CHAPTER SEVEN.
MIKE'S PRECAUTION--WE AGAIN GO BUFFALO-HUNTING--THE PRAIRIE ON FIRE--ARIDE FOR LIFE--OUR ESCAPE FROM THE FIRE AND THE INDIANS--HOBBLINGHORSES--THE FIRE IS STOPPED BY THE RIVER--A BRIEF SLEEP--OUR FISHINGTACKLE--MIKE CATCHES A CAT-FISH--OUR LEAN-TO--MIKE LOSES HIS BOOK--THEVISIT OF BRUIN--A HEARTY MEAL--DEATH OF MIKE'S HORSE--I AM TAKEN SICK--MIKE'S CAREFUL WATCH--MY HORSE IS DROWNED--OUR VISIT TO THE RICE-LAKE--WE FIND LILY AND DORA THERE, WITH ASHATEA, IN A CANOE, GATHERING RICE--LILY'S ACCOUNT OF MANILICK, THE YOUNG CHIEF, ASHATEA'S LOVER--KEPENAU'SADDRESS--AGAIN TAKEN ILL--HOW I RECOVER.
Mike and I were on the watch for an opportunity of mounting our horsesand galloping off unperceived by the Indians; but, though they feastedfor several successive days, that opportunity never came.Unfortunately, so far as our enterprise was concerned, they had nowhisky in the camp, and were therefore able to watch our movements.
In a few days the hunters again set out, to obtain a further supply ofbuffalo robes; not that these were required for their own use, but theyintended to exchange them with the traders for whisky and otherarticles--especially firearms and ammunition. The chief and two orthree of the leading men had already procured weapons, although as yetthey were by no means expert in their use.
"They'll soon give us a chance, if they get howld of the whisky,"observed Mike; "so we must have patience till that happy time comes."
As we had proved ourselves such expert hunters on the previous occasion,the Indians decided to take us with them, and allowed us to select twocapital horses, as also some tough spears and a supply of arrows. Welikewise stowed away, at Mike's suggestion, as much dried buffalo meatas our pouches would hold. "There is no harm in having it," heobserved; "and it may just come in convanient if we get the chance ofgiving our rid-skinned frinds the slip."
I was glad to find that the Indians were directing their course to thenorth-west of the camp, towards a plain on which, the scouts had broughtword, buffalo had been seen feeding the previous evening, and it wassupposed that they were not yet likely to have got far off. When wereached the ground, however, it was found that they had gone awayfurther to the northward, so chase was immediately made after them. Theherd must have gone on at a somewhat rapid rate, for we forded severalstreams, and entered on a part of the prairie across which, after ridinga few miles, we could see nothing but the waving grass on every side.
The chief had of late been friendly, and kept Mike and me near him. Hewas evidently pleased with the good-humour we exhibited, and probablythought that we were contented with our lot.
At last we came in sight of the rear-guard of the herd, when the Indiansat once gave chase.
We had been riding on for some time, the buffalo evidently moving at agreater speed than they do under ordinary circumstances, when the chief,who was on the right of the party, stopped, and looking round him,shouted to those who were within hearing. I could not understand whathe said, and asked Mike if he could.
"Sure, it's something not altogether plisant," he answered. "Lookthere, Masther Roger. What does that mane?"
He pointed, as he spoke, to a long line of what looked like grey mist,forming wreaths, and rising above the horizon to the westward.
I saw several of the Indians standing up in their stirrups and gazing inthe same direction. They knew perfectly well what it was, but they weretrying to ascertain a point of vital importance to us all. The prairiewas on fire! Of that there was no doubt; but, in order to givethemselves the best chance of saving their lives, it was necessary tosettle, before galloping forward, what course to take.
While the Indians were discussing this point, Mike, who had been lookingabout him, exclaimed to me,--"There is one way we want to go, and thatis to the north-east. Never mind if we do get singed a little, forsure, as we came along, I remember that we passed several swamps. If wecan get into one of them we shall be safe, as the fire won't be afthercrossing the wather."
"But the Indians will probably take the same direction," I observed.
"Sure, if they intinded doing that same, they would have been off atonce," he answered. "They have some raison for what they think ofdoing, and we have another for what we will do; so come along, MastherRoger. There's only one thing I mourn for, and that is me fiddle; butno matther; maybe I will be afther getting that another time.Whallop-ahoo-aboo! Erin go bragh!" Then digging his heels into hishorse's flanks, he set off in the direction he proposed; and I, seeingthat the Indians were too much occupied to notice us, galloped afterhim.
As I turned my head I saw them scampering along towards the north-west.The fire having approached with far greater rapidity than I could havesupposed possible, I began to fear that they were right and we werewrong, when I saw the flames catching the dry grass and flaring upfuriously, with dense masses of black smoke above them, and alreadyscarcely a mile behind us; indeed, they looked very much nearer. Onwardcame the conflagration, faster than any horse could gallop. Happily wehad the start of it, but we must, we knew, keep our steeds at the utmoststretch of their powers to maintain a safe distance.
