CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
A NIGHT IN A CAVE--I FORTIFY MYSELF, AND GO TO SLEEP--UNWELCOMEVISITORS--MY BATTLE WITH THE WOLVES--I DRIVE THEM OFF, AND AGAIN GO TOSLEEP--CONTINUE MY JOURNEY--NIGHT AGAIN OVERTAKES ME--I BUILD A CASTLEFOR MY RESTING-PLACE--VOICES OF FRIENDS SOUND PLEASANTLY--ESCAPE OF MYCOMPANIONS--FATE OF SURLY MAGOG--REACH THE CAMP--THE SUMMIT OF THEPASS--COMMENCE OUR DESCENT--AN IRISHMAN'S NOTION OF THE BEST WAY TO GODOWN THE MOUNTAIN.
I soon got up a good fire, which threw its ruddy glare on all the roughpoints and salient angles of the cavern, but cast the hollows andrecesses into the deepest shade. I glanced my eyes round, however, onevery side, and having satisfied myself that it had no previous occupantin the shape of a grizzly and her hopeful family, I proceeded with myculinary operations. Having skewered a supply of bits of bear's fleshsufficient to satisfy my appetite, on as many thin willow twigs, I cutout a number of forked sticks and stuck them round the fire. On these,spit-fashion I placed my skewers, and turned them round and round tillthey were roasted on every side. A few, to satisfy the immediatecravings of my appetite, I placed very close to the fire, but they gotrather more burned than a French chef would have admired.
After that, as I had nothing else to do, I could afford to take my time,and to cook them to perfection. I should have liked to have had alittle pepper and salt to eat with them, and something more comfortablethan melted snow to wash them down. I could not afford to expend mygunpowder, otherwise the nitre in it affords a certain amount offlavour, counterbalanced, to be sure, in the opinion of some people, bythe sulphur and charcoal. I don't think, however, any one need fearbeing blown up by partaking of such a condiment. After I had finishedmy supper, I sang a little to amuse myself and any bats which might havebeen hanging on by their claws to the roof of the inner part of thecave, and then, having no book to read or anything else to do, Iprepared my bed and made up my fire for the night. In other words, Icollected a bundle of sticks and fastened them together to form apillow, and scraped into a heap all the dry earth I could find to makemyself a mattress. This a backwoodsman would have considered greateffeminacy; and though I always adopted their ways when with them, Imust own that, when left to myself, I could not help indulging in somesuch approximation, as I have described, to the luxurious habits of mycollege life. It was pleasant to recall my arm-chair and slippers, mycheery coal fire, my table covered with books, and a cup of coffee, orperhaps a bottle of port and a plate of biscuits, to apply to in case,after my mental exertions, my physical being should require some slightrenovation. Some lazy fellows might rather think that I had not changedfor the better.
I was on the point of stretching myself on the aforesaid luxuriouscouch, when I bethought me that it would be more prudent to erect abarrier of some sort between my dormitory and the entrance of thecavern, that, should any uninvited visitors intrude, I might have timefor taking measures to protect myself. It, by the way, also occurred tome that a wall might guard me from the cold wind which blew in at themouth of the cavern. I, therefore, shaking off my drowsiness by animpulse I can scarcely now account for, built a wall of all the stonesand earth and bits of wood I could heap together, nearly two feet high,reaching from the fire to one side of the cavern. I then carefullyexamined my rifle, and placing it by my side, lay down alongside my wallwith my feet towards the fire. Why I did this, I repeat, I cannot say.The idea that such a precaution might be necessary had not till thatvery moment crossed my mind. The additional exertion somewhat weariedme, and not a minute after I placed my head on the pillow, and like ahen had worked myself a hole to fit my body in the sand, I was fastasleep. I don't know what occurred after that, till I awoke by findingmy feet very cold, which was no wonder, for the fire had almost goneout, and the thermometer was down to zero. I lifted myself up on myelbow while I was recovering my senses after my sleep, when not fivepaces on the other side of the wall I saw what looked like at least adozen sparks of light in a row, reaching across the mouth of the cave,while farther off appeared several other small fiery orbs. I looked andlooked again.
"Fireflies," said I to myself, half dreaming. "Bosh! fireflies inmidwinter on the top of a mountain!" I rubbed my eyes. "Sparks from myfire?" Several peculiar low snarling growls made me start up, wideawake with a vengeance. "Wolves!" I said to myself; "there is no doubtabout it." The brutes had smelt me out, and with their usual caution,they were making this advance to commence an attack.
