by Mayne Reid
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.
THE TRAPPER TRAPPED.
"Well, then," began Redwood, "the thing I'm agoin' to tell you about,happened to me when I war a younker, long afore I ever thought I was acoming out hyar upon the parairas. I wan't quite growed at the time,though I was a good chunk for my age.
"It war up thar among the mountains in East Tennessee, whar this childwar raised, upon the head waters of the Tennessee River.
"I war fond o' huntin' from the time that I war knee high to a duck, an'I can jest remember killin' a black bar afore I war twelve yeer old. AsI growed up, the bar had become scacer in them parts, and it wan't everyday you could scare up such a varmint, but now and then one ud turn up.
"Well, one day as I war poking about the crik bottom (for the shantywhar my ole mother lived war not on the Tennessee, but on a crik thatruns into it), I diskivered bar sign. There war tracks o' the bar'spaws in this mud, an' I follered them along the water edge for nearly amile--then the trail turned into about as thickety a bottom as I everseed anywhar. It would a baffled a cat to crawl through it.
"After the trail went out from the crik and towards the edge o' thisthicket, I lost all hopes of follerin' it further, as the ground washard, and covered with donicks, and I couldn't make the tracks out nohow. I had my idea that the bar had tuk the thicket, so I went roundthe edge of it to see if I could find whar he had entered.
"For a long time I couldn't see a spot whar any critter as big as a barcould a-got in without makin' some sort o' a hole, and then I begun tothink the bar had gone some other way, either across the crik or furtherdown it.
"I war agoin' to turn back to the water, when I spied a big log lyin'half out o' the thicket, with one eend buried in the bushes. I noticedthat the top of this log had a dirty look, as if some animal had trampedabout on it; an' on goin' up and squintin' at it a little closter, Iseed that that guess war the right one.
"I clomb the log, for it war a regular rouster, bigger than that 'n wehad so much useless trouble with, and then I scrammelled along the topo' it in the direction of the brush. Thar I seed the very hole whar thebar had got into the thicket, and thar war a regular beaten-path runnin'through the brake as far as I could see.
"I jumped off o' the log, and squeezed myself through the bramble. Itwar a trail easy enough to find, but mighty hard to foller, I can tellye. Thar war thistles, and cussed stingin' nettles, and briars as thickas my wrist, with claws upon them as sharp as fish-hooks. I pushed on,howsomever, feelin' quite sartin that sich a well-used track must leadto the bar's den, an' I war safe enough to find it. In coorse Ireckoned that the critter had his nest in some holler tree, and I couldgo home for my axe, and come back the next morning--if smoking failed togit him out.
"Well, I poked on through the thicket a good three hundred yards,sometimes crouching, and sometimes creeping on my hands and knees. Iwar badly scratched, I tell you, and now and then I jest thought tomyself, what would be the consyquince if the bar should meet me in thatnarrow passage. We'd a had a tough tussel, I reckon--but I met no bar.
"At last the brash grew thinner, and jest as I was in hopes I mightstumble on the bar tree, what shed I see afore me but the face o' arocky bluff, that riz a consid'able height over the crik bottom. Ibegun to fear that the varmint had a cave, and so, cuss him! he had--agreat black gulley in the rocks was right close by, and thar was hisden, and no mistake. I could easily tell it by the way the clay andstones had been pattered over by his paws.
"Of coorse, my tracking for that day war over, and I stood by the mouthof the cave not knowin' what to do. I didn't feel inclined to go in.
"After a while I bethought me that the bar mout come out, an' I laidmyself squat down among the bushes facing the cave. I had my gun readyto give him a mouthful of lead, as soon as he should show his snoutoutside o' the hole.
"'Twar no go. I guess he had heard me when I first come up, and know'dI war thar. I laid still until 'twar so dark I thought I would neverfind my way back agin to the crik; but, after a good deal of scramblin'and creepin' I got out at last, and took my way home.
"It warn't likely I war agoin' to give that bar up. I war bound tofetch him out o' his boots if it cost me a week's hunting. So Ireturned the next morning to the place, and lay all day in front o' thecave. No bar appeared, an' I went back home a cussin'.
