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 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 ACROSS THE PLAINS, 
 
 BY LAURA PRESTON, 
 
 AUTHOR OF "YOUTH'S HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA." 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 A. ROMAN & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS. 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO: 
 417 AND 419 MONTGOMERY STEEET. 
 
 1868. 
 
A * 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1868, 
 
 BY A. ROMAN & COMPANY, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States 
 For the Southern District of New York. 
 
TO 
 
 LOUIS A1STD MAEY, 
 
 THE ELDEST 
 
 Off A BEVY OP NEPHEWS AND NIECES, 
 THIS LITTLE WORK 
 
 WITH THE HOPE 
 
 THAT AS IT HAS ALREADY RECEIVED THEIR FAVORABLE CRITICISM, 
 
 IT MAY MEET THAT OF ALL YOUTHFUL LOVEBS 
 
 OF ADVENTURE. 
 
 San Francisco, June, 1868. 
 
BANCROFT LIBRARY 
 
 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 ACROSS THE PLAINS. 
 
 BY LAURA PRESTON. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 IN the village of W , in western 
 
 Missouri, lived Mrs. Loring and her son 
 Guy, a little boy about ten years old. 
 They were very poor, for though Mr. Lor- 
 ing, during his life time was considered 
 rich, and his wife and child had always 
 lived comfortably, after his death, which 
 occurred when Guy was about eight yeaps 
 old, they found that there were so many 
 people to whom Mr. Loring owed money, 
 that when the debts were paid there was 
 
Q A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 but little left for the widow and her only 
 child. That would not have been so bad 
 had they had friends able or willing to 
 assist them, but Mrs. Loring found that 
 most of her friends had gone with her 
 wealth, which, I am sorry to say, is apt 
 to be the case the world over. 
 
 As I have said, when Mrs. Loring be- 
 came a widow she was both poor and 
 friendless, she was also very delicate. She 
 had never worked in her life, and although 
 she attempted to do so, in order to support 
 herself and little Guy, she found it almost 
 impossible to earn enough to supply them 
 with food. She opened a little school, but 
 could get only a few scholars, and they 
 paid her so little that she was obliged also 
 to take in sewing. This displeased the 
 parents of- her pupils and they took away 
 their children, saying " she could not do 
 two things at once." 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 7 
 
 This happened early in winter when they 
 needed money far more than at any other 
 season. But though Mrs. Loring sewed a 
 great deal during that long, dreary winter, 
 she was paid so little that both young 
 Guy and herself often felt the pangs of 
 cold and hunger. Perhaps they need not 
 have done so, if Mrs. Loring had told the 
 village people plainly that she was suffer- 
 ing, for I am sure they would have given 
 her food. But she was far too proud to 
 beg or to allow her son to do so. She had 
 no objection that he should work, for toil 
 is honorable but in the winter there was 
 little a boy of ten could do, and although 
 Guy was very industrious it was not often 
 he could obtain employment. So they 
 every day grew poorer, for although they 
 had no money their clothing and scanty 
 furniture did not know it, and wore out 
 
8 A BOY'S TKIP 
 
 much quicker than that of rich people 
 seems to do. 
 
 Yet through all the trials of the long 
 winter Mrs. Loring did not despair; she 
 had faith to believe that God was bringing 
 her sorrows upon her for the best, and 
 would remove them in his own good time. 
 This, she would often say to Guy when 
 she saw him look sad, and he would glance 
 up brightly with the reply, " I am sure 
 it is for the best, mother. You have al- 
 ways been so good I am sure God will 
 not let you suffer long. I think we shall 
 do very well when the Spring comes. We 
 shall not need a fire then, or suffer for the 
 want of warm clothing and I shall be able 
 to go out in the fields to work, and shall 
 earn so much money that you will not 
 have to sew so much, and get that horrid 
 pain in your chest." 
 
 But when the Spring came Guy did not 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 9 
 
 find it so easy to get work as he had fan- 
 cied it would be, for there were a great 
 many strong, rough boys that would do 
 , twice as much work in the day as one who 
 had never been used to work, and- the 
 farmers would employ them, of course. So 
 poor Guy grew almost disheartened, and 
 his mother with privation and anxiety, fell 
 very sick. 
 
 Although afraid she would die she 
 would not allow Guy to call any of the 
 village people in, for she felt that they had 
 treated her very unkindly and could not 
 bear that they should see how very poor 
 she was. She however told Guy he could 
 go for a doctor, and he did so, calling in 
 one that he had heard often visited the poor 
 and charged them nothing. 
 
 This good man whose name was Lang- 
 ley, went to Mrs. Loring's, and soon saw 
 both how indigent and how ill the poor 
 
10 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 woman was. He was very kind and gave 
 her medicines and such food as she could 
 take, although it hurt her pride most bit- 
 terly to accept them. He also gave Guy . 
 some work to do, and he was beginning 
 to hope that his mother was getting well, 
 and that better days were coming, when 
 going home one evening from his work he 
 found his mother crying most bitterly. He 
 was in great distress at this, and begged 
 her to tell him what had happened. At 
 first she refused to do so, but at last 
 said : 
 
 " Perhaps, Gruy, it is best for me to tell 
 you all, for if trouble must come, it is best 
 to be prepared for it. Sit here on the bed 
 beside me, and I will try to tell you :" 
 
 She then told him that Doctor Langley 
 had been there that afternoon, and had 
 told her very gently, but firmly, that she 
 was in a consumption and would die. 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. H 
 
 "Unless," she added, "I could leave this 
 part of the country. With an entire 
 change of food and air, he told me that I 
 might live many years. But you know, 
 my dear boy, it is impossible for me to 
 have that, so I must make up my mind to 
 die. That would not be so hard to do if 
 it were not for leaving you alone in this 
 uncharitable world." 
 
 Poor Mrs. Loring who had been vainly 
 striving to suppress her emotions, burst 
 into tears, and Guy who was dreadfully 
 shocked and alarmed, cried with her. It 
 seemed so dreadful to him that his mother 
 should die when a change of air and free- 
 dom from anxiety might save her. He 
 thought of it very sadly for many days, but 
 could see no way of saving his mother. 
 He watched her very closely, and although 
 she seemed to gain a little strength as the 
 clays grew warmer, and even sat up, and 
 
12 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 tried to sew, lie was not deceived into 
 thinking she would get well, for the doc- 
 tor had told him she never would, though 
 for the summer she might appear quite 
 strong. 
 
 He was walking slowly and sadly 
 through the street one day, thinking of 
 this, when he heard two gentlemen who 
 were walking before him, speak of Cali- 
 fornia. 
 
 " Is it true," said one, " that Harwood is 
 going there ?" 
 
 " Yes," said the other, " he thinks he can 
 "better his condition by doing so." 
 
 "Do you know what steamer he will 
 leave on ?" asked the first speaker. 
 
 " He is not going by steamer,"' replied 
 the second, " as Aggie is quite delicate, he 
 has decided to go across the plains." 
 
 " Ah ! indeed. When do they start 2" 
 
 " As soon as possible. Mrs. Harwood 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 13 
 
 told ine to-day, that the chief thing they 
 were waiting for, was a servant. Aggie 
 needs so much of her care that she must 
 have a nurse for the baby, and she says it 
 seems impossible to induce a suitable 
 person to go. Of course she doesn't want 
 a coarse, uneducated servant, but some one 
 she can trust, and who will also be a 
 companion for herself during the long 
 journey." 
 
 The gentlemen passed on, and Guy 
 heard no more, but he stood quite still in 
 the street, and with a throbbing heart, 
 thought, " Oh ! if my mother could go 
 across the plains, it would cure her. Oh ! 
 if Mrs. Harwood would but take her as a 
 nurse. I know she is weak, but she could 
 take care of a little baby on the plains 
 much better than she can bend over that 
 hard sewing here, and besides I could help 
 her. Oh ! if Mrs. Harwood would only 
 
14 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 take her. I'll find out where she lives, 
 and ask her to do so." 
 
 He had gained the desired information, 
 and was on his way to Mrs. Harwood's 
 house before he remembered that his mo- 
 ther might not consent to go if Mrs. Har- 
 wood was willing to take her. He knew 
 she was very proud, and had been a rich 
 lady herself once, and would probably 
 shrink in horror from becoming a servant. 
 His own pride for a moment revolted 
 against it, but his good sense came to his 
 aid, and told him it was better to be a 
 servant than die. He went on a little 
 farther, and then questioned himself whe- 
 ther it would not be better to go first and 
 tell his mother about it, and ask her con- 
 sent to speak to Mrs. Harwood. But it 
 was a long way back, and as he greatly 
 feared his mother would not allow him to 
 come, and would probably be much hurt 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 15 
 
 at his suggesting such a thing, he deter- 
 mined to act for once without her knowl- 
 edge, and without further reflection walked 
 boldly up to Mrs. Harwood's door. It was 
 open, and when he knocked some one called 
 to him to come in. 
 
 He did so, although for a moment he 
 felt inclined to run away. There was a 
 lady in the room, ancf four children two 
 large boys, a delicate looking girl about 
 five years old, and a baby boy who was 
 sitting on the floor playing with a kitten, 
 but who stopped and stared at Guy as he 
 entered. 
 
 The other children did the same, and 
 Guy was beginning to feel very timid and 
 uncomfortable, when the lady asked who 
 he wished to see. 
 
 He told her Mrs. Harwood, and the 
 eldest boy said, " That's ma's name, isn't 
 it, ma ? What do you want of ma ? say !" 
 
16 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 Guy said nothing to the rude boy, "but 
 told Mrs. Harwood what he had heard on 
 the street. 
 
 "It is true," she said kindly, "I do 
 want a nurse. Has some one sent you 
 here to apply for the place ?" 
 
 "No, ma'am," he replied, "no one sent 
 me, but but I came of myself be- 
 cause I thought my mother might 
 perhaps suit you." 
 
 " Why, that is a strange thing for a lit- 
 tle boy to do !" exclaimed Mrs. Harwood. 
 
 "Hullo, Gus," cried the boy that had 
 before spoken, " here's a friend of mine ; 
 guess he's the original Young America, 
 'stead of me !" 
 
 " George, be silent," said his mother, 
 very sternly. u Now, child," she contin- 
 ued, turning again to Guy, " you may tell 
 me how you ever thought of doing so 
 strange a thing as applying for a place for 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 17 
 
 your mother, unless she told you to do so. 
 Is she unkind to you ? Do you want her 
 to leave you ?" 
 
 " Oh, no, she is very, very kind," said 
 Guy, earnestly, " and I wouldn't be parted 
 from her for the world." He then forgot 
 all his fears, and eagerly told the lady 
 how sick his mother had been, and how 
 sure he was that the trip across the plains 
 would cure her, and, above all, told how 
 good and kind she was ; " she nursed me," 
 he concluded, very earnestly, "and you 
 see what a big boy I am !" 
 
 Mrs. Harwood smiled so kindly that he 
 was almost certain she would take his 
 mother ; but his heart fell, when she said : 
 " I am very sorry that your mother is sick, 
 but I don't think I can take her with me ; 
 and besides, Mr. Harwood would not like 
 to have another boy to take care of." 
 
 "But I will take care of myself," cried 
 
18 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 Guy, "and help a great deal about the 
 wagons. Oh, ma'am, if you would only 
 take me, I would light the fires when you 
 stopped to camp, and get water, and do a 
 great many things, and my mother would 
 do a great deal too." 
 
 Mrs. Harwood shook her head, and poor 
 Guy felt so downcast that he was greatly 
 inclined to cry. The boys laughed, but 
 the little girl looked very sorry, and said 
 to him : 
 
 " Don't look so sad ; perhaps mamma 
 will yet take your mother, and I will take 
 you. I want you to go. You look good 
 and kind, and wouldn't let George tease me." 
 
 "That I wouldn't," said Guy, looking 
 pityingly upon the frail little creature, and 
 wondering how any one could think of 
 being unkind to her. 
 
 " What is your name ?" asked the little 
 one. 
 
ACEOSS THE PLAINS. 19 
 
 "Guy," he replied, and the boys burst 
 into a laugh. 
 
 " Oh, let us take him with us, ma," 
 cried George, "it would be such capital 
 fun to have a ' guy ' with us all the time, 
 to make us laugh. Oh, ma, do let him 
 go." 
 
 "Yes, mamma, do let him go," said lit- 
 tle Aggie, taking her brother's petition 
 quite in earnest. " I am sure he could tell 
 me lots of pretty stories, and you wouldn't 
 have to tell me ' Bluebeard' and ' Cinder- 
 ella,' until you were tired of telling, and 
 I of hearing them." 
 
 Now Mrs. Harwood was very fond of 
 her children, and always liked to indulge 
 them, if she possibly could, especially her 
 little, delicate Agnes. She thought to her- 
 self, as she saw them together, that he 
 might, in reality, be very useful during 
 the trip, especially as Agnes had taken so 
 
20 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 great a fancy to him ; so she decided, in- 
 stead of sending him away, as she had first 
 intended, to keep him a short time, and if 
 he proved as good a boy as he appeared, 
 to go with him to his mother and see what 
 she could do for her. Accordingly,, she 
 told Guy to stay with the children for an 
 hour, while she thought of the matter. 
 He did so, and as she watched him closely, 
 she saw, with surprise, that he amused 
 Agnes by his lively stories, the baby by 
 his antics, and was successful not only in 
 preventing Gus and George from quarrel- 
 ing, but in keeping friendly with them 
 himself. 
 
 "This boy is very amiable and intelli- 
 gent," she said to herself, " and as he loves 
 her so well, it is likely his mother has the 
 same good qualities. I will go around to 
 see her, and if she is well enough to 
 travel, and is the sort of person I imagine, 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 21 
 
 I will certainly try to take her with 
 
 me." 
 
 She sent Guy home with a promise to 
 that effect, and in great delight he rushed 
 into the house, and told his mother what 
 he had done. At first she was quite 
 angry, and Guy felt very wretchedly over 
 his impulsive conduct ; but when he told 
 her how kind the lady was, and how light 
 her duties would probably be, she felt 
 almost as anxious as Guy himself, that 
 Mrs. Harwood should find her strong and 
 agreeable enough to take the place. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Harwood came the next 
 day, and were much pleased with Mrs. 
 Loring, and perhaps more so with Guy, 
 though they did not say so. The doctor 
 came in while they were there, and was 
 delighted with the project, assuring Mrs. 
 Loring that the trip would greatly benefit 
 her, and privately telling Mr. and Mrs. 
 
22 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 Harwood what a good woman she was, 
 and how willing she was to do any thing 
 honorable for the support of herself and 
 her little boy. So they decided to take 
 her. 
 
 "We will give you ten dollars a 
 month," said they, "so you will not be 
 quite penniless when you get to Cali- 
 fornia." 
 
 Mrs. Loring thanked them most hearti- 
 ly, and Guy felt as if all the riches of 
 the world had been showered down upon 
 them. 
 
 "You look like an energetic little fel- 
 low," said Mr. Harwood to Guy, as they 
 were going away, "and I hope you will 
 contimie to be one, else I shall leave you 
 on the plains. Remember, I'll have no 
 laggards in my train." 
 
 Guy promised most earnestly to be as 
 alert and industrious as could be desired, 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 23 
 
 and full of good intentions and delightful 
 hopes, went back to his mother to talk of 
 what might happen during their TRIP 
 
 ACROSS THE PLAINS. 
 
24 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 CHAPTEE II. 
 
 How quickly the next two weeks of 
 Guy Loring's life flew by. He was busy 
 and therefore Lad no time to notice how 
 often his mother sighed deeply when he 
 talked of the free, joyous life they should 
 lead on the plains. There seemed to her 
 little prospect of freedom or pleasure in 
 becoming a servant ; yet she said but little 
 about it to Guy as she did not wish to 
 dampen the ardor of his feelings, fearing 
 that the stern reality of an emigrant's life 
 would soon throw a cloud over his blissful 
 hopes. Even Guy himself sometimes felt 
 half inclined to repent his impulsiveness, 
 for George Harwood constantly reminded 
 him of it by calling him " Young America " 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 25 
 
 and asking him if lie had no other ser- 
 vants to hire out. 
 
 Guy bore all these taunts very quietly, 
 and even laughed at them, and made him- 
 self so useful and agreeable to every one, 
 that on the morning of the start from 
 
 W , Mr. Harwood was heard to say 
 
 he would as soon be without one of his 
 best men as little Guy Loring. 
 
 It was a beautiful morning in May, 
 1855, upon which Mr. Harwood's train left 
 
 "W . Guy was amazed at the number 
 
 of people, of horses and wagons, and at 
 the preparations that had been made for 
 the journey. Besides Mr. Harwood's family 
 there was that of his cousin, Mr. Frazer ; five 
 young men from St. Louis, and another with 
 
 his two sisters from W . Guy could not 
 
 but wonder that so many people should 
 travel together, for he thought it would 
 have been much pleasanter for. each family 
 
26 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 to be alone, until lie heard that there were 
 a great many Indians upon the plains who 
 often robbed, and sometimes murdered 
 small parties of travelers. 
 
 As the long train of wagons and cattle 
 moved along the narrow streets of the 
 quiet village, Guy thought of all he had 
 read of the caravans that used to cross the 
 desert sands of Arabia. "Doesn't it re- 
 mind you of them T he said, after mention- 
 ing his thoughts to George Harwood who 
 was standing near. 
 
 u Not a bit " he replied with a laugh. 
 " Those great, strong, covered wagons don't 
 look much like the queer old caravans did 
 I guess, and neither the mules or oxen are 
 like camels, besides the drivers haven't 
 any turbans on their heads, and the people 
 altogether look much more like Christians 
 than Arabs." 
 
 Guy was quite abashed, and not daring 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 27 
 
 to make any other comparisons, asked Gus 
 to tell him the name of the owner of each 
 wagon as it passed. 
 
 " The first was father's," he answered 
 readily, " the next two cousin James 
 Frazer's. The next one belongs to Wil- 
 liana Graham, and his two sisters, the next 
 two to the young men from St. Louis, and 
 the other six are basr^a^e wagons." 
 
 oo o o 
 
 Guy could ask nothing more as Mr. Har- 
 wood called to him to help them in driving 
 some unruly oxen that were in the rear of 
 the train. Next he was ordered to run 
 back to the village for some article that had 
 been forgotten, next to carry water to the 
 teamsters, then to run with messages from 
 one person to another until he was so 
 tired, he thoroughly envied George and Gus 
 their comfortable seats in one of the bag- 
 gage wagons, and was delighted at last to 
 hear the signal to halt. 
 
28 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 Although they had been traveling all 
 day they were but a few miles from the 
 village, and the people in spite of the 
 wearisome labors of the day scarcely realized 
 that they had begun a long and perilous 
 journey. To most of them it seemed like 
 a picnic party, but to poor little Guy, it 
 seemed a very tiresome one as he assisted 
 in taking a small cooking-stove from Mr. 
 Harwood's baggage wagon. As soon as it 
 was set up, in the open air, at a short dis- 
 tance from the wagons, he was ordered to 
 make a fire. There was a quantity of dry 
 wood at hand, and soon he had the satis- 
 faction of seeing a cheerful blaze. Asking 
 Gus to take care that it did not go out, he 
 took a kettle from the wagon and went to 
 the spring for water. 
 
 Every person was too busy to notice 
 whether Gus watched the fire or not. Some 
 were building fires for themselves, some 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 29 
 
 unhitching the horses from the traces, un- 
 yoking the oxen, and giving them water 
 and feed. Guy thought he had never be- 
 held so busy a scene as he came back with 
 the water, hoping that his fire was burn- 
 ing brightly. Alas ! not a spark was to 
 be seen, Gus had gone with George to see 
 the cows milked, and poor Guy had to 
 build the fire over again. Although he 
 was very tired he would have gone to 
 work cheerfully enough, had not Mrs. Har- 
 wood, who was wishing to warm some 
 milk for the baby reprimanded him severely 
 for his negligence. He thought the fire 
 would never burn, and was almost ready 
 to cry with vexation and fatigue. Indeed 
 two great tears did gather in his eyes, and 
 roll slowly over his cheeks. He tried to 
 wipe them away, but was not quick enough 
 to prevent George Harwood who had re- 
 turned from milking, from seeing them. 
 
30 A BOY'S TRIP. 
 
 " Hullo !" he cried, catching Guy by the 
 ears and holding back his head that every- 
 body might see his face, " here is ' Young 
 America' boo-hoo-ing, making a reg'lar 
 4 guy' of himself sure enough. Has some- 
 body stepped on his poor 'ittle toe ?" he 
 added with mock tenderness, as if h.e was 
 talking to a little child; " never mind, hold 
 up your head, or you'll put the fire out 
 with your tears; just see how they make it 
 fizzle : why, how salt they must be !" 
 
 Guy had the good sense neither to get 
 angry, or to cry, at this raillery, although he 
 found it hard to abstain from doing both. 
 But he remembered in time that his mother 
 had told him the only way to silence 
 George was to take no notice of him. 
 
 " Guy," said Mrs. Harwood, who had 
 just come from the wagon, with some meat 
 to be cooked for supper, "I want you to 
 go to your mo.ther, and amuse Aggie." 
 
ACROSS THE PLAIN'S. 31 
 
 He went joyfully as lie had not seen his 
 mother since morning. He uttered an ex- 
 clamation of surprise when he entered the 
 was;on in which she was seated, it was so 
 
 O ' 
 
 different from what he had imagined it. 
 It was covered with thick oil-cloth, ^which 
 was quite impervious to rain ; on the floor 
 was a carpet, over head a curious sort of 
 rack that held all manner of useful things, 
 guns, fishing poles and lines, game bags, 
 baskets of fruit, sewing materials, books, 
 and even glass-ware and crockery. Guy 
 thought he had never seen so many things 
 packed in so small a space. There were 
 at the rear of the wagon and along the 
 sides, divans, or cushioned benches, made 
 of pine boxes covered with cloth and pad- 
 ded, so that they made very comfortable 
 seats or beds. As Guy saw no sheets or 
 blankets upon the divans, he was at a loss 
 to know how the sleepers would keep 
 
32 A BOY'S TRIP. 
 
 warm, until his mother raised the cushioned 
 lid of one of the boxes, and showed him a 
 quantity of coverlets and blankets, packed 
 tightly therein. 
 
 There was a large, round lamp suspend- 
 ed from the center of the wagon, and as 
 Guy looked at his mother's cheerful sur- 
 roundings he could not but wonder that 
 she sighed when he spoke of the dark, 
 lonesome lodgings they had left, until he 
 suddenly remembered that she had been 
 nursing the heavy, fretful baby, and trying 
 to amuse Aggie all the day. 
 
