CHAPTER VI
BAD NEWS
"HAVE you come to tell me what they have decided, Dick?" asked Roger,on the following afternoon, when his cousin overtook him on the riverbank, where he had gone to work halfheartedly on a new dugout whichthe boys were fashioning from an especially fine log selected by Bobhimself.
"Yes, father just came in to tell me that he and Uncle Sandy hadfinally determined that, since we were so set upon trying to save thefarms, they could not stand in the way," replied the other, who wasalmost out of breath.
Roger threw his hat high in the air, and his face broke out in a smile,as he let a whoop escape him that would have done credit to somePottawatomie brave, eager to go upon the warpath.
"That's the best news you could have brought me, Dick!" he exclaimed."And how you fooled me with your long face. My heart seemed to dropaway down in my moccasins, because I was afraid they had said 'no.'But I had a heap of faith in Grandfather Armstrong, and he was with usfrom the beginning. When can we start, Dick? Oh, the hours will draglike lead till we are off! Not that I won't suffer because of leavingmother and father and all the rest; but it means so much to everybody.And, Dick, do you think we will succeed? Can we overtake Captain Lewis,after he's had so long a start? And will Jasper Williams be there tosign that paper?"
His cousin laughed at the flood of eager questions.
"One at a time, Roger," he remarked, holding the other at arms' length."They will not think of letting us off under two days, because ourmothers will want to get so many things ready for us to take. But whatdoes a little delay matter, when we know that we are going to take thegreat trip? Think of how every boy in the settlement will envy us, andwish he could go along. But this is too serious a business to think oftaking any company with us. They would not have anything at stake, andmight feel like backing down when troubles came, while we do not meanto let anything hold us back."
Roger turned, and looked toward the west. That was always the "unknowncountry" to the American pioneer, even when the first of them climbedthe Alleghanies, and from their tops saw the sun sink behind theforests beyond. It held mysteries that the eyes of white men had asyet never rested upon. Could there be a more enticing prospect to lureadventurous lads forward than this piercing of the wilderness, dayafter day, moving ever onward toward the distant shore of the Pacific,of which they had heard such great stories, handed down from the lipsof those who had perhaps gazed upon the western sea in the East Indies;or it might be from the narrow isthmus down where the waves of theCaribbean Sea washed the shores of the Spanish Main.
It was a beautiful day. Fleecy white clouds dotted the blue sky. Herea white-headed eagle soared round and round in great circles, sailingever upward toward the sun. Far out upon the water a fish-hawk orosprey was hovering with winnowing wing, preparatory to darting downto clutch some unlucky fish in its talons; after which, possibly, the"lord of the air" might attack the hawk, and force a surrender of thefinny prey, after the manner of all eagles, even to this day.
It was a pleasure to breathe the fresh air, and be thankful that onelived. Add to this the realization that a dream was about to come true,such as no boy had ever dared indulge before, and the feelings of RogerArmstrong can be partly understood.
No wonder his boyish face shone with happiness. True, there would betearful partings from those he loved; but then, his heart was staunch,and he knew he could stand that. And the wonderful mission thatbeckoned them forward, was not that enough to pay for any trouble andsuffering they might meet?
"How do you suppose they will say we ought to follow the expedition,Dick?" he finally found tongue to ask, at the same time casting adubious look in the direction of the dugout upon which he had beenworking.
Seeing that look, Dick burst out laughing.
"Well, if it depended on our paddling that heavy craft hundreds andhundreds of miles up the swift current of the Missouri, making a carryevery now and then, perhaps, and going ashore every night to camp, Idon't think we'd ever come up with those French Canadian voyageurs whohandle the three boats Captain Lewis has with him. You remember howwe followed them all one morning when they passed here, and how badlywe felt after they had disappeared around the big bend above. And itseems almost too good to be true to think that we are going after them,perhaps to be in their company a long time."
"But answer my question, please, Dick; if not by boat, then how shallwe overtake the expedition, which must be a hundred or more miles awayby now?"
"There is only one way, Roger. Our fathers have decided that we shallstart out with horses, one each to ride, and another for a pack animal,to carry some of the things we may want on the long journey. I did notthink we would need these last; but I said nothing, for it pleases ourmothers to think that we may carry plenty of good things along. Butbetween us, Roger, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we had to abandonour packhorses before we've been a week on the trail, and trust to thefleetness of our own animals' heels to keep ourselves from being madeprisoners by some of the Indian tribes whose country we have to passthrough."
