plans and prospects--dick becomes home-sick, and henrimetaphysical--indians attack the camp--a blow-up.
on the following day the indians gave themselvesup to unlimited feasting, in consequence of thearrival of a large body of hunters with an immensesupply of buffalo meat. it was a regular day of rejoicing.
upwards of six hundred buffaloes had been killedand as the supply of meat before their arrival had beenample, the camp was now overflowing with plenty.
feasts were given by the chiefs, and the medicine menwent about the camp uttering loud cries, which weremeant to express gratitude to the great spirit for thebountiful supply of food. they also carried a portionof meat to the aged and infirm who were unable to huntfor themselves, and had no young men in their familycircle to hunt for them.
this arrival of the hunters was a fortunate circumstance,as it put the indians in great good-humour, andinclined them to hold friendly intercourse with thetrappers, who for some time continued to drive a brisktrade in furs. having no market for the disposal oftheir furs, the indians of course had more than theyknew what to do with, and were therefore glad to exchangethose of the most beautiful and valuable kindfor a mere trifle, so that the trappers laid aside theirtraps for a time and devoted themselves to traffic.
meanwhile joe blunt and his friends made preparationsfor their return journey.
"ye see," remarked joe to henri and dick, as theysat beside the fire in pee-eye-em's lodge, and feasted ona potful of grasshopper soup, which the great chief'ssquaw had just placed before them--"ye see, my calc'lationsis as follows. wot with trappin' beavers andhuntin', we three ha' made enough to set us up, an itlikes us, in the mustang valley--""ha!" interrupted dick, remitting for a few secondsthe use of his teeth in order to exercise histongue--ha! joe, but it don't like me! what, give up ahunter's life and become a farmer? i should think not!""bon!" ejaculated henri, but whether the remarkhad reference to the grasshopper soup or the sentimentwe cannot tell.
"well," continued joe, commencing to devour a largebuffalo steak with a hunter's appetite, "ye'll please yourselves,lads, as to that; but as i wos sayin', we've got apowerful lot o' furs, an' a big pack o' odds and ends forthe injuns we chance to meet with by the way, an'
powder and lead to last us a twelvemonth, besides fivegood horses to carry us an' our packs over the plains;so if it's agreeable to you, i mean to make a bee-line forthe mustang valley. we're pretty sure to meet withblackfeet on the way, and if we do we'll try to makepeace between them an' the snakes. i 'xpect it'll bepretty well on for six weeks afore we git to home, sowe'll start to-morrow.""dat is fat vill do ver' vell," said henri; "vill youplease donnez me one petit morsel of steak.""i'm ready for anything, joe," cried dick; "you areleader. just point the way, and i'll answer for two o'
us followin' ye--eh! won't we, crusoe?""we will," remarked the dog quietly.
"how comes it," inquired dick, "that these indiansdon't care for our tobacco?""they like their own better, i s'pose," answered joe;"most all the western injuns do. they make it o' thedried leaves o' the shumack and the inner bark o' thered-willow, chopped very small an' mixed together.
they call this stuff kinnekinnik; but they like to mixabout a fourth o' our tobacco with it, so pee-eye-em tellsme, an' he's a good judge. the amount that red-skinnedmortal smokes is oncommon.""what are they doin' yonder?" inquired dick, pointingto a group of men who had been feasting for sometime past in front of a tent within sight of our trio.
"goin' to sing, i think," replied joe.
as he spoke six young warriors were seen to worktheir bodies about in a very remarkable way, and giveutterance to still more remarkable sounds, which graduallyincreased until the singers burst out into thatterrific yell, or war-whoop, for which american savageshave long been famous. its effect would have been appallingto unaccustomed ears. then they allowed theirvoices to die away in soft, plaintive tones, while theiraction corresponded thereto. suddenly the furious stylewas revived, and the men wrought themselves into acondition little short of madness, while their yells rangwildly through the camp. this was too much for ordinarycanine nature to withstand, so all the dogs in theneighbourhood joined in the horrible chorus.
crusoe had long since learned to treat the eccentricitiesof indians and their curs with dignified contempt.
he paid no attention to this serenade, but lay sleepingby the fire until dick and his companions rose to takeleave of their host and return to the camp of the fur-traders.
the remainder of that night was spent inmaking preparations for setting forth on the morrow;and when, at gray dawn, dick and crusoe lay downto snatch a few hours' repose, the yells and howlingin the snake camp were going on as vigorously asever.
the sun had arisen, and his beams were just tippingthe summits of the rocky mountains, causing the snowypeaks to glitter like flame, and the deep ravines andgorges to look sombre and mysterious by contrast, whendick and joe and henri mounted their gallant steeds,and, with crusoe gambolling before, and the two pack-horsestrotting by their side, turned their faces eastward,and bade adieu to the indian camp.
crusoe was in great spirits. he was perfectly wellaware that he and his companions were on their wayhome, and testified his satisfaction by bursts of scamperingover the hills and valleys. doubtless he thought ofdick varley's cottage, and of dick's mild, kind-heartedmother. undoubtedly, too, he thought of his ownmother, fan, and felt a glow of filial affection as he didso. of this we feel quite certain. he would have beenunworthy the title of hero if he hadn't. perchance hethought of grumps, but of this we are not quite so sure.
