Frank in the Woods

by Harry Castlemon

  The GUNBOAT SERIES.

  BOOKS for BOYS, by a GUNBOAT BOY.

  FRANK IN THE WOODS.

  PORTER & COATES,PHILADELPHIA, PA.]

  Frank and Archie Series.

  FRANK IN THE WOODS.

  by

  HARRY CASTLEMON,

  Author of "The Rocky Mountain Series," "The Go-AheadSeries," etc.

  Philadelphia:Porter & Coates.Cincinnati, O.:R. W. Carroll & Co.

  Contents.

  CHAPTER I. THE ENCAMPMENT 7 CHAPTER II. AN UNPLEASANT COMPANION 15 CHAPTER III. AN INDIAN HUNT 27 CHAPTER IV. THE "OLE SETTLER" 47 CHAPTER V. THE FIGHT IN THE WOODS 52 CHAPTER VI. THE WHITE BUCK 76 CHAPTER VII. A MIDNIGHT ATTACK 90 CHAPTER VIII. A COUPLE OF NEW PETS 101 CHAPTER IX. CLOSE QUARTERS WITH A GRIZZLY 116 CHAPTER X. A BEAVER HUNT 132 CHAPTER XI. BREAKING UP A MOOSE-PEN 143 CHAPTER XII. THE MOOSE SHOWS HIS QUALITIES 152 CHAPTER XIII. THE BLACK MUSTANG 169 CHAPTER XIV. A BRUSH WITH THE GREASERS 180 CHAPTER XV. CAUGHT AT LAST 194 CHAPTER XVI. THE LOST WAGON-TRAIN 204 CHAPTER XVII. THE STRUGGLE IN THE CAVE 216 CHAPTER XVIII. END OF THE TRAPPER AND BLACK MUSTANG 227 CHAPTER XIX. THE INDIANS AGAIN 236 CHAPTER XX. THE JOURNEY HOMEWARD 251

  FRANK IN THE WOODS.

  CHAPTER I.

  The Encampment.

  Our scene opens in the swamp that stretches away for miles north ofLawrence.

  It was a cold, dreary night. The wind moaned and whistled through theleafless branches of the trees, sending the snow in fitful guststhrough every nook and corner of the forest. On the banks of a smalllake, that lay hemmed in on all sides by tall trees, which bowed toevery gust of the winter's storm, was an encampment. A rudehut--built, however, after the most approved hunter fashion, with itsback to the wind, and its front open to a cheerful fire--stood in alittle grove of evergreens, ready to receive beneath its friendlyshelter four boys, whom you could easily recognize as our oldfriends of the sailing and fishing frolics described in "THEYOUNG NATURALIST." We left them, after a hard day's work atfox-hunting--Archie asleep on the bed, and Frank seated in his easychair, reading one of his favorite authors; while George and Harry,who had a quarter of a mile to go before they reached home, werewalking slowly along the road, so weary that they could scarcely dragone foot after the other. To enable the reader to understand how wecome to find them here in the woods, twenty miles from any humanhabitation, we must conduct him back to Lawrence, and relate a fewincidents with which he is not acquainted.

  On the day following the one on which the foxhunt took place, the boyswere too lame to tramp about, and they passed most of their time inthe shop. Frank commenced to prepare the fox-skin for mounting in themuseum, and Archie busied himself in putting his traps in workingorder. While thus engaged, Frank exclaimed:

  "Archie, let's go and make Uncle Joe a visit. What do you say?"

  "I should like to go very much," said Archie; "but you know it's amean journey to make in winter. I don't like the idea of carrying mybaggage on"----

  "We need not carry any thing," interrupted Frank. "I have beenthinking it all over, and I don't see why we can't do as the Canadiantrappers do--drag our baggage after us on sleds."

  The village boys had always been in the habit of visiting Uncle Joe inthe summer; the journey could then be made with scarcely anyinconvenience, for Glen's Creek ran within a few feet of the oldhunter's cabin; but in winter the traveling was much more difficult,for the boys were obliged to carry their provisions, blankets, andother needful articles, on their backs. But Frank's plan obviated thisdifficulty. The creek was frozen over, and using it as a highway, theycould accomplish the journey to Uncle Joe's almost as easily as with aboat.

  "That's a first-rate idea," said Archie. "I wonder why we did notthink of it before! Let us go right to work and make the sled."

  "We had better wait until we find out whether mother will let us go ornot," said Frank; "besides, we want Harry and George to go with us."

