 
A SAD CONDITION. 297 
 
 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 strata- 
 gem 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 addi- 
 tions. 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, arid begun to trudge slowly 
 back to the camp on foot. 
 
ZU8 WOLVES ATTACK THE HORSES. 
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 Wolves attack tht Horses, and Cameron circumvents tl e Wolves. - 
 A Bear-hunt, it which Henri shines conspicuous. Joe and the 
 " Natter-list." An Alarm. A Surprise and a Capture. 
 
 WE must now return to the camp where Walter 
 Cameron still guarded the goods, and the men pursued 
 their trapping avocations. 
 
 Here seven of the horses had been killed in one night 
 by wolves while grazing in a plain close to the camp, 
 and on the night following a horse that had strayed was 
 also torn to pieces and devoured. The prompt and dar- 
 ing manner in which this had been done convinced the 
 trader that white wolves had unfortunately scented them 
 out, and he set several traps in the hope of capturing 
 them. 
 
 White wolves are quite distinct from the ordinary 
 wolves that prowl through woods and plains in large 
 packs. They are much larger, weighing sometimes 
 as much as a hundred and thirty pounds ; but they 
 are comparatively scarce, and move about alone, or in 
 Bmall bands of three < r four. Their strength is enor- 
 mous* and they are so fierce Chat they do not hesitate. 
 
WHITE WOLVES ATTACKING HORSES. 299 
 
 upon occasions, to attack man himself. Their method 
 of killing horses is very deliberate. Two wolves gen- 
 erally undertake the cold blooded murder. They ap- 
 proach their victim with the most innocent looking and 
 frolicsome gambols, lying down and rolling about, and 
 frisking pleasantly until the horse becomes a little 
 accustomed to them. Then one approaches right in 
 front, the other in rear, still frisking playfully, until 
 they think themselves near enough, when they make a 
 simultaneous rush. The wolf which approaches in rear 
 is the true assailant ; the rush of the other is a mere 
 feint; then both fasten on the poor horse's haunches, 
 and never let go till the sinews are cut and he is rolling 
 on his side. 
 
 The horse makes comparatively little struggle in this 
 deadly assault. He seems paralyzed and soon falls to 
 rise no more. 
 
 Cameron set his traps towards evening in a circle 
 with a bait in the centre and then retired to rest. Next 
 morning he called Joe Blunt and the two went off to- 
 gether. 
 
 " It is strange that these rascally white wolves should 
 be so bold when the smaller kinds are so cowardly," 
 remarked Cameron, as they walked along. 
 
 "So 'tis," replied Joe, "but I've seed them other 
 chaps bold enough too in the prairie when they were in 
 large pack? and starvin'." 
 
30G A WHITE WOLF CAUGHT. 
 
 " I beli( ve the small wolves follow the big fellows 
 and help them to eat what they kill, though they gener- 
 ally sit round and look on at the killing." 
 
 " Hist ! " exclaimed Joe, cocking his gun, " there he 
 is, an* no mistake." 
 
 There he was, undoubtedly. A wolf of the largest 
 size with one of his feet in the trap. He was a terrible 
 looking object, for, besides his immense size and natur- 
 ally ferocious aspect, his white hair bristled on end and 
 was all covered with streaks and spots of blood from 
 his bloody jaws. In his efforts to escape he had bitten 
 the trap until he had broken his teeth and lacerated his 
 gums, so that his appearance was hideous in the ex- 
 treme. And when the two men came up he struggled 
 with all his might to fly at them. 
 
 Cameron and Joe stood looking at him in a sort of 
 wondering admiration. 
 
 "We'd better put a ball in him," suggested Joe, 
 after a time. " Mayhap the chain won't stand sich tugs 
 long." 
 
 " True, Joe ; if it breaks we might get an ugly nip 
 before we killed him." 
 
 So saying Cameron fired into the wolf's head and 
 killed it. It was found, on examination, that four wolves 
 had been in the traps, but the rest had escaped. Two 
 of them, however, had gnawed off their paws and left 
 them lying in the traps. 
 
A BEAR HUNT. 301 
 
 After this the big wolves did not trouble them again. 
 The same afternoon a bear hunt was undertaken, which 
 \vellnigh cost one of the Iroquois his life. It happened 
 thus : 
 
 While Cameron and Joe were away after the white 
 wolves, Henri came floundering into camp tossing his 
 arms like a maniac, and shouting that " seven bars wos 
 be down in de bush close bye ! " It chanced that this 
 was an idle day with most of the men, so they all leaped 
 on their horses, and taking guns and knives sallied forth 
 to give battle to the bears. 
 
 Arrived at the scene of action they found the seven 
 bears busily engaged in digging up roots, so the men sep- 
 arated in order to surround them, and then closed in. 
 The place was partly open and partly covered with thick 
 bushes into which a horseman could not penetrate. The 
 moment the bears got wind of what was going forward 
 they made off as fast as possible, and then commenced 
 a scene of firing, galloping, and yelling, that defies de- 
 scription ! Four out of the seven were shot before they 
 gained the bushes ; the other three were wounded, but 
 made good their retreat. As their places of shelter, 
 however, were like islands in the plain, Jiey had no 
 chance of escaping. 
 
 The horsemen now dismounted and dashed recklessly 
 into the bushes, where they soon discovered and killed 
 two of the bears; the third was not found for some 
 26 
 
302 NARROW ESCAPES. 
 
 time. At last an Iroquois came upon it so suddenly that 
 he had not time to point his gun before the bear sprang 
 upon him and struck him to the earth, where it held him 
 down. 
 
 Instantly the place was surrounded by eager men, 
 but the bushes were so thick and the fallen trees among 
 which the bear stood were so numerous, that they coul 
 not use their guns without running the risk of shooting 
 their companion. Most of them drew their knives 
 and seemed about to rush on the bear with these, but 
 the monster's aspect, as it glared round, was so ter- 
 rible that they held back for a moment in hesitation. 
 
 At this moment Henri, who had been at some dis- 
 tance engaged in the killing of one of the other bears, 
 came rushing forward after his own peculiar manner. 
 
 " Ah ! fat is eet hay ? de bar no go under yit ? " 
 
 Just then his eye fell on the wounded Iroquois with 
 the bear above him, and he uttered a yell so intense in 
 tone that the bear himself seemed to feel that something 
 decisive was about to be done at last. Henri did not 
 pause, but with a flying dash he sprang like a spread 
 eagle, arms and legs extended, right into the bear's 
 bosom. At the same moment he sent his long hunting- 
 knife down into its heart. But Bruin is proverbially 
 hard to kill, and although mortally wounded, he had 
 strength enough to open his jaws and close them on 
 Henri's neck. 
 
INDIAN TENACITY OF LIFE. 303 
 
 There was a cry of horror, and at the same moment 
 a volley was fired at the bear's head, for the trappers 
 felt that it was better to risk shooting their comrades than 
 see them killed before their eyes. Fortunately the bul- 
 lets took effect, and tumbled him over at once without 
 doing damage to either of the men, although several of 
 the balls just grazed Henri's temple and carried off his 
 cap. 
 
 Although uninjured by the shot, the poor Iroquois 
 had not escaped scatheless from the paw of the bear. 
 His scalp was torn almost off, and hung down over his 
 eyes, while blood streamed down his face. He was 
 conveyed by his comrades to the camp, where he lay 
 two days in a state of insensibility, at the end of which 
 time he revived and recovered daily. Afterwards when 
 the camp moved he had to be carried, but in the course 
 of two months he was as well as ever, and quite as fond 
 of bear-hunting ! 
 
 Among other trophies of this hunt there were two 
 deer, and a buffalo, which last had probably strayed 
 from the herd. Four or five Iroquois were round this 
 animal whetting their knives for the purpose of cutting 
 it up when Henri passed, so he turned aside to watch 
 them perform the operation, quite regardless of the fact 
 that his neck and face were covered with blood which 
 flowed from one or two small punctures made by the 
 bear. 
 
304 BUFFALO CUTTING-UP. 
 
 The Indians began by taking off the skin, which cer- 
 tainly did not occupy them more than five minutes. 
 Then they cut up the meat and made a pack of it, and 
 cut out the tongue, which is somewhat troublesome, as 
 that member requires to be cut out from under the jaw 
 of the animal, and not through the natural opening of 
 the rnouth. One of the fore legs was cut off at the knee 
 joint, and this was used as a hammer with which to 
 break the skull for the purpose of taking out the brains, 
 these being used in the process of dressing and soften- 
 ing the animal's skin. An axe would have been of ad- 
 vantage to break the skull, but in the hurry of rushing 
 to the attack the Indians had forgotten their axes, so 
 they adopted the common fashion of using the buffalo's 
 hoof as a hammer, the shank being the handle. The 
 whole operation of flaying, cutting up, and packing the 
 meat, did not occupy more than twenty minutes. Before 
 leaving the ground these expert butchers treated them- 
 selves to a little of the marrow and warm liver in a raw 
 state ! 
 
 Cameron and Joe walked up to the group while they 
 were indulging in this little feast. 
 
 " Well, I've often seen that eaten, but I never could 
 do it myself," remarked the former. 
 
 " No ! " cried Joe in surprise ; " now that's oncommon 
 cur'us. I've lived on raw liver an' marrow bones for 
 two or three days at a time, when we wos chased by the 
 
JOE AND THE "NATTER-LIST." 3G 
 
 Camanche Injuns and didn't dare to make a fire, an* it's 
 ra'al good it is. Won't ye try it now ? " 
 
 Cameron shook his head. 
 
 " No, thankee ; I'll not refuse when I can't help it, 
 but until then I'll remain in happy ignorance of how 
 good it is." 
 
 " Well, it is strange how some folk can't abide any 
 thing in the meat way they hant bin used to. D'ye 
 know I've actually knowd men from the cities as wouldn't 
 eat a bit o' horseflesh for love or money. Would ye be- 
 lieve it?" 
 
 " I can well believe that, Joe, for I have met with 
 such persons myself; in fact, they are rather numerous. 
 What are you chuckling at, Joe ? " 
 
 " Chucklin' ? if ye mean be that < larfin in to myself 
 it's because I'm thinkin' 0' a chap as once corned out to 
 the prairies." 
 
 " Let us walk back to the camp, Joe, and you can tell 
 me about him as we go along." 
 
 " I think," continued Joe, " he corned from Washing- 
 ton, but I never could make out right whether he wos 
 a government man or not. Anyhow, he was a pheelos- 
 opher a natter-list I think he call his-self " 
 
 " A naturalist," suggested Cameron. 
 
 " Ay, that wos more like it. Well, he wos about six 
 feet two in his moccasins, an' as thin as a ram-rod, an* 
 as Wind as a bat leastways h. had weak eyes an' wore 
 26* 
 
306 JOE AND THE "NATTER-LIST/' 
 
 green spectacles. He had on a gray shootin' eoat and 
 trousers and vest and cap, with rid whiskers an' a long 
 nose as rid at the point as the whiskers wos. 
 
 " Well, this gentleman engaged me an' another hun- 
 ter to go a trip with him into the prairies, so off we sot 
 one fine day on three hosses with our blankets at our 
 backs we wos to depend on th rifle for victuals. At 
 first I thought the Natter-list one o' the cruellest beggars 
 as iver went on two long legs, for he used to go about 
 everywhere pokin' pins through all the beetles, and 
 flies, an* creepin' things he could sot eyes on, an' stuck 
 them in a box ; but he told me he corned here a-purpose 
 to git as many o' them as he could ; so says I, * If that's 
 it, I'll fill yer box in no time.' 
 
 " * Will ye,' says he, quite pleased like. 
 
 " ' I will,' says I, an' galloped off to a place as was 
 filled wi' all sorts o' crawlin' things. So I sets to work, 
 and whenever I seed a thing crawlin' I sot my fut on it 
 and crushed it, and soon filled my breast pocket. I 
 eoched a lot o' butterflies too, an' stuffed them into my 
 shot-pouch, and went back in an hour or two an' showed 
 him the lot. He put on his green spectacles and looked 
 at them as if he'd seen a rattlesnake. 
 
 <My good man, 1 says he, 'you've crushed them all 
 to pieces ! ' 
 
 " * They'll taste as good for all that,' says I, for some- 
 how Fd take*t in me \ead that he'd heard o' the way 
 
JOE AND THE "NATTER-LIST." 307 
 
 the Injuns make soup o' the grasshoppers, an' was want- 
 in' to try his hand at a new dish ! 
 
 " He laughed when I said this, an' told me he wos 
 eollectin' them to take home to be looked at. But 
 that's not wot I wos goin' to tell ye about him," con- 
 tinued Joe ; " I wos goin' to tell ye how we made him 
 eat horse flesh. He carried a revolver, too, this natter- 
 list did, to load wi' shot as small as dust a-most, and 
 shoot little birds with. I've seed him miss birds only 
 three feet away with it. An' one day he drew it all of 
 a suddent and let fly at a big bum-bee that wos passin', 
 yellin' out that it wos the finest wot he had iver seed. 
 He missed the bee, of coorse, cause it was a flyin' shot, 
 he said, but he sent the whole charge right into Martin's 
 back Martin was my comrade's name. By good luck 
 Martin had on a thick leather coat, so the shot niver got 
 the length o' his skin. 
 
 " One day I noticed that the Natter-list had stuffed 
 small corks into the muzzles of all the six barrels of his 
 revolver. I wondered what they wos for, but he wos 
 al'ays doin' sich queer things that I soon forgot it. 
 * May be,' thought I, jist before it went out o' my mind, 
 ' may be he thinks that'll stop the pistol from goin' 
 off by accident,' for ye must know he'd let it off three 
 times the first day by accident, and wellnigh blowed 
 off his leg the last time, only the shot lodged in the 
 back o' a big toad he'd jist stuffed into his breeches 
 
308 JOE AND THE " NATTER-LIST." 
 
 pocket. Well, soon after we shot a buffalo lull, so 
 when it fell, off he jumps from his horse an* runs up to 
 it. So did I, for I wasn't sure the beast was dead, an* 
 I had jist got up when it rose an' r ashed at the Natter- 
 list. 
 
