CHAPTER XV.
_Health and happiness return_--Incidents of the journey_--_A buffaloshot_--_A wild horse "creased"_--_Dick's battle with a mustang_.
Dick Varley's fears and troubles, in the meantime, were ended. On theday following he awoke refreshed and happy--so happy and light atheart, as he felt the glow of returning health coursing through hisveins, that he fancied he must have dreamed it all. In fact, he was socertain that his muscles were strong that he endeavoured to leap up,but was powerfully convinced of his true condition by the miserablestagger that resulted from the effort.
However, he knew he was recovering, so he rose, and thanking God forhis recovery, and for the new hope that was raised in his heart, hewent down to the pool and drank deeply of its water. Then he returned,and, sitting down beside his dog, opened the Bible and read long--and,for the first time, _earnestly_--the story of Christ's love for sinfulman. He at last fell asleep over the book, and when he awakened feltso much refreshed in body and mind that he determined to attempt topursue his journey.
He had not proceeded far when he came upon a colony of prairie-dogs.Upon this occasion he was little inclined to take a humorous view ofthe vagaries of these curious little creatures, but he shot one, and,as before, ate part of it raw. These creatures are so active that theyare difficult to shoot, and even when killed generally fall into theirholes and disappear. Crusoe, however, soon unearthed the dead animalon this occasion. That night the travellers came to a stream of freshwater, and Dick killed a turkey, so that he determined to spend acouple of days there to recruit. At the end of that time he again setout, but was able only to advance five miles when he broke down. Infact, it became evident to him that he must have a longer period ofabsolute repose ere he could hope to continue his journey; but to doso without food was impossible. Fortunately there was plenty of water,as his course lay along the margin of a small stream, and, as the aridpiece of prairie was now behind him, he hoped to fall in with birds,or perhaps deer, soon.
While he was plodding heavily and wearily along, pondering thesethings, he came to the brow of a wave from which he beheld a mostmagnificent view of green grassy plains decked with flowers, androlling out to the horizon, with a stream meandering through it, andclumps of trees scattered everywhere far and wide. It was a glorioussight; but the most glorious object in it to Dick, at that time, was afat buffalo which stood grazing not a hundred yards off. The wind wasblowing towards him, so that the animal did not scent him, and, as hecame up very slowly, and it was turned away, it did not see him.
Crusoe would have sprung forward in an instant, but his master'sfinger imposed silence and caution. Trembling with eagerness, Dicksank flat down in the grass, cocked both barrels of his piece, and,resting it on his left hand with his left elbow on the ground, hewaited until the animal should present its side. In a few secondsit moved; Dick's eye glanced along the barrel, but it trembled--hiswonted steadiness of aim was gone. He fired, and the buffalo sprangoff in terror. With a groan of despair he fired again--almostrecklessly--and the buffalo fell! It rose once or twice and stumbledforward a few paces, then it fell again. Meanwhile Dick reloaded withtrembling hand, and advanced to give it another shot; but it was notneedful--the buffalo was already dead.
"Now, Crusoe," said Dick, sitting down on the buffalo's shoulder andpatting his favourite on the head, "we're all right at last. You and Ishall have a jolly time o't, pup, from this time for'ard."
Dick paused for breath, and Crusoe wagged his tail and looked as if tosay--pshaw! "_as if!_"
We tell you what it is, reader, it's of no use at all to go on writing"as if," when we tell you what Crusoe said. If there is any languagein eyes whatever--if there is language in a tail, in a cocked ear, ina mobile eyebrow, in the point of a canine nose,--if there is languagein any terrestrial thing at all, apart from that which flows from thetongue, then Crusoe _spoke!_ Do we not speak at this moment to _you?_and if so, then tell me wherein lies the difference between a written_letter_ and a given _sign?_
Yes, Crusoe spoke. He said to Dick as plain as dog could say it,slowly and emphatically, "That's my opinion precisely, Dick. You'rethe dearest, most beloved, jolliest fellow that ever walked on twolegs, you are; and whatever's your opinion is mine, no matter _how_absurd it may be."
