CHAPTER IX
PLANNING A SURPRISE
"MORE trouble ahead!" cried Roger, starting back, for he did not fancya hand-to-hand conflict with that furious beast, intent on claiming thegame that had fallen to Dick's gun.
"Do nothing rash!" admonished the other, who knew the headstrong waysof his cousin, and wished to prevent any action that might precipitatea struggle.
"But see how the beast acts! As if he owned the earth, Dick!"
"Well, what of it?" came the steady reply, for Dick was hastening hisreloading operations while talking, something Roger did not seem tohave thought of.
"But you shot the bull, Dick," urged the other.
"Then I make of him a present to our friend, the big cat," Dick toldhim. "We have quite enough meat out on the open, all we can manage.Besides, I pity your teeth if you ever try to bite into the flesh ofthat tough old rascal. Move around, and let the cat be. That's all heasks of us."
"But, Dick, I don't like to let it seem as though the two of us wereafraid of just a hungry panther," remonstrated Roger, who was proud ofhis valor.
"Oh! for that matter, there's the poor old wolf, you remember. And in ashort time the air will be black with buzzards coming to the feast froma distance of miles around. Let good enough alone, as I've heard yourmother tell you, many's the time."
Grumbling a little, and sending more than one aggressive look backwardtoward the audacious panther, Roger finally agreed to accompany hischum out to where the other victims lay.
The rest of the herd had galloped away, and were far distant by thistime, though now lacking a gallant protector. And, lying where theyhad fallen, were the yearling bull and another, for both boys had madecapital shots.
"What shall we do first?" asked Roger.
"I want to see you charge that rifle of yours before we start a singlething," he was told bluntly by his companion.
"Oh! I had forgotten that part of the game, but you know I generallydo reload without any loss of time, Dick. I learned that long yearsago, and many a time, as I can distinctly remember, it saved me a heapof trouble."
This duty having been accomplished, Roger waited to hear what theywere to attempt next; for as a rule he was content to let Dick do theplanning.
"While you go and fetch the horses, Roger, I'll start to cutting upthis fine young bull. You've got your bearings, of course, and knowjust where we left our mounts?"
"I surely do know," the other replied, "and I'll have them here beforelong. If I were you, Dick, I'd keep one eye out for that slippery beastof a panther. For all any one can say, he may take a notion that heprefers tender meat to tough. And that I'd call carrying the joke toofar."
"Depend on it, Roger, I'll keep my gun handy all the while, and, if Mr.Panther gives me any trouble, I'll be tempted to waste a bullet on him.Get back as soon as you can, that's all."
With that advice ringing in his ears Roger hurried off, while Dick,drawing his hunting knife with the buckhorn handle, proceeded to firstremove most of the skin of the young bull, so that it could be usedto wrap around the meat. After this he started to cut away such choiceportions as he meant to keep.
Every now and then as was his habit, he raised his head to take a quickglance around; but neither the panther nor the wolf came into sight.Evidently the hungry animals were not excessively particular about thetenderness of their meat, if only the supply proved sufficient.
Roger came galloping up after a bit, leading the second horse. Theanimal did considerable snorting, as horses always will when they scentfreshly spilled blood; but Roger knew how to stake them out so thatthey could not wander away.
After that he commenced dressing the second buffalo, also a yearling.Since both boys had had considerable experience in this, they made fairwork, and the two piles of fresh meat mounted up by degrees.
It was just as well, for evening was not far away now, the day havingdrawn on toward its close. Off yonder, in the glowing west, the sun wassinking, and beginning to paint the fleecy white clouds a vivid redthat had strange fluted columns running up and down. To the imaginationof the two boys these were the beckoning fingers that tempted themalways, just as the rainbow for ages past has promised a pot of gold tohim who could find the spot where its foot rested on the earth.
The two bundles of meat were tied securely, and fastened to the backsof the prancing horses. Then the boys set off, expecting to strike thecamp of the expedition along the bank of the river.
As they passed the timber they could see something of a commotionin the place where they had had their adventure with the savage oldbuffalo bull. Dozens of big bald-headed birds were sitting on deadlimbs of the trees, now dropping awkwardly down to the ground, and anonflapping back to their perches.