How many there were I could not tell, but there must have been a flockof them--parents and children, the biggest and fiercest as usual in thevan. I concluded that they had not yet seen me in the dark, but I knewthat they would find me out as soon as I moved. I felt quietly for myrifle, and got that ready to fire when it was required. Then I laywatching the brutes as slowly they crept on, one foot before the other,just as a pointer advances towards where the covey lies hid. In anotherinstant they might spring upon me. It struck me that they probably didnot like the embers of the fire, so I took my long pole, and beat orstirred up the ashes with it, making them send forth showers of sparks.I fancied that the wolves were retreating, so I jumped up, and threw thebundle of sticks which had served me for a pillow, as well as all otherson which I could lay my hands, upon the ashes. This act exposed me tothe view of the hungry brutes, who instantly, with loud growls, rushedback towards me. Just then the dry sticks, aided by a puff of wind,ignited, and blazing up exhibited the whole savage troop to me. It wasa highly picturesque scene I doubt not, the fire blazing up, and thedark rugged walls of the cavern, and my figure brought into stronglight, with my gleaming brand pointed towards my savage assailants; butI don't mean to say I thought about that just then. All I saw were thefierce glaring eyes, the shaggy coats, and the hungry-looking fangs ofthe brutes, as they licked their jaws in anticipation of the feast theyhoped to enjoy off me. I did not, however, like to throw away a shotamong them, which could only have killed one, so I waited to see whatthey would do. In my late combat with the bear, I had the anticipationof a meal off my foe, should. I prove the victor, but on this occasionI had not that incitement to exertion, for a man must be very hard upfor food who could complacently dine of the flesh of a gaunt wolf at theend of winter; and even the cubs, though probably not quite such toughmorsels as their parents, had already far too much muscular developmentto afford satisfactory employment to the jaws. Though, however, I didnot want to eat the wolves, they wanted to eat me, which was quitesufficient reason to make me excessively anxious to gain the victory.
After baying at me for some time, the brutes in the front line once morestealthily advanced, followed by those in the rear, whose forms appearedless and less distinct, till all I could make out of them were theirfierce eyes, glaring like hot coals through the darkness. By this timea good portion of the sticks had caught fire. As the wolves got nearer,the scent of the remainder of the bear steaks, which I had put aside formy breakfast, filled their nostrils; their eagerness increased, and,with a loud howl, they in a body sprang towards me. I must conquergloriously, or die and be eaten ignominiously; so, seizing a bundle ofthe burning sticks, I threw them in among the advancing ranks, and then,with loud shouts, grasping my pole, sprang out towards my foes, andbelaboured them with might and main about their heads. They snarled andbit fiercely at the pole, but did not advance. Still they would nottake to flight, and as it was very evident I should have a disturbednight's rest if they remained in the neighbourhood, I was very anxiousto make them decamp. I got together, therefore, an additional supply ofburning sticks. These I put in readiness for use. Then I levelled myrifle at one of the foremost and biggest wolves, and knocking him over,brandished my pole in one hand, and hurling the burning sticks amongthem with the other, I made a second furious onslaught on the wolves.
With unearthly howls and cries away they fled, leaping and scramblingover each other like an affrighted flock of sheep, and in complacenttriumph I returned to my sandy couch, expecting to enjoy a quiet andcomfortable night's rest. A heap of stones s
erved me now for a pillow.Some of my readers may say, if you had had a downy couch or afeather-stuffed pillow, in a nice room with curtains, and a good fire,you might have had some reason for your hopes; but let me assure themthat our ideas of comfort arise from comparison. The first night Islept in a feather bed after my camp life I caught the worst cold I everhad. Well, leaving the dead body of the wolf where he had fallen, Itook the precaution to make up the fire with the remaining sticks I hadcollected, and lay down once more to enjoy the sweets of repose. Can itbe believed! I had not been ten minutes wrapped in the arms ofMorpheus, when I was again roused out of them by a terrific snarling andbarking and growling. I looked up. There, as I expected, were thewolves, unnatural brutes, tearing away at the carcass of their ancientkinsman, and quarrelling over his limbs. "If that is what you areabout, my boys, you are welcome to your sport, only let me alone," saidI to myself; and leaning back I was immediately fast asleep again. Thetruth is, not having had a comfortable night's rest for some time, I wasvery sleepy, which will account for my apparent indifference to the nearneighbourhood of such unsatisfactory gentry.