 " ' Out o' the way,' I yelled, for my rifle was empty ; 
 but he didn't move, so I rushed forward an* drew the 
 pistol out o' his belt and let fly in the bull's ribs jist 
 as it ran the poor man down. Martin came up that 
 moment and put a ball through its heart, and then we 
 went to pick up the Natter-list. He came to in a 
 little, an' the first thing he said was, * Where's my re- 
 volver ? ' When I gave it to him he looked at it, an* 
 said with a solemcholy shake o' the head, * There's a 
 whole barrel full lost ! ' It turned out that he had taken 
 to usin' the barrels for bottles to hold things in, but he 
 forgot to draw the charges, so sure enough I had fired 
 a charge o' bum-bees, an* beetles, an' small shot into 
 the buffalo ! 
 
 " But that's not what I wos goin' to tell ye yet. We 
 corned to a part o' the plains where we wos wellnigh 
 starved for want o' game, an' the Natter-list got so thin 
 that ye could a-most see through him, so 1 offered to kill 
 my horse, an' cut it up for meat ; but you niver saw 
 Rich a face he made. ' I'd rather die first/ says he, 
 than eat it;' so we didn't kill it. But that very day, 
 Martin got a shot at a wild . horse and killed it. The 
 
JOE AND THE "NATTER-LIST." 309 
 
 Natter-list was down in the bed o' a creek at the time 
 gropin' for creepers, an' he didn't see it. 
 
 " ' He'll niver eat it/ says Martin. 
 
 " ' That's true,' says I. 
 
 " ' Let's tell him it's a buffalo/ says he. 
 
 " ' That would be tellin' a lie/ says I. 
 
 u So we stood lookin' at each other, not knowin' w hat 
 to do. 
 
 " * I'll tell ye what/ cries Martin, * we'll cut it up, and 
 take the meat into camp and cook it without sayirf a 
 word.' 
 
 " ( Done/ says I, * that's it ; ' for ye must know the 
 poor creature wos no judge o' meat. He couldn't tell 
 one kind from another, an' he niver axed questions. 
 In fact he niver a-most spoke to us all the trip. Well, 
 we cut up the horse and carried the flesh and marrow- 
 bones into camp, takin' care to leave the hoofs and skin 
 behind, and sot to work and roasted steaks and marrow- 
 bones. 
 
 " When the Natter-list came back ye should ha' seen 
 the joyful face he put on when he smelt the grub, for 
 he was all but starved out, poor critter. 
 
 "'What have we got here?' cried he, rubbin* his 
 hands and sittin' down. 
 
 " * Steaks an' marrow bones/ says Martin. 
 
 " * Capital ! ' says he. i I'm so hungry/ 
 
310 JOE AND THE "NATTER-LIST." 
 
 " So he fell to work like a wolf. I niver seed a man 
 pitch into any thing like as that Natter-list did into that 
 horse-flesh. 
 
 " ' These are first-rate marrow bones,' says he, squint- 
 in' with one eye down the shin bone o' the hind leg to 
 see if it was quite empty. 
 
 " ' Yes, sir, they is,' answered Martin, as grave as a 
 judge. 
 
 " * Take another, sir,' says I. 
 
 " ' No, thankee,' says he with a sigh, for he didn't like 
 to leave off. 
 
 " Well, we lived for a week on horseflesh, an' first- 
 rate livin' it wos ; then we fell in with buffalo, an niver 
 ran short again till we got to the settlements, when 
 he paid us our money an' shook hands, sayin' we'd had 
 a nice trip an' he wished us well. Jist as we wos 
 partin' I said, says I, * D'ye know what it was we lived 
 on for a week arter we was wellnigh starved in the 
 prairies ? ' 
 
 " i What,' says he, ' when we got yon capital marrow- 
 bones?' 
 
 " ' The same/ says I ; ' yon wos horse flesh/ says I, 
 'an' I think ye'll surely niver say again that it isn't 
 first-rate livin'.' 
 
 " ' Yer jokin'/ says he, turnin' pale. 
 
 " ' It's true, sh , as true as yei standin' there.' 
 
AN ALARM. 311 
 
 " Well, would ye believe it ; he turned that Natter- 
 list did as sick as a dog on the spot wot he wos 
 Btandin' on, an' didn't taste meat again for three days ! " 
 
 Shortly after the conclusion of Joe's story they 
 reached the camp, and here they found the women and 
 children flying about in a state of terror, and the few 
 men who had been left in charge arming themselves in 
 the greatest haste. 
 
 "Hallo! something wrong here," cried Cameron, 
 hastening forward followed by Joe. " What has hap- 
 pened, eh ? " 
 
 "Injuns comin', monsieur, look dere," answered a 
 trapper, pointing down the valley. 
 
 " Arm and mount at once, and come to the front of 
 the camp," cried Cameron in a tone of voice that silenced 
 every other, and turned confusion into order. 
 
 The cause of all this outcry was a cloud of dust seen 
 far down the valley, which was raised by a band of 
 mounted Indians who approached the camp at full 
 speed. Their numbers could not be made out, but they 
 were a sufficiently formidable band to cause much 
 anxiety to Cameron, whose men, at the time, were 
 scattered to the various trapping grounds, and only ten 
 chanced to be within call of the camp. However, with 
 these ten he determined to show a bold front to the 
 savages, whether they came as friends or foes. He 
 therefore ordered the women and children within the 
 
312 A SURPRISE AND A CAPTURE. 
 
 citadel formed of tb<3 goods and packs of furs piled 
 upon each other, which point of retreat was to be de- 
 fended to the last extremity. Then galloping to the 
 front he collected his men and swept down the valley 
 *.c full speed. In a few minutes they were near enough 
 o observe that the enemy only numbered four Indians, 
 ^ho were driving a band of about a hundred horses 
 before them, and so busy were they in keeping the troop 
 together that Cameron and his men were close upon 
 them before they were observed. 
 
 It was too late to escape. Joe Blunt and Henri had 
 already swept round and cut off their retreat. In this 
 extremity the Indians slipped from the backs of their 
 steeds and darted into the bushes, where they were 
 safe from pursuit, at least on horseback, while the trap- 
 pers got behind the horses, and drove them towards the 
 camp. 
 
 At this moment one of the Lorses sprang ahead of the 
 others and made for the mountain, with its mane and 
 tail flying wildly in the breeze. 
 
 " Marrow-bones and buttons ! " shouted one of the 
 men, " there goes Dick Varley's horse." 
 
 "So it am!" cried Henri, and dashed off in pursuit, 
 followed by Joe and two others. 
 
 "Why, these are )ur own horses," said Cameron in 
 surprise, as they drove them into a corner of the hills 
 from which trey could not escape. 
 
A CAPTURE. 313 
 
 This was true, but it was only half the truth, for 
 besides their own horses, they had secured upwards of 
 seventy Indian steeds, a most acceptable addition to 
 their stud, which, owing to casualties and wolves, hud 
 been diminishing too much of late. The fact was, that 
 the Indians who had captured the horses belonging to 
 Pierre and his party were a small band of robbers who 
 had travelled, as was afterwards learned, a considerable 
 distance from the south, stealing horses from various 
 tribes as they went along. As we have seen, in an evil 
 hour they fell in with Pierre's party and carried off 
 their steeds, which they drove to a pass leading from 
 one valley to the other. Here they united them with 
 the main band of their ill-gotten gains, and while the 
 greater number of the robbers descended further into 
 the plains in search of more booty, four of them were 
 sent into the mountains with the horses already pro- 
 cured. These four, utterly ignorant of the presence of 
 white men in the valley, drove their charge, as we have 
 seen, almost into the camp. 
 
 Cameron immediately organized a party to go out in 
 search of Pierre and his companions, about whose fate 
 he became intensely anxious, and in the course of half 
 an hour as many men as he could spare with safety 
 wero despatched in the direction of the Blue Mountains. 
 27 
 
814 CHARLIE BECOMES OBSTREPEROUS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIL 
 
 Charlie's Adventures with Savages and Bears. Trapping Life. 
 
 IT is one thing to chase a horse ; it is another thin^ 
 to catch it. Little consideration and less sagacity is re- 
 quired to convince us of the truth of that fact. 
 
 The reader may perhaps venture to think this rather 
 a trifling fact. We are not so sure of that. In this 
 world of fancies, to have any fact incontestably proved 
 and established is a comfort, and whatever is a source 
 of comfort to mankind is worthy of notice. Surely our 
 reader won't deny that ! Perhaps he will, so we can 
 only console ourself with the remark that there are peo- 
 ple in this world who would deny any thing who 
 would deny that there was a nose on their face if you 
 said there was ! 
 
 Well, to return to the point, which was the chase of 
 a horse in the abstract; from which we will rapidly 
 diverge to the chase of Dick Varley's horse in particular. 
 This noble charger, having been ridden by savages until 
 all his old fire, and blood, and metal were worked up 
 to a red heat, no sooner discovered that he was pur- 
 
THE CHASE. 315 
 
 sued than he gave a snort of defiance, w hich he accom- 
 panied with a frantic shake of his mane, and a fling 
 of contempt in addition to a magnificent wave of his 
 tail ; then he thundered up the valley at a pace which 
 would speedily have left Joe Blunt and Henri out of 
 sight behind if ay ! that's the word, if! what a word 
 that if is! what a world of if's we live in! There 
 never was any thing that wouldn't have been some- 
 thing else if something hadn't intervened to prevent it! 
 Yes, we repeat, Charlie would have left his two friends 
 miles and miles behind in what is called " no time " if 
 he had not run straight into a gorge which was sur- 
 rounded by inaccessible precipices, and out of which 
 there was no exit except by the entrance, which was 
 immediately barred by Henri, while Joe advanced to 
 catch the runaway. 
 
 For two hours at least did Joe Blunt essay to catch 
 Charlie, and during that space of time he utterly failed. 
 The horse seemed to have made up his mind for what 
 is vulgarly termed u a lark." 
 
 "It won't do, Henri," said Joe, advancing towards 
 his companion, and wiping his forehead with the cuff 
 of his leathern coat. " I can't catch him. The wind's 
 a-most blowed out o' me body." 
 
 " Dat am vexatiable," replied Henri, in a tone of 
 commiseration. " S'pose 1 wos make try?" 
 
316 CHARLIE BURIED ALIVE. 
 
 " In that case I s'pose ye would fail. But go ahead 
 an' do what ye can. I'll hold yer horse." 
 
 So Henri began by a rush and a flourish of legs and 
 arms that nearly frightened the horse out of his wits. 
 For half an hour he went through all these complications 
 of running and twisting of which he was capable, with- 
 out success, whe.i Joe Blunt suddenly uttered a sten- 
 torian yell that rooted him to the spot on which he 
 stood. 
 
 To account for this, we must explain that in the 
 heights of the Rocky Mountains vast accumulations of 
 snow take place among the crevices and gorges during 
 winter. Such of these masses as form on steep slopes 
 are loosened by occasional thaws, and are precipitated 
 in the form of avalanches into the valley below, carry- 
 ing trees and stones along with them in their thunder- 
 ing descent. In the gloomy gorge where Dick's horse 
 had taken refuge, the precipices were so steep that 
 many avalanches had occurred, as was evident from the 
 mounds of heaped snow that lay at the foot of most of 
 them. Neither stones nor trees were carried down here, 
 however, for the cliffs were nearly perpendicular, and 
 the snow slipping over their edges had fallen on the 
 grass below. Such an avalanche was now about to take 
 place, and it was this that caused Joe to utter his cry 
 of alarm and warning. 
 
BKUIN A GRAVE-DIGG IR. 317 
 
 Henri and the horse were directly under the <sliff 
 over which it was about to be hurled, the latter close 
 to the wall of rock, the other at some distance away 
 from it. 
 
 Joe cried again, " Back, Henri ! back vite ! " when 
 the mass flowed over and fell with a roar like prolonged 
 thunder. Henri sprang back in time to save his life, 
 though he was knocked down and almost stunned, bui 
 poor Charlie was completely buried under the ava- 
 lanche, which now presented the appearance of a hitt 
 of snow. 
 
 The instant Henri recovered sufficiently, Joe and he 
 mounted their horses and galloped back to the camp as 
 fast as possible. 
 
 Meanwhile, another spectator stepped forward upon 
 the scene they had left, and surveyed the snow hill with 
 a critical eye. This was no less than a grizzly bear 
 which had, unobserved, been a spectator, and which im- 
 mediately proceeded to dig into the mound with the 
 purpose, no doubt, of disentombing the carcase of the 
 horse for purposes of his own. 
 
 While he was thus actively engaged, the two hunters 
 reached the camp where they found that Pierre and his 
 party had just arrived. The men sent out in search of 
 them had scarcely advanced a mile when they found 
 them trudging back to the camp in a very disconsolate 
 manner. But all tbeir sorrows were put to flight on 
 27* 
 
318 THE RESCUE. 
 
 healing of the curious way in which the horses had 
 been returned to them with interest. 
 
 Scarcely had Dick Varley, however, congratulated 
 himself on the recovery of his gallant steed, when he 
 was thrown into despair by the sudden arrival of Joe 
 with the tidings of the catastrophe we have just re- 
 lated. 
 
