Altsheler, Joseph - [Great West 01] Read online

  THE SIOUX WARNING

  "No, Jim, I can't wait patiently, but I can wait n^^ I'll make myself keep still."

  "That's good enough. On occasion I can be as good a horsethief as the best Sioux or Crow or Cheyenne that ever lived, only it's our own horses that I'm going to steal. They've a guard, of course, but I'll slip past him. Now use all your patience, Will."

  "I will," said the lad, as he leaned against the trunk of the oak. Then he became suddenly aware that he no longer either saw or heard Boyd. The hunter had vanished as completely and as silently as if he had melted into the air, but Will knew that he was going toward the thin forest, where the horses grazed or rested at the end of their lariats.

  All at once he felt terribly alone. He heard noth- ing now but the moaning of the wind that came down from the far mountains. The camp was gone, Boyd was gone, the horses were invisible, and he was the only human being in the gigantic and unknown North- west. The air felt distinctly colder and he shivered a little. It was not fear, it was merely the feeling that he was cut off from the race like a shipwrecked sailor on a desert island. He took himself meta- phorically by the shoulders and gave his body a good shake. Boyd would be coming back soon with the horses, and then he would have the best of comrade- ship.

  But the hunter was a long time in returning, a half hour that seemed to Will a full two hours, but at last, when he had almost given him up, he heard a tread approaching. He had experience enough to

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  THE GREAT SIOUX TRAIL

  know that the sound was made by hoofs, and that Boyd was successful. He realized now, so great was his confidence in the hunter's skill, that failure had not entered his mind.

  The sound came nearer, and it was made by more than one horse. Then the figure of the hunter ap- peared in the darkness and behind him came four horses, the two that they rode, and the extra animals for the packs.

  "Splendidly done!" exclaimed the lad. "But I knew you could do it!"

  "It was about as delicate a job as I ever handled," said Boyd, with a certain amount of pride in his tone, "but by waiting until I had a good chance I was able to cut 'em out. It was patience that did it. I tell you, lad, patience is about the greatest quality a man can have. It's the best of all winners."

  "I suppose that's the reason, Jim, it's so hard to exercise it at times. Although I had nothing to do and took none of the risk, it seemed to me you were gone several hours."

  Boyd laughed a little.

  "It proves what I told you," he said, "but we want to get away from here as quick as we can now. You lead two of the horses, I'll lead the other two, and we won't mount for a while yet. I don't think they can hear us at the camp, but we won't give 'em a chance to do so if we can help it."

  He trod a course straight into the west, the ground, fortunately, being soft and the hoofs of the horses making but little sound. Although the darkness hung

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  as thick and close as ever, the skillful woodsman found the way instinctively, and neither stumbled nor trod upon the fallen brushwood. Young Clarke, just be- hind him, followed in his tracks, also stepping lightly and he knew enough not to ask any questions, con- fident that Boyd would take them wherever they Dished to go.

  It was a full two hours before the hunter stopped and then they stood on a low hill covered but thinly with the dwarfed trees of that region. The night was lightening a little, a pallid moon and sparse stars creeping out in the heavens. By the faint light young Clarke saw only a wild and rugged country, low hills about them and in the north the blur that he knew to be mountains.

  "We can stand up straight now and talk in our natu- ral voices," said Boyd, in a clear, full tone, "and right glad I am, too. I hate to steal away from friends, as if you were running from the law. That Captain Kenyon is a fine fellow, though he and his men don't know much about this wild country."

  "Isn't this about the same direction that Red Cloud and his warriors took ?" asked Will.

  "Not far from it, but we won't run into 'em. They're miles and miles ahead. There's a big Sioux village two or three days' journey farther on, and it's a certainty that their ponies are headed straight for it."

  "And we won't keep going for the same village?"

  The big hunter laughed infectiously.

  "Not if we know what is good for us," he replied,

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  THE GREAT SIOUX TRAIL

  "and we think we do. Our trail leads far to the north" of the Sioux town, and, when we start again, we'll make an abrupt change in our course. There's enough moonlight now for you to see the face of your watch, and tell me the time, Will."

  "Half-past one, Jim."

  "And four or five hours until morning. We'll move on again. There's a chance that some pursuing sol- dier might find us here, one chance in a thousand, so to speak, but slim as it is it is well to guard against it. Mount your horse. There's no reason now why we shouldn't ride."

  Will sprang gladly into the saddle, leading his pack- animal by the lariat, and once more followed Boyd, who rode down the hill into a wide and shallow val- ley, containing a scattered forest of good growth. Boyd's horse raised his head suddenly and neighed.

  "What does that mean?" asked Will, startled. "Sioux?"

  "No," replied the hutner. "I know this good and faithful brute so well that he and I can almost talk together. I've learned the meaning of every neigh he utters and the one you have just heard indicates that he has smelled water. In this part of the world water is something that you must have on your mind most of the time, and his announcement is welcome."

  "If there's a stream, do we camp by it?"

  "We certainly do. We won't turn aside from the luck that fortune puts in our way. We're absolutely safe from the soldiers now. They can't trail us in the night, and we've come many miles."