As our course diverged more and more from that of the Indians, they soondiscovered our object, and shouted to us to accompany them.
"Bawl away, me boys!" answered Mike. "It is not convanient just now toattind to you."
When our intention became clearly evident, the chief despatched two ofhis people in pursuit of us; but we kept well ahead of our pursuers, andthey, fearing that the fire would overtake them, turned and took thesame direction as the main body. Soon after this we lost sight of ourlate companions.
"I would be well contint never to set eyes on you again, me jewels,"said Mike, shaking his spear as a sign of farewell.
Although my companion kept up his spirits, I could not avoid fearingthat, after all, the fire would overtake us. Happily our horses werefleet and in good wind, as we had not exhausted them during the earlypart of the day; and all we could do at present was to gallop on. Thewind, of which there had hitherto been very little, now got up, and blewalmost in our faces, driving the fire in the direction the Indians hadtaken, and at the same time keeping it back from that in which we weregoing. Still on came the fire, the whole country in our rear apparentlyone mass of flame. Even now, did we stop, we should be overtaken.Happily for us, there were no buffalo in the direction from which thefire was coming, or we should have run the danger of being overwhelmedby them. Smaller animals, however, came rushing by us or close at ourheels, but too much frightened even to notice us; and we were in toogreat a hurry to interfere with them.
I am almost afraid to say how many miles we covered in a couple ofhours, but certainly not till that time had elapsed did we get to a safedistance from the fire; and even then, on looking back, we could see itraging along the whole verge of the horizon to the westward andsouthward. It was clear to me that Mike was mistaken about the swamps,and had not the wind, providentially for us, changed, we should probablyhave fallen victims.
We now slackened our speed a little, hoping to meet with some broadriver which might prove a barrier to the flames, should another changeof wind drive them towards us, as there was nothing, so far as we couldsee, to stop the fire from quickly overtaking us. Our horses, too, werealready suffering from want of water, and so were we. We thereforeeagerly looked out for a pool or stream at which we might slake ourthirst. At length, greatly to our joy, as evening was approaching, wecaught sight in the far distance of a silvery line of water glitteringin the rays of the western sun. It was a river running from thenorth-west to the south-east, and as we approached we saw that it was ofconsiderable width. Should it not prove fordable, we resolved to swimacross.
With infinite satisfaction we reached the bank of the river, anddescending quickly, allowed our horses to drink; while, stooping down bytheir sides, we lapped up the water eagerly with our hands. It seemedas if we could never drink enough. When we had somewhat slaked ourthirst, we looked about for a place at which to cross. From theappearance of the current a
little lower down, we hoped that we shouldthere find the river fordable; we accordingly agreed to lead our horsesto it.
On climbing up the bank we observed that the fire was still raging inthe direction from whence we had come; and it was evidently very muchnearer. We had wished to allow our animals to rest and recover theirstrength before attempting to cross; but on again looking back we sawthat there was no time to be lost. We accordingly at once mounted, andurged our steeds into the water, keeping their heads up the stream.
As we advanced it grew deeper and deeper, and we expected every momentto have our horses taken off their legs; still it would not do to turnback. Our greatest chance of safety lay in pushing forward. The coolwater restored strength to our beasts, and, sagaciously leaning overagainst the current, they soon got across the deep part. We had now nofurther difficulty, and in a few minutes landed safely on the oppositeside. Fortunately there was plenty of fresh herbage, and we allowed theanimals to crop it, while we sat down and discussed some of the pemmicanwith which, by Mike's forethought, we had provided ourselves. Withoutit we should have starved; for we could find nothing eatable anywherearound. As night was approaching, and our horses were too much knockedup to go further, we resolved to remain on the bank of the river tillthe morning. We accordingly hobbled the animals, and then looked aboutfor some place which might afford us shelter.
Our search was rewarded by the discovery of a hollow made by the streamin the bank during the spring floods. Here we hoped that we might restsecure from danger. Indians were not likely to be passing at that timeof the evening, and no wolves would find their way, we believed, intoour cave. Our horses were, of course, more exposed to risk thanourselves; but we were obliged to let them take their chance, for unlessthey were allowed to feed during the night they would be unable to carryus the next day.
After leaving our horses to pick up their supper, we were about toreturn to our cave, when, on looking to the eastward, we observed thatthe fire was making most rapid progress in our direction. We feltthankful indeed that we were on the right side of the river.