 Poor little Aggie was looking very sad, 
 and often said she was very tired of the 
 dull wagon, and was cold, too. Guy told 
 her of the bright camp-fires that were 
 burning beside the wagons, and asked her 
 to go out with him to see them, for 
 although he was very tired and would 
 gladly have rested in the wagon, he was 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 33 
 
 willing to weary himself much more if he 
 could do anything to please the sickly 
 little girl. 
 
 "Oh I should like to go very much," 
 cried Aggie eagerly, " Go and ask ma if I 
 can ! It will be such fun to see the fires 
 burning and all the people standing around 
 them." 
 
 Mrs. Harwood was willing for Guy to 
 take Aggie out, if he would be careful of 
 her, and so he went back and told the 
 anxious little girl. 
 
 " Ah ! but I am afraid you won't take 
 care of me/' she exclaimed hastily. " No 
 body but mamma takes care of me. George 
 and Gus always lets me fall, and then I 
 cry because I am hurt, and then papa 
 whips them, and I cry harder than ever 
 because they are hurt." 
 
 " But we will have no hurting or crying 
 this time," replied Guy as he helped Aggie 
 
34 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 out of the wagon, thinking what a tender- 
 hearted girl she must be to cry to see 
 George Harwood whipped, he was sure 
 that he should not, " for," said Guy to him- 
 self, " we should never cry over what we 
 think will do people good." 
 
 How busy all the people seemed to be 
 as Guy, with Aggie by his side walked 
 among them. Both were greatly pleased 
 at the novel scene presented to their view. 
 Two cooking stoves were sending tip from 
 their black pipes thick spirals of smoke, 
 while half a dozen clouds of the same arose 
 from as many fires, around which were 
 gathered men and women busily engaged 
 in preparing the evening meal. Tea and 
 coffee were steaming, beefsteaks broiling, 
 slices of bacon sputtering in the frying 
 pans, each and every article sending forth 
 most appetizing odors. 
 
 Aggie was anxious to see how her 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 35 
 
 father's baggage wagons were arranged 
 and where they stood. They proved to 
 be the very best of the train, but they 
 were so interested in all they saw and 
 heard that they did not appear long in 
 reaching them. 
 
 " What a nice time we shall have on the 
 Plains." exclaimed Aggie. " I shall want 
 you to take me out among the wagons 
 every night. I never thought such great, 
 lumbering things could look so pretty. I 
 thought the cloth coverings so coarse and yel- 
 low this morning, and now by the blaze of 
 the fires they appear like banks of snow." 
 
 So she talked on until Guy had led her 
 past the fires, the groups were busy and 
 cheerful people, the lowing cattle and the 
 tired horses and mules which were quietly 
 munching their fodder and corn, until they 
 reached the baggage wagons. In one of 
 them they found a lamp burning, and by 
 
36 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 its light they saw how closely it was 
 packed. There were barrels of beef, pork, 
 sugar, flour, and many other articles which 
 were requisite for a long journey. There 
 were boxes too, of tea, coffee, rice, crackers 
 and many other edibles, and in one corner, 
 quite apart from these a number of flasks 
 of powder. There were also several guns, 
 some spades and other tools, and a great 
 many things which Gay and Aggie 
 thought useless, but proved very valuable 
 at a later time. 
 
 " I wonder what papa brought so many 
 guns for ?" said little Aggie. " And all the 
 others have them too. I should think 
 they would be afraid to sleep in a wagon 
 with so many guns and so much powder 
 in it." 
 
 " Men should not be afraid of anything," 
 said Guy very bravely, " and at any rate 
 not of guns and powder, for with them 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 37 
 
 they can guard their lives and property 
 from the Indians." 
 
 " The Indians !" cried Aggie opening 
 her eyes very wide with fright and sur- 
 prise. " Are there Indians on the Plains ?" 
 
 " Yes. But don't be frightened," replied 
 Guy. " They shall not harm you, and per- 
 haps we may not see any." 
 
 " Oh, I hope we shan't. Let us go back 
 to mother, it is getting dark, and I'm so 
 frightened. Oh, dear ! Oh, dear !" 
 
 Aggie's alarm rather amused Guy, but 
 he soothed her very kindly and told her he 
 would take her to her mother, and they 
 had just left the wagon, when a terrible 
 figure, wrapped in a buffalo robe, and 
 brandishing in his hand a small hatchet, 
 jumped with an awful yell into the path 
 before them. 
 
 Poor Aggie caught Guy's arm and 
 screaming with terror begged him to save 
 
38 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 her from the Indian. For a moment Guy 
 himself was startled, then as the monster 
 came nearer he jumped forward, wrested 
 the hatchet from its grasp, and with bands 
 neither slow nor gentle, tore the buffalo 
 robe aside and administered some hearty 
 cuffs to the crest-fallen George Harwood. 
 
 " Let me go," he said piteously. " Don't 
 you see who I am ? I'll tell my father, 
 so I will." 
 
 " You are a fine Indian," said Guy, con- 
 temptuously, "just able to frighten little 
 girls." 
 
 " I can whip you," exclaimed George, as 
 he saw Guy was preparing to lead Aggie 
 to her mother. " Just come on !" 
 
 "No," said Guy, who had already 
 proved the cowardice of his opponent, " I 
 ana quite willing always to protect my 
 master's daughter from Indians, but not to 
 fight his sons." 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 39 
 
 " Bravely spoken my little man," ex- 
 claimed Mr. Harwood, who had approached 
 them unperceived. 
 
 " He's a coward," whimpered George, 
 "he struck me !" 
 
 " I saw all that passed," replied Mr. 
 Harwood, " and I wonder that he acted so 
 well. I shall make him from henceforth 
 Aggie's especial defender, and he can strike 
 whoever molests her, whether it be an 
 Indian or any one else." 
 
 George walked sullenly away, and Mr. 
 Harwood, Aggie and Guy turned toward 
 the camp-fires, and passing three or four, 
 reached that of their own party. At some 
 little distance from it was spread a table- 
 cloth covered with plates, dishes of bread, 
 vegetables and meat, cups of steaming 
 coffee, and other articles. On the grass 
 around this lowly table the family were 
 seated, all cheerful and all by the labors of 
 
40 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 the day blessed with an appetite that 
 rendered their first meal in camp perfectly 
 delicious. 
 
 But for Guy, a dreary hour followed the 
 supper, there were dishes to wash, water 
 to fetch, and fires to pile high with wood. 
 Guy almost envied his mother the task of 
 rocking the baby to sleep, yet was glad that 
 he was able to do the harder work which 
 would otherwise have fallen on her hands. 
 
 It was quite late when all his work was 
 done, and he was able to sit for a few mo- 
 ments by the camp-fire. He had just be- 
 gun to tell Aggie of "Jack, the Giant 
 Killer's" wonderful exploits, when Mr. 
 Harwood rang a large bell, and all the 
 people left their fires and congregated 
 about his. Mr. Harwood then stood up 
 with a book in his hand and told them in 
 a few words what a long and perilous jour- 
 ney they had undertaken, and asked them 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 41 
 
 to join with him in entreating God's bless- 
 ing upon them. He then read a short 
 chapter from the bible and all knelt down 
 while he offered up a prayer for guidance 
 and protection. 
 
 Aggie whispered to Guy, as she bade 
 him " good-night," that after that prayer 
 she should not be afraid of the Indians, 
 and went very contentedly to her mother's 
 wagon, while Guy followed Gus and George 
 to the one in which they were to sleep. 
 
 They were all too weary to talk, and 
 wrapping their blankets around them lay 
 down, and Gus and George were soon fast 
 asleep. Guy lay awake some time, look- 
 ing out at the bright fires the sleeping 
 cattle, the long row of wagons, seeing in 
 fancy far beyond the wide expanse of 
 prairies, the snowy peaks of the Rocky 
 Mountains, and at last in his peaceful 
 sleep, the golden land of California. 
 
42 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 CHAPTEK III. 
 
 IT SEEMED to Guy but a few short 
 moments before he was aroused from sleep 
 by the voice of Mr. Harwood, calling to 
 him to light the fire in the stove. 
 
 He started up, for a moment, thinking 
 
 himself in the poor lodging at "W , and 
 
 wondering why his mother had called him 
 so early. But the sight of the closely 
 packed -wagon, and his sleeping compan- 
 ions, immediately recalled to his remem- 
 brance his new position and its many 
 duties. He hurriedly left the wagon, but 
 as it was still quite dark to his sleepy eyes, 
 he had to wait a few moments and look 
 cautiously around, before he could decide 
 which way to turn his steps. 
 
 The first objects he saw, were the camp- 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 4.3 
 
 fires, which were smouldering slowly away 
 as if the gray dawn that was peeping over 
 the hills w r as putting them to shame. He 
 thought to himself " I am the first up," 
 but on going forward a few steps, found 
 himself mistaken, several of the men were 
 moving briskly about, rousing the lazy 
 horses and oxen, or building fires. 
 
 " I shall have to be quick," thought Guy, 
 " or I stall be the last instead of the first !" 
 and he went to work with such ardor that 
 he had a fire in the stove, and the kettle 
 boiling over it before any one came to 
 cook breakfast. 
 
 He was glad to see that his mother was 
 the first to leave Mr. Harwood's wagon, 
 for he wanted to have a chat with her 
 alone, but his pleasure was soon turned to 
 sorrow when he saw how weary she look- 
 ed. He feared, at first, that she was ill, 
 but she told him that the baby had passed 
 
44: A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 a restless niglit and kept her awake. Poor 
 Mrs. Loring could not take up her new life 
 as readily as Guy, and even while she en- 
 couraged him always to look upon the 
 bright side, she very often saw only the 
 dark herself. 
 
 But no one could long remain dull or 
 unhappy that beautiful spring morning. 
 The dawn grew brighter as the fires died 
 away, and at last the sun extinguished 
 them altogether by the glory of his pres- 
 ence, as he rose above the distant hills. 
 
 Guy thought he had never beheld so 
 lovely a scene. There was the busy, noisy 
 camp before him, and beyond it the calm 
 beauty of freshly budding forests, stand- 
 ing forth in bold relief from the blue sky 
 which bore on its bosom the golden sphere 
 whence emanate all light and heat, God's 
 gifts that make our earth so lovely and so 
 fruitful. 
 
ACROSS THE PLAIN& 45 
 
 Those were Guy's thoughts as he moved 
 about, willingly assisting his mother, and 
 the two young girls who, with their brother 
 
 had left W to seek their fortunes in 
 
 the far "West. Guy pitied them very much 
 for they were unused to work and had at 
 that time a great deal to do. So when he 
 went to the spring for water, he brought 
 also a pailful for them, and when he had a 
 leisure moment, he did any little chores for 
 them that he could. He had not noticed 
 them much the night before, but that 
 morning he became quite well acquainted 
 with them ; discovered that the elder was 
 called Amy, and the younger Came, and 
 that they were both very pleasant, and 
 apreciatlve of all little acts of kindness. 
 
 Before the sun was an hour high, the 
 breakfast had been partaked of, the camp 
 furniture replaced in the wagons and the 
 train put in motion. 
 
46 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 Slowly and steadily the well-trained 
 mules and the patient oxen wended their 
 way towards the Missouri River, and so for 
 nearly two weeks the march was kept up 
 with no incident occurring to break its 
 monotony, save the daily* excitement of 
 breaking camp at noon and after a tiresome 
 walk of a dozen miles or more, building 
 the watch fires at night, and talking over 
 the events of the day. 
 
 I think had it not been for Aggie, Guy 
 would often have fallen to sleep as soon as 
 he joined the circle round the fire, for he 
 was generally greatly wearied by the labors 
 of the day. Every one found something 
 for Guy to do, and as he never shirked his 
 work as many boys do, he found but little 
 time for rest, and none for play. 
 
 So, as I have said, he was usually so 
 tired at night that he would certainly 
 have fallen asleep as soon as he gained a 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 47 
 
 quiet nook by the fire, but for little 
 Aggie, who never failed to take a seat 
 close beside him and ask for a story. So 
 with the little girl on side, Gus on the 
 other, and George seated where he could 
 hear without appearing to listen, Guy 
 would tell them all the wonderful tales he 
 had ever read, and many beside that were 
 never printed or even known before. 
 
 Those hours spent around the glowing 
 fires, were happy ones to the children. 
 Even George, when he looked up at the 
 countless stars looking down upon them 
 from the vast expanse of heaven, was 
 quieted and seldom annoyed either Guy or 
 his eager listeners by his ill-timed jests or 
 practical jokes. 
 
 "I wash," said little Aggie one even- 
 ing, when she was sitting by the fire 
 with her curly head resting on Guy's 
 arms, " that you would tell me where 
 
48 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 all the pretty sparks go when they fly 
 upward." 
 
 " Why, they die and fall to the earth 
 again," exclaimed George, laughing. 
 
 "Idontthink they do," replied Aggie, 
 "I think the fire-flies catch them and carry 
 them away under their wings." 
 
 " And hang them for lamps in butter- 
 flies' houses," suggested Guy. 
 
 "Oh yes," cried Aggie, clapping her 
 hand in delight. " Do tell us about them, 
 Guy ! I am sure you can !" 
 
 So Guy told her about the wonderful 
 bowers in the centre of large roses where 
 the butterflies rest at night, of the great 
 parlor in the middle of all, whose w r alls 
 are of the palest rose and whose ceiling is 
 upheld by pillars of gold, and of the bed 
 chambers on either hand with their crimson 
 hangings and their atmosphere of odors so 
 sweet that the very butterflies sometimes 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 4# 
 
 become intoxicated with its deliciousness, 
 and sleep until the rude sun opens their 
 chamber doors and dries the dew-drops 
 upon their wings. And he told them too, 
 how the butterflies gave a ball one night. 
 All the rose parlors were opened and at 
 each door two fire-flies stood, each with a 
 glowing spark of flame to light the gay 
 revellers to the feast. 
 
 For a long time they patiently stood 
 watching the dancers, and recounting to 
 each other the origin of the tiny lamps 
 they held. 
 
 " I," said one, "caught the last gleam from 
 a widow's hearth, and left her and her 
 children to freeze ; but I couldn't help that 
 for my Lady Golden Wing told me to 
 bring the brightest light to-night." . 
 
 " Yet you are scarcely seen," replied his 
 companion, " and 'tis right your flame 
 should be dull, for the cruelty you showed 
 
50 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 toward the poor widow, I caught my light 
 from a rich man's fire and injured no one, 
 and that is how nay lamp burns brighter 
 than yours." 
 
 "At any rate I have the comfort of 
 knowing mine is as bright as that of some 
 others here." 
 
 "Nay even mine is brighter than yours," 
 cried a fly from a neighboring rose. "I 
 would scorn to get my light as you did 
 yours. I caught mine from the tip of a 
 match with which a little servant-maid 
 w r as lighting a fire for her sick mistress. 
 It was the last match in the house too, and 
 it made me laugh till I ached to hear how 
 mistress and maid groaned over my fan." 
 
 " You cannot say much of my cruelty 
 
 when you think of your own," commented 
 
 
 
 the first, " nor need you wonder that your 
 lamp is dull. But look at the light at my 
 Lord Spangle Down's door, it is the most 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 51 
 
 glorious of them all, and held by poor little 
 Jetty Back ! Jetty Back ! Jetty Back, 
 where did you light your lamp to-night?" 
 
 " I took the spark from a shingle roof, 
 beneath which lay four little children 
 asleep," she modestly answered. " It was 
 a fierce, red spark, as you still may see, and 
 it threatened to burn the dry roof and the 
 old walls, and the children too. So I 
 caught it up and bore it away, and the 
 children sleep in safety while I shine 
 gloriously here." 
 
 " And so," concluded Guy, " a good deed 
 will shine, and glow, ages after evil and 
 cruel ones are forgotten." 
 
 "That is a pretty story," said Aggie, 
 contentedly, "and I am going to bed now 
 to dream all night of the good fly, and her 
 fadeless lamp. Good-night, dear Guy, 
 don't forget that pretty story, for you 
 must tell it again to-morrow." 
 
52 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 BUT on the morrow neither the story of 
 the fire-flies or any other was told, for late 
 in the afternoon they arrived at Fort 
 Leavenworth, which is situated on the 
 western border of Missouri, and was then 
 the last white settlement that travelers saw 
 for many hundreds of miles. 
 
 All felt very sad the next morning 
 when the train proceeded on its way. 
 Many of them thought they were leaving 
 civilization and its blessings forever be- 
 hind, and as they looked toward the vast 
 prairie of the West they remembered with 
 a shudder how many had found a grave 
 beneath its tall grass. But there was no 
 delaying or turning back then, and so 
 they slowly continued their way, pausing 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 53 
 
 but once to give a farewell cheer for the 
 flag that floated from the fort, and to look 
 at their rifles and say, " We are *ready for 
 whatever may come !" 
 
 To Guy it seemed impossible that any 
 one could long remain sad in the beautiful , 
 country they were entering upon. As far 
 as the eye could reach lay a vast expanse 
 of prairie, upon which the sunbeams lay 
 like golden halo, making the long, rich 
 grass of one uniform tint of pale green. 
 Then a gentle breeze would come and ruf- 
 fle the surface of this vast sea of vegeta- 
 tion, and immediately a hundred shades, 
 varying from the deepest green to the 
 lightest gold, would dance up and down 
 each separate blade, producing the most 
 wonderful chaos of colors. A great va- 
 riety of the most lovely and delicate 
 flowers, too, nestled beneath the grass, and 
 sent forth sweet odors to refresh the trav- 
 
54: A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 eler as he. passed. Guy gathered them by 
 handsful and gave them to Aggie, who 
 wove them into long wreaths which she 
 hung around the wagon, when she declared 
 it looked like a fairy bower. 
 
 At midday they stopped to rest. The 
 mules and oxen were turned out to graze 
 on the luxuriant grass, and a small party of 
 the men rode a short distance from camp 
 in 'search of game. Guy would have 
 greatly liked to accompany them, but as 
 Mr. Harwood did not tell him to do so, he 
 remained contentedly behind, assisting his 
 mother to take care of the baby, and 
 anxiously wondering when she would 
 become strong and well, for she still 
 looked as pale and weak as when they 
 left W . * 
 
 He was speaking to his mother of this 
 and hearing very thankfully her assurance 
 that she felt better, if she did not look so, 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 55 
 
 when Gus and George caine up to him, 
 and rapidly told him that their father had 
 gone to the hunt and had left his powder 
 flask behind and that their mother said he 
 
 was to take it to them. 
 
 <t 
 "But he is on horseback," said Guy, 
 
 " and I should never be able to walk fast 
 enough to overtake him. I'll go and speak 
 to Mrs Harvvood about it.' 7 
 
 " Indeed you won't !" exclamed George, 
 " she says you are not to bother her, but to 
 go at once. You will be sure to meet 
 papa, because he said they would not go 
 farther than that little belt of cotton-wood 
 trees which you see over there." 
 
 " Why, he did not go that way at all," 
 cried Guy in astonishment. " He left the 
 camp on the other sidet" % r 
 
 " Well, I know that," returned George, 
 " but they were going toward that belt of 
 
56 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 trees, anyway. Didn't papa tell mamma 
 so, Mrs. Loring ?" 
 
 " Hallo ! where has she gone to ?" 
 
 "She went into the wagon before you 
 began to speak to me," said Guy, not very 
 well pleased with the cunning look in 
 George's face. 
 
 "Oh, did she? All right ! Here, take 
 the flask and hurry along, or mamma will 
 give it to you for lagging so. I wish I 
 could go with you and see the hunt." 
 
 Guy was so fearful that he would do so 
 whether he had permission or not, that he 
 hurried away without farther thought, and 
 was soon quite alone on the great prairie. 
 I think he would not have gone so fast 
 had he heard George's exultant laugh as he 
 turned to Gus with* the remark, " Isn't it 
 jolly he's gone, but if you tell that I sent 
 him away, I'll break your bones." 
 
 Gus had , a very high regard for Lis 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 5? 
 
 bones, perhaps rather more than for the 
 truth, for he promised very readily to say 
 nothing of what had passed, and indeed 
 thought it an excellent joke, and laughed 
 heartily. 
 
 Meanwhile Guy walked on in the direc- 
 tion George had pointed out to him, 
 wondering as he forced his way through 
 the tall grass, how Mr. Harwood could 
 consider it enough of importance to send 
 him with it. He walked a long distance 
 without finding any traces of Mr. Harwood 
 and his party, and looking back saw that 
 the wagons appeared as mere specks above 
 the grass. For a moment he felt inclined 
 to turn back, but he remembered that his 
 mother had told him always to finish any- 
 thing he undertook to accomplish, and so 
 stepped briskly forward quite determined 
 to find Mr. Harwood if it was at'all possi- 
 ble to do so. 
 3* 
 
58 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 It was a long time before he looked 
 back again for lie did not like to be 
 tempted to return, and when he did so he 
 was startled to find that the wagons had 
 entirely disappeared. In great affright he 
 looked north, east, west and south, but all 
 jn vain. 
 
 At first he ran wildly about, uttering 
 broken ejaculations of alarm, then he sat 
 down and burst into tears, it was so dread- 
 ful to be on that vast prairie alone. He 
 soon grew calm for his tears relieved his 
 overcharged heart. He arose and looked 
 carefully around, and for the first time 
 noticed that the trees which had seemed 
 but a short distance from the camp, looked 
 as far off as ever. 
 
 " It is plain," said he to himself, " that 
 those trees are at a great distance. Of 
 course, Mr. Harwood could calculate their 
 distance though I could not, and would 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 59 
 
 i 
 
 certainly never have ventured so far 
 to hunt. George must have "been mis- 
 taken." 
 
 Then he wondered that the flask he had 
 so long carried in his hand had not op- 
 pressed him by its weight. With many 
 misgivings he opened it, and found that he. 
 had been most basely, cruelly deceived. 
 The flask was empty. 
 
 I think it is not surprising that Guy was 
 very angry, and made some very foolish 
 vows as to how he would " serve George 
 out " if he ever gained the camp again. 
 Ah ! yes, if he ever gained it ! But the 
 question was how he was to do so, for the 
 long prairie grass quite covered the tracks 
 he had made and he was uncertain from 
 what point he had come, and there was 
 nothing in that great solitude to indicate 
 it. 
 
 Oh, how Gfuy wished that the tall grass, 
 
60 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 which he had thought so beautiful, was 
 level with the earth, "Then I should be 
 able to see the wagons," he thought, " but 
 they have now moved on into some slight 
 hollow, and I may never see them more." 
 
 Oh ! how bitterly he reproached himself 
 for his foolish trustfulness in George Har- 
 wood, and again for ever having persuaded 
 his mother to undertake such a perilous 
 journey. For even then he thought more 
 of his mother's sorrow than his own dan- 
 ger, saying again and again : " I shall be 
 lost, and my mother's heart will break. 
 Oh, my dear, dear mother ?" 
 
 u Well, well !" he exclaimed aloud, after 
 spending a few moments in such sad reflec- 
 tions, " it is no, use for me to stand here. 
 There is one thing certain, I can meet 
 nothing worse than death on this prairie 
 if I go back, and if I stay here it will 
 certainly come to me, so I will try to make 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 61 
 
 for the wagons, and if I fail I shall know 
 it is not for the want of energy." 
 
