CHAPTER XXIII.
_Savage sports--Living cataracts--An alarm--Indians and theirdoings--The stampede--Charlie again_.
One day Dick Varley was out on a solitary hunting expedition near therocky gorge where his horse had received temporary burial a week ortwo before. Crusoe was with him, of course. Dick had tied Charlie to atree, and was sunning himself on the edge of a cliff, from the top ofwhich he had a fine view of the valley and the rugged precipices thathemmed it in.
Just in front of the spot on which he sat, the precipices on theopposite side of the gorge rose to a considerable height above him, sothat their ragged outlines were drawn sharply across the clear sky.Dick was gazing in dreamy silence at the jutting rocks and darkcaverns, and speculating on the probable number of bears that dweltthere, when a slight degree of restlessness on the part of Crusoeattracted him.
"What is't, pup?" said he, laying his hand on the dog's broad back.
Crusoe looked the answer, "I don't know, Dick, but it's _something_,you may depend upon it, else I would not have disturbed you."
Dick lifted his rifle from the ground, and laid it in the hollow ofhis left arm.
"There must be something in the wind," remarked Dick.
As wind is known to be composed of two distinct gases, Crusoe feltperfectly safe in replying "Yes" with his tail. Immediately after headded, "Hallo! did you hear that?" with his ears.
Dick did hear it, and sprang hastily to his feet, as a sound like, yetunlike, distant thunder came faintly down upon the breeze. In a fewseconds the sound increased to a roar in which was mingled the wildcries of men. Neither Dick nor Crusoe moved, for the sounds came frombehind the heights in front of them, and they felt that the only wayto solve the question, "What can the sounds be?" was to wait till thesounds should solve it themselves.
Suddenly the muffled sounds gave place to the distinct bellowing ofcattle, the clatter of innumerable hoofs, and the yells of savage men,while at the same moment the edges of the opposite cliffs became alivewith Indians and buffaloes rushing about in frantic haste--the formeralmost mad with savage excitement, the latter with blind rage andterror.
On reaching the edge of the dizzy precipice, the buffaloes turnedabruptly and tossed their ponderous heads as they coursed along theedge. Yet a few of them, unable to check their headlong course, fellover, and were dashed to pieces on the rocks below. Such falls, Dickobserved, were hailed with shouts of delight by the Indians, whosesole object evidently was to enjoy the sport of driving the terrifiedanimals over the precipice. The wily savages had chosen their groundwell for this purpose.
The cliff immediately opposite to Dick Varley was a huge projectionfrom the precipice that hemmed in the gorge, a species of cape orpromontory several hundred yards wide at the base, and narrowingabruptly to a point. The sides of this wedge-shaped projection werequite perpendicular--indeed, in some places the top overhung thebase--and they were at least three hundred feet high. Broken andjagged rocks, of that peculiarly chaotic character which probablysuggested the name to this part of the great American chain, projectedfrom and were scattered all round the cliffs. Over these the Indians,whose numbers increased every moment, strove to drive the lucklessherd of buffaloes that had chanced to fall in their way. The task waseasy. The unsuspecting animals, of which there were hundreds,rushed in a dense mass upon the cape referred to. On they came withirresistible impetuosity, bellowing furiously, while their hoofsthundered on the turf with the muffled continuous roar of a distantbut mighty cataract; the Indians, meanwhile, urging them on by hideousyells and frantic gestures.
The advance-guard came bounding madly to the edge of the precipice.Here they stopped short, and gazed affrighted at the gulf below. Itwas but for a moment. The irresistible momentum of the flying massbehind pushed them over. Down they came, absolutely a living cataract,upon the rocks below. Some struck on the projecting rocks in thedescent, and their bodies were dashed almost in pieces, while theirblood spurted out in showers. Others leaped from rock to rock withawful bounds, until, losing their foothold, they fell headlong;while others descended sheer down into the sweltering mass that layshattered at the base of the cliffs.