In spite of snarling, and barking, and howling, and growling, and everyother variety of noise which the genus _canis_, whether in a tame orwild state, is capable of making, I slept on. To be sure I could nothelp dreaming about them; sometimes that they were running off with myten toes, then with my fingers; then that a big fellow had got anawkward grip at my nose. The last dream, which was so particularlyunpleasant, made me lift up my hand to ascertain whether that ornamentof the human visage was in its proper place, when I felt several hotpuffs of air blow on my cheek, and opening my eyes I beheld the glaringorbs of half a dozen wolves gazing down upon me over my barricade. Hadnot my dream given me warning, in another instant they would have beenupon me. As it was, they seemed inclined to make a spring and to finishthe drama by eating me up, which I calculated they would have done inten minutes, when, seizing my spear, I swept it round, and as I knockedone off after the other the loud yelling they made showed the force ofthe blows I had, in my desperation, dealt on them.
I then got up, and scraping a portion of the fire within reach of myhands, I kept the ends of a number of sticks burning in it, and as soonas the wolves came back, which they did not fail to do, I hove one attheir noses. This made them wary. They must have taken me for aSalamander or some fire-spitting monster; at all events, although someof the bolder ones every now and then came and had a look at me, lickingtheir jaws and wishing they could eat me up, the singeing I gave theirwhiskers quickly drove them away, while the greater number kept at arespectful distance. At last when morning light returned, I started up,and uttering shouts and shrieks with the most hearty good-will, firedagain at the foremost, and, as before, laying about me with my pole, putthe remainder to an ignominious flight. I had not enjoyed a quiet nightcertainly, but I was much warmer than I should have been had my firegone out.
"It's an ill wind that blows no one good."
"Good may be got out of everything," I say.
So the wolves said, when they supped of their old grandsire instead ofme. Having also enjoyed a warm breakfast, I shouldered my rifle andpushed on as fast as my legs could carry me to overtake my friends. Iwas extremely anxious to get up with them before they descended into theplains; for as I supposed that the snow would be melting there, I knewthat I might have great difficulty in following their traces. I pushedon till noon, and then stopped but ten minutes to dine, or rather torest and chew a bit of bear's flesh. That done, on again I went as fastas before. I did not at all like the notion of having to camp out bymyself, for I was so sleepy that I fancied I might be torn limb fromlimb by wolves or a bear without awaking; and certainly I might havebeen frozen to death. The evening came, the sun set, and though I wason the track of my friends, I could see nothing of them. Still I pushedon, because I might overtake them before dark; but at length the shadesof night crept up the mountain's sides, and for what I could tell Istill might be many hours distant from them. I could see very littleway ahead; but I had arrived at a part of the mountain-range where therewere some very ugly-looking precipices on either side of the pass, and Ithought it more than likely, should I push on, that I might slip downone of them, when very probably I should not be brought up till I hadhad a jump of a couple of thousand feet or so.
I could find no dry wood for a fire; but there were plenty of stones,and a superabundance of snow and a big overhanging rock near at hand.I, therefore, built myself a hut with the stones and snow, the big rockforming the back. There was no door nor window, seeing that such wouldhave been more useful to an enemy than to myself; but as there was noroof the space where it should have been enabled me to get into myabode, and allowed air and such light as the stars afforded to enteralso. Some men would not have taken so much trouble for a single night,but as I thought that I very probably should be eaten if I did not, Idid not think the trouble thrown away.
My castle being complete, I climbed over the wall, and sat down on astone, which I intended as my pillow, to munch a piece of bear's flesh.I felt much better after it, and before going to sleep I bethought methat I would exercise my voice a little, and fire off my rifle tofrighten away any prowling bear, who might otherwise take a fancy toinspect my fortress while I might be asleep. My voice rang loudlyamidst the solemn silence of that mountain region, and the crack of myrifle echoed from rock to rock, but I heard no sound in return, andhaving reloaded my rifle, and sung a few songs and a hymn, I knelt down,said my prayers, and placing my head on my rough pillow, went to sleep.I had slept some time when I was awoke by hearing a noise as if some onewas climbing over the walls of my tower. Grasping my rifle, which I hadplaced leaning against the wall nearest me, ready for instant service, Ilooked up and there I saw the head of a bear looking down upon me. Iwas on the point of firing, as was natural, when I heard a voice say--
"Hollo, stranger, you snore loudly." I sprang to my feet.
"Why, Obed and Elihu, old boys! is it you?" I exclaimed. "And my youngfriend Gog!"
"I might well say, is it you, Dick?" cried Obed and his brother, almostwringing off my hand.
"We thought you were some hundred feet under the snow, with all thered-skins, the White Dogs, and Flintheads, and none of us ever expectedto see you again, that we did not, let me tell you; but it won't make usless glad to find you come to life again. How is it you are here? Tellus."
In reply, I gave them a rapid sketch of my escape and adventures, andinquired anxiously after my friends. He told me that only two white menof our party had lost their lives, though several had been dug out ofthe snow, whereas, of the Indians, only old White Dog himself hadescaped.
