Frank in the Woods

by Harry Castlemon

  CHAPTER III.

  An Indian Hunt.

  The next morning, a little after daylight, Frank awoke, and, raisinghimself on his elbow, he gazed about him. The storm had ceased, andthe morning was clear and intensely cold. The fire, however, stillburned brightly, for the boys had replenished it several times duringthe night. His companions, comfortably wrapped up in their thickblankets, were sleeping soundly; but Frank thought it was high timethey were stirring, for they had a good twenty miles to travel thatday; so, reaching over, he seized Archie by the shoulder and shookhim. The long tramp of the previous day had wearied the boysconsiderably; but with several hearty shakes, Frank succeeded ingetting them all on their feet; then, after washing his hands andface in the snow, he commenced to prepare their breakfast.

  After a good deal of yawning and stretching, the others began tobestir themselves; and while Archie cut a supply of wood, with whichto cook their breakfast, George and Harry busied themselves in packingtheir baggage on the sleds. As soon as they had eaten breakfast, theyput out the fire, and renewed their journey.

  The traveling was much more difficult than it had been the day before,for the snow was piled on the ice in deep drifts, and it was darkbefore they reached Uncle Joe's cabin.

  As they approached, they were welcomed by the old trapper's dogs, andUncle Joe finally appeared at the door.

  "Get out, you whelps!" he exclaimed. "Who's that a comin' there?" hecontinued, trying to peer through the darkness.

  "Friends," answered Frank.

  "Jeroomagoot!" ejaculated the old man, who recognized Frank's voice."What are you boys doin' out in these woods this time o' night? Comein--glad to see you any how," and Uncle Joe seized their hands asthey came up, and shook them heartily. "What have you got on themsleds--your plunder?"

  "Yes," answered Archie. "That's a new way we have got of carrying ourbaggage."

  "Fetch it right into the house then, boys;" and, suiting the action tothe word, Uncle Joe seized the sleds and pulled them into the cabin.

  "Bars and buffalers!" exclaimed a voice, as the boys entered. "How dedo youngsters?" and a tall, powerfully built man arose from his chair,and, striding across the floor, approached the boys. It was DickLewis--Uncle Joe's brother.

  He was a fine specimen of a North American trapper; fully six feet inhight, with a frame that seemed capable of enduring any amount offatigue. Thirty years among savage beasts, and still more savage men,had brought him in contact with almost every variety of danger. He hadhunted and trapped on every little stream between the Rio Grande andthe Great Bear Lake; had taken more than one rough-and-tumble fightwith Rocky Mountain grizzlies; was very expert with the rifle; couldthrow the tomahawk with all the skill of an Indian; and could lassoand ride the wildest horse that ever roamed the prairie.

  He was a good-natured, jovial fellow, and when stretched out on hisblanket before the cheerful camp-fire, no one delighted more to tellstories and crack jokes than he. He used to say that there was but onething in the world he hated, and that was an Indian. And good causehad he for enmity; for, if the prairie and the deep, dark woods couldspeak, they could tell of many a deed of cruelty which he had seenpracticed upon the unoffending trappers.

  Dick had three times been bound to the stake, once when a mere boy,and had escaped by making use of his prodigious strength, and almostincredible swiftness of foot, which had won for him, from the Indians,the appellation of Big Thunder.

  Of all the trappers, none was more active in punishing the Indians, ormore hated and feared than he. One night, mounted on a powerful,well-trained mustang, he would appear, in spite of their vigilance, intheir very midst, picking off their favorite chiefs, or "stampeding"their swiftest horses; and the next morning a warrior, seated at hissolitary camp-fire, fifty miles away, would be startled by the crackof the rifle that was to start his spirit on its way to the happyhunting-grounds. He seemed to delight in danger, and being perfectlyacquainted with the Indian mode of warfare, he eluded all the plans tocapture him, with the same skill and cunning he would exhibit inlaying his own. But he did not always escape unhurt, for many an uglyscar on his body bore evidence to the valor of his enemies, and theseverity of the struggles in which he had engaged. He did not callUncle Joe's his home. He had lived on the prairie, and among themountains, from boyhood, and despising the ordinary modes ofconveyance used by more enlightened men, he had traveled the entiredistance, from the head-waters of the Missouri to his brother's cabin,on foot.

  "How are you, youngsters? I say," he exclaimed, continuing hisgreeting, which we have so unceremoniously interrupted; and he seizedFrank's hand, and gave it a gripe and a shake, which he felt for aquarter of an hour afterward.

  "Draw a cheer up to the fire, young'uns," said Uncle Joe, "an' setdown."

