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

by St. George Rathborne

  CHAPTER XXVI

  AMONG THE NEZ PERCES

  "LOOK out, Dick, there are rattlesnakes all around here. I can seethree of them right in front of you! Get back, Dick, get back, I tellyou!"

  Dick hastened to comply, for by that time he also had detected thepresence of the venomous reptiles. They seemed to be of a smallspecies, such as can be found on the plains of the entire West, buttheir stroke carries just as sure death as though the snakes were twicethe size.

  The boys had often come across them of late, mostly near the coloniesof gophers, for the two seemed to be able to dwell together in harmony,though possibly the snakes made an occasional meal from some of thepuppies.

  Roger had already laid aside his gun, and picking up a long stick, hecommenced to belabor some of the coiled snakes.

  "Think you own the earth do you?" Roger was saying, as he plied hisstick with vigor, and knocked first one snake and then another into awriggling mass. "Well, I want to show you that others besides you havea right to breathe, and walk where they please. That makes the fifthone I've smashed, Dick. Did you ever see such a nest of the 'varmints,'as Jasper Williams would call them?"

  Roger evidently meant to keep on just as long as there was a single oneof the ugly, scaly creatures in sight. He certainly had more than hisshare of antipathy toward all reptiles, for he never let an opportunityto kill one escape him.

  When he could no longer find anything to hit, Roger consented to dropthe stick, secure his rifle, and prepare to leave the scrubby timber.They could find nothing in the way of water, though there must havebeen something of the sort underground to have allowed those ugly dwarftrees to grow in the first place.

  "There goes the silly, little wolf scurrying off," said Roger as theymounted once more, Dick having brought his horse through the patchof woods. "He must think we set great store by his dingy hide, andwould take after him. But I'm disappointed because we failed to get anantelope."

  "Better luck next time, Roger," his comrade told him; for nothingseemed to crush the spirits of this sanguine lad.

  The third day passed, and, as the blazing sun sank again beyond theglittering horizon, none of them, even by shading his eyes with hishands, could see any sign to proclaim that they were drawing near theend of the desert.

  It was not a very cheerful party that sat around on blankets that nightand exchanged ideas concerning their prospects of pulling through thesedifficulties. The horses were showing signs of the hard usage to whichthey had been put. Lack of forage made them hungry all the time, sincethe small amount of hay that could be carried was almost gone.

  With the morning they were again on the way, the sun at their backs.Noon found them resting, though the journey was resumed later on.When once more the sun went down its glow showed them trees in thenear distance, the presence of which they had not been able to detectbefore, on account of the shimmer of the sun's torrid rays on theshining sand.

  It was the consensus of opinion among the men that they were now closeto the western extremity of the desert, and they decided to keep onmoving far into that night if necessary, in order to reach the timberthat promised them water, and shelter from the terrible sun.

  Before midnight they arrived at the trees and had hardly made their wayamong them when some of the weary men sank to the ground, unable tocontinue further. Camp was made on the spot, and the remainder of thenight was spent in refreshing slumber.

  While the desert had been left behind, they now had a new source oftrouble. Water they could obtain as often as they needed it, but theirfood supplies had fallen very low, nor were the hunters able to findgame, though they searched early and late for signs of deer or bear;anything, in fact, that could be eaten.

  "If this sort of thing keeps on," Roger grumbled, when he and Dickwere returning from an unsuccessful search for game, "there's only oneresort left to us, and that is to feed on horse flesh. I'd hate to cometo it; but, rather than starve to death, I believe I'd try it."

  Dick laughed at hearing this confession.

  "And yet, when we were among the Sioux," he remarked merrily, "youthrew up your hands in horror at the thought of eating baked dog, whichthe Indians esteem a great delicacy, so that they seldom have it exceptwhen they want to make a great feast. How do you feel about that now,Roger?"

