CHAPTER TWELVE.
WANDERINGS ON THE PRAIRIE--A WAR-PARTY--CHASED BY INDIANS--A BOLD LEAPFOR LIFE.
For many days the three hunters wandered over the trackless prairie insearch of a village of the Sioux Indians, but failed to find one, forthe Indians were in the habit of shifting their ground, and followingthe buffalo. Several times they saw small isolated bands of Indians,but these they carefully avoided, fearing they might turn out to bewar-parties, and if they fell into their hands the white men could notexpect civil treatment, whatever nation the Indians might belong to.
During the greater portion of this time they met with numerous herds ofbuffalo and deer, and were well supplied with food, but they had to cookit during the day, being afraid to light a fire at night while Indianswere prowling about.
One night they halted near the bed of a stream which was almost dry.They had travelled a day and a night without water, and both men andhorses were almost choking, so that when they saw the trees on thehorizon which indicated the presence of a stream, they pushed forwardwith almost frantic haste.
"Hope it's not dry," said Joe anxiously as they galloped up to it. "No,there's water, lads," and they dashed forward to a pool that had not yetbeen dried up. They drank long and eagerly before they noticed that thepool was strongly impregnated with salt. Many streams in those parts ofthe prairies are quite salt, but fortunately this one was not utterlyundrinkable, though it was very unpalatable.
"We'll make it better, lads," said Joe, digging a deep hole in the sandwith his hands, a little below the pool. In a short time the waterfiltered through, and though not rendered fresh, it was, nevertheless,much improved.
"We may light a fire to-night, d'ye think?" inquired Dick; "we've notseed Injuns for some days."
"Pr'aps 'twould be better not," said Joe, "but I daresay we're safeenough."
A fire was therefore lighted in as sheltered a spot as could be found,and the three friends bivouacked as usual. Towards dawn they werearoused by an angry growl from Crusoe.
"It's a wolf likely," said Dick, but all three seized and cocked theirrifles nevertheless.
Again Crusoe growled more angrily than before, and springing out of thecamp snuffed the breeze anxiously.
"Up, lads; catch the nags! There's something in the wind, for the dogniver did that afore."
In a few seconds the horses were saddled and the packs secured.
"Call in the dog," whispered Joe Blunt; "if he barks they'll find outour whereabouts."
"Here, Crusoe, come--"
It was too late; the dog barked loudly and savagely at the moment, and atroop of Indians came coursing over the plain. On hearing the unwontedsound they wheeled directly and made for the camp.
"It's a war-party; fly, lads; nothin' 'll save our scalps now but ourhorses' heels," cried Joe.
In a moment they vaulted into the saddle, and urged their steeds forwardat the utmost speed. The savages observed them, and with an exultingyell dashed after them. Feeling that there was now no need ofconcealment, the three horsemen struck off into the open prairie,intending to depend entirely on the speed and stamina of their horses.As we have before remarked, they were good ones, but the Indians soonproved that they were equally well if not better mounted.
"It'll be a hard run," said Joe in a low, muttering tone, and lookingfurtively over his shoulder. "The varmints are mounted on wild horses,leastways they were wild not long agone. Them chaps can throw the lassoand trip a mustang as well as a Mexican. Mind the badger holes, Dick.Hold in a bit, Henri, yer nag don't need drivin'--a foot in a hole justnow would cost us our scalps. Keep down by the creek, lads."
"Hah! how dey yell," said Henri in a savage tone, looking back, andshaking his rifle at them--an act that caused them to yell more fiercelythan ever. "Dis old pack-hoss give me moche trobel."
The pace was now tremendous. Pursuers and pursued rose and sank on theprairie billows as they swept along, till they came to what is termed a"dividing ridge," which is a cross wave, as it were, which cuts theothers in two, thus forming a continuous level. Here they advanced moreeasily, but the advantage was equally shared with their pursuers, whocontinued the headlong pursuit with occasional yells, which served toshow the fugitives that they at least did not gain ground.
A little to the right of the direction in which they were flying a blueline was seen on the horizon. This indicated the existence of trees toJoe's practised eyes; and feeling that if the horses broke down theycould better make a last manful stand in the wood than on the plain heurged his steed towards it. The savages noticed the movement at once,and uttered a yell of exultation, for they regarded it as an evidencethat the fugitives doubted the strength of their horses.
"Ye haven't got us yet," muttered Joe, with a sardonic grin. "If theyget near us, Dick, keep yer eyes open, an' look out for yer neck, elsethey'll drop a noose over it; they will, afore ye know they're near, an'haul ye off like a sack."
