CHAPTER II
DEER AND INDIANS
Dave and Henry had left home an hour before, hoping to bring back withthem at least one deer if not two. Henry was a great hunter, havingbrought down many a bird on the wing and squirrel on the run, and heknew that if he could only get a fair sight at a deer the game would behis. As old readers know, Dave was likewise a good shot, so it waslikely that the youths would bring back something if any game showeditself.
It was a cool, clear day, with just a touch of snow on the ground, idealweather for hunting, and as the boys pushed on each felt in excellentspirits despite the talk about the Indians. So far as they knew therewas no Indian settlement within miles of them nor were there anywandering redskins within half a day's journey.
"Hullo, there go half a dozen rabbits!" cried Dave, presently, andpointed through a little clearing to their left.
"Don't shoot!" cried his cousin, although Dave had not raised hisflint-lock musket. "If you do you'll scare the deer sure--if they arewithin hearing."
"I wasn't going to shoot, Henry. But just look at the beggars, sittingup and looking at us! I reckon they know they are safe."
"Since the fighting with the French there hasn't been much huntingthrough here, and so the game is quite tame. But they won't sitlong--there they go now. Come."
The pair resumed their journey through the forest, Henry leading theway, for he had been over this trail several times before. Birds werenumerous, and they could have filled their canvas bag with ease, hadthey felt inclined. But the minds of both were on the deer, and to Henryat least it was such game or nothing, although Dave might have contentedhimself with something smaller. Yet both knew that Mrs. Morris wouldlook forward with pleasure to getting some fresh venison for her table.
At length the pair reached the lower creek which Henry had mentioned.Here the stream which flowed past the Morris homestead split intoseveral arms, one flowing through a wide clearing and the othersentering the forest and passing around a series of rough rocks and acliff nearly fifty feet high. At this point the forest had never yetfelt the weight of the white man's axe and trees had stood there untilbrought low by storm or the weight of years.
"Go slow now," whispered Henry, as he caught his cousin by the arm. "Ifthey hear us the game is up."
"The wind is with us," returned Dave. Nevertheless, he slowed up asdesired, and then the pair moved forward with extreme caution, eachhaving seen to it that his firearm was ready for immediate use.
Suddenly Henry came to a halt and dropped almost flat behind a rock, andDave instantly followed. Coming around a short turn they had caughtsight of four deer, standing hoof-deep in the water drinking. All theheads were down, but as the youths looked in the direction that of anold buck came up with a jerk and he sniffed the air suspiciously.
"Take the nearest," whispered Henry, softly and quickly. "Ready?"
"Yes," was the low reply.
There was a second of silence and then the two guns spoke as one piece,the reports echoing and re-echoing throughout the mighty forest andalong the cliff. The deer Henry had aimed at fell down in the water,plunging wildly in its dying agonies, while that struck by Dave hobbledpainfully up the bank. The others, including the old buck, turned andsped off with the swiftness of the wind.
"Huzza! we have 'em!" shouted Henry. "Come on!" and he leaped to hisfeet with Dave beside him. Not far off a dead tree lay across the streamand they quickly climbed this, so as not to get their feet wet. Whenthey gained the spot where the deer had been drinking they found Henry'squarry quite dead. The deer Dave had hit was thrashing around in somebrushwood.
"I reckon he'll want another shot," said Dave, and reloaded his firearmwith all speed. Then he primed up and approached the deer, but before hecould pull trigger Henry stopped him.
"He don't need it," came from the older youth. "Save your powder andball. I'll fix him."
Giving his gun to Dave, Henry rushed up behind the deer, at the sametime drawing the long hunting knife he had lately gotten into the habitof carrying. Watching his chance he plunged the knife into the deer'sthroat. The stroke went true and soon the beast had breathed its last.
"Good for you," cried Dave, enthusiastically. "No use in talking, Henry,you were cut out for a hunter. You'll be as good as Sam Barringford ifyou keep on."
"Oh, you did about as well as I did, Dave," was the modest rejoinder."But this is a prime haul, no use of talking. Mother will be tickled todeath."
"I reckon we'll all be pleased--we haven't had deer meat for some time.But we're going to have some work getting these two carcasses home. Nouse of trying to get those other deer, is there?"
"Use? Not much! Why that old buck must be about two or three miles awayby this time. Say, he was a big fellow, wasn't he? I should like to havehad those horns, but I knew there was no use in fetching him down,--hismeat would be too tough and strong."
"I fancy the best we can do is to make a drag for each deer and eachpull his own load home," went on Dave. "If we leave one here the wolvesand foxes will soon finish the meat."