 So he forced his way again through the 
 rank grass, this time with his back to the 
 belt of trees, though he knew that they 
 were growing by the side of water, for 
 which he was eagerly wishing, for the sun 
 was very hot, and as he had taken nothing 
 since morning he was fast becoming faint 
 with hunger and thirst. 
 
 At last the air grew cooler and a slight 
 breeze sprang up, but although it refreshed 
 Guy's weary body, it brought nothing but 
 anguish to his niind, for he knew that the 
 sun was setting. 
 
 In despair he lifted his voice and halloed 
 wildly, crying for help from God and man, 
 but no answer came, while still the sky 
 grew a deeper blue, the sun a more glori- 
 ous scarlet, till at last when it had gained 
 its utmost magnificence, it suddenly drop- 
 
62 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 ped beneath the prairie,' the green grass 
 grew darker and darkef, and at last lay 
 like a black pall around poor Guy, as he 
 stood alone in the awful solitude. 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 63 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 For a time poor Guy sat upon the ground 
 helpless, and hopeless, listening intently to 
 the rustling movements of the numerous 
 small animals, that wandered about seek- 
 ing food ; fearing to move, lest he should 
 encounter a prairie wolf, or some other 
 ferocious beast, and equally afraid to re- 
 main still, lest they should scent him there. 
 
 There was but one thing % he could do, 
 he felt then, and that was to put his trust 
 in God, and entreat His guidance and pro- 
 tection. So, in the agony of his terror, he 
 prostrated himself upon the ground, and 
 offered up his petitions. The very act of 
 praying comforted him, and when he lifted 
 up his eyes, he was rejoiced to see a few 
 bright stars shining in the sky. 
 
64 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 " I think the moon will rise in about an 
 Lour," thought Guy, looking eagerly around, 
 with a faint hope that she might even then 
 be peering above the horizon ; and truly, 
 like a far off flame of fire, she seemed to 
 hang above the prairie grass. 
 
 With great joy Guy waited for her to 
 rise higher, and throw her glorious light 
 across the wild, but she appeared almost 
 motionless ; and in much amazement at the 
 singular phenomenon, he involuntarily 
 walked rapidly toward the cause of his sur- 
 prise, looking intently at it still. Suddenly 
 he paused, and burst into a fit of laughter, 
 exclaiming rapturously ; " It is no moon ; 
 it is a camp fire ! There ! I can count one, 
 two, three, of them, They are the fires of 
 our own camp. Hurrah !" 
 
 In his excitement, he ran eagerly for- 
 ward, shouting and laughing, but was sud- 
 denly tripped by the thick grass and 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 65 
 
 thrown headlong. As he was quite se- 
 verely hurt, he walked on much more so- 
 berly, but still at a brisk pace, towards 
 the steadily brightening fires. 
 
 The inoon he had so anxiously looked 
 for, gave no indication of her presence in 
 the heavens, and so Guy's progress was 
 much retarded for the want of light, for 
 the stars were often overwhelmed by great 
 banks of clouds, and gave but a feeble ray 
 at best. 
 
 " It is becoming very cold," thought 
 Guy as he shivered in the rising wind, " I 
 fear there is going to be a storm ; Oh, 
 what will become of me if it finds me 
 here !" 
 
 Suddenly he paused, thinking for a 
 moment that he heard shouting at a dis- 
 tance, but he listened for a long time, and 
 heard no more, and continued his walk 
 slowly and wearily, quite unable to repress 
 
66 A BOY'S TEIP 
 
 liis fast falling tears. He was so very 
 tired, so hungry, and so cold, it was with 
 the utmost difficulty he could force his 
 way through the coarse grass. Very often 
 too he was startled "by some prowling 
 animal, and thought with horror of all the 
 tales he had read of boys being torn to 
 pieces by wild beasts. He especially 
 remembered one he had read in an old 
 primer, of little Harry who was eaten by 
 lions for saying " I won't" to his mother. 
 He was thankful to know, that there were 
 no lions on the prairies, and that he had 
 never said "I won't," to his mother, but 
 he very much feared he had said things 
 just as bad, and that prairie wolves, or 
 even a stray bear, might be lying in wait 
 to devour him for it. 
 
 Just as he had reached this stage of his 
 reflections, he fancied he heard some an- 
 imal in pursuit of him. Without pausing 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 6T 
 
 even for an instant to listen, he set off at 
 full speed toward the still glowing fires, 
 till his precipitate flight was arrested by 
 some obstacle, over which he fell, reaching 
 the ground with a shock that almost 
 stunned him. 
 
 As soon as he recovered his senses, he 
 attemped to rise, but to his dismay, found 
 that he could not stand. A sudden 
 twinge of pain in his right ankle prostra- 
 ted him, as quickly as if he had been 
 shot. 
 
 He thought at first that his leg was 
 broken, but after a careful examination, 
 came to the conclusion that his ankle was 
 sprained, but even a broken leg would 
 not have been a greater misfortune then, 
 for he was unable to walk, and was suffer* 
 ing the most excrutiating pain. 
 
 I think no one can imagine what poor 
 Guy suffered, for the rest of that long 
 
68 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 night. There he lay helpless, in sight of 
 the camp fires, but quite unable to reach 
 them or to give any indications of his 
 whereabouts to his friends. There he lay 
 dying with pain, and hunger, and cold, 
 yet suffering more in mind, than from all 
 of these bodily evils, because he knew that 
 his mother must know of his absence from 
 the camp, and was wildly bemoaning the 
 loss of her only child. 
 
 The long wished-for moon at length 
 arose, hours after Guy had expected her, 
 but too soon he thought when she made 
 her appearance, for the camp fires grew 
 dim beneath her rays, and he had to strain 
 his aching eyes to see them at all. But he 
 had not long to bemoan her presence, and 
 to say, that she hid the light of home from 
 him, for she soon plunged into a great 
 bank of clouds; a fearful blast of wind 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 69 
 
 swept by, and Guy was drenched with 
 rain. 
 
 Oh, it was terrible, that passing storm ! 
 Short as it was, it appeared to Guy to last 
 for hours, long after it had passed over 
 him, he heard it wildly sweeping on, but 
 as it grew fainter, and fainter, the calmness 
 that came upon the night overpowered 
 him, and he fell into a troubled sleep. It 
 seemed but a short time before he again 
 awoke, yet the grey dawn was struggling 
 in the east, and the little birds were hop- 
 ping from blade to blade of the wet grass 
 twittering cheerily as if to thank God- for 
 the refreshing rain. 
 
 Poor Guy saw all this as if in a dream. 
 He fancied he had been transformed into 
 an icicle, and that some one had built a 
 fire at his head, and was slowly melting 
 him. He had no idea where he was, and 
 talked constantly to his mother, whom he 
 
70 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 fancied was beside Lira, entreating her to 
 put out the fire that was consuming him. 
 
 Suddenly he heard his name called, and 
 realizing his position, and springing to his 
 feet, in spite of. his wounded limb, halloed 
 loudly, waving his white handkerchief and 
 signaling frantically to a horseman that 
 appeared in the distance. For a few dread- 
 ful moments he was unheard, and unseen, 
 then a shout of joy, answered his screams, 
 and the horseman galloped rapidly toward 
 him, and in a few minutes the poor boy 
 lay fainting, but saved, in the arms of 
 James Graham ! 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Guy knew no more for, many hours. 
 "When he regained his senses, he found 
 himself in Mrs. Harwood's wagon lying 
 upon one of the divans. His mother was 
 bending anxiously over him, and burst 
 into a flood of joyful tears when she saw 
 that he recognized her. Nothing could 
 exceed Guy's joy at seeing her again 
 though with traces of deep anxiety upon 
 her face. Indeed, so delighted was he at 
 his escape from death, that he was inclined 
 to regard every one with favor ! Even 
 George Harwood, who a few days after his 
 return to the camp, came to him, according 
 to his father's instructions, to confess his 
 uukindness and to ask pardon for the pain 
 he had caused him. 
 
72 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 " I just thought I would send you off on 
 a fool's errand," said he, "but I never 
 thought you would go so far, and frighten 
 us nearly to death, and most kill yourself. 
 I was so scared when you didn't come back 
 I didn't know what to do. Father missed 
 you, but thought you were somewhere 
 about the wagons, and I dared not tell 
 him you were not ; but Gus turned coward 
 during the afternoon, and told that I had 
 sent you away and then didn't I catch it ?" 
 and George grimaced most dolefully, point- 
 ing to poor Guy's sprained ankle, and de- 
 claring that the pain of that was nothing 
 to what he had had in his back for days 
 past. 
 
 Mrs. Loring came in then, and sent him 
 away, as Guy had been ill with fever ever 
 since his night's exposure, and could bear 
 but little excitement. It was nearly two 
 weeks before he could rise, and they had 
 
ACEOSS THE PLAINS ' 73 
 
 even then to carry him from place to place, 
 because he could not bear his weight upon 
 his wounded limb. It fretted him sorely 
 when they camped at night, to see how 
 hard she must have worked while he lay 
 ill ; yet he could but perceive that she 
 looked better and stronger than she had 
 done since his father's death, and joyfully 
 felt that the excitement and toil of a jour- 
 ney across the plains would restore his 
 mother to health, whatever might be the 
 effect upon him. 
 
 How kind they all were to him during 
 the time he was slowly regaining his 
 health and strength. Aggie sat by him 
 constantly, in her childish way telling him 
 of the wonders she daily saw, or coaxing 
 him to tell her some pretty tale. Mrs. 
 Harwood always smiled upon him when 
 she passed, and Amie and Carrie Graham 
 often asked him to their wagon, and lent 
 
74 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 him books, or talked to him of the home 
 they had left, and that which they hoped 
 to find. 
 
 All the men missed Guy so much, lie 
 had always been so useful and good na- 
 tured. Mr. Harwood daily said, that there 
 should be a jubilee in camp when Guy got 
 well again. But he recovered so gradually 
 . that he took his old place in the train by 
 almost imperceptible degrees, and was at 
 the end of a month as active as ever. 
 
 They were then on the borders of the 
 Rio Platte, or Nebraska River, in the 
 country of the Pawnee Indians. They 
 were about to leave behind them the vast, 
 luxuriant prairie, and enter upon what 
 may more properly be called the plains. 
 Guy was not sorry to see the thick grass 
 become thinner and thinner, for he re- 
 membered that amid its clustering blades 
 he had nearly lost his life, and therefore 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 
 
 looked with nmcli complacency upon the 
 broad, shallow river, along which their 
 course lay ; the sandy loam beneath their 
 feet, and the sand hills that arose like 
 great billows of earth, rolling in regular 
 succession over the level surface. George 
 and Gus thought the country most dreary 
 and wretched, and would scarcely believe 
 Guy, when he told them of a desert called 
 Sahara, that had not even a blade of grass 
 upon it, save an occasional oasis, many 
 miles apart, and which were often sought 
 for, by the weary traveler, as he had him- 
 self sought the camp, during his terrible 
 night on the prairie. 
 
 "It can't be worse than this," they 
 eagerly contended, "I don't believe even 
 Indians live here." 
 
 But they were soon convinced to the 
 contrary, for a few days afterwards Guy 
 started them by the exclamation "see 
 
76 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 the Indians ! There are the Indians 
 coming !" 
 
 George very boldly told them to " come 
 on/' but Gus went close to Guy, and declared 
 that such mere specks as they saw in the 
 distance couldn't be Indians ; yet was sud- 
 denly most anxious to know whether they 
 were cannibals, and if so, whether he looked 
 a tempting morsel or not. 
 
 Guy could not help laughing at his ques- 
 tions, although he himself felt quite un 
 % easy at the approach of the wild hunters 
 of the prairies, which were seen rapidly 
 drawing near to them. The men in the 
 train formed a closer circle about the wag- 
 ons, and hastily inspected their rifles, while 
 Mr. Harwood gave them instructions how 
 to proceed in case of an attack. 
 
 " That, however, he did not greatly ap- 
 prehend, as they soon perceived the In- 
 dians were but a small party of middle- 
 
ACROSS TlIE PLAINS. tf 
 
 aged, or old men, and ^squaws, and it is 
 seldom such a party attempts to molest 
 any number of travelers. 
 
 However, Mr. Harwood thought it best 
 to keep them at a safe distance, and when 
 they approached within a hundred yards 
 of the train, suddenly commanded them to 
 halt by raising his right hand with the 
 palm in front, and waving it backward 
 and forward several times. They, upon 
 this, stopped their horses, and consulted 
 together a few moments, then fell into a 
 
 o / 
 
 posture indicative of rest. Then, Mr. Har- 
 wood raised his hand again and moved it 
 slowly from right to left. This they 
 understood to mean "who are you?" One 
 of the oldest of them immediately replied 
 by placing a hand on each side of the fore- 
 head, with two fingers pointing to the front, 
 to represent the narrow, sharp ears of a 
 wolf." 
 
78 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 They are Pawnees, said Mr. Harwood. 
 Ah ! there is the chief making signs that 
 they wish to talk with us." 
 
 A long conversation "by means of signs, 
 in the use of which the prairie Indians are 
 very expert, was then carried on between 
 Mr. Harwood and the old chief. Remem- 
 bering his promise to Aggie, to protect 
 her from the Indians, Guy went to Mrs. 
 Harwood's wagon to assure her there was 
 no danger, and that he would remain near, 
 and then took a stand behind the wagon 
 where he could see and hear all that 
 passed. 
 
 He was soon joined by George and Gus, 
 for Guy was always so calm and collected 
 that they felt quite safe near him, though 
 he was no stronger or older than them- 
 selves. 
 
 They all watched the Indians with much 
 interest, and were surprised to see that 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 79 
 
 instead of being giants, as accounts of their 
 cruel and wonderful deeds had led them 
 to expect, they were of medium height. 
 In place of the horrible face, and the flam- 
 ing eyes they had pictured,* they saw the 
 countenances of these Indians were intelli- 
 gent, and although of course of a bright 
 copper hue, were in some instances quite 
 handsome. The hair of the men was very 
 long, and streamed like black pennants, 
 upon the wind. Their arms, shoulders, 
 and breasts were quite naked, and their 
 dress consisted only of deer skin, with a 
 cloth wound around the lower part of the 
 body. One or two were covered with buf- 
 falo robes, of which every warrior carries 
 one, in which he wraps himself when cold. 
 Guy thought that the men as they sat 
 proudly upon their beautiful horses, hold- 
 ing in their hands long bows made of the 
 tough wood of the osage orange, which is 
 
80 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 as supple as elastic, looked very noble 
 and fine. Their bows were about eight 
 feet long and were wound around with the 
 sinews of deer, and strung with a cord of 
 the same. The arrows were about twenty 
 inches long, of flexible wood, with a tri- 
 angular point of iron at one end, and two 
 feathers intersecting each other at right 
 angles, at the opposite extremity." 
 
 This description Guy quoted to his com- 
 panions, from a book he had once read, 
 and they saw at once how perfectly true it 
 was. While they were astonished at the 
 appearance of the men, they were much 
 diverted at that of the women. They 
 were very short and ugly ; each had her 
 hair cut short, and they were dressed the 
 s.une as the men with the addition of a 
 skirt of dressed deer skin. Their faces 
 were tattooed in the most uncouth devices, 
 and altogether they appeared quite hide- 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS 81 
 
 ous, as they sat upon their horses, in the 
 same position as the men, regarding with 
 much interest the movements of their chief 
 who had been made to understand that he 
 might come alone to the train. 
 
 At first, he seemed doubtful about the 
 propriety of such an act, but his wish for 
 gain soon overcame his caution, and he 
 rode up to Mr. Harwood, making many 
 signs and protestations of friendship, which 
 were returned most graciously. After a 
 long series of compliments had passed be- 
 tween them, the old chief gave Mr. Har- 
 wood to understand that his people were 
 hungry and needed sugar, corn, and many 
 other things. Mr. Harwood replied by say- 
 ing there were many deer upon the prairie, 
 which they could kill, that they themselves 
 had but little provision but would give 
 
 them some beads, and bright paints, in 
 4* 
 
82 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 token of the good feeling of the whites 
 toward them. 
 
 At that the old man was delighted, for the 
 Indians are very fond of beads and all 
 kinds of ornaments, and of paints, with 
 which they daub their faces and arms in 
 the most grotesque manner, upon any grand 
 occasion. But the old chief disdained to 
 exhibit any satisfaction, and smoked the 
 pipe, that had been offered him, in the most 
 indifferent manner while the presents were 
 being procured from the wagons. 
 
 "When the old man had entered the 
 vamp, George and Gus thought it prudent 
 to retreat to their mother's wagon, from 
 whence, they could look out and see all 
 that was going on. Aggie, on the contrary 
 was so anxiouo to have a nearer view of 
 the Indians, when she found them so much 
 less terrible than she had imagined, that 
 she begged her mother to allow her to 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. $3 
 
 stand with Guy outside the wagon, and 
 after some little hesitation, Mrs. Harwood 
 permitted her to do so. 
 
 When Guy lifted the little girl from 
 the wagon, the savage gave a grunt of sur- 
 prise, and gazed for a long time upon her 
 with such evident admiration that Guy 
 was greatly afraid he would take a fancy 
 to carry her off. But Aggie, herself en- 
 tertained no such fears, and after looking at 
 the old man curiously for some little time, 
 approached him slowly and examined his 
 strange dress, the circular shield covered 
 with buffalo hide that was strapped on 
 his left arm, and the formidable war-club 
 that lay at his side. It was made of a 
 stone, about two pounds in weight, round 
 which a withe of elastic wood was bound, 
 being held in its place by a groove which 
 had been formerly cut in the stone. The 
 two ends of the withe formed a handle 
 
84: A BOY'S TJRIP 
 
 about fourteen inches long, and were 
 bound together with strips of buffalo hide, 
 which rendered it strong and firm, totally 
 preventing it from either splitting down, 
 of breaking when used, as no doubt it often 
 was, with great force, upon the heads of 
 unfortunate enemies. 
 
 The old chief allowed Aggie to examine 
 all those things with the greatest good 
 nature, and when she touched his quiver of 
 arrows, and asked him to give her one, he 
 grunted assent ; so she took the prettiest 
 one, and after admiring it for some time, 
 nodded and smiled, and walked toward 
 Guy with the prize in her hand. But im- 
 mediately the Indian darted to his feet, 
 frowning with anger, and sprang toward 
 the frightened child. Mr. Harwood and 
 most of the men believed for the moment 
 that he was indeed about to attempt to 
 carry her off, and with loud voices bade 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 85 
 
 him stand back, and levelled their rifles 
 upon him, to enforce obedience. The old 
 man raised his hand, and immediately the 
 whole force on the prairie commenced 
 galloping toward them. 
 
 " Aggie give him his arrow !" cried Guy 
 at this juncture, "he misunderstood you; 
 he thinks you have stolen his arrows ! Give 
 it to him." 
 
 She did so, the old man released her, 
 and she fled to the wagon like a frightened 
 deer. With a few expressive gestures Guy 
 explained to the Indian the mistake that 
 had been made, and at the same time it 
 became evident to Mr. Harwood and his 
 party. The chief signaled to his party 
 to retire, and in less time than it has 
 taken to describe it, peace was restored ; 
 whereas but for Guy's presence of mind a 
 terrible battle might have followed Aggie's 
 innocent freak. 
 
86 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 But, notwithstanding that peace had 
 been restored, they were all glad when the 
 chief took up his presents and went back 
 to his motley followers, and even more so, 
 when they put their horses to their utmost 
 speed, and returned to their lodges ; where 
 no doubt they gave to their tribe an as- 
 tounding account of the adventure of their 
 chief in the camp of the white man. 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 37 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 FOE some time after the encounter with 
 the Indians, which happily ended so peace- 
 fully, the train moved on without meeting 
 with any adventures. George and Gus 
 thought the days passed very drearily, and 
 longed for some excitement, but Guy was 
 altogether too busy to feel dull. Mrs, 
 Harwood's baby was quite sick, and as 
 Mrs. Loring's time was fully taken up in 
 attending to him, Guy had double work 
 to do. 
 
 You would be surprised if I should tell 
 you half that he did. Of all the fires he 
 built ; the oxen he fed ; the water he car- 
 ried, and even the breakfasts and suppers 
 he helped to cook. And he did it all in 
 the best manner of which ho was capable 
 
88 A -BOY'S TRIP 
 
 too. Although the first biscuits he made 
 were heavy, the next were light as down, 
 for he inquired into the cause of his failure 
 and rectified it, and by doing that in every 
 case he soon learned to do perfectly all 
 that he undertook. 
 
 Most children would have thought the 
 life of constant toil which Guy led very 
 wretched indeed ; but he did not, for he had 
 daily the gratification of perceiving that 
 the great object of their journey across the 
 plains was being gradually accomplished ; 
 his mother's health was slowly becoming 
 strengthened, by every step they took 
 toward the snowy mountains, beyond 
 which lay the fruitful valleys in which 
 they hoped to find a home. 
 
 But, as the days passed by, they greatly 
 feared that one of their number would 
 never reach there ; the baby boy grew 
 worse. The cooling breezes that brought 
 
THE PLAINS. 89 
 
 health to his weakly sister, seemed fraught 
 with death for the lately blooming boy. 
 Guy was greatly saddened by the suffer- 
 ings of the child, and by the grief of its 
 parents, and shuddered when he saw the 
 bones of animals which lay by thousands 
 bleaching upon the desert, and once was 
 filled with horror on coming across a hu- 
 man skull, which the prairie wolves had 
 dragged from some shallow grave, and 
 separated far from its kindred bones. The 
 idea that the body of the poor little baby 
 should meet such a fate, filled him with 
 sorrow, and although it had always seemed 
 to him a natural and peaceful thing that 
 the temple of clay should rest under its 
 native dust, after the flight of the soul, he 
 thought that the Indian mode of sepulture, 
 of which they saw examples every day, 
 by far the best. 
 
 Very often they saw a curious object in 
 
90 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 the distance, and two of the party, riding 
 forward to examine it, would report an 
 Indian place of burial. Guy had himself 
 gone forward once and found, to his sur- 
 prise, two forked poles, some six or eight 
 feet high, supporting something wrapped 
 in a blanket. This something was a dead 
 Indian, who in this strange position, with 
 his weapons in his hands, was waiting his 
 summons to the " happy hunting grounds." 
 
