next morning, as soon as they had finished their breakfast, in accordance with the promise they had made their parents before starting, that they would be at home before the holidays, the boys began to make preparations to leave the woods. the sled was brought around to the door, and, while george and harry were engaged in loading it, frank and his cousin went to the barn to harness the young moose, which had become very tractable, and would trot off with a load as well as a horse. their traps and guns, together with the furs they had taken, were stowed carefully away in the bottom of the sled; then came the cubs, and the skins of the moose, bear, white buck, and panther, and the whole was crowned by the huge antlers of the moose, to give it, as harry said, “an imposing appearance.”
after the moose had been hitched to the sled, and all was ready for the start, the boys turned to shake hands with uncle joe and the trapper. dick seemed to regret their parting very much. after drawing his coat-sleeve across his eyes, he seized frank’s hand, and said:
“good-by, youngster! we have had some good times in these yere woods this winter. i’m sorry that the partin’ time has come, for i hate to have you leave us. you are a gritty feller—jest sich a one as i like to see; an’ i have tuk to you jest the same as poor ole bill lawson onct tuk to me. as soon as spring opens i shall start agin for the prairy. the woods here are too small for me. we prob’bly shall never meet agin, but i hope you won’t forget your ole friend, dick lewis. good-by! an’ may your trail never be as rugged an’ rough as mine has been.”
“i shall never forget you, dick,” replied frank, as he returned the trapper’s hearty grasp. “you saved my life.”
at length the farewells had all been said, and the boys got into the sled. frank took up the reins, and the moose broke into a rapid trot, that soon carried them out of sight of the cabin.
there was no danger that the boys would soon forget the wild scenes through which they had passed during their short sojourn in the woods. each had something to remind him of some exciting hunt which he had gone through. frank thought of his desperate struggle with the buck, during which he had received scars that would go with him through life. harry remembered his adventure with the wolves. george shivered as he thought of his cold bath in the pond. and archie, in imagination, was again in pursuit of the black fox.
“well,” said the latter, at length, “we’ve had some fine times since we traveled over this road.”
“yes,” said george, “and i should like to go through them again—ducking and all.”
“i had rather be excused,” said frank.
“so had i,” chimed in harry.
“i shouldn’t like the idea of going through the fight with that moose again,” continued frank.
“nor i shouldn’t like to meet those wolves again, and have them pull off my boots as i was climbing up a tree,” said harry.
“i wonder what the folks will think, when they see us coming home in this rig?” said archie.
that question was answered when, about an hour before dark, they turned up off the creek into the road, in full view of the cottage.
they were first discovered by aunt hannah, who, after shading her eyes with her hand, and gazing at them a few moments, ran into the house. a moment afterward the whole family appeared at the door.
“there’s my folks!” exclaimed archie. “i thought they would be here to spend the holidays. show them what we can do, frank.”
his cousin accordingly put the moose through his best paces, and in a few moments they whirled through the gate, and drew up before the door.
“well, boys, i’m glad to see you all back safe,” said mr. winters, as soon as the greeting was over. “it’s a wonder that archie didn’t shoot some of you—he’s so careless with his gun.”
“o no, father,” replied the boy, “i’ve got over that. i always hold my gun muzzle down, as you told me.”
the boys began to unload the sled, and one after another of the articles were taken out and laid on the portico. finally, harry drew out the panther’s skin.
“a panther!” exclaimed mr. winters. “where did you buy that skin?”
“buy it!” repeated archie. “we didn’t buy it. frank killed the panther that once wore this skin; with a shot-gun, too; and that isn’t all he killed, either. look here!” and he threw out the bear and moose-skins, and finally the cubs. “he had a nice time killing that moose,” archie went on to say, “and he came near being”——
here he was interrupted by a look from his cousin. he was about to say, “and came near being killed himself;” but finished his sentence by saying, “he came near killing the moose at the first shot, but didn’t quite.”
mr. winters had seen the glances that the boys exchanged, and knew that it meant something more than they were willing to reveal; but he made no remark. after the things had all been taken out, with the exception of those that belonged to george and harry, and the cubs had been taken into the kitchen and delivered into aunt hannah’s especial charge, the boys got into the sled again and started for mr. butler’s.
their appearance in the village created a great commotion. after driving around to the post-office for the mail, as well as to show off the qualities of their horned horse, they started home again.
that evening was passed in a pleasant manner, in the recital of the boys’ adventures in the woods, which also formed the topic of conversation for many days. in spite of the emphatic instructions frank had given his companions “not to say a word about his fight with the moose,” it gradually “leaked out somewhere,” as archie expressed it, and frank became a hero in his own family, and in the village.
here we will leave them, only to introduce them again in other and more stirring scenes on the western prairies.
