CHAPTER VIII--AN UNEXPECTED MEETING
At first Reuben was unable to decide whether the noises that came intothe narrow valley were the howlings of wolves or the yelpings of dogs.Startled by the unexpected sound, he hastily seized his rifle and,taking his stand behind one of the huge boulders, awaited developments.
In a brief time he saw, plunging up the narrow defile, a woundedbuffalo cow. Only one glance was required to show the young trapperthat the animal had been hurt, for she was limping badly, though herflight was not slow in spite of her trouble.
In a brief time it was manifest that the sounds that came from beyondwere the yelpings of several dogs that were in pursuit of the fleeingbuffalo. How dogs could be there, far from the habitation or the campsof man, was a problem Reuben was unable to solve. The sight, however,of the fleeing animal recalled to him the possibility of securingbreakfast. As the buffalo came near, he raised his rifle and fired ather.
The buffalo was under such momentum that, although the shot had beentrue, she plunged forward several yards before she fell to the ground.Running hastily to the spot, Reuben quickly saw that his aim had beenfatal and the animal was lifeless. He hastily reloaded his gun andprepared to face the dogs. He was aware that his shot might reveal hispresence to enemies if they were near. It was well known that theBlackfoot Indians and several other tribes were intensely hostile tothe whites. They were determined that the white man should not enterthe grounds which they believed belonged to themselves, inasmuch asthey had received them from their forefathers. Not only had severalparties of trappers been attacked, as Reuben knew from the stories ofKit Carson and Jean, but also some of the white men had been killed andmany more had been driven away from the streams where they had settheir traps and had been compelled to withdraw from the region.
Thoughts of his own danger now returned with increased force. He didnot believe the dogs belonged to any Indian tribe, but if they wereowned by trappers, how had it come to pass that white men were now inthis region? He had understood from Jean that Kit Carson's party hadgone far to the north and that in all probability no men of their owncolour were likely to be seen until they returned to Pain Court.
Reuben's meditations were interrupted by the coming of the dogs. He sawfour of the savage animals approaching, and the sight convinced himthat he would as willingly face the gaunt and savage timber-wolves asthe animals he now saw before him. It might be necessary for him todefend himself against their attack.
By this time the dogs had discovered the young trapper. Instantlystopping in their tracks, about one hundred feet distant, they were allsilent for a moment as they stared at the unexpected sight. A momentlater, however, all four, throwing back their heads, emitted the mostplaintive and prolonged howls to which Reuben had ever listened. Theydid not, however, make any advance upon him.
This fact caused Reuben to decide that he would attempt to drive theanimals away. Doubtless the men who owned them were not far distant andif they had heard the shot they soon would appear. Seizing two stonesand still holding his gun, Reuben ran toward the brutes and shouted inhis loudest tones, "Get out! Get out!" At the same time he hurled oneof the missiles and was delighted when he saw all four of the dogs turnabout and run swiftly down the defile.
Reuben waited half an hour for the return of the dogs or the appearanceof the party to which they belonged. The minutes passed, however, andhe was still alone. At last, persuaded that his hiding-place wasunsuspected, he hastened to the spot where the body of the dead buffalowas lying and cut from the carcass the pieces which he already hadlearned were the most eatable. In a brief time he had his fire kindledand was busily engaged in the preparation of his morning meal.
Frequently he glanced toward the entrance to the valley below him,still aware of the possibilities that his hiding-place might not escapethe attention of others who might be in the vicinity. If they werewhite men he believed that his safety would be assured. His greatdanger lay in the fact that the dogs which he had seen might belong tosome roving band of Pawnee or Blackfoot Indians.
Time passed, however, without interruption, and when his hunger hadbeen appeased, Reuben took his rifle and cautiously began his descentof the valley. When he came out into the more open country he wasstartled at the sight of a campfire not far away. Gathered about itwere half a dozen men, and to them doubtless belonged the dogs which hehad seen. Indeed, while he was looking at the camp he saw these samedogs moving about near the spot.
Assured that he would find help there, Reuben started toward the placewhere the fire was burning. He had left his saddle and bridle and a fewother belongings in the defile among the mountains, but he wasconvinced that if he could secure aid from these men it would be aneasy matter to obtain his possessions which for a little while he hadabandoned. As he came near the camp the dogs discovered his presenceand, with loud barking, started toward him.
At the sound the men about the campfire instantly leaped to their feetand seized their rifles, and all were looking in the direction fromwhich the young trapper was approaching. Apparently convinced by whatthey saw that they were in no danger of an immediate attack by enemies,they waited for Reuben to approach the camp.