"And Magog?" I asked, "my other young bear."
"Oh, we ate him," answered Obed; "he was an ill-natured brute, and as hebit one of the children, and we wanted some fresh meat, father orderedhim to be knocked on the head. I guessed it would come to that. Now,the moment we heard your shots and shouts, Gog was full of fidgets, tillhe saw us starting off to see what it was about, and then up he got andfollowed us like a dog. He's a sensible little brute, that he is."
This conversation took place while I, like a Jack in a box, stood insidemy castle, and my friends outside. At last I bethought me that I shouldlike to be on the move, if it was only the sooner to enjoy a cup of hotcoffee and a pipe, luxuries I had had all day an especial longing for.They had been so eager to learn what had occurred to me, that it did notoccur to them that the sooner we could get back to camp, the better forme. It was pitched, I found, in a sheltered nook, in a valley some waydown the mountain, and thus their fires had been hidden from me, as wellas the sound of their voices. Off we set, therefore, little Gog jumpingand frisking before me as playful as a young puppy. It was a wonder hedid not tumble over the precipices in the dark. I received a warmwelcome and got a warm supper, and when I did once go to sleep, Ibelieve that it would have taken a pretty heavy piece of ordnance firedover my head to awaken me.
>
We had now reached the extreme western edge of the Rocky Mountains, andour course was henceforth to be all down hill. We had expected to havehad easy work of it, but when we stood on the edge of the cliffs andlooked down the terrific precipices, the bottom of which we had by somemeans or other to reach, we very soon changed our minds. First we hadto search for the side of the mountain with the least slope; that is tosay, forming the greatest angle with the base. When found we saw thatno oxen or horses could, by themselves, prevent a loaded wagon rushingdown and being dashed to pieces. We therefore held a council toconsider the best means to be adopted. Two plans were agreed onaccording to the nature of the ground. Where the descent was short andsteep we unharnessed the cattle, and making one end of a rope fast to arock or tree, we passed it through a block in the hinder part of thewagon, and thus lowered the vehicle down gradually to the next platform.The ropes were then unrove and secured to another rock or tree. It wasa very slow operation, but it was the only safe one. Indeed, in someplaces the descent was so precipitous that we had to unload the wagonsaltogether, and carry each article down separately.
Two days were thus occupied; but when we looked up and saw the heightsfrom which we had descended, and the steepness of the precipices aboveus, we had reason, I thought, to be thankful. We now came to a seriesof sheer descents, long, excessively steep slopes of half a mile or moreeach. They were of a more treacherous character, and required as muchcaution. We first cut down as many trees, with their branches on them,as we had wagons, and secured the butt-ends to the axle-trees, while thethick branchy tops trailed behind digging into the ground. We were toowise, however, to risk the whole at once. First we got one of thelighter wagons with a steady pair of horses ahead. Then we locked allthe wheels, and besides that made fast some stout ropes to either side.
We remembered that: "The greater haste the worst speed."
"Gently, so ho," was the word. On moved the wagon. Obed and I went tothe horses' heads. It was ticklish work with all our care. Downward weslid. Often we could scarcely keep our own footing. I was very glad, Iknow, when we reached the bottom of the first descent. We had severalmore, however, to accomplish. Others, seeing our success, camefollowing with the same caution, and succeeded as well. All but oneparty, a family of Irish emigrants, agreed that our plan was the onlysafe one. Pat Leary, however, and his sons, and sons-in-law, and wife,and daughters, and daughters-in-law, for though the eldest was nottwenty, they were all married, cried out lustily against ourproceedings.
"Arrah, now, why are ye afther bothering so long on the side of themountain?" exclaimed Leary the elder. "Jist let the wagons now take anaisy slide down by themselves, they'll raich the bottom safe enough.Don't ye see no harm has come to any one of them yet, at all, at all?"
"For the very reason, friend Leary, because we have taken properprecautions to prevent an accident," observed Mr Ragget, who hadadopted a peculiarly sententious tone in speaking to Pat, a greatcontrast to the other's rapid style of utterance.
Pat was not to be convinced. One of the longest and steepest of thedescents lay before us. On one side was a precipice of some six orseven hundred feet in depth. Pat insisted on leading the way. He andhis boys were certain that they could trot their horses down it. "Itwas all so straight and aisy."
We entreated them to let the women and children remain behind. With abad grace they consented, charging us to bring them on to Californyafter them. On they went. The descent was tolerably gentle for someway. They looked round laughing at us, cracking their whips. However,steeper and steeper it grew, and faster and faster they went, till,dashing on at a terrific speed, they were hidden from our sight.