CHAPTER III
A SHADOW OVER THE HOMESTEAD
THERE was no such thing as catching Dick unprepared. No doubt he hadbefore now considered just what should be done in such an emergency.
Even while the excited Roger was speaking, Dick had acted. Of coursethe only thing that could be done in order to give the descending beara fright was to fire a shot into his hindquarters at close range. Nobear could stand that, Dick felt certain. The only thing that gave theboy cause for concern was that the animal might have pushed into theopening so far that, in his alarm, he would lose his grip above, andcome down upon them, crushing both under his weight.
The report of Dick's rifle sounded like a peal of thunder. There was atremendous clawing noise above, and, for a brief interval, Dick's heartwas in his throat.
Then the clawing ceased inside the hollow tree, and, at the same time,Roger's voice rang out.
"He's climbed out in a bigger hurry than he came in, Dick! You gavehim a pain that time. He must think hornets have built a nest in hisold den, and you won't get that smart bear coming back here in a hurryagain. There, I heard him strike the ground! Perhaps you hit him harderthan you meant to, Dick, and we might get him for the larder, if wewanted!"
"Not much chance of that when I had only his hindquarters to shootinto," the other declared; "but, all the same, he's skipped out, andtaken to the woods. What's a little rain to a furry coat like his,after sleeping all winter? But one thing is sure, Roger, the rain isslackening up."
"Yes," added the other, "and the wind, too; for it doesn't howl as itdid. But, let me tell you, I'm glad that thunder doesn't growl so muchnow. When that loud crash came I got a bad scare, because I thought howlightning likes to pick out a big oak like this, and splinter it fromtop to bottom."
"You wouldn't have known what hurt you, if it had struck this tree; andthere's a little satisfaction in that, Roger. But, when I get my gunloaded, I mean to climb up, and take an observation."
"How lucky that we've got that rope to help out," remarked Roger; "forthe inside of this old tree feels as smooth as anything, because thebear has clawed his way up and down so many times. We would have had ahard job getting up, only for that."
"Oh! there are ways, if you only bother thinking them out," observedthe other boy. "With two of us down here, one could climb on theshoulders of the other and, after he got out, help his comrade with hishands. Oh! you're off, are you? I wondered if you would wait, and letme go first for a change. But, now that you're half-way up, keep righton, and tell me how things look to you. Be careful how you poke yourhead out, because, after all, the bear might be waiting for us."
Roger had little difficulty in reaching the opening. He was so nimblethat he could climb any tree like a monkey; but, remembering thewarning of his cousin, he tried to take an observation before thrustinghis head out.
"All clear, here, Dick!" he called, joyfully; "you gave him a scare,let me tell you--chances are he's running yet. And better still, theclouds have broken across the river, for, would you believe it, thesun's peeping out! Better come up, as the rain's stopped now."
That was good news for the boy in the hollow tree, and he lost no timein following his companion. Presently both were perched upon the wetlimbs, looking around.
"You wounded the bear, Dick, for, see, here are blood marks on thebark," cried Roger, pointing as he spoke.
"Which I am sorry for," was the reply, "because I never like to hurt ananimal unless I want him for food. And we couldn't think of trying tofollow the trail of the bear at this late hour. Mother might be worriedif we didn't come home by dark, after such a sudden storm. So let'shead back to the boat, and, if the waves have gone down enough, we'llpush out for the other bank."
"Whew! did you ever see such big bear tracks, Dick?" exclaimed Roger,as he bent down to examine the imprints. "The chances are, now, we'llnever set eyes on anything to beat that in all our lives again;" but,when the boy made that statement, and believed what he was saying, too,he could not possibly foresee the time when he and his cousin wouldlook upon the distant Rocky Mountains, just then almost unknown towhite men, and view that greatest of all bears, the terrible grizzly ofthe foothills. Yet that experience was before them, and nearer than anyone could dream.
"Come on, we had better be in a hurry, Roger," the other called out;"because already it is getting pretty close to sunset, and with so manyclouds overhead, darkness is apt to come along soon afterwards. And youknow it isn't safe upon the big river after night sets in."
They were quickly at the little cove where the dugout had been left,and, much to their satisfaction, they found everything all right.
"I'm glad that bear didn't get a scent of our fish while he washurrying home," Dick remarked.
"That's so," the other boy added, "because we happen to know how hungrythey are for fish, lots of times. Didn't we see one scoop a fish outwith his paw, once, as he squatted on a log that ran down into thewater? But are we going to risk it out there on the river just yet,Dick?"
"It looks pretty rough, I declare; but the waves are going down everyminute, so we had better wait a while. Given half an hour, and weought to be able to cross. The longer we can hold off, the easier ourpassage will be."
"I suppose it's no use throwing out a line again?" mused Roger, whosepassion for fishing could never be wholly satisfied.
"Not after such a heavy rain, and with the river rising as it is,Roger. You know enough about fish to remember that they never biteafter a rain that washes all sorts of feed into the river, and muddiesthe water so. Here, we can sit down on this rock, and talk a little."