"Next day I come again, but this time I didn't intend to stay. I hadfetched my axe with me wi' the intention of riggin' up a log trap nearthe mouth o' the cave. I had also fetched a jug o' molasses and someyeers o' green corn to bait the trap, for I know'd the bar war fond o'both.
"Well, I got upon the spot, an' makin' as leetle rumpus as possible, Iwent to work to build my trap. I found some logs on the ground jest thescantlin, and in less than an hour I hed the thing rigged an' thetrigger set. 'Twan't no small lift to get up the big log, but I managedit wi' a lever I had made, though it took every pound o' strength in mybody. If it come down on the bar I knew it would hold him.
"Well, I had all ready except layin' the bait; so I crawled in, and wasfixin' the green yeers and the 'lasses, when, jest at that moment, whatshed I hear behind me but the `sniff' o' the bar!
"I turned suddently to see. I had jest got my eye on the critterstandin' right in the mouth o' his cave, when I feeled myself struckupon the buttocks, and flattened down to the airth like a pancake!
"At the first stroke I thought somebody had hit me a heavy blow frombehind, and I wish it had been that. It war wusser than that. It warthe log had hit me, and war now lying with all its weight right acrosstmy two leg's. In my hurry to git round I had sprung the trigger, anddown comed the infernal log on my hams.
"At fust I wan't scared, but I war badly hurt. I thought it would beall right as soon as I had crawled out, and I made an attempt to do so.It was then that I become scared in airnest; for I found that I couldn'tcrawl out. My legs were held in such a way that I couldn't move them,and the more I pulled the more I hurt them. They were in pain alreadywith the heavy weight pressin' upon them, and I couldn't bear to movethem. No more could I turn myself. I war flat on my face, and couldn'tslew myself round any way, so as to get my hands at the log. I warfairly catched in my own trap!
"It war jest about then I began to feel scared. Thar wan't nosettlement in the hul crik bottom but my mother's old shanty, an' thatwere two miles higher up. It war as unlikely a thing as could happenthat anybody would be passing that way. And unless some one did I sawno chance of gettin' clar o' the scrape I war in. I could do nothin'for myself.
"I hollered as loud as I could, and that frightened the bar into hiscave again. I hollered for an hour, but I could hear no reply, and thenI war still a bit, and then I hollered again, an' kept this up prettymuch for the hul o' that blessed day.
"Thar wan't any answer but the echo o' my own shoutin', and the whoopin'of the owls that flew about over my head, and appeared as if they warmockin' me.
"I had no behopes of any relief comin' from home. My ole mother hadnobody but myself, and she wan't like to miss me, as I'd often stayedout a huntin' for three or four days at a time. The only chance I had,and I knew it too, war that some neighbour might be strayin' down thecrik, and you may guess what sort o' chance that war, when I tell youthar wan't a neighbour livin' within less than five mile o' us. If noone come by I knew I must lay there till I died o' hunger and rotted, orthe bar ate me up.
"Well, night come, and night went. 'Twar about the longest night thischild remembers. I lay all through it, a sufferin' the pain, andlistening to the screechin' owls. I could a screeched as loud as any ofthem if that would a done any good. I heerd now and then the snuffin'o' the bar, and I could see thar war two o' them. I could see thar bigblack bodies movin' about like shadows, and they appeared to be gettin'less afeerd o' me, as they come close at times, and risin' up on theirhind-quarters stood in front o' me like a couple o' black devils.
"I begun to get afeerd they would attack me, and so I guess they woulda-d
one, had not a circumstance happened that put them out o' the notion.
"It war jest grey day, when one o' them come so clost that I expected tobe attacked by him. Now as luck would have it, my rifle happened to belyin' on the ground within reach. I grabbed it without saying a word,and slewin' up one shoulder as high as I could, I was able to sight thebar jest behind the fore leg. The brute wan't four feet from themuzzle, and slap into him went wad and all, and down he tumbled like afelled ox. I seed he war as dead as a buck.
"Well, badly as I war fixed, I contrived to get loaded again, for Iknowed that bars will fight for each other to the death; and I thoughtthe other might attack me. It wan't to be seen at the time, but shortlyafter it come upon the ground from the direction of the crik.