Dick nodded in reply, but did not speak, for at that moment his eye wasfixed on a small creek ahead which they must necessarily leap or dashacross. It was lined with clumps of scattered shrubbery, and he glancedrapidly for the most suitable place to pass. Joe and Henri did thesame, and having diverged a little to the different points chosen, theydashed through the shrubbery, and were hid from each other's view. Onapproaching the edge of the stream, Dick found to his consternation thatthe bank was twenty feet high opposite him, and too wide for any horseto clear. Wheeling aside without checking speed, at the risk ofthrowing his steed, he rode along the margin of the stream for a fewhundred yards until he found a ford--at least such a spot as might becleared by a bold leap. The temporary check, however, had enabled anIndian to gain so close upon his heels, that his exulting yell soundedclose in his ear.
With a vigorous bound his gallant little horse went over. Crusoe couldnot take it, but he rushed down the one bank and up the other, so thathe only lost a few yards. These few yards, however, were sufficient tobring the Indian close upon him as he cleared the stream at full gallop.The savage whirled his lasso swiftly round for a second, and in anothermoment Crusoe uttered a tremendous roar as he was tripped up violentlyon the plain.
Dick heard the cry of his faithful dog, and turned quickly round, justin time to see him spring at the horse's throat, and bring both steedand rider down upon him. Dick's heart leaped to his throat. Had athousand savages been rushing on him, he would have flown to the rescueof his favourite; but an unexpected obstacle came in the way. His fierylittle steed, excited by the headlong race and the howls of the Indians,had taken the bit in his teeth and was now unmanageable. He tore at thereins like a maniac, and in the height of his frenzy even raised thebutt of his rifle with the intent to strike the poor horse to the earth,but his better nature prevailed. He checked the uplifted hand, and witha groan dropped the reins, and sank almost helplessly forward on thesaddle, for several of the Indians had left the main body and werepursuing him alone, so that there would have been now no chance of hisreaching the place where Crusoe fell, even if he could have turned hishorse.
Spiritless, and utterly indifferent to what his fate might be, DickVarley rode along with his head drooping, and keeping his seat almostmechanically, while the mettlesome little steed flew on over wave andhollow. Gradually he awakened from this state of despair to a sense ofdanger. Glancing round he observed that the Indians were now far behindhim, though still pursuing. He also observed that his companions weregalloping miles away on the horizon to the left, and that he hadfoolishly allowed the savages to get between him and them. The onlychance that remained for him was to outride his pursuers, and circleround towards his comrades, and this he hoped to accomplish, for hislittle horse had now proved itself to be superior to those of theIndians, and there was good running in him still.
Urging him forward, therefore, he soon left the savages still furtherbehind, and feeling confident that they could not now overtake him, hereined up and dismounted. The pursuers quickly drew near, b
ut shortthough it was, the rest did his horse good. Vaulting into the saddle,he again stretched out, and now skirted along the margin of a wood whichseemed to mark the position of a river of considerable size.
At this moment his horse put his foot into a badger hole, and both ofthem came heavily to the ground. In an instant Dick rose, picked up hisgun, and leaped unhurt into the saddle. But on urging his poor horseforward, he found that its shoulder was badly sprained. There was noroom for mercy, however,--life and death were in the balance,--so heplied the lash vigorously, and the noble steed warmed into somethinglike a run, when again it stumbled, and fell with a crash on the ground,while the blood burst from its mouth and nostrils. Dick could hear theshout of triumph uttered by his pursuers.
"My poor, poor horse!" he exclaimed, in a tone of the deepestcommiseration, while he stooped and stroked its foam-studded neck.
The dying steed raised his head for a moment, it almost seemed as if toacknowledge the tones of affection, then it sank down with a gurglinggroan.
Dick sprang up, for the Indians were now upon him, and bounded like anantelope into the thickest of the shrubbery, which was nowhere thickenough, however, to prevent the Indians following. Still, itsufficiently retarded them to render the chase a more equal one thancould have been expected. In a few minutes Dick gained a strip of openground beyond, and found himself on the bank of a broad river, whoseevidently deep waters rushed impetuously along their unobstructedchannel. The bank at the spot where he reached it was a sheer precipiceof between thirty and forty feet high. Glancing up and down the riverhe retreated a few paces, turned round and shook his clenched fist atthe savages, accompanying the action with a shout of defiance, and thenrunning to the edge of the bank, sprang far out into the boiling floodand sank.
The Indians pulled up on reaching the spot. There was no possibility ofgalloping down the wood-encumbered banks after the fugitive, but quickas thought each Red-man leaped to the ground, and fitting an arrow tohis bow, awaited Dick's re-appearance with eager gaze.
Young though he was, and unskilled in such wild warfare, Dick knew wellenough what sort of reception he would meet with on coming to thesurface, so he kept under water as long as he could, and struck out asvigorously as the care of his rifle would permit. At last he rose for afew seconds, and immediately half a dozen arrows whizzed through theair; but most of them fell short; only one passed close to his cheek,and went with a "whip" into the river. He immediately sank again, andthe next time he rose to breathe he was far beyond the reach of hisIndian enemies.