Greatly to the astonishment of the lad when he had come near enough todistinguish the faces of the men, he saw that the leader of the littleparty was none other than Kit Carson himself. How it was that thetrapper and guide was so far south of the region into which he with hiscompany originally had gone Reuben did not understand. There was noquestion, however, as to the person before him, and he was greatlypleased when a moment later the guide said to him: "You are ReubenBenton. The last time I saw you was in Pain Court. What are you doingout here on the plains?"
By this time Reuben had been admitted within the circle. The glances ofsuspicion which were given him when first he had appeared were gone assoon as the leader explained that he personally knew the young trapper.
"I came out here with Jean," explained Reuben.
"Jean? Jean who?" inquired Kit Carson.
"Jean Badeau."
"Where is he?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean?"
"Just what I say. I don't know where he is. I wish I did. We came outhere day before yesterday. We made a camp, and while we were there aherd of buffaloes came along and Jean and I started after them. Ihaven't seen him since."
"He may have been trampled by the herd," suggested Kit Carson.
"I don't think so," asserted Reuben. "There was a man here who helpedme look for the place where we had camped and after a while we foundit, but the ponies and saddles and traps and everything were gone."
"A man with you?" inquired the guide, glancing keenly at Reuben as hespoke.
"Yes."
"Who was he?"
"Rat True."
For a moment Kit Carson was silent as he looked steadily at Reuben."What has become of him? Where is he?" he inquired at last.
"He left last night and took his ponies and his traps and said he wasgoing up among the hills. He said he wanted to trap alone. That's whatJean said, too, and that was the reason why we camped down here."
"He cannot be very far away, then?"
"I don't know how far. He took his ponies with him, and the littlebeasts were tough, and they may have been able to make good time."
"And you haven't any idea what has become of Jean?"
"No. I don't know where he is. I must look him up to-day. He may havebeen captured by the Indians and they may have carried off his poniesand his belongings."
"So they might," said Kit Carson in a low voice. "Very likely that'sjust what they did. We'll have to give you a lift, however, and helpyou try to find him. Have you had any breakfast?"
"Yes. Your dogs chased a wounded buffalo into the gorge where I was andI shot it."
"Yes," explained Kit Carson. "We saw a big herd this morning and cutout two or three cows, but two of them gave us the slip and the thirdwe wounded, but it got away, though the dogs took after it."
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"It is only a little way back yonder; you'll find the carcass therenow."
"I don't think we shall go back for the carcass," said the guidequietly. "There are too many herds around here for us to bother about alittle thing like that. How are the streams?"
"I don't know," answered Reuben. "The only ones I have seen were inthat valley where I was, and there they were not very full."
"Did you see any beaver?"
"Yes. Jean and I found several dams."
"Have you seen any Indians?"
"Yes, the night I lost Jean I met three Cheyennes, two braves and aboy. They had been out trying to steal horses from the Pawnees. Theysaid the Pawnees were cowards because they kept their horses shut upevery night."
A smile appeared on the face of the guide as he said: "The redskins arelike the rest of us. When we don't get what we want we're down on ourluck, or blame the other fellow. How old a boy was the young Indian?"
"About fifteen or sixteen."
Turning to his men Kit Carson related the story which Reuben had toldhim, and in response to his suggestion the men all declared that theywere more than willing to join in a search for the missing Jean.
Soon afterward, Reuben conducted the men to the place where Jean's camphad been made, but a careful investigation failed to reveal any signsof the fate which had overtaken the trapper.
The men then separated into three parties and, moving in differentdirections, tried to ride in circles about the camping-place in theirefforts to discover some indications of what might have befallen themissing Jean. Their search was continued throughout the day, but whennight fell it was still unrewarded. Not a sign had been discovered asto what had been the fate of the trapper.
Upon the suggestion of Kit Carson, Reuben then led the way to thedefile where he had passed the preceding night. Abundance of food hadbeen secured, because late in the afternoon a herd of buffaloes,numbering no less than five hundred, had appeared. Several of theanimals had been shot by the hunters, who brought the meat which theyhad secured to the place that had been selected for the camp.
Although Kit Carson did not refer to his fears, it was evident that hewas somewhat uneasy, as several times signs of Indians had beendiscovered by the men in their search of the afternoon. Although hestill did not refer to his fears, when arrangements for the night weremade he insisted upon a guard being established.
Before darkness had fallen upon the region the trappers became awarethat their hiding-place had been discovered.