Dick Varley and his dog remained rooted to the rock, as they gazed atthe sickening sight, as if petrified. Scarce fifty of that noble herdof buffaloes escaped the awful leap, but they escaped only to fallbefore the arrows of their ruthless pursuers. Dick had often heard ofthis tendency of the Indians, where buffaloes were very numerous, todrive them over precipices in mere wanton sport and cruelty, buthe had never seen it until now, and the sight filled his soul withhorror. It was not until the din and tumult of the perishing herd andthe shrill yells of the Indians had almost died away that he turned toquit the spot. But the instant he did so another shout was raised. Thesavages had observed him, and were seen galloping along the cliffstowards the head of the gorge, with the obvious intention of gainingthe other side and capturing him. Dick sprang on Charlie's back, andthe next instant was flying down the valley towards the camp.
He did not, however, fear being overtaken, for the gorge could not becrossed, and the way round the head of it was long and rugged; but hewas anxious to alarm the camp as quickly as possible, so that theymight have time to call in the more distant trappers and makepreparations for defence.
"Where away now, youngster?" inquired Cameron, emerging from his tentas Dick, taking the brook that flowed in front at a flying leap, camecrashing through the bushes into the midst of the fur-packs at fullspeed.
"Injuns!" ejaculated Dick, reining up, and vaulting out of the saddle."Hundreds of 'em. Fiends incarnate every one!"
"Are they near?"
"Yes; an hour'll bring them down on us. Are Joe and Henri far fromcamp to-day?"
"At Ten-mile Creek," replied Cameron with an expression of bitterness,as he caught up his gun and shouted to several men, who hurried up onseeing our hero burst into camp.
"Ten-mile Creek!" muttered Dick. "I'll bring 'em in, though," hecontinued, glancing at several of the camp horses that grazed close athand.
In another moment he was on Charlie's back, the line of one of thebest horses was in his hand, and almost before Cameron knew what hewas about he was flying down the valley like the wind. Charlie oftenstretched out at full speed to please his young master, but seldomhad he been urged forward as he was upon this occasion. The led horsebeing light and wild, kept well up, and in a marvellously short spaceof time they were at Ten-mile Creek.
"Hallo, Dick, wot's to do?" inquired Joe Blunt, who was up to hisknees in the water setting a trap at the moment his friend gallopedup.
"Injuns! Where's Henri?" demanded Dick.
"At the head o' the dam there."
Dick was off in a moment, and almost instantly returned with Henrigalloping beside him.
No word was spoken. In time of action these men did not waste words.During Dick's momentary absence, Joe Blunt had caught up his rifle andexamined the priming, so that when Dick pulled up beside him he merelylaid his hand on the saddle, saying, "All right!" as he vaulted onCharlie's back behind his young companion. In another moment they wereaway at full speed. The mustang seemed to feel that unwonted exertionswere required of him. Double weighted though he was, he kept well upwith the other horse, and in less than two hours after Dick's leavingthe camp the three hunters came in sight of it.
Meanwhile Cameron had collected nearly all his forces and put hiscamp in a state of defence before the Indians arrived, which they didsuddenly, and, as usual, at full gallop, to the amount of at leasttwo hundred. They did not at first seem disposed to hold friendlyintercourse with the trappers, but assembled in a semicircle round thecamp in a menacing attitude, while one of their chiefs stepped forwardto hold a palaver. For some time the conversation on both sides waspolite enough, but by degrees the Indian chief assumed an imperioustone, and demanded gifts from the trappers, taking care to enforcehis request by hinting that thousands of his countrymen were not fardistant. Cameron stoutly refused, and the palaver threat
ened to cometo an abrupt and unpleasant termination just at the time that Dick andhis friends appeared on the scene of action.
The brook was cleared at a bound; the three hunters leaped from theirsteeds and sprang to the front with a degree of energy that had avisible effect on the savages; and Cameron, seizing the moment,proposed that the two parties should smoke a pipe and hold a council.The Indians agreed, and in a few minutes they were engaged in animatedand friendly intercourse. The speeches were long, and the complimentspaid on either side were inflated, and, we fear, undeserved; but theresult of the interview was, that Cameron made the Indians a presentof tobacco and a few trinkets, and sent them back to their friends totell them that he was willing to trade with them.