On came the conflagration, the heat sensibly increasing every minute,while dark wreaths of smoke filled the air, below which the burninggrass and shrubs hissed and crackled. The darkness of night added tothe fearful character of the scene. As far as the eye could reach thereappeared a long unbroken line of fire: now, as it caught some thick bushor clump of trees, forked flames rose high in the air; in other placesit came along maintaining the same height, but ever advancing, till itreached the bank of the river, when every shrub and tree was envelopedin a sheet of fire; and notwithstanding the width of the river, weexpected every instant to see some of the sparks carried across, and thewhole country on our side given over to destruction. We might save ourown lives, but our horses would inevitably be lost.
We sat anxiously watching the conflagration as it raged along the entirebank: now the sparks, wafted by the wind, flew high into the air; nowburning branches fell hissing into the water.
"It's all very fine," observed Mike, after watching it for some time;"but I would rather be afther going quietly to slape."
I felt quite as tired as did Mike, but I sat up till my eyes began toclose and my head to droop, and I could not for the life of me tell whatI was looking at. I had just sense enough left to lie down alongsideMike, when I was almost directly asleep. I do not think I ever sleptmore soundly in my life than I did on that occasion. So thoroughlywearied out was I, that I forgot all about the fire raging within a fewhundred yards of us; or prowling wolves, or Indians, or rattlesnakes,which might have made their holes in the bank.
When I awoke I found Mike sitting up, dawn having just broken. The firehad burned itself out, a few burning embers alone appearing on theopposite side, with here and there a blackened stem of some tree whichhad resisted the flames. One side of the river presented a scene ofutter desolation, while the other was still green, and glittering withthe dew of early morn.
We knelt down and returned thanks to God for our preservation, andoffered up a petition that he would still take care of us. We then atea little more pemmican, and took a draught of water from the river;though, to do so, we had to drive back the burned twigs and black scumwhich came floating down the stream. We then caught our horses, which,in consequence of being hobbled, had not strayed far; and after leadingthem down to drink we mounted and rode on to the north-east. Reachingsome elevated ground whence we could obtain an extensive view, we lookedround to ascertain if any Indians were in sight. Not a human beingcould we discover; and we therefore, with increased hopes that we mightescape, continued our journey.
I asked Mike how many days he thought it would take us to reach home,that I might see if his computation agreed with mine. I calculated,recollecting the distance we had come with our captors, that it wouldoccupy us a week at least, or perhaps ten days. He was of the sameopinion.
"But will our pemmican last us as long?" I asked.
"Sure, that depinds upon how much we take of it each day," he answered."The berries are now ripe, and by good luck I have found a couple offish-hooks in me pocket. Maybe, also, I can manage to manufacture sometraps in which to catch birds or small animals; and though we have noarrows, if we are hard pressed we may make some; and we have got ourspears. If we could only meet with a young bear, we should have fleshenough to last us for many a day. Sure, we'll not be fearing harm tillit comes upon us."
I agreed with Mike that we were not so badly off after all, and we rodeforward in good spirits. There was still, of course, the danger ofbeing overtaken by the Indians; but on that score Mike thought that weneed not trouble ourselves. They would probably suppose that we hadbeen destroyed by the fire; or they themselves might have met with thefate from which we had so narrowly escaped.
The sun shone brightly from the unclouded sky; the atmosphere was clear,and we could see objects at a great distance. We looked out, as we rodealong, for any of the natives who might be passing either on thewar-path or engaged in hunting, as we resolved to endeavour to avoidthem rather than risk an encounter. They might prove to be friends; butif enemies, we knew that we should have a poor chance of coming offvictorious. Whenever the country was open, we galloped across it asfast as we could venture to push our horses without over-fatiguing them;but when we came to woody districts we kept as much as possible undershelter of the trees, so as to avoid being seen. We did not forgetthat, should enemies cross our trail, they would probably follow us. Wetherefore very frequently looked about us, to ascertain if we werepursued. We agreed that, in that case, we would run for it, trusting tothe mettle of our horses for escape.
It may seem strange, but I enjoyed the excitement, and should not havebeen alarmed had we caught sight of a dozen Redskins, provided they wereon foot, and we had a fair start. Mike did not quite enter into myfeelings, however.
"Sure it would be betther, Masther Roger, if we could get along asily,and just stop and enjoy our dinner and supper without the feeling thatat any moment our scalps might be taken off our heads," he observed.
"We have kept them on through much greater dangers than we are nowlikely to meet with," I answered; "and while we have fleet horses underus, we may laugh at the Indians. They won't know that we are withoutfirearms, and they are terribly afraid of bullets."
For all this, I should have been glad had we possessed a good rifle anda brace of pistols apiece. Though our spears might serve us in a closeencounter with a bear, or even with wolves, we were but ill able toprotect ourselves against the arrows of a party of Redskins.