  "To be honest with you, Dick, I've changed my mind somehow. Those weredays when we always had plenty to eat; but now the rations have becomeso scanty that we feel half starved most of the time. Yes, I believethat if I was asked to sit down to a feast of baked dog, I'd accept,and with thanks."

  "Well, there's nothing like hunger to serve as sauce at a meal,"laughed Dick. "And, when I tell them at home how you were cured of someof your nice notions about the kind of food you long for, they willthink it quite a joke."

  "We're in a bad fix as it goes," resumed Roger; "with some of the menhalf sick from their sufferings on this long trip, little to eat incamp, and a slim prospect of getting anything from now on. Perhaps,after coming so far, none of us will live to see that wonderful ocean."

  "Oh! yes we shall, never fear," Dick assured him. "But stop and lookahead. What have we run up against now, I wonder. It looks like anIndian family on the move."

  "You are right, Dick," cried Roger. "They have a horse, and two polesfastened so that the other ends drag on the ground. On that they havehides, and I can see a squaw and a papoose. Suppose we try and see ifwe can make ourselves understood?"

  "I mean to," replied the other, quickly. "The warrior may be able todirect us to the river we are seeking, down which we hope to floatuntil we come to the sea itself."

  They walked nearer the Indians, who by this time had discovered theirpresence, and were undoubtedly amazed to see people with white skins inthat part of the country.

  "We have never, up to now, come in contact with any Indians dressed asthat fellow is," remarked Dick, as he held up his hand with the palmtoward the woman, to indicate that their intentions were friendly; forthat seems to be a sign universally understood among all the savagepeoples of the world.

  "It may be they belong to the Nez Perces tribe, and the man is a brave,because he wears the bear claws about his neck," (Note 8) suggestedRoger; "I heard Captain Clark speaking about them only yesterday, andsaying we must soon strike their hunting grounds, for he had learnedabout them from other tribes."

  As the two boys joined the Indians they saw that the fat squaw had asmall papoose in her arms. Dick instantly discovered that the childwas suffering in some way, possibly from cramps in its little stomach.According to the native custom nothing would be done to relieve thepain, that is in the way of medicine. When they reached their villagethe old medicine man would doubtless be called in to conduct hiseccentric dances around the writhing child, to rattle his hollow gourdsthat contained small stones, and to do everything in his power tofrighten off the evil spirit that was believed to be tormenting thepapoose.

  Dick tried to begin a conversation with the brave. As he could dependonly on gestures it was rather difficult; but, by this time, both boyswere becoming more or less expert in this sort of thing. Presentlyhe managed to convince the brave that he was a medicine man after afashion, and would be glad to try to relieve the sufferings of thepapoose.

  When the squaw understood this from what her man told her, she lookeddubious. Evidently her faith had made her believe that the morefantastic the costume of the healer, the better chance there would beof success; and how then could this boy with the white skin frightenaway the evil spirit when he made no attempt to disguise himself?

  Both brave and squaw looked anxiously on as Dick took out a little casefrom his pocket and extracted a tiny bottle. It was only camphor thatthe phial contained, but Dick felt positive it would work wonders, ifonly he could get the child to swallow a dose.

  This was finally managed with the help of the squaw. Since they hadconsented to allow the "paleface wizard" to try to charm the evilspirit out of the papoose, she meant that the experiment should becarried out regard
less of the child's whims; and so with her finger shethrust the medicine down the little one's throat.

  Dick then went on to talk with his fingers. He was trying to find outwhether the village of the brave was nearby, and finally succeeded inlearning they would come upon it in one day's walk, or the sweep of thesun from the east to the west.

  From what the other said in his native fashion Dick was not quite sureabout its position. He cut a piece of bark from a tree and held it outto the Nez Perces brave, together with a nail, showing him how to markupon the smooth surface.

  Apparently the Indian was shrewd enough to grasp his meaning, for heimmediately commenced to make crude figures. Roger watched his effortswith growing eagerness.