Dick evidently understood him perfectly, for he laughed as he lookedat him and patted him on the head, and called him a "funny dog." Thenhe continued his discourse:--
"Yes, pup, we'll make our camp here for a long bit, old dog, in thisbeautiful plain. We'll make a willow wigwam to sleep in, you and I,jist in yon clump o' trees, not a stone's-throw to our right, wherewe'll have a run o' pure water beside us, and be near our buffalo atthe same time. For, ye see, we'll need to watch him lest the wolvestake a notion to eat him--that'll be _your_ duty, pup. Then I'll skinhim when I get strong enough, which'll be in a day or two, I hope, andwe'll put one-half of the skin below us and t'other half above usi' the camp, an' sleep, an' eat, an' take it easy for a week ortwo--won't we, pup?"
"Hoora-a-a-y!" shouted Crusoe, with a jovial wag of his tail, that nohuman arm with hat, or cap, or kerchief ever equalled.
Poor Dick Varley! He smiled to think how earnestly he had been talkingto the dog; but he did not cease to do it, for although he enteredinto discourses the drift of which Crusoe's limited education did notpermit him to follow, he found comfort in hearing the sound of his ownvoice, and in knowing that it fell pleasantly on another ear in thatlonely wilderness.
Our hero now set about his preparations as vigorously as he could. Hecut out the buffalo's tongue--a matter of great difficulty to one inhis weak state--and carried it to a pleasant spot near to the streamwhere the turf was level and green, and decked with wild flowers. Herehe resolved to make his camp.
His first care was to select a bush whose branches were long enough toform a canopy over his head when bent, and the ends thrust into theground. The completing of this exhausted him greatly, but after a resthe resumed his labours. The next thing was to light a fire--a comfortwhich he had not enjoyed for many weary days. Not that he required itfor warmth, for the weather was extremely warm, but he required it tocook with, and the mere _sight_ of a blaze in a dark place is a mostheart-cheering thing, as every one knows.
When the fire was lighted he filled his pannikin at the brook and putit on to boil, and cutting several slices of buffalo tongue, he thrustshort stakes through them and set them up before the fire to roast. Bythis time the water was boiling, so he took it off with difficulty,nearly burning his fingers and singeing the tail of his coat in sodoing. Into the pannikin he put a lump of maple sugar, and stirred itabout with a stick, and tasted it. It seemed to him even better thantea or coffee. It was absolutely delicious!
Really one has no notion what he can do if he makes believe _veryhard_. The human mind is a nicely balanced and extremely complexmachine, and when thrown a little off the balance can be madeto believe almost anything, as we see in the case of some poormonomaniacs, who have fancied that they were made of all sorts ofthings--glass and porcelain, and such like. No wonder then that poorDick Varley, after so much suffering and hardship, came to regard thatpannikin of hot sirup as the most delicious beverage he ever drank.
During all these operations Crusoe sat on his haunches beside him andlooked. And you haven't, no, you haven't got the most distant notionof the way in which that dog manoeuvred with his head and face. Heopened his eyes wide, and cocked his ears, and turned his head first alittle to one side, then a little to the other. After that he turnedit a _good deal_ to one side, and then a good deal more to the other.Then he brought it straight, and raised one eyebrow a little, and thenthe other a little, and then both together very much. Then, when Dickpaused to rest and did nothing, Crusoe looked mild for a moment, andyawned vociferously. Presently Dick moved--up went the ears again, andCrusoe came, in military parlance, "to the position of attention!" Atlast supper was ready and they began.
Dick had purposely kept the dog's supper back from him, in o
rder thatthey might eat it in company. And between every bite and sup that Dicktook, he gave a bite--but not a sup--to Crusoe. Thus lovingly theyate together; and when Dick lay that night under the willow branches,looking up through them at the stars, with his feet to the fire andCrusoe close along his side, he thought it the best and sweetestsupper he ever ate, and the happiest evening he ever spent--sowonderfully do circumstances modify our notions of felicity.
Two weeks after this "Richard was himself again."
The muscles were springy, and the blood coursed fast and free, as wasits wont. Only a slight, and, perhaps, salutary feeling of weaknessremained, to remind him that young muscles might again become morehelpless than those of an aged man or a child.
Dick had left his encampment a week ago, and was now advancing byrapid stages towards the Rocky Mountains, closely following the trailof his lost comrades, which he had no difficulty in finding andkeeping now that Crusoe was with him. The skin of the buffalo that hehad killed was now strapped to his shoulders, and the skin of anotheranimal that he had shot a few days after was cut up into a long lineand slung in a coil round his neck. Crusoe was also laden. He had alittle bundle of meat slung on each side of him.
For some time past numerous herds of mustangs, or wild horses, hadcrossed their path, and Dick was now on the look-out for a chance to_crease_ one of those magnificent creatures.