 Of course there was a general rush to the rescue. 
 Only a few men were ordered to remain to guard the 
 camp, while the remainder mounted their horses and 
 galloped towards the gorge where Charlie had been en- 
 tombed. On arriving, they found that Bruin had 
 worked with such laudable zeal that nothing but the 
 tip of his tail was seen sticking out of the hole which 
 he had dug. The hunters could not refrain from laugh- 
 ing as they sprang to the ground, and standing in a 
 semicircle in front of the hole, prepared to fire. But 
 Crusoe resolved to have the honor of leading the assault. 
 He seized fast hold of Bruin's flank, and caused his 
 teeth to meet therein. Caleb backed out at once and 
 turned round, but before he could recover from his sur- 
 prise a dozen bullets pierced his heart and brain. 
 
 " Now, lads," cried Cameron, setting to work with a 
 large wooden shovel, " work like niggers. If there's 
 any life left in the horse, it'll soon be smothered out 
 unless we set him free." 
 
 The men needed ^o urging, however. They worked 
 
THE RESCUE. 319 
 
 as if their lives depended on their exertions. Dick 
 Varley, in particular, labored like a young Hercules, 
 and Henri hurled masses of snow about in a most sur- 
 prising manner. Crusoe, too, entered heartily into the 
 spirit of the work, and, scraping with his forepaws, sent 
 such a continuous shower of snow behind him that he 
 was speedily lost to view in a hole of his own exca 
 vating. In the course of half an hour a cavern was 
 dug in the mound almost close up to the cliff, and the 
 men were beginning to look about for the crushed body 
 of Dick's steed, when an exclamation from Henri at- 
 tracted their attention. 
 
 " Ha ! mes ami, here am be one hole." 
 
 The truth of this could not be doubted, for the 
 eccentric trapper had thrust his shovel through the wall 
 of snow into what appeared to be a cavern beyond, and 
 immediately followed up his remark by thrusting in his 
 head and shoulders. He drew them out in a few sec- 
 onds, with a look of intense amazement. 
 
 " Voila ! Joe Blunt. Look in dere, and you shall see 
 fat you will behold." 
 
 " Why, it's the horse, I do b'lieve ! " cried Joe. " Go 
 ahead, lads." 
 
 So saying, he resumed his shovelling vigorously, and 
 in a few minutes the hole was opened up sufficiently to 
 enable a man to enter. Dick sprang in, and there stood 
 Charlie close beside the cliff, looking as sedate and ur 
 
320 THE RESCUE. 
 
 concerned as if all that had been going on had no refer- 
 ence to him whatever. 
 
 The cause of his safety was simple enough. The 
 precipice beside which he stood when the avalanche oc- 
 curred overhung its base at that point considerably, so 
 that when the snow descended, a clear space of several 
 feet wide was left all along its base. Here Charlie had 
 remained in perfect comfort until his friends dug him 
 out. 
 
 Congratulating themselves not a little on having saved 
 the charger and bagged a grizzly bear, the trappers re- 
 mounted, and returned to the camp. 
 
 For some time after this nothing worthy of particu- 
 lar note occurred. The trapping operations went on 
 prosperously and without interruption from the Indians, 
 who seemed to have left the locality altogether. Dur- 
 ing this period, Dick, and Crusoe, and Charlie had many 
 excursions together, and the silver rifle full many a time 
 sent death to the heart of bear, and elk, and buffalo, 
 while, indirectly, it sent joy to the heart of man, woman, 
 and child in camp, in the shape of juicy steaks and mar- 
 row-bones. Joe and Henri devoted themselves almost 
 exclusively to trapping beaver, in which pursuit they 
 were so successful that they speedily became wealthy 
 men, according to backwood notions of wealth. With 
 *he beaver that they caught, they purchased from Cam- 
 eron's store powder and shot enough for a long hunting 
 
TRAPPING LIFE. 321 
 
 expedition and a couple of span: horses to carry their 
 packs. They also purchased a large assortment of such 
 goods and trinkets as would prove acceptable to Indians, 
 and supplied themselves with new blankets, and a few 
 pairs of strong moccasins, of which they stood much in 
 need. 
 
 Tims they went on from day to day, until symptoms 
 of the approach of winter warned them that it was time 
 to return to the Mustang Valley. About this time an 
 event occurred which totally changed the aspect of af- 
 fairs in these remote valleys of the Rocky Mountains, 
 and precipitated the departure of our four friends, Dick, 
 Joe, Henri, and Crusoe. This was the sudden arrival 
 of a whole tribe of Indians. As their advent was some- 
 what remarkable, we shall devote to it the commence 
 ment of a new chapter. 
 
822 MYSTERIOUS SOUNDS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Savage Sports. Living Cataracts. An Alarm. Indians and their 
 Doings. The Stampedo. Charlie again. 
 
 ONE day Dick Varley was out on a solitary hunting 
 expedition near the rocky gorge, where his horse had 
 received temporary burial a week or two before. Cru- 
 soe was with him, of course. Dick had tied Charlie to 
 a tree, and was sunning himself on the edge of a cliff, 
 from the top of which he had a fine view of the valley 
 and the rugged precipices that hemmed it in. 
 
 Just in front of the spot on which he sat, the preci- 
 pices on the opposite side of the gorge rose to a consid- 
 erable height above him, so that their ragged outlines 
 were drawn sharply across the clear sky. Dick was 
 gazing in dreamy silence at the jutting rocks and dark 
 caverns, and speculating on the probable number of 
 bears that dwelt there, when a slight degree of restless- 
 ness on the part of Crusoe attracted him. 
 
 " What is't, pup ? " said he, laying his hand on the 
 dog's broad back. 
 
 Crusoe looked the answer, " I don't know, Dick, but 
 
MYSTERIOUS SOUNDS. 323 
 
 it's something, you may depend upon it, else I would 
 not have disturbed you." 
 
 Dick lifted his rifle from the ground, and laid it in 
 the hollow of his left arm. 
 
 " There must be something in the wind," remarked 
 Dick. 
 
 As wind is known to be composed of two distinct 
 gases, Crusoe felt perfectly safe in replying " Yes," with 
 his tail. Immediately after he added, " Hallo ! did you 
 hear that ? " with his ears. 
 
 Dick did hear it, and sprang hastily to his feet, as a 
 sound like, yet unlike, distant thunder came faintly down 
 upon the breeze. In a few seconds the sound increased 
 to a roar in which was mingled the wild cries of men. 
 Neither Dick nor Crusoe moved, for the sounds came 
 from behind the heights in front of them, and they felt 
 that the only way to solve the question, " What can the 
 sounds be ? " was to wait till the sounds should solve it 
 themselves. 
 
 Suddenly the muffled sounds gave place to the dis- 
 tinct bellowing of cattle, the clatter of innumerable hoofs, 
 and the yells of savage men, while at the same moment 
 the edges of the opposite cliffs oecame alive with Indians 
 and buffaloes rushing about in frantic haste the 
 former almost mad with savage excitement, the latter 
 with blind rage and terror. 
 
 On reaching the edge of the dizzy precipice, the 
 
324 SAVAGE DOINGS. 
 
 buffaloes turnel abruptly and tossed their ponderous 
 heads as they coursed along the edge. Yet a few of 
 them, unable to check their headlong course, fell over, 
 and were dashed to pieces on the rocks below. Such 
 falls, Dick observed, were hailed with shouts of delight 
 by the Indians, whose sole object evidently was, to 
 enjoy the sport of driving the terrified animals over the 
 precipice. The wily savages had chosen their ground 
 well for this purpose. 
 
 The cliff immediately opposite to Dick Varley was 
 a huge projection from the precipice that hemmed in 
 the gorge, or species of cape or promontory several 
 hundred yards wide at the base, and narrowing 
 abruptly to a point. The sides of this wedge-shaped 
 projection were quite perpendicular; indeed, in some 
 places the top overhung the base, and they were at 
 least three hundred feet high. Broken and jagged 
 rocks, of that peculiarly chaotic character which pro- 
 bably suggested the name to this part of the great 
 American chain, projected from, and were scattered all 
 round the cliffs. Over these the Indians, whose num- 
 bers increased every moment, strove to drive the luck- 
 less herd of buffaloes that had chanced to fall in their 
 way. The task was easy. The unsuspecting animals, 
 of which there were hundreds, rushed in a dense mass 
 upon the cape refeired to. On they came with irre- 
 listible impetuosity, bellowing furiously, while their 
 
A LIVING CATARACT. 325 
 
 hoofs thundered on the turf with the muffled continuous 
 roar of a distant, but mighty cataract the Indians, 
 meanwhile, urging them on by hideous yell and frantic 
 gesture. 
 
 The advance-guard came bounding madly to the edge 
 of the precipice. Here they stopped short, and gazed 
 affrighted at the gulf below. It was but for a moment. 
 The irresistible momentum of the flying mass behind 
 pushed them over. Down they came, absolutely a liv- 
 ing cataract, upon the rocks below. Some struck on the 
 projecting rocks in the descent, and their bodies were 
 dashed almost in pieces, while their blood spurted out 
 in showers. Others leaped from rock to rock with 
 awful bounds, until, losing their foothold, they fell 
 headlong, while others descended sheer down into the 
 sweltering mass that lay shattered at the base of the 
 cliffs. 
 
 Dick Varley and his dog remained rooted to the rock, 
 as they gazed at the sickening sight, as if petrified. 
 Scarce fifty of that noble herd of buffaloes escaped the 
 awful leap, but they escaped only to fall before the 
 arrows of their ruthless pursuers. Dick had often 
 heard of this tendency 01' the Indians, where buffaloes 
 were very numerous, to drive them over precipices in 
 mere wanton sport and cruelty, but he had never seer 
 it until now, and the sight filled his soul with norror. 
 It was not until the din and tumult of the perishing 
 23 
 
326 THE ALARM. 
 
 herd and the shrill yells of the Indians had almost died 
 away that he turned to quit the spot. But the instant 
 he did so another shout was raised. The savages had 
 observed him, and were seen galloping along the cliffs 
 towards the head of the gorge, with the obvious inten- 
 tion of gaining the other side and capturing him. Dick 
 sprang on Charlie's back, and the next instant was fly- 
 ing down the valley towards the camp. 
 
 He did not, however, fear being overtaken, for the 
 gorge could not be crossed, and the way round the head 
 of it was long and rugged ; but he was anxious to alarm 
 the camp as quickly as possible, so that they might have 
 time to call in the more distant trappers and make prepa- 
 rations for defence. 
 
 " Where away now, youngster," inquired Cameron, 
 emerging from his tent as Dick, taking the brook that 
 flowed in front at a flying leap, came crashing through 
 the bushes into the midst of the fur-packs at full speed. 
 
 "Injuns!" ejaculated Dick, reining up, and vaulting 
 out of the saddle. " Hundreds of 'em. Fiends incar- 
 nate every one ! " 
 
 " Are they near ? " 
 
 " Yes ; an hour '11 bring them down on us. Are Joe 
 and Henri far from camp to-day ? " 
 
 " At Ten-mile Creek," replied Cameron with an ex- 
 pression of bitterness, as he caught up his gun and 
 shouted to several men, who hurried up on seeing our 
 hero's burst into camp. 
 
THE ALARM. 327 
 
 Ten -mile Creek ! " muttered Dick. I'll bring 'em 
 in, though," he continued, glancing at several of the 
 camp horses that grazed close at hand. 
 
 In another moment he was on Charlie's back, the 
 line of one of the best horses was in his hand, and al- 
 most before Cameron knew what he was about he was 
 flying down the valley like the wind. Charlie often 
 stretched out at full speed to please his young master, 
 but seldom had he been urged forward as he was upon 
 this occasion. The led horse being light and wild kept 
 well up, and, in a marvellously short space of time, they 
 were at Ten-mile Creek. 
 
 " Hallo, Dick, wot's to do ? " inquired Joe Blunt, who 
 was up to his knees in the water, setting a trap at the 
 moment his friend galloped up. 
 
 " Injuns ! Where's Henri ? " demanded Dick. 
 
 " At the head o' the dam there." 
 
 Dick was off in a moment, and almost instantly re- 
 turned with Henri galloping beside him. 
 
 No word was spoken. In time of action these men 
 did not waste words. During Dick's momentary ab- 
 sence, Joe Blunt had caught up his rifle and examined 
 the priming, so that when Dick pulled up beside him, 
 he merely laid his hand on the saddle, saying, "All 
 right!" as he vaulted on Charlie's back behind his 
 young companion. In another moment they were away 
 at full speed. The mustang seemed to feel that unwonted 
 
328 THE GAMP. 
 
 exertions were required of him. Double weighted 
 though he was, he kept well up with the other horse, 
 and in less than two hours after Dick's leaving the camp 
 the three hunters came in sight of it. 
 
 Meanwhile Cameron had collected nearly all his 
 forces, and put his camp in a state of defence before the 
 Indians arrived, which they did suddenly, and, as usual, 
 at full gallop, to the amount of at least two hundred. 
 They did not at first seem disposed to hold friendly 
 intercourse with the trappers, but assembled in a semi- 
 circle round the camp in a menacing attitude, while one 
 of their chiefs stepped forward to hold a palaver. For 
 some time the conversation on both sides was polite 
 enough, but by degrees the Indian chief assumed an 
 imperious tone, and demanded gifts from the trappers, 
 taking care to enforce his request by hinting that thou- 
 sands ef his countrymen were not far distant. Cameron 
 stoutly refused, and the palaver threatened to come to 
 an abrupt and unpleasant termination just at the time 
 that Dick and his friends appeared on the scene of ac- 
 tion. 
 
 The brook was cleared at a bound ; the three hunters 
 leaped from their steeds and sprang to the front with a 
 degree of energy that had a visible effect on the sav- 
 ages, and Cameron, seizing the moment, proposed that 
 the two parties should smoke a pipe and hold a coun- 
 cil. The Indians agreed, and in a few minutes they 
 
ARRIVAL OF THE INDIANS. 329 
 
 were engaged in animated and friendly intercourse. 
 The speeches were long, and the compliments paid on 
 either side were inflated, and, we fear, undeserved ; but 
 the result of the interview was, that Cameron made the 
 Indians a present of tobacco and a few trinkets, and 
 sent them back to their friends to tell them that he was 
 willing to trade with them. 
 