  "I think Aunt Mary will give her consent," said Archie, laying asidehis traps. "Let's go in and ask her."

  The boys readily answered all Mrs. Nelson's objections--such as beinglost in the woods and eaten up by bears--by assuring her that theywere well acquainted with the road to Uncle Joe's, for they hadtraveled it several times before; besides, they had a compass, and itwas impossible to get lost; and, as to the bears, there were very fewof them in the woods, and no bear that ever lived was a match for fourboys, all good marksmen, armed with double-barrel shot-guns, andassisted by three good dogs. So Mrs. Nelson was obliged to consent,and the boys started off to see George and Harry. The latter easilyobtained their parents' permission, and the boys adjourned to thekitchen to talk over their plans. It was decided that two sleds wouldcarry all their baggage, and that every thing should be ready for thestart early on Monday morning; it was then Friday. After making alltheir arrangements, Frank and his cousin returned home, andimmediately commenced working on their sled. A stout hickory sapling,which they had used in stretching and curing the skin of the deer theykilled in the lake, was sawed in twain for the runners, and bent intoshape by steaming. The braces were then put in, and before dark thebody of the sled was completed. It was light and very strong, andArchie dragged it about the shop in high glee.

  "It's all done but the box," said he.

  "We don't want any box," said his cousin. "It would only make the sledheavy, without doing any good. We will get an old quilt or blanketfrom mother, and that will do better than a box."

  This article was soon obtained, and fastened to the sled in such amanner that it could be strapped around the baggage; and just asHannah called them to supper, the sled was pronounced ready for thejourney.

  The next day Hannah was kept busy baking biscuit and other provisionssufficient to last until they reached Uncle Joe's; while the boysbusied themselves in cleaning their guns, sharpening their knives andaxes, and getting every thing ready for the start.

  Time seemed to move on laggard wings, so impatient were they to beoff; but Monday morning came at length, and the boys were stirringlong before daylight. As soon as they had eaten breakfast, the sledwas brought out of the shop, and their baggage--which consisted of achange of clothes, blankets, ammunition, axes, and provisions--wasstrapped on securely. Just as they completed their preparations,George and Harry came along. Bidding Mrs. Nelson and Julia good-by,they all started off; and, after a hard day's tramp, encamped at theplace where we now find them.

  After they had finished carrying their baggage into the hut, a livelyscene was presented. Harry sat before the fire, cutting a pair ofleggins out of a finely-dressed deer-skin, which he had spread on thefloor of the hut; George was engaged in arranging their beds; Archiewas in front of the hut, chopping the evening's supply of fire-wood;and Frank was superintending the cooking of their supper. The dogs laystretched out on a blanket, enjoying a quiet nap.

  "There," said Archie, at length, leaning on his ax, and surveying thepile of wood he had cut; "I guess that will last us through thenight."

  "Yes, that's a plenty," said Frank. "Come, boys, supper is ready!"

  Archie accordingly entered the hut, and, after depositing his ax in acorner, picked out a warm place by the fire, and commenced helpinghimself to the eatables. The meal
consisted of squirrels, which hadbeen roasted on spits before the fire, coffee, and bread and butter.Their long tramp--they had made about twenty miles since morning--hadsharpened their appetites, and the supper rapidly disappeared. Butthere was enough left for the dogs, and after they had beenbountifully fed, and the supper dishes washed, the boys stretchedthemselves out on their blankets before the fire. Each seemed to beoccupied with his own thoughts. The sifting of the snow over the roofof the hut, the crackling of the fire, and an occasional howl of awolf, were the only sounds that broke the stillness. At length, Harrysaid:

  "Now, boys, this is the kind of a life I enjoy. Doesn't it make afellow feel comfortable, to lie here and listen to the storm, and knowthat he is securely sheltered? For my part, I don't see how a personcan live cooped up in a city all his life."

  "It is a difficult matter," answered Archie; "for I have tried it, andprofess to know something about it. How many times I have sat inschool, when I had a hard lesson to get, and looked out of the window,and wished that I was off in the woods somewhere!"

  "Well, you're here at last," said George; "but the only way to pass along winter evening is in listening to a good story. Come, Frank, giveus one."

  "Yes," chimed in Harry, "give us something exciting."

  "A hunting adventure," said Archie, "or a fight with the Indians."

  "O, you will hear plenty of such stories when we get to Uncle Joe's,"said Frank. "But I will tell you of an adventure which happened to myuncle, who was a young lawyer at the time, settled in St. Louis;" andFrank, after rearranging his blanket commenced as follows: