CHAPTER SIX
A MULE'S PLEASANTRIES
Long's Peak had been "done" to every one's satisfaction, and otherneighboring peaks had been scaled. Estes Park was now becoming sofamiliar an environment that the scouts no longer thrilled at each newexperience, but were eagerly looking forward to fresh excitement.
"Well, Tally, how about trekking northwards?" asked Mr. Gilroy of theguide, one night after supper.
"All 'leddy," returned the Indian.
"Frolic and Jolt seem to be deucedly gay after this long vacation,"ventured Mr. Vernon, eyeing the frisky pack-mules.
"Um--Jolt him big kick," said Tally, signifying with a hand held abovehis head, how high the animal kicked that day.
"Our next lap of the journey will take all this freshness out of him,never fear!" laughed Mr. Gilroy.
That night while the scouts slept heavily, Tally heard a sound fromthe corral where he kept the horses and mules. He jumped up and ranover, but Jolt had broken his halter and had disappeared. He rousedMr. Gilroy and told him the news.
"Oh, let the old rascal go!" mumbled he, then turned over on his sideand was fast asleep again. So Tally literally obeyed.
In the morning, however, Mr. Gilroy thought differently about hisadvice. Jolt was the best and strongest of the two mules, and theluggage of so many tourists was too much for Frolic, the smaller ofthe pack-animals.
Mr. Gilroy sighed heavily. "Well, the only thing to do is for allhands to turn out and hunt for Jolt."
"Why not have Verny and Betty, the two tender scouts of the troop,stay and strike camp?" asked Mr. Vernon. "We can go for the mule,while they pack everything and get ready for a start along the trailwhen we return."
In spite of the Captain's vehement declarations that she was not to beclassed as too young or tender to enjoy a wild hunt for a fractiousmule, the two were left behind, and the others started down the trail.
After many wanderings along side trails that offered temptations tosuch a wayward beast as Jolt, the hunters found him. Yes, Jolt wasfound, but it was another thing to catch him! After many vainattempts, Tally finally lassoed him, but the kicking, jumping animalseemed to think the more he performed the better the scouts liked it.After an absence of an hour, the captors filed back to camp, whereFrolic--contrarily named--stood meekly waiting to be harnessed with thepacks.
While Tally placed the two wooden crates on Frolic's back, Mr. Gilroyessayed to do the same with Jolt. But the mule had other intentions.The moment he felt the touch of the pack-frame he lit out with bothhind legs. Poor Gilly not only caved in suddenly in the region underhis belt, but he also sat down unceremoniously several paces behindJolt.
"Um! Some bad Jolt!" declared Tally, scowling at the mule.
The opportune words were so amusing, that every one, Mr. Gilroyincluded, simply roared. But the Indian looked at them in silentwonderment. To his mind, these white men were _always_ laughing.
Mr. Vernon now caught hold of Jolt's bit and held his head firmlybetween both hands, while Tally "hitched" the mule's feet so he couldnot kick or run again. Then the crates were strapped on and thepacking began.
Jolt had the heaviest articles roped upon his packs. The canvas,blankets, and camping outfits were his portion. Frolic carried theduffel-bags and lighter baggage. Finally all were ready for the start.
The scouts got into the saddles, and Mr. Vernon followed suit. Tallyand Mr. Gilroy were strapping the last leather around Frolic's packs.It was necessary to pull it in another hole to keep the pack fromslipping under the beast's belly, but while Tally was so pulling it,Frolic gave a grunt. Another yank at the straps, and another loudergrunt from Frolic made Betty interfere.
"I just know you are hurting poor Frolic dreadfully! She'll have a badstomachache from those straps that are cutting her in half!"
Every one laughed at Betty's concern, but it drew attention to thework going on; and so, in watching Frolic being strapped up, every oneforgot about Jolt. The old rascal saw his opportunity to escape to thedelectable grazing ground from which he had been ruthlessly lassoed ashort time before. So he wheeled and started for the trail.
But he forgot to make allowances for the projecting packs, and inpassing between two tall pines with but a foot's space between thetrunks, the crates became firmly wedged. So fast was he held, in fact,that Tally grinned when Julie yelled, "Jolt's running away again!"
Tally reassured her, "Jolt no run now--him rest awhile."
When Frolic had been made ready to start, the men went after Jolt. Thealuminum cooking-ware had been hung, the last thing, upon the sides ofthe packs, and now the dishes were dented almost out of shape becausethey were the "bumpers" that came between the packs and thetreetrunks. It took some time to dislodge the mule and his packs frombetween the trees, as it was necessary to protect the cooking utensilsas much as possible.
This delicate operation was just being completed, when a cry from thescouts drew all attention back to Frolic again.
The tautly-drawn ropes caused Frolic an unpleasant sensation after thedays of freedom from harness, so when she was left quite alone, shedecided that rolling might ease matters. She lay down and rolled andkicked her heels high in the air, then she rolled again. She kept itup until the scouts knew that every bottle and box in theirduffel-bags must be powdered into other necessities.
