CHAPTER III
WOLVES IN THE TIMBER
"LET me light the pile, Dick," Roger pleaded, after they had madesufficient preparation.
They had selected only dry wood for various reasons. In the firstplace, this would burn more readily, and thus throw off the heat theywanted in order to dry their clothes. At the same time it was likely tomake little smoke that could be seen by the eyes of any hostile Indianswho might be within a mile or so of the spot.
Boys who lived in those pioneer days always carried flint and steelalong with them, in order to kindle a blaze when necessary. Had thesebeen lacking, Roger, no doubt, would have been equal to the occasion,for he could have flashed some powder in the pan of his gun, and thusaccomplished his purpose. (Note 2.)
In a short time Roger, being expert in these lines, succeeded, by theuse of flint and steel, as well as some fine tinder, which he alwayscarried along with him in his ditty bag, in starting a fire.
The wood blazed up and sent out a most gratifying heat, so that bothboys, by standing as close as they could bear it, began to steam, verymuch after the manner of some of the warm geysers, during the statedperiods when they were not spouting, that the lads had looked upon inthe Land of Wonders.
"What shall we do about the boat?" asked Roger, when they found thatthey were by degrees getting dry, though it took a long time toaccomplish this desired end.
"I was thinking about that," his cousin told him. "It is not worthwhile for us to try to patch the hole, because we expect to abandon itvery soon. Captain Lewis asked us to be with him in his boat. We hadbetter leave it here, and perhaps they may send a couple of Indiansdown to fetch it to camp."
"You mean, Dick, if the captain wishes to see for himself the mark ofthe treacherous knife blade?"
"Which I think he will want to do, so as to settle it in his own mind,"returned the other. "This is, after all, the most terrifying thing thathas as yet happened to us on our long journey up here into the heart ofthe wilderness."
"That is just it, Dick. Open foes I can stand, because you know whatto expect; but it gives me a creep to think of some unknown personstanding ready to stab us in the dark, or when our backs are turned.Perhaps, after all, we did wrong to decide on staying with CaptainLewis and Captain Clark, when we might have gone on home with Mayhew,carrying that precious paper."
"Oh! I wouldn't look at it that way, Roger," said the other, strivingto cheer him up, for Roger was subject to sudden fits of depression."Just think of all the wonderful things we have seen while here; andthen remember that there are still other strange sights awaiting us inthe Land of the Setting Sun."
"Yes, that's so, Dick, and both of us decided that the chance to lookupon the great ocean was one not to be lightly cast aside."
"We've been lucky so far," Dick told his chum, "and succeeded ineverything we have undertaken; so even this new trouble mustn't upsetus. By keeping a sharp lookout we can expect to learn who the traitoris, and after that he will be forced to leave the party. And if thatLascelles is around here again he will have to look out for himself.Anyhow," he added after a pause, "we have gone too far now to turnback, no matter whether we made a mistake or not."
"Yes, and as my father used to say," continued Roger, "'what can'tbe cured must be endured.' We have made our bed, and must lie in it,no matter how hard it may seem. I'm going to believe just as you do,Dick--that the same kind fate that has always watched over us in timespast is still on duty."
He glanced upward toward the blue sky as he said this, and Dick knewwhat he intended to imply; for boys in those days were reared in areligious atmosphere in their humble homes, and early learned to "trustin the Lord; but keep their powder dry," as the Puritan Fathers used todo.
"Our fathers often had to meet situations just as dangerous as any thatcan come to us," continued Dick, "and they grappled them boldly andcame off victorious. So, from now on, we'll devote ourselves to findingout whose was the unseen hand that held the knife with which our hideboat was slashed so cleverly."
"How far are we from camp, do you think, Dick?"
"As the crow flies it may be five miles, though we came further thanthat on the river," the other boy replied without any hesitation,showing how completely he kept all these things in his mind, to beutilized on short notice.
"We came down with a swift current," Roger admitted, "and it hardlyseemed as if we could have been an hour on the way. It will take ussome time to tramp back to camp, even if we take a short-cut to avoidthe bends in the river."
"What of that," asked Dick, "since we expected to spend a good part ofthe day in paddling up the stream, after shooting the rapids? But, ifyou are dry enough now, I think we had better make a start."
"Suppose we drag the boat into these bushes first, Dick," suggestedRoger.
"Not a bad idea either, for some passing Indian might think it worthwhile to mend the hole and carry the boat off. We would like to haveCaptain Lewis take a look at that knife mark, so as to prove our story.He trusts all his men, and it is going to make him feel badly to knowthat one among them has sold himself to an enemy."
Between them they carried the hide canoe in among the bushes, where itwas easily hidden away. Of course any one seeking it would readilyfind its hiding-place; but at least it could not be seen by theordinary passer-by.
Having accomplished this, the two lads set forth to cover the groundlying between their landing place on the shore of the river, below therapids, and the camp of the explorers.
They anticipated no trouble in finding their goal, because of theirfamiliarity with woods life. Besides, in their numerous hunting tripsduring the past winter they had covered nearly all the territory aroundthat region, so that the chances of their getting lost were smallindeed.