we rather think, upon the whole, that he did.
dick, too, let his thoughts run away in the directionof home. sweet word! those who have never left itcannot, by any effort of imagination, realize the full importof the word "home." dick was a bold hunter; buthe was young, and this was his first long expedition.
oftentimes, when sleeping under the trees and gazingdreamily up through the branches at the stars, had hethought of home, until his longing heart began to yearnto return. he repelled such tender feelings, however,when they became too strong, deeming them unmanly,and sought to turn his mind to the excitements of thechase; but latterly his efforts were in vain. he becamethoroughly home-sick, and while admitting the fact tohimself, he endeavoured to conceal it from his comrades.
he thought that he was successful in this attempt. poordick varley! as yet he was sadly ignorant of humannature. henri knew it, and joe blunt knew it. evencrusoe knew that something was wrong with his master,although he could not exactly make out what it was.
but crusoe made memoranda in the note-book of hismemory. he jotted down the peculiar phases of hismaster's new disease with the care and minute exactnessof a physician, and, we doubt not, ultimately added theknowledge of the symptoms of home-sickness to hisalready well-filled stores of erudition.
it was not till they had set out on their homewardjourney that dick varley's spirits revived, and it wasnot till they reached the beautiful prairies on the easternslopes of the rocky mountains, and galloped over thegreensward towards the mustang valley, that dickventured to tell joe blunt what his feelings had been.
"d'ye know, joe," he said confidentially, reining uphis gallant steed after a sharp gallop--"d'ye know i'vebin feelin' awful low for some time past.""i know it, lad," answered joe, with a quiet smile, inwhich there was a dash of something that implied heknew more than he chose to express.
dick felt surprised, but he continued, "i wonder whatit could have bin. i never felt so before.""'twas home-sickness, boy," returned joe.
"how d'ye know that?""the same way as how i know most things--byexperience an' obsarvation. i've bin home-sick myselfonce, but it was long, long agone."dick felt much relieved at this candid confession bysuch a bronzed veteran, and, the chords of sympathyhaving been struck, he opened up his heart at once, tothe evident delight of henri, who, among other curiouspartialities, was extremely fond of listening to and takingpart in conversations that bordered on the metaphysical,and were hard to be understood. most conversationsthat were not connected with eating and hunting wereof this nature to henri.
"hom'-sik," he cried, "veech mean bein' sik of hom'!
hah! dat is fat i am always be, ven i goes hout on deexpedition. oui, vraiment.""i always packs up," continued joe, paying no attentionto henri's remark--"i always packs up an' setsoff for home when i gits home-sick. it's the best cure;an' when hunters are young like you, dick, it's the only cure. i'veknowedfellers a'most die o' home-sickness,an' i'm told they do go under altogethersometimes.""go onder!" exclaimed henri; "oui, i vas all butdie myself ven i fust try to git away from hom'. if ihave not git away, i not be here to-day."henri's idea of home-sickness was so totally opposedto theirs that his comrades only laughed, and refrainedfrom attempting to set him right.
"the fust time i wos took bad with it wos in acountry somethin' like that," said joe, pointing to thewide stretch of undulating prairie, dotted with clustersof trees and meandering streamlets, that lay before them.
"i had bin out about two months, an' was makin' agood thing of it, for game wos plenty, when i began tothink somehow more than usual o' home. my motherwos alive then."joe's voice sank to a deep, solemn tone as he saidthis, and for a few minutes he rode on in silence.
"well, it grew worse and worse. i dreamed o' homeall night an' thought of it all day, till i began to shootbad, an' my comrades wos gittin' tired o' me; so says ito them one night, says i, 'i give out, lads; i'll maketracks for the settlement to-morrow.' they tried tolaugh me out of it at first, but it was no go, so i packedup, bid them good-day, an' sot off alone on a trip o' fivehundred miles. the very first mile o' the way back ibegan to mend, and before two days i wos all rightagain."joe was interrupted at this point by the suddenappearance of a solitary horseman on the brow of aneminence not half-a-mile distant. the three friendsinstantly drove their pack-horses behind a clump oftrees; but not in time to escape the vigilant eye of thered-man, who uttered a loud shout, which brought upa band of his comrades at full gallop.
