CHAPTER XI
"ALL, OR NONE!"
"GAME mine!"
When the dark-faced man in the fringed buckskin said these two words inan angry tone, Roger felt something of a shock. He looked closer, andrealized that possibly the other hunter might _not_ be an Indian afterall, but one of those half-breeds who sometimes made their homes withthe tribes, and again sought the company of the whites, either Englishor French.
"Oh! is that so?" the boy answered back, in a satirical tone; "well,just prove it to me then, and I'll throw up my claim."
He kept his arrow fitted to the bowstring all the time, and aimeddirectly toward the breast of the other. Should the necessity havearisen he could have sped the shaft like lightning, even at such closerange, for it only requires one quick movement of the arm to do this.
The man pointed to the arrow that was just back of the fallen elk'sshoulder.
"Put there--in heart--bring game down every time!" he ejaculated, withthe most refreshing impudence imaginable, that made the boy lookedamazed, then furious, and finally laugh outright.
"Oh! is that your dodge, then?" he exclaimed. "You claim that as yourarrow, do you? Well, suppose you show me another just like it. Everyone of mine is tipped with eagle feathers, and made by the son of achief; while yours are lined with the quills of a wild gray goose. Thatought to be proof enough to settle the matter."
"My elk!" growled the other, with a glitter in his black eyes thatboded ill for the boy, should he be caught off his guard.
But Roger knew well that his cousin must by now have unhitched bothhorses, and be hurrying up, intent on taking a hand in the affair, ifnecessary. Besides, he was in the habit of looking out for himself insuch matters.
There is probably nothing that ever angered a borderer, young or old,more, than to have his right and title to certain game he had shotdisputed by a rival claimant, when the evidence was all in favor ofthe first hunter.
Many a fatal quarrel has been recorded in the history of the frontierthrough this very same thing, where two men have crept up on theirquarry, unknown to each other, and fired at about the same time. Eachalways rested under the belief that his missile was the one thatbrought the game down; or, even if this were not so, that he could havesent in a second shot which would have accomplished the end he had inview.
But Roger was a fair and square sort of lad, also generous in theextreme.
He could realize how keenly disappointed any one must be at findinganother just ahead when the final test came. It was his design to provehis claim to the young elk, so that none could dispute it; and thenoffer to divide.
"Listen to me," he said, trying to speak impressively. "We may havecrept up on the game at the same time; but I chanced to shoot first. Myarrow struck there, and entered the animal's heart. That was a fatalwound. The beast had almost come to a full stop, and was staggering,ready to drop, when I heard your bowstring twang. Besides, your arrowentered in the body; and, as it was, without any other hurt, the elkwould have run far before dropping. You know that as well as I do. Andso it is my game."
"Ugh! better not try keep elk!" grunted the other, while his fingerswere seen to twitch as he gripped his bow; but he had not taken timeto fit another arrow after letting loose, and so the white boy had adecided advantage over him, which those restless black eyes had notfailed to note.
"Now, I'll tell you what I'd be willing to do, because I know how hardit is to go through all that work of creeping up, and then lose thegame. I've proved that my arrow killed the elk; but I'm willing to gohalves with you! How does that suit?"
When Roger said this he knew Dick was coming, and that, as heundoubtedly would be holding his rifle ready in his hands, he couldmake quick use of it should the necessity arise. So that it wascertainly not fear that induced him to offer to hand over half of thegame to the rival claimant.
But apparently the dark-faced man was not the kind to appreciate suchgenerosity. With him it was a matter of all, or none. He knew wellthat by rights he had no sort of claim to the game, but hoped to bullythe boy into abandoning his just claims.
"My game!" he replied doggedly; "see first, and shoot before samefall. What business you have here in hunting land of Shoshones? If Itell chief, Running Antelope, he soon find, and have scalp hanging inwigwam!"
"Oh! I guess not," remarked Roger, thinking that it might be best tolet this other, who must be friendly with the hostile Indians, believethat he and Dick were only the forerunners of a large party; "for myfriends would come up in numbers, and burn the village of RunningAntelope, if he so much as injured a hair on my head. But here is myhunter companion; let us see what he says."
When the half-breed turned his head, and saw what a well-armed fellowDick was, as well as noted the look on his face, he drew back a step,as though realizing that his absurd claim on the quarry would neverhave a ghost of a show at making good. If one white boy could not bebrowbeaten, there was little chance that he could bully a pair of them.
"What's all this about, Roger?" asked Dick, as he jumped from hishorse, rifle in hand, and pressed the weapon of his cousin into theother's willing hands; for, after all, a gun felt much better than abow, when there was need for action.
"Settle this matter, Dick," observed the young hunter, eagerly. "I shotfirst, and you can see my arrow sticking just back of the shoulder. Itmust have reached a vital place, for the beast was just staggering,ready to fall, when I heard his bowstring sound--and you can see wherehe struck. That elk would have run one or two miles with a hurt throughthe body like this; because we have seen deer do the same. Am I right,Dick?"
"Every word of it is the truth, Roger," replied the other, quietly, butat the same time positively.
"And," Roger went on, "you can see whose arrow it is that did thebusiness, Dick; because mine are feathered with eagle plumes, while hisall have the gray goose quills fastened on the shaft, circling it so asto give the arrow a whirling motion as it passes through the air."
"The proof is everything that any honest man would ask to back up yourclaim," Dick continued; "but what were you offering to do when I cameup? I heard him say that it was his game, and saw him shake his head asif he refused an offer."