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  They descended a long slope and came into the val- ley, finding the grass there abundant, and, flowing down the centre, a fine brook of clear cold water, from which horses and horsemen drank eagerly. Then they unsaddled and prepared for rest and food.

  "Is there no danger here from the Sioux?" asked Will.

  "I think not," replied the hunter. "I've failed to find a pony track, and I'm quite sure I saw a buck among the trees over there. If the Indians had passed this way there would have been no deer to meet our eyes, and you and I, Will, my lad, will take without fear the rest we need so much."

  "I see that the brook widens and deepens into a pool a little farther on, and as I'm caked with dust and dirt I think I'll take a bath."

  "Go ahead. I've never heard that a man was less brave or less enduring because he liked to keep clean. You'll feel a lot better when it's done."

  Will took off his clothes and sprang into the pool which had a fine, sandy bottom. The chill at once struck into his marrow. He had not dreamed that it was so cold. The hunter laughed when he saw him shivering.

  "That water comes down from the high moun- tains," he said, "and a few degrees more of cold would turn it into ice. But splash, Will ! Splash ! and you'll feel fine!"

  Young Clarke obeyed and leaped and splashed with great energy, until his circulation grew vigorous and warm. When he emerged upon the bank his whole

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  body was glowing and he felt a wonderful exhilara- tion, both physical and mental. He ran up and down the bank until he was dry, and then resumed his clothing.

  "You look so happy now that I'll try it myself," said Boyd, and he was soon in the water, puffing and blowing like a big boy. When he had resumed his deerskins it was almost day. A faint, line of silver showed in the east, and above them the sky was gray with the coming dawn.

  "I'll light a little fire and make coffee," said Boyd, "but the rest of the breakfast must be cold. Still, a cup of coffee on a chill morning puts life into a man."

  Will, with the zeal characteristic of him, was al- ready gathering
dead brushwood, and Boyd soon boiled the grateful brown liquid, of which they drank not one cup but two each, helping out the break- fast with crackers and strips of dried beef. Then the pot and the cups were returned to the packs and the hunter carefully put out the fire.

  "It's a good thing we loaded those horses well," he said, "because we'll need everything we have. Now you roll up in your blanket, Will, and get the rest of your sleep."

  "And you feel sure there is no danger? I don't want to leave all the responsibility to you. I'd like to do what I can."

  "Don't bother yourself about it. The range of the Sioux is farther west mostly, and it's not likely we could find a better place than this for our own little private camp."

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  v

  The coming of a bright, crisp day removed from

  Will the feeling of desolation that the wilderness had created in his mind. Apprehension and loneliness dis- appeared with the blackness of the night. He was with one of the best scouts and hunters in the West, and the sun was rising upon a valley of uncom- mon beauty. All about him the trees grew tall and large, without undergrowth, the effect being that of a great park, with grass thick and green, upon which the horses were grazing in deep content. The waters of the brook sang a little song as they hurried over the gravel, and the note of everything was so strongly of peace that the lad, wearied by their flight and mental strain, fell asleep in a few minutes.

  It was full noon when he awoke, and, somewhat ashamed of himself, he sprang up, ready to apologize, but the hunter waved a deprecatory hand.

  "You didn't rest too long," said Boyd. "You needed it. As for me, I'm seasoned and hard, adapted by years of practice to the life I lead. It's nothing to me to pass a night without sleep, and to catch up later on. While you were lying there in your blanket I scouted the valley thoroughly, leaving the horses to watch over you. It's about two miles long and a mile broad. At the lower end the brook flows into a nar- row chasm."

  "What did you find in the valley itself, Jim?"

  "Track of bear, deer, wolf and panther, but no sign of human being, white or red. It's certain that we're the only people in it, but if we need game we can find it. It's a good sign, showing that this part

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  of the country has not been hunted over by the In- dians."

  "Before long we'll have to replenish our food sup- ply with game."

  "Yes, that's certain. We want to draw as little on our flour and coffee as we can. We can do without 'em, but when you don't have 'em you miss 'em ter- ribly."

  The stores had been heaped at the foot of a tree, while the pack horses, selected for their size and strength, nibbled at the rich grass. Will contemplated the little mound of supplies with much satisfaction. They had not started upon the path of peril without due preparation.

  Each carried a breech-loading, repeating rifle of the very latest make, a weapon yet but little known on the border. In the packs were two more rifles of the same kind, two double-barreled, breech-loading shotguns, thousands of cartridges, several revolvers, two strong axes, medicines, extra blankets, and, in truth, every- thing needed by a little army of two on the march. Boyd, a man of vast experience in the wilderness, had selected the outfit and he was proud of its completeness.

  "Don't you think, Jim," said young Clarke, "that you might take a little sleep this afternoon? You've just said that we've nothing to dread in the valley, and I can watch while you build yourself up."

  Boyd gave him a quick but keen glance. He saw that the lad's pride was at stake, and that he was anx- ious to be trusted with an important task. Looking at his alert face, and knowing his active intellect, the

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  hunter knew that he would learn swiftly the ways of the wilderness.

