a surprise, and a piece of good news--the fur-traders--crusoeproved, and the peigans pursued.
dick's first and most natural impulse, on beholdingthis band, was to mount his horse and fly, forhis mind naturally enough recurred to the former roughtreatment he had experienced at the hands of indians.
on second thoughts, however, he considered it wiser tothrow himself upon the hospitality of the strangers;"for," thought he, "they can but kill me, an' if i remainhere i'm like to die at any rate."so dick mounted his wild horse, grasped his rifle inhis right hand, and, followed by crusoe, galloped fulltilt down the valley to meet them.
he had heard enough of the customs of savage tribes,and had also of late experienced enough, to convincehim that when a man found himself in the midst of anoverwhelming force, his best policy was to assume anair of confident courage. he therefore approached themat his utmost speed.
the effect upon the advancing band was electrical;and little wonder, for the young hunter's appearancewas very striking. his horse, from having rested agood deal of late, was full of spirit. its neck wasarched, its nostrils expanded, and its mane and tailnever having been checked in their growth flew wildlyaround him in voluminous curls. dick's own hair, nothaving been clipped for many months, appeared scarcelyless wild, as they thundered down the rocky pass atwhat appeared a break-neck gallop. add to this thegrandeur of the scene out of which they sprang, andthe gigantic dog that bounded by his side, and you willnot be surprised to hear that the indian warriors clusteredtogether, and prepared to receive this bold horsemanas if he, in his own proper person, were a completesquadron of cavalry. it is probable, also, that theyfully expected the tribe of which dick was the chief tobe at his heels.
as he drew near the excitement among the strangersseemed very great, and, from the peculiarity of thevarious cries that reached him, he knew that there werewomen and children in the band--a fact which, in sucha place and at such a season, was so unnatural that itsurprised him very much. he noted also that, thoughthe men in front were indians, their dresses were thoseof trappers and hunters, and he almost leaped out of hissaddle when he observed that "pale-faces" were amongthem. but he had barely time to note these facts whenhe was up with the band. according to indian custom,he did not check his speed till he was within four orfive yards of the advance-guard, who stood in a linebefore him, quite still, and with their rifles lying looselyin their left palms; then he reined his steed almost onits haunches.
one of the indians advanced and spoke a few wordsin a language which was quite unintelligible to dick,who replied, in the little pawnee he could muster, thathe didn't understand him.
"why, you must be a trapper!" exclaimed a thick-set,middle-aged man, riding out from the group. "canyou speak english?""ay, that can i," cried dick joyfully, riding up andshaking the stranger heartily by the hand; "an' rightglad am i to fall in wi' a white-skin an' a civil tonguein his head.""good sooth, sir," replied the stranger, with a quietsmile on his kind, weather-beaten face, "i can returnyou the compliment; for when i saw you come thunderingdown the corrie with that wonderful horse andno less wonderful dog of yours, i thought you were thewild man o' the mountain himself, and had an ambushready to back you. but, young man, do you mean tosay that you live here in the mountain all alone afterthis fashion?""no, that i don't. i've comed here in my travels,but truly this bean't my home. but, sir (for i seeyou are what the fur-traders call a bourgeois), howcomes it that such a band as this rides i' the mountains?
d'ye mean to say that they live here?" dick lookedround in surprise, as he spoke, upon the crowd ofmounted men and women, with children and pack-horses,that now surrounded him.