  The boys were well acquainted with the trappers, and always madethemselves quite at home with them; so, after brushing the snow fromtheir feet, they pulled off their overcoats and seated themselvesbefore the huge fireplace. The cabin--or, as Uncle Joe called it,"shantee"--was built in the most primitive style, having but one roomand a "loft," to which access was obtained by a ladder. There werefour beds in the room--rude-looking, indeed, but very clean, andabundantly supplied with quilts and blankets; while around on thewalls hung the trappers' rifles, hunting-knives, and powder-horns.Three large dogs lay stretched out before the fireplace, and one ofthem, a huge, powerful animal, was the only companion Dick had had forthree years. He was an ungainly looking animal, but his strength andcourage had been severely tested in many a desperate encounter, andtwice he had saved his master's life. No wonder, then, that he held aprominent place in the trapper's affections. The only other inmates ofthe cabin were the four hired men--tall, brawny fellows, who despisedthe city, with its "eternal jostlings and monotonous noises," butdelighted in the freedom and solitude of the forest.

  "Had any supper, youngsters?" inquired Uncle Joe, as the boys drewtheir chairs up to the fire. "No, I reckon not," he continued, withoutgiving them time to reply. "Bob, just fetch out some grub. I'll betthe boys are as hungry as wolves, after their long tramp."

  The boys did not raise any objections, for they _were_ hungry, andthey knew that the supper they would get would be worth having.

  Bob, who was one of the hired men, began to bustle about, and, afterhanging the tea-kettle over the fire, he drew out a pine table, andcovered it with a snow-white cloth, and dishes which shone in thefire-light in a manner that would have delighted a New Englandhousewife. Then came ham and eggs, which, with the coffee, were cookedin the fireplace, wheat-bread, honey, and fresh butter and milk.Although they were forty miles from any settlement or neighbor, in themidst of an almost unbroken forest, there was no danger but what theywould fare well, for Uncle Joe was famous for good living.

  The boys ate very heartily, and Uncle Joe sat by, smoking his pipe,and watching them with evident satisfaction. After supper, while theywere engaged in unpacking their sleds, Dick's dog, which answered tothe name of Useless, arose suddenly to his feet, looked toward thedoor for a moment, and uttered a dismal howl.

  "Injuns ag'in, by all that's miserable," ejaculated Dick, removing hispipe from his mouth, and instinctively reaching toward his rifle,which hung on the wall above his head; but instantly recollectinghimself, he resumed his former position, while a dark scowl settled onhis face. In a few moments, light steps sounded in the snow outsidethe cabin, and Useless bounded toward the door barking, and showinghis teeth, with every demonstration of rage.

  "Come back here, dog," said Dick; "I don't blame you, 'cause they area mean, thievin' race. The animal understands their natur' as well asI do," he continued, as the dog reluctantly returned to his place. "Mean' him war brought up to hate Injuns, an' we believe in makin' war on'em wherever we find 'em. It's a mighty wonder that they don't stealJoe out o' house an' home."

  The country around Moosehead Lake was inhabited by the remnant of aonce-powerful tribe, and the Indians, in going to and from thesettlements to dispose of their furs, f
requently made Uncle Joe'scabin a stopping-place. Dick was not at all pleased with this state ofaffairs; but, as he often remarked, he was not "boss of the shantee,and couldn't help himself."

  The footsteps drew nearer, and finally the door opened softly, and twoIndians entered.

  "How are you, Jim," exclaimed Uncle Joe, shaking the outstretched handof the foremost.

  "How de do, brother," replied the Indian, in imperfect English; andthis was all the greeting that passed between them. They depositedtheir rifles and packs carefully in one corner of the cabin, and thenadvanced to the fire, and seated themselves on the floor withoutsaying a word. They were dressed in the regular Indian costume, withleggins, moccasins, and hunting-shirts of the finest deer-skin,gaudily ornamented, and wore knives in their belts. Such sights werenot new to the boys, for Lawrence was a regular Indian trading-post.Frank thought that he had never seen such fine specimens of savagesbefore. But different thoughts seemed to be passing through Dick'smind, for he twisted uneasily in his chair, and smoked and scowledmore vigorously than ever. Useless seated himself by his master'sside, and watched them as closely as a cat ever watched a mouse, nowand then uttering a low, angry growl. Neither of the Indians took partin the conversation that followed, but, after emptying their pipes,they spread their blankets out on the floor, and were fast asleep in afew moments.

  "I don't see what in tarnation you let them ar painted heathen camp inyour shantee in this way for," said Dick, at length, addressinghimself to his brother. "The woods are open, an' they won't ketch coldby sleepin' out-doors."