Tally rushed over and gave Frolic a vicious kick that instantlystopped her rolling, and caused her to lift inquiring eyes to thoseabout her. Strange to say, Betty offered no protest when Tally kickedthe mule again, to make her get upon her feet.
"There, now!" exclaimed Julie. "See that you maintain an uprightbehavior, you shiftless woman!"
The others laughed, for all were gay because the signal had been givento start along the trail. All went well after that, while the mulestrotted closely after the horses, and the riders congratulatedthemselves that henceforth their troubles with the two mules wereover. But they were to be undeceived further on.
They were descending a long rough hill when Jolt, who was the lastbeast but one in the line, heard a strange sound coming from hispacks. Tally heard and recognized the metallic banging of some pansthat had become loosened when the packs were wedged between the treetrunks at the top of the mountain. But Jolt was not as wise as Tally,and the more he shook himself, and sidled against the trees, thelouder came that queer jangle. Then he managed to pass between twotrees in order to brush off the objectionable thing, but that made thejangling still worse. So he became desperate.
About this time, Tally rode over to the place where Jolt was trying tocrush the noisy thing from his pack, and attempted to use a lash tomake the beast stop his stubbornness. But the tip end of the whip wasall that caught the mule, and he suddenly jumped. That made all theother utensils shake loose and rattle. This was too much for theannoyed animal, and he started to gallop down the trail.
Warning shouts from Tally made the riders in front get out of the way;the guide then threw his lasso. But it caught upon a knob that hadbecome loose and was projecting from the crate. Jolt flew onward, butthe large object that had been roped, fell upon the ground with a dullthud.
To every one's shocked surprise, the lassoed article proved to be theonly bag of flour they had at that time. The cotton container burstopen with the fall, and flour dusted softly out upon the surroundingscenery.
"We can scoop most of it up and sift it," suggested Joan.
"But what is there to put it in?" demanded Julie.
"It's so precious--we mustn't lose an ounce of it," added the Captain.
"We'll each have to take one of our large clean handkerchiefs, andfill as much in them as they will hold. The ends can be tied together,and each will have to carry her own package," suggested Anne, who wasworried lest a good meal be forfeited.
"That's the only way, I guess," agreed Mrs. Vernon; so each one filleda handkerchief, and the rest of the flour was then pinned in the bagand carefully placed in Mr. Gilroy's charge.
When the riders were on the trail ag
ain, there was no sight of Joltanywhere. Where he had gone with the camp outfit was a question. ButTally worried not. He said laconically:
"Jolt wait nex' uphill."
When the scouts reached the bottom of the descent, they found aswiftly-running shallow stream crossing the trail. And in this, withboth packs submerged, but with head safely held above the coolingwater, Jolt was stretched out.
"There he would stay, I suppose, until he was sure the queer life thatmade the jangle on his back, was snuffed out," said Mr. Gilroy,chuckling at the mule's "horse-sense."
That day when they stopped to cook dinner, Tally was most careful toleave the pack-frames on the backs of the mules, as that would preventfresh arguments when the time came to resume the trip.
Fish abounded everywhere,--in the streams, in the lakes, or in thewayside rivulets,--so that there was never a lack of such food. Nor didit need expert anglers to catch the fish. It seemed to the scouts thatthe poor things were only waiting eagerly to be caught.
Having selected the camp site, Tally suddenly stooped and examinedsome recently made tracks. "Bear ben here," said he.
"Oh, a real live bear?" cried Joan.
"Did you think a dead one made those tracks?" retorted Ruth.
"I wish we could see him," said Julie, and this wish was seconded byall the other girls.
"If you want a close acquaintance with him, just follow that track.Doubtless he is sitting behind a treetrunk this very minute, planningwhat to do with you after he has embraced you fondly," said Mrs.Vernon.
"If they follow bear tracks like they followed the calf's hoofprints,they'll sure find something at the end of the trail," teased Mr.Gilroy.
All that morning the sun had remained under a heavy pall of clouds,but noon brought forth its hot shining rays, and the long-reachingfingers seeming to edge the grey clouds with molten gold. During theafternoon the sun had shone fitfully, but towards evening it set in agorgeous bath of color, the stormbanks that were piled up about it,adding a barbaric touch to the scene.
Flaunting streaks of gold and crimson shot here and there from back ofthe clouds; and these in turn seemed to reach out in a confused riotof dazzling purple, amber and copper-edged mountains that rose inmajesty overhead.
All this wondrous coloring faded rapidly, however, and in a short timethe somber gray of the clouds again predominated. Then a chill spreadover everything.
"Him rain sure!" remarked Tally, holding a palm to the wind.
"When?" asked Mr. Gilroy.
"Mebbe bed-time--mebbe after night."
"Then we'd better prepare for it beforehand," suggested Mr. Vernon.
"Collect plenty of wood and spread the rubber sheets over it," saidMr. Gilroy. "We'll see that the tent ropes are well fastened to-nightso the wind won't carry away any canvas."
Tally was right. Rain began to fall about nine o'clock. At first itcame gently and unobtrusively, but soon it was driven in sheets byhigh winds. It was well the guide had rolled great pine stumps to thefire, to keep the necessary fuel dry through the night. Although thescouts, rolled in their rubber covers, were unconscious of theelements that raged about and over them, Tally sat up feeding the firethat kept an area about the sleepers dry all night.