"Yes, that's the only way. And we might as well hurry, for it is gettinglate and it will take us a good three hours to get back with suchloads."
They were soon at work, Henry with his hunting knife and Dave with hispocket blade, cutting down some long, pliable brushwood which would makeexcellent drags for both loads. Their good luck put each in good humor,and as he worked Dave could not refrain from whistling, his favoriteairs, being, as of old, "Lucy Locket Lost Her Pocket" and "The Pirate'sLady, O!"
The brushwood cut, they lost no time in binding their loads fast, andthen Henry led the way along the watercourse, without crossing to thetrail they had previously pursued.
"It's almost as near this way as the other," he said. "And I reckon itwill be a bit easier pulling."
"Well, make it as easy as you can, Henry. It's no light load, I can tellyou that. Sam Barringford was once telling me how he dragged three deerfrom Plum Valley to Risley's new place, over the snow. I don't see howhe did it."
"Oh, it's easy when the crust of the snow is hard enough--the drag goeslike a sled. But I admit Sam is a wonderfully powerful man."
"Indeed he is. Why, it was a sight to see--the way he fought when RedFox and his followers attacked the trading post. He was a whole host inhimself."
Inside of quarter of an hour they had reached a bend in the stream, andnow Henry left the watercourse and pushed on over a low hill backed upby a series of rocks.
"It will be a slight pull up hill," he said. "But it will save us nearlyhalf a mile. We can rest a few minutes when we get to the top. When weget up there I'll show you the spot where I saw those four bears threeyears ago."
"Don't know as I want to meet four bears just now."
"Oh, the spot isn't on this hill--it's on the hill to the left. Pow-wowHill Sam Barringford called it. He said it used to be a great Indianresort when the Miamies were in this neighborhood. But the redskins fromShunrum came and drove 'em out."
The top of the rise gained, Dave was glad enough to rest, and both satdown on the trunk of a fallen monarch of the forest, the home now ofsome chipmunks that fled quickly at their approach.
"There is the spot where I saw the bears," said Henry, pointing with hishand to a clump of trees on the next hill, quite a distance away. "Theywere in a bunch under that----Hullo! What can that mean?" He broke offshort. "Down behind the tree, Dave! Quick!"
The sudden note of alarm was not lost on Dave and in a twinkle both theyoung hunters were crouched behind the fallen tree. Dave caught his gunand placed his hand on the trigger, but Henry shoved the barrel of thepiece downward.
"What did you see?" came from the younger of the youths.
"Indians!" was the short reply. Henry peeped carefully forth. "Yes, sir,Indians, just as sure as you are born. Look for yourself."
"By the king, but you're right!" exclaimed Dave, in excitement. "Two,three--I see four of them."
"I think I saw a fifth--behind that ro
ck to the right. Yes, there heis."
"Can you make out what they are?"
"No, excepting that they are none of White Buffalo's tribe."
"If they don't belong in this neighborhood they are here for no good,"said Dave, decidedly.
"I agree with you there, Dave. Possibly they are on a hunt. But whyshould they come here when there is better game further west?"
"If they are on a hunt it's not for wild animals," came from Dave,significantly. "Have they got their war paint on?"
"I can't see them clearly enough for that."
For several minutes both youths remained silent, watching the distantIndians as they moved around. They had evidently killed some wildanimal, although what it was the watchers could not make out.
"If they shot anything it must have been before we reached thisneighborhood," said Henry, presently. "I heard no reports."
"Nor I. But never mind that. What shall we do?"
"I don't know, excepting to go home with our game and report them. Idon't care to let them see us, do you?"
"Not if they are enemies, and I reckon they are."
"Do you suppose they spotted us?"
"I think not--although you can never tell, they are that cute. They mayhave a spy working his way over here at this very minute."
"Then let us go on without delay."
It was easy to say this, but how to proceed without being noticed was aproblem. Henry's deer lay behind the fallen tree, but Dave's was infront and the younger hunter did not wish to leave his game behind him.
"I'm going to risk it," said Dave, and crawling cautiously around thestump-end of the fallen tree he reached forth and caught one of the endsof the drag. But the task was a difficult one and as he pulled the deerslipped to the ground and the end of the tree branch was suddenly raisedhigh in the air.
"Drop it," cried Henry, and Dave did so. "They must have seen that,Dave. See, two of them are looking this way. We had better clear out andbe quick about it."
"I'm going to have that deer," returned the younger hunter, and catchingthe game by the hind legs he dragged it behind the tree. Then both boyshurried down the opposite side of the hill with all speed. Here theyplaced both deer on the single drag and continued on their way homewardwith all possible speed.