  "O, I don't mind it," answered Uncle Joe. "Me an' the Injuns allershave been on good terms together."

  "Wal, you'll wake up some mornin' an' find your shantee gone," saidDick, "unless it is fastened down tarnation tight. I hate the rascalswusser nor pisen, an' I allers ache to begin a knock-down-an'-drag-outfight with 'em whenever I see 'em. Now, Useless," he continued,turning to his dog, and speaking as though the animal could understandevery word he said, "I'm goin' to bed, an' I want you to keep an eyeon them fellers;" and Dick stretched his heavy frame out on one ofthe beds, while Useless crawled under the blankets, and lay downbeside him. The others soon followed his example, and, in a fewmoments, nothing was heard in the cabin but the regular breathing ofthe sleepers.

  The next morning the boys slept later than usual. When they awoke,they found Bob engaged in getting breakfast. The Indians had gone.According to their usual custom, they had resumed their journey at thefirst peep of day. Dick sat by the fire, engaged in looking over his"plunder," as he called it, to see if any thing had been stolen.

  "Wal," said Uncle Joe, as they arose from the breakfast-table, "whatdo you youngsters kalkerlate to do first?"

  "Let's go and set our traps for foxes," said Archie, who wasparticularly fond of hunting that kind of game, and had become quiteproficient in the art.

  "Wal," said Dick, "I'll go with you. I have some traps that need'tendin' to;" and the trapper took down his long rifle and thrust hisnever-failing pipe into his pocket, and was ready for the start.

  Archie began to overhaul his traps, which had been piled in one cornerof the cabin. He looked them over and over several times, and finallyinquired:

  "Frank, do you know what has become of all my fox traps? Three of themare missing."

  "They ought to be in that pile with the others," answered Frank.

  "There are only two of them here," said Archie. "My best ones aregone; I'm afraid we have lost them. They must have got loose, andtumbled off the sled."

  "No, I guess not," said his cousin; "they were all there last night,for I counted them."

  "That ar is what comes of allowin' them Injuns to camp here," saidDick.

  "Jeroomagoot!" ejaculated Uncle Joe. "You don't s'pose them Injunsstole the traps, do you?"

  "Sartin, I do," answered Dick, dropping the butt of his rifle heavilyto the floor. "I don't s'pose nothin' else."

  "Wal, it's the first thing I ever had stole," said Uncle Joe.

  "Thar's whar the traps have gone to, any how," said Dick. "Useless,"he continued, turning to his dog, "you aint worth a pinch o'gunpowder. I told you to watch them fellers. I don't see how therascals could do it, for if Useless had seed one of 'em prowlin'around, he would have muzzled him quicker nor lightnin'. If you wantyour traps, youngsters, you'll have to foller them Injuns. I'll gowith you."

  "Will you," exclaimed Archie. "Then, let's start right off."

  "Wal, then," said the trapper, "pull off them overcoats, 'cause it'ill be the hardest job you ever done to ketch them Injuns."

  There was something novel and exciting in the idea of a chase afterIndians. The boys had often read of such things, and now there was anopportunity for them to take part in one. They were soon ready for thechase. Shouldering their guns, they followed Dick from the cabin, andimmediately set out on the trail of the Indians, which could be easilyfollowed by the prints of their moccasins in the snow. All the dogswere left at home, except Useless; for he was the only one thatunderstood "Injun hunting," and the others would only be in the way.The trail ran directly down to the creek, and as soon as they werefairly on the ice, the trapper broke into a "dog trot," and the boysfollowed close behind him, in Indian file. After going a little way,Frank said:

  "Dick, I don't believe that both of those Indians went this way."

  "Why not?" inquired the trapper.

  "Because there is only a single track, such as one person would make."

  "I guess you haven't hunted Injuns much," said Dick, with a laugh."Don't you know that when they are travelin', the hindermost ones stepexactly in the leader's tracks? If fifty Injuns had been along here,they would not have left a bigger trail nor those two have. But arteryou have hunted and fit 'em as much as I have, you could tell bylookin' at a trail how many there was in the party. I hope youyoungsters are good at runnin'."

  "We should not care about running a race with you," answered George;"but if you will hold this gait, we will agree to keep up with you."

  "O, you'll have to go faster nor this, if you want to ketch themInjuns," said Dick. "See here--here's where the rascals began to run."

  "How can you tell?" inquired Archie.

  "Why, easy enough. You see the tracks are further apart nor they wur alittle piece back. Come, youngsters! let out a little."