"Yes, and Dick, I know that you have something on your mind that's beenworrying you all day. More than once I've come near asking what ailedyou, and then I held my tongue for fear I might offend. And at ourhouse I notice that father and mother seem worried, too, for they oftenstop talking when I come in, and look confused, as if they didn't wantme to know what was wrong. Now, if you know, tell me. We're pretty wellgrown, and ought to take some of the burdens on our shoulders, it seemsto me."
"Well spoken, Roger, and shake hands with me on that!" exclaimed theolder lad, while his sober face lighted up with a mingling of regardfor his cousin, and delight over hearing these words spring from hisheart. "Yes, you are right, we _are_ old enough to be taken into thecouncils of our parents; and my father has thought the same, for hetold me the nature of the gloom that seems to be hanging over the wholelittle Armstrong settlement of late."
"And will you tell me, Dick?" demanded the other, eagerly, while alook akin to resolution flashed over his handsome face. Roger was hisfather in his younger years over again; a real "chip of the old block,"gentle-hearted, brave, and with only the fault of recklessness to marhis good record.
Sandy Armstrong in early life had taken as his model that sterlingyoung borderer known in the history of the "dark and bloody ground,"Kentucky, as Daniel Boone's most beloved helper, Simon Kenton; and, astheir natures were very much alike, the reason for his admiration hadalways been very evident.
"Yes," Dick went on to say, bravely, "because my father said he thoughtboth of us should know; not that he had any idea we could do anythingto help; but, if the blow fell, we might be better prepared to standit."
"Blow fell!" repeated the other, in sheer astonishment, while his ruddyface lost a little of its color; "why, what can you mean, Dick? Arethe Indians going on the warpath; or has that precious wampum belt beenlost again, as father told me once happened when he was a boy?"[4]
"No, it is nothing like that, Roger," replied the other. "It concernsthe title to the property our parents bought years ago, and which hasbeen our home all of our lives, up to now."
"Why, you surprise me, Dick! They bought it, I have heard, from theFrench traders who owned the section across the river, the pick of theland above the St. Louis settlement."
"Yes, that is a fact, Roger; but it seems that there is some sort ofdefect in the title, and an old French trader, Francois Lascelles byname
, with his grown son, Alexis, has threatened to turn us out of ourhomes by the first of next year, unless we make a new settlement withhim, and purchase the ground for a second time. It seems, however, thatthere is just one way by which the land may be saved."
"Oh! I am glad to hear that; and if there is anything that I can do,only tell me, and see how quickly I will do it. But it would nearlykill my mother to lose the farm now, because she loves the place somuch. Now, tell me what that one thing is."
"Listen. It seems that there is a man whose signature to certainpapers is necessary in order to keep this rascal of a Frenchman fromseizing the property by the first of next year. His name is JasperWilliams, and he is a hunter and scout very much like Daniel Boone, thefriend of our parents. Both your father and mine have been to greattrouble trying to locate this man, and, Roger, think of the bitterdisappointment that overwhelmed them upon discovering a few days agothat he is far away in the unknown West, but expects to join the Lewisand Clark exploration party that started out many weeks ago, boundto cross prairies and mountains, and rivers and lakes if necessary,until they finally set eyes on the Pacific Ocean, which we know lieshundreds, perhaps thousands, of miles away from the Mississippi."
Roger shook his head, as if overwhelmed with sadness.
"Why, they may not be back again for two years, even if they escapethe thousand and one perils they must encounter from wild beasts,hostile Sioux and Blackfeet Indians, snow pitfalls in the mountains,starvation on the deserts, and all sorts of other things. Oh! Dick,what a cruel thing this is. And it could all be changed, you say, ifonly that one man's signature might be obtained to a certain paper?"
"Yes, so father tells me. And, Roger, do you know what I have beenthinking of all this day, while we sat, and fished, and watched thecoming of the storm?"
His impulsive cousin glanced up at him quickly, an eager glow in hiseyes and a set look on his young face.
"Dick, were you thinking that _we_ might start out, and try to overtakethat expedition which President Jefferson has sent to see what our newterritory between the river and the ocean is like? (Note 2.) Tell me,would such an idea ever enter the head of so cautious a fellow as DickArmstrong when it might seem to be only fit for a madcap like myself?"
"Ah! yes! but, Roger, think what the signing of that paper would meanto all those we love! Remember that, unless something is done, we maylose our homes before another spring, and our parents must start allover again. And, if you stop and think, did not our fathers once makealmost as dangerous a journey into the unknown country of the IroquoisIndians, at the time our Aunt Kate, their sister, was stolen by a youngchief?"
"Yes, yes, every word you say is true, Dick; but the daring of it allstaggers me. Do not think for a second that I will hold back, if onlywe can gain the consent of our parents to making the trial. Think ofstarting out into that wonderful unknown wilderness, where white menhave never until now placed a foot, following in the track of CaptainLewis and Captain Clark, with their little band of soldiers and scouts,not more than forty souls, all told. Oh! let us get back across theriver right away, Dick, because I want to beg my father to let me go;and get grandfather to back us up, for he says we are chips of the oldblocks, and able to hold our own anywhere."
"Well, the wind has fallen enough, I think, for us to make the trial;so jump into the dugout, and we'll paddle for the other shore, Roger."
FOOTNOTE:
[4] See "The Pioneer Boys of the Mississippi."