 Next day the whole tribe arrived in the valley, and 
 pitched their deer-skin tents on the plain opposite to the 
 camp of the white men. Their numbers far exceeded 
 Cameron's expectation, and it was with some anxiety 
 that he proceeded to strengthen his fortifications as 
 much as circumstances and the nature of the ground 
 would admit. 
 
 The Indian camp, which numbered upwards of a 
 thousand souls, was arranged with great regularity, and 
 was divided into three distinct sections, each section 
 being composed of a separate tribe. The Great Snake 
 Nation at that time embraced three tribes or divisions 
 namely, the Shirry-dikas, or dog-eaters; the War- 
 are-ree-kas, or fish-eaters ; and the Banattees, or rob- 
 bers. These were the most numerous and powerful 
 Indians on the west side of the Rocky Mountains. The 
 Shirry-dikas dwelt in the plains, and hunted the buffa- 
 loes ; dressed well; were cleanly; rich in hcrses; bold, 
 independent, and good warriors. The War-are-ree-kas 
 lived chiefly by fishing, and were found on the banks 
 38* 
 
830 INDIANS OF THE WEST. 
 
 of the rivers and lakes throughout the country. They 
 were more corpulent, slovenly, and indolent than the 
 Shirry-dikas, and more peaceful. The Banattees, as 
 we have before mentioned, were the robbers of the 
 mountains. They were a wild and contemptible race, 
 and at enmity with every one. In summer they went 
 about nearly naked. In winter they clothed themselves 
 in the skins of rabbits and wolves. Being excellent 
 mimics, they could imitate the howling of wolves, the 
 neighing of horses, and the cries of birds, by which 
 means they could approach travellers, rob them, and 
 then fly to their rocky fastnesses in the mountains, where 
 pursuit was vain. 
 
 Such were the men who now assembled in front of 
 the camp of the fur-traders, and Cameron soon found 
 that the news of his presence in the country had spread 
 far and wide among the natives, bringing them to the 
 neighborhood of his camp in immense crowds, so that, 
 during the next few days, their numbers increased to 
 thousands. 
 
 Several long palavers quickly ensued between the 
 red men and the white, and the two great chiefs who 
 seemed to hold despotic rule over the assembled tribes 
 were extremely favorable to the idea of universal 
 peace which was propounded to them. In several set 
 speeches of great length and very considerable power, 
 these natural orators explained their willingness to enter 
 
COUNCILS AND ORATIONS. 331 
 
 into amicable relations with all the surrounding nations 
 as well as with the white men. 
 
 " But," said Pee-eye-em, the chief of the Shirry- 
 dikas, a man above six feet high, and of immense 
 muscular strength, " but my tribe cannot answer for 
 the Banattees, who are robbers, and cannot be punished, 
 because they dwell in scattered families among the moun- 
 tains. The Banattees are bad ; they cannot be trusted." 
 
 None of the Banattees were present at the council 
 when this was said ; and if they had been it would have 
 mattered little, for they were neither fierce nor coura- 
 geous, although bold enough in their own haunts to mur- 
 der and rob the unwary. 
 
 The second chief did not quite agree with Pee-eye- 
 em ; he said that it was impossible for them to make 
 peace with their natural enemies, the Peigans and the 
 Blackfeet on the east side of the mountains. It was 
 very desirable, he admitted, but neither of these tribes 
 would consent to it, he felt sure. 
 
 Upon this Joe Blunt rose and said, " The great chief 
 of the War-are-ree-kas is wise, and knows that enemies 
 cannot be reconciled unless deputies are sent to make 
 proposals of peace. 
 
 "The Pale-face does not know the Blackfeet," 
 answered the chief. " Who will go into the lands of the 
 Blackfeet ? My young men have been sent once and 
 again, and their scalps are now fringes to the leggings 
 
332 COUNCILS AND ORATIONS. 
 
 of their enemies. The War-are-ree-kas do not cross the 
 mountains but for the purpose of making war. 
 
 " The chief speaks truth," returned Joe, " yet there 
 are three men round the council fire who will go to the 
 Blackfeet and the Peigans with messages of peace from 
 the Snakes if they wish it." 
 
 Joe pointed to himself, Henri, and Dick as he spoke, 
 and added, " We three do not belong to the camp of the 
 fur-traders ; we only lodge with them for a time. The 
 Great Chief of the white men has sent us to make peace 
 with the red men, and to tell them that he desires to 
 trade with them to exchange hatchets, and guns, and 
 blankets for furs. 
 
 This declaration interested the two chiefs greatly, and 
 after a good deal of discussion they agreed to take ad- 
 vantage of Joe Blunt's offer, and appoint him as a dep- 
 uty to the court of their enemies. Having arranged 
 these matters to their satisfaction, Cameron bestowed a 
 red flag and a blue surtout with brass buttons on each 
 of the chiefs, and a variety of smaller articles on the 
 other members of the council, and sent them away in a 
 particularly amiable frame of mind. 
 
 Pee-eye-em burst the blue surtout at the shoulders 
 and elbows in putting it on, as it was much too small 
 for his gigantic frame, but, never having seen such an 
 article of apparel before, he either regarded this as the 
 natural and proper consequences of putting it on, or was 
 
COUNCILS AND ORATIONS. 333 
 
 totally indifferent to it, for he merely looked at the rents 
 with a smile of satisfaction, while his squaw surrepti- 
 tiously cut off the two back buttons and thrust them 
 into her bosom. 
 
 By the time the council closed the night was far 
 advanced, and a bright moon was shedding a flood of 
 soft light over the picturesque and busy scene. 
 
 " I'll go to the Injun camp," said Joe to Walter 
 Cameron, as the chiefs rose to depart. " The season's 
 far enough advanced already; it's time to be off ; and 
 if I'm to speak for the Red-skins in the Blackfeet Coun- 
 cil, I'd need to know what to say." 
 
 " Please yourself, Master Blunt," answered Cameron. 
 " I like your company and that of your friends, and if 
 it suited you I would be glad to take you along with us 
 to the coast of the Pacific ; but your mission among the 
 Indians is a good one, and I'll help it on all I can. I 
 suppose you will go also ? " he added, turning to Dick 
 Varley, who was still seated beside the council fire 
 caressing Crusoe. 
 
 a Wherever Joe goes, I go," answered Dick. 
 
 Crusoe's tail, ears, and eyes demonstrated high ap- 
 proval of the sentiment involved in this speech. 
 
 " And your friend Henri ? " 
 
 " He goes too," answered Joe. It's as well that the 
 Red-skins should see the three o' us before we start for 
 the east side o' the mountains. Ho ! Henri, come here, 
 lad." 
 
334 COUNCILS AND ORATIONS. 
 
 Henri obeyed, and in a few seconds the three friends 
 crossed the brook to the Indian camp, and were guided 
 to the principal lodge by Pee-eye-em. Here a great 
 council was held, and the proposed attempt at negotia- 
 tions for peace with their ancient enemies fully dis- 
 cussed. While they were thus engaged, and just as 
 Pee-eye-em had, in the energy of an enthusiastic pero- 
 ration burst the blue surtout almost up to the collar, a 
 distant rushing sound was heard, which caused every 
 man to spring to his feet, run out of the tent, and seize 
 his weapons. 
 
 " What can it be, Joe ? " whispered Dick, as they 
 stood at the tent door leaning on their rifles, and listen- 
 ing intently. 
 
 " Dun 'no," answered Joe, shortly. 
 
 Most of the numerous fires of the camp had gone out, 
 but the bright moon revealed the dusky forms of thou- 
 sands of Indians, whom the unwonted sound had star- 
 tled, moving rapidly about. 
 
 The mystery was soon explained. The Indian camp 
 was pitched on an open plain of several miles in extent, 
 which took a sudden bend half a mile distant, where a 
 spur of the mountains shut out the further end of the 
 valley from view. From beyond this point the dull 
 rumbling sound proceeded. Suddenly there was a roar 
 as if a mighty cataract had been let loose upon the 
 ecene. At the same moment a countless herd of wild 
 
THE STAMPEDO. 335 
 
 horses came thundering round the base of the mountain 
 and swept over the plain straight towards the Indian 
 camp. 
 
 " A stampede ! " cried Joe, springing to the assistance 
 of Pee-eye-em, whose favorite horses were picketed 
 near the tent. 
 
 On they came like a living torrent, and the thunder 
 of a thousand hoofs was soon mingled with the howling 
 of hundreds of dogs in the camp, and the yelling of 
 Indians, as they vainly endeavored to restrain the rising 
 excitement of their steeds. Henri and Dick stood rooted 
 to the ground, gazing in silent wonder at the fierce and 
 uncontrollable gallop of the thousands of panic-stricken 
 horses that bore down upon the camp with the tumultu- 
 ous violence of a mighty cataract. 
 
 As the maddened troop drew nigh, the camp horses 
 began to snort and tremble violently, and when the 
 rush of the wild steeds was almost upon them, they 
 became ungovernable with terror, broke their halters 
 and hobbles, and dashed wildly about. To add to the 
 confusion at that moment, a cloud passed over the moon 
 and threw the whole scene into deep obscurity. Blind 
 with terror, which was probably increased by the din 
 of their own mad flight, the galloping troop came on, 
 and, with a sound like the continuous roar of thunder 
 that for an instant drowned the yell of dog and man, 
 
336 THE STAMPEDO. 
 
 they burst upon the camp, trampling over packs and 
 skins, and dried meat, &c., in their headlong speed, and 
 overturning several of the smaller tents. In another 
 moment they swept out upon the plain beyond, and were 
 soon lost in the darkness of the night, while the yelp- 
 ing of dogs, as they vainly pursued them, mingled and 
 gradually died away with the distant thunder of their 
 retreat. 
 
 This was a " stampede" one of the most extraordi- 
 nary scenes that can be witnessed in the western wilder- 
 ness. 
 
 " Lend a hand, Henri," shouted Joe, who was strug- 
 gling with a powerful horse. " Wot's corned over yer 
 brains, man? This brute'll git off if ye don't look 
 sharp." 
 
 Dick and Henri both answered to the summons, and 
 they succeeded in throwing the struggling animal on its 
 side and holding it down until its excitement was some- 
 what abated. Pee-eye-em had also been successful in 
 securing his favorite hunter, but nearly every other 
 horse belonging to the camp had broken loose and 
 joined the whirlwind gallop, but they gradually dropped 
 out, and, before morning, the most of them were secured 
 by their owners. As there were at least two thousand 
 horses and an equal number of dogs in the part of the 
 Indian camp, which had been thus over-run by the wild 
 
CHARLIE AGAIN. 337 
 
 mustangy, (he turmoil, as may be imagined, was prodi- 
 gious! Yet, strange to say, no accident of a serious 
 nature occurred beyond the loss of several chargers. 
 
 In the midst of this exciting scene there was one 
 heart there which beat with a nervous vehemence that 
 wellnigh burst it. This was the heart of Dick Varley's 
 horse, Charlie. Well known to him was that distant 
 rumbling sound that floated on the night air into the 
 fur-trader's camp where he was picketed close to Came- 
 ron's tent. Many a time had he heard the approach 
 of such a wild troop, and often, in days not long gone 
 by, had his shrill neigh rung out as he joined and led 
 the panic-stricken band. He was first to hear the 
 sound, and by his restive actions, to draw the atten- 
 tion of the fur-traders to it. As a precautionary meas- 
 ure they all sprang up and stood by their horses to 
 soothe them, but as a brook with a belt of bushes and 
 quarter of a mile of plain intervened between their camp 
 and the mustangs as they flew past, they had little or 
 no trouble in restraining them. Not so, however, with 
 Charlie. At the very moment that his master was 
 congratulating himself on the supposed security of his 
 position, he wrenched the halter from the hand of him 
 who held it, burst through the barrier of felled trees 
 that had been thrown round the camp, cleared the brook 
 at a bound, and, with a wild hilarious neigh, resumed 
 
338 CRUSOE CAPTURES CHARLIE. 
 
 his old place in the ranks of the free-born mustangs o* 
 the prairie. 
 
 Little did Dick think, when the flood of horses swept 
 past him, that his own good steed was there, rejoicing 
 in his recovered liberty. But Crusoe knew it. Ay, 
 the wind had borne down the information to his acute 
 nose before the living storm burst upon the camp, and 
 when Charlie rushed past with the long tough halter 
 trailing at his heels, Crusoe sprang to his side, seized 
 the end of the halter with his teeth, and galloped off 
 along with him. 
 
 It was a long gallop and a tough one, but Crusoe held 
 on, for it was a settled principle in his mind never to give 
 in. At first the check upon Charlie's speed was imper- 
 ceptible, but by degrees the weight of the gigantic dog 
 began to tell, and, after a time, they fell a little to the 
 rear ; then, by good fortune, the troop passed through 
 a mass of underwood, and the line, getting entangled, 
 brought their mad career forcibly to a close ; the mus- 
 tangs passed on, and the two friends were left to keep 
 each other company in the dark. 
 
 How long they would have remained thus is uncer- 
 tain, for neither of them had sagacity enough to undo a 
 complicated entanglement ; fortunately, however, in his 
 energetic tugs at the line, Crusoe's sharp teeth partially 
 severed it, and a sudden start on the part of Charlie 
 
CHARLIE BROUGHT IN. 339 
 
 caused it to part. Before he could escape, Crusoe again 
 seized the end of it, and led him slowly but steadily 
 back to the Indian camp, never halting or turning aside 
 until he had placed the line in Dick Varley's hand. 
 