 On his return to the train, Guy hastened 
 to find Aggie, to tell her of what he had 
 seen. She was listening very attentively, 
 when George ran up, exclaiming : " Look 
 at the rats ! there are thousands of rats on 
 the plains !" 
 
 Aggie looked in the direction indicated 
 by her brother, and crying : " Oh, the 
 dreadful rats," was about to run away, 
 when Guy stopped her, telling her, laugh- 
 ingly, that they were the wonderful little 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 91 
 
 prairie dogs, of which they had heard so 
 much. 
 
 Truly enough when she gained courage 
 to look at the little animals, she saw that 
 although they at first sight resembled rats, 
 on closer inspection they appeared even 
 more like squirrels. The children were 
 greatly entertained by watching their 
 quick, active movements, as they darted 
 about through the low grass. A very 
 busy community they appeared to be, and 
 with plenty to gossip about. To Aggie's 
 delight Guy pretended to translate their 
 quick, chirruping barks into our own lan- 
 guage. Some he said were telling how a 
 monster rattlesnake had come to visit them 
 without any invitation, and that the only food 
 he would eat, was the youngest and fattest 
 of their families; and that their constant 
 intruders, the owls, had the same carnivor- 
 ous tastes, besides which they rendered 
 
92 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 themselves particularly disagreeable, "by 
 standing in the doors and staring at every 
 dog that went by, and even preventing the 
 entrance of visitors, to the great distress 
 of all the belles and beaux in town. 
 
 All this may have been very true, for 
 the excited little creatures talked so con- 
 tinuously that I am sure they must have 
 had some grievance, and the children 
 thought it must be the owls that stood 
 solemnly at the entrance of many of the 
 burrows. They did not see the rattle- 
 snakes, so even Aggie somewhat doubted 
 the tales of their ferocity, which Guy said 
 the little prairie dogs related. 
 
 But although these little creatures were 
 such chatterers, they appeared very indus- 
 trious, for many hillocks of sand indicated 
 where their homes were burrowed. Each 
 little hole was occupied by a pair of dogs, 
 one of which was often seen perched on 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 93 
 
 tlie apex like a sentinel. But like many 
 other sentinels, they appeared on the watch 
 for danger, not to combat, but to avoid it, 
 for they darted like a flash into their holes 
 whenever a lean, prowling wolf stalked near 
 them, or even a prairie hen flew by. 
 
 " I wish you would tell us a story about 
 prairie dogs," said Aggie to Gruy, that eve- 
 ning when they were gathered around the 
 camp-fire. 
 
 " I am afraid it is impossible for me to do 
 that,' 7 he replied, "for very little seems to 
 be known about them. Naturalists have 
 never paid much attention to them, curious 
 as they are." 
 
 " But the Indians must know something 
 about them," said Gus. 
 
 " Yes, I suppose so," returned Guy, for 
 before the white man came to annoy them, 
 they had nothing to do but to watch ani- 
 mals and learn their habits, that they 
 
94: A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 might know which were fit for food, and 
 which was the easiest way of killing them. 
 Air, yes, now that I have been thinking 
 about it, I do remember a story that the 
 Indians tell about the prairie dogs !" 
 
 " Oh tell it !" cried Aggie, eagerly ; Gus 
 seconded the request, and even George 
 drew nearer, for Guy had a great reputa- 
 tion as story teller in the camp. 
 
 " It is rather a long tale," said he, " but 
 the Indians say, a true one. It happened 
 years and years ago when each animal un- 
 derstood the language of all others, and 
 men conversed with them as readily as 
 with themselves. 
 
 "In those days each tribe had its sorcer- 
 ers, or wise men, who pretended to cure 
 not only all diseases but to control the 
 destinies of men. They were accordingly ^ 
 held in great veneration by their simple- 
 minded dupes, as are their few descendants, 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 95 
 
 which even at this day practice in a lesser 
 degree the arts of their forefathers. 
 
 " Well, it happened that when these men 
 were more powerful among the tribes than 
 the chiefs themselves, that they combined 
 together to wrest from the hands of these 
 the commands that they held, in order that 
 they might hold the people both in bodily 
 and mental subjection. There had for a 
 long time existed a tradition among them, 
 that when a daughter of a chief an only 
 child, should love a brave of an un- 
 friendly tribe, they would have power to 
 change her into a flower or animal, and 
 unless the brave should find the means 
 within ten moons, or months, to brake 
 the enchantment, she would die, and with 
 her every chieftain and his family. Accord- 
 ingly these wicked sorcerers found constant 
 pretexts for involving the tribes in war, 
 especially if they supposed that the only 
 
96 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 daughter of a chieftain loved a brave of 
 another tribe ; but for many years all their 
 arts were in vain, for the Indians were so 
 passionate and revengeful that immediately 
 an affront was given or received, violent 
 hatred vanquished love, and the chiefs and 
 their families were saved. 
 
 " The sorcerers were almost in despair of 
 ever obtaining the entire authority they 
 craved, when it came to pass that two 
 rival tribes met upon the plains, and as 
 was usual in such cases, a battle was 
 fought. The Ohoolee tribe were victo- 
 rious, and killed many of the Gheelees and 
 also took many of them prisoners. Among 
 the latter, was the only daughter of the 
 chief Sartahnah, the beautiful Mahdrusa. 
 
 " Great was the consternation of her tribe, 
 for this maiden was held more precious by 
 them, than a hundred braves. She was 
 more graceful than the fairest flower that 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 97 
 
 grew upon the prairie ; her hair was longer 
 than the grass by the riverside and 
 blacker than the night ; her eyes were like 
 those of the young fawn, and her voice 
 was sweeter than a breeze laden with the 
 song of birds. There was not a chieftain 
 or brave of the Gheelee's but would have 
 laid down his life for her, and great was 
 the grief and shame that befell them when 
 she was taken captive by the Ohoolees. 
 
 "From that day there was continual 
 war wa^ed between the two tribes. The 
 
 o 
 
 Ohoolees acted on the defensive, the 
 Gheelees on the offensive. Never a week 
 passed but that a party of braves went 
 forth to attempt the rescue of the beauti- 
 ful Mahdrusa from the lodges of the enemy. 
 The chief, her father, to increase if possible 
 the zeal of the braves promised her hand 
 to him who should deliver hsr. There 
 was great rejoicing when this was made 
 
 5 
 
98 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 known, for all loved Mahdrusa, though, 
 she cared for none. Her rescue was 
 attempted with a thousand times more 
 eagerness than before, and one day 
 Anoctah, the bravest of all the Gheelees, 
 led her in triumph to her father's wig warn 
 and demanded his reward. 
 
 "Mahdrusa heard him with dismay, and 
 clasping her father's knees, sank down 
 before him, and entreated him to give 
 Anoctah some other treasure. 
 
 " The old chief told her that was impos- 
 sible, and Mahdrusa wept so loudly that 
 the whole tribe gathered about the lodge 
 and asked what had befallen the beautiful 
 daughter of Sartahnah. But she would say 
 nothing, yet wept continually, so that the 
 sorcerers said the spirit of the rivers was 
 within her, and that they alone, could 
 deliver her from it. 
 
 "Now these men had reasoned together 
 
ACROSS THE PLAIN'S. 99 
 
 over her strange malady, and said, ' She 
 mourns so much over her betrothal to 
 Anoctah because she loves a brave of an 
 unfriendly tribe. Let us then take her 
 from her father, and place her in the great 
 medicine lodge where we can work our 
 enchantments upon her, and make our- 
 selves rulers of all the tribes.' 
 
 " So in the night they took her from her 
 father's wigwam into the great medicine 
 lodge,- which was hung about with the 
 herbs they used in their incantations, and 
 had in the centre a great heap of stones, 
 within which was a fire burning. 
 
 "Beside these stones, which were kept 
 constantly hot, they made Mahdrusa sit 
 down, and while she still wept, her tears 
 fell upon the stones, and a great vapor 
 arose, 'which the sorcerers condensed upon 
 clay vessels into drops of water as pure as 
 crystal, and with them and the herbs that 
 
100 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 hung around, made a decoction so powerful 
 that when they had forced Mahdrusa to 
 drink it, she lost all power and reason, and 
 her spirit lay passive in the hands of her 
 tormentors. 
 
 " ' We will take it from her "body,' said 
 they, 'and place it where no brave will 
 ever discover it. 
 
 "'Let it fly to the centre of the wild 
 rose/ said one. But the others demurred, 
 saying her lover would certainly seek it 
 there. 
 
 " ' Better hide it under the thick skin of 
 the buffalo,' said another. 
 
 " ' No !' they answered, ' the brave that 
 Mahdrusa loves must be a fearless hunter, 
 therefore his arrow would bring her forth.' 
 
 "In short, they talked of every flower and 
 beast on the prairie, but found in all some 
 fault, until the most cunning of all men- 
 tioned the prairie dogs. 'No one would 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 101 
 
 look for her in their miserable holes,' said 
 he, i and they are such chatterers that the 
 magpies, themselves, would nofc have pa- 
 tience to listen to them.' 
 
 " So it was agreed that her spirit should 
 dwell as a prairie dog, and before long out 
 sprang one from a reeking cauldron of 
 herbs, and they took k to the holes of the 
 prairie dogs and left it there, placing be- 
 side it a terrible serpent, that all others 
 might be afraid to approach it, and an owl 
 at the door, as a sentinel that would stand 
 looking patiently for an enemy both night 
 and day, and never breathe to the gossips 
 around her the tale of the princess that 
 was prisonecl within. 
 
 "And that was how the rattlesnake and 
 owl became sharers in the homes of the 
 prairie dogs, and it was with these awful 
 companions that the spirit of Mahdrusa 
 spent many weary days. Meanwhile her 
 
102 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 body lay in the medicine lodge of her 
 people,, and the sorcerers said that her soul 
 had ascended to the stars, where, in ten 
 moons, she would be purified from her sin 
 .and return to her body, or that it would 
 die, and moulder away. 
 
 " This news soon spread over the prairies, 
 but the brave that Mahdrusa loved would 
 not believe it. He knew the wicked de- 
 sires of the sorcerers, and believed that she 
 was a flower on the prairie, and that he 
 was appointed to rescue her. 
 
 "So he went forth and cut down every 
 flower that he found, and he toiled so 
 ceaselessly that before two moons had 
 passed not a blossom remained, and still 
 he found not his beautiful Mahdrusa. 
 Then he made a strong bow, and arrows 
 that could not miss the mark, and he slew 
 the beasts of the prairie by hundreds, yet 
 he could not find his lov^. And so nine 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 1Q3 
 
 moons passed by, and Mahdrusa was still 
 in her horrible captivity, and the brave 
 that sought her was bowed down as if by 
 years, with the weight of his sorrow, and 
 his body was so steeped in the blood of 
 the animals he had slain that he w^as 
 redder than clay, and his descendants con- 
 tinue so to this very time. All the beasts 
 of the prairie had he slain in his terrible 
 anger, and all the people had fled to the 
 mountains for food, thither he thought he 
 would follow them, and he sat down upon 
 a ridge of sand, to strengthen his bow, and 
 sharpen his arrows, when, lo ! quite un- 
 mindful of him, a thousand little creatures 
 he had fancied too insignificant to notice, 
 sprang forth from their holes, and gathered 
 in groups for their daily gossip. 
 
 " They angered him so greatly by their 
 chatter that he placed an arrow on his bow 
 to fire amono-st them, when his hand was 
 
 o / 
 
104 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 stayed by hearing a curious tale that a gay 
 young dog was telling. 
 
 " l She lives next to my mother's lodge,' 
 said he, ' and the poor thing never appears 
 > either to eat or drink. I took her a deli- 
 cate slice of cactus myself, but I dropped 
 it in a terrible fright, for a great serpent 
 darted towards me, and an owl sprang for- 
 ward and devoured my youngest brother 
 before he had time to utter a squeak.' 
 
 " The brave rejoiced when he heard these 
 words, and springing up, went in search of 
 the captive prairie dog. Many weary days 
 he sought in vain. He asked of her where- 
 abouts from every insect he met, but none 
 could give him any information, and the 
 prairie dogs, under the spell of the sor- 
 cerers, were silent on that topic, at 
 least. 
 
 " There was but a day left in which he 
 could act. Almost in despair, he wan- 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 1Q5 
 
 dered about the prairie dog town, vainly 
 looking for his love. 
 
 " At last he remembered that a queer old 
 woman whom he had met, while hunting 
 one day, had told him that she was his 
 guardian fairy, and had given him two 
 little pieces of stone which he was to 
 strike together if ever he was in great 
 trouble, and she would appear and help 
 him. 
 
 " He had taken but little notice of the 
 old woman at the time, supposing her to be 
 a conjurer or evil worker, and he had drop- 
 ped the little stones into his pouch, where 
 they had long lain forgotten. Without 
 daring to hope that they would be of any 
 use, he took them out, and struck them 
 together. A tiny spark of fire fell from 
 them upon some dry grass at his feet, a 
 flame sprang up, and lo ! out of it stepped 
 the old woman he sought. 
 
 5* 
 
106 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 " ' So you have called me at last !' said 
 she, ' what is it that I shall do V 
 
 "'Lead me, kind fairy, to the hiding 
 place of the beautiful Mahdrusa,' he re- 
 plied. 
 
 " So she went before him to a part of the 
 prairie that, in all his wanderings, he had 
 not visited. But, strangely enough, before 
 his" feet the grass turned into briars, 
 through which he only with the greatest 
 difficulty could force his way. Every 
 timid hare became a wolf, each gentle 
 fawn a raging buffalo, but the brave went 
 on undaunted, brandishing his war-club, 
 and keeping his formidable foes at bay. 
 Never for a moment did he allow fear to 
 gain possession of him for he knew if he 
 did he should be lost. It was only faith 
 and courage that could carry him safely 
 through that enchanted ground. 
 
 " ' Stop !' cried the fairy, when he had 
 
ACROSS THE PLAIN'S. 1QY 
 
 passed unscathed through a thousand dan- 
 gers. ' Mahdrusa p before you !' 
 
 " But before he could look for her, the 
 owl flew like a fierce hawk in his face, and 
 pecked at his eyes, and the rattlesnake 
 sprang upon him burying its deadly fangs 
 into his -arm. The brave almost lost his 
 courage then, but he heard Mahdrusa, 
 though in the voice of a prairie dog, en- 
 treating him to save her. He caught the 
 serpent in his hands, and seizing its jaws, 
 tore it asunder, and wrapped its writhing 
 body around his wound, while at the same 
 moment the fairy called up a terrible wind 
 that blew the owl far away, and to the 
 arms of the young warrior, the little 
 prairie dog that held the soul of Mah- 
 drusa. 
 
 " So was half the task of the lover accom- 
 plished ; yet all his toil would be in vain 
 if he could not before the .moon set that 
 
108 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 night place her soul in the body it had 
 before tenanted. But he was many leagues 
 from the lodge in which it lay, and he 
 knew that by his own power he could 
 not hope to reach it in time, so he called 
 upon the good fairy again, and she turned 
 a rabbit into a fleet courser that bore the 
 lover and the enchanted maiden, over the 
 prairie with the swiftness of wind. 
 
 " The moon was but a few inches, it ap- 
 peared, above the horizon, when they 
 reached the lodge. By command of the 
 sorcerers all the people had returned from 
 the mountains to see whether the spirit of 
 Mahdrusa would come from the stars, or 
 her body, which all this time had lain as 
 if in a deep sleep, take upon itself the 
 signs of death. All were gathered in the 
 great lodge. The cauldron of herbs from 
 which the enchanted prairie dog had 
 emerged was boiling over the fire, and 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 109 
 
 around it the sorcerers were standing. 
 Before them lay the body of the beautiful 
 Mahdrusa, and beside it stood her father 
 and Anoctah. 
 
 " Into the lodge, into the midst of all the 
 people, the young brave sprang ! The war- 
 riors of the Gheelees raised their war 
 clubs when they saw one of the hated 
 Ohoolees, but the young brave cried, 
 1 strike me not, for I bear the soul of Mah- 
 drusa !' 
 
 " Then they all fell back and Anoctah 
 said, ' Restore it to her body, and she shall 
 be thine, if she loves thee better than me.' 
 
 " But the sorcerer^ sprang upon him, and 
 tried to tear the little prairie dog from hk 
 bosom, but the fairy cried : 
 
 " i Hold her with thy right hand into the 
 cauldron and she shall be saved !' 
 
 11 So he broke away from the sorcerers and 
 plunged the enchanted one into the boil- 
 
110 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 ing cauldron, unheading the agony he suf- 
 fered or the cries of the little animal he 
 held, and in a moment the moon plunged 
 beneath the horizon ; Mahdrusa arose from 
 her long sleep ; the sorcerers fell into the 
 boiling cauldron and were consumed ; and 
 all the people shouted for joy, and with 
 one accord cried that the Ohoolees should 
 from henceforth be their brothers, and the 
 young brave who had rescued Mahdrusa, 
 their chieftain, when her father was called 
 to the happy hunting grounds. 
 
 " The next day the marriage of the young 
 brave and Mahdrusa was celebrated with 
 great splendor. And, bShold, after the cere- 
 mony was over, a beautiful young maiden 
 stood in the place where the old woman 
 had been. 
 
 " ' I too was enchanted by those wicked 
 sorcerers, and condemned to wear the form 
 of an old woman until I should make two 
 
ACROSS THE PLAIN'S. HI 
 
 young hearts perfectly happy. I Lave 
 completed my task to-day.' 
 
 " Then Anoctah who had been very sor- 
 rowful, looked up, and seeing the beautiful 
 maiden, forgot his love for Mahdrusa, and 
 entreated the stranger to be his wife. 
 
 " She loved him well and consented, and 
 thus made a third heart joyful as those of 
 the young Ohoolee brave and his beautiful 
 Mahdrusa. 
 
 "And they lived happily together all 
 their lives," quoted Aggie, from the fairy 
 tales she had heard. "Why, Guy, that 
 was a long story," she added yawning, 
 " and it has made me so sleepy I shall 
 go to bed. Good-night !" 
 
 " Good-night," returned Guy, not -very 
 well pleased that she should be so sleepy, 
 and fearing that his story must have been 
 very stupid as well as long. Perhaps it 
 was because of this, that he sat down by 
 
112 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 the fire again when she was gone instead 
 of going to bed as he usually did, and it 
 was from sitting there that he got into 
 trouble on the following day, and to tell 
 you what his trouble was shall be the 
 duty of the next chapter. 
 
ACKOSS THE PLAINS. H3 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 
 
 u I SAY," said George, slapping Guy on 
 the shoulder, the moment after his father 
 bade them " good-night " and went to his 
 wagon, telling them to go to theirs, " I say, 
 I have got the best thing to tell you, and 
 we'll have the greatest fun, if you don't 
 turn sneak and try to get out of it." 
 
 " I'm not likely to turn sneak !" re- 
 torted Guy very indignant that he should 
 be thought capable of such a thing. 
 " What are. we to have such fun at ? I 
 don't think you will find that I shall shirk 
 it," 
 
 Now, Guy never would have said that 
 without knowing what George's fun was 
 to be, had he not been vexed at Aggie's 
 
114: A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 cool reception of his story, and at some 
 other things that had happened through 
 the day. He was in a very restless, dis- 
 satisfied temper, and, as many other boys 
 do under those circumstances, he felt like 
 doing any wild thing that was suggested 
 to him, without inquiring whether it was 
 right or wrong. 
 
 George saw that, and, greatly delighted, 
 said : " I told Gus I didn't believe you 
 would back out, and we will have such a 
 jolly time ! You know there are num- 
 bers of antelopes on the plains here, and I 
 heard James Graham say this morning, 
 that there would be sure to be a great 
 many of them go down to that little 
 creek to drink just as soon as the moon 
 
 rose." 
 
 " Well," said Guy, wondering greatly 
 what the herd of antelopes had to do with 
 their fun. 
 
ACKOSS THE PLAINS. H5 
 
 " Well," returned George, " I have been 
 reading a book that tells all about hunting 
 them. That was what I was doing when 
 pa thought me so studious to-day, and I 
 found out how to hunt them at night, and 
 it's just as easy as can be. You have only 
 to creep up to them silently, and you can 
 shoot them down by dozens." 
 
 " Like partridges ?" commented Guy, in 
 a tone of doubt. 
 
 " You needn't laugh at what I say," re- 
 turned George. " You can ask Gus if it 
 isn't so, and if you don't believe him, I'll 
 show you the book." 
 
 " Oh ! I believe it all, of course !" said 
 Guy, hastily ; " but I don't see what dif- 
 ference it makes to us, for we have nothing 
 to hunt antelopes with." 
 
 " There are plenty of guns in the wag- 
 on," said George, in a low voice, and I 
 don't see why we shouldn't use them." 
 
116 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 Guy was greatly startled at this speech, 
 for Mr. Harwood had told all the boys 
 never to touch one of the guns. He re- 
 minded George of that, but he only 
 laughed, and began a glowing account of 
 the glorious time they would have in 
 creeping toward the creek, in the moon- 
 light, and shooting down the antelopes as 
 they beat their heads to drink. 
 
 Guy's imagination was highly excited 
 by George's words, and from being the 
 most unwilling, he became the most anx- 
 ious that the midnight hunt should be 
 attempted, quite forgetting Mr/Harwood's 
 commands in thinking of the triumph they 
 might have in the morning, in exhibiting 
 two or three dead antelopes. 
 
 He readily assented to George's proposi- 
 tion, that they should then proceed to the 
 wagon, and choose their guns. No induce- 
 ments or threats, even to the breaking of 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. H7 
 
 his bones, would induce Gus to touch 
 one. 
 
 "Then," said George, '*' you shall carry 
 this small hatchet, and a knife, so that we 
 shall be able to cut the horns and tails off 
 the antelopes that we can't bring home 
 with us. I don't suppose we shall be able 
 to carry more than one apiece." 
 
 After securing their guns, they left the 
 camp very cautiously, each one going a 
 different way, and all meeting at a point 
 about a quarter of a mile from the camp, 
 on the banks of the little stream, where 
 they expected the antelopes would come to 
 drink. 
 
 They stayed there in silence for some 
 time, for Guy, remembering his former 
 experience on the prairie, was afraid to 
 venture for even a moment out of sight of 
 the camp-fires. But at last they all 
 became so impatient at remaining so still 
 
A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 and seeing nothing, that they ventured, 
 very cautiously, a little farther up the 
 stream. Guy took the lead, and very often 
 would stop, and motion to his companions 
 to do likewise, whenever he fancied he 
 heard any noise. 
 
 Thus two very tiresome hours passed 
 away, and Gus was very crossly protest- 
 ing against staying any longer, when Guy 
 motioned him very eagerly to be still, and 
 with great triumph pointed to a number of 
 animals that, one by one, very slowly and 
 cautiously, were going down to the water 
 to drink. 
 