"remember, henri," cried joe blunt, "our errand isone of peace."the caution was needed, for in the confusion of themoment henri was making preparation to sell his lifeas dearly as possible. before another word could beuttered, they were surrounded by a troop of abouttwenty yelling blackfeet indians. they were, fortunately,not a war party, and, still more fortunately, theywere peaceably disposed, and listened to the preliminaryaddress of joe blunt with exemplary patience; afterwhich the two parties encamped on the spot, the council fire waslighted,and every preparation made for a long palaver.
we will not trouble the reader with the details ofwhat was said on this occasion. the party of indianswas a small one, and no chief of any importance wasattached to it. suffice it to say that the pacific overturesmade by joe were well received, the trifling giftsmade thereafter were still better received, and theyseparated with mutual expressions of good-will.
several other bands which were afterwards met withwere equally friendly, and only one war party was seen.
joe's quick eye observed it in time to enable them toretire unseen behind the shelter of some trees, wherethey remained until the indian warriors were out ofsight.
the next party they met with, however, were moredifficult to manage, and, unfortunately, blood was shedon both sides before our travellers escaped.
it was at the close of a beautiful day that a warparty of blackfeet were seen riding along a ridge on thehorizon. it chanced that the prairie at this place wasalmost destitute of trees or shrubs large enough to concealthe horses. by dashing down the grassy waveinto the hollow between the two undulations, and dismounting,joe hoped to elude the savages, so he gavethe word; but at the same moment a shout from theindians told that they were discovered.
"look sharp, lads! throw down the packs on thehighest point of the ridge," cried joe, undoing the lashings,seizing one of the bales of goods, and hurrying tothe top of the undulation with it; "we must keep themat arm's-length, boys--be alive! war parties are not tobe trusted."dick and henri seconded joe's efforts so ably thatin the course of two minutes the horses were unloaded,the packs piled in the form of a wall in front of abroken piece of ground, the horses picketed close besidethem, and our three travellers peeping over theedge, with their rifles cocked, while the savages--aboutthirty in number--came sweeping down towards them.
"i'll try to git them to palaver," said joe blunt;"but keep yer eye on 'em, dick, an' if they behave ill,shoot the horse o' the leadin' chief. i'll throw up myleft hand, as a signal. mind, lad, don't hit human fleshtill my second signal is given, and see that henri don'tdraw till i git back to ye."so saying, joe sprang lightly over the slight parapetof their little fortress, and ran swiftly out, unarmed,towards the indians. in a few seconds he was closeup with them, and in another moment was surrounded.
at first the savages brandished their spears and roderound the solitary man, yelling like fiends, as if theywished to intimidate him; but as joe stood like astatue, with his arms crossed, and a grave expression ofcontempt on his countenance, they quickly desisted, and,drawing near, asked him where he came from, and whathe was doing there.
joe's story was soon told; but instead of replying,they began to shout vociferously, and evidently meantmischief.
"if the blackfeet are afraid to speak to the pale-face,he will go back to his braves," said joe, passing suddenlybetween two of the warriors and taking a fewsteps towards the camp.
instantly every bow was bent, and it seemed as ifour bold hunter were about to be pierced by a score ofarrows, when he turned round andcried,--"the blackfeet must not advance a single step. thefirst that moves his horse shall die. the second thatmoves himself shall die."to this the blackfeet chief replied scornfully, "thepale-face talks with a big mouth. we do not believehis words. the snakes are liars; we will make nopeace with them."while he was yet speaking, joe threw up his hand;there was a loud report, and the noble horse of thesavage chief lay struggling in death agony on the ground.
the use of the rifle, as we have before hinted, waslittle known at this period among the indians of thefar west, and many had never heard the dreaded reportbefore, although all were aware, from hearsay, of itsfatal power. the fall of the chief's horse, therefore,quite paralyzed them for a few moments, and they hadnot recovered from their surprise when a second reportwas heard, a bullet whistled past, and a second horsefell. at the same moment there was a loud explosionin the camp of the pale-faces, a white cloud envelopedit, and from the midst of this a loud shriek was heard,as dick, henri, and crusoe bounded over the packswith frantic gestures.
at this the gaping savages wheeled their steedsround, the dismounted horsemen sprang on behind twoof their comrades, and the whole band dashed awayover the plains as if they were chased by evil spirits.
meanwhile joe hastened towards his comrades in astate of great anxiety, for he knew at once that one ofthe powder-horns must have been accidentally blown up.
"no damage done, boys, i hope?" he cried on comingup.
"damage!" cried henri, holding his hands tightover his face. "oh! oui, great damage--moche damage;me two eyes be blowed out of dere holes.""not quite so bad as that, i hope," said dick, whowas very slightly singed, and forgot his own hurts inanxiety about his comrade. "let me see.""my eye!" exclaimed joe blunt, while a broad grinoverspread his countenance, "ye've not improved yerlooks, henri."this was true. the worthy hunter's hair was singedto such an extent that his entire countenance presentedthe appearance of a universal frizzle. fortunately theskin, although much blackened, was quite uninjured--afact which, when he ascertained it beyond a doubt,afforded so much satisfaction to henri that he caperedabout shouting with delight, as if some piece of goodfortune had befallen him.
the accident had happened in consequence of henrihaving omitted to replace the stopper of his powder-horn,and when, in his anxiety for joe, he fired at randomamongst the indians, despite dick's entreaties towait, a spark communicated with the powder-horn andblew him up. dick and crusoe were only a littlesinged, but the former was not disposed to quarrel withan accident which had sent their enemies so promptlyto the right-about.
this band followed them for some nights, in the hopeof being able to steal their horses while they slept; butthey were not brave enough to venture a second timewithin range of the death-dealing rifle.