Next day the whole tribe arrived in the valley, and pitched theirdeerskin tents on the plain opposite to the camp of the white men.Their numbers far exceeded Cameron's expectation, and it was with someanxiety that he proceeded to strengthen his fortifications as much ascircumstances and the nature of the ground would admit.
The Indian camp, which numbered upwards of a thousand souls, wasarranged with great regularity, and was divided into three distinctsections, each section being composed of a separate tribe. The GreatSnake nation at that time embraced three tribes or divisions--namely,the Shirry-dikas, or dog-eaters; the War-are-ree-kas, or fish-eaters;and the Banattees, or robbers. These were the most numerous andpowerful Indians on the west side of the Rocky Mountains. TheShirry-dikas dwelt in the plains, and hunted the buffaloes; dressedwell; were cleanly; rich in horses; bold, independent, and goodwarriors. The War-are-ree-kas lived chiefly by fishing, and were foundon the banks of the rivers and lakes throughout the country. They weremore corpulent, slovenly, and indolent than the Shirry-dikas, and morepeaceful. The Banattees, as we have before mentioned, were the robbersof the mountains. They were a wild and contemptible race, and atenmity with every one. In summer they went about nearly naked. Inwinter they clothed themselves in the skins of rabbits and wolves.Being excellent mimics, they could imitate the howling of wolves, theneighing of horses, and the cries of birds, by which means they couldapproach travellers, rob them, and then fly to their rocky fastnessesin the mountains, where pursuit was vain.
Such were the men who now assembled in front of the camp of thefur-traders, and Cameron soon found that the news of his presence inthe country had spread far and wide among the natives, bringing themto the neighbourhood of his camp in immense crowds, so that during thenext few days their numbers increased to thousands.
Several long palavers quickly ensued between the red men and thewhite, and the two great chiefs who seemed to hold despotic ruleover the assembled tribes were extremely favourable to the idea ofuniversal peace which was propounded to them. In several set speechesof great length and very considerable power, these natural oratorsexplained their willingness to enter into amicable relations with allthe surrounding nations, as well as with the white men.
"But," said Pee-eye-em, the chief of the Shirry-dikas, a man abovesix feet high, and of immense muscular strength--"but my tribe cannotanswer for the Banattees, who are robbers, and cannot be punished,because they dwell in scattered families among the mountains. TheBanattees are bad; they cannot be trusted."
None of the Banattees were present at the council when this was said;and if they had been it would have mattered little, for they wereneither fierce nor courageous, although bold enough in their ownhaunts to murder and rob the unwary.
The second chief did not quite agree with Pee-eye-em. He said that itwas impossible for them to make peace with their natural enemies, thePeigans and the Blackfeet on the east side of the mountains. It wasvery desirable, he admitted; but neither of these tribes would consentto it, he felt sure.
Upon this Joe Blunt rose and said, "The great chief of theWar-are-ree-kas is wise, and knows that enemies cannot be reconciledunless deputies are sent to make proposals of peace."
"The Pale-face does not know the Blackfeet," answered the chief. "Whowill go into the lands of the Blackfeet? My young men have been sentonce and again, and their scalps are now fringes to the leggings oftheir enemies. The War-are-ree-kas do not cross the mountains but forthe purpose of making war."
"The chief speaks truth," returned Joe; "yet there are three men roundthe council fire who will go to the Blackfeet and the Peigans withmessages of peace from the Snakes if they wish it."
Joe pointed to himself, Henri, and Dick as he spoke, and added, "Wethree do not belong to the camp of the fur-traders; we only, lodgewith them for a time. The Great Chief of the white men has sent us tomake peace with the Red-men, and to tell them that he desires to tradewith them--to exchange hatchets, and guns, and blankets for furs."
This declaration interested the two chiefs greatly, and after a gooddeal of discussion they agreed to take advantage of Joe Blunt's offer;and appoint him as a deputy to the court of their enemies. Havingarranged these matters to their satisfaction, Cameron bestowed a redflag and a blue surtout with brass buttons on each of the chiefs, anda variety of smaller articles on the other members of the council, andsent them away in a particularly amiable frame of mind.