Whenever we reached a height we surveyed the country both before andbehind us, to make sure, in the first place, that no Indians werefollowing; and, in the second, that none were encamped ahead, or, as Ihave before said, moving about. During the day we met with severalsmall streams at which we could water our horses and slake our ownthirst; and the first night we encamped under shelter of a wood, wherethere was plenty of grass for our steeds. We contented
ourselves withforming a lean-to, but did not light a fire lest it should betray ourwhereabouts. Having eaten a little more pemmican, we formed our beds ofspruce-fir tops, and lay down to rest.
"Do you slape as sound as you like, Masther Roger; I'll jist keep oneeye open, in case any unwelcome visitor should take the throuble to pokehis nose into our palace," observed Mike. "When you think you have hadrest enough, you can jist wake up and let me take a snooze tillmorning."
I thanked my honest friend for his kind intentions, and in less thanhalf a minute my eyes were closely shut. When I awoke it was alreadydawn, but Mike, instead of keeping watch, was as sound asleep as I hadbeen.
"Hallo, Mike!" I exclaimed; "I thought that you intended to rest withone eye open all night."
"Sure, Masther Roger, haven't I done so, barring the last few minutes,"he answered. "I did my best, thinking that every moment you would begetting up; and small blame to me if at last I dramed that you did getup, and told me that you would take a turn at watching."
"Never mind, since no harm has happened," I said. "Now let us mount ourhorses and ride forward till we can get some cold water for breakfast."
Our animals, who now knew us, came at our call; and throwing ourselveson their backs, we galloped forward as we had done the day before. Nota human being did we meet with during the whole day, and in the eveningwe encamped by the side of a broad stream overshadowed by trees. Fromthe appearance of several deep holes close under the bank, we hoped thatfish might be found in them. As soon, therefore, as we had secured ourhorses, we set to work to manufacture lines for the two hooks which Mikehad found in his pocket.
Some people might have been puzzled how to get the lines, but we werenot to be defeated in our object. We procured them by cutting off asmall portion of the two hobbles, which consisted of long strips ofdeer-hide, and plucking some hairs out of our horses' tails. Thedeer-hide we cut into thinner strips, which served for the upper part ofthe lines, while the lower were formed of the hair platted together. Wethus in a short time had two good lines, to which we carefully securedthe hooks. Having caught some grasshoppers, we determined to try themfor bait; while our spears served us for fishing-rods. Hunger made uskeen sportsmen, and never had I felt so anxious for success.
My line had not been long in the water when I felt a bite. I almosttrembled with eagerness as I gave a gentle jerk, sufficient to hook theunwary fish. It tugged pretty hard, and I was sure that I had it fast;but still I was afraid that it might break my line. Carefully I drew italong till I got it sufficiently near the surface to ascertain its size.To my satisfaction, I saw that it was not more than two or threepounds' weight. After playing it for some time I drew it towards thebank, when Mike, who had hitherto not got a bite, left his rod andrushed into the water to secure our prize, exclaiming--
"Faix, thin, we'll have this darlint for our supper to-night; and,bedad! there is another at my line. Hurrah! good luck to us!"
Throwing the fish to me, which proved to be a gold-eye, he sprang off,just in time to catch his rod, the end of which was nearly off the bank.
"Och, murther," he cried out, "but it's a big one!" and he rushed alongthe shore, jumping over all impediments; shrieking out in his eagernessin a manner which would have made a sedate Indian fancy that he had goneout of his mind.
I could not help laughing as I watched him.
"Come along, Masther Roger, and lend me a hand, or the baste will beafther getting away."
Securing our first prize, I followed Mike as he rushed along down thebank, afraid of breaking his line, which was by this time stretched tothe utmost. Now he gently pulled it in, now he allowed it to go offagain, as he felt the strain increase. By thus dexterously managing thefish for some minutes, he at length brought it close to the shore, and Icaught sight of an ugly-looking dark monster.
"Sure, it's a cat-fish, and mighty good ateing too, though it's nobeauty," exclaimed Mike. "Get howld of him, Masther Roger; get howld ofhim, or he will be off."
Following Mike's example, I dashed into the water and grasped the hugecreature, although, covered as it was with slime, it was no easy matterto do so. Giving it a sudden jerk, I threw it on shore, rushing afterit to prevent its floundering back again into its native element. Itproved to be a prize worth having, being at least seven or eight poundsin weight. It was a wonder how, with such slight tackle, Mike hadcontrived to hold it.
We agreed that, as we had now an ample supply of fish for one day atleast, we would not run the risk of losing our hooks; and accordingly,carrying our two prizes, we made our way back to the part of the bank wehad selected for our camp. It was under a widespreading tree, whichextended over the water, and would materially serve to hide a fire,which we agreed to light on a piece of flat ground, almost level withthe water. We soon collected a sufficient supply of sticks, and had ourfire blazing and our fish cooking. The cat-fish, in spite of its uglyname and uglier looks, proved excellent, though somewhat rich--tastingvery like an eel.
