There remained only an hour or so of daylight after Roger had secured the best parts of the carcass of the young elk, and fastened the bundle of fresh meat to his saddle.
Dick knew that they must be more than ordinarily careful where they spent the night, because the chances were the vindictive half-breed would be scouring the country looking for signs of them. If they were incautious about building the cooking fire, his sharp eyes would be sure to discover their location; and, should that occur, they could expect trouble.
The thing that worried them most of all was the possible theft of their mounts. That the packhorse had been stolen was not a matter of such importance, for they could get on without an additional animal; but in regard to their saddle horses the case was vastly different.
It would be next to impossible to overtake the expedition on foot, as they had learned before now. In following the river, there were times when, on account of bad ground, they had to cover five miles in order to make one of progress. And all this time the hardy voyageurs who were boatmen for Captain Lewis would be urging their craft forward with the skill and ability peculiar to their kind.
This being the case, Dick was bent on finding some hiding-place for a camp, where they could be additionally secure, and the horses kept within close reach.
“No fire to-night, unless we can hide it,” he announced to his companion, when they were once more moving along, keeping a constant lookout for foes, and at the same time on the alert for the nook that would meet their requirements for a camp.
Roger groaned.
“Then I do hope we’ll be lucky enough to find a good place,” he remarked, as he redoubled his efforts to make the discovery; “because I’m hungry for a bite of this fine young elk. Why, it’s been three days now, or even more, since I put a tooth in fresh meat. This tough old pemmican is as hard as flint, and next to tasteless.”
“But you know what our mother would say, Roger about looking a gift horse in the mouth. If we could get nothing better, this same dried venison would keep us alive; and when you’re real hungry it doesn’t seem so very bad.”
“Oh, well, perhaps not, Dick,” admitted the other; “and I’ve seen times when it tasted pretty good; but after being on that pemmican for three days, and with a young elk in hand, it would be hard if we couldn’t have a fire to-night.”
“Let’s hope that the chance turns up, then,” remarked Dick, cheerfully. “And about this same pemmican, you know that the Indians live pretty much all winter on it. Besides, when a brave is sent a hundred or two miles across country, to carry a message to the chief of another tribe, all he takes along with him is a little dried meat in his ditty bag, that he munches once in a while, drinking at the springs he runs across on the way. I believe an Indian runner could keep on from the Mississippi to the ocean just that way, carrying all he needed to eat in a package not larger than my head.”
They kept pushing on, making as good time as the nature of the rough ground permitted; while the sun dropped out of sight, and dusk began to gather around them.
Roger was really beginning to despair, and feared that they would have to pass a fireless night, one keeping constantly on guard while the other slept, so that the horses might be protected, when a sudden low exclamation from his companion thrilled him.
“What is it, Dick?” he asked, nervously fingering his gun, which he kept in his hand as he rode along; “did you see any one skulking in the shadows?”
“Oh! no, not that, Roger,” replied his cousin, cheerfully; “but, unless I miss my guess, we’ve come to a fine place to make our camp; and, if things turn out as well as I expect, there ought to be a chance for a small fire, enough of a blaze to cook some of your meat by.”
“Good! You make me feel happy again, Dick!” exclaimed the other, eagerly; “but show me where you’ve made this discovery.”
“Look over in that direction, and you can see the rocks piled up,” Dick went on. “It seems to me that we ought to find a hiding-place among them, where we can pitch our little camp. Of course it means that we must come down, and pull all the grass the horses will need, and perhaps take them to water, too; but that is nothing to worry over, if only we pass the night without an attack.”
It turned out as Dick predicted, for they did find a splendid nook in the midst of the rocks, where they could be safe from observation. And Roger soon discovered the very spot for the little fire.
Both the young pioneers were soon as busy as beavers, for there was much to be done. The horses had been watered before coming up among the rocks, so that would not have to be attended to again. Dick went down, and started to pull grass, which he carried in armfuls up to where the horses had been secured; and once the faithful beasts started to contentedly munch at their supper, there was no reason why they should give any more trouble.
