CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
A FIGHT WITH A RATTLESNAKE, AND A DESCRIPTION OF MY ENEMY--FIND THE CAMPDESERTED--FEEL VERY HUNGRY--KILL A GOOSE--SEE SOME HORSEMEN IN THEDISTANCE--FIND A RIVER BETWEEN ME AND THEM--BUILD A RAFT, AND TAKE ALONGER VOYAGE THAN I INTEND--SHOOT A FALL, AND HAVE THE PLEASANTPROSPECT OF BEING CARRIED DOWN A CATARACT.
I sprang up as if I had been galvanised, and leaped a dozen feet or moreaway from the fangs of the rattlesnake. I had left my pole at the camp,and I had placed my rifle by my side when I went to sleep. There it layclose to the rattlesnake. My axe was in my belt, but it is not a goodweapon for the attack of either birds or snakes. My enemy was advancingtowards me, his tail rattling ominously. My foot, as I leaped back,struck a stone--the only one appearing thereabouts among the grass. Iseized it, and dashed it down on the head of the reptile, who was notthen a yard from me, with such force that it drove its body right downinto the earth, while its tail wriggled and rattled away in a vainendeavour to extricate itself. I ran and picked up my rifle, and lookedround to see that I had left nothing behind me. I could not helpstopping, before I proceeded on my way, to examine the creature I hadkilled.
It was of a yellowish-brown colour, marked all down its back with spotsof a dark-brown, while from the head down the neck ran threelongitudinal lines of the same hue. The head was large and flat, andcovered with small scales. It was about five feet long, and as thick asmy wrist, and altogether a very formidable-looking snake. Therattlesnake has a small set of teeth, which serve to catch and retainits prey, and the poisonous fangs with which it kills them. Theselatter are placed in the upper jaw, and when not employed remain flatalong it. It is one of the most deadly of poisonous serpents, and wouldbe very dangerous were it not that it is very sluggish in its movements,and that it has a rattle at the end of its tail, with which it cannotavoid giving notice of its approach. The rattle is a collection ofbones, formed something like the backbone of a human being. It looks asif it were fastened on outside the tail, at its very tip. The broadpart of the rattle is placed perpendicularly to the body, and it is socontrived that each bone strikes against two others at the same time, soas to multiply the rattling sound. I have often thought how glad therattlesnake would be to get rid of his rattle, just as a person with abad character, justly obtained, would like to have the stigma removed,that he might commit more mischief on the unwary.
The more I have travelled, and the longer I have lived, the greaterreason I have to admire the wonderful and beautiful arrangements of theCreator of all things. Why venomous serpents were formed I cannot say,though I am very certain it was for a good object; but it is veryevident why the snake I have been describing was furnished with arattle--that man might be warned of its approach. My examination of thesnake did not last long. I afterwards saw and killed many others.Quitting the spot, I hurried towards the camp. When I thought that Ihad gone a sufficient distance I expected to hear the voices of myassociates; but all was silent. I pushed on as fast as I could amongthe trees. The camp had been placed in a pleasant open glade. I wascertain that I had reached the spot. I looked round on every side. Noone was there; but there were the black patches where the fires hadbeen, and a few bones, and straw scattered about, and other signs of adeserted encampment. From the character of the ground the trail wasvery indistinct. Still I thought that I could follow it, and off I setas fast as I could walk. I had not gone far before I became aware thatI had lost the track. I looked about in every direction in vain. Icould not find it. I was getting very hungry. At last I could go on nolonger; so I bethought me that I would kill some bird or beast forbreakfast. On examining, however, my powder-flask, what was my dismayto find that I had only five or six charges at the utmost. At thatearly time of the year there were no berries or wild fruits ripe. LaterI might have found wild cherries in abundance, and raspberries, andstrawberries, on which I could have supported nature.
"I must take care not to throw a shot away," I said to myself, as Ilooked about in search of game. Just then I saw the glimmer of waterthrough the trees, and walking on, I found myself by the side of abeautiful lake, a mile or more long, and half a mile wide. I was notcertainly in a humour to contemplate its beauty, but I was very much inthe mood to admire some flocks of geese and ducks which were disportingthemselves on its surface, in happy ignorance of the presence of man. Ialmost trembled with anxiety as I crept along the margin of the lake,till I could get near enough to obtain a shot at one of them. A duckwould have satisfied me, but as a goose, being larger, would lastlonger, I waited till one came near. A stately fellow came gliding up,picking insects off the reeds close to the margin. I fired. He roseand fluttered his wings awhile, and then down he flopped close to me. Isprang forward like a famished wolf, and very nearly toppled heels overhead into the water, when, had I escaped drowning, I should, at allevents, have spoiled the remainder of my powder in my eagerness to graspmy prey. At first he fluttered away from the land, but something turnedhim, and he came back so close that I caught hold of a wing, and,hauling him on shore, very soon put an end to his sufferings. Tocollect sticks, light a fire, pluck, and clean out my bird, was the workof a few minutes. I cannot say that the first part I ate of him wasvery much done, for I tore off a wing and then put the body back to getmore roasted while I satisfied the more violent cravings of hunger. Iwashed down my breakfast with a draught of water from the lake, and thenhurried on again towards the west.