  The boys thought that Dick "let out" a good deal, for he almostredoubled his pace, and they concluded it was best to discontinuetheir talking; for they soon found that they had no breath to waste.After they had gone about two miles, the trail led them from the creekoff into the woods; and, in a few moments, the trapper came to astand-still on the bank of a small stream, where the trail abruptlyended.

  "Where did they go to?" inquired Frank, after he had looked in vainfor the trail. "They couldn't have jumped across the creek."

  "No;" answered the trapper, "that would be a better jump nor I eversaw made. We must go back."

  "What for?" asked George.

  "Why, the thieves knowed that we would foller 'em, an' they havedoubled on their trail, just like a fox."

  "The tracks all point the same way," said Frank, stooping down andexamining the trail.

  "In course they do," said Dick. "You don't s'pose you can tell by thelooks of a red-skin's track which way he is goin', do you? I haveknowed 'em to travel backward for more 'n a mile, to throw theirenemies off the scent. But we hain't got no time to waste. Come on."

  The boys followed the trapper back to the creek, and he immediatelystarted off again at a rapid pace. There was not the least sign of atrail, and they were at a loss how to account for the trapper'sreasons for following the creek, when he knew that the trail ran backinto the woods. At length he said, by way of explanation:

  "This is takin' a short cut on the Injuns. You see, they went backinto the woods, an' doubled an' twisted about on their trail, an' whenthey think they have fooled us nicely, they will come back to thecreek again."

  The next two miles were passed over in silence.
The boys could nothave talked if they had wished to, for the rapid pace was telling onthem severely, and they began to think that they had never known whatrunning was. But the trapper did not seem to mind it in the least. Hismotions were easy and graceful, and he appeared to move along withoutmaking any exertion whatever. They ran until almost noon, withoutseeing any signs of the Indians, and the boys began to think that thetrapper had been mistaken in his calculations. But their doubts weresoon removed by the finding of the trail.

  "Hurry on now, youngsters," exclaimed Dick; "but don't make too muchnoise, for the redskins aint far off."

  And so it proved; for the next bend in the creek brought them in sightof the Indians, who were walking leisurely along, with their packs ontheir backs, thinking, no doubt, that they had effectually eludedpursuit. But they soon became aware of the approach of the hunters,and, without stopping to look back, they commenced running at the topof their speed.

  "Bars an' buffalers!" exclaimed the trapper. "This is somethin' likeole times. Now, youngsters, I'll show you some runnin' as is runnin'.Come, Useless, show us what you're made of."

  The dog seemed to understand him perfectly, and was off on theinstant, and the trapper followed after him at a rate of speed whichthe boys had never expected to see accomplished by a human being. Thecreek, for almost a mile, was perfectly straight, and afforded them afine view of the race, which was worth going miles to see. The Indianswere no inferior runners; and, as they had nearly three hundred yardsthe start of Dick, the boys were doubtful as to the manner in whichthe chase would end. But the trapper had lost none of that lightnessof foot which had rendered him so famous, both among friends and foes,and before they had gone half a mile, he was near enough to seize oneof the Indians, while Useless pulled down the other as though he hadbeen a deer.

  The boys had been doing their best; but, of course, were left farbehind; and when they came up they found the Indians standing asmotionless as statues, apparently perfectly unconcerned, and thetrapper and his dog were keeping guard over them.

  "Now, little 'un," said Dick, addressing himself to Archie, andpointing to the packs which the Indians had thrown down, "look inthem ar bundles an' see if you can find your traps."

  Archie accordingly handed his gun to his cousin, and, kneeling down inthe snow, opened one of the packs, when the first thing he discoveredwas his missing property. He arose slowly to his feet, and surveyingthe Indian to whom the pack belonged, with a comical expression on hisface, said:

  "You're a grand rascal. I've a good notion to take the ramrod out ofmy gun and give you a good trouncing."

  The Indian was a man fully as large as Dick, very powerfully built,and muscular; while Archie was a little, "spindle-shanked" fellow,very small for his age, and looked as though he were in danger ofbeing carried away by the first gust of wind that passed. The former,after regarding the diminutive hunter for a moment, with an expressionof contempt, drew himself up to his full hight, and ejaculated:

  "Ugh! me big Injun."

  He, no doubt, considered it a gross insult that a person of Archie'sproportions should talk of "trouncing" him.

  "Wal," said the trapper, "we're done with you, you painted niggers;travel on about your business; but I wouldn't advise you to cross mytrail, in these woods, this winter;" and Dick tapped his rifle in avery significant manner.

  The savages raised their packs to their shoulders without making anyreply, and walked off as though nothing had happened. As soon as theywere out of sight, Archie packed up his traps, and the hunters turnedtheir faces homeward.