"'tis a fair question, lad. i am a principal amongthe fur-traders whose chief trading-post lies near thepacific ocean, on the west side of these mountains; andi have come with these trappers and their families, as you see, tohunt thebeaver and other animals for aseason in the mountains. we've never been here before; but that's amatterof little moment, for it's notthe first time i've been on what may be called a discovery-tradingexpedition. we are somewhat entangled,however, just now among these wild passes, and if youcan guide us out of our difficulties to the east side ofthe mountains, i'll thank you heartily and pay you well.
but first tell me who and what you are, if it's a fairquestion.""my name is dick varley, and my home's in themustang valley, near the missouri river. as to whati am--i'm nothin' yet, but i hope to desarve the nameo' a hunter some day. i can guide you to the east sideo' the mountains, for i've comed from there; but morethan that i can't do, for i'm a stranger to the countryhere, like yourself. but you're on the east side o' themountains already, if i mistake not; only these mountainsare so rugged and jumbled up, that it's not easytellin' where ye are. and what," continued dick,"may be the name o' the bourgeois who speaks tome?""my name is cameron--walter cameron--a well-knownname among the scottish hills, although itsounds a little strange here. and now, young man,will you join my party as guide, and afterwards remainas trapper? it will pay you better, i think, thanroving about alone."dick shook his head and looked grave. "i'll guideyou," said he, "as far as my knowledge 'll help me;but after that i must return to look for two comradeswhom i have lost. they have been driven into themountains by a band of injuns. god grant they maynot have bin scalped!"the trader's face looked troubled, and he spoke withone of his indians for a few minutes in earnest, hurriedtones.
"what were they like, young man?"dick described them.
"the same," continued the trader. "they've beenseen, lad, not more than two days ago, by this indianhere, when he was out hunting alone some miles awayfrom our camp. he came suddenly on a band ofindians who had two prisoners with them, such as youdescribe. they were stout, said you?""yes, both of them," cried dick, listening with intenseeagerness.
"ay. they were tied to their horses, an' from whati know of these fellows i'm sure they're doomed. buti'll help you, my friend, as well as i can. they can'tbe far from this. i treated my indian's story aboutthem as a mere fabrication, for he's the most notoriousliar in my company; but he seems to have spoken truthfor once.""thanks, thanks, good sir," cried dick. "had wenot best turn back and follow them at once?""nay, friend, not quite so fast," replied cameron,pointing to his people. "these must be provided forfirst, but i shall be ready before the sun goes down.
and now, as i presume you don't bivouac in the snow,will you kindly conduct us to your encampment, if it benot far hence?"although burning with impatience to fly to the rescueof his friends, dick felt constrained to comply with soreasonable a request, so he led the way to his camping-place,where the band of fur-traders immediately beganto pitch their tents, cut down wood, kindle fires, filltheir kettles with water, cook their food, and, in fact,make themselves comfortable. the wild spot which, anhour before, had been so still, and grand, and gloomy,was now, as if by magic, transformed into a bustlingvillage, with bright fires blazing among the rocks andbushes, and merry voices of men, women, and childrenringing in the air. it seemed almost incredible, andno wonder dick, in his bewilderment, had difficulty inbelieving it was not all a dream.
in days long gone by the fur-trade in that countrywas carried on in a very different way from the mannerin which it is now conducted. these wild regions, indeed,are still as lonesome and untenanted (save bywild beasts and wandering tribes of indians) as theywere then; but the indians of the present day havebecome accustomed to the "pale-face" trader, whoselittle wooden forts or trading-posts are dotted here andthere, at wide intervals, all over the land. but in thedays of which we write it was not so. the fur-tradersat that time went forth in armed bands into the heartof the indians' country, and he who went forth did so"with his life in his hand." as in the case of thesoldier who went out to battle, there was great probabilitythat he might never return.
the band of which walter cameron was the chiefhad, many months before, started from one of the distantposts of oregon on a hunting expedition into thethen totally unknown lands of the snake indians. itconsisted of about sixty men, thirty women, and asmany children of various ages--about a hundred andtwenty souls in all. many of the boys were capable ofusing the gun and setting a beaver-trap. the men werea most motley set. there were canadians, half-breeds,iroquois, and scotchmen. most of the women hadindian blood in their veins, and a few were pureindians.
the equipment of this strange band consisted of upwardsof two hundred beaver-traps--which are similar toour rat-traps, with this difference, that they have twosprings and no teeth--seventy guns, a few articles fortrade with the indians, and a large supply of powderand ball; the whole--men, women, children, goods, andchattels--being carried on the backs of nearly fourhundred horses. many of these horses, at starting, werenot laden, being designed for the transport of furs thatwere to be taken in the course of the season.
for food this adventurous party depended entirely ontheir guns, and during the march hunters were keptconstantly out ahead. as a matter of course, theirliving was precarious. sometimes their kettles wereoverflowing; at others they scarce refrained from eatingtheir horses. but during the months they had alreadyspent in the wilderness good living had been the rule,starvation the exception. they had already collected alarge quantity of beaver skins, which at that time wereamong the most valuable in the market, although theyare now scarcely saleable!
having shot two wild horses, seven elks, six smalldeer, and four big-horned sheep the day before theymet dick varley, the camp kettles were full, and thepeople consequently happy.
"now, master dick varley," said cameron, touchingthe young hunter on the shoulder as he stood readyequipped by one of the camp-fires, "i'm at your service.
the people won't need any more looking after to-night.
i'll divide my men--thirty shall go after this rascallyband of peigans, for such i believe they are, and thirtyshall remain to guard the camp. are you ready?""ready! ay, this hour past.""mount then, lad; the men have already been toldoff, and are mustering down yonder where the deer gaveyou such a licking."dick needed no second bidding. he vaulted oncharlie's back, and along with their commander joinedthe men, who were thirty as fine, hardy, reckless lookingfellows as one could desire for a forlorn-hope. theywere chatting and laughing while they examined theirguns and saddle-girths. their horses were sorry lookinganimals compared with the magnificent creaturethat dick bestrode, but they were hardy, nevertheless,and well fitted for their peculiar work.
"my! wot a blazer!" exclaimed a trapper as dickrode up.
"where you git him?" inquired a half-breed.
"i caught him," answered dick.
"baw!" cried the first speaker.
dick took no notice of this last remark.
"no, did ye though?" he asked again.
"i did," answered dick quietly. "i creased him inthe prairie; you can see the mark on his neck if youlook."the men began to feel that the young hunter wasperhaps a little beyond them at their own trade, and regardedhim with increased respect.
"look sharp now, lads," said cameron, impatiently,to several dilatory members of the band. "night willbe on us ere long.""who sold ye the bear-claw collar?" inquired anotherman of dick.
"i didn't buy it. i killed the bear and made it.""did ye, though, all be yer lone?""ay; that wasn't much, was it?""you've begun well, yonker," said a tall, middle-agedhunter, whose general appearance was not unlike that ofjoe blunt. "jest keep clear o' the injuns an' the grogbottle, an' ye've a glor'ous life before ye."at this point the conversation was interrupted by theorder being given to move on, which was obeyed insilence, and the cavalcade, descending the valley, enteredone of the gorges in the mountains.
for the first half-mile cameron rode a little ahead ofhis men, then he turned to speak to one of them, andfor the first time observed crusoe trotting close besidehis master's horse.
"ah! master dick," he exclaimed with a troubledexpression, "that won't do. it would never do to take a dog on anexpedition like this.""why not?" asked dick; "the pup's quiet and peaceable.""i doubt it not; but he will betray our presence tothe indians, which might be inconvenient.""i have travelled more than a thousand miles throughprairie and forest, among game an' among injuns, an'
the pup never betrayed me yet," said dick, with suppressedvehemence. "he has saved my life more thanonce though.""you seem to have perfect confidence in your dog,but as this is a serious matter you must not expect meto share in it without proof of his trustworthiness.""the pup may be useful to us; how would you haveit proved?" inquired dick.
"any way you like.""you forgot your belt at starting, i think i heerdye say.""yes, i did," replied the trader, smiling.
dick immediately took hold of cameron's coat, andbade crusoe smell it, which the dog did very carefully.
then he showed him his own belt and said, "go backto the camp and fetch it, pup."crusoe was off in a moment, and in less than twentyminutes returned with cameron's belt in his mouth.