Before, when I had lost my friends, I dreaded suffering from cold, now Ihad to fear the heat. The sun came down with terrific force on my head,and seemed, at times, as if it would scorch my brain to a cinder. Atlast I felt that if I went on longer I might be struck down by it, so Ithrew myself on the ground under the shade of a wide-spreading cedar, ina little wood, which contained besides cedars, pine trees, birch, wildcherries, hawthorn, sweet willow, with honeysuckle and sumach. I sleptan hour or more, and, having eaten some more goose, continued myjourney. Though I kept my eyes actively engaged on every side I coulddiscover no trace of my friends.
It was evening, when, as I was travelling along the banks of a rivertowards the west, I saw on the opposite side, and on the summit of arocky ridge, which extended at a distance for some miles parallel withit, two horsemen. From the way they rode along I had no doubt that theywere my friends the Raggets in search of me. Had they been going east Imight have had hopes of cutting them off on their return; but they weremoving west, and going from me. I shouted at the top of my voice,though at that distance they could not possibly hear me. I took off myjacket; I waved it frantically. I was about to plunge into the river toswim across, but the current was very strong and rapid, swelled by themelting snows of the mountains. I had good reason to dread beingcarried away should I make the attempt. I ran on, hoping to find a fordor some high spot whence my signals might be more easily seen. Noelevated ground appeared, but the banks were very uneven, sometimesrocky, in some places overgrown with brushwood, so that my progress wasvery slow, and the horsemen disappeared in the distance.
It soon after this grew dark, and this circumstance made me hope thatshould the horsemen I had seen have been the Raggets, the camp could notbe very far-off; but then again I had sufficient experience to teach methat it would be vain to attempt reaching it in the dark. I had now tolook about for a place in which to pass the night. I wished to avoidthe vicinity of rattlesnakes as well as of bears and wolves. I selecteda dry bank near the river, and set to work to collect a quantity of longgrass which grew about, not only to form a mattress, but to protect mefrom the cold and the dew of the night. The thick grass cut my handssadly as I plucked it, and laughed at the efforts of my axe to cut itdown. At length, however, I managed to cut and pluck enough for mypurpose, and piling it in an oblong heap, I burrowed under it longways,keeping a bundle in my hands to serve as a pillow. I was surprised tofind how warm and comfortable I felt.
I was congratulating myself on this, and was just dozing off into sleep,when I was rouse
d up again by the dreadful sound of the rattlesnake'stail. I started up to listen from which side the serpent wasapproaching; for had I moved I might have run directly on it. A horrorseized me. It appeared as if I was surrounded by the creatures. Onevery side of me there was the same noise. I began to fancy that I wasdreaming. I had never heard of so many rattlesnakes being foundtogether. Still I was sure that I was awake. There was the noiseagain. It was quite close to me. I put out my hand and caught agrasshopper, or rather a sort of locust. The sound of their wingsresembles very much that made by the rattlesnake when about to dart onits prey. I was sure that was the noise I had heard. "There may bethousands of them for what I care; they can't eat or sting me," I saidto myself; and then I went fast asleep.
I awoke very much refreshed, but so strongly had the thought ofrattlesnakes been impressed on my mind, that my first impulse on wakingwas to look cautiously round to ascertain that none were near. Findingthat, as far as I could see, the coast was clear, I jumped up and shookmyself, then bathed my face in the river; and having said my prayers,which I never failed to do, and returned thanks to Him who had hithertoso mercifully preserved me, continued on my journey.
I was now anxious to get to the other bank of the river, which I wasconvinced my companions had crossed by some ford higher up, and which Ihad missed. In vain, however, I searched for one; the river, as Iadvanced, grew wider and more rapid, as more streams poured into it; andat length I came to the conclusion that I must either go back again tillI had found the ford, or swim the river and ferry over my gun andpowder-horn, or construct a raft, and attempt the passage on it myself.While I was balancing in my mind which I should do, my eye fell on apatch of withies or osiers, growing in a shallow bend of the river closeto the bank. This decided me. I would make a raft, for the withieswould enable me to fasten it together. I set to work, and cut down withmy faithful axe a number of young trees, selecting firs and those of thelighter description of wood. That reminds me, that I would advise everytraveller in wild countries to carry an axe, and to know how to use it.It is a weapon which to use properly, requires both care and practice.