"The buzzards came, just as I thought they would," remarked Dick; "butthey'll have to wait for the second table, because that cat and thewolf must first be served. When they can hold no more they may go awayand let the poor buzzards have a chance."
Dick did not have any particular trouble in finding his bearings.It had been indelibly impressed on his mind that the river lay tothe north, and, with the setting sun on their left, it would be nodifficult task to find the water.
He had also figured out about where the boats and the horses wouldbring up when the day's toll had been taken, so that he was now makingwhat he would have called a bee-line for that particular place.
The sun was down behind the level horizon at last, and shadows hadbegun to creep out of their hiding-places. Roger began to feel a littleanxiety concerning their hoped-for arrival at the river.
"It seems to be further than I thought," he ventured to say presently.
"Meaning the river, I suppose," remarked Dick, calmly. "Yes, I expectedthat it would take us some little time to get there, because there wasa big bend just at the place we left the water, on sighting that hillwhich we climbed to look around for game."
"Dick, I believe I see something that flickers ahead of us!" exclaimedRoger just then.
"It must be the light of the fires, which as usual have been builtbelow the river-bank, so that their glow may not betray the camp tohostile eyes. Yes, just as you say, Roger, we are getting there, andwill be in on time."
"Oh! as to that, Dick," said the other with a laugh, "even if supper isstarted they will be sure to switch off and give this fresh buffalomeat the first showing. But, for one, I shall be glad to rest. Afterall that prancing around my tree every muscle in my legs cries out inpain, I do believe."
They were not long in arriving at the camp, and, when the campers foundwhat the packages that the horses carried contained, they greeted thenewcomers with cheery words of welcome and of thanks.
It was a lively scene, with the boats drawn up on the sandy beach underthe river-bank; the horses picketed out to graze; the tents that hadbeen erected to serve as sleeping quarters for the company; and theblazing fires about which the cooks were starting to cook the eveningmeal. For a background to the picture there was the ever-murmuringriver, and the boys, many a time, wished they were able to send aloving message down those hundreds of miles to the little settlement ofSt. Louis, where their loved ones dwelt.
They knew that a monumental task still lay before them, since theterrible, rocky mountains, of which they had heard vague stories fromthe Indians, had to be scaled, as well as trackless wastes of desertland crossed, before they could hope to feast their eyes on the bluesea which was their goal.
Still, the whole summer lay before them, and they had alreadysurmounted so many obstacles that nothing seemed to daunt those boldspirits. Each day's journey they counted another link in the chain,and, having virtually burned their bridges behind them, it became anecessity that they succeed.
The supper was finally cooked, and those who were not on duty as guardssettled down to enjoy what had been prepared. As usual Dick and Rogerfound places close together, for they were chums in everything, andliked to chat while eating.
"This pays me for all my trouble with that old bull
," remarked Roger ashe munched away. "Sweeter meat I never tasted, if I do say it myself."
"Oh! I agree with you there," Dick told him. "But I find myselfwondering why Captain Lewis keeps looking over this way so often. Andthen, too, it strikes me he is unusually solemn to-night. What do yousay, Roger?"
"I hadn't noticed it before," came the reply presently, "but, now thatyou call my attention to the fact, I really believe you are right. Hedoes look as if something had gone wrong. I wonder what could havehappened while we were away this afternoon."
"We may have to take it out in guessing," Dick observed, "unless theCaptain decides to tell us about it, which is hardly likely. But therest of the men seem to be noisier and in better humor than usual.There's Andrew Waller keeping a lot of them roaring with laughter as hetells some comical story. I never saw him so lively, come to think ofit."
About the time all of them were through eating, Dick discovered thatCaptain Meriwether Lewis was walking directly toward the spot where heand his chum still sat. A couple of convenient stones had afforded themresting places; but, as the commander of the expedition paused besidethem, both lads immediately sprang to their feet, courteously offeringthe captain a seat.
"I will accept if one of you can sit tailor-fashion on the ground,"remarked Captain Lewis, but without any sign of merriment in hisvoice, for he was still looking very grave. "I want to speak with bothof you lads, and it is concerning a subject in which you are deeplyinterested."