 " Hallo, pup ! where have ye bin ? How did ye 
 bring him here ? " exclaimed Dick, as he gazed in 
 amazement at his foam-covered horse. 
 
 Crusoe wagged his tail, as if to say, " Be thankful 
 that you've got him, Dick, my boy, and don't ask ques- 
 tions that you know I can't answer." 
 " He must ha' broke loose and jined the stampedo," 
 remarked Joe, coming out of the chief's tent at the mo- 
 ment ; " but tie him up, Dick, and come in, for we want 
 to settle about startin' to-morrow or nixt day." 
 
 Having fastened Charlie to a stake, and ordered Cru- 
 soe to watch him, Dick re-entered the tent where the 
 council had re-asscinbled, and where Pee-eye-em hav- 
 ing, in the recent struggle, split the blue surtout com- 
 pletely up to the collar, so that his back bone was visible 
 throughout the greater part of its length was holding 
 forth in eloquent strains on the subject of peace in gen- 
 eral and peace with the Blackfeet, the ancient enemies 
 of the Shirry-dikas, in particular. 
 
840 INDIAN DOINGS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Plans and Prospects. Dick becomes Home-sick, an i Henri Met* 
 physical. The Indians attack the Camp. A Blow-up. 
 
 ON the following day the Indians gave themselves up 
 to unlimited feasting, in consequence of the arrival of a 
 large body of hunters with an immense supply of buf- 
 falo meat. It was a regular day of rejoicing. Upwards 
 of six hundred buffaloes had been killed, and as the sup- 
 ply of meat before their arrival had been ample, the 
 camp was now overflowing with plenty. Feasts were 
 given by the chiefs, and the medicine-men went about 
 the camp uttering loud cries, which were meant to ex- 
 press their gratitude to the Great Spirit for the bounti- 
 ful supply of food. They also carried a portion of meat 
 to the aged and infirm who were unable to hunt for 
 themselves, and had no young men in their family circle 
 to hunt for them. 
 
 This arrival of the hunters was a fortunate circum- 
 stance, as it put the Indians in great good humor, and 
 inclined thenj to hold friendly intercourse with the trap- 
 pers, who for some time continued to drive a brisk trade 
 in furs. Having no market for the disposal of their furs, 
 
PLANS AND PROSPECTS. 341 
 
 the Indians of course had more than they k new what to 
 do with, and were therefore glad to exchange those of 
 the most beautiful and valuable kind for a mere trine, so 
 that the trappers laid aside their traps for a time and 
 devoted themselves to traffic. 
 
 Meanwhile Joe Blunt and his friends made prepara- 
 tions for their return journey. 
 
 " Ye see," remarked Joe to Henri and Dick, as they 
 sat beside the fire in Pee-eye-em's lodge, and feasted on 
 a potful of grasshopper soup, which the great chief's 
 squaw had just placed before them, "ye see, my cal- 
 c'lations is as follows. Wot with trappin' beavers and 
 huntin', we three ha' made enough to sot us up, an' it 
 likes us, in the Mustang Valley " 
 
 " Ha ! " interrupted Dick, remitting for a few seconds 
 the use of his teeth in order to exercise his tongue, 
 "ha! Joe, but it don't like me! What, give up a 
 hunter's life and become a farmer? I should think 
 not!" 
 
 "Bon!" ejaculated Henri, but whether the remark 
 had reference to the grasshopper soup or the sentiment 
 we cannot tell. 
 
 "Well," continued Joe, commencing to devour a 
 large buffalo steak with a hunter's appetite, "ye'll 
 please yourselves, lads, as to that ; but as I wos say in* 
 we've got a powerful lot o' furs, an' a big pack o' odds 
 and ends for the Injuns we chance to meet with by the 
 
 29* 
 
342 PLANS AND PROSPECTS. 
 
 way, an' powder and lead to last us a twelvemonth, be- 
 sides five good horses to carry us an' our packs over the 
 plains ; so if it's agreeable to you, I mean to make a 
 bee-line for the Mustang Valley. We're pretty sure to 
 meet with Blackfeet on the way, and if we do we'll try 
 to make peace between them an' the Snakes. I 'xpect 
 it'll be pretty well on for six weeks afore we git to home, 
 BO we'll start to-morrow." 
 
 " Dat is fat vill do ver' veil," said Henri ; " vill you 
 please donnez me one petit morsel of steak." 
 
 " I'm ready for any thing, Joe," cried Dick, " you are 
 leader. Just point the way, and I'll answer for two o' 
 us follovvin' ye eh ! won't we, Crusoe." 
 
 ** We will," remarked the dog quietly. 
 
 " How comes it," inquired Dick, " that these Indians 
 don't care for our tobacco ? " 
 
 " They like their own better, I s'pose," answered Joe ; 
 " most all the western Injuns do. They make it o' the 
 dried leaves o' the shumac and the inner bark o' the 
 red-willow, chopped very small an' mixed together. 
 They call this stuff Kinnekinnik, but they like to mix 
 about a fourth o' our tobacco with it, so Pee-eye-em tells 
 me, an' he's a good judge ; the amount that red-skinned 
 mortal smokes is oncommon." 
 
 "What are they doin' yonder?" inquired Dick, 
 pointing to a group of men who had been feasting for 
 some time past in front of a tent within sight of our 
 trio. 
 
PllKI'ARATlONS TO DEPART. 343 
 
 " Goin' to sing, I think," replied Joe. 
 
 As he spoke, six young warriors were seen to work 
 their bodies about in a very remarkable way, and give 
 utterance to still more remarkable sounds, which gradu- 
 ally increased until the singers burst out into that 
 terrific yell, or war-whoop, for which American savages 
 have long been famous. Its effect would have been 
 appalling to unaccustomed ears. Then they allowed 
 their voices to die away in soft, plaintive tones, while 
 their action corresponded thereto. Suddenly the furious 
 style was revived, and the men wrought themselves into 
 a condition little short of madness, while their yells 
 rung wildly through the camp. This was too much for 
 ordinary canine nature to withstand, so all the dogs in 
 the neighborhood joined in the horrible chorus. 
 
 Crusoe had long since learned to treat the eccentrici- 
 ties of Indians and their curs with dignified contempt. 
 He paid no attention to this serenade, but lay sleeping 
 by the fire until Dick and his companions rose to take 
 leave of their host, and return to the camp of the fur- 
 traders. The remainder of that night was spent in 
 making preparations for setting forth on the morrow, 
 and when, at gray dawn, Dick and Crusoe lay down to 
 snatch a few hours' repose, the yells and bowlings in the 
 Snake camp were going on as vigorously as ever. 
 
 The sun had arisen, and his beams were just tipping 
 the summits of the llocky Mountains, causing the 
 
344 "SWEET HOME. 
 
 snowy peaks to glitter like flame, and the deep ravines 
 and gorges to look sombre and mysterious by contrast, 
 when Dick, and Joe, and Henri mounted their gallant 
 steeds, and, with Crusoe gambolling before, and the two 
 pack-horses trotting by their side, turned their faces 
 eastward, and bade adieu to the Indian camp. 
 
 Crusoe was in great spirits. He was perfectly well 
 aware that he and his companions were on their way 
 home, and testified his satisfaction by bursts of scamper- 
 ing over the hills and valleys. Doubtless he thought 
 of Dick Varley's cottage, and of Dick's mild, kind- 
 hearted mother. Undoubtedly, too, he thought of his 
 own mother, Fan, and felt a glow of filial affection as 
 he did so. Of this we feel quite certain. He would 
 have been unworthy the title of hero if he hadn't. 
 Perchance he thought of Grumps, but of this we are 
 not quite so sure. We rather think, upon the whole, 
 that he did. 
 
 Dick, too, let his thoughts run away in the direction 
 of home. Sweet word ! Those who have never left it 
 cannot, by any effort of imagination, realize the full im- 
 port of the word " home." Dick was a bold hunter, but 
 he was young, and this was his first long expedition. 
 Oftentimes, when sleeping under the trees and gazing 
 dreamily up through the branches at the stars, had he 
 thought of home, until his longing heart began to yearn 
 to return. He repelled such tender feelings, however, 
 
DICK HOME-SICK. 345 
 
 when they lecame too strong, deeming them unmanly, 
 and sought to turn his mind to the excitements of the 
 chase, but latterly his efforts were in vain. He became 
 thoroughly home-sick, and, while admitting the fact to 
 himself, he endeavored to conceal it from his comrades. 
 He thought that he was successful in this attempt. 
 Poor Dick Varley ! as yet he was sadly ignorant of 
 human nature. Henri knew it, and Joe Blunt knew it. 
 Even Crusoe knew that something was wrong with his 
 master, although he could not exactly make out what it 
 was. But Crusoe made memoranda in the note-book 
 of his memory. He jotted down the peculiar phases of 
 his master's new disease with the care and minute ex- 
 actness of a physician ; and, we doubt not, ultimately 
 added the knowledge of the symptoms of home-sickness 
 to his already well-filled stores of erudition, 
 
 It was not till they had set out on their homeward 
 journey that Dick Varley's spirits revived, and it was 
 not till they reached the beautiful prairies on the east- 
 ern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, and galloped over 
 the green sward towards the Mustang Valley, that Dick 
 ventured to tell Joe Blunt what his feelings had been. 
 
 " D'ye know, Joe," he said confidentially, reining up 
 his gallant steed after a sharp gallop, " d'ye know I've 
 bin feelin* awful low for some time past." 
 
 " I know it, lad," answc red Joe, with a quiet nmile, in 
 
346 HENRI METAPHYSICAL. 
 
 which there was a dash of something that implied he 
 knew more than he chose to express. 
 
 Dick felt surprised, but he continued, " I wonder what 
 it could have bin. I never felt so before." 
 
 " 'Twas home- sickness, boy," returned Joe. 
 
 " How d'ye know that ? " 
 
 " The same way as how I know most things, by ex- 
 perience an' observation. I've bin home-sick myself 
 once but it was long, long agone." 
 
 Dick felt much relieved at this candid confession by 
 such a bronzed veteran, and, the cords of sympathy 
 having been struck, he opened up his heart at once, to 
 the evident delight of Henri, who, among other curious 
 partialities, was extremely fond of listening to and taking 
 part in conversations that bordered on the metaphysical, 
 and were hard to be understood. Most conversations 
 that were not connected with eating and hunting were 
 of this nature to Henri. 
 
 " Hom'-sik," he cried, " veech mean bein' sik of horn' ! 
 hah ! dat is fat I am always be, ven I goes hout on de 
 expedition. Oui, vraiment." 
 
 " I always packs up," continued Joe, paying no atten- 
 tion to Henri's remark, "I always packs up an' sot's 
 off for home when I gits home-sick ; it's the best cure, 
 an' when hunters are young like you, Dick, it's the 
 only cure* I Ve know'd fellers a'most die o' home-sick- 
 
HOME-SICKNESS. 347 
 
 ness, an' I'm told they do go under altogether some- 
 times." 
 
 " Go onder!" exclaimed Henri ; "oui, I vas all but 
 die myself ven I fust try to git away from horn'. If I 
 have not git away, I not be here to-day." 
 
 Henri's idea of home-sickness was so totally opposed 
 to theirs, that his comrades only laughed, and refrained 
 from attempting to set him right. 
 
 " The fust time I wos took bad with it wos in a coun- 
 try somethin' like that," said Joe, pointing to the wide 
 stretch of undulating prairie, dotted with clusters of 
 trees and wandering streamlets, that lay before them ; 
 " I had bin out about two months, an' wos makin' a good 
 thing of it, for game was plenty, when I began to think 
 somehow more than usual o' home. My mother wos 
 alive then." 
 
 Joe's voice .sank to a deep, solemn tone as he said this, 
 and for a few minutes he rode on in silence. 
 
 " Well, it grew worse and worse, I dreamed o' home 
 all night, an' thought of it all day, till I began to shoot 
 bad, an' my comrades wos gittin' tired o' me ; so says I 
 to them one night, says I, * I give out, lads, I'll make 
 tracks for the settlement to-morrow.' They tried to 
 laugh me out of it at first, but it was no go, so. I packed 
 up, bid them good-day, an' sot off alone on a trip o' five 
 hundred miles. The very first mile o' the way back I be- 
 gan to mend, and before two days I wos Jill right again." 
 
848 BLACKFEET INDIANS. 
 
 Joe wan interrupted at this point by the sudden ap- 
 pearance cf a solitary horseman on the brow of an emi 
 nence not half a mile distant. The three friends instantly 
 drove their pack-horses behind a clump of trees, but not 
 in time to escape the vigilant eye of the Red-man, who 
 uttered a loud shout, which brought up a band of his 
 comrades at full gallop. 
 
 " Remember, Henri," cried Joe Blunt, " our errand is 
 one of peace" 
 
 The caution was needed, for in the confusion of the 
 moment Henri was making preparation to sell his life 
 as dearly as possible. Before another word could be 
 uttered, they were surrounded by a troop of about 
 twenty yelling Blackfeet Indians. They were, fortu- 
 nately, not a war-party, and, still more fortunately, they 
 were peaceably disposed, and listened to the preliminary 
 address of Joe Blunt with exemplary patience; after 
 which the two parties encamped on the spot, the coun- 
 cil-fire was lighted, and every preparation was made for 
 a long palaver. 
 
 We will not trouble our reader with the details of 
 what was said on this occasion. The party of Indians 
 was a small one, and no chief of any importance was 
 attached to it. Suffice it to say that the pacific over- 
 tures made by Joe were well received, the trifling gifts 
 made thereafter were still better received, and they 
 separated with mutual expressions of good will. 
 
BLACKFEET INDIANS. 349 
 
 Ssveral other bands which were afterwards met with 
 were equally friendly, and only one war-party was seen. 
 Joe's quick eye observed it in time to enable them to 
 retire unseen behind the shelter of some trees, where 
 they remained until the Indian warriors were out of 
 sight. 
 
