in one of those numerous narrow ravines of the rocky mountains which open out into the rolling prairies of the saskatchewan there stood some years ago a log hut, or block-house, such as the roving hunters of the far west sometimes erected as temporary homes during the inclement winter of those regions.
with a view to render the hut a castle of refuge as well as a home, its builder had perched it close to the edge of a nearly inaccessible cliff overhanging one of those brawling torrents which carry the melting snows of the great rocky range into one of the tributaries of the saskatchewan river. on what may be called the land side of the hut there was a slight breastwork of logs. it seemed a weak defence truly, yet a resolute man with several guns and ammunition might have easily held it against a considerable band of savages.
one fine morning about the time when the leaves of the forest were beginning to put on their gorgeous autumnal tints, a woman might have been seen ascending the zigzag path that led to the hut or fortress.
she was young, well formed, and pretty, and wore the indian costume, yet there was something in her air and carriage, as well as the nut-brown colour of her hair, which told that either her father or her mother had been what the red men term a “pale-face.”
with a light, bounding step, very different from that of the ordinary indian squaw, she sprang from rock to rock as if in haste, and, climbing over the breastwork before mentioned, entered the hut.
the interior of the little fortress was naturally characteristic of its owner. a leathern capote and leggings hung from a nail in one corner; in another lay a pile of buffalo robes. the rough walls were adorned with antlers of the moose and other deer, from the various branches of which hung several powder-horns, fire-bags, and bullet-pouches. near the rude fireplace, the chimney of which was plastered outside and in with mud, was a range of six guns, of various patterns and ages, all of which, being well polished and oiled, were evidently quite ready for instant service. beside them hung an old cavalry sabre. neither table nor chairs graced the simple mansion; but a large chest at one side served for the former, and doubtless contained the owner’s treasures, whatever these might be, while three rough stools, with only nine legs among them, did service for the latter.
the action of the young woman on entering was somewhat suggestive of the cause of her haste. without a moment’s delay, she seized a powder-horn and bullet-pouch, and began to charge the guns, some with ball, others with slugs, as fast as she could. there was a cool, quiet celerity in her proceedings which proved that she was accustomed to the handling of such weapons.
no one looking upon the scene would have guessed that softswan, as she was poetically named, was a bride, at that time in the midst of the honeymoon.
yet such was the case. her husband being the kindliest, stoutest and handsomest fellow in all that region had won her heart and hand, had obtained her parents’ consent, had been married in the nearest settlement by a travelling missionary, and had carried off his pretty bride to spend the honeymoon in his mountain fortress. we can scarcely call it his home, however, for it was only, as we have said, a temporary residence—the rocky mountains, from the gulf of mexico to the arctic circle, being his home.
while the indian bride was engaged in charging the firearms, a rifle-shot was heard to echo among the surrounding cliffs. it was followed by a cry, as if some one had been wounded, and then there arose that terrible war-whoop of the red men which, once heard, can never be forgotten, and which inspires even the bravest with feelings of at least anxiety.
that softswan was not free from alarm was pretty evident from the peculiar curl of her pretty eyebrows, but that the sounds did not unnerve her was also obvious from the quiet though prompt way in which she gathered up all the loaded firearms, and bore them swiftly to the breastwork in front of the cabin. arranging the guns in a row at her side, so as to be handy, the girl selected one, laid it on the parapet, and carefully examined the priming. having satisfied herself that it was all right, she cocked the piece, and quietly awaited the issue of events.
the weapon that softswan had selected was not picked up at haphazard. it was deliberately chosen as being less deadly than the others, the charge being a few slugs or clippings of lead, which were not so apt to kill as rifle bullets; for softswan, as her name might suggest was gentle of spirit, and was influenced by none of that thirst for blood and revenge which characterised some of her indian relatives.
after a time the poor girl’s anxiety increased, for well she knew that a whoop and a cry such as she had heard were the sure precursors of something worse. besides, she had seen the footprints of blackfoot indians in the valley below, and she knew from their appearance that those who had made them were on the war-path, in which circumstances savages usually dismiss any small amount of tender mercies with which they may have been naturally endowed.
