CHAPTER XVI
THE PERILS OF THE WILDERNESS
"I WONDER if he saw us?" Roger was saying, some days after the buffalostampede.
The boys were thinking of halting for the night, and the western skyhad taken on all the wonderful rosy tints at which even these frontierboys would gaze with something akin to awe.
"I hope not," his companion returned, with a troubled look on hissunburned face; "because that might mean new perils before morning. Upto now we've been so lucky about escaping any sort of fight with thewandering Indians that I keep hoping we may get through, and join theexpedition, without any annoyance."
"But it _was_ a redskin, all right, Dick; both of us saw him plainenough to be very sure of that," Roger went on.
"Oh! yes, I grant that," was Dick's answer; "but he wasn't in evidenceon that little rise more than a few minutes. We kept our horsesstanding still all the time, in the hope that he might not notice us.He shaded his eyes with his hand, because he was looking into the west,and that light must have partly blinded him. I only hope it was strongenough to make him miss seeing us here."
"Are we going on now?" queried the other, impatiently.
"That's the only thing left to us, Roger. By sticking close to the footof the rise, where there are some trees to give us shelter, we mayescape being seen. But no galloping for us now; just let the horseswalk until the dusk comes down on us. Then we'll make camp, somehow."
"How lucky that I cooked enough of that meat at noon to last anothermeal. That was a time when I had my head about me, eh, Dick?" the otherasked.
"It looks that way, because we must light no fire if there's a huntingparty of hostile Indians around here," Dick decided.
They let the tired animals walk, keeping to the edge of the little hillbeyond which, though at some little distance, lay the river.
Roger, grown very suspicious now, turned in his saddle many timesto glance in all directions. He thought more than once that he sawa crouching Indian behind some tree or bush, and his gun almostinvoluntarily started to leap to his shoulder. But in every case itturned out to be some deceptive shadow, and Roger was the first one tolaugh at his own silly fears.
Gradually the glorious red tints died out of the western heavens; andwith their passing came the troops of skirmishing shadows that told ofthe night.
Dick had meanwhile kept on the alert, not only to discover any lurkingfoe, but at the same time find a suitable spot where they could maketheir camp.
When he located a place that seemed to promise them fair shelter, andat the same time a feeding spot for their horses, he drew rein.
"We might as well pull up here, and settle down for the night, Roger,"he announced.
So they proceeded to stake the horses out, making their ownarrangements so as to be very close to the feeding animals. The grasswas sweet and plentiful, and, as the horses were hungry, they startedcropping it without delay, glad to be relieved from their burdens, forthe day had been a hot one.
"Perhaps," said Roger, as they started to arrange things so as to haveat least some sort of comfort, "it might be wise not to undo most ofour packages, since we don't mean to make a fire."
"I was just going to say that myself," the other rejoined. "Then, if wewanted to get away from here in a hurry, we'd be in condition to do so."
"Then you still have a little idea we were seen by that lone brave,Dick; and that he may bring the rest of the hunting party down on usto-night?"
"It seems to strike me that way; and so we must keep a better watcheven than usual to-night," Dick observed, as he accepted some of thefood his comrade took out of a package, and started to munch at it withthat contentment the boys of those days learned to exhibit.
"We've been so lucky all these weeks, while following after theexpedition, not to meet a single enemy face to face--unless you'd countthat half-breed. If he was with Francois Lascelles we must have giventhem the slip nicely, don't you think, Dick?"
"It looks that way," Dick answered, between bites. "Pass me the oldcanteen that we filled with water at that fine spring late thisafternoon, and I'll wash down this dry meat. We've been delayed so manytimes now that the summer is passing away; and, after all, it begins tolook as if we might come up with Captain Lewis just when he's thinkingof stopping over to pass the winter. You know we heard him say he feltsure he'd have to do that somewhere short of the big mountains theIndians tell such strange stories about, when bringing in their peltsto the trading posts."
"But no matter, we're bound to keep on, if it takes us all the way tothe ocean--I've heard you say that more than once, Dick, and I know youmeant it, too."
"Yes, I'm just as determined as when we started out to overtake theexpedition, and have that paper signed by Jasper Williams. Every time Ishut my eyes when trying to go to sleep I can see my father's troubledface, and how well do I remember discovering the tears in mother's eyesas she looked around the little home, for I know she was thinking howit would break her heart to have to give it up now."
"It must never happen, Dick. After coming this far we _must_ succeed,and save the homes of our parents for them. I am twice as set on thatas when we first started out. Think of all we've gone through; and yetit seems as if the Good Captain above must be watching over us, to keepall harm from overtaking us. Yes, we are going to succeed, if pluck andlove can pull us through!"
In this manner the two boys buoyed up each other's courage. Nor was itat all strange that there arose now and then some necessity for sucha thing. The task which they had set for themselves might have wellgiven grown men, experienced forest rangers, cause for hesitation anddoubt. The hidden perils of this unknown country had been the subjectof campfire talk ever since the lads knew anything; and unconsciouslytheir young minds had been impressed with the idea that many kinds offierce animals inhabited the country far beyond the Mississippi, in theLand of the Setting Sun. And then there were numerous tribes of warlikeIndians roving over the plains, and through the forests in uncountednumbers, and great beasts, the like of which the eyes of hunters hadnever before seen, having their homes among the sky-piercing mountainslying like a barrier far toward the distant ocean.