"well, i'll trust him," said cameron, patting crusoe'shead. "forward, lads!" and away they went at a brisktrot along the bottom of a beautiful valley on each sideof which the mountains towered in dark masses. soonthe moon rose and afforded light sufficient to enablethem to travel all night in the track of the indianhunter who said he had seen the peigans, and who wasconstituted guide to the party. hour after hour thehorsemen pressed on without check, now galloping overa level plain, now bounding by the banks of a rivulet,or bending their heads to escape the boughs of overhangingtrees, and anon toiling slowly up among therocks of some narrow defile. at last the moon set, andthe order was given to halt in a little plain where therewere wood and water.
the horses were picketed, a fire kindled, a mouthfulof dried meat hastily eaten, the watch was set, and theneach man scraped away the snow, spread some brancheson the ground, and wrapping himself in his blanket,went to sleep with his feet presented towards the fire.
two hours were allowed for rest; then they wereawakened, and in a few minutes were off again by thegray light of dawn. in this way they travelled twonights and a day. at the end of that time they camesuddenly on a small party of nine indians, who wereseated on the ground with their snow-shoes and blanketsby their sides. they had evidently been taken by surprise,but they made no attempt to escape, knowingthat it was useless. each sat still with his bow andarrows between his legs on the ground ready for instantuse.
as soon as cameron spoke, however, in their ownlanguage they felt relieved, and began to talk.
"where do you come from, and what are you doinghere?" asked the trader.
"we have come to trade with the white men," oneof them replied, "and to hunt. we have come fromthe missouri. our country is far away.""do peigans hunt with war-arrows?" asked cameron,pointing to their weapons.
this question seemed to perplex them, for they sawthat their interrogator knew the difference between awar and a hunting arrow--the former being barbed inorder to render its extraction from the wound difficult,while the head of the latter is round, and can be drawnout of game that has been killed, and used again.
"and do peigans," continued cameron, "come from afar country to trade with the white men with nothing?"again the indians were silent, for they had not anarticle to trade about them.
cameron now felt convinced that this party ofpeigans, into whose hands joe blunt and henri hadfallen, were nothing else than a war party, and thatthe men now before him were a scouting party sent outfrom them, probably to spy out his own camp, on thetrail of which they had fallen, so he said to them:--"the peigans are not wise men; they tell lies to thetraders. i will tell you that you are a war party, andthat you are only a few warriors sent out to spy thetraders' camp. you have also two pale-face prisonersin your camp. you cannot deceive me. it is uselessto try. now, conduct me to your camp. my objectis not war; it is peace. i will speak with your chiefsabout trading with the white men, and we will smokethe pipe of peace. are my words good?"despite their proverbial control of muscle, these indianscould not conceal their astonishment at hearingso much of their affairs thus laid bare; so they saidthat the pale-face chief was wise, that he must be agreat medicine man, and that what he said was all trueexcept about the white men. they had never seen anypale-faces, and knew nothing whatever about those hespoke of.
this was a terrible piece of news to poor dick, andat first his heart fairly sank within him, but by degreeshe came to be more hopeful. he concluded that ifthese men told lies in regard to one thing, they woulddo it in regard to another, and perhaps they mighthave some strong reason for denying any knowledge ofjoe and henri.
the indians now packed up the buffalo robes onwhich they had slept, and the mouthful of provisionsthey had taken with them.
"i don't believe a word of what they say about yourfriends," said cameron to dick in a low tone while theindians were thus engaged. "depend upon it theyhope to hide them till they can send to the settlementsand get a ransom, or till they get an opportunity oftorturing them to death before their women and childrenwhen they get back to their own village. butwe'll balk them, my friend, do not fear."the indians were soon ready to start, for they werecumbered with marvellously little camp equipage. inless than half-an-hour after their discovery they wererunning like deer ahead of the cavalcade in the directionof the peigan camp.