"Why, I didn't want to be stingy about it, and offered to share andshare alike with him," replied Roger. "That was fair enough, since thewhole of the game belongs to me by the law of the woods."
"I should say it was," his cousin exclaimed, turning again to thehalf-breed, who stood there, moodily listening to this talk, andshooting black looks at the pair of white boys.
"And then he started to threaten me, saying that if he carried the newsof our being here in the land of the fierce Shoshones to their bigchief, Running Antelope, he would come with his braves, and make usprisoners, so that our hair would hang in the lodges of the Indians.That's a nice way to answer a fellow, Dick, when he makes an offer likethat. It was just like a slap in the face."
"Just so, Roger; and for one I think you ought to take it back, afterthe way he answered you," Dick went on, frowning at the dark-faced man."He says all or none, does he? Very good, let it be none, then. We canuse this young elk nicely, and you earned the prize. I never saw abetter stalk in my life."
"And," remarked Roger, still meaning to impress the half-breed with theidea that they were only the skirmishers of a large party of whitesthat was advancing up the Missouri, "some of the rest of our friendswould be glad of a chance to put their teeth into such tender juicymeat as this, eh, Dick?"
Of course Dick guessed instantly what object his cousin had in makingsuch a queer remark, but he was too wise to say anything to thecontrary. In fact he thought so well of the little scheme himself thathe smiled, and nodded his head as he remarked:
"Well, I should think they would, Roger; anybody'd like a meal of suchtender meat. And now, who may you be? I don't suppose your name isLascelles, is it?" and he turned upon the half-breed as he asked thissudden question.
A flash of intelligence, when that name was mentioned, p
assed over thedark face of the other; but he shook his head in the negative.
"Not Lascelles. Know same though. Name Batiste Dupuy. Trapper,trader, voyageur from the North. Friend of Running Antelope, and theCheyennes. They give right to hunt, trap all through this country.Paleface boys no business shoot elk. My game! Must have all or none.Ugh!"
If his name was Batiste Dupuy, as he claimed, the half-breed must havelived a good part of his life among the redmen, for he had copied manyof their ways. His knowledge of English seemed rather meagre, for hecould hardly find suitable means whereby to express himself; for, whilehe spoke, he made many violent gestures, that were intended to addvigor to his few words.
"Then make up your mind you're going to have none," said Roger, nowgrowing angry himself at the arrogance of the fellow. "If you want yourarrow, here it is; but not an ounce of the elk meat do you get."
He jerked the shaft feathered with the quills of the gray goose fromits lodging-place in the side of the dead elk, and handed it out towardthe other. The man condescended to take it, but immediately broke itacross his knee, as though by such violent means he expected them tounderstand that he intended to be their inveterate foe from that timeforth.
"Go! Get out of this!" cried the impetuous Roger, pointing with hisquivering finger. "And just remember, Monsieur Dupuy, we have longrifles here, and know how to drive a nail at thirty paces; so that, ifyou try to do us any harm, it will be at your peril. That is all."
An Indian might have said, "I have spoken!" but Roger's way was just asexpressive, accompanied as it was by that sweep of the hand.
The man's eyes narrowed until they seemed to be mere slits, ashe glared at the bold young speaker. Then he flung his head in adisdainful gesture, and remarked with a sneer:
"Never before did Batiste Dupuy take orders from a cub. Huh! waitand see who laughs loudest. Mebbe Batiste, his hour will come soon.Lascelles, you said?--it may be I know same; and he much glad to hearof you! Sacre! that is all I say!"
With that he made them a mocking bow, showing that he surely had Frenchblood in his veins, and, whirling on his moccasined heel, strodeangrily away.
After going a certain distance he turned and looked toward them, asif measuring the intervening space. Roger even thought he could seehim fitting an arrow to his bowstring and at once half raised hisrifle threateningly. If Batiste had intended trying a shot at them, hespeedily abandoned his idea when he saw how ready they were to sendtheir lead in his direction. He must have known that pioneer boys werequite at home with their long-barreled guns, and could snip off theswaying head of a wild turkey, buried in the earth to its neck, at theannual shoots where the best marksmen came together to compete.
At any rate, he contented himself with shaking his fist in theirdirection, and then moving away again.
"A good riddance to bad rubbish!" exclaimed Roger, though evidentlypleased to see the last of the ruffian.
"And we'd better be getting away from here as soon as we can," remarkedDick, better able than his impulsive companion to understand what thischance encounter, and the making of an enemy, might mean for them.
"But he knows that Francois Lascelles, Dick; you heard him say so!"Roger remarked, as he started to fasten his horse, so that they couldcut up the game as speedily as possible, and ride away, one of themmeanwhile standing guard, so that the half-breed might not sneak upclose enough to use his bow on them.
"Yes, I guessed that he might, for they belong to the same class," theother observed, thoughtfully. "Perhaps Lascelles has bought pelts fromthis rover, and they may be the best of friends. And, if he knows thatthe French trader is anywhere around here now, be sure he will try toget word to him as fast as he can, to tell about our coming. And fromnow on we will have to be on our guard every minute of the day andnight, looking for an attack from either the Indians, or the party ofthe Frenchman. They did not seem to know just how many started out withLascelles and his son, but it must have been several."
"And of the same stripe as himself," remarked Roger, starting to takethe skin from the young elk with a skill that had been attained onlythrough long practice. "Remember what our fathers said, Dick; day andnight we must keep watch for the silent foe that would crawl up on usunseen, and catch us napping!"