“oh why, why you’s not come home, big tim?” she exclaimed at last, in broken english.
it may be well to explain at once that big tim, who was the only son of little tim, had such a decided preference for the tongue of his white father, that he had taught it to his bride, and refused to converse with her in any other, though he understood the language of his mother brighteyes quite as well as english.
if big tim had heard the pathetic question, he would have flown to the rescue more speedily than any other hunter of the rocky mountains, for he was the swiftest runner of them all; but unfortunately he was too far off at that moment to hear; not too far off, however, to hear the shot and cry which had alarmed his bride.
from the position which softswan occupied she could see and command every portion of the zigzag approach to the hut so that no one could reach her without being completely exposed to her fire if she were disposed to dispute the passage. as we have said, the hut stood on a cliff which overhung the torrent that brawled through the gorge, so that she was secure from attack in rear.
in a few minutes another rifle-shot was heard, and the war-whoop was repeated, this time much nearer than before.
with compressed lips and heightened colour, the solitary girl prepared to defend her castle. presently she heard footsteps among the thick bushes below, as if of some one running in hot haste. softswan laid her finger on the trigger, but carefully, for the advancing runner might be her husband. oh why did he not shout to warn her? the poor girl trembled a little, despite her self-restraint, as she thought of the danger and the necessity for immediate action.
suddenly the bushes on her left moved, and a man, pushing them aside, peeped from among them. he was a savage, in the war-paint and panoply of a blackfoot brave. the spot to which he had crept was indeed the nearest to the hut that could be reached in that direction, but softswan knew well that an impassable chasm separated her from the intruder, so she kept well concealed behind the breastwork, and continued to watch him through one of the peep-holes made in it for that purpose. she might have easily shot him, for he was within range, but her nature revolted from doing so, for he seemed to think that the hut was untenanted, and, instead of looking towards her place of concealment, leaned over the cliff so as to get a good view of the lower end of the zigzag track where it entered the woods.
could he be a foe to the approaching indians, or one of them? thought the poor girl, rendered almost desperate by doubt and indecision.
just then a man burst out of the woods below with a defiant shout, and sprang up the narrow track. it was big tim. the savage on the cliff pointed his rifle at him. indecision, doubt, mercy were instantly swept away, and with the speed of the lightning flash the girl sent her charge of slugs into the savage. he collapsed, rolled over the cliff, and went crashing into the bushes underneath, but instantly sprang up, as if unhurt, and disappeared, just as a dozen of his comrades burst upon the scene from the woods below.
the echoing report of the gun and the fall of their companion evidently disconcerted the aim of the savages, for their scattering fire left the bounding tim untouched. before they could reload, softswan sent them a present of another charge of slugs, which, the distance being great, so scattered itself as to embrace nearly the whole party, who thereupon went wounded and howling back into the forest.
“well done, my soft one!” exclaimed big tim, as he took a flying leap over the low breastwork, and caught his bride in his arms, for even in that moment of danger he could not help expressing his joy and thankfulness at finding her safe and well, when he had half expected to find her dead and scalped, if he found her at all.
another moment, and he was kneeling at the breastwork, examining the firearms and ready for action.
“fetch the sabre, my soft one,” said big tim, addressing his bride by the title which he had bestowed on her on his wedding-day.
the tone in which he said this struck the girl as being unusually light and joyous, not quite in keeping with the circumstance of being attacked by overwhelming odds; but she was becoming accustomed to the eccentricities of her bold and stalwart husband, and had perfect confidence in him. without, therefore, expressing surprise by word or look, she obeyed the order.
unsheathing the weapon, the hunter felt its edge with his thumb, and a slight smile played on his features as he said—
“i have good news for the soft one to-day.”
the soft one looked, but did not say, “indeed, what is it?”
“yes,” continued the youth, sheathing the sabre; “the man with the kind heart and the snowy pinion has come back to the mountains. he will be here before the shadows of the trees grow much longer.”
“whitewing?” exclaimed softswan, with a gleam of pleasure in her bright black eyes.
“just so. the prairie chief has come back to us, and is now a preacher.”
“has the pale-face preacher com’ vis him?” asked the bride, with a slightly troubled look, for she did not yet feel quite at home in her broken english, and feared that her husband might laugh at her mistakes, though nothing was further from the mind of the stout hunter than to laugh at his pretty bride. he did indeed sometimes indulge the propensity in that strange conventional region “his sleeve,” but no owl of the desert was more solemn in countenance than big tim when softswan perpetrated her lingual blunders.
“i know not,” he replied, as he renewed the priming of one of the guns. “hist! did you see something move under the willow bush yonder?”
the girl shook her head.
“a rabbit, no doubt,” said the hunter, lowering the rifle which he had raised, and resuming his easy unconcerned attitude, yet keeping his keen eye on the spot with a steadiness that showed his indifference was assumed.
“i know not whether the pale-face preacher is with him,” he continued. “those who told me about him could only say that a white man dressed like the crows was travelling a short distance in advance of whitewing, but whether he was one of his party or not, they could not tell. indeed it is said that whitewing has no party with him, that he travels alone. if he does, he is more reckless than ever, seeing that his enemies the blackfeet are on the war-path just now; but you never know what a half-mad redskin will do, and whitewing is a queer customer.”
big tim’s style of speech was in accordance with his half-caste nature—sometimes flowing in channels of slightly poetic imagery, like that of his indian mother; at other times dropping into the very matter-of-fact style of his white sire.
“leetil tim vill be glad,” said softswan.