Pee-eye-em burst the blue surtout at the shoulders and elbows inputting it on, as it was much too small for his gigantic frame;but never having seen such an article of apparel before, he eitherregarded this as the natural and proper consequence of putting it on,or was totally indifferent to it, for he merely looked at the rentswith a smile of satisfaction, while his squaw surreptitiously cut offthe two back buttons and thrust them into her bosom.
By the time the council closed the night was far advanced, and abright moon was shedding a flood of soft light over the picturesqueand busy scene.
"I'll go to the Injun camp," said Joe to Walter Cameron, as the chiefsrose to depart. "The season's far enough advanced already; it's timeto be off; and if I'm to speak for the Redskins in the BlackfeetCouncil, I'd need to know what to say."
"Please yourself, Master Blunt," answered Cameron. "I like yourcompany and that of your friends, and if it suited you I would beglad to take you along with us to the coast of the Pacific; but yourmission among the Indians is a good one, and I'll help it on all Ican.--I suppose you will go also?" he added, turning to Dick Varley,who was still seated beside the council fire caressing Crusoe.
"Wherever Joe goes, I go," answered Dick.
Crusoe's tail, ears, and eyes demonstrated high approval of thesentiment involved in this speech.
"And your friend Henri?"
"He goes too," answered Joe. "It's as well that the Redskins shouldsee the three o' us before we start for the east side o' themountains.--Ho, Henri! come here, lad."
Henri obeyed, and in a few seconds the three friends crossed thebrook to the Indian camp, and were guided to the principal lodge byPee-eye-em. Here a great council was held, and the proposed attemptat negotiations for peace with their ancient enemies fully discussed.While they were thus engaged, and just as Pee-eye-em had, in theenergy of an enthusiastic peroration, burst the blue surtout _almost_up to the collar, a distant rushing sound was heard, which causedevery man to spring to his feet, run out of the tent, and seize hisweapons.
"What can it be, Joe?" whispered Dick as they stood at the tent doorleaning on their rifles, and listening intently.
"Dun'no'," answered Joe shortly.
Most of the numerous fires of the camp had gone out, but the brightmoon revealed the dusky forms of thousands of Indians, whom theunwonted sound had startled, moving rapidly about.
The mystery was soon explained. The Indian camp was pitched on an openplain of several miles in extent, which took a sudden bend half-a-miledistant, where a spur of the mountains shut out the farther end ofthe valley from view. From beyond this point the dull rumbling soundproceeded. Suddenly there was a roar as if a mighty cataract had beenlet loose upon the scene. At the same moment a countless herd of wildhorses came thundering round the base of the mountain and swept overthe plain straight towards the Indian camp.
"A stamp
ede!" cried Joe, springing to the assistance of Pee-eye-em,whose favourite horses were picketed near the tent.
On they came like a living torrent, and the thunder of a thousandhoofs was soon mingled with the howling of hundreds of dogs in thecamp, and the yelling of Indians, as they vainly endeavoured torestrain the rising excitement of their steeds. Henri and Dick stoodrooted to the ground, gazing in silent wonder at the fierce anduncontrollable gallop of the thousands of panic-stricken horses thatbore down upon the camp with the tumultuous violence of a mightycataract.
As the maddened troop drew nigh, the camp horses began to snort andtremble violently, and when the rush of the wild steeds was almostupon them, they became ungovernable with terror, broke their haltersand hobbles, and dashed wildly about. To add to the confusion at thatmoment, a cloud passed over the moon and threw the whole scene intodeep obscurity. Blind with terror, which was probably increased by thedin of their own mad flight, the galloping troop came on, and with asound like the continuous roar of thunder that for an instant drownedthe yell of dog and man they burst upon the camp, trampling overpacks and skins, and dried meat, etc., in their headlong speed, andoverturning several of the smaller tents. In another moment they sweptout upon the plain beyond, and were soon lost in the darkness of thenight, while the yelping of dogs, as they vainly pursued them, mingledand gradually died away with the distant thunder of their retreat.