 They were very slender and graceful, 
 about the size of a small deer, and covered 
 with coarse, wiry hair, and bearing upon 
 their small, well-formed heads a pair of 
 branching horns. 
 
 They descended to the water, without 
 exhibiting any signs of suspicion or fear, 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. H9 
 
 for the boys, quite by accident, Lad got to 
 the leeward of them that is, where the 
 wind would not pass from them to the 
 antelopes, and give to the keen animals 
 notice of their presence. 
 
 " Now,'* whispered Guy, excitedly, 
 " wait until you see them stoop their heads 
 to drink, and then fire at them ! Now- 
 ready!" 
 
 Both boys raised their guns and fired. 
 There was a terrible concussion. Both 
 were thrown flat upon their backs, with 
 the idea that their heads, or at least their 
 noses, were shot off, and away stampeded 
 the antelopes, as fast as their slender legs 
 would carry them. 
 
 Gus began to howl and cry most wildly, 
 believing that his brother and Guy were 
 both killed. They, however, soon con- 
 vinced him that they were both alive, by 
 rising, each declaring his nose was broken, 
 
120 ^ BOY'S TRIP 
 
 and pointing to the flowing blood as proof 
 of it 
 
 George was terribly enraged, chiefly at 
 the gun, which he declared had " kicked" 
 him. Guy, on his part, was very much 
 vexed with George, for having brought 
 him on such a profitless adventure; but 
 though he was suffering very much from 
 his rashness, the whole thing appeared to 
 him so ridiculous, that he laughed long 
 and heartily. 
 
 " I believe you would laugh if you were 
 dying," grumbled George, as they stood 
 together by the side of the creek, washing 
 their face. " Pretty figures we shall make 
 to-morrow, sha'n't we? And pa will 
 give it to you to-morrow, too, for taking 
 the guns." 
 
 "You told me to do it!" retorted Guy, 
 sullenly, but quite alarmed at the thought 
 of Mr. Har wood's impending wrath, as 
 
ACROSS THE PLAIN'S. 
 
 well as angry at himself for having done 
 anything to incur it. 
 
 George answered him very rudely, and 
 then followed a quarrel between the two, 
 which was at last brought to an abrupt 
 termination by a terrible scream from Gus. 
 They looked toward him, and saw, with 
 horror, an immense panther, but a short 
 distance off, making ready for a spring. 
 
 The boys were transfixed with horror, as 
 they saw his glaring eyes fixed upon them. 
 
 They saw him crouch like an immense 
 cat, preparing to spring upon its prey. 
 They saw a sudden flash of fire before 
 their eyes, heard the report of a gun, and, 
 with as much fear as joy, beheld the terri- 
 ble monster spring high into the air, and 
 fall to the ground, tearing up the ground 
 with its claws, and foaming at the mouth, 
 in agony. Another shot ended its strug- 
 gles and its life together. 
 c 
 
122 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 The boys uttered cries of joy for their 
 delivery from the terrible death with 
 which the panther had threatened one, or 
 perhaps even all, of them ; but they were 
 very much frightened to see that their deliv- 
 erer was Mr. Harwood. 
 
 He looked at them very sternly and 
 said 
 
 "You may be very thankful that I 
 heard the reports of your guns and came 
 in search of you, or your disobedience 
 might have been punished most fearful- 
 ly." 
 
 With great sorrow and shame they felt 
 that his words were true, as they stood 
 beside the dead panther, and looked at his 
 long claws, and the firm white teeth in his 
 large mouth. 
 
 Gus burst into tears, and said he knew 
 the horrible creature was making straight 
 for him, and eagerly assured his father 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 123 
 
 that he would never disobey him again in 
 his life. 
 
 George and Guy were quite ready to 
 make the same promise, but Mr. Harwood 
 looked so stern that they dared not speak 
 to him, and Guy felt utterly wretched 
 when, instead of scolding him, Mr. Har- 
 wood looked at him very sorrowfully, and 
 said: 
 
 "I am disappointed in you, Guy! I 
 thought I could trust you." 
 
 " Tne next thing, I heard the reports of 
 the guns, and immediately* surmised where 
 you were. I was so anxious about you, 
 that I would not call one of the others, 
 but came immediately in pursuit of you, 
 and it is well that I did." 
 
 " How was the baby, when you left f ' 
 asked the conscience-stricken Guy. 
 
 " Dying," returned Mr. Harwood, em- 
 phatically. 
 
A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 Guy waited to hear no more, but darted 
 forward, reaching the camp some minutes 
 before his companions. He saw that sev- 
 eral in the train were up, and some called 
 after him, asking where he had been. 
 Without stopping to answer them, he ran 
 on to Mrs. Harwood's wagon, and seeing 
 it all alight within, sprang to the front, 
 and hastily putting the canvas door aside, 
 asked how the baby was. 
 
 His mother came over to him, crying and 
 wringing her hands 
 
 " Oh, Guy !" *she cried, " where have you 
 been ? How wicked you were to leave us 
 so, when the baby was dying !" 
 
 Guy knew not what to say he had no 
 excuse to offer, for he never thought of 
 putting the blame on George. He, there- 
 fore, kept silent, and in a most miserable 
 state of mind, followed Mr. Harwood and 
 his sons to the camp. 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 125 
 
 Gus kept close to his father all the way, 
 crying out every minute or two that he 
 saw another panther, and at last asking 
 how it was that their absence from camp 
 was discovered. 
 
 " The baby was very ill," answered Mr. 
 Harwood, gravely. "He was in convul- 
 sions, and your mother wanted to put him 
 in a hot bath. I went to call Guy to help 
 us, and then found you were gone." 
 
 "And what did you do then 2" asked 
 Gus. 
 "" Oh, mother !" he cried, " is he dead !" 
 
 "Yes," she answered. "He died while 
 you were laughing and sporting. I 
 should think you would never enjoy 
 yourself again, while you can remember 
 that." 
 
 Guy looked at the little babe, lying 
 dead on its mother's lap, and thought, 
 indeed, that he never should be happy 
 
126 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 again. Aggie added to his distress by 
 looking at him sternly, with her widely- 
 opened eyes, and crying: 
 
 " Go away, you bad, bad boy ! I will 
 never love you again." 
 
 "And Mr. Harwood will never trust 
 me," thought Guy, bitterly, as he left the 
 wagon, and passed Mr. Harwood and his 
 sons, who were about to enter it. 
 
 Guy slept but very little that night ; in 
 the first place, his bruised face was very 
 painful, and he was, besides, haunted by 
 the remembrance of Mr. Harwood's re- 
 proachful glance, when he had said he had 
 been deceived in him; and he wondered 
 if he would carry into execution the threat 
 he had made before they left home, and 
 greatly feared that he would, for he felt 
 that he had been quite disobedient, 
 and seemingly ungrateful enough, to be 
 left alone on the prairie. 
 
ACROSS THE PLAIN'S. 127 
 
 The train did not move on as early the 
 next morning as usual, for the poor little 
 baby was buried upon the banks of the 
 little stream where the boys had so nearly 
 lost their lives. 
 
 Guy thought he had never witnessed 
 so sad a scene as when they laid the beau- 
 tiful baby, that looked as pure and sweet 
 as a white lily, in the rough coffin that 
 some of the young men had hastily made, 
 and carried him to a lonely spot, that per- 
 haps no feet had ever trod before, and, 
 breathing a prayer over him, left him to 
 his long sleep, far from the place of his 
 birth, or that for which his kindred were 
 bound, and where never a tear would be 
 dropped above him, or a sigh breathed. 
 
 Guy's only comfort was, and, perhaps, 
 too, that of the poor baby's father and 
 mother, that he could not be quite alone, 
 even when they left him, for God would 
 
128 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 watch over him; and he could not but 
 rejoice that they had not been forced to 
 leave him in the shifting sands of the 
 desert, but that a green tree bent over 
 him, and grass would spring above the 
 sod in which he lay. 
 
 Poor little Aggie was quite broken- 
 hearted at the loss of her poor little play- 
 fellow, and, quite forgetting her anger 
 went to Guy for comfort. * 
 
 After he had said all he could to cheer 
 her, he told her of his own troubles, and 
 how sincerely sorry he was, for having 
 disobeyed her father. Aggie listened very 
 attentively, and at last said : 
 
 "Perhaps papa will forgive you. I 
 know he will, if you go to him and tell 
 him how sorry you are, and promise him 
 you will never be so wild and disobedient 
 again." 
 
 "That I will," said Guy readily. "I 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 129 
 
 would do anything to merit his kindness 
 
 once more." 
 
 But it was several days before Guy 
 could summon courage to speak to Mr. 
 Harwood, who treated him very coldly, 
 seldom asking him to do anything, and 
 never intrusting the care of even the 
 slightest article to him. Guy every day 
 grew more and more miserable, while Gus 
 and George congratulated themselves upon 
 their father's silence, and almost forgot 
 that they had ever incurred his displeasure. 
 
 " But, if the baby hadn't died, wouldn't 
 he have 'whaled* us, though !" ejaculated 
 George, one day. 
 
 Guy was shocked and surprised to hear 
 him speak so lightly, and, without more 
 ado, left him, and going to Mr. Harwood, 
 told him how grieved he was for his diso- 
 bedience, and begged him to forgive him, 
 
 and restore him to his confidence again. 
 6* 
 
130 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 "I will forgive you, Guy," said Mr. 
 Harwood, kindly ; " but I cannot place 
 any trust in you again, until you show 
 yourself worthy of it. 
 
 "I will show myself worthy P ex- 
 claimed Guy, firmly. "I will, indeed, 
 Mr. Harwood, and at the same time show 
 my gratitude for your kindness." 
 
 And scarcely a week passed before Guy 
 fulfilled his promise. 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 131 
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 " I believe it is snowing over yonder/' 
 cried Aggie to Guy one day, pointing to 
 the west, where, truly enough, as far as the 
 eye could reach, the earth appeared per- 
 fectly white. 
 
 " It does look like snow," returned Guy, 
 looking intently in the direction she indi- 
 cated, " but it is now June, and we certain- 
 ly ought not to encounter such a fall as 
 that appears to be, besides, there is a per- 
 fect glare of sunshine there ! Ah, I have 
 it ! That is not snow, but alkali !" 
 
 " What is alkali ?" asked Aggie. " Is it 
 cold ! Will it melt ?" 
 
 " I don't know," answered Guy, " let us 
 ask Mr. Graham, he will be able to tell us 
 all about it." 
 
132 A BOY ' S TRn> 
 
 / 
 So that very evening when the train 
 
 stopped to encamp for the night, they 
 waited until Mr. Graham had finished his 
 work, and Guy had done all that was re- 
 quired of him, and then went to the camp- 
 fire of the Grahams. 
 
 They were very warmly welcomed, for 
 both Guy and Aggie were great favorites 
 of them all, and after they were all quietly 
 seated, Guy pointed to the desert of alkali 
 that shone like crystal beneath the beams 
 of the moon, and asked Mr. Graham if he 
 could tell them of what it was composed, 
 and how it came there. 
 
 " Of the last I can say nothing," re- 
 turned Mr. Graham, " except that it was 
 placed there by an all-wise Creator for 
 some good purpose. The substance itself 
 is a sulphate of soda, and is generally 
 found near sulphur, and soda springs. A 
 fall of rain usually brings it forth from the 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 133 
 
 earth it impregnates in great quantities, 
 and it looks very beautiful. The white 
 particles often assume the most delicate 
 shapes, like flakes of snow for instance, or 
 most delicate leaves, and ferns." 
 
 "I shall be very glad when we get 
 there," said Aggie, "I shall think we are 
 passing a winter in fairy lands." 
 
 "Then I am afraid you will think it a 
 very disagreeable winter," returned Mr. 
 Graham, laughing. 
 
 " Why ?" asked Aggie, opening wide her 
 eyes in astonishment. "Is it cold there? 
 I thought that the sun shone as warmly 
 there as it does here." 
 
 "So it does," replied Mr. Graham. "It 
 will not be of the weather that you will 
 complain, but of what you call the beau- 
 tiful snow." 
 
 " Ah ! yes, perhaps the glare will hurt 
 my eyes." 
 
134: A BOY1S TRIP 
 
 "I think it very likely, Aggie," said 
 Amy Graham, "but my brother was not 
 thinking of that, but of something much 
 worse. These alkali salts are very poison- 
 ous, and often kill people if they are 
 partaken of even slightly." 
 
 " Indeed !" ejaculated Aggie and Guy at 
 once. 
 
 "HI never touch them!" continued the 
 latter, " and I am so sorry I can't, because 
 I thought it would be so nice to eat some, 
 as if it was snow." 
 
 " I should never think of eating it," said 
 Guy. "And I think Aggie would not 
 when she had once seen what kind of a 
 substance it is," said Mr. Graham, "for 
 it looks much more like powdered wash- 
 ing-soda than snow, and tastes more like it 
 too." 
 
 "Then I am sure I wouldn't take 
 enough even to make my mouth taste 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 
 
 badly!" exclaimed Aggie, . with a gesture 
 of disgust. 
 
 " I thought the same at one time,' 7 said 
 Mr. Graham, " yet it was only a very short 
 time afterwards that I was nearly killed 
 by partaking of it." F j- 
 , "How?" cried both the children, eager- 
 ly. " Do tell us about it, Mr. Graham." 
 
 " Certainly I will," he answered, kindly. 
 " I believe I have told you before that this 
 is not the first time I have been across the 
 plains. I made my first trip before gold 
 was discovered in California, and when 
 few people thought of going there, 
 
 " There was then no well defined route 
 such as we have been following, apd when 
 we reached the alkali desert we lost trace 
 of any road, and had to depend entirely 
 upon our reasoning powers for guidance," 
 
 " Hadn't you any compass ?" asked Guy 
 
 "Certainly," replied Mr. Graham, "but 
 
136 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 as we were rather uncertain which direc- 
 tion we ought to take, it was not of much 
 use to us. Before a week was over, both 
 ourselves and the cattle were quite worn 
 down with our tiresome march across the 
 glaring, blinding desert. Our condition 
 daily grew worse, for all sickened, an 4 
 suffered dreadfully for want of water, for 
 there was.none to be found but that which 
 was impregnated with soda. Many of the 
 people drank it, and became very sick; 
 the weary oxen quaffed it from the little 
 pools, formed by the rain, by the wayside, 
 and daily two or three died, and we were 
 compelled to leave them to bleach as white 
 as the alkali around them. For my part, 
 I drank no water for days ; enduring the 
 agonies of thirst in silence, and praying 
 that we might soon find relief. One day, 
 one of my comrades died, he had borne the 
 torture attending abstinence as long as 
 
ACROSS T&E PLAINS. 137 
 
 possible, and then had drank to repletion, 
 and been poisoned. There had been a 
 heavy shower, and he had been quite un- 
 able to resist the temptation it offered. 
 Two days after, it rained again, and I was 
 almost as imprudent as my friend had 
 been, and was immediately taken so ill 
 that I feared I should share his resting- 
 place. I never shall forget how rejoiced I 
 was when we got into a pure atmosphere 
 and healthy soil again, but it was weeks, 
 yes, even months, before the effects of my 
 poisoned draught passed entirely away." 
 
 " Dear me," cried Aggie, in dismay, " are 
 there no June springs in the alkali desert ! 
 Oh, dear ! dear ! just think of having come 
 so far just to be poisoned !'' 
 
 " We will see that you do not drink 
 after a shower," said Mr. Graham, laugh- 
 ing. " But even the little birds could do 
 that here. And indeed there will be no 
 
138 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 necessity for you to do so, as several 
 springs have been discovered since the 
 time I spoke of." 
 
 " I wish you hadn't told me about .it," 
 said Aggie, sadly, "I shall think all the 
 time of the poor creatures that have been 
 poisoned. I don't like to hear of such 
 dreadful things, even if they are true. I 
 would a great deal rather hear a pretty 
 story. Miss Carrie, won't you tell me 
 
 one?" 
 
 i 
 
 " My brother has told you of something 
 that once happened to him/' she replied, 
 readily, " and now, if you like, I will relate 
 a little adventure that befel me when I 
 was a little girl." 
 
 " Oh ! that will be splendid, Miss Carrie. 
 Do tell us all about it." 
 
 "I must tell you, in the first place," 
 began Miss Graham, when she had drawn 
 Aggie nearer to her side, so that she should 
 
ACROSS THE PLAIN& 139 
 
 not lose one word she was about to say, 
 " that I was not at all a good little girl at 
 the time the event I am going to tell you 
 of, took place, and you must not, therefore, 
 be surprised to hear of any naughty actions 
 I used to do. 
 
 " My favorite ones were those by which 
 I could frighten people. Nothing used to 
 delight me so much as to tell ghost stories 
 to my younger brothers and sisters and 
 leave them without explaining them, when 
 often the poor little creatures would be- 
 come nearly convulsed with terror, and my 
 mother would find great trouble in quiet- 
 ing them. I had often been scolded, and 
 even whipped for my malicious mischief 
 but all to no purpose, and at last no notice 
 was taken of me, and I thought my father 
 and mother had made up their mind to let 
 me tell horrible stories until I was tired of 
 them. My parents often went out in the 
 
140 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 evening to the theatre, or some party and 
 on such occasions it was my usual practice 
 to coax my brother Charlie, and sister 
 Amy into the dining room with me, while 
 the nurse put my youngest brother to bed. 
 When I had, by dint of threats, and per- 
 suasions, got them into the room, I would 
 make them sit by the fire suddenly put 
 out the candles, and begin some dreadful 
 story. Generally the nurse came in the 
 middle of it and carried them away to bed, 
 where they would cower under the blank- 
 ets and tremble at every sound." 
 
 " I know," interrupted Aggie, " I used 
 to do that after George had told me stories. 
 But did you believe what you used to tell 
 them 2" 
 
 u l No, my love/ ' although I have indeed 
 told such horrible things, as even to 
 awaken my own fears. Generally how- 
 ever, I laughed heartily at the idea of 
 
ACROSS THE PLAIN'S. 
 
 ghosts and said I should like to see one.' 
 
 " l Oh don't say so, 7 said Amy, one night. 
 'What should we do if one should ap- 
 pear ?' 
 
 " 1 1 do wish one would/ returned I, 
 1 how you would run.' 
 
 " Just then I heard a terrible crash, as 
 if all the crockery and tinware upon the 
 kitchen dressers had tumbled down. 
 
 " ' What can that be/ I cried in alarm. 
 
 " ' What ? asked my brother, very 
 quietly. 
 
 "'Are you deaf?' I retorted. ' Don't 
 you hear that dreadful noise ? There it is 
 again. Oh, what shall I do 
 
 "It was no wonder I was frightened for 
 there sat my brother and sister as if they 
 heard nothing, while every moment the 
 noise grew louder. I had always thought 
 myself a very brave girl before, but 1 
 shook with alarm at these unearthly 
 
142 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 sounds, and shrieked with terror when the 
 door opened, and a terrible figure sur- 
 rounded by blue flame entered the room. 
 I pointed at it in speechless horror. It 
 towered nearly to the ceiling and looked 
 down upon me with eyes that glowed like 
 coals. It held in its hand a whip made of 
 snakes with which it menaced me. For a 
 few seconds I could neither move nor 
 speak, while my brother and sister laughed 
 and talked as if nothing unusual was 
 going on. I was convinced that this reve- 
 lation from the spirit world was made to 
 me alone, and I was overwhelmed by the 
 fear that I was to be carried away bodily, 
 to answer before the ghosts I had derided. 
 The monster advanced toward me. With 
 a shriek I bade it begone ! it laid its death 
 cold hand upon me and 
 
 u ' Oh, Miss Carry, don't tell any more.' 
 " ' Oh, it was so horrible !' cried Aggie, 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 143 
 
 clasping Guy's arm lightly. "Oh' dear, 
 dear, didn't you die with fright ?" 
 
 " It appears not," returned Miss Gra- 
 ham, laughing, " but I do not know but I 
 should have done so, had not my brother 
 James rushed into the room, caught hold 
 of the supposed ghost and cried, 'there 
 there, that will do Tom ! Don't you see 
 the poor child is nearly frightened to 
 death.' 
 
 " So it wasn't a real ghost after all," ex- 
 claimed Aggie, in a tone of mingled disap- 
 pointment and relief. 
 
 " ISTo, it was not a real ghost after all, 
 but only a very good sham one, that was 
 made up by my brother and cousin to 
 frighten me out of my propensity of fright- 
 ening others, and you may be sure it did 
 so. I didn't think I ever afterwards told 
 a ghost story of which I could not as 
 readily give an explanation as of this." 
 
144 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 "But you frightened me though," said 
 Aggie, drawing a long breath. 
 
 " But you are not frightened now, dar- 
 ling?" 
 
 " Why of course not Miss Carrie." 
 
 " But do you know I think I would 
 rather hear that ^pretty little story about 
 the ' Christ-child/ that you told us a few 
 evenings ago, or one of those little poems 
 of which you know so many." 
 
 " I do not think I can remember any to- 
 night," said Miss Carrie, "but perhaps 
 Amy can." 
 
 " Please try dear Miss Amy/' cried Aggie 
 running to her, "Mr. Graham, and Miss 
 Carrie have both told us a story, and now 
 if you will repeat some pretty poetry it 
 will be so nice." 
 
 Miss Amy laughed pleasantly, and lifted 
 Aggie on her lap. " My pet," she said, 
 " yesterday I heard you ask your mother 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 145 
 
 what she thought the prettiest thing in the 
 world." 
 
 " Oh, yes," cried Aggie, " and she couldn't 
 decide. What do you think the prettiest 
 Miss Amy ? But then perhaps you are 
 'like mamma, you think there are, so many 
 beautiful things in the world that you 
 can't choose between them. 
 
 " Yes," said Miss Amy sweetly though 
 gravely, I have decided. " Now listen to 
 me a few minutes and you shall know what 
 is to me 
 
 FAIREST AND BEST:" 
 
 " There came a child to my side one day, 
 And lightly she said with a laugh of mirth, 
 
 'Tell me of all things, now I pray, 
 
 "Which is the fairest to you upon earth? 
 
 " 'Is it the rose, with its breath of balm? 
 
 Is it the gem of the diamond mine ? 
 Is it the shell, with its sea-song calm ? 
 
 Or the pearl, that low in the deep doth shine V 
 
146 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 " I answered her, ' Though the rose is fair, 
 Though the diamond gleams like a lesser sun ; 
 
 Oh, ne'er can they, e'en in thought compare, 
 With my chosen beauty, my purest one. 
 
 " ' For mine, far sweeter than rose doth bloom, 
 In our world of sorrow, of woe, and care ; 
 
 E'en light of the diamond seemeth gloom, 
 To that halo divine that shineth where ; 
 
 " ' My fairest thing upon all the earth, 
 
 A little child kneeleth down to pray, 
 And sweeter than sound of ocean's mirth 
 
 Are the heav'nly words, she doth meekly say. 
 