Even this dismal prophecy did not appear to affect the impulsive Roger.Indeed, his eyes sparkled more than ever, as though he rather enjoyedthe prospect of being thrown on his own resources. It was going to be afine opportunity to learn the value of those secrets of woodcraft whichhe had picked up from time to time.
From the early days of history, the prospect of adventure has appealedto all boys with red blood in their veins. Only for that eagerness,shown by the early pioneers, to pit themselves against the perils ofthe wilderness, how would our frontier line have been extended, yearafter year, until it finally broke over the mighty Rockies, and reachedthe western sea?
"But two whole days," Roger muttered, "they will seem ever so long tome, Dick. I wish it could be to-morrow."
"Oh! but there is plenty to be done, for all of us," replied the morethoughtful lad; "I'll see to it that you have no idle minutes on yourhands from this time out. To begin with, Roger, pick up your tools, andbring them to the house. All work on this boat must be put off untilour return, unless Sam chooses, with the help of Grandfather, to finishit, which I rather think will be the case."
They turned their back upon the river, but it would be in their mindsalways. Indeed, they must expect to follow its erratic course overplains and through valleys, heading into the northwest continually,until in due time they might hope to overtake those who had gonebefore, with horses, and boats, and all manner of stores, intended toplacate, it might be, the hostile and suspicious tribes that had neverbefore set eyes on a white man.
Yes, those were busy hours with every one. Even Sam felt that he mustdo what little he could. The hunting could wait until after his brotherhad said his last good-by, and ridden away into the west--time enoughfor all that; but just now he wanted to see all he could of Dick, whohad never seemed half so dear as when he was about to go away.
Sad hours they were for the parents of both lads, though theyendeavored to conceal it. The mothers shed their tears in secret, notwishing to display any weakness. Now that the matter had been settledthey were like the staunch Roman mothers of old, who could with dryeyes send their sons forth to battle, keeping all display of womanlyweakness for their own rooms.
The horses that were to be taken had been selected, and every detail ofsaddles and bridles looked after before the first full day had gone.Bob and Sandy Armstrong saw to these things themselves. Their formerexperience in the forest was of great value in this emergency, for theyknew just what ought to be taken by their sons, from extra flints inorder to ensure fire, and for the rifles, to blankets needed on thenights when perhaps they would be exposed to chilling winds and storms,far up in a mountainous country.
By the time the next day was over, the preparations had gone on sowell that the boys had gained the consent of their parents to makingthe start at noon of the following day, which would give them severalhours' gain on the original plan of campaign.
Charts or plans of the country there
were none, for no whites hadpenetrated more than a hundred miles or so to the westward. It wasbelieved that many different tribes of Indians lived along the upperMissouri, for from time to time venturesome trappers had met rovingbands and picked up a certain amount of information concerning thefierce Sioux, the Blackfeet, the Mandans, and other nations that warredagainst each other, and seemed to hold certain sections of the countryas their hunting grounds, ready to fight any trespassers, be they redor white.
Roger had gone down to the settlement of St. Louis to carry out someerrand entrusted to him, and on his return it was seen that the boylooked very much excited, as though he might have heard news thatconcerned the mission he and his cousin had agreed to carry out.
The others were gathered at the cabin of Grandfather Armstrong,examining something which the old man had brought out, and which hewished the boys to take along with them on their trip.
So Roger came hurrying up, and his excited manner immediately drew theattention of everybody. The first thing that struck Bob Armstrong wasthat bad news might have been received concerning the expedition ofCaptain Lewis; for there had been many dismal prophecies uttered thatthey would fall before an overwhelming attack of hostile Indians beforethey had been a month on the way, or reached anywhere near the fallsof the river at the place where Atchison, Kansas, now stands.
"Tell us the worst, son!" demanded Sandy, as Roger reached the group."Is it any evil that has befallen our good friend, Captain Lewis, andhis gallant command?"
"No, not that, father," replied the boy; "but, would you believe it?that Frenchman, Francois Lascelles, has been in St. Louis with hisson; and, learning of our mission, they have already started, bent onfinding Williams before we can, and fixing it so that all our work willbe useless!"