Meanwhile Roger had started the fire. It was only an apology for one, and offered little cheer; but on this occasion the boys were not thinking of sitting around a blaze, toasting their feet, and watching the sparks fly upward, to “tell all creation of their presence,” as Roger expressed it. All they wanted was sufficient heat to cook the meat and make a pot of tea, after which the fire would be allowed to go out.
Roger knew how to cook better than most lads of his age, and Dick always let him have full swing when out on their numerous hunting trips. Considering the few appliances for comfort which hunters in those days carried with them, the boys got on splendidly. If there was no frying-pan handy they could thrust small portions of meat on the ends of long splinters of wood, and in this fashion manage to obtain what was to them a satisfying meal.
The tender elk meat pleased them both, and Roger was kept busy with “repeat orders” for some time. But finally they cared for no more; after which the red embers of the cooking fire were covered with earth, and the last sign of human presence obliterated, even the odor of supper passing away with the disappearance of the heat.
Later on, Roger lay down in his blanket and slept soundly, while Dick sat, gun in hand, and watched. Long did the hours seem, and many times no doubt some cry from a night bird would startle the sentry, always suspicious lest this might be a signal uttered by some creeping Indian to tell his mates that he had made a discovery.
When the stars had given notice that the time for his vigil was at an end, Dick woke the other, and from that hour on to daybreak Roger sat silent, watchful, and faithful.
But there was no alarm, and with the coming of dawn they shook hands over the fact that they had managed to elude the search which Dupuy had made for their camp, during much of the night.
Again was a fire started, with the aid of the ever handy flint and steel. Had the boys had the misfortune to lose these almost indispensable articles, Roger knew how to create a tiny blaze with the aid of a small bow and a twirling stick. This trick he had been taught by an old traveler, who declared he had seen the natives do the same far away on islands in the East Indies. But, although Roger could accomplish the feat, it was always a difficult thing to do, and he much preferred the ordinary method of making fire from sparks made by striking flint against steel.
Finally, having loaded the horses again, and in a better fashion than before, the boys were ready to make a fresh start.
Roger wondered whether they would chance to run across the half-breed anywhere.
“He looked so angry,” he said, as they started away from the rocky fortress that had made them such a capital camp, “that I believe he would think nothing of sending one of his arrows into my back as I passed some secret hiding-place; or use his rifle, if he had one somewhere at the time he started to creep up on the elk, the same way I did, wishing to save his ammunition.”
“Then let us hope we will see nothing of him,” observed Dick; but all the same he was a little nervous as they rode on.
And, after all, Roger’s fears were not without foundation, for a short time later, as they were cantering along, they heard the twang of a bowstring. Both boys involuntarily ducked. They never knew just how close the arrow came, but both heard the hiss as it passed, and then a thud as it struck a tree.
“Run for it!” exclaimed Dick, as he dug his heels into the sides of his horse, and, bending low in the saddle, went flying forward at an almost reckless pace.
Roger followed close behind, grumbling as he rode; but there were no more arrows, and in a short time they were able to sit upright again, although Dick continued to urge his animal to make more speed.
“That was too bad, Dick,” complained Roger; “it makes my blood boil to think of the two of us running away from only one. We could have turned, and placed him between two fires, so that it would soon seem pretty hot for the coward. Why did you run away?”
“There were a good many reasons, Roger,” answered the other, who was quite used to these exhibitions of recklessness on the part of his cousin, and always made it a point to explain the motives that actuated his conduct, so that the other might profit by his caution. “First of all, we could not tell how many enemies there were around us. If we had waited, we might have been surrounded by a dozen Shoshones or Cheyennes, and either killed or taken prisoners. And then again, Roger, I never want to forget that we are the messengers of our fathers, sent on