 " Yes, as I look on a kneeling child, 
 
 Of those I think, whom our Saviour blest, 
 
 And I know of all things fair and mild, 
 The pure, young heart of a child is best.* " 
 
 Little Aggie remained perfectlj still 
 for some moments after Miss Amy had 
 finished. At last she lifted up her face, 
 and kissed the young lady sweetly, and 
 whispered, " Dear Miss Amy I will try to 
 remember that. I am sure Mamma thinks 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 147 
 
 the same as you do. Thank you for 
 telling me. Good-night my dear Miss. 
 Amy. Good-night Miss Carrie, and Mr. 
 Graham. We have had such a nice time 
 haven't we Guy. Now we will go home," 
 
 "Good-night, and good-night Mr. Gra- 
 ham, and Miss Carrie. Come, Guy, let us 
 go home." 
 
 So Guy arose and led the little girl to- 
 ward the wagon she called " home," for to 
 her little affectionate heart any where was 
 home where her parents stayed. They 
 were walking slowly past the baggage 
 wagons when to his surprise, and affright 
 Guy saw a puff of smoke, issue from the 
 back part of the one in which he usually 
 slept. He instantly remembered the 
 powder, and with a cry dashed toward it, 
 bidding Aggie run as far as possible from 
 the danger. There was no water near, 
 but he caught up a bag of flour, sprang 
 
148 A BOY'S THIP 
 
 into the wagon and dashed it upon the 
 flames, then another, and another. Mean- 
 while his cries had brought every one to 
 the spot, James Graham brought a pail of 
 water and threw upon the already smoth- 
 ered flames, and immediately a great 
 sputtering, and kicking was heard, and 
 George Harwood sat up sleepily and de- 
 manded what they were pitching into 
 him for. 
 
 " Get up," said his father who was 
 looking very pale and agitated, u Get up 
 and thank this brave boy for having saved 
 your life. If it had not beeir for him 
 this powder would have exploded, and 
 launched you, and we know not how many 
 others into Eternity." 
 
 George saw how great his danger had 
 been, and with shame owned that he had 
 brought it upon himself, by dropping 
 fire from a pipe which he was endeavoring 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 149 
 
 to learn to smoke, in express disobedience 
 of his father's commands. 
 
 He turned around io thank Guy for 
 having risked his own life to save his, for 
 that he had undoubtedly done by spring- 
 ing into the burning wagon, but found 
 that like a true hero, he had gone to 
 perform another duty, waiting neither 
 for thanks or praises. But he got both, 
 for as he lifted little Aggie into her 
 mother's wagon, she kissed him and 
 whispered "You good, brave boy, I am 
 going to ask God to bless you all your 
 life" 
 
150 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 "Well now, George," said Aggie the 
 next morning, as they stood near the par- 
 tially burned wagon and watched Mr. Har- 
 wood and his young men, as they hastily 
 endeavored to repair the damage that had 
 been done, "I should think you never 
 would smoke again in your life." 
 
 "I didn't smoke last night," retorted 
 George, " I only tried to, and to try to 
 smoke and to do it are two very different 
 things, I can tell you," and George grim- 
 aced most comically at the remembrance 
 of some very extraordinary sensations he 
 had experienced, both before and after the 
 fire. 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 151 
 
 " If you don't believe me you can try it," 
 lie added, as Aggie looked at him thought- 
 
 fully. 
 
 "I wasn't thinking of what you were 
 saying," she replied, " but of what a hor- 
 rible death Guy saved you from." 
 
 "That's a fact," returned George, with 
 much seriousness. " Guy ain't a bad sort 
 after all!" 
 
 " Not a bit of a Guy Fawkes about 
 him," commented Gus. " He don't be- 
 lieve in blowing up folks with gunpow- 
 der." 
 
 " Nor with words either," interrupted 
 Aggie, " but who was Guy Fawkes, Gus?" 
 
 "Oh, a man put a lot of gunpowder 
 in the cellar of the English House of Con- 
 gress." 
 
 " Of Parliament," corrected George. 
 
 " Of Parliament, then, it means all the 
 same tning, and he intended when the 
 
152 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 King and all the members of Parliament 
 were in the house to set fire to the powder 
 and blow them all up. But they found 
 out the plot just in time, and Guy was 
 hung up; or had his head chopped of, I for- 
 get which." 
 
 " Good for him," said George. " Hullo, 
 here comes Guy, looking really frightened 
 for once in his life ! What is the matter, 
 Guy?" 
 
 But Guy made him no answer, but hur- 
 ried on to Mr. Harwood and whispered a 
 few words in his ear. 
 
 "You don't say so!" he ejaculated with 
 a startled look. " Whereabouts are they ?" 
 
 "Back of the camp, sir. Mr. Graham 
 says he thinks they are after the cattle and 
 horses. But they are to far off for us to 
 see them plainly, and it was some time be- 
 fore I could make Mr. Graham believe 
 they Yv;ere Indians at all." 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 153 
 
 " Indians 1" exclaimed George and Gus, 
 turning pale, and with out more ado, rush- 
 ing from the spot, not only as they said " to 
 tell mother," but to gain a place of safety. 
 
 " Take Aggie to the wagon," said Mr. 
 Harwood hastily, though he could not help 
 smiling at the precipitate flight of his 
 boys. " Be as quick as you can, and bring 
 me my telescope." 
 
 Guy did as he was bidden, but although 
 so quickly that he did not even take time 
 to say a few words of encouragement to 
 Aggie. He found the telescope was little 
 needed when he gave it into Mr. Har- 
 wood's hands. The Indians had drawn so 
 close that their movements could be per- 
 fectly seen. 
 
 " At least thirty young braves !" said 
 Mr. Harwood anxiously. "A party of 
 horse thieves no doubt ! We shall have 
 trouble !" 
 
154: A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 " And all on account of this unfortunate 
 delay !'' exclaimed Mr. Graham. " We 
 should have been on our way three hours 
 ago, but for your son's carelessness." 
 
 "That is very true. Yet we should 
 scarcely have escaped the quick eyes of 
 these wild savages." 
 
 "We will try to save the oxen and 
 horses from their hands at least !" cried a 
 young man, turning to a group who had 
 hastily armed themselves. 
 
 In an incredible short space of time 
 they had made a circle of the wagons, 
 and within this barricade they placed the 
 cattle, and stationed themselves at regular 
 distances without the wagons. Mr. Har- 
 wood and Mr. Graham stood beside the 
 wagon in which all the ladies had congre- 
 gated, and with quiet, though great anxiety, 
 waited for the attack to be commenced. 
 They had no idea that it could be avoided 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 155 
 
 for all Mr. HarwoocTs signals, during the 
 formation of the barricade had been to- 
 tally disregarded, and the savages in all 
 the hideousness of paint and warlike deco- 
 rations were riding rapidly around the 
 cainp in a gradually decreasing circle. 
 
 " Guy, my boy, you had better go into 
 our wagon," said Mr. Harwood, as Guj, 
 with a favorite dog at his side, drew near 
 to him. Guy looked him doubtfully a 
 moment, and with visible reluctance pro- 
 ceeded to obey the direction which had 
 been, given him. Suddenly, however, he 
 turned back and with an appealing look at 
 Mr. Harwood said : 
 
 " I wish you would give me a gun, sir, 
 and let me stay here." 
 
 " Do as you please," cried Mr. Harwood 
 hastily, and Guy rushed to a wagon for 
 the desired weapon, and back again to his 
 place. 
 
156 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 Just then the Indians made a feint of 
 going away. They retired slowly a little 
 way, then suddenly wheeled, and gal- 
 loped back towards the carnp, discharging 
 a volley of arrows as they canae. 
 
 Fortunately they injured no one, but 
 the second fire was not so harmless, and 
 was returned steadily by Mr. Harwood 
 and his men from their rifles. But the 
 Indians were too far off, and changed their 
 positions too often to be affected by it. 
 
 The firing continued in this manner for 
 fifteen minutes or more. Two of Mr 
 Harwood's men were seriously wounded, 
 and obliged to retire to the wagons, and 
 the others were eagerly speaking of divi-1 
 ding into two parties, one of which was 
 to remain to guard the camp, while the 
 other sallied out to drive off the Indians. 
 It seemed a mad undertaking, as Mr. Har- 
 wood said, to divide so small a force, and 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 157 
 
 they were spared the necessity of doing 
 so by the savages themselves, who en- 
 raged at the death of one of their num- 
 ber, and confident of success, rode boldly 
 up to the very sides of the wagons, and 
 with showers of arrows, and brandishing 
 their war-clubs, uttering at the same time 
 the most dreadful yells, endeavored to 
 overcome the white men and gain posses- 
 sion of the animals, that snorting and 
 plunging with terror at the unusual rounds 
 of shouting and firing were striving vainly 
 to break their bounds. Terrible was the 
 struggle that ensued. For a few minutes 
 the .shrieks of the women and children, 
 the shouts of the white men, the yells of 
 the Indians, the reports of fire-arms, and 
 the indescribable noises made by the 
 frightened animals filled the air. 
 
 Guy was almost stunned with the noise 
 and bewildered by the confusion that pre- 
 
158 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 vailed. He never thought of firing his 
 gun, and had no idea which party had 
 the advantage, he, in fact, felt perfectly 
 overwhelmed, not with fear, but horror, and 
 quite regardless of his danger, remained an 
 inactive spectator of the scene, until he be- 
 held Mr. Harwood struggling violently with 
 an Indian who had thrown himself from his 
 horse in the excitement of the fight. 
 
 Mr. Harwood was himself a muscular 
 man, and the struggle between the two 
 was terrible to witness. For a minute 
 neither seemed to have the advantage, then 
 the strong Indian got his arm across Mr. 
 Harwood's breast and held him back, he 
 raised his right hand in which glittered a 
 long knife already stained with blood. 
 Some unusual sound for a moment attract- 
 ed the savage's attention, he glanced 
 around. Guy seized the opportunity, raised 
 his gun and fired. 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 159 
 
 He was not knocked over by the shock, 
 but the Indian was. Down he went, and 
 Mr. Harwood with him, but only to re- 
 main there a moment. He sprang up and 
 echoed the shout of triumph which was 
 heard from tBe other side of the camp. 
 
 The -fight was ended; the Indians de- 
 feated, away they sped with lightning speed, 
 bearing their wounded, among which was 
 Mr. HarwoodV special adversary, with 
 them, and leaving their dead upon the 
 ground. 
 
 Of these there were two. But little 
 notice was taken of them at first, for the 
 members of the train were too busy attend- 
 ing to the wounded, and examining their 
 own hurts, to think of Indians, unless it 
 was to look occasionally to satisfy them- 
 selves that they were really gone, and that 
 there was no farther trouble to be appre- 
 hended from them. 
 
160 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 " I wonder who it was that knocked that 
 great fellow over that was holding me 
 down," said Mr. Harwood, after he had 
 embraced his family, and assured them that 
 he was very little hurt. " I wish I knew 
 who it was, I have somebody to thank for 
 saving my life." 
 
 "Here is the fellow !" cried Gus, catching 
 Guy as he was about to jump from the 
 wagon. He has got one of your guns, too, 
 and it was only a little while ago you 
 told him not to touch them." 
 
 " Guy !" exclaimed Mr. Harwood, " can 
 it be possible that you fired that well-di- 
 rected shot?" ^v 
 
 a T couldn't help it, sir, the ball seemed 
 to know just where to go, and the gun to 
 shoot of itself," returned Guy, with a 
 slight laugh a vain attempt to hide his 
 emotion. 
 
 Mr. Harwood made no effort to conceal 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 161 
 
 his, and catching him in his arms embraced 
 him warmly, as he exclaimed ! " My dear 
 boy, have I then my own life to thank you 
 for, as well as that of my son ? How shall 
 I be able to repay you ?" 
 
 "Don't say any more," entreated Guy, 
 who was being nearly suffocated by his 
 mother, Mr. Harwood and the children, 
 who were pulling him hither and thither 
 to their heart's content. 
 
 " Why didn't you shoot his head right 
 off?" ask George, when the commotion had 
 slightly subsided. " I would if I had had 
 a gun, and been in your place." 
 
 " But you weren't at all likely to be in 
 his place or any other where arrows were 
 flying," interrupted Gus, with a laugh, 
 which quickly subsided into a smothered 
 titter as George looked at him, with the 
 remark: "You had better mind your 
 bones." 
 
162 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 "I intend to," said Gus, coolly, "but you 
 needn't glare at me so. You're not a Gorgon, 
 I guess, and can't turn me into stone by 
 a look." 
 
 "I am very glad Guy didn't knock the 
 Indian's head right off," interposed Aggie, 
 anxious to prevent a quarrel between the 
 two boys. 
 
 "Aren't you glad of it, Guy, you wouldn't 
 have liked to have killed him dead, would 
 you r 
 
 " Oh no !" returned Guy, laughing. " It 
 anawered my purpose just to kill him a 
 little. Indeed," he added, turning pale at 
 the thought, "I hope the poor man will 
 not die." 
 
 " Don't trouble yourself about that," said 
 Mr. Harwood, taking in his hand the gun 
 which Guy had still retained, but then 
 offered him, " you nobly did your duty, my 
 boy, and though ' w r e will hope that the 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 163 
 
 man will recover, we will not worry, be- 
 cause we cannot learn whether he does or 
 not." 
 
 "I say, the men are harnessing the 
 teams," exclaimed George. " Let us go and 
 pick up some -of the arrows the IndMis 
 threw around so plentifully." 
 
 "Yes," answered Guy, "and I'll bring 
 you one, Aggie." 
 
 "Stay," said Mr. Harwood, "Here, Guy, 
 is a more fitting weapon for you. Take 
 this gun, and though I hope you may 
 never again be obliged to use it against a 
 fellow-creature, I hope your shots will 
 always be as well directed as that of to- 
 day." 
 
 "Whew!" ejaculated George, "don't I 
 wish I had knocked that fellow over to- 
 day ! Guy, why don't you say thank you ?" 
 
 " He's like the little boy that would not 
 say 'thank you/ for a new jack-knife," 
 
164 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 laughed Gus, " he'd rather use the old 'un 
 fust." 
 
 In truth, Guy was so delighted with Mr. 
 Harwood's words, and the gift that accom- 
 panied them, that he knew not what to 
 say. To possess a gun, had long been his 
 highest and most secret ambition, and to 
 have one, really his own, in his hands, 
 seemed, as he afterwards said, "far too 
 good to be true." 
 
 "Never mind the thanks," exclaimed 
 Mr. Harwood, as Guy vainly tried to utter 
 something, "we understand each other, 
 though my debt is not paid yet. You can 
 go now and look for arrows, if you like." 
 
 But Guy thought but little of arrows, or 
 even of his gun, for some minutes after he 
 left the wagon, for just then four of the 
 mules, who had not recovered from their 
 fright, broke away from the men who were 
 trying to quiet them, and galloped across 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 165 
 
 the plains in the opposite direction to that 
 the Indians had taken. Two young men 
 immediately mounted the swiftest horses 
 in the train and set off in pursuit, and a 
 fine chase they had. Over an hour passed 
 before they brought the refractory animals 
 back, and an exciting time the boys had 
 watching the race, and shouting and hur- 
 rahing when the foaming, panting creatures 
 rushed into the camp, followed by their 
 almost breathless pursuers. 
 
 " But this isn't finding arrows !" said 
 Guy, at last, suddenly remembering Aggie, 
 and the promise he had made her. And, 
 after the train was in motion, he found 
 two beautiful arrows, and took them to 
 her. She accepted them with delight, tell- 
 ing Guy she would keep them all her life, 
 in remembrance of that eventful day. 
 "And so you see," she added, addressing 
 in fancy the cross old chief that had fright- 
 
166 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 ened her so terribly, " I have got one of 
 your Indian arrows, after all, and I'll keep 
 it too. My good Guy has got a gun now, 
 and that's more than you have, and he 
 knows how to use it, that's more than you 
 will ever do." 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 167 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Two weeks after the fight with the 
 Indians, Guy was galloping across the 
 gently rising hills, that denoted their ap- 
 proach to the Rocky Mountains, in quest 
 of game. This was the first time he had 
 had an opportunity offered him to try his 
 gun, as they had seen no living creature 
 upon the desert of alkali which they had 
 occupied more than a week in crossing, 
 and "but few among the prickly pears and 
 sage*-brush that succeeded the poisonous 
 salts. Of the effects of the latter, each 
 member of the party had had some expe- 
 rience, and all, for weeks after, complained 
 of sore lips, chapped hands, and other 
 pains of a like nature. 
 
1(58 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 Guy was greatly troubled to find that 
 little Aggie and his mother were the 
 greatest sufferers. Indeed, the latter be- 
 came so very ill that, for two or three 
 days, Guy feared he should soon be 
 motherless. Never had his heart been so 
 heavy as during that time. It was a good 
 thing for him that he was obliged to work 
 additionally hard, else he might also have 
 fallen ill from excessive grief. But, as it 
 was, he tad no time to give way to his 
 feeling : there was his mother's duties and 
 his own, to be performed by his hands 
 alone ; little Aggie to be amused, and his 
 mother often to be cheered by some gay 
 word, when he usually felt much more 
 like uttering sad ones. 
 
 I have mentioned before that Mrs. 
 Loring, though a very good woman, was 
 often inclined to look on the dark side of 
 things, and so it sometimes happened that 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 169 
 
 I 
 
 she led Guy to do the same, and he cer- 
 tainly did so steadily enough during the 
 days his mother lay seriously ill, while he 
 turned to the bright side instantly when 
 she pronounced herself better, though he 
 did not for a moment neglect to pay her 
 the same attention as before. 
 
 One morning, when she, for the first 
 time, gathered strength and energy enough 
 to sit up, Mr. Harwood entered the wagon, 
 and laughingly told her that as she was so 
 well, he should not let her have Guy to 
 herself any longer, but should take him 
 
 with them to hunt some deer that were 
 
 
 
 feeding on the hills some distance away. 
 Guy looked at his mother and hesitated, 
 for though he desired, above all things, to 
 take part in a deer hunt, he did not like to 
 leave his sick mother, until she said : " Go, 
 my child, you are looking pale and thin 
 already, the excitement w^l do you good. 
 
170 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 It would never do for you to get sick, you 
 know." And that was how Guy Loring 
 happened to be galloping across the hills 
 with Mr. Harwood and Mr. Graham, while 
 George and Gus remained at the camp, 
 enviously watching him. By some skillful 
 maneuvering, they managed to approach 
 within gun-shot of the deer, of which there 
 were five or six, brousing quietly. Guy 
 was very much excited, and would have 
 fired upon them had not Mr. Harwood told 
 him not to do so until the last. 
 
 Slowly, and with as much patience as 
 they could command, they drew nearer and 
 nearer the deer. Mr. Graham and Mr. 
 Harwood raised their rifles to fire, when 
 suddenly 'the whole herd of deer threw 
 their heads in the air, looked around wild- 
 ly, and bounded away with the speed of 
 the wind. 
 
 " What in the world could have startled 
 
ACROSS THE PLAIN'S. 171, 
 
 them so ?" exclaimed the gentlemen in sur- 
 prise. 
 
 Guy looked around in perfect dismay at 
 having lost the chance of firing at a deer, '* 
 and quickly exclaimed : " Oh, how provok- 
 ing, it is the cattle.' They have let the 
 cattle loose." 
 
 Mr. Graham uttered an exclamation of 
 delight, " Was there ever such good luck 
 before ?" he cried, " Those are buffaloes ! 
 I had no idea we should find them here so 
 early. Gallop back to the camp, Guy, and 
 tell the Fraziers ! Hurrah !" 
 
 Scarcely less excited than Mr. Graham, 
 Guy made a wide circuit of the spot where 
 the herd of buffaloes, from twenty to thirty 
 in numbor, were feeding, and galloped to 
 the camp, where he found five or six young 
 men, already armed and mounted for the 
 chase. They hastily advised Guy to re- 
 main in camp, but as he had received no 
 
172 -A. BOY'S TRIP 
 
 direction to do so from Mr. Harwood, he 
 followed his inclinations, and returned with 
 the young men to the spot where Mr. Gra- 
 ham and Mr. Harwood were anxiously 
 awaiting them. 
 
 All this time the buffaloes continued to 
 feed without taking the least notice of the 
 hunters. These after a short consultation, 
 began to ride gently towards them. The 
 animals remained so quiet that Guy had 
 an opportunity to look at them carefully 
 He was surprised to find that they were 
 not as large as elephants, but on the con- 
 trary about the size of a cow, which animal 
 they closely resembled in the shape of their 
 bodies, and limbs ; but their hair, instead of 
 being of the same length all over their body, 
 grew in shaggy tufts upon the back and 
 sides, and lengthened into a sweeping mane 
 upon the neck. This adornment took 
 from them the peaceful expression of the 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 173 
 
 majority of our domestic cattle, and gave 
 them instead the terrible one of the un- 
 tamed lion. This effect was increased by 
 the wild glare of their eyes. Guy did not 
 at first notice their horns, which were 
 small, and almost imbedded in their thick, 
 woolly hair, but it did not need a second 
 look to assure him that they could do a 
 great deal of harm, if once called into 
 service. The hunters approached the buf- 
 faloes in a semi-circle, Guy occupied a place 
 near the circle by the side of Mr. Harwood, 
 who unwilling to disappoint him by send- 
 ing him back to the camp, had permitted 
 him to stay. The whole party got within 
 a hundred feet of the buffaloes before they 
 were even discovered. Then an immense 
 fellow who seemed the leader of the herd, 
 began to bellow, and tear up the earth 
 with his hoofs, and in a moment, the whole 
 herd were coursing over the prairie at a 
 
174: A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 pace, which Guy, when looking at their 
 heavy bodies, had never imagined them 
 capable of. 
 
 "After them!" shouted Mr. Graham, 
 and instantly the hunters spurred on their 
 horses many of which were used to the 
 sport, and in a few minutes Guy, who was 
 poorly mounted was left some distance in 
 the rear, while the foremost of the horse- 
 men were at the very heels of the flying 
 herd. The dust of the prairie began to 
 rise from beneath their hoofs in clouds, 
 through which Guy could indistinctly see 
 the buffaloes dashing forward, one turning 
 occasionally upon some audacious man who 
 had fired upon him, who would then wheel 
 his horse quickly and escape from the reach 
 of the infuriated animal, which would con- 
 tinue its flight or fall to the earth, with a 
 terrible bellow. 
 
 Guy had witnessed three or four such 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 175 
 
 falls, and in his excitement scarcely know- 
 ing what he did, went up to the foaming 
 animal intending to put it out of its misery 
 by a shot from his gun, when, suddenly, it 
 rose to its feet, staggered forward, and ere 
 Guy could wheel his frightened horse, 
 plunged his horns into his breast, and 
 buffalo, horse and rider rolled upon the 
 plain together. 
 