Having eaten a hearty meal, and cooked the remainder of our fish for thenext day, we put out our fire, and then arranged our dwelling for thenight. It consisted simply of branches stuck in the ground, andextending about six feet from the trunk of the tree. We closed theentrance, so that no wolves or bears could pay us a visit without somewarning; and kept our spears by our sides, to poke at their noses shouldthey make their appearance.
The night passed quietly away, and the next morning at daylight, havingcaught our horses, we swam them across the stream. The sun soon driedour clothes, and as we had no fear of starving for that day, we rodemerrily onward.
Next day we were as successful in fishing at a stream we reached a shorttime before sundown; but we were not so prudent, for after each of ushad caught a couple of fish we continued our sport, when Mike's hook wascarried off. He looked as if he was going to burst into tears, while hesurveyed the end of his line with an utterly comical expression ofcountenance.
"No, bedad! it's not there," he exclaimed; "the baste of a fish has gotit--ill luck to him! But we shall have the consolation of ateing hisbrothers; and maybe some day we will come back and hook him."
We had now but one hook left, and this it was necessary to secure withthe greatest care. What a value we set upon that little crooked bit ofsteel! Our lives might depend on it, for though Mike had set severaltraps of various descriptions, no animals would consent to be caught bythem.
Two days more we travelled on, catching sight of what we believed to beIndian encampments in the distance, but, according to our resolution,carefully avoiding them. Our fish had come to an end, our last handfulof pemmican was exhausted, and for a whole day we had no food except afew berries. Towards evening we reached a wood. As there was a streamnot far from it, while Mike was engaged in forming our camp Iendeavoured to hook a fish.
My efforts were vain; for some time none would bite. At last I felt atug, and I was sure that I had hooked a fish. Eagerly I drew it towardsthe bank. It seemed to come willingly enough at first, but there wasanother tug, and my line almost flew out of the water. I cast a blanklook at the end. The hook was gone!
Feeling very disconsolate, I returned to the camp. Mike endeavoured tocomfort me for our loss, but he could not supply us with food. Wetherefore lay down to rest, keeping our spears as usual by our sides,and Mike offering to watch while I slept.
Whether or not he had done so I could not tell, but suddenly I wasawakened by feeling the branches at my side roughly shaken; and lookingup, what was my dismay to see, by the moonlight streaming through thewood, a big brown bear poking his nose through the bushes, and not livefeet from us! Giving Mike a nudge with my elbow, I grasped my spear,and rising on my knee, without a moment's consideration as to what mightbe the result, I thrust the spear with all my might into the bear'schest. With a fierce growl and open jaws it rushed at me,--as it didso, driving the spear still further into its body; whilst I, expectingthe movement, sprang to the inner end of our arbour.
/> Mike in a moment was on his knees,--he had not time to rise to hisfeet,--and seizing his weapon, drove it into the bear's neck. Still thecreature, though thus desperately wounded, broke through the branches wehad put up; but the thick leaves prevented it from seeing us as clearlyas it would otherwise have done. The life-blood was flowing from itswounds. Mike managed, as I had done, to get out of Bruin's way; andbefore the creature could turn to pursue either of us, over it fell, onthe very ground on which we had been sleeping. It struggled for a fewseconds, gnashing its teeth, and I had to retreat through the branchesto avoid it. Mike, who had managed to escape at the other end, nowjoined me, and getting hold of the handle of his spear, endeavoured topull it out of the bear's body. After a few tugs he succeeded inregaining possession of his weapon; and the first thing he did with itwas to plunge it again into the animal's breast.
"I did it just to make sure," he remarked. "These bastes have as manylives as a cat; and maybe he would have come to again, and taken toateing us instead of our ateing him, as I hope we will be afther doingbefore long."
Whether or not the last thrust was necessary I do not know, but the bearceased struggling; and Mike, springing on the body, exclaimed--
"He's dead enough now, anyhow! And we'll take the liberty of cuttinghim up, and getting our teeth into his flesh; for, sure, he has spoiltour rest for the night."
The centre of the hut was by this time a pool of blood; we thereforedragged out the bear, and while Mike began scientifically to flay thecarcass, I collected sticks for a fire. We soon had a good one blazingup, and some of the slices of the bear toasting before it. We were toohungry to wait until the morning.
"Sure, the bear was sent to us to be aten," observed Mike; "and supposewe get nothing else till we reach home, it will serve to keep us alivetill then."
Having satisfied the cravings of hunger, we cooked some more slices ofthe best portions of the meat, to serve for our breakfast beforestarting; and the remainder we cut into thin strips to smoke over thefire, and afterwards to dry in the sun. As both we and our steeds weretired, we agreed not to start till a later hour than usual. There was arisk in remaining, but still it was better to run it, rather than knockup our horses or ourselves.