This was a _stampede_, one of the most extraordinary scenes that canbe witnessed in the western wilderness.
"Lend a hand, Henri," shouted Joe, who was struggling with a powerfulhorse. "Wot's comed over yer brains, man? This brute'll git off if youdon't look sharp."
Dick and Henri both answered to the summons, and they succeeded inthrowing the struggling animal on its side and holding it downuntil its excitement was somewhat abated. Pee-eye-em had also beensuccessful in securing his favourite hunter: but nearly every otherhorse belonging to the camp had broken loose and joined the whirlwindgallop. But they gradually dropped out, and before morning the most ofthem were secured by their owners. As there were at least two thousandhorses and an equal number of dogs in the part of the Indian campwhich had been thus overrun by the wild mustangs, the turmoil, as maybe imagined, was prodigious! Yet, strange to say, no accident of aserious nature occurred beyond the loss of several chargers.
In the midst of this exciting scene there was one heart which beatwith a nervous vehemence that well-nigh burst it. This was the heartof Dick Varley's horse, Charlie. Well known to him was that distantrumbling sound that floated on the night air into the fur-traders'camp, where he was picketed close to Cameron's tent. Many a time hadhe heard the approach of such a wild troop, and often, in days notlong gone by, had his shrill neigh rung out as he joined and ledthe panic-stricken band. He was first to hear the sound, and by hisrestive actions to draw the attention of the fur-traders to it. As aprecautionary measure they all sprang up and stood by their horses tosoothe them, but as a brook with a belt of bushes and quarter of amile of plain intervened between their camp and the mustangs as theyflew past, they had little or no trouble in restraining them. Notso, however, with Charlie. At the very moment that his master wascongratulating himself on the supposed security of his position, hewrenched the halter from the hand of him who held it, burst throughthe barrier of felled trees that had been thrown round the camp,cleared the brook at a bound, and with a wild hilarious neigh resumedhis old place in the ranks of the free-born mustangs of the prairie.
Little did Dick think, when the flood of horses swept past him, thathis own good steed was there, rejoicing in his recovered liberty. ButCrusoe knew it. Ay, the wind had borne down the information to hisacute nose before the living storm burst upon the camp; and whenCharlie rushed past, with the long tough halter trailing at his heels,Crusoe sprang to his side, seized the end of the halter with histeeth, and galloped off along with him.
It was a long gallop and a tough one, but Crusoe held on, for it was asettled principle in his mind _never_ to give in. At first the checkupon Charlie's speed was imperceptible, but by degrees the weight ofthe gigantic dog began to tell, and after a time they fell a littleto the rear; then by good fortune the troop passed through a mass ofunderwood, and the line getting entangled brought their mad careerforcibly to a close; the mustangs passed on, and the two friends wereleft to keep each other company in the dark.
How long they would have remained thus is uncertain, for neitherof them had sagacity enough to undo a complicated entanglement.Fortunately, however, in his energetic tugs at the line, Crusoe'ssharp teeth partially severed it, and a sudden start on the part ofCharlie caused it to part. Before he could escape, Crusoe again seizedthe end of it, and led him slowly but steadily back to the Indiancamp, never halting or turning aside until he had placed the line inDick Varley's hand.
"Hallo, pup! where have ye bin? How did ye bring him here?" exclaimedDick, as he gazed in amazement at his foam-covered horse.
Crusoe wagged his tail, as if to say, "Be thankful that you've gothim, Dick, my boy, and don't ask questions that you know I can'tanswer."
"He must ha' broke loose and jined the stampede," remarked Joe, comingout of the chief's tent at the moment; "but tie him up, Dick, and comein, for we want to settle about startin' to-morrow or nixt day."
Having fastened Charlie to a stake, and ordered Crusoe to watch him,Dick re-entered the tent where the council had reassembled, and wherePee-eye-em--having, in the recent struggle, split the blue surtoutcompletely up to the collar, so that his backbone was visiblethroughout the greater part of its length--was holding forth ineloquent strains on the subject of peace in general and peace with theBlackfeet, the ancient enemies of the Shirry-dikas, in particular.