On one occasion a band of mustangs galloped close up to him beforethey were aware of his presence, and stopped short with a wild snortof surprise on beholding him; then, wheeling round, they dashed awayat full gallop, their long tails and manes flying wildly in the air,and their hoofs thundering on the plain. Dick did not attempt tocrease one upon this occasion, fearing that his recent illness mighthave rendered his hand too unsteady for so extremely delicate anoperation.
In order to crease a wild horse the hunter requires to be a perfectshot, and it is not every man of the west who carries a rifle that cando it successfully. Creasing consists in sending a bullet through thegristle of the mustang's neck, just above the bone, so as to stun theanimal. If the ball enters a hair's-breadth too low, the horsefalls dead instantly. If it hits the exact spot, the horse falls asinstantaneously, and dead to all appearance; but, in reality, he isonly stunned, and if left for a few minutes will rise and gallop awaynearly as well as ever. When hunters crease a horse successfully theyput a rope, or halter, round his under jaw and hobbles round his feet,so that when he rises he is secured, and, after considerable trouble,reduced to obedience.
The mustangs which roam in wild freedom on the prairies of the farwest are descended from the noble Spanish steeds that were broughtover by the wealthy cavaliers who accompanied Fernando Cortez, theconqueror of Mexico, in his expedition to the New World in 1518. Thesebold, and, we may add, lawless cavaliers were mounted on the finesthorses that could be procured from Barbary and the deserts of the OldWorld. The poor Indians of the New World were struck with amazementand terror at these awful beings, for, never having seen horsesbefore, they believed that horse and rider were one animal. During thewars that followed many of the Spaniards were killed, and theirsteeds bounded into the wilds of the new country, to enjoy a life ofunrestrained freedom. These were the forefathers of the present raceof magnificent creatures which are found in immense droves all overthe western wilderness, from the Gulf of Mexico to the confines of thesnowy regions of the far north.
At first the Indians beheld these horses with awe and terror, butgradually they became accustomed to them, and finally succeeded incapturing great numbers and reducing them to a state of servitude.Not, however, to the service of the cultivated field, but to theservice of the chase and war. The savages soon acquired the method ofcapturing wild horses by means of the lasso--as the noose at that endof a long line of raw hide is termed--which they adroitly threw overthe heads of the animals and secured them, having previously run themdown. At the present day many of the savage tribes of the west almostlive upon horseback, and without these useful creatures they couldscarcely subsist, as they are almost indispensable in the chase of thebuffalo.
Mustangs are regularly taken by the Indians to the settlements of thewhite men for trade, but very poor specimens are these of the breedof wild horses. This arises from two causes. First, the Indian cannotovertake the finest of a drove of wild mustangs, because his own steedis inferior to the best among the wild ones, besides being weightedwith a rider, so that only the weak and inferior animals are captured.And, secondly, when the Indian does succeed in lassoing a first-ratehorse he keeps it for his own use. Thus, those who have not visitedthe far-off prairies and seen the mustang in all the glory ofuntrammelled freedom, can form no adequate idea of its beauty,fleetness, and strength.
The horse, however, was not the only creature imported by Cortez.There were priests in his army who rode upon asses, and although wecannot imagine that the "fathers" charged with the cavaliers and wereunhorsed, or, rather, un-assed in battle, yet, somehow, the asses gotrid of their riders and joined the Spanish chargers in their joyousbound into a new life of freedom. Hence wild asses also are found inthe western prairies. But think not, reader, of those poor miserablewretches we see at home, which seem little better than rough door-matssewed up and stuffed, with head, tail, and legs attached, and justenough of life infused to make them move! No, the wild ass of theprairie is a large powerful, swift creature. He has the same longears, it is true, and the same hideous, exasperating bray, and thesame tendency to flourish his heels; but for all that he is a veryfine animal, and often wages _successful_ warfare with the wild horse.
But to return. The next drove of mustangs that Dick and Crusoe sawwere feeding quietly and unsuspectingly in a rich green hollow in theplain. Dick's heart leaped up as his eyes suddenly fell on them,for he had almost discovered himself before he was aware of theirpresence.
"Down, pup!" he whispered, as he sank and disappeared among the grass,which was just long enough to cover him when lying quite flat.