The darkness closed in even as they ate their frugal meal and conversedin low whispers. Roger was more than ever on the alert. The many littlesounds of the night caused him to listen, and try to determine whetherthe shrill cry of the cricket, or the monotonous call of the katydidwere genuine, or some signal of creeping enemies.
When a whippoorwill suddenly gave out his loud notes from a neighboringtree, the nervous Roger started as if he had been shot, and even thrustforward a hand, as though ready to snatch up his gun.
When finally they had finished eating, Dick seemed to have made up hismind to something that had been worrying him.
"Listen to me, Roger," he said, impressively; "I was just thinking ofwhat old Pat O'Mara told us once, of when he was in a dangerous land,and feared that the Indians might know of his camp. You remember hechanged his location as soon as darkness covered his movements. And hewas glad he'd done so, because, later on in that same night, he heardshots and yells in the quarter where he had been; and knew that theredskins were pouncing on the dummy figure he had left beside a littlefire. We must do the same thing now. I wouldn't sleep easily unless wemade a move."
"Just as you say, Dick; you're the chief of the expedition, you know.But do you really think that Indian saw us, and perhaps followed us?"
"I seem to have an idea that way," replied the other; "several timesI thought, when I turned my head and looked back, that I saw a branchfall into place, just as if some one might be watching us from behindthe green covert. And once I even believed I saw a shadowy figure flitfrom tree to tree. No matter if it is a false alarm, Roger; it isbetter to be on the safe side, as father says."
"All right, whenever you say the word we'll make the move," Rogerreturned, "and how fortunate that we didn't undo our stuff any morethan we had to, in getting the blankets out. Shall I bring the horsesin now,
Dick, so we can load up?"
"Yes, it is pitch dark, and we can creep on without any one seeing us,Roger. Besides, if that red spy did follow at our heels, as soon as hesaw that we meant to make camp here he must have marked the spot wellin his mind, and then slipped off to hunt up the rest of the party.Perhaps they may be miles away, and it would take him hours to findthem."
Roger soon had the horses ready. Then the tired boys started off. Theydid not venture to mount, but walked ahead of their animals, leadingthem. This was on account of the darkness, which was so intense thatneither could see more than ten feet ahead; and even at that distancethe trees bordering the little rise looked dim and uncanny, as thoughthey might be ghosts----at least, that was the way they appeared to theimagination of Roger.
For half an hour they walked along in this fashion, sometimes stumblingover obstacles they could not see, but making steady progress all thewhile.
"I think we have come far enough, now," remarked Dick, finally, as hestopped in his tracks.
"Oh! I'm glad to hear you say that!" exclaimed the other, with a longdrawn sigh, for he was very tired after that hot day's journey.
They soon had the horses staked out again, close at hand. Neither ofthe boys expected to get very much sleep that night, for there seemedto be some strange foreboding in the atmosphere, that affected them.
As they had done on many another occasion, the boys divided the nightinto watches, each taking turn and turn about in keeping awake.
It was a moonless night, though the stars were bright enough. After awarm day, the myriads of insects seemed to be unusually noisy, and keptup a chorus that was soothing, rather than irritating, to the senses ofDick Armstrong, as he sat with his back braced against the trunk of asmall tree.
Roger was sound asleep alongside; and, sitting there, Dick could hearthe constant cropping of the horses as they continued to make a supperfrom the grass that grew in the open spaces, and still preserved itssweetness, despite the lateness of the season.
Now and again some distant sound would cause him to raise his head tolisten; it might be the weird howl of a prairie wolf, the strange cryof a coyote, a new animal to both boys; or the hoot of an owl perchedin some dead tree, and signaling to its mate.
But the night wore on, without anything out of the ordinary occurring,and Dick even began to imagine that his fears must have beengroundless. Still, he could not regret having taken precautions; for itpaid to be on the safe side always.
Then he suddenly sat upright. His manner indicated that his quick earshad caught some sound, however trifling, that seemed out of the common,and therefore, under the circumstances, suspicious.
It was as if a stone had been dislodged somewhere up on the littleridge, and in rattling down the side, caused a small avalanche. Still,a roving animal might have been the cause.
Dick turned his eyes upward. The top of the ridge happened to be devoidof undergrowth, and was sharply outlined against the starry heavens.One of the greatest of the planets was just about to set, and hoveredabove the ridge, as if on the point of sending out the last flickeringgleam before dropping from sight.
Even as the boy sat there and looked, he saw something pass beforethis bright star. It was erect, and on two feet, therefore not ananimal; moreover, Dick had seen the flutter of feathers crowning thescalp-lock, and he knew that it must be an Indian brave.
Another, and still another flitted past, until the startled lad hadcounted fully seventeen of the noiseless figures. Then he knew thatthey were heading toward the very spot where he and Roger had firstintended spending the night, proving that the spy, after locating them,had indeed hurried away to summon his red companions.