In my search for fit trees I came upon several dry logs, which, frombeing so much lighter than the green trees, were very valuable. Havingcollected my materials, I commenced the construction of the raft, andfinished it in half an hour, very much to my satisfaction. I built itpartly in the water, so that I might have less difficulty in launchingit. I had to prepare a very essential implement to enable me to performmy voyage, namely, a long pole with which to shove the raft along. Ihad cut down a tall sapling, and cleared it of its boughs, when I hearda rushing noise louder than that hitherto produced by the current.
I ran towards the river, dragging my pole, when, as I got near it, I sawthat a fresh body of water, caused by the rapid melting of the snow, orby the giving way of some natural dam higher up the stream, was rushingdown the channel, and raising its waters considerably above their usuallevel. I was just in time to see my raft, which I had constructed withso much labour, and which I had left safely resting on the shore, slowlygliding away from it. I could not bear the idea of losing it, and,without a moment's consideration, I made a rush into the water, caughthold of it just as I found myself up to my middle, and with a springthrew myself flat upon it, still, however, keeping hold of my pole. Theshove I of necessity gave the raft sent it further from the shore, andby the time I gained my feet, and was in a position to attempt guidingthe raft, I found that it had got completely out into the impetuouscurrent, and was being rapidly hurried down it. I tried to reach thebottom with my pole, and though I succeeded, I could in no way stem thecurrent. I should have been wiser had I tried to get back to the shoreI had left; instead of this, by following up my first purpose ofcrossing, I quickly got into a stronger part of the current, and wassent whirling more quickly downward. Holding my pole, I balanced myselfas well as I could, prepared for any emergency. The river was four orfive hundred yards wide at least, and I saw that I could not hope onthis part to reach the opposite or northern shore. The river seemedfree from rocks, and as there was no particular danger that I saw to beapprehended, it occurred to me that I was prosecuting my journey in afar more expeditious and pleasant way than I had expected.
I was congratulating myself on this circumstance, when I became suddenlyconscious that the noise of the rushing water had greatly increased.Looking ahead down the river, the water seemed to bubble and foam morethan where I was, while a cloud of mist hung over the spot. Thedreadful conviction forced itself on me that I was approaching a rapid,or perhaps a waterfall, down which I should be whirled hopelessly, anddashed to pieces. Again I plunged my pole to the bottom, but it onlymade the raft whirl round--I had no power of guiding it. On it went.The raft began to tumble and pitch; it was in a rapid of considerablelength. The additional rush of water hid many of the rocks; now andthen, however, I saw their black tops rising out of the mass of foamwhich surrounded them. I prayed that I might not strike one. I lookedanxiously ahead with compressed lips. The water roared, and foamed, andhissed about me. I might have been proud of my raft-making skill; hadnot my ark been well built it would soon have gone to pieces.
Before long my fears were with reason increased. Before me rose a lineof black rocks. There seemed scarcely room for the raft to pass betweenthem. I could no longer keep my feet. I sat down, holding my pole.The raft was driving directly down upon a rock. It swerved a little. Ishoved my pole against the rock, and it glanced clear. On it went--butnumerous other dangers appeared. I was whirled by the rocks, the foamdashed from them, flying over me. I felt a dreadful blow; the raftquivered. I thought all was over with me, but it floated clear of therock against which it had struck, and on I went. Suddenly the jerkingmotion of the raft ceased. I was clear of the rapid. I tried again topole towards the shore, but the water was so deep, and the current sorapid, that I was able to make but slight progress across the river,when the raft began to pitch again, and I found that I was in anotherrapid. Away I was whirled as before. There were more rocks in thisrapid; at all events the raft drove against more, and it began to sufferfrom the repeated shocks it was receiving--parts of it got loosened, andI dreaded every moment to see it part asunder, and to find myselfhurried amid its fragments to destruction. Again a space of smoothappeared, but it was smooth because it was deep, and I could make butlittle way towards the shore among its whirling eddies. Still for thepresent I was safe, and had time to look about me. Thus I floated on,when a loud thundering noise assailed my ears, and a mass of mist rosebefore my eyes, giving evidence indubitable that I was approaching aformidable cataract. I had seen Niagara. Should this be only half itsheight it would be sufficient to make mincemeat of me. In vain I lookedaround for aid, and clinging desperately to my raft, I resigned myselfto my fate.