Mike faithfully kept watch, and the sun was already high in the sky whenI awoke. We hung up the strips of bear's flesh, to give them a dryingbefore we packed them to carry with us. We also did up a portion of thefresh meat, which would, we calculated, last us for some time. Then,having taken a late breakfast, we mounted our horses and continued ourjourney.
It would take too much time, were I to describe the events of the nextfew days. After continuing on for the time we supposed it would occupyus in reaching home, we were still unable to recognise any of thefeatures of the country. Mike, however, remarked that as forests andhills and rivers were all much alike, it was no wonder that we could notmake out where we were. I proposed directing our course eastward, as weshould thus certainly come to some of the settlements. Mike thoughtthat we had not got sufficiently far to the north, and advised that weshould continue on in that direction. I gave in to him.
Our horses had hitherto held out well, but suddenly Mike's began tostagger, and, almost before he could throw himself from its back, downthe poor animal fell. What had been the cause of the horse's death wehad not knowledge sufficient to ascertain; only one thing was certain,--that it was dead, and that we must take it by turns to ride, and thusget on at a much slower pace. There was no use stopping to mourn ourloss, so, having taken off the saddle and bridle, we did them up in apackage, and placed them on the back of my steed. We did this lest thedead horse should be recognised as having belonged to the Indians, andsome of their friends might discover it and pursue us.
We had, shortly afterwards, a river to cross. True, we might have madea raft, but as we were both good swimmers we determined to trust to ourown arms and legs for getting to the other side. After some persuasionwe induced the horse to go in; and then, Mike taking the rein, we eachof us put a hand on the saddle and swam over, I on one side and Mike onthe other. Though swept down for some distance, we got safe on shore atlast, but we had to trudge on in our wet clothes. Not only were we wet,but so was our imperfectly dried meat; the consequence was, that when wecame to cook it in the evening it was scarcely eatable. Our clothes,too, were damp when we lay down at night.
I awoke shivering the next morning, though the fire was still blazingnear me; and when I tried to get up I was unable to stand. Mike was ina state of great distress. The remainder of our provisions had becomeworse; but even had the food been of the most delicate description, Icould not have touched it.
Mike, faithful fellow that he was, immediately set to work to build ahut, so that I might be sheltered from the heat of the sun as well asfrom the wind. As soon as it was completed he carried me into it, andclosing the entrance, said he would set out in search of food. In ashort time he returned with some delicious strawberries, which greatlyrefreshed me.
For several days he tended me with the greatest care, and was fortunatein trapping several young birds, which, though not very fat, served torestore my strength. I asked him how he had managed to eat the driedbear's meat, being very sure that he had not touched any of the birds hehad caught.
"Bedad, Masther Roger, it's not the mate at all I've been ateing," heanswered. "I found no lack of big fellows with four legs hopping aboutin the marsh down there, and, for want of better food, I took theliberty of cooking them. They are not so bad, afther all; only the ideaof the thing was not plisant at first."
Mike had been living on frogs, I found out, during all my illness; andas for a whole day he was unable to catch any birds, I begged that hewould let me taste the frogs. I confess that I had no reason tocomplain of the food, for he gave me the hinder legs alone, which Ishould have supposed to have been those of small birds, had he not toldme what they were.
I was at last strong enough to move about, and I proposed that we shouldat once continue our journey. Mike agreed, therefore, that we shouldstart the next morning.
When daylight arrived, he left the hut to look for the horse while Iprepared breakfast. He was a long time absent, and I began to growanxious, wondering what could have become of him. I waited and waitedtill I could bear the suspense no longer, so, going to a height at alittle distance from the wood in which we had formed our encampment, Igazed around on every side. Should any accident have befallen him, howfearful would be my fate! I was also deeply grieved at the thought oflosing him; but I confess that selfish feelings for the timepredominated. There was a river, I should have said, in the distance,and on looking in that direction I at length saw a figure moving towardsme. It might be Mike, or it might be an Indian, and perhaps an enemy.Still, I did not think of concealing myself.
Great was my joy when, as the person drew nearer, I recognised Mike. Irushed down to meet him; but I saw that there was something wrong, bythe expression of his countenance.
"What is the matter, Mike?" I asked. "I was terribly afraid that youwere lost."
"Sure, a great deal is the matther," he answered. "That baste of ahorse has been afther drowning himself; and you will have to walk therest of the journey on foot, except when I carry you on me shoulders--and that I will do, as long as I have the strength, with the greatestpleasure in the world."
I assured Mike that I was so glad to see him, that I cared little incomparison for the loss of the horse, for I felt perfectly able to walkany distance.
"Well, that is one comfort; and seeing that we have nothing to carryexcept our spears, which will help us along, matthers might have beenworse," he answered.