 The next party they met with, however, were more 
 difficult to manage, and, unfortunately, blood was shed 
 on both sides before our travellers escaped. 
 
 It was at the close of a beautiful day that a war- 
 party of Blackfeet were seen riding along a ridge on the 
 horizon. It chanced that the prairie at this place was 
 almost destitute of trees or shrubs large enough to con- 
 ceal the horses. By dashing down the grassy wave 
 into the hollow between the two undulations, and dis- 
 mounting, Jf^e hoped to elude the savages, so he gave 
 the word, but at the same moment a shout from the 
 Indians told that they were discovered. 
 
 " Look sLarp, lads, throw down the packs on the 
 highest point of the ridge," cried Joe, undoing the lash- 
 ings, seizing one of the bales of goods, and hurrying to 
 the top of the undulation with it ; " we must keep them 
 at arm's length, boys be alive. War-parties are not 
 tc be trusted." 
 
 Dick and Henri seconded Joe's efforts so ably, that 
 in the course of two minutes the horses were unloaded, 
 the packs piled in the form of a wall in front of a 
 30 
 
350 ATTACKED BY INDIANS. 
 
 broken piece of ground, the horses picketed close beside 
 them, and our three travellers peeping over the edge, 
 with their rifles cocked, while the savages about thirty 
 in number came sweeping down towards them. 
 
 " I'll try to git them to palaver," said Joe Blunt, " but 
 keep yer eye on 'em, Dick, an' if they behave ill, shoot 
 the horse o' the leadin' chief. I'll throw up my left 
 hand as a signal. Mind, lad, don't hit human flesh till 
 my second signal is given, and see that Henri don't draw 
 till I get back to ye." 
 
 So saying, Joe sprang lightly over the slight parapet 
 of their little fortress, and ran swiftly out, unarmed, 
 towards the Indians. In a few seconds he was close 
 up with them, and in another moment was surrounded. 
 At first the savages brandished their spears and rode 
 round the solitary man, yelling like fiends, as if they 
 wished to intimidate him; but as Joe stood like a 
 statue, with his arms crossed, and a grave expression of 
 contempt on his countenance, they quickly desisted, and, 
 drawing near, asked him where he came from, and what 
 he was doing here. 
 
 Joe's story was soon told ; but instead of replying, 
 they began to shout vociferously, and evidently meant 
 mischief. 
 
 " If the Blackfeet are afraid to speak to the Pale-face, 
 he will go back to his braves," said Joe, pausing sud- 
 denly between two of the warriors and taking a few steps 
 towards the camp. 
 
THE INDIANS PUT TO FLIGHT. 351 
 
 Instantly every bow was bent, and it seemed as if our 
 bold hunter was about to b e pierced by a hundred ar- 
 rows, when he turned round, and cried 
 
 " The Blackfeet must not advance a single step. The 
 first that moves his horse shall die. The second that 
 moves himself shall die." 
 
 To this the Blackfoot chief replied scornfully, " The 
 Pale-face talks with a big mouth. We do not believe 
 his words. The Snakes are liars, we will make no peace 
 with them." 
 
 While he w r as yet speaking, Joe threw up his hand ; 
 there was a loud report, and the noble horse of the 
 savage chief lay struggling in death agony on the 
 ground. 
 
 The use of the rifle, as we have before hinted, was 
 little known at this period among the Indians of the 
 far-west, and many had never heard the dreaded report 
 before, although all were aware, from hearsay, of its 
 fatal power. The fall of the chief's horse, therefore, 
 quite paralyzed them for a few moments, and they had 
 not recovered from their surprise, when a second report 
 was heard, a bullet whistled past, and a second horse 
 fell. At the same moment there was a loud explosion 
 in the camp of the Pale-faces, a white cloud enveloped 
 it, and from the midst of this a loud shriek was heard, 
 as Dick, Henri, and Crusoe bounded over the packs with 
 frantic gestures. 
 
352 HENRI BLOWN UP. 
 
 At this the gaping savages wheeled their steeda 
 round, the dismounted horsemen sprang on behind two 
 of their comrades, and the whole band dashed away 
 over the plains as if they were chased by evil spirits. 
 
 Meanwhile Joe hastened towards his comrades in a 
 state of great anxiety, for he knew at once that one 
 of the powder-horns must have been accidentally blown 
 up. 
 
 " No damage done, boys, I hope ? " he cried on com- 
 ing up. 
 
 " Damage ! " cried Henri, holding his hands tight over 
 his face. " Oh ! oui, great damage moche damage me 
 two eyes be blowed out of dere holes." 
 
 " Not quite so bad as that, I hope," said Dick, who 
 was very slightly singed, and forgot his own hurts in 
 anxiety about his comrade. " Let me see ? " 
 
 " My eye ! " exclaimed Joe Blunt, while a broad grin 
 overspread his countenance, "ye've not improved yer 
 looks, Henri." 
 
 This was true. The worthy hunter's hair was singed 
 to such an extent that his entire countenance presented 
 the appearance of a universal frizzle. Fortunately the 
 Bkir,, although much blackened, was quite uninjured, a 
 fad which, when he ascertained it beyond a doubt, 
 afforded so much satisfaction to Henri, that he capered 
 about shouting with delight, as if some piece of good for- 
 tune had befallen him. 
 
HENRI BLOWN UP. 353 
 
 The accident had happened in consequence of Henri 
 having omitted to replace the stopper of his powder- 
 horn, and when, in his anxiety for Joe, he fired at ran- 
 dom amongst the Indians, despite Dick's entreaties to 
 wait, a spark communicated with the powder-horn and 
 blew him up. Dick and Crusoe were only a little 
 Dinged, but the former was not disposed to quarrel with 
 an accident which had sent their enemies so promptly 
 to the right-about. 
 
 This band followed them for some nights, in the hope 
 of being able to steal their horses while they slept ; but 
 they were not brave enough to venture a second time 
 within range of the death-dealing rifle. 
 
 90* 
 
854 THE CAMANCHE INDIAM8. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Dangers of the Prairie. Our Travellers attacked ly Indians, and 
 delivered in a remarkable Manner. 
 
 THERE are periods in the life of almost all men when 
 misfortunes seem to crowd upon them in rapid succes- 
 sion, when they escape from one danger only to encoun- 
 ter another, and when, to use a well-known expression, 
 they succeed in leaping out of the frying-pan at the ex- 
 pense of plunging into the fire. 
 
 So was it with our three friends upon this occa- 
 sion. They were scarcely rid of the Blackfeet, who 
 found them too watchful to be caught napping, when, 
 about daybreak one morning, they encountered a rov- 
 ing band of Camanchee Indians, who wore such a war- 
 like aspect that Joe deemed it prudent to avoid them if 
 possible. 
 
 " They don't see us yit, I guess," said Joe, as he and 
 his companions drove the horses into a hollow between 
 the grassy waves of the prairie, " an' if we only can es- 
 cape their sharp eyes till we're in yonder clump o' wil- 
 lows, we're safe enough." 
 
 " But why don't you ride up to them, Joe," inquired 
 
DANGERS OF THE PRAIRIE. 355 
 
 Dick, "and make peace between them and the Pale* 
 faces, as you ha* done with other bands ? " 
 
 "Because it's o* no use to risk our scalps for the 
 chance o' makin' peace wi' a rovin' war-party. Keep 
 your head down, Henri ! If they git only a sight o' the 
 top o' yer cap, they'll be down on us like a breeze o' 
 wind." 
 
 " Hah ! let dem come ! " said Henri. 
 
 "They'll come without askin' yer leave," remarked 
 Joe, drily. 
 
 Notwithstanding his defiant expression, Henri had 
 sufficient prudence to induce him to bend his head and 
 shoulders, and in a few minutes they reached the shel- 
 ter of the willows unseen by the savages. At least so 
 thought Henri, Joe was not quite sure about it, and 
 Dick hoped for the best. 
 
 In tha course of half an hour the last of the Caman- 
 chees was seen to hover for a second on the horizon, 
 like a speck of black against the sky, and then to disap- 
 pear. 
 
 Immediately the three hunters vaulted on their steeds 
 and resumed their journey; but before that evening 
 closed, they had sad evidence of the savage nature of 
 the band from which they had escaped. On passing 
 the brow of a slight eminence, Dick, who rode first, ob- 
 served that Crusoe stopped and snuffed the breeze in 
 an anxious, inquiring manner. 
 
B56 THE MURDERED MEN. 
 
 " What is't, pup ? " said Dick, drawing up, for he 
 knew that his faithful dog never gave a false alarm. 
 
 Crusoe replied by a short, uncertain bark, and then 
 bounding forward, disappeared behind a little wooded 
 knoll. In another moment a long, dismal howl floated 
 over the plains. There was a mystery about the dog's 
 conduct which, coupled with his melancholy cry, struck 
 the travellers with a superstitious feeling of dread, as 
 they sat looking at each other in 'surprise. 
 
 " Come, let's clear it up," cried Joe Blunt, shaking 
 the reins of his steed, and galloping forward. A few 
 strides brought them to the other side of the knoll, 
 where, scattered upon the torn and bloody turf, they 
 discovered the scalped and mangled remains of about 
 twenty or thirty human beings. Their skulls had been 
 cleft by the tomahawk, and their breasts pierced by the 
 scalping-knife ; and from the position in which many 
 of them lay, it was evident that they had been slain 
 while asleep. 
 
 Joe's brow flushed, and his lips became tightly com- 
 pressed, as he muttered between his set teeth, " Their 
 skins are white." 
 
 A short examination sufficed to show that the men 
 who had thus been barbarously murdered while they 
 slept had been a band of trappers, or hunters ; but what 
 their errand had been, or whence they came, they could 
 not discover. 
 
THE MURDERED MtN. 357 
 
 Every thing of value had been carried off, and all the 
 scalps had been taken. Most of the bodies, although 
 much mutilated, lay in a posture that led our hunters 
 to believe they had been killed while asleep ; but one 
 or two were cut almost to pieces, and from the blood- 
 bespattered and trampled sward around, it seemed as if 
 they had struggled long and fiercely for life. Whether 
 or not any of the savages had been slain, it was im- 
 possible to tell, for if such had been the case, their 
 comrades, doubtless, had carried away their bodies. 
 That they had been slaughtered by the party of Ca- 
 manchees who had been seen at daybreak, was quite 
 clear to Joe ; but his burning desire to revenge the death 
 of the white men had to be stifled, as his party was so 
 small. 
 
 Long afterwards it was discovered that this was a 
 band of trappers who, like those mentioned at the begin- 
 ning of this volume, had set out to avenge the death of 
 a comrade ; but God, who has retained the right of ven- 
 geance in his own hand, saw fit to frustrate their pur- 
 pose, by giving them into the hands of the savages whom 
 they had set forth to slay. 
 
 As it was impossible to bury so many bodies, the 
 travellers resumed their journey, and left them to bleach 
 there in the wilderness ; but they rode the whole of that 
 day almost without uttering a word. Meanwhile the 
 Camanchees, who had observed the trio, and had rid 
 
358 STRANGE HORSEMEN. 
 
 den away at rst for the purpose of deceiving them into 
 the belief that they had passed unobserved, doubled on 
 their track, and took a long sweep in order to keep out 
 of sight until they could approach under the shelter of 
 a belt of woodland towards which the travellers now 
 approached. 
 
 The Indians adopted this course instead of the easier 
 method of simply pursuing so weak a party, because 
 the plains at this part were bordered by a long stretch 
 of forest into which the hunters could have plunged, 
 and rendered pursuit more difficult, if not almost use- 
 less. The detour thus taken was so extensive that the 
 shades of evening were beginning to descend before they 
 could put their plan into execution. The forest lay 
 about a mile to the right of our hunters, like some dark 
 mainland, of which the prairie was the sea, and the 
 scattered clumps of wood the islands. 
 
 " There's no lack o' game here," said Dick Varley, 
 pointing to a herd of buffaloes which rose at their ap- 
 proach, and fled away towards the wood. 
 
 " I think we'll ha' thunder soon," remarked Joe. " I 
 never feel it onnatteral hot like this without lookin' out 
 for a plump." 
 
 " Hah ! den ve' better look hout for one goot tree to 
 get b'low," suggested Henri. " Voila ! " he added, point- 
 ing with his finger towards the plain ; " Dere am a lot 
 of wild bosses." 
 
THE CAMANCHEES. 359 
 
 A troop of about thirty wild horses appeared, as he 
 spoke, on the brow of a ridge, and advanced slowly to- 
 wards them. 
 
 " Hist ! " exclaimed Joe, reining up ; " hold on, lads. 
 Wild horses ! my rifle to a pop-gun there's wilder men 
 on t'other side o' them." 
 
 " What mean you, Joe ? " inquired Dick, riding close 
 up. 
 
 " D'ye see the little lumps on the shoulder o* each 
 horse?" said Joe. "Them's Injun's feet; an' if we 
 don't want to lose our scalps we'd better make for the 
 forest." 
 
 Joe proved himself to be in earnest by wheeling round 
 and making straight for the thick woods as fast as his 
 horse could run. The others followed, driving the pack- 
 horses before them. 
 
 The effect of this sudden movement on the so-called 
 "wild horses" was very remarkable, and to one un- 
 acquainted with the habits of the Camanchee Indians, 
 must have appeared almost supernatural. In the twink- 
 ling of an eye every steed had a rider on its back, and 
 before the hunters had taken five strides in the direction 
 of the forest, the whole band were in hot pursuit, yelling 
 like furies. 
 
 The manner in which these Indians accomplish this 
 feat is very singular, and implies great activity and 
 strength of muscle on the part of the sayages. 
 