Now and then the demoniacal gale would root up a mighty pine, and witha s-s-split and a cr-r-r-rash it would thud down, breaking through allthe younger timber. At such sounds, the girls would murmur sleepily,"Did you see any old trees near camp?"
Invariably the reply would be, "No--only little ones."
Then all would sleep again, relieved at such an assurance.
The camp presented a sorry appearance in the gray dawn. Everything wassoaked, and the horses looked washed out. Even Jolt looked moisterthan when he rose out of the stream at the base of the mountain.
Later the sun glanced through dripping foliage and sent its warmingbeams into the stiffened joints of the campers. And when Tally hadcalled them all to a good hot breakfast, life took on a more cheerfulhue.
The tourists seldom followed the beaten trail that ran to Flat TopMountain or to the Glaciers, because Mr. Gilroy secured better resultsin finding rock formations and glacial debris in going by the oldIndian trails. And Tally knew these trails as well as the surveyorknows his line-maps.
Not long after the scouts had resumed their ride along one of theunfrequented trails, the party reached a mountaintop. The Leaderturned her head and craned her neck in order to see what the objectwas that stood clearly outlined from a crag that hung over a dangerousgulch.
"A Rocky Mountain goat! I verily believe," said Mr. Gilroy.
"Oh, oh! That's what we want to see!" cried the girls.
"And I want to get a good picture of it," added the Captain.
"Now's your opportunity," returned her husband.
"But we are too far away to focus the camera."
"If the goat will wait, you might go over there," laughed Mr. Gilroy.
"Verny, we could ride across this plateau and manage to get a muchbetter focus," suggested Julie.
"And there may be a whole herd feeding on the grass down in the gladebetween these cliffs," said Mr. Gilroy.
"Oh, let's go and see!" teased the scouts; so the horses were leftwith Tally, and their riders crept carefully across the grassy knollsand glades that hid from their view the ravine where they hoped to seethe goats.
They were well rewarded for their trouble, too. Down in the greenbasin, under the crag where the ram kept guard for his sheep and ewes,grazed a large flock of Rocky Mountain goats. The scouts had a sightsuch as few tourists ever are blessed with, and Mrs. Vernon took awhole film of excellent snapshots,--all but one exposure, and that wasleft on the chance of an unusual sight.
While they stood watching the herd, a great ram was seen boundingrecklessly along the edge of the cliff that formed the wall of theglade directly opposite the scouts. He nimbly jumped from ledge toledge down this almost perpendicular wall, and soon reached the herd.
Then another ram, that first sighted by the riders, also started down,going where there seemed to be absolutely no foothold for him. Hewould spring from the ledge and, scarcely touching the side rock withhis hoofs, land upon a bit of shelf, thence on down to another tinyledge far beneath, and so on until he reached the glade.
The two rams now conveyed an alarm to the sheep, and forthwith theystarted up the perpendicular wall at the end of the glen, winding away along one ledge after another where no visible foothold was seenwith the naked eye. Yet _they_ found one, for they climbed, and havingreached the top of the wall, they disappeared.
"Oh, pshaw! I meant to snap the last exposure with that wonderfulpicture of the herd going up the wall," exclaimed Mrs. Vernon inevident disappointment.
"You're lucky to get the ones you did, Captain. These Rocky Mountainsheep are the wildest on earth, and seldom can man come near enough toget snapshots as you did to-day. The Peruvian goats and those inArabia are agile and daring, but they do not compare with these goatsfor agility, and faith in their footsteps.
"When we go further North in the mountains, this scene we justwitnessed will seem like child's play to the feats those goats willaccomplish.
"The lambs are even more intrepid than the elders, and have not theslightest bit of fear of falling. Strangely enough, they seldom fall,and are hardly ever injured. It is said that the only risks they runare when they happen to jump in strange territory where the ledges andfootholds are not understood."
As Mr. Gilroy finished his interesting description, Mr. Vernon added,"I've read that the injuries or death that come to these littleathletes are due to their traveling in strange places and alongunfamiliar trails, as you just mentioned. But in their own crags andmountain recesses, no hunter can ever trap them. They will jump, nomatter from what height, and are always sure of a secure footingsomewhere."
The scouts were so absorbed in listening that they had paid littleattention to their own footsteps as they retraced their way to joinTally. Here and there were small pits
almost hidden by the longslippery grass that grew on and hung over the edges.
Julie was about to draw every one's attention to a great bird thathovered overhead, when her foot slipped on such grass and, in tryingto catch hold of something to waylay her descent into the shallow pit,she managed to lay hold of Mr. Gilroy's leg. In another moment, he wassliding down with her.
"Look pleasant!" warned the Captain, as she quickly snapped a pictureon the last exposure of the roll, and then laughed merrily as sheturned the knob that wound up the film securely.
When the two coasters managed to scramble out of the hollow, midst thelaughter of all, Mrs. Vernon said, "I am glad now that my last picturewill be one so fitting to be shown with the others of the RockyMountain Athletes."
A great ram came out opposite the scouts]