 Then succeeded a horrible moment, in 
 which Guy felt himself crushed by his 
 plunging horse, and heard the cries of the 
 men, the bellowing of the wounded buf- 
 falo, the thunderlike noise of the retreating 
 herd, and the sharp crack of half a dozen 
 rifles. Then he felt himself lifted from the 
 ground by Mr. Graham and Mr. Harwood, 
 who exclaimed that it was a miracle tha-t 
 he was alive, and asked him if he wasn't 
 killed, and then shouted out for somebody 
 to go in pursuit of the horse, which was 
 
176 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 galloping away in the opposite direction 
 to the buffaloes, which were suffered to de- 
 part without any further attempt being 
 
 made to slaughter them. 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 177 
 
 CHAPTEK XII. 
 
 Guy was surprised and delighted to find 
 that his fool-hardy escapade had brought 
 upon him no injury except a few bruises, 
 which, however, did not prevent him from 
 assisting the men to take into carnp the 
 carcasses of the three, buffaloes they had 
 slain. 
 
 That proved a busy afternoon in the 
 camp. The buffaloes were skinned, and 
 their shaggy hides hung . up in the sun to 
 dry. Then the choicest parts of the bodies 
 were cut up and salted, and the rest left 
 to the hungry wolves, who are the natural 
 enemies of the buffalo one of which, 
 when wounded, they will often follow, and 
 harrass to death. 
 
 8* 
 
178 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 And what a splendid supper of buffalo 
 steak they had. Guy fancied he never 
 had tasted anything so delicious, though 
 George, in his usual contradictory mood, 
 declared he thought beef much nicer. But 
 as no one paid any attention to him, his 
 opinion had not much effect, and no one 
 enjoyed the supper the less for it. 
 
 As only a slight sketch of Guy's won- 
 derful escape had been given by Harwood 
 upon his return to camp, the children were 
 anxious to hear a full account of it, and as 
 soon as the dishes were washed, the fuel 
 for the night brought in and Guy was at 
 liberty to take his usual seat by the fire, 
 they called upon him to tell them all about 
 it. He did so in as few words as possible, 
 for he felt as much ashamed of his discom- 
 fiture as an old hunter might have been 
 likely to do. 
 
 Aggie looked very serious after hearing 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 179 
 
 the account of her favorite's danger. George 
 laughed as he thought of the figure Guy 
 must have cut when pitched from his horse 
 over the back of the buffalo ; and Gus with 
 great earnestness asked him what he thought 
 of at the time it all happened. 
 
 u I saw and heard too much to think of 
 anything," replied Guy, quite unable to 
 repress a laugh at Gus' question and eager 
 look, " the first thing I thought of when 
 Mr. Graham took me from the ground was 
 to clear the sand from my nose, eyes, and 
 mouth. If you had seen me you would 
 have fancied I had been burrowing in the 
 dirt for a twelve month. After that I 
 was very thankful that I escaped so well, 
 and on the way home I recalled to mind 
 almost everything I had ever read about 
 buffaloes > and among other things a mode 
 in which the Indians hunt them, and which 
 
180 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 is described in the adventures of Lewis 
 and Clarke." 
 
 " Who were Lewis and Clarke ?" asked 
 Gus. 
 
 ' Two men, who in the days of Wash- 
 ington and Jefferson, and chiefly by the 
 aid of the latter, headed a party of men, 
 who were the first to explore Oregon, and 
 discover the rise of the Columbia and 
 Missouri Rivers." 
 
 "What fun they must have had," ex- 
 claimed George, " among the Indians that 
 had never seen a white man before/ 7 
 
 " They were so constantly surrounded by 
 dangers," said Guy, " that I guess they 
 found the fun rather scarce. But they 
 had a great many exciting adventures 
 among the Indians, and learned many of 
 their strange habits." 
 
 " Well, you were going to tell us about 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 181 
 
 a way they had of hunting buffaloes," inter- 
 rupted Gus. " How was it ?" 
 
 " Well, first they would find, either by 
 accident or after a search, a herd of buf- 
 faloes, grazing on a plateau, perhaps three 
 or four hundred feet above the river, for 
 such are very often found a mile or more 
 in length along the Columbia or Missouri 
 Rivers, which abruptly terminate, forming 
 a precipice so perfectly perpendicular that 
 neither man or beast can gain a foothold 
 on their sides. 
 
 " Toward this precipice a young warrior 
 wrapped in a buffalo robe, and crowned 
 with the head and horns, decoys the game, 
 while the others chase them forward, rid- 
 ing their swiftest horses, bearing their best 
 arms, and uttering their wildest shouts. 
 The whole herd maddened by the hunters, 
 will usually follow the decoy their fancied 
 leader when suddenly he will hide be- 
 
182 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 neath some cliff, the buffaloes will rush on, 
 seeing no danger ahead, or unable to check 
 their headlong career, and thus very often 
 a hundred or more will spring over the 
 precipice, and be dashed to pieces on the 
 rocks below." 
 
 " Good !" cried George, excitedly. 
 
 " And just think then what a good time 
 the Indians have picking up the pieces," 
 commented Gus, I'd like to see them do it. 
 Just think of two or three hundred Indians 
 all at work together, jerking the meat, and 
 shouting and dancing." 
 
 "Ah, yes. That's all very well!" said 
 Aggie, thoughtfully. But I wouldn't like 
 so much to be the decoy. Suppose he 
 couldn't hide in time." 
 
 " Sometimes he can't," said Guy, " and 
 in that case he is trodden under foot by 
 the herd, or carried with them over the 
 precipice. I am like you, Aggie, I shouldn't 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 183 
 
 like to "be the decoy. It is bad enough to 
 face one buffalo, and I have no wish to try 
 a hundred." 
 
 " Oh, dear !" exclaimed Aggie, " I should 
 die with fright if I were to meet even 
 
 one." 
 
 " Oh ! That's because you are nothing 
 but a girl but boys !"-. George left his 
 sentence unfinished, for of late he had be- 
 come very careful of boasting before Guy, 
 whom he knew was too well acquainted 
 with him to be deceived by empty words. 
 
 " Girls, or no girls !" exclaimed Aggie, a 
 little angrily, " I learned those verses 
 mamma gave us, to-day, while you don't 
 know them at all !" 
 
 " Verses are only made for girls !" an- 
 swered George, contemptuously. 
 
 " And for some boys," said Guy, " I for 
 one like to hear them. What are yours 
 about Aie ?" 
 
184 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 " Listen ! They are about 
 
 4 THE CHILDREN IN THE SKY.' 
 
 *' Little Allie, tired with roaming, 
 
 Fell asleep one summer day ; 
 In the soft, and mellow gloaming, 
 
 That the fairies haunt, they say. 
 And, into her dream, there came then 
 
 Fays, or Angels pure and fair, 
 Tilling all the lonesome glen 
 
 "With sweet music, rich and rare. 
 
 " * Child! 7 they said, as slow around her 
 
 One by one they floated on, 
 1 Look into the clearer ether, 
 
 Close beside the setting son !' 
 Then she looked, and lo ! the cloudlets 
 
 Parted back and showed her there, 
 Myriad angels, sinless spirits 
 
 Sporting in a garden fair. 
 
 " Sporting, smiling, fondly twining, 
 
 Round each other snow white arms; 
 While a halo o'er them shining, 
 
 Saved them from the night's alarms. 
 Loud they sung in notes of gladness, 
 
 Ever o'er the sweet refrain ; 
 * Jesus loves us! -we shall never 
 
 Lose His tender care again." 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 185 
 
 " * Here the flow'rets bloom forever ; 
 
 Here the sun of God doth shine ; 
 Here doth flow the crystal river, 
 
 Giving all a life divine !' 
 Then the peerless vision faded, 
 
 And the fairies stole away ; 
 All the dell with gloom was shaded, 
 
 Darkness 'round sweet Allie lay. 
 
 " Then she woke from out her slumber, 
 And she said within her heart 
 
 ' Shall I join that happy number ? 
 In their joyous song take part?' 
 
 Then she prayed that God would lead her 
 
 In the path to heaven above, 
 
 And that she might dwell forever 
 Blessed by Christ's redeeming love. 
 
 " And before the year was over, 
 
 God in love gave back reply, 
 For He led the little rover, 
 
 To the children in the sky." 
 
 " That is a sweet little tale," said Guy, 
 when Aggie had finished, " But it is al- 
 most a pity such a good little girl should 
 die." 
 
186 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 "Buf the good little girls, in stories, 
 always do die !" exclaimed George, " And 
 that is why I don't like to hear about 
 them. That's the reason, too, that I tease 
 our Aggie so, I want to get her into a 
 passion so she won't get too good and be 
 spirited out of the world right away." 
 
 They all laughed at this ingenious de- 
 fense ; and then as Guy declared himself 
 very tired, and quite stiff and sore from 
 the number of bruises upon his body, they 
 soon separated for the night, and ere long 
 all was still about the camp, except the 
 fires that flickered and blazed, as if in deri- 
 sion of the calm night, and its heavy-eyed 
 attendant Sleep. 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 187 
 
 CHAPTEE XIV. 
 
 THE following Saturday night found 
 the party encamped in the very bosom of 
 the mountains, in one of the most lovely 
 nooks upon the surface of the earth. As 
 they looked around upon the verdant dell, 
 and upon the snow-capped mountains that 
 arose in the distance, all the arid plain 
 they had passed, the desert of alkali, 
 and the hills .of sand seemed like a 
 dream, so great was the contrast between 
 them and Virginia Dale. Even George 
 was enraptured, and when the children 
 as usual gathered at evening around the 
 fire, he declared that he w r ould go no 
 father but turn hermit, and hunt and 
 fish for a living, in that lovely spot. 
 
188 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 "I wish I could stay with you," said 
 Aggie, " but I should'nt like to leave papa 
 and mamma. But only look at the moon 
 rising above that snowy peak ; isn't it 
 perfectly lovely 3" 
 
 " Watching the moon is all very well ?" 
 exclamed Gus, " but I would much rather 
 hear a good story. This is the very night 
 for a story, and a sentimental one at that. 
 Guy get your thinking-cap on, that's a 
 good fellow !" 
 
 "Oh yes, do !" assented Aggie. 
 
 " I have had it tightly drawn over my 
 ears the whole time I have been sitting 
 here," answered Guy laughing, "and the 
 result is that I have been thinking of a 
 story the Indians tell about the first 
 snow storm." 
 
 " Oh yes ! put it all off on the Indians !" 
 cried Gus, " we all know what that means 1" 
 
 " Well, what do they say ?" asked George, . 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 189 
 
 "that they thought it was salt, and put it 
 into their, soup, and were surprised to find 
 that it made it watery and nothing 
 more ?" 
 
 "Now don't tease Guy," interrupted 
 Aggie, " I want to know what the Indians 
 really did say, and where the first fall of 
 snow really was." 
 
 "According to my authority/' answered 
 Guy, gravely, " it took place among these 
 very mountains. Years, years ago, so 
 many years that all rememberance of the 
 time is now lost, and only vague reports 
 of it remain, the snowy mountains we 
 now see were covered with verdure, even 
 more luxuriant than that which makes 
 this vale so beautiful. The long leaves, 
 and the shining silk of the corn waved 
 in the breeze that softly played about the 
 lofty summits, lovely flowers opened, and 
 rich fruits ripened in the warm sunshine 
 
190 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 that ever fell upon them. The bounding 
 deer came to the very doors of. the wig- 
 wams that were so thickly placed that 
 they seemed to form a vast city, and the 
 very trout in the sparkling streams leaped 
 into the hands of the happy people that 
 inhabited this earthly paradise !" 
 
 "Gracious, what a saving of fishing- 
 tackle !" ejaculated George. 
 
 Guy took no notice of this irreverent 
 remark, but continued : 
 
 " On the very summit of yonder peak, 
 which seems to rise at least a thousand 
 feet above its neighbors, and where the 
 sun shone the warmest, the grains and 
 fruits were most luxuriant, and the deer 
 larger and tamer than in any other place, 
 lived an old man, the chief of all the 
 tribes that lived between the mountains 
 and the great ocean in the far west. The 
 oldest men among the Indians could not 
 
ACKOSS THE PLAINS. 191 
 
 remember when he was young, and their 
 great-grandfathers had told them that he 
 was old when they were children. His 
 "beard was like silver, and his face bore the 
 marks of that wisdom which can only come 
 with age, yet his form was not bent, and 
 his eyes were as strong as the eagle's, that 
 soars up and looks in the face of the sun.' 7 
 
 " Wonderful man !" said Gus. 
 
 "He was indeed wonderful, and the 
 wisest man upon the earth ; he knew all 
 secrets of the land, and sea, and air, and 
 from them he had gained the elixir that 
 still kept the blood warm in his veins 
 after the lapse of centuries, but he could 
 not get from them contentment, his soul 
 at last wearied of the habit of clay it had 
 worn so long, and he began a search for 
 one worthy to be the inheritor of his wis- 
 dom, and the successor of his power, that 
 he might lie down and be at rest. 
 
192 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 "He found one at length, but not 
 among the young men of his tribe, among 
 whom he sought long and patiently. The 
 strength of mind, the purity of soul he 
 desired, were found only in the person of 
 a lovely girl, the daughter of one of the 
 bravest warriors of the mountains. To 
 her he gave the elixir of life, and in- 
 structed her in all the secrets he had 
 gained. Lastly, he took off the robe he 
 wore, and putting it upon her, led her out 
 of the wigwam and declared her a priestess 
 before all the people. Soon after the 
 great magician became a decrepit old 
 man, the weight of his years came upon 
 him and he died, and his body was laid 
 upon a burning pile and consumed to 
 ashes, while all the people mourned around 
 it. Then the priestess went to her wig- 
 wam on the high mountains and sat down 
 and thought of the last words the dead 
 
ACROSS TEE PLAINS. 193 
 
 man had said to her, ' Beware of him 
 who reigneth at the northernmost part of 
 the earth, for if thou showest weakness or 
 any human passion he will have dominion 
 over thee and all thy people/ But years 
 passed on and no human feeling agitated 
 her. She lived alone communing with 
 spirits, and at sundry times appearing 
 among the people to astonish them by her 
 wisdom which as years advanced, become 
 a thousand times more potent than had 
 been that of the old magician. And as 
 her wisdom increased so also did her 
 beauty. Spirits came and took the ebony 
 from her hair, and covered it with gold ; 
 they brought blue from the skies and 
 prisoned it in her eyes; the white stars 
 laid their light upon her face, and sun- 
 beams rendered her smile so warm and 
 tender that it gladdened all upon whom it 
 fell. 
 
194: A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 " As I have said, she was troubled by no 
 human feeling ; but alas ! she inspired what 
 she did not feel, for all the young braves 
 worshipped her, not only as a priestess, 
 but as a peerless maiden, ancl all their awe 
 could not destroy their love. As she 
 knew every thing, she was of course 
 aware of their silent devotion, but she 
 laughed in the solitude of her wigwam, 
 and sang: 
 
 4 Alstarnah must no passion own, 
 That mortal e'er before hath known. 7 
 
 " And this she would sing over and over 
 to herself, that she might keep the words 
 of the magician in mind. But after the 
 lapse of many years, she one day ceased 
 to sing, for Alstarnah felt the most power- 
 ful of all human passions she loved." 
 
 "I'm glad of that!" ejaculated Gus, 
 "just paid her out for keeping up that 
 rnontonous drone so long.'' 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 195 
 
 " Oil ! don't interrupt !" cried Aggie, 
 impatiently, " who did she love, Guy ?" 
 
 "The young chief, Gervassen, who had 
 come many thousand miles from the burn- 
 ing plains of the far south, to behold the 
 renowned priestess of the mountains. As 
 Alstarnah excelled all women in beauty 
 and wisdom, so did he all men in beauty 
 and strength. He was as tall and slender 
 as the mountain pine, and his face was as 
 fair to look upon as the great star that 
 hung above the North King's palace. 
 He came to the mountains with great 
 pomp, for a thousand of his enemies pur- 
 sued him, and he slew them all with the 
 masses of rock that he hurled down upon 
 them. See, there they lie now like 
 mighty castles in ruins. 
 
 "When the priestess, Alstarnah, saw this 
 man she thought no more of the magician's 
 words or of her own power, but gloried in 
 
196 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 the beauty that had been given her, and 
 said, ' He will surely love me, for there is 
 not upon all the earth a woman as fair/ 
 
 'And her words were true, Gervassen did 
 love her, and more bold than all the rest, 
 entreated her to be his wife. With great 
 joy she placed her hand in his, but at the 
 moment she was about to speak, she felt 
 an icy wind blow over her and a voice ex- 
 claim : ' Beware of the King of the North ! 
 Pity thy people !' 
 
 " She fled to her wigwam in terror, and 
 for days refused to admit the chieftain, 
 who stood without pleading for an answer 
 but at length she ventured to glance at 
 him through a tiny hole in the buffalo 
 hide that formed the walls of her tent, and 
 in an instant all her love for her people 
 and all fear of the warning voice vanished, 
 and she promised to be Gervassen's bride. 
 
 "Again came the icy wind and the voice, 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 197 
 
 * 
 
 but so infatuated was slie that they failed 
 to turn her from her purpose, although her 
 lover asked the meaning of them. She 
 trembled as she told him that years before 
 there had been a tremendous battle waged 
 between the King of the North and. the 
 forces of the great magician. That the 
 latter had finally triumphed, after a ter- 
 rible struggle, and after yielding one im- 
 portant point to his enemy, which was, 
 that if the magician or any of his successors 
 yielded to human passion, the help of the 
 spirits should be withdrawn from them, 
 and their dominion and people left to the 
 power of the terrible North King. 
 
 " ' It cannot be that he exists/ returned 
 the warrior, 'else he would have endeav- 
 ored to enter the land over which my tribe 
 is scattered, and never, never has one of 
 his subjects been seen or heard of upon 
 
 it; 
 
198 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 " In spite of all her wisdom, this reasoning 
 of Gervassen convinced Alstarnah, who 
 soon after stood up before all the people 
 and bade them farewell, saying that she 
 was going to dwell in the wigwam of the 
 mighty chieftain, Gervassen. 
 
 " Then she took her lover's hand and be- 
 gan the descent of the charmed mountain, 
 followed by all her people, who were 
 weeping and wailing, and entreating that 
 she would come back to them. But still 
 she went on, but only slowly, because of 
 the great press of people around her; and 
 suddenly an icy wind passed over them, 
 and all fell to the earth shivering and 
 terror-stricken, for they had never felt cold 
 before, and they looked up to the moun- 
 tain, and lo ! upon the very summit, at the 
 door of the deserted wigwam, stood a 
 terrible figure, clothed in white, and having 
 a face as white as his robes, and his hair 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 199 
 
 was like the long crystals that hang from 
 the roofs of caves that the water goes 
 through, and his eyes were like two great 
 diamonds, white, yet blazing like the sun. 
 Over his head he waved a sceptre, and as 
 fast as he waved, great flakes of whiteness 
 came out of the clouds and covered all the 
 mountain tops, and came nearer and nearer 
 to the frightened people. 
 
 "<It is the terrible North King,' they 
 cried. 'See, he is throwing his arrows 
 upon us. 7 
 
 "'I will return,' cried Alstarnah, filled 
 with remorse. 'I will return and save 
 my people.' 
 
 " But once more she heard the voice as 
 it wailed ' Too late ! too late !' and the icy 
 wind came and arrested her returning foot- 
 steps, for it chilled her to ice by the side 
 of Gervassen, for whom she had dared so 
 much. Then he antT all the people were 
 
200 & BOY'S TRIP 
 
 * 
 
 filled with still greater terror and turned 
 to flee down the mountains, but the snow 
 flakesthe deadly arrows of the North 
 King, came faster and faster, falling before 
 as well as behind them, clogging the feet 
 and chilling the life-blood of the people 
 Alstarnah had betrayed. 
 
 " First, Gervassen fell, almost at the side 
 of Alstarnah : then, one by one, all the rest 
 of the people sank down and were buried 
 by the soft, white snow, until at last not 
 one remained to tell of the verdure that 
 once crowned the mountains where the 
 North King still reigns, or of the people 
 he slew with terrible arrows of snow, like 
 those he still loves to throw in derision 
 upon any daring traveler that attempts to 
 invade his dominions." 
 
 "And that is the story of the first Snow 
 Storm." 
 
 "I'll tell you whlat, Guy," commented 
 
ACEOSS THE PLAINS. 201 
 
 George, "You won't tell stories about 
 facts, I know, but you make up for it when 
 you Lave fancies to deal with." 
 
 Guy laughed, saying, " He supposed 
 there was no harm in that." 
 
 And little Aggie said, as she bade him 
 good-night, " I guess you will be forgiven 
 even if there is, Guy. And I am sure I 
 
 shall never look at these mountains or see 
 
 *> 
 
 snow again without thinking of your 
 story." 
 
 9* 
 
202 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 FOR some time Aggie found no difficulty 
 in keeping her word, for the train were 
 obliged to pass over a part of the Rocky 
 Mountains, and many a strange adventure 
 they met upon the way. Those that had 
 been over the route before said they got 
 along remarkably well, while those to 
 whom the experience was new, declared 
 that with the breaking down of some 
 wagons, the unloading of others, and let- 
 ting them and goods they contained down 
 the precipices by ropes, and the accidents 
 attendant upon such work, they found the 
 journey anything but delightful. The 
 children enjoyed this part of the trip more 
 than any other, for, with the exception of 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 2Q3 
 
 Guy, they had no more work to do, and 
 had much more to interest and amuse 
 them. 
 
 But upon the whole they were rather 
 glad when they got upon the level ground 
 again, and especially so when they neared 
 the shores of the great Salt Lake, and 
 passed by the city that stands upon its 
 shores. 
 
 Mr. Harwood had intended to visit it, 
 and spend three or four days in looking 
 about the city and endeavoring to learn 
 something about the manners and customs 
 of the people that inhabited it, but several 
 of the party were anxious to reach their 
 destination, and for that and many other 
 reasons they passed the dwelling place of 
 the Mormons by. Although the children 
 were greatly disappointed at not being 
 able to go into the city, they could not 
 help speaking and thinking with delight 
 
204: A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 of the beautiful country they had passed 
 over to reach it. 
 
 "It seems to me," said Aggie one day 
 when they stopped to rest, " that four sea- 
 sons had wandered out of some years and 
 lost themselves up among those moun- 
 tains." 
 
 " You're crazy !" said George contemptu- 
 ously." 
 
 "I think not," said Guy kindly, "but 
 what could have put such a queer idea as 
 that into your head,- Aggie ?" 
 
