The Pioneer Boys of the Columbia; or, In the Wilderness of the Great Northwest

by St. George Rathborne

  CHAPTER XXI

  AT THE FOOT OF THE ROCKIES

  "THE time is coming, and very soon at that, I guess, Dick, when we mustexpect a great change in our going."

  Roger made this remark some two weeks after their adventure with therascally Dacotahs, who had been misled by the false words of AndrewWaller. All this while the whites had been steadfastly pushing fartherand farther up the narrowing Missouri, until navigation had become verydifficult.

  "Yes, I know what you mean by that," remarked Dick. "Every day now weare having more and more trouble with the batteaux. They get aground sooften that much valuable time is wasted in freeing them."

  "It looks as if we might be nearly at the headwaters of the Missouri,the river is getting so shallow," Roger observed.

  "That is probably partly due to the time of year," explained Dick. "Weare well along in August, you must remember, and the snow doesn't meltas easily up in the mountain canyons now as it did earlier in theseason. Besides, we have had little heavy rain, if you stop to think."

  "What do you expect Captain Lewis will do, Dick?"

  "I heard him saying only to-day, when they were working at the boatwhich stuck on the shoal, that it looked as though the limit had beenreached. You understand what that means, of course, Roger?"

  "I believe I do," was the reply. "From what I've picked up here andthere it appears to be the plan to leave part of the expedition in campsomewhere along the upper reaches of the Missouri until next year,while the rest make a dash for the Coast on the horses."

  "It was fixed," continued Dick, "that Captain Clark should lead theparty headed for the sea; but I have heard since that Captain Lewishas changed his mind. He doesn't feel like being cheated out of thatglorious sight after all he has passed through."

  "And who can blame him?" burst out the impetuous Roger. "I only hopethey let us keep along with them. We have a horse apiece, you know, andcould easily hold our own when it came to hunting for game."

  "Captain Lewis promised that we should set eyes on the sea if any onein the party did, and he is a man of his word, you know."

  "I should never get over the disappointment," declared Roger, "ifanything prevented us from keeping on to the end. We have made greatsacrifices in order to be in the company. Besides, I am fairly burningto set eyes on some of the many wonders we expect to meet with incrossing the big mountains of rock. The Indians have kept telling usabout strange animals to be encountered there."

  "Those mountains," Dick went on to say, "are the home of the terriblebrown bear which Captain Lewis has called the grizzly. We know how theycan fight, because we had an experience in a cave with one that we'renot likely ever to forget."[5]

  "Yes," added Roger, "and according to the Indians' way of doing, we'reentitled to wear those dreadful claws around our necks, after slayingthe monster at close quarters. Whenever you run across an Indian withthe claws of a grizzly bear worn as a necklace you can count on it thathe's proved his right to the name of warrior.

  "Then we've also heard of a beast living among the crags of thesemountains that has immense curved horns, upon which he alights afterthrowing himself from some lofty height. That may be only a fairystory, but I'd like to see for myself if there's any truth in it.

  "As for me, Dick, I've already made up my mind that I'll shoot one ofthose queer beasts, and get a sample of the curved horns, if ever thechance comes my way. Just yesterday I was thinking of the wonderfultracks we saw when we were having that adventure with the Dacotahs, andhoping that some of these fine days we might come upon the animal thatmade them."

  "I have tried my best, Roger, to learn what the beast looks like, andthe nearest any Indian has been able to tell is that once in a whilea monster of the deer tribe is seen in these regions. None of thetrappers in our party have an idea what it can be, save Batiste, whodeclares he has shot just such a great beast up in Canada."

  "Then he must mean a moose!" exclaimed Roger, looking intenselyinterested. "Come to think of it now, I don't see why a moose might notwander over here. They live only in cold countries, I am told, but inthe winter it must be bitter enough up here to please any one."

  Just as the boys had said, when talking matters over betweenthemselves, the river had become so shallow that it was folly to try topush the heavy batteaux any further up the current.

  Accordingly, a permanent camp was to be established on the river bank,where a part of the men would be left in as comfortable circumstancesas the conditions permitted. Here they were to stay until they wererejoined the following summer by the returning explorers, after theyhad been to the Coast.

  Those who were to be left behind were to establish relations and makefriends with the neighboring Indian tribes, serve them as physicians,and do what hunting was necessary.

  Of course the scene in the camp that night was an unusual one. The menwho were to accompany the two captains had been advised of their goodfortune, and, while they showed signs of pleasure, at the same timethey knew that the final stages of the big journey would be filled withperil, so, in one way, they really envied those who could stay behindin comfort and peace.

  There was an air of half-suppressed excitement throughout the camp asthe men conferred together, exchanged some of their possessions, and innumerous ways made ready for the parting that was coming so soon.