360 CAMANCHEE HORSEMANSHIP. 
 
 The Camanchees are low in stature, and usually arc 
 rather corpulent. In their movements on foot they are 
 heavy and ungraceful ; and they are, on the whole, a 
 slovenly and unattractive race of men. But the instant 
 they mount their horses they seem to be entirely 
 changed, and surprise the spectator with the ease and 
 elegance of their movements. Their great and dis- 
 tinctive peculiarity as horsemen is the power they have 
 acquired of throwing themselves suddenly on either 
 side of their horse's body, and clinging on in such a 
 way that no part of them is visible from the other side 
 save the foot by which they cling. In this manner 
 they approach their enemies at full gallop, and without 
 rising again to the saddle, discharge their arrows at 
 them over the horses' backs, or even under their necks. 
 
 This apparently magical feat is accomplished by means 
 of a halter of horse-hair, which is passed round under 
 the neck of the horse, and both ends braided into the 
 mane, on the withers, thus forming a loop which hangs 
 under the neck and against the "breast. This being 
 caught by the hand, makes a sling, into which the el- 
 bow falls, taking the weight of the body on the middle 
 of the upper arm. Into this loop the rider drops sud- 
 denly and fearlessly, leaving his heel to hang over the 
 horse's back, to steady him, and also to restore him to 
 his seat when desired. 
 
 By this stratagem the Indians had approached on 
 
THE PURSUIT. 361 
 
 the present occasion almost within rifle range before 
 they were discovered, and it required the utmost speed 
 of the hunters' horses to enable them to avoid being 
 overtaken. One of the Indians, who was better mounted 
 than his fellows, gained on the fugitives so much that 
 he came within arrow range, but reserved his shaft 
 until they were close on the margin of the wood, when, 
 being almost alongside of Henri, he fitted an arrow to 
 his bow. Henri's eye was upon him, however ; letting 
 go 'the line of the pack-horse which he was leading, he 
 threw forward his rifle, but at the same moment the sav- 
 age disappeared behind his horse, and ah arrow whizzed 
 past the hunter's ear. 
 
 Henri fired at the horse, which dropped instantly, 
 hurling the astonished Camanchee upon the ground, 
 where he lay for some time insensible. In a few 
 seconds pursued and pursuers entered the wood, where 
 both had to advance with caution, in order to avoid 
 being swept off by the overhanging branches of the 
 trees. 
 
 Meanwhile the sultry heat of which Joe had formerly 
 spoken increased considerably, and a rumbling noise, 
 as if of distant thunder, was heard ; but the flying hun- 
 ters paid no attention to it, for the led horses gave them 
 so much trouble, and retarded their flight so much, that 
 the Indians were gradually and visibly gaining OD 
 them. 
 
 31 
 
862 THE PURSUIT. 
 
 " We'll ha to let the packs go," said Joe, somewhat 
 bitterly, as he looked over his shoulder. " Our scalps '11 
 pay for't if we don't." 
 
 Henri uttered a peculiar and significant hiss between 
 his teeth, as he said, " P'raps ve better stop and fight ! " 
 Dick said nothing, being resolved to do exactly what 
 Joe Blunt bid him ; and Crusoe, for reasons best known 
 to himself, also said nothing, but bounded along beside 
 his master's horse, casting an occasional glance upwards 
 to catch any signal that might be given. 
 
 They had passed over considerable space of ground, 
 and were forcing their way at the imminent hazard of 
 their necks, through a densely-clothed part of the wood, 
 when the sound above referred to increased, attracting 
 the attention of both parties. In a few seconds the air 
 was filled with a steady and continuous rumbling sound, 
 like the noise of a distant cataract. Pursuers and fugi- 
 tives drew rein instinctively, and came to a dead stand, 
 while the rumbling increased to a roar, and evidently 
 approached them rapidly; though as yet, nothing to cause 
 it could be seen, except that there was a dense, dark 
 cloud overspreading the sky to the southward. The air 
 was oppressively still and hot. 
 
 " What can't be ? " inquired Dick, looking at Joe, who 
 was gazing with an expression of wonder, not unmixed 
 with concern, at the southern sky. 
 
 " Dun' no, boy. I've bin more in the woods than in 
 
UNEXPECTED DELIVERANCE. 363 
 
 the clearin* in my day, but I niver heerd the likes o 
 that." 
 
 " It am like t'ondre," said Henri ; " mais it nevair d< 
 stop." 
 
 This was true. The sound was similar to con tin 
 uous, uninterrupted thunder. On it came with a mag 
 nificent roar that shook the very earth, and revealed 
 itself at last in the shape of a mighty whirlwind. In a 
 moment the distant woods bent before it, and fell like 
 grass before the scythe. It was a whirling hurricane, 
 accompanied by a deluge of rain, such as none of the 
 party had ever before witnessed. Steadily, fiercely, 
 irresistibly, it bore down upon them, while the crash of 
 falling, snapping, and uprooting trees mingled with the 
 dire artillery of that sweeping storm like the musketry 
 on a battle-field. 
 
 " Follow me, lads ! " shouted Joe, turning his horse 
 and dashing at full speed towards a rocky eminence 
 that offered shelter. But shelter was not needed. The 
 storm was clearly defined. Its limits were as distinctly 
 marked by its Creator as if it had been a living intel- 
 ligence sent forth to put a belt of desolation round the 
 world ; and, although the edge of devastation was not 
 five hundred yards from the rock behind which the hun- 
 ters were stationed, only a few drops of ice-cold rain fell 
 upon them. 
 
 It passed directly between the Camanchee Indians 
 
364 THE WHIRLWIND. 
 
 and their intended victims, placing between them a 
 barrier which it would have taken days to cut through. 
 The storm blew for an hour, then it travelled onward 
 in its might, and was lost in distance. Whence it came 
 and whither it went none could tell ; but, far as the 
 eye could see on either hand, an avenue a quarter of a 
 mile wide was cut through the forest. It had levelled 
 every thing with the dust ; the very grass was beaten 
 flat ; the trees were torn, shivered, snapped across, and 
 crushed; and the earth itself in many places was 
 ploughed up and furrowed with deep scars. The chaos 
 was indescribable, and it is probable that centuries will 
 not quite obliterate the work of that single hour. 
 
 While it lasted, Joe and his comrades remained speech- 
 less and awe-stricken. When it passed, no Indians were 
 to be seen. So our hunters re-mounted their steeds, and, 
 with feelings of gratitude to God for having delivered 
 them alike from savage foes and from the destructive 
 power of the whirlwind, resumed their journey towards 
 the Mustang Valley. 
 
THE WIDOW. 36f 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Anxious Fears followed by a joyful Surprise. Safe Home at lasti 
 and happy Hearts. 
 
 ONE fine afternoon, a few weeks after the storm of 
 which we have given an account in the last chapter, 
 old Mrs. Varley was seated beside her own chimney 
 corner in the little cottage by the lake, gazing at the 
 glowing logs with the earnest expression of one whose 
 thoughts were far away. Her kind face was paler than 
 usual, and her hands rested idly on her knee, grasping 
 the knitting wires to which was attached a half-finished 
 stocking. 
 
 On a stool near to her sat young Marston, the lad to 
 whom, on the day of the shooting-match, Dick Varley 
 had given his old rifle. The boy had an anxious look 
 about him, as he lifted his eyes from time to time to the 
 widow's face. 
 
 " Did ye say, my boy, that they were all killed ? " 
 inquired Mrs. Varley, awaking from her reverie with a 
 deep sigh. 
 
 " Every one," replied Marston. " Jim Scraggs, who 
 31* 
 
366 ANXIOUS FEARS. 
 
 brought the news, said they wos all lyin' dead with their 
 scalps off. They wos a party o' white men." 
 
 Mrs. Varley sighed again, and her face assumed an 
 expression of anxious pain as she thought of her son 
 Dick being exposed to a similar fate. Mrs. Varley was 
 not given to nervous fears ; but as she listened to the 
 boy's recital of the slaughter of a party of white men, 
 news of which had just reached the valley, her heart 
 sank, and she prayed inwardly to Him who is the hus- 
 band of the widow that her dear one might be protected 
 from the ruthless hand of the savage. 
 
 After a short pause, during which young Marston 
 fidgeted about and looked concerned, as if he had some- 
 thing to say which he would fain leave unsaid, Mrs. 
 Varley continued 
 
 " Was it far off where the bloody deed was done ? " 
 
 " Yes ; three weeks off, I believe. And Jim Scraggs 
 said that he found a knife that looked like the one wo* 
 belonged to to " the lad hesitated. 
 
 " To whom, my boy ? Why don't ye go on ? " 
 
 " To your son Dick." 
 
 The widow's hands dropped by her side, and she 
 would have fallen had not Marston caught her. 
 
 " mother dear, don't take on like that ! " he cried, 
 smoothing down the widow's hair as her head rested on 
 his breast. 
 
 For some time Mrs. Varley suffered the boy to fondle 
 
ANXIOUS FEARS. 367 
 
 her in silence, while her breast labored with anxious 
 dread. 
 
 " Tell me all," she said at last, recovering a little. 
 " Did Jim see Dick ? " 
 
 " No," answered the boy. " He looked at all the 
 bodies, but did not find his ; so he sent me over here to 
 tell ye that p'raps he's escaped." 
 
 Mrs. Varley breathed more freely, and earnestly 
 thanked God; but her fears soon returned when she 
 thought of his being a prisoner, and recalled the tales 
 of terrible cruelty often related of the savages. 
 
 While she was still engaged in closely question- 
 ing the lad, Jim Scraggs himself entered the cottage, 
 and endeavored in a gruff sort of way to re-assure the 
 widow. 
 
 " Ye see, mistress," he said, * Dick is a oncommon 
 tough customer, an' if he could only git fifty yards start, 
 there's not a Injun in the West as could git hold o' him 
 agin ; so don't be takin' on." 
 
 "But what if he's bin taken prisoner?" said the 
 widow. 
 
 " Ay, that's jest wot I've corned about. Ye see it's 
 not onlikely he's bin took ; so about thirty o' the lads o 1 
 the valley are ready jest now to start away and give 
 the red reptiles chase, an' I come to tell ye ; so keep up 
 heart, mistress." 
 
 With this parting word of comfort, Jim withdrew, 
 
368 THE RESCUED PAKTY. 
 
 and Marston soon followed, leaving the widow to weep 
 and pray in solitude. 
 
 Meanwhile an animated scene was going on near the 
 block-house. Here thirty of the young hunters of the 
 Mustang Valley were assembled, actively engaged in 
 supplying themselves with powder and lead, and tight- 
 ening their girths, preparatory to setting out in pursuit 
 of the Indians who had murdered the white men, while 
 hundreds of boys and girls, and not a few matrons, 
 crowded round and listened to the conversation, and to 
 the deep threats of vengeance that were uttered ever 
 and anon by the younger men. 
 
 Major Hope, too, was among them. The worthy 
 major, unable to restrain his roving propensities, deter- 
 mined to revisit the Mustang Valley, and had arrived 
 only two days before. 
 
 Backwoodsmen's preparations are usually of the short- 
 est and simplest. In a few minutes the cavalcade was 
 ready, and away they went towards the prairies, with 
 the bold major at their head. But their journey was 
 destined to come to an abrupt and unexpected close. 
 A couple of hours' gallop brought them to the edge of 
 one of those open plains which sometimes break up the 
 woodland near the verge of the great prairies. It 
 stretched out like a green lake towards the horizon, on 
 which, just as the band of horsemen reached it, the sun 
 was descending in a blaze of glory. 
 
THE RESCUE PARTY. 369 
 
 With a shout of enthusiasm, several of the younger 
 members of the party sprang forward into the plain at 
 a gallop ; but the shout was mingled with one of a dif- 
 ferent tone from the older men. 
 
 " Hist ! hallo ! hold on, ye cat-a-mounts ! There's 
 Injuns ahead ! " 
 
 The whole band came to a sudden halt at this cry, 
 and watched eagerly, and for some time in silence, the 
 motions of a small party of horsemen who were seen 
 in the far distance, like black specks on the golden sky. 
 
 "They come this way, I think," said Major Hope, 
 after gazing steadfastly at them for some minutes. 
 
 Several of the old hands signified their assent to this 
 suggestion by a grunt, although to unaccustomed eyes 
 the objects in question looked more like crows than 
 horsemen, and their motion was for some time scarcely 
 perceptible. 
 
 " I sees pack-horses among them," cried young Mars- 
 ton in an excited tone ; " an' there's three riders ; but 
 there's som'thin' else, only wot it be I can't tell." 
 
 " Ye've sharp eyes, younker," remarked one of the 
 men, " an' I do b'lieve yer right" 
 
 Presently the horsemen approached, and soon there 
 was a brisk fire of guessing as to who they could be. 
 It was evident that the strangers observed the caval- 
 cade of white men, and regarded them as friends, for 
 they did not check the headlong speed at which they 
 
870 JOYFUL SURPRISE. 
 
 approached. In a few minutes they were clearly made 
 out to be a party of three horsemen driving pack-horses 
 before them, and somethin' which some of the hunters 
 guessed was a buffalo calf. 
 
 Young Marston guessed too, but his guess was differ- 
 ent. Moreover, it was uttered with a yell that would 
 have done credit to the fiercest of all the savages. 
 " Crusoe ! " he shouted, while at the same moment he 
 brought his whip heavily down on the flank of his little 
 horse, and sprang over the prairie like an arrow. 
 
 One of the approaching horsemen was far ahead of 
 his comrades, and seemed as if encircled with the flying 
 and voluminous mane of his magnificent horse. 
 
 " Hah ! ho ! " gasped Marston in a low tone to him- 
 self, as he flew along. " Crusoe ! I'd know ye, dog, 
 among a thousand ! A buffalo calf! Ha! git on with 
 ye!" 
 