Crusoe crouched immediately, and his master made his observations ofthe drove, and the dispositions of the ground that might favour hisapproach, for they were not within rifle range. Having done so hecrept slowly back until the undulation of the prairie hid him fromview; then he sprang to his feet, and ran a considerable distancealong the bottom until he gained the extreme end of a belt of lowbushes, which would effectually conceal him while he approached towithin a hundred yards or less of the troop.
Here he made his arrangements. Throwing down his buffalo robe, he tookthe coil of line and cut off a piece of about three yards in length.On this he made a running noose. The longer line he also prepared witha running noose. These he threw in a coil over his arm.
He also made a pair of hobbles, and placed them in the breast of hiscoat, and then, taking up his rifle, advanced cautiously through thebushes--Crusoe following close behind him. In a few minutes he wasgazing in admiration at the mustangs, which were now within easy shot,and utterly ignorant of the presence of man, for Dick had taken careto approach in such a way that the wind did not carry the scent of himin their direction.
And well might he admire them. The wild horse of these regions is notvery large, but it is exceedingly powerful, with prominent eye,sharp nose, distended nostril, small feet, and a delicate leg. Theirbeautiful manes hung at great length down their arched necks, andtheir thick tails swept the ground. One magnificent fellow inparticular attracted Dick's attention. He was of a rich dark-browncolour, with black mane and tail, and seemed to be the leader of thedrove.
Although not the nearest to him, he resolved to crease this horse. Itis said that creasing generally destroys or damages the spirit of thehorse, so Dick determined to try whether his powers of close shootingwould not serve him on this occasion. Going down on one knee he aimedat the creature's neck, just a hair's-breadth above the spot where hehad been told that hunters usually hit them, and fired. The effectupon the group was absolutely tremendous. With wild cries and snortingterror they tossed their proud heads in the air, u
ncertain for onemoment in which direction to fly; then there was a rush as if ahurricane swept over the place, and they were gone.
But the brown horse was down. Dick did not wait until the othershad fled. He dropped his rifle, and with the speed of a deer sprangtowards the fallen horse, and affixed the hobbles to his legs. His aimhad been true. Although scarcely half a minute elapsed between theshot and the fixing of the hobbles, the animal recovered, and with afrantic exertion rose on his haunches, just as Dick had fastened thenoose of the short line in his under jaw. But this was not enough. Ifthe horse had gained his feet before the longer line was placed roundhis neck, he would have escaped. As the mustang made the secondviolent plunge that placed it on its legs, Dick flung the noosehastily; it caught on one ear, and would have fallen off, had not thehorse suddenly shaken its head, and unwittingly sealed its own fate bybringing the noose round its neck.
And now the struggle began. Dick knew well enough, from hearsay, themethod of "breaking down" a wild horse. He knew that the Indians chokethem with the noose round the neck until they fall down exhausted andcovered with foam, when they creep up, fix the hobbles, and the linein the lower jaw, and then loosen the lasso to let the horse breathe,and resume its plungings till it is almost subdued, when theygradually draw near and breathe into its nostrils. But the violenceand strength of this animal rendered this an apparently hopeless task.We have already seen that the hobbles and noose in the lower jawhad been fixed, so that Dick had nothing now to do but to choke hiscaptive, and tire him out, while Crusoe remained a quiet thoughexcited spectator of the scene.
But there seemed to be no possibility of choking this horse. Eitherthe muscles of his neck were too strong, or there was somethingwrong with the noose which prevented it from acting, for the furiouscreature dashed and bounded backwards and sideways in its terror fornearly an hour, dragging Dick after it, till he was almost exhausted;and yet, at the end of that time, although flecked with foam andpanting with terror, it seemed as strong as ever. Dick held bothlines, for the short one attached to its lower jaw gave him greatpower over it. At last he thought of seeking assistance from his dog.
"Crusoe," he cried, "lay hold, pup!"
The dog seized the long line in his teeth and pulled with all hismight. At the same moment Dick let go the short line and threw allhis weight upon the long one. The noose tightened suddenly under thisstrain, and the mustang, with a gasp, fell choking to the ground.
Dick had often heard of the manner in which the Mexicans "break" theirhorses, so he determined to abandon the method which had alreadyalmost worn him out, and adopt the other, as far as the means in hispower rendered it possible. Instead, therefore, of loosening the lassoand re-commencing the struggle, he tore a branch from a neighbouringbush, cut the hobbles, strode with his legs across the fallen steed,seized the end of the short line or bridle, and then, ordering Crusoeto quit his hold, he loosened the noose which compressed the horse'sneck and had already well-nigh terminated its existence.