 "Why you know," she said, " the grass 
 was fresh and green there as if it was 
 spring time, and yet very often while you 
 were gathering buttercups to make me a 
 chain, George and Gus would be pelting 
 you with snow-balls, while the summer 
 sun was shining upon us all the day 
 long." 
 
 " That's so," exclaimed George, " I should 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 205 
 
 never have thought of it again. It's the 
 queerest place I ever saw in my life, except 
 this very great valley which we are in 
 now. Papa says it is over three hundred 
 miles from the Rocky Mountains to the 
 Sierra Nevadas, yet although we haven't 
 been out of sight of the, first for more than 
 a week, we shall see the tops of the others 
 in a few days, and then, hurrah ! we've 
 only to cross them and we shall be in Cali- 
 fornia ! Won't that be glorious ?" 
 
 " Yes, I shall be glad," said Aggie, " for 
 I was beginning to think as mamma said 
 the other day, ' that we never should see a 
 house again.' And won't you be glad, 
 Guy, not to have to get up so early to 
 make the fires in the morning, and to work 
 so late at night, often after walking over 
 the hot sands all day T 
 
 " I don't know/' said Guy rather sadly, 
 " You have all. been very kind to me here, 
 
206 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 and though I have often worked very hard, 
 I guess it won't be all play for me in Cali- 
 fornia." 
 
 Little Aggie often thought of these 
 words of Guy in the days that followed, as 
 they drew nearer and nearer their destina- 
 tion, and each member of the company 
 spoke of his or her hopes or prospects. 
 She noticed that upon that Guy, as well 
 as his mother, was always silent, and many, 
 many hours she sat in the wagon puzzling 
 her little head as to what would become of 
 their favorite. 
 
 She even spoke of it to Guy when they 
 were alone together, but he seldom would 
 say anything about it. He was not like'some 
 people that find comfort in talking over per- 
 plexing questions, and it certainly was a very 
 perplexing question to him, how he was to 
 support his mother in the strange country 
 to which he had induced her to come, for 
 
ACKOSS THE PLAINS. 2Q7 
 
 though young, Guy was too wise to think 
 that gold lay all over the land, and all that 
 any one had to do was to stoop and pick 
 it up, though many older than himself in 
 the train still believed that old fable, 
 which deceived many in the time of Cortez, 
 over two hundred years before. 
 
 But although Guy was so uncertain as 
 to what his fate would be in California, he 
 soon became as anxious to reach it as the 
 rest, for nothing for many weeks occurred 
 to break the monotony of their journey, 
 and the only excitement they had at all 
 was in looking out for Indians, which were 
 said to be very plenty upon their route, 
 and in being constantly pleasurably disap- 
 pointed in not coming upon any. 
 
 One day, indeed, they were greatly sur- 
 prised by the descent of a terrific rain 
 storm upon them, for they had never 
 dreamed of encountering rain in that ele- 
 
208 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 vated region, where not even a drop of dew 
 was found in the early morning. At the 
 time it occurred a party from the train, 
 among whom was Guy, were out hunting. 
 They saw the black clouds rising above the 
 mountains, but leisurely continued their 
 way intent upon obtaining some game for 
 supper, when, suddenly, a blast of wind 
 swept down upon them, bringing with it 
 torrents of water, as if, as Guy afterwards 
 said, another deluge had come to sweep 
 every living thing from the earth's surface. 
 For a moment the horses stood still as 
 if stunned, and their riders bent low over 
 the saddles, then, suddenly wheeling, the 
 animals turned their heads away from the 
 furious blast, and in that position waited 
 for it to expend its fury. Neither whip 
 nor spur would induce them to move, 
 though Mr. Harwood used both freely, 
 being anxious to gain the camp and satisfy 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 209 
 
 Hmself of the safety of his family. The 
 horses chose the best position, according to 
 the instinct which had been given them to 
 escape from danger, and they maintained it 
 until the fury of the storm was spent, and 
 then obediently carried their riders to the 
 camp, where they found two or three of 
 the lighter wagons blown over, and a 
 number of articles scattered hither and 
 thither. All the people however were safe 
 though greatly frightened. 
 
210 A BOT'S TRIP 
 
 CHAPTEE XVI. 
 
 As George said, the great rain storm 
 seemed to Lave come expressly to wash all 
 interest out of their journey, for from that 
 day until their arrival within sight of Car- 
 son River, within the Territory of Nevada, 
 where a part of the company were to part 
 from the main body, they saw but little to 
 interest them. True they had passed over 
 a wonderful country, but the alkali plains 
 seemed small in comparison to the desert, 
 over which they had passed some weeks 
 before, and all the grandeur of the Sierra 
 Nevada Mountains could not awaken i 
 them one iota of the enthusiasm with 
 which they had greeted the first glimpse 
 of the snow-capped summits of the Rocky 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 211 
 
 Mountains. In fact they were too weary 
 of their long journey to look around them 
 for enjoyment, but rather looked forward 
 to it, when all deserts of alkali, of sand 
 and sage-brush being past, they might by 
 the rivers and in the peaceful vales of Cali- 
 fornia find rest and plenty. 
 
 As I have said before, all in the company 
 but Guy and his mother had something 
 to look forward to. Many of the young 
 men were going to the placer diggings 
 or the deep mines, and spoke exultantly 
 of the rich harvest they would surely glean. 
 Mr. Graham had a quartz mill in a very 
 fine situation, and* he was going to take 
 charge of it, and his sisters were to keep 
 house for him, while Mr. Frazer and Mr. 
 Harwood had decided to purchase farms 
 and settle upon them. 
 
 The last night that all in the train were 
 to encamp together, a large fire was built 
 
212 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 and all gathered around it to talk over 
 their plans. Guy sat by Aggie's side and 
 tried to talk to her, but he could not help 
 listening to what was said, and that, with 
 the knowledge that they were so near Cali- 
 fornia their journey's end, made him feel 
 so miserable that he walked away from the 
 fire, and hid himself in a dark place, and 
 cried as if his heart would break. 
 
 .What was he to do when compelled to 
 leave these friends ? Almost penniless 
 where was he in that new, unsettled 
 country to find a home for his mother. 
 For himself he could provide, but what 
 should he do for his mother ? He had 
 heard that work, hard work, was plenty ; 
 but his mother could not do hard work ; it 
 had nearly killed her before, and doubt- 
 less there were few children to be taught. 
 What could * he do with her ? Where 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 213 
 
 should he leave her, while he went to try 
 his fortune ? 
 
 It never entered his head to ask any one 
 to give her a home. He felt under unpaya- 
 ble obligations already to Mr. Harwood 
 for bringing them so far upon their way, 
 and treating them so kindly, therefore 
 to ask him to do more, he thought would 
 be the greatest presumption, so instead of 
 asking help of any man, he asked it of 
 God. 
 
 He was still sitting with his head bowed 
 on his knees, and the tears streaming down 
 his cheeks, most earnestly praying, when, 
 suddenly, a flash from the light of a lantern 
 passed over him, and a voice exclaimed : 
 " why, here you are, I have been searching 
 for you for ever so long." 
 
 It was one of the young men from St. 
 Louis, with whom Gruy had been on most 
 excellent terms ever since they left W . 
 
214: A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 " Yes, it is I," he returned, rather reluc- 
 tantly, for he was ashamed that he should 
 have found him crying. " What is the 
 matter, John ?" he presently added. 
 
 " The matter ! why, don't you know we 
 are to break up camp to-morrow, and one 
 party go one way into California, and the 
 other another ! Now, which one are you 
 going with, Guy 2" 
 
 " I don't know," he said, with difficulty 
 repressing a sob, "one part of California 
 is the same to me as another. I have no 
 friends there, and, oh dear, I very much 
 fear I ought not to have come at all." 
 
 " Oh, don't say that," exclaimed John, 
 cheerfully, " you just come along with me 
 and my partners, we are going straight to 
 the placer diggings, and we'll take care of 
 you until you- can do for yourself, which 
 won't "be long, you may be sure ; I should'nt 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 215 
 
 wonder if you're as rich as Rothschild in 
 a few years." 
 
 Guy's eyes sparkled, but in a moment 
 his countenance fell, and he faltered out, 
 
 " But what is to become of mother, I 
 could' nt leave her alone in a strange coun- 
 try, her heart would break." 
 
 " Sure enough, I never thought of her, 
 but something might be done, she would'nt 
 break her heart, if she didn't starve." 
 
 " Ah, but she might do both !" exclaimed 
 Guy. " Indeed, I cannot leave her. We 
 must live and strive together, John. I 
 thank you for your offer, .but I can't leave 
 my mother." 
 
 " You're a nobler fellow than the Spar- 
 tan that let the wolf gnaw his vitals 
 rather than cry out," replied the young 
 man, " and though you won't join us, Guy, 
 I don't doubt but you'll find good fortune 
 somewhere." 
 
216 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 " Thank you," said Guy, and comforted 
 by the young man's kind offer, though he 
 could not accept it, he walked back to the 
 fire, where he found only the Grahams and 
 the Harwoods. 
 
 "We have been talking about you, 
 Guy," said Mr. Harwood. " Mr. Graham 
 says he will give you a place in the mill 
 if you will go with him." 
 
 " That I will, sir !" cried Guy, joyfully, 
 his heart bounding, then falling like lead 
 as he added, " but my mother ?" 
 
 "I think she will consent," said Mr. 
 Graham. 
 
 " Oh, sir, it was not of that I was think- 
 ing, it was of what would become of her. 
 Oh, sir, she is poor and friendless, and I 
 could'nt think of leaving her alone." 
 
 " I say then," said George, who had ap- 
 parently been engaged in building castles 
 in the air, or anything e^se rather than 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 217 
 
 listening to the conversation, " 1 say, now 
 that Guy isn't going' with Mr. Graham, 
 it's cold enough up there to kill his mother, 
 make an icicle of her before Christmas, 
 you know you said last night it was." 
 
 " Is that true, sir?" asked Guy, turning 
 to Mr. Graham. 
 
 " Why, I can't say that your mother 
 would be an icicle before Christmas," re- 
 turned Mr. Graham, laughing, " but it cer- 
 tainly is far too cold and stormy there for 
 a delicate woman." :>';':.. 
 
 " Ah, then^ sir !' returned Guy, very 
 sadly, "I cannot go with you, I cannot 
 leave my mother." 
 
 " Hurrah !" cried George, turning a 
 double somersault before the fire, and 
 nearly into it. 
 
 "What's the matter ?"* asked Guy, in 
 astonishment. 
 
 "Why, it means," said Mr. liarwood, 
 
 10 
 
218 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 " that if you will not leave your mother? 
 you must stay with us, as she has consent- 
 ed to do. Much as I disliked to part with 
 you, who have been so invaluable to me 
 on the way, I did not like to ask you to 
 remain with us while others were ready to 
 offer you, in mines and mills, so much bet- 
 ter opportunities of gaining money than 
 I can upon my little farm. There, for 
 some time at least, there will be more work 
 than money, I guess. So now, Guy, you 
 know your mother will, at any rate, have a 
 home; Mr. Graham will give you much 
 higher wages than I can." 
 
 At that point, Aggie began to cry bit- 
 terly, saying, " Guy, you inusn't go away ! 
 who should I have to tell me stories ?' 
 
 " And, besides, my dog Jack can't smoke 
 yet," interrupted Gus, "and you promised 
 to teach him, and youVe got to stay and 
 do it." 
 
ACROSS % THE PLAINS. 219 
 
 "That's so," said George. "I expect I 
 shall burn the house down trying to 
 smoke, if you don't. You see I haven't 
 forgotten how you threw that flooir and 
 water on me in the burning wagon, yet, 
 and you have to stay and let me have 
 satisfaction for that !" 
 
 " Yes, do stay," said Aggie, coaxingly. 
 
 "I intend to," cried Guy, bursting out 
 into a loud laugh to prevent himself from 
 crying with joy at his good fortune. 
 " Hasn't it nearly broken my heart to think 
 of leaving you, Aggie, and Mr. and Mrs. 
 Harwood, and all the rest? Indeed, I 
 would rather be with you all, if you were 
 as poor as as " 
 
 " Job's turkey," suggested George. 
 
 "Well, yes, or as I am myself, than be a 
 prince without you." 
 
 After which burst of eloquence Guy sat 
 down, bringing a scream of dismay from 
 
220 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 / 
 
 Aggie, upon whom he had inadvertently 
 seated himself. 
 
 " Now that is all settled," said Mr. Har- 
 wood, dismissing the matter in his usual 
 cool way, though one could see he was 
 much gratified, u we will have prayers." 
 
 He arose and rung the large bell and all 
 the company gathered around him, as they 
 had often done upon the plains and the 
 mountains, and listened to the word of 
 God. Then he spoke to them of what had 
 passed, and gave his best wishes to each. 
 All were much affected at his kindly 
 words, and by the short prayer that fol- 
 lowed. There were few dry eyes there as 
 those that were to leave on the morrow 
 bade farewell, and it was with deep grief 
 Guy parted with his many friends. 
 
 At daybreak next morning the final 
 separation took place, a long train of wag- 
 gons diverged to another path, leaving the 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 221 
 
 families of Mr. Frazer and Mr. Harwood 
 to take their way alone into California. 
 
222 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 A MONTH later they were there, and not 
 only there but settled upon fine farms 
 adjoining each other. To be sure they had 
 but very small dwellings to live in, but all 
 were too much pleased with the green 
 meadows, sloping down to the river's edge, 
 and the beautiful forests that crowned the 
 hills that lay in the background, to fret 
 because the walls of their house were made 
 of sun-dried mud instead of stone. They 
 found too many things to be thankful for, 
 to find time to complain of any, and 
 although all things were very rough, and 
 Mrs. Harwood and Mrs. Loring wondered 
 a hundred times a day " what they should 
 do/' they finally decided, when everything 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 223 
 
 in the little house was arranged to their 
 satisfaction, that they should do very well 
 indeed. 
 
 "Yes, very well," said Mrs. Loring, for 
 although she called herself a servant, and 
 was paid as such, she did not feel degraded 
 by it, for she knew she was earning an 
 honest living, and was respected as a friend 
 by her employers, while Guy was looked 
 upon almost as a son. He took the same 
 place with the children as that held in 
 their trip across the plains. He worked for 
 their father, and for them, and very hard 
 too, sometimes, but he was still their play- 
 fellow, George's guide, Gus' friend, little 
 Aggie's comforter, and singer of songs, and 
 teller of stories to all. As I have said, he 
 worked hard, for even with a kind, indul- 
 gent master, like Mr. Harwood, much is 
 thrown upon the hands of a willing boy, 
 so Guy found there was still fires to light 
 
224 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 in the morning, water to fetch, wood to 
 chop and carr.y, cows to milk, and the 
 plough to be followed. 
 
 Sometimes he grew tired of the dull 
 routine, and would wish himself at the 
 diggings with the young men from St. 
 Louis, and then with Mr. Graham, at the 
 mill, but a glance at his mother, working 
 over the hot stove, or washing at the 
 spring, would render him content, for he 
 would say, " She is happy with all her toil, 
 while I am near, and shall I worry over a 
 little extra work, when it keeps me with 
 her?" And then away to his work he 
 would go with renewed energy, and some- 
 times Mr. Harwood would give him a 
 holiday which would quite revive his 
 drooping spirits, and make him strong for 
 weeks. 
 
 Oh, what holidays these were ! Off all 
 the children would go to the woods, that 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. ' 925 
 
 in the afternoon were full of sunshine, so 
 warm, so beautiful ; the grass would look 
 like shaded velvet beneath them, and the 
 leaves would glance and quiver as if they 
 were fairies frolicking in their best clothes. 
 And such woods as these were, in which to 
 gather wild plums and nuts, and then to 
 lie in the shade and tell fairy stories. 
 "The very trees seem to say them over to 
 us," said Aggie, the first day they spent yi 
 the woods together. " I am sure tliere 
 
 o 
 
 must be something in all these sweet 
 sounds we hear." 
 
 "Birds' songs," said George, contempt- 
 uously. 
 
 " No," said Aggie, " something more. 
 Tell us what it is, Guy, you can always 
 tell what the birds and animals say, you 
 even told us what the prairie dogs said, 
 you know." 
 
 Guy threw himself down on the green 
 10* 
 
926 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 grass beside a little brook, and listened, 
 with his eyes fixed on the yellow sands of 
 the little stream. 
 
 " The birds are telling me that there is 
 gold in that sand," he said at length, 
 " they tell me there is gold throughout all 
 this wonderful country, in every rock and 
 chasm, and there is one big fellow that is 
 telling me how it all came there. " Shall 
 I repeat it over to you T 
 
 " Oh, yes, yes !" cried Aggie, in great 
 glee. 
 
 " And let us have no more preliminary 
 fibs," said George, "you are the greatest 
 fellow for them, you know, Guy." 
 
 " Oh, p'shaw !" ejaculated Gus, impa- 
 tient, " Let him go ahead !" 
 
 "That's just what the birds say," re- 
 plied Guy, throwing himself back on the 
 grass, and smiling gravely. " That big 
 fellow' on the bough there tells me he is 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 227 
 
 delighted ; that he has at last found one 
 that can understand his language, for he 
 has heard so many ridiculous theories ad- 
 vanced by men with picks on their shoul- 
 ders and books in their hands, as to what 
 gold is, and how it came on the ground, 
 that he has nearly burst his throat in try- 
 ing to make them understand the truth, 
 and has then been accused of making a 
 ' senseless chatter.' r 
 
 " And all the time," says he, " their 
 chatter was far more senseless than mine, 
 and so they would think if they had heard 
 all of us laugh over their ^conjectures 
 about a matter we knew all about, for 
 birds have legends as well as men, and 
 there's none better remembered than that 
 of the ' Enchanted Yellow Men/ . 
 
 BANCROFT 
 
 " Thousands of years ago they inhabit- 
 ed the finest portions of this land. They 
 hunted the deer on a hundred hills, and 
 
228 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 bathed in all the streams of the moun- 
 tains. Their tents were in every valley, 
 and the tracks of their feet on every path. 
 They were the most numerous and power- 
 ful people on all the earth, yet none could 
 tell why they were feared, for they had 
 never battled with their neighbors, or 
 shown great courage in the chase. In 
 reality, it was their color alone that in- 
 spired awe. They were of the hue of 
 the sun at midday, and their long hair 
 streamed upon the wind like the dead 
 leaves of corn in autumn. From toe to 
 crown they were pure, bright yellow, as 
 yellow as the buttercups in yonder field. 
 " Ever were they looked upon with awe 
 by their tawny brethren, who thought 
 that the great Spirit had set the seal of 
 his special love upon them, and had sent 
 them forth as his chosen people. The 
 yellow men believed the same, for every- 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 229 
 
 V* 
 
 thing they undertook. prospered. None of 
 the surrounding tribes ever showed oppo- 
 sition to them. They could follow the game 
 over any ground, and spear the fish in any 
 stream they chose, so that hunger never 
 entered their wigwams ; and in course of 
 time they became so puffed up with their 
 good fortune that they called themselves 
 'gods/ and the neighboring tribes bowed 
 and worshipped them. 
 
 " Then the Great Spirit, who, from his 
 home in the great mountains, had been 
 watching their doings, grew very angry 
 and threatened to destroy them all. But 
 they were so beautiful to look upon, that he 
 decided to tiy them once more and see if 
 any good remained in them. Shortly after 
 this a mighty tribe on the west of the 
 yellow men, crossed over to the east, 
 and took from a small, weak tribe that 
 dwelt there all their lands, and drove them 
 
230 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 jt 
 
 up to the barren mountains, where they 
 could not find even so much as a herb to eat. 
 "But they were very near the Great 
 Spirit, and he heard all their woes, and he 
 sent a messenger down to the yellow men 
 bidding them arise, slay the invaders and 
 restore the destitute to their homes again. 
 But they would not, and all those upon 
 the mountains died, and their curses came 
 down, and rested upon the rich and pow- 
 erful who had refused to help them, and 
 upon the day that the laSt of the wan- 
 derers perished a voice was heard in the 
 tents of the yellow men, and it said, ' As 
 ye refused to leave your lands to aid your 
 brethren, ye shall rest in the ground till 
 strangers shall bear thee hence, and as ye 
 have refused -to toil, or bless in your life 
 time, ye shall do both after death. Ye 
 shall buy food for the poor, but yet shall 
 the curses of the Great Spirit follow ye.' 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 231 
 
 " And even as they listened to these ter- 
 rible words, flames burst out of the 
 mountains, and rushed over the valleys and 
 and plains. As it passed over them each was 
 burnt to a shapeless mass. In thousands 
 of places the earth opened and they sank 
 into their graves. And there the yellow 
 men, in their new forms, waited for 
 thousands of years, and there many of 
 them are waiting still for the pick of the 
 miner to bring them forth into their new 
 life, to curse the wicked and improvident, 
 and to bless the poor and needy." 
 
 " There ! there ! the bird has flown 
 away !'' said Aggie. 
 
 " But he has answered the question that 
 has been puzzling my head for a long, long 
 time," said Guy. And told us, too, that 
 none of us should be inactive and the 
 greater our power to help others the more 
 we should exercise it." 
 
232 A BOY'S TRIP 
 
 " That's so," said George, " and I sup- 
 pose we are all like the 'yellow men, 7 a 
 good deal puffed up with our own conceit. 
 I'll tell you what, suppose we all enter 
 injbo a contract to do all the good we can, 
 and let Guy be the judge of our actions, for 
 aftyr all he is the one that first put it into 
 my head to do any good, you know." 
 
 u Agreed," cried Aggie, while Gus said, 
 " It was a jolly good idea." But Guy de- 
 murred about being judge, thinking with a 
 good deal of shame that he. was sometimes 
 as inactive in a good cause as the " yellow 
 men" themselves. 
 
 So. they sat in the woods talking the 
 matter over until the last rays of the sun 
 fell through the thick leaves and warned 
 them home. Then they took their baskets 
 and turned their faces homeward. Guy 
 saying, " Well then, we are agreed all of us 
 to begin the lives now, to which the 
 
ACROSS THE PLAINS. 233 
 
 "yellow men" were doomed for their 
 idleness and presumption. Henceforth we 
 are to help the weak, oppose the proud and 
 wicked, arid strive to do good." 
 
 " I will for one," said George, earnestly. 
 
 " So will I," echoed Gus. 
 
 " Arid so will T, with all my heart !" ex- 
 claimed little Aggie, just as they stepped 
 out of the woods into the open field. 
 " Only look," she added, glancing back, 
 "a bird has followed us out of the woods. 
 I do believe it is the one that told us 
 the pretty story, and, listen, to what he 
 is singing, ' Good bye ! why, I even can 
 interpret that, ' Good boy ! good bye ! 
 Guy Loring ! Guy, Good bye !' " 
 
 [THE END.]