  "I do believe he's caught what you've been trying to say to him, Dick!"he exclaimed in glee. "See there now! he's gone and made a lot ofcone-shaped things that I'm sure must stand for wigwams. That's meantfor his village; and now he's making a wriggly line past it. Do youthink that can stand for a river?"

  "No question but that it does, Roger. There, now he makes a broaderline of the same kind, which must mean a big river that the first oneflows into."

  "Watch him now, Dick; what does he mean by all that curly stuff? To meit looks like waves rolling up onto the beach, just as we've seen themat that lake near which we passed the winter on the Yellowstone."

  "I really believe he means that the broad river empties into the sea!"announced Dick, at which Roger could hardly repress his feelings ofexultation.

  "Hurrah!" he cried, "we have struck something worth while at last, ifonly we can coax this brave to go to camp with us. And Dick, yourmedicine has worked wonders already, for the papoose seems to bekicking no longer. I guess the cramps have been settled."

  The squaw beamed on them now. She was evidently awed by the wonderfulsuccess of the "paleface medicine man," who found no necessity forindulging in fantastic dances and such things, but chased the evilspirit out by simply sending a message down the child's throat that hemust vacate!

  Again Dick endeavored to tell the brave that, if they would accompanythe boys to where they had companions, all of them on the followingday would go to the Nez Perces village with the Indians, and enjoy thehospitality of the red men.

  It ended in the others accepting, so that, half an hour later, theyreached the camp, where their coming created no end of excitement; forevery one expected it would soon lead to great things.

  If the boys had failed to secure any game in this, their last hunt,at least they had accomplished what was better; for, with the newprospects ahead of them, it began to look as though their troublesmight all be in the past.

  Captain Lewis spent almost two hours in sign talk with the Indian thatevening, after they had smoked the peace pipe between them. Togetherwith what he was able to pick up, and the crude map fashioned by thebrave on the smooth bark, he felt convinced that they would soon arriveat a river that eventually emptied into the great ocean which they hadtraveled thousands of miles to gaze upon.

  No longer were the weary explorers given over to hopelessness, as hadbegun to be the case of late. The future began to assume a rosy hue,and both boys felt certain the success that had been dangling beforethem as a tempting bait all these long months was about to become acertainty.

  When morning came they once more set forth, but now laughter was therule instead of silence and long faces. The brave and his squaw had bydegrees overcome their feeling of awe, and were quite friendly with themen.

  "I think," said Dick to Roger, as they rode slowly on, "I heard himtrying to explain to the captain that his chief and most of the men inthe village would be away at this time, for they expected to start on abig hunt, to lay in a store of jerked meat for the winter season. Butthat will not make any difference. He says his people will welcome us,especially after they know what a great medicine man is coming."

  At that both boys laughed aloud.

  "If you are wise," said Roger, "you will get ready to do a bigbusiness, because every old squaw that has an aching tooth will callupon you to chase the demon of pain away."

  "Oh! very well," replied Dick, carrying his honors easily, "I'll drawout the aching molars, and in that way bring freedom from pain. But allof us will be glad to rest for a while in the Nez Perces village."

  "Yes," added Roger. "And, moreover, we hope they will be free withtheir food, because our stock has by this time got down to nearlynothing. For once I think I could enjoy some Indian cooking."

  "Even if it has to be a feast of baked dog!" added Dick, at which theother made a grimace, though he immediately replied:

  "Yes, even that, if the rest of you try it. I don't hold myself tobe any better than my comrades, and what they can stand I ought to.Perhaps, who knows, all of us may yet take a great liking for the dish.The first man who ever swallowed a raw oyster must have had a strongstomach, I should say."

  Late that afternoon they came upon the Nez Perces village, which theyfound located upon quite a noble river. This stream the explorersimmediately called the Lewis River in honor of their intrepid leader.Sad to say in later years this well-earned name was changed to that ofSnake River, showing what short memories those who came after must havehad, in forgetting how much they were indebted to Captain MeriwetherLewis.