Both of us were determined to make the best of what had happened; so,having eaten our breakfast, and packed up the remainder of ourprovisions, we recommenced our march forward. Mike insisted on ourencamping early in the day, so that he might search for food; and beforedark he had procured a supply of the same description as that on whichwe had been living for
several days.
The next morning we went on as before, and I felt my strengthconsiderably restored. Soon after noon, having reached the summit of aheight, we saw before us a wide river, connected with a series of smalllakes, their borders apparently deeply fringed with tall grass. This,Mike said, he believed must be rice, and it would afford us a change ofdiet if we could procure some; we accordingly made our way down towardsthe nearest. We thought, also, that we might catch some unwary ducks,if they were not accustomed to the sight of human beings.
On getting close to the borders, we fancied we heard some sounds from abrood of ducklings. We therefore crept cautiously along the shore,when, to our infinite satisfaction, we caught sight of a couple ofducks, and not one, but two broods. We had got almost near enough tocatch hold of the hindermost, when the cries of the mother-ducks warnedtheir young ones to make the best of their way from us. Eager to seizeour prey, we dashed into the water after them; when, to escape us, theyendeavoured to make their way through the high grass.
We had each of us caught a couple, when what was our astonishment, onpressing aside the grass, to see directly before us a canoe with threegirls in it! Two of them were busily employed in beating out the riceinto their canoe, while the one who sat in the bow, on hearing the noisewe made, turned her head with an inquiring but somewhat alarmed glancetowards us. Yes! I could not be mistaken; it was Lily! Just beforeher sat Dora, while Ashatea occupied the stern.
"Lily, Lily!" I exclaimed. "Don't you know me?"
"Yes, yes! I do. O Dora, Dora! there is Roger and Mike Laffan. Theywere not drowned, or killed by the Indians! I always said so," shecried.
In a moment their paddles were out, and, guided by Ashatea, they weremaking their way towards us.
"Come into the canoe!" they exclaimed in chorus. "There is room foryou; and we will take you to our friends. They will be so glad to knowthat you are alive, though you both look sadly tired and thin."
"No wonder, Misthress Lily," observed Mike; and he gave an account of myillness.
They were all eager to hear how we had escaped; and as the canoe skimmedlightly over the smooth surface of the lake, urged by their paddles, Itold them all that had happened to us, from the time we left the camp ofour Indian friends. I then asked if Reuben and his companion had everbeen heard of.
"Yes; it was they who told us that you had either been drowned or madeprisoners by the Indians," said Lily. "They escaped by running throughthe rapids at a place where no canoe had ever before ventured. AndReuben has undertaken to come up here and escort us back to thesettlement. We have been paying our long-promised visit to Ashatea; andI can assure you she received us in the most hospitable manner. Youwill like to see the beautiful dome-shaped wigwam her people built forus, with a divan all round, and the floor covered thickly with matting.We felt quite like Indian princesses, when she escorted us into it. Itis divided by a curtain into two portions. The inner serves as ourbedroom, and the outer as our drawing-room. As there is space for afireplace in the centre, we agreed that we should not object to spendthe winter in it; while at the present season it is delightfully cooland pleasant."
"Ah, but it is not equal to one of your comfortable houses," observedAshatea, who understood all that Lily said, and had, I found, improvedgreatly in her knowledge of English, having spent a considerable time atthe settlement with Lily and Dora.
We had some distance to go, I found, before we could reach the spotwhere Kepenau and his people were now encamped. The chief had, Lilytold me, spent several months there; and had, besides, made a tour withour missionary friend, Martin Godfrey, for the purpose of beinginstructed in gospel truth, which he was most anxious to impart to hiscountrymen. The chief had, some time before, learned to read, and haddevoted all his attention to the study of the Scriptures, so that he waswell able to carry the gospel to others.
My uncles and aunt had been greatly grieved at my supposed loss, and ithad made them less contented with the settlement than they had beforebeen; Uncle Mark especially missed the assistance of Mike, though honestQuambo had done his best to supply his place.
Various schemes were afloat for occupying fresh territory, far to thewestward. Some speculators had visited our settlement, and my uncleshad listened to their descriptions of the advantages to be gained withfar more interest than they might otherwise have done.
"I had hoped that we should remain where we are," said Lily. "I amattached to the place, and should be content to spend the remainder ofmy days here."
"You have not got over many of them as yet, Lily," I said, looking up inher face.
"They may be many, in comparison with those which are to come," sheanswered gravely, and I thought mournfully.
"I hope to see you grow into a dear old woman, like Aunt Hannah. I liketo think of the future, and I want my future to be happy. However, itwill be a long, long time before you grow old, Lily."