 This last part of the remark was addressed to his 
 horse, and was followed by a whack that increased the 
 pace considerably. 
 
 The space between two such riders was soon de- 
 voured. 
 
 Hallo ! Dick, Dick Varley ! " 
 
 " Eh ! why, Marston, my boy ! " 
 
 The friends reined up so suddenly, that one might 
 Have fancied they had met like the knights of old in the 
 shock of mortal conflict. 
 
SAFE HOME AT LAST. 371 
 
 Is't yerself, Dick Varley ? " 
 
 Dick held out his hand, and his eyes glistened, but, 
 he could not find words. 
 
 Marston seized it, and, pushing his horse close up, 
 vaulted nimbly off and alighted on Charlie's back behind 
 his friend. 
 
 " Off ye go, Dick ! I'll take ye to yer mother." 
 
 Without reply, Dick shook the reins, and in another 
 minute was in the midst of the hunters. 
 
 To the numberless questions that were put to him he 
 only waited to shout aloud, " We're all safe ! They'll 
 tell ye all about it," he* added, pointing to his comrades, 
 who were now close at hand ; and then, dashing onward, 
 made straight for home, with little Marston clinging to 
 his waist like a monkey. 
 
 Charlie was fresh, and so was Crusoe ; so you may 
 be sure it was not long before they all drew up oppo- 
 site the door of the widow's cottage. Before Dick could 
 dismount, Marston had slipped off, and was already in 
 the kitchen. 
 
 " Here's Dick, mother ! " 
 
 The boy was an orphan, and loved the widow so much 
 that he had come at last to call her mother. 
 
 Before another word could be uttered, Dick Varley 
 was in the room. Marston immediately stepped out, 
 and softly shut the door. Reader, we shall not open 
 it! 
 
872 HAPPY HEARTS. 
 
 Having shut the door, as we have said, Mdrston 
 ran down to the edge of the lake, and yelled with de- 
 light usually terminating each paroxysm with the 
 Indian war-whoop, with which he was well acquainted. 
 Then he danced, and then he sat down on a rock, and 
 became suddenly aware that there were other hearts 
 there, close beside him, as glad as his own. Another 
 mother of the Mustang Valley was rejoicing over a long- 
 lost son. 
 
 Crusoe and his mother Fan were scampering round 
 each other in a manner that evinced powerfully the 
 strength of their mutual affection.- 
 
 Talk of holding converse ! Every hair on Crusoe's 
 body, every motion of his limbs, was eloquent with 
 silent language. He gazed into his mother's mild eyes 
 as if he would read her inmost soul (supposing that she 
 had one). He turned his head to every possible angle, 
 and cocked his ears to every conceivable elevation, and 
 rubbed his nose against Fan's, and barked softly, in 
 every imaginable degree of modulation, and varied these 
 proceedings by bounding away at full speed over the 
 rocks of the beach, and in among the bushes, and out 
 again, but always circling round and round Fan, and 
 keeping her in view ! 
 
 It was a sight worth seeing, and young Marston sat 
 down on a rock, deliberately and enthusiastically, to 
 gloat over it. But perhaps the most remarkable part of 
 
HAPPY HEARTS. 373 
 
 it has nc t yet been referred to. There was yet another 
 heart there that was glad exceeding glad that day. 
 It was a little one, too, but it was big for the body that 
 held it. Grumps was there, and all that Grumps did 
 was to sit on his haunches, and stare at Fan and Crusoe, 
 and wag his tail as well as he could in so awkward a 
 position ! Grumps was evidently bewildered with de- 
 light, and had lost nearly all power to express it. Cru- 
 soe's conduct towards him, too, was not calculated to 
 clear his faculties. Every time he chanced to pass 
 near Grumps in his elephantine gambols, he gave him 
 a passing touch with his nose, which always knocked 
 him head over heels ; whereat Grumps invariably got 
 up quickly and wagged his tail with additional energy. 
 Before the feelings of those canine friends were calmed, 
 they were all three ruffled into a state of comparative 
 exhaustion. 
 
 Then young Marston called Crusoe to him, and Cru- 
 soe, obedient to the voice of friendship, went. 
 
 " Are you happy, my dog ? " 
 
 " You're a stupid fellow to ask such a question ; 
 however, it's an amiable one. Yes, I am." 
 
 a What do you want, ye small bundle o' hair ? * 
 
 This was addressed to Grumps, who came forward 
 innocently, and sat down to listen to the conversation. 
 
 On being thus sternly questioned, the little dog put 
 down its ears flat, and hung its head, looking up at the 
 32 
 
374 HAPPY HEARTS. 
 
 same time with a deprecatory look as if to say, " Oh, 
 dear ! I beg pardon ; I I only want to sit near Cru- 
 soe, please, but if you wish it I'll go away, sad and 
 lonely, with my tail very much between my legs indeed 
 I will, only say the word, but but I'd rather stay if I 
 might." 
 
 * Poor bundle ! " said Marston, patting its head, " you 
 can stay then. Hooray ! Crusoe, are you happy, I say ? 
 Does your heart bound in you like a cannon ball that 
 wants to find its way out and can't eh ? " 
 
 Crusoe put his snout against Marston's cheek, and, 
 in the excess of his joy, the lad threw his arms round 
 the dog's neck, and hugged it vigorously, a piece of im- 
 pulsive affection which that noble animal bore with char- 
 acteristic meekness, and which Grumps regarded with 
 idiotic satisfaction. 
 
THE REJOICING 875 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Rejoicings. The Feast at the Block-house. Grumps and CHUM* 
 come out strong. The closing Scene. 
 
 THE day of Dick's arrival with his companions was 
 a great day in the annals of the Mustang Valley, and 
 Major Hope resolved to celebrate it by an impromptu 
 festival at the old block-house ; for many hearts in the 
 valley had been made glad that day, and he knew full 
 well that, under such circumstances, some safety valve 
 must be devised for the escape of overflowing excite- 
 ment. 
 
 A messenger was sent round to invite the population 
 to assemble without delay in front of the block-house. 
 With backwood's-like celerity the summons was obeyed ; 
 men, women, and children hurried towards the central 
 point, wondering, yet more than half suspecting, what 
 was the major's object in calling them together. 
 
 They were not long in doubt. The first sight that 
 presented itself, as they came trooping up the slope in 
 front of the log-hut, was an ox roasting whole before a 
 gigantic bon-h're. Tables were being extemporized on 
 
376 FEAST AT THE BLOCK-HOUSE. 
 
 the broad level plot in front of the gate. Other fires 
 there .were, of smaller dimensions, on which sundry 
 steaming pots were placed, and various joints of wild 
 horse, bear, and venison, roasted, and sent forth a savory 
 odor as well as a pleasant hissing noise. The inhabi- 
 tants of the block-house were sell-taught brewers, and 
 the result of their recent labors now stood displayed in 
 a row of goodly casks of beer the only beverage with 
 which the dwellers in these far-off regions were wont to 
 regale themselves. 
 
 The whole scene, as the cooks moved actively 
 about upon the lawn, and children romped round the 
 fires, and settlers came flocking through the forest 
 might have recalled the revelry of merry England in 
 the olden time, though the costumes of the far west 
 were, perhaps, somewhat different from those of old 
 England. 
 
 No one of all the band assembled there on that day 
 of rejoicing required to ask what it was all about. Had 
 any one been in doubt for a moment, a glance at the 
 centre of the crowd assembled round the gate of the 
 western fortress would have quickly enlightened him ; 
 for there stood Dick Varley, and his mild-looking 
 mother, and his loving dog, Crusoe. There, too, stood 
 Joe Blunt, like a bronzed warrior returned from the 
 fight, turning from one to another as question poured 
 in upon question almost too rapidly to permit of a 
 
GRUMPS AND CRUSOE. 377 
 
 reply. There, too, stood Henri, making enthusiastic 
 speeches to whoever chose to listen to him, now glar- 
 ing at the crowd, with clenched fists and growling voice, 
 as he told of how Joe and he had been tied hand and 
 foot, and lashed to poles and buried in leaves, and threat- 
 ened with a slow death by torture, at other times 
 bursting into a hilarious laugh as he held forth on the 
 predicament of Mahtawa when that wily chief was treed 
 by Crusoe in the prairie. 
 
 Young Marston was there, too, hanging about Dick, 
 whom he loved as a brother, and regarded as a perfect 
 hero. Grumps, too, was there, and Fan. Do you 
 think, reader, that Grumps looked at any one but Cru- 
 soe ? If you do, you are mistaken. Grumps on that 
 day became a regular, an incorrigible, utter, and per- 
 fect nuisance to everybody not excepting himself, 
 poor beast ! Grumps was a dog of one idea, and that 
 idea was Crusoe. Out of that great idea there grew 
 one little secondary idea, and that idea was, that the 
 only joy on earth worth mentioning was to sit on his 
 haunches, exactly six inches from Crusoe's nose, and 
 gaze steadfastly into his face. Wherever Crusoe went 
 Grumps went. If Crusoe stopped, Grumps was down 
 before him in an instant. If Crusoe bounded away, 
 which, in the exuberance of his spirits he often did, 
 Grumps was after him like a bundle of mad hair. He 
 was in everybody's way in Crusoe's way, and being 
 32* 
 
378 GRUMPS AND CRUSOE. 
 
 BO to speak, "beside himself," was also in his own 
 way. If people trod upon him accidentally, which they 
 often did, Grumps uttered a solitary heart-rending yell, 
 proportioned in intensity to the excruciating nature of 
 the torture he endured, then instantly resumed his posi- 
 tion and his fascinated stare. Crusoe generally held 
 his head up, and gazed over his little friend at what 
 was going on around him, but if for a moment he per- 
 mitted his eye to rest on the countenance of Grumps, 
 that creature's tail became suddenly imbued with an 
 amount of wriggling vitality that seemed to threaten its 
 separation from the body. 
 
 It was really quite interesting to watch this unblush- 
 ing, and disinterested, and utterly reckless display of af- 
 fection on the part of Grumps, and the amiable way in 
 which Crusoe put up with it we say put up with it, 
 advisedly, because it must have been a very great incon- 
 venience to him, seeing that if he attempted to move, 
 his satellite moved in front of him, so that his only way 
 of escaping, temporarily, was by jumping over Grumps's 
 head. 
 
 Grumps was everywhere all day. Nobody, almost, 
 escaped trampling on part of him. He tumbled over 
 every thing, into every thing, and against every thing. 
 He knocked himself, singed himself, and scalded himself, 
 and in fa<t forgot himself altogether; and when, late 
 that night, Crusoe wont with Dick into his mother's cot' 
 
THE CLOSING SCENE. 379 
 
 tage, and the door was shut, Grumps stretched his ruf- 
 fled, battered, ill-used, and dishevelled little body down 
 on the doorstep, thrust his nose against the opening be- 
 low the door, and lay in humble contentment all night, 
 for he knew that Crusoe was there. 
 
 Of course such an occasion could not pass without 
 a shooting match. Rifles were brought out after the 
 feast was over, just before the sun went down into its 
 bed on the western prairies, and " the nail " was soon 
 surrounded by bullets, tipped by Joe Blunt and Jim 
 Scraggs, and, of course, driven home by Dick Varley, 
 whose silver rifle had now become, in its owner's hand, 
 a never-failing weapon. Races, too, were started, and 
 here again Dick stood preeminent, and when night 
 spread her dark mantle over the scene, the two best 
 fiddlers in the settlement were placed on empty beer 
 casks, and some danced by the light of the monster fires, 
 while others listened to Joe Blunt as he recounted their 
 adventures on the prairies and among the Rocky Moun- 
 tains. 
 
 There were sweethearts, and wives, and lovers at the 
 feast, but we question if any heart there was so full of 
 love, and admiration, and gratitude, as that of the 
 Widow Varley as she watched her son, Dick, through^ 
 out that merry evening. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 Years rolled by, and the Mustang Valley prospered 
 
380 THE CLOSING SCENE. 
 
 Missionaiies went there, and a little church was built, 
 and, to the blessings of a fertile land were added the 
 far greater blessings of Christian light and knowledge 
 One sad blow fell on the Widow Varley's heart. Her 
 only brother, Daniel Hood, was murdered by the In- 
 dians. Deeply and long she mourned, and it required 
 all Dick's efforts and those of the pastor of the settle- 
 ment to comfort her. But from the first the widow's 
 heart was sustained by the loving hand that dealt the 
 blow, and when time blunted the keen edge of her feel- 
 ings her face became as sweet and mild, though not so 
 lightsome, as before. 
 
 Joe Blunt and Henri became leading men in the 
 councils of the Mustang Valley, but Dick Varley pre- 
 ferred the woods, although, as long as his mother lived, 
 he hovered round her cottage going off sometimes for 
 a day, sometimes for a week, but never longer. After 
 her head was laid in the dust, Dick took altogether to 
 the woods with Crusoe and Charlie the wild horse, as 
 his only companions, and his mother's Bible in the 
 breast of his hunting-shirt. And soon Dick, the bold 
 hunter, and his dog Crusoe, became renowned in the 
 frontier settlements from the banks of the Yellow-stone 
 river to the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 Many a grizzly bear did the famous " silver rifle " lay 
 low, and many a wild exciting chase and adventure did 
 Dick go through, but during his occasional visits to 
 
THE CLOSING SCENE. 381 
 
 the Mustang Valley, he was wont say to Joe Blunt and 
 Henri with whom he always sojourned that " no- 
 thin' he ever felt or saw came up to his^rs^ grand dash 
 over the Western Prairies into the heart of the Rocky 
 Mountains." And in saying this, with enthusiasm in 
 his eye and voice, Dick invariably appealed to, and 
 received a ready affirmative glance from, his early 
 companion, and his faithful loving friend, the dog 
 Crusoe. 
 
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The dog 
 
 rusoe 
 
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