“ay, daddy will be pleased. by the way, i wonder what keeps him out so long? i half expected to find him here when i arrived. indeed, i made sure it was him that tumbled yon blackfoot off the cliff so smartly. you see, i didn’t know you were such a plucky little woman, my soft one, though i might have guessed it, seeing that you possess all the good qualities under the sun; but a man hardly expects his squaw to be great on the war-path, d’ye see?”
softswan neither smiled nor looked pleased at the compliment intended in these words.
“me loves not to draw bloods,” she said gravely, with a pensive look on the ground.
“don’t let that disturb you, soft one,” said her husband, with a quiet laugh. “by the way he jumped after it i guess he has got no more harm than if you’d gin him an overdose o’ physic. but them reptiles bein’ in these parts makes me raither anxious about daddy. did he say where he meant to hunt when he went off this morning?”
“yes; leetil tim says hims go for hunt near lipstock hill.”
“just so; lopstick hill,” returned tim, correcting her with offhand gravity.
“but me hears a shote an’ a cry,” said the girl, with a suddenly anxious look.
“that was from one o’ the redskins, whose thigh i barked for sendin’ an arrow raither close to my head,” said the young man.
“but,” continued his bride, with increasing anxiety, “the shote an’ the cry was long before you comes home. pr’aps it bees leetil tim.”
“impossible,” said big tim quickly; “father must have bin miles away at that time, for lopsuck hill is good three hours’ walk from here as the crow flies, an’ the blackfeet came from the opposite airt o’ the compass.”
the young hunter’s prolonged silence after this, as well as the expression of his face, showed that he was not quite as easy in his mind as his words implied.
“did the cry seem to be far off?” he asked at last quickly.
“not far,” returned his wife.
without speaking, big tim began to buckle on the cavalry sabre, not in the loosely-swinging cavalry fashion, but closely and firmly to his side, with his broad waistbelt, so that it might not impede his movements. he then selected from the arms a short double-barrelled gun, and, slinging a powder-horn and shot-pouch over his shoulders, prepared to depart.
“now listen, my soft one,” he said, on completing his arrangements. “i feel a’most sartin sure that the cry ye heard was not daddy’s; nevertheless, the bare possibility o’ such a thing makes it my dooty to go an’ see if it was the old man. i think the blackfeet have drawed off to have a palaver, an’ won’t be back for a bit, so i’ll jist slip down the precipice by our secret path; an’ if they do come back when i’m away, pepper them well wi’ slugs. i’ll hear the shots, an’ be back to you afore they can git up the hill. but if they should make a determined rush, don’t you make too bold a stand agin ’em. just let fly with the big-bore when they’re half-way up the track, an’ then slip into the cave. i’ll soon meet ye there, an we’ll give the reptiles a surprise. now, you’ll be careful, soft one?”
soft one promised to be careful, and big tim, entering the hut, passed out at a back door, and descended the cliff to the torrent below by a concealed path which even a climbing monkey might have shuddered to attempt.
meanwhile softswan, re-arranging and re-examining her firearm, sat down behind the breastwork to guard the fort.
the sun was still high in the heavens, illuming a magnificent prospect of hill and dale and virgin forest, and glittering in the lakelets, pools, and rivers, which brightened the scene as far as the distant horizon, where the snow-clad peaks of the rocky mountains rose grandly into the azure sky.
the girl sat there almost motionless for a long time, exhibiting in her face and figure at once the keen watchfulness of the savage and the endurance of the pale-face.
unlike many girls of her class, she had at one period been brought for a short time under the influence of men who loved the lord jesus christ and esteemed it equally a duty and a privilege to urge others to flee from the wrath to come and accept the gospel offer of salvation—men who themselves had long before been influenced by the pale-face preacher to whom softswan had already referred. the seed had, in her case, fallen into good ground, and had brought forth the fruit of an earnest desire to show good-will to all with whom she had to do. it had also aroused in her a hungering and thirsting for more knowledge of god and his ways.
it was natural, therefore, as she gazed on the splendid scene spread out before her, that the thoughts of this child of the backwoods should rise to contemplation of the creator, and become less attentive to inferior matters than circumstances required.
she was recalled suddenly to the danger of her position by the appearance of a dark object, which seemed to crawl out of the bushes below, just where the zigzag track entered them. at the first glance it seemed to resemble a bear; a second and more attentive look suggested that it might be a man. whether bear or man, however, it was equally a foe, at least so thought softswan, and she raised one of the guns to her shoulder with a promptitude that would have done credit to big tim himself.
but she did not fire. the natural disinclination to shed blood restrained her—fortunately, as it turned out,—for the crawling object, on reaching the open ground, rose with apparent difficulty and staggered forward a few paces in what seemed to be the form of a drunken man. after one or two ineffectual efforts to ascend the track, the unfortunate being fell and remained a motionless heap upon the ground.
