by Mayne Reid
Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England
The Boy HuntersAdventures in Search of a White Buffalo
By Captain Mayne Reid________________________________________________________________________This book was written after Mayne Reid discovered that writing books inwhich not too many people died, and there was not too much violence, wasbetter business than writing as he did at first. There are three boysliving with their father, now just a little disabled, but an avidcollector of natural-history specimens. The father says he would givealmost anything for the hide of a white buffalo, and that such a beastexists cannot be disputed. The boys volunteer to get up an expeditionto bring back the much-desired hide, and off they go.
This book is the story of their quest. But it is also an interestingexposition of the animals and plants that inhabit the great prairies ofAmerica. The only real fault is that we are inevitably given the Latinname of the plant or animal. I don't know why I should object to this,but I do. I don't think it sits well within speech.
Still, the story is really interesting, and I greatly enjoyedtranscribing it. I am sure I will read it many more times before mydays are numbered, if I can. NH________________________________________________________________________
THE BOY HUNTERSADVENTURES IN SEARCH OF A WHITE BUFFALO
BY CAPTAIN MAYNE REID
CHAPTER ONE.
THE HOME OF THE HUNTER-NATURALIST.
Go with me to the great river Mississippi. It is the longest river inthe world. A line that would measure it would just reach to the centreof the earth,--in other words, it is four thousand miles in length. Gowith me to this majestic river.
I do not wish you to travel to its source; only as far up as PointCoupee, about three hundred miles from its mouth. There we shall stopfor a while--a very short while--for we have a long journey to make.Our route lies to the far west--over the great prairies of Texas; andfrom Point Coupee we shall take our departure.
There is a village at Point Coupee--a quaint, old, French-lookingvillage built of wood. In point of fact it _is_ a French village; forit was one of the earliest settlements of that people, who, with theSpaniards, were the first colonists of Western America. Hence we find,to this day, French and Spanish people, with French and Spanish namesand customs, all through the Mississippi valley and the regions that liewest of it.
We have not much to do with these things at present, and very little tosay of Point Coupee, more than we have already said. Our subject is anodd-looking house that, many years ago, stood upon the western bank ofthe river, about a mile below the village. I say it stood there manyyears ago; but it is very likely that it is still standing, as it was afirm, well-built house, of hewn logs, carefully chinked, and plasteredbetween the chinks with run-lime. It was roofed with cedar shinglesthat projected at the eaves, so as to cast off the rain, and keep thewalls dry. It was what in that country is called a "double house,"--that is, a large passage ran across the middle of it, through which youmight have driven a wagon loaded with hay. This passage was roofed andceiled, like the rest of the house, and floored with strong planks. Theflooring, elevated a foot above the surface of the ground, projectedseveral feet in front of the passage, where carved uprights ofcedar-wood supported a light roof, forming a porch or verandah. Aroundthese uprights, and upon the railing that shut in the verandah, clungvines, rose-bushes, and convolvulus plants, that at certain seasons ofthe year were clustered over with beautiful flowers.
The house faced the river, standing, as I have said, on its westernbank--on the same side with Point Coupee. In front was a lawn, some twohundred yards in length, that stretched toward the river, and ended onthe low bluff forming its bank. This lawn was enclosed by highrail-fences, and variegated with clumps of shrubbery and ornamentaltrees. Most of them were indigenous to the country; but there wereexotics as well. Among the trees you could not fail to notice thelarge-flowered magnolia (_Magnolia grandiflora_), the red mulberry(_Morus rubra_), the pale-green leaves of the catalpa, the talltulip-tree (_liriodendron_), and the shining foliage of the orange.
In contrast with the brighter frondage of these were dark cone-shapedcedars, and spire-like forms of the yew. There were date-trees andweeping willows growing upon the river bank, and drooping gracefullyover its current. Other plants and trees might be distinguished--thenatives of a southern clime--such as the great Mexican aloe (_AgaveAmericana_), the bayonet blades of the yucca, and the fan-like leaves ofthe palmetto. Beautiful birds of many varieties might be seen among thecopses, or moving over the grassy sward of the lawn.
In the great hall or passage, already mentioned, a singular picturepresented itself. Along the walls, on both sides, were suspendedvarious implements of the chase, such as rifles, shot guns, pouches,flasks, hunting-knives, and, in short, every species of trap, net, orimplement, that could be devised for capturing the wild denizens of theearth, air, and water. Horns of the stag and elk were fastened to thehewn logs; and upon their branching antlers hung hair-bridles, andhigh-peaked saddles of the Mexican or Spanish fashion. In addition tothese were skins of rare birds and quadrupeds, artistically preserved bystuffing, and placed on pedestals around the wooden walls. There wereglass cases, too, containing moths, butterflies, and other insects,impaled upon pins, and arranged in systematic order. In short, thishall resembled a little museum.
Were we to enter and examine the inside of the house, we should findthree or four good-sized rooms, comfortably furnished, and all stockedwith subjects of natural history, and implements of the chase. In oneof the rooms we should see a barometer and thermometer hanging againstthe wall, an old clock over the mantel-piece, a sabre and pistols, and abook-case containing many choice and valuable books.
To the rear of the house we should find a small kitchen built of logs,and containing the usual culinary utensils. Still farther back weshould meet with an enclosed yard, having a storehouse and stable at oneend. In the stables we should find four horses, and several mules mightbe observed in the enclosure. A large reddish dog with long ears, andhaving the appearance of a hound, might be seen straying about the yard,and would not fail to attract our attention.
An observer, viewing this house from a distance, would take it for theresidence of a wealthy planter; on a nearer inspection, however, itwould not pass for that. There were no rows of negro cabins, no greatsugar-mills, nor tobacco-warehouses, such as are always to be seen nearthe planter's dwelling. Nothing of the sort; nor was there any verylarge tract of cultivated land contiguous to the house. The darkcypress forest in the background cast its shadow almost up to the walls.Plainly it was not the dwelling of a planter. What then was it, andwho were its inmates? It was the home of a _Hunter-Naturalist_.