"I watched it closely as it shambled up, having my rifle ready all thewhile. When it first set eyes on its dead comrade it gave a loud snort,and stopped. It appeared to be considerably surprised. It only halteda short spell, and then, with a loud roar, it run up to the carcass, andsniffed at it.
"I hain't the least o' a doubt that in two seconds more it woulda-jumped me, but I war too quick for it, and sent a bullet right pluminto one of its eyes, that come out again near the back o' its neck.That did the business, and I had the satisfaction to see it cowollopover nearly on top o' the other 'n.
"Well, I had killed the bars, but what o' that. That wouldn't get mefrom under the log; and what wi' the pain I was sufferin', and the poorprospect o' bein' relieved, I thought I mout as well have let them eatme.
"But a man don't die so long as he can help it, I b'lieve, and Idetarmined to live it out while I could. At times I had hopes andshouted, and then I lost hope and lay still again.
"I grew as hungry as a famished wolf. The bars were lying right beforeme, but jest beyond reach, as if to tantylise me. I could have ate acollop raw if I could a-got hold of it, but how to reach it war thedifeeculty.
"Needcesity they say is the mother o' invention; and I set myself toinvent a bit. Thar war a piece o' rope I had brought along to help mewi' the trap, and that I got my claws on.
"I made a noose on one eend o' it, and after about a score o' trials Iat last flung the noose over the head o' one o' the bars, and drew ittight. I then sot to work to pull the bar nearer. If that bar's neckwan't well stretched I don't know what you'd call stretchin', for Itugged at it about an hour afore I could get it within reach. I did getit at last, and then with my knife I cut out the bar's tongue, and ateit raw.
"I had satisfied one appetite, but another as bad, if not wusser,troubled me. That war thirst--my throat war as dry as a corn cob, andwhar was the water to come from. It grew so bad at last that I thoughtI would die of it. I drawed the bar nearer me, and cut his juglar tosee if thar war any relief from that quarter. Thar wan't. The bloodwar froze up thick as liver. Not a drop would run.
"I lay coolin' my tongue on the blade o' my knife an' chawin' a bullet,that I had taken from my pouch. I managed to put in the hul of the nextday this away, now and then shoutin' as hard as I could. Towards theevenin' I grew hungry again, and ate a cut out o' the cheek o' the bar;but I thought I would a-choked for want o' water.
"I put in the night the best way I could. I had the owls again forcompany, and some varmint came up and smelt at the bars; but wasfrightened at my voice, and run away again. I suppose it war a fox orwolf, or some such thing, and but for me would a-made a meal off o' thebar's carcass.
"I won't trouble you with my reflexshuns all that night; but I canassure ye they war anything but pleasant. I thought of my ole mother,who had nobody but me, and that helped to keep up my spirits. Idetarmined to cut away at the bar, and hold out as long as possible.
"As soon as day broke I set up my shoutin' again, restin' every fifeteenminutes or so, and then takin' afresh start. About an hour aftersun-up, jest as I had finished a long spell o' screechin', I thought Iheerd a voice. I listened a bit with my heart thumpin' against my ribs.Thar war no sound; I yelled louder than ever, and then listened. Tharwar a voice.
"`Damn ye! what are ye hollowin' about?' cried the voice.
"I again shouted `Holloa!'
"`Who the hell's thar?' inquired the voice.
"`Casey!' I called back, recognising the voice as that of a neighbourwho lives up the crik; `for God's sake this way.'
"`I'm a-comin',' he replied; `'Taint so easy to get through hyar--thatyou, Redwood? What the hell's the matter? Damn this brush!'
"I heard my neighbour breakin' his way through the thicket, and strangeI tell ye all, but true it is, I couldn't believe I war goin' to getclar even then until I seed Casey standin' in front o' me.
"Well, of coorse, I was now set free again, but couldn't put a foot tothe ground. Casey carried me home to the shanty, whar I lay for wellnigh six weeks, afore I could go about, and damn the thing! I han't gotover it yet."
So ended Redwood's story.