"We may run across game on the way back, don't you think, Dick?"suggested Roger, just after they had left the ashes of their late fire,which had been dashed with water before they quitted the scene.
"You never can tell," came the reply; "there is always a chance tosight a deer in this country. We got a number, you remember, withinthree miles of camp while the snow was deep on the ground. And alreadyI have noticed signs telling that they use this section for feeding onthe early shoots of grass."
"Yes," added Roger, "tracks there have been in plenty. And as I live!see here, where this tuft of reddish hair has caught on a pointedpiece of bark. I warrant you some buck rubbed himself against this treegood and hard. I would like to have been within gunshot of the rascaljust then, for the marks are fresh, and I think they were made thisvery morning."
This gave the two boys hope that they might at any minute run acrossthe deer and bring him down with a lucky shot. As fresh venison wasalways welcome in the camp, such a possibility as this always spurredthem on to do their best. They liked to hear the cheery voice ofCaptain Lewis telling them frankly that it had been a fortunate thingfor the whole expedition when he tempted Dick and Roger to remain andsee the enterprise through.
"Listen! what is all that noise ahead of us?" asked Roger, as a suddenburst of snarling and half-suppressed howling was borne to their ears.
"Wolves, as sure as you live!" exclaimed Dick, frowning, for if therewas one animal upon which he disliked to waste any of his preciousammunition, that beast was a wolf.
Ordinarily these animals are not to be feared when met singly, or evenin pairs; but, during the winter and early spring, they gather inpacks, in order to hunt the better for food, and at such times eventhe boldest hunter dislikes running across them.
"They are certainly on the track of something," suggested Roger, as helistened, and then, shrugging his broad shoulders, he continued. "Likeas not, it is that buck we were hoping to run across. A plague on thepests! If I had my way, and could spare the ammunition, I'd shoot everyone of the lot!"
"Little good that would do," Dick told him; "because they run tothousands upon thousands out on the plains and in the mountains wherewe are heading. A dozen or two would be no more than a grain of sand onthat se
ashore we hope to set eyes on before snow flies again."
"But listen to them carrying on, Dick," continued the other, withgrowing excitement. "Come to think of it, I never heard wolves makethose queer sounds when chasing a deer. You know they yap like dogs,and almost bark. These beasts are acting like those creatures did whenthey had me caught up in a tree, with my gun on the ground."
"Yes, I remember the time well enough," chuckled Dick. "You weremighty glad to see a fellow of my heft, too, when I came along. Twentyhours up a tree is no joke, when you've got a healthy appetite in thebargain. But, just as you say, Roger, there is something queer aboutthe way they are carrying on."
"They're not chasing anything now, that's certain," asserted the otherpositively; "because the sounds keep coming from the same place all thetime. Dick, perhaps the beasts may have some one treed for all we know.They are savage with hunger, and would just as soon make a meal off ahunter, red or white, as off a deer or a wounded buffalo."
"It happens to be right on our way to camp," remarked Dick, tighteninghis grip on his long-barreled rifle, "so we can find out what's upwithout going far out of our path."
This, of course, pleased Headstrong Roger, always in readiness foradventure, it mattered little of what nature. He always maintained thathe had a long-standing debt against the tribe of _lupus_ on account ofthat terrible fast mentioned by his cousin, and, although powder andball were not too plentiful, he seldom failed to take a shot at hisfour-footed enemies when the chance came to him.
So now he fancied that he would end the prowling of at least onered-tongued woods rover. Certainly he could spare a single charge, andit would give him more satisfaction than almost anything else. You see,Roger had rubbed the old sore when he spoke of that bitter experiencein the past, and it smarted again venomously.
As they pushed steadily on, the sounds increased in volume. They couldeven hear the thud of heavy bodies falling back to the ground afterfrantic leaps aloft, as though endeavoring to reach some temptingobject among the branches of a tree.
Then Roger, who had the keenest eyesight of the pair, muttered:
"There, I can just begin to see them through the trees and brushyonder, Dick; and, as we believed, they have some human being treed, orelse are trying to force conclusions with a panther, which would be astrange thing, to be sure."
"We'll soon know," the other whispered, "for it's only a little way.Yes, I can see them jumping up, just as you say. Roger, fasten youreyes on the tree above, and tell me what that dark object is."
A minute later, as they still kept pushing forward, Roger uttered a lowcry.
"Well, after all, it's an Indian brave up there. And he's alreadyshot a number of the brutes with his arrows; but I reckon his stockhas given out. He tries to strike them as they jump at him, using hisknife. And, Dick, I can see now that he isn't a Mandan Indian at all,but more likely one of those Sioux who, under their sub-chief, BeaverTail, did us such a good turn last fall, when we saved Jasper Williamsfrom the French traders. But what can a Sioux warrior be doing here, inthe land of his foes, the Mandans?"
"'HE TRIES TO STRIKE THEM AS THEY JUMP AT HIM'"]
The Pioneer Boys of the Columbia; or, In the Wilderness of the Great Northwest Page 6