  "A good idea," he said in tones seemingly careless. "I'll change my mind and take a nap. Wake me up if you see strange signs or think anything is going to happen."

  Without further word he spread his blanket on the leaves and in a minute or two was off to slumberland. .Will, full of pride, put his fine breech-loader over his shoulder and began his watch. The horses, having eaten' their fill, were lying down in the grass, and his own nuzzled his hand as he stroked their noses.

  He walked some distance among the trees, and he was impressed more and more by the resemblance of the valley to a great park, a park hitherto untrodden by man. Although he was not lonely or depressed now he felt very remote from civilization. The cities of the East, so far as his mind was concerned, were now on the other side of the world. The unknown, vast and interminable, had closed about him.

  Yet he felt a momentary exultation. Boyd and he would find a path through every peril. His walk brought him back to the edge of the brook, where for a little space thick bushes grew, and he heard a snarl- ing growl, followed by a rush that could be made only by a heavy body. He started violently, the pulses beat hard in his temples and he promptly presented his rifle. Then he laughed at himself. He caught a glimpse of a long, yellowish body and he knew it was a mountain lion, much more alarmed than he, and fleeing with all speed to the hills.

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  He must be steadier of nerve and he gave himself a stern rebuke. Farther down the valley the brook widened again into a deep pool, and in the water, as clear as silver, he saw fine mountain trout, darting here and there. If they stayed a day or two in the valley he would come and catch several of the big fellows, as they were well provided with fishing tackle, which Boyd said would be a great resource, saving much ammunition.

  He went farther, and then climbed the hill which enclosed the valley on that side, obtaining from its crest a northern view of rolling plains, with the dim blue outline of the high mountains far beyond. He sur- mised that the group of hills in which they now lay was of limited area, and that when they continued their journey they must take once more to the plains, where they would be exposed to the view of roving Sioux. His heart throbbed as he looked over that great open expanse, and realized anew the danger. The pocket in the hills in which they lay was surely a safe and comfortable place, and one need be in no hurry to abandon it.

  When he went back to the camp Boyd was just awakening, and as he looked at Will his eyes twinkled.

  "Well, what did you find?" he asked. "Anything besides tracks of animals?*'

  "I found an animal himself," replied the lad. "I scared him up in the bushes at the brook's edge. It was a mountain lion and he ran away, just as I felt like doing at first."

  The hunter laughed with genuine pleasure.

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  "I'm glad you kept down the feeling and didn't run," he said. "You'll get over such tremors in time. Everybody feels 'em, no matter how brave, unless he has a lot of experience. Now, since you've been scouting about, what do you think we ought to do?"

  "I looked from a hill and saw open plains, extend- ing maybe forty or fifty miles. Red Cloud and his men may have gone that way and I'm in favor of giving 'em a good start. Suppose we stay here an- other night and day and let 'em reach the moun- tains."

  "Seems a good plan to me."

  "Besides, there's some fish in a pool farther down that I want to catch."

  "That settles it. We stay. Everything else must stand aside when a real fisherman wants to show what he can do."

  Will took the fishing tackle from his pack, and re- turned in a short time with three splendid trout. It was now nearly sunset and Boyd thought it safe to build a fire after dark and cook the catch.

  "I think there's no doubt that Red Cloud and his warriors are now a full day's journey ahead," he said, "but, as a wandering Indian might come into the val- ley, we'll take no more chances than we can help."

  A low fire of dead sticks was lighted in a gulch, well screened by bushes, and the fish were broiled, proving very welcome, as they were the first warm food Will and Boyd had tasted
since their flight from the troops. The hunter made coffee again, and they were well satisfied with their supper.

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  "It's a good idea to help ourselves out with as much fish and game as we can," he said, "and it's likely that we can find plenty of it up here. The horses, too, have had all the grass they want and we'll tether 'em for the night, though there's not one chance in a thousand that they'll wander from the valley. Animals have instinct, and if there's no powerful enemy near they always stay where food and water are to be had. I tell you what, Will, if a man could only have all his own senses coupled with those of a deer or a wolf, what a mighty scout and hunter he could be. Suppose you could smell a trail like a wolf, and then think about it like a man! Maybe men did have those powers a hundred thousand years ago."

  "Maybe they did, Jim, but they didn't have rifles and all the modern weapons and tools that help us so much."

  "You're right, Will. You can't have everything, all at the same time, and just now you and me are not so bad off, lying here comfortable and easy in our own particular valley, having just finished some fine trout that would have cost us four or five dollars in a fine New York restaurant, but for which we paid nothing."

  "You don't have any fear that the troops will come after us and make us go back ?"

  "You can clear your mind of that trouble and keep it cleared. We're in the Indian country, and Captain Kenyon has orders to make no invasion. So he can't pursue. Missing us he'll just have to give us up as a bad job."

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  "Then we'll have only the Indians to guard against, and your opinion, Jim, that they're far ahead, seems mighty good to me. Perhaps we ought to stay three or four days here."