Of course that aroused their curiosity at once, and Roger lost notime in dropping upon the sand, where he could make himself fairlycomfortable.
As soon as they were all seated again the captain began:
"While you two boys were away on your hunt this afternoon, somethinghappened which deepened my suspicion that we have a traitor among us.By a mere accident I picked up a bit of paper that some one must havedrawn from his pocket unknown to himself. Glancing idly at it I wasstartled at what I read."
He looked around him as though to make certain that no eye watched hisaction, and then placed a small piece of paper, very much wrinkled andsoiled, in Dick's hand. Together the boys fastened their eyes on thewriting and made out the fragment of a sentence:
"if you think it unsafe to stay longer in the camp, join us; but be sure and bring plenty of guns and ammunition along, for we need them."
There was no signature, but the boys did not doubt in the least thatthe one whose hand had Penned this note of instructions was FrancoisLascelles or his equally rascally son, Alexis. The question was, whocould the recipient be, and how were they to find out.
"After you found this paper, Captain, you watched to see if any oneseemed to be searching for anything, I suppose?" Dick asked eagerly.
"All the afternoon I have kept on the alert, but, whoever the villainis, he has either not discovered his loss, or else has assumed anappearance of indifference in order to blind hostile eyes."
"But how do you suppose he could have received the message?" continuedDick.
"That, too, may always remain a mystery," continued the other,reflectively, "but an arrangement could have been made whereby certainstones that were laid down in a peculiar manner would direct him tosearch in a hollow stump or under a log for a letter. All we know isthat this traitor did receive his message, and started to tear it topieces, but on second thought kept part of the letter."
"It will be his undoing yet, sir, I think," Roger ventured to suggest."Too bad there was no name mentioned, so we could charge him with thedeed, and punish him as he deserves. I am wild to know who he is, for Ishall long remember how he tried to put an end to us in the rapids ofthe Yellowstone."
"Perhaps you may, and that before another dawn comes," remarked thecaptain, as he smiled indulgently at the headstrong boy, whom he hadcome to like very much, as, indeed, he did Dick, also.
"That sounds as though you had made a plan of campaign, Captain," Dickobserved, with a pleased look that was only exceeded by the smile onthe face of his companion.
"I have laid out a little scheme which I think may work well, and trapthe guilty wretch in the toils," explained the captain. "You rememberthe special mention made of guns and ammunition, which he was told totake with him, if he really believed his usefulness in the camp hadcome to an end? That gave me my clew."
"The bait will be a stock of powder and ball, and perhaps several guns,unless I fail to catch your meaning, sir?" Dick continued.
"Before we go to sleep, to-night, I shall have three men, whose namesI need not mention, know that there are several good guns, and quite aquantity of ammunition for them, in the supply tent where we keep ourextra provisions. It is not guarded beyond the fact that sentries areposted outside the camp to watch for enemies. But to-night both of youboys, together with myself and Captain Clark, will be in hiding, readyto capture any one who ventures to enter that supply tent."
"Thank you for thinking of us, sir," exclaimed Roger, warmly.
"Why should I not do so, when the first intimation I received thatthere was a traitor in the camp came through you two boys? And,besides, you are more deeply interested in his capture and punishmentthan any of the others, because this unknown spy is working hand andglove with Francois Lascelles, who hates you most bitterly."
"Tell us what to do, Captain, and you can rely on our working with youto the best of our ability," Dick assured the commander, who smiled athim and went on to explain further.
"Understand then, that, later on, both of you, when not observed,are to take your guns and disappear. I will look to find you in thatbunch of brush yonder to the right, and from that point we can watchthe supply tent until something happens. I think the bait will besufficiently attractive to tempt the man to make his move, meaning tosteal the guns and ammunition, after which he hopes to leave us inthe lurch. After we make sure that he is inside the tent, we can creepup and face him as he comes out laden with his booty. That is enough,since you understand," with which the captain laughingly arose to hisfeet and sauntered away, leaving the boys thrilled through and through.
The Pioneer Boys of the Columbia; or, In the Wilderness of the Great Northwest Page 12