  Captain Lewis did not have many preparations to make, for all alonghe and his able ally had seen that everything was kept at the highestnotch of efficiency.

  "I really do believe," said Roger, as he and his chum sat watching themany sights of the camp that evening, "that Captain Lewis has plannedfor every little thing that could happen; and whoever is left in chargehere will know what he is to do from day to day, just as if he got hisorders fresh from headquarters."

  "That is partly the result of having a man like Captain Clark along,"explained Dick. "He believes in method, and carries his ideas out asa military man should. Captain Lewis could not have found a bettercompanion for his venture than he did."

  "It is settled that we are to go along with them, of course?" frettedRoger, who knew perfectly well that this matter had been arranged, butwanted to hear his comrade say so.

  "We have the word of the commander for it, and that ought to be enough,Roger."

  One whole day they spent in the camp by the river so that nothingshould be neglected. Then, on the following morning, bright and earlythe good-bys were said, and the little party, mounted on the horses,set out to plunge still deeper into the unknown wilderness toward theglittering prize that tempted them--the sun-kissed sea that lay faraway over mountains and across burning deserts.

  It was only natural that every one should be more or less affected overthe parting. None of them could tell what the future held. Surroundedby a trackless wilderness, many hundreds of miles from a single whiteman's village, and with treacherous savages to deal with, the chancesof their ever coming together again seemed very remote.

  During that day both the boys were inclined to be unusually quiet andthoughtful. Indeed, for that matter, every one of the riders seemed tohave lost his ordinary spirits, although, of course, this feeling ofdepression would soon wear away, and by degrees the men would learn toface the situation bravely.

  It was evident to every one that the party was now approaching thefoothills of those great mountains of which so much had been heard.Captain Lewis knew that, in order to cross them with as little hardwork as possible, they must head for a pass of which they had been toldby some of the Indians. Unless they could find this, their effortswould be in vain, and they must turn back, defeated in their daringplans.

  Three days after leaving their comrades the advancing party came to agood camping ground early in the afternoon, and, as the horses werereally in need of a rest, it was concluded to stop here for the night.

  This was an opportunity the two boys had been waiting for, and they hadlittle difficulty in getting permission from the commander to indulgethemselves in a short hunt.

  The camp was
in need of fresh meat, though not desperately so; andif only a deer could be taken it would afford them a few good meals.Captain Lewis, knowing Roger's headstrong ways, took particular painsto caution them before they set out.

  "See that you take no unnecessary chances, my boys," was what he hadsaid. "We would be very sorry, indeed, to have to bear your parentsbad news when next we see St. Louis. But I feel that, so long as Dickis along, you will be careful. And, if you can bring the carcass of ayoung deer back with you, so much the better."

  It was a fine afternoon in late summer. There did not seem to be anysign of stormy weather in prospect, from which fact the boys felt surethey would not be compelled to look for a hollow tree as before.

  First of all they were wise enough to take their bearings, for theycertainly did not want to lose themselves in the vast wilderness, sincethey could no longer depend on finding their friends by simply huntingfor the river.

  Then the next thing was to hunt up into the wind. This was, of course,done so that if they were approaching some keen-nosed game the animalmight not scent their presence, and depart before they could get achance to fire a single shot.

  It was a wild section of country. They could see, beyond, the mightybarrier of mountains that stood between them and their goal. The woodswere composed of scrub trees, with openings here and there; though inmost sections, east of the chain of mountains, prairie land existed.

  From where they looked up to the dizzy heights, the sides of themountains seemed bleak and rocky. They had been told, however, that onthe western slope vegetation grew plentifully, as the winds from theocean brought much rain, though little of this crossed the divide.

  The boys pursued their hunt for nearly an hour without coming upon anygame, although they saw plenty of signs of it, and were always countingon making a discovery. Versed in forest lore, they knew how to creepalong without making any sound likely to give warning of their approach.

  All conversation had been tabooed long since, for even Roger knew thatan incautious word might spoil their plans, and give the unseen deernotice of their presence in the vicinity.

  It was while they were thus moving along that Dick suddenly thrust outa hand and drew his companion to a standstill. Roger turned his headquickly, as though he did not comprehend what this meant, only to seeDick's finger pressed on his lips to indicate silence.

  At the same moment Roger himself caught the low thud of hoofs. Someanimal was certainly approaching them, and the singular "clicking" thataccompanied each thud told them the beast must have cloven hoofs likethose of a deer.

  A few seconds passed during which the strange sounds grew louder, andthen, as the bushes parted, the two boys gazed upon a sight such as hadnever before greeted their astonished eyes.

  FOOTNOTE:

  [5] See "The Pioneer Boys of the Yellowstone."