One or two deep sobs restored it, and in a moment it leaped to itsfeet with Dick firmly on its back. To say that the animal leaped andkicked in its frantic efforts to throw this intolerable burdenwould be a tame manner of expressing what took place. Words cannotadequately describe the scene. It reared, plunged, shrieked, vaultedinto the air, stood straight up on its hind legs, and then almost asstraight upon its fore ones; but its rider held on like a burr. Thenthe mustang raced wildly forwards a few paces, then as wildly back,and then stood still and trembled violently. But this was only a brieflull in the storm, so Dick saw that the time was now come to assertthe superiority of his race.
"Stay back, Crusoe, and watch my rifle, pup," he cried, and raisinghis heavy switch he brought it down with a sharp cut across thehorse's flank, at the same time loosening the rein which hitherto hehad held tight.
The wild horse uttered a passionate cry, and sprang forward like thebolt from a cross-bow.
And now commenced a race which, if not so prolonged, was at least asfurious as that of the far-famed Mazeppa. Dick was a splendid rider,however--at least as far as "sticking on" goes. He might not have comeup to the precise pitch desiderated by a riding-master in regard tocarriage, etc., but he rode that wild horse of the prairie with asmuch ease as he had formerly ridden his own good steed, whose boneshad been picked by the wolves not long ago.
The pace was tremendous, for the youth's weight was nothing to thatmuscular frame, which bounded with cat-like agility from wave to waveof the undulating plain in ungovernable terror. In a few minutes theclump of willows where Crusoe and his rifle lay were out of sightbehind; but it mattered not, for Dick had looked up at the sky andnoted the position of the sun at the moment of starting. Away theywent on the wings of the wind, mile after mile over the ocean-likewaste--curving slightly aside now and then to avoid the bluffs thatoccasionally appeared on the scene for a few minutes and then sweptout of sight behind them. Then they came to a little rivulet. It was amere brook of a few feet wide, and two or three yards, perhaps, frombank to bank. Over this they flew so easily that the spring wasscarcely felt, and continued the headlong course. And now a morebarren country was around them. Sandy ridges and scrubby grassappeared everywhere, reminding Dick of the place where he had beenso ill. Rocks, too, were scattered about, and at one place the horsedashed with clattering hoofs between a couple of rocky sand-hillswhich, for a few seconds, hid the prairie from view. Here the mustangsuddenly shied with such violence that his rider was nearly thrown,while a rattlesnake darted from the path. Soon they emerged from thispass, and again the plains became green and verdant. Presently adistant line of trees showed that they were approaching water, andin a few minutes they were close on it. For the first time Dick feltalarm. He sought to check his steed, but no force he could exert hadthe smallest influence on it.
Trees and bushes flew past in bewildering confusion. The river wasbefore him; what width, he could not tell, but he was reckless now,like his charger, which he struck with the willow rod with all hisforce as they came up. One tremendous bound, and they were across, butDick had to lie flat on the mustang's back as it crashed through thebushes to avoid being scraped off by the trees. Again they were on theopen plain, and the wild horse began to show signs of exhaustion.
Now was its rider's opportunity to assert his dominion. He plied thewillow rod and urged the panting horse on, until it was white withfoam and laboured a little in its gait. Then Dick gently drew thehalter, and it broke into a trot; still tighter, and it walked, and inanother minute stood still, trembling in every limb. Dick now quietlyrubbed its neck, and spoke to it in soothing tones; then he wheeled itgently round, and urged it forward. It was quite subdued and docile.In a little time they came to the river and forded it, after whichthey went through the belt of woodland at a walk. By the time theyreached the open prairie the mustang was recovered sufficiently tofeel its spirit returning, so Dick gave it a gentle touch with theswitch, and away they went on their return journey.
But it amazed Dick not a little to find how long that journey was.Very different was the pace, too, from the previous mad gallop, andoften would the poor horse have stopped had Dick allowed him. But thismight not be. The shades of night were approaching, and the camp lay along way ahead.
At last it was reached, and Crusoe came out with great demonstrationsof joy, but was sent back lest he should alarm the horse. Then Dickjumped off his back, stroked his head, put his cheek close to hismouth and whispered softly to him, after which he fastened him to atree and rubbed him down slightly with a bunch of grass. Having donethis, he left him to graze as far as his tether would permit; and,after supping with Crusoe, lay down to-rest, not a little elated withhis success in this first attempt at "creasing" and "breaking" amustang.