"I already feel old," she said; "or I did, at least, when they told methat you were lost, Roger, though I did not believe it; but perhaps Ishall now feel young again. I have been very sorry, too, about poorAshatea," she continued in a whisper; "she has her troubles, though shedoes not show what she feels by her countenance as much as we whitepeople do. A young Indian, who is said to be superior to most of hispeople, has long wished to marry her; but as she is a Christian and heis still a heathen, though I believe she likes him very much, neithershe nor her father will consent. This has produced a feud between them;and the conduct of Manilick--for that is his name, which, I believe,means a `pine-tree'--has caused them a great deal of anxiety. Kepenaufears that Manilick will try to carry off his daughter by force, and heis therefore obliged to keep scouts constantly watching the movements ofthe young chief. Indeed, when you appeared through the rice grass Ifancied that you were Manilick, and that you might have come to carry usall off together; not that I believe he would venture to injure anywhite people, since he professes to be our friend."
I was much interested in what Lily told me, for I fancied that Reubenhad lost his heart to the Indian girl. Still, superior as she was inmany respects to those of her race, she would scarcely have made afitting wife for a well-educated young man; though the rough traders andhunters of the Far West frequently marry Indian wives, who make them ashappy as they wish to be, but are seldom able to bring up their childrenproperly, the chief objection to such alliances.
While Lily was talking to me, Mike was recounting to Dora and Ashatea,in his rich Irish brogue, our various adventures with the Indians. Thusthe time was passed while the girls paddled across the lake and up theriver till we reached Kepenau's lodges.
As we neared the shore, we observed a large concourse of peopleassembled near the wigwams. Many by their costume appeared to bestrangers, while others were Kepenau's own people. I saw that Ashateawas regarding them with great interest. In front, on a rock, satKepenau; and I judged by his attitude and the tone of his voice that hewas addressing them on a matter of importance, while they listened withrapt attention. His right hand pointed to the sky, while his left wasdirected towards the earth; and by the words which reached me I knewthat he was preaching the gospel--setting before the people the way ofeternal life.
We all stopped at some distance to listen, and so intent were he and hisauditors that none perceived us. Ashatea, who stood next to Lily, wasregarding the scene with even greater interest than we were. I saw hereye directed towards a young Indian, who by the ornaments on his dress Iguessed was a chief. I pointed him out to Lily.
"Yes," she said, "that is Manilick. I am very glad to see him here, asI hope he is receiving the truths which Kepenau is endeavouring toimpart."
Ashatea was, I had no doubt, hoping the same.
Kepenau had nearly brought his address to a conclusion when we arrived.Now, rising from his seat, he took Manilick's hand, and spoke to himaffectionately, as it seemed to me. The young chief hung down his head,and answered only in monosyllables.
Kepenau, after speak
ing in the same way to others, offered up a prayer,in which several of his own people joined. Not till then did hediscover us. With a look of surprise he at once advanced to greet Mikeand me, his countenance as well as his words exhibiting hissatisfaction. He afterwards turned again to the young chief, andaddressed him. He had, until now, I found, suspected that Manilick hadinstigated the attack on us, if he had not taken part in it, and hewished openly to exonerate him. Kepenau questioned me as to the dressand appearance of the Indians who had made us prisoners. From mydescription he was satisfied that they were really Sioux, and thatManilick had nothing to do with them.
We were anxious to return as soon as possible to the settlement, torelieve the minds of our relatives but that evening, in consequence ofthe fatigue and hardships I had endured, I was again taken ill. Kepenauhad a wigwam carefully built for me, in which Lily and Dora assistedMike in watching over me. Good food, however, was all I needed; and asour Indian friends had abundance of fish and game, I was soon wellagain.
Just as I had recovered, we one evening saw a large canoe approachingthe camp. Who should step out of it but Uncle Mark, accompanied byReuben, Quambo, and several men! They had brought a quantity of goodsto supply their Indian friends.
As may be supposed, Uncle Mark was delighted to find that I was alive;and Quambo, in the exuberance of his joy, embraced Mike.
"But where de fiddle?" he exclaimed, after their salutations had ceased."Just play one tune. It do my heart good, and we set all de campjigging."
"Och, botheration! but the Ridskins have got it--bad luck to thespalpeens! and sorra a one of thim can play a tune, or I would not mindit so much," answered Mike.
"But you must try to get him back," observed Quambo; "if dey not play onhim, dey not want him."
"I'm mighty afraid it's burned, though," said Mike, with a sorrowfulcountenance.
When Uncle Mark heard of Mike's loss, he told Kepenau and Manilick. Thelatter had that day paid a visit to the chief. They were both ofopinion that should the fiddle be in existence, it might, by properdiplomatic proceedings, be recovered; and, greatly to Mike's joy,Manilick undertook to ascertain what had become of it, and, if possible,to restore it to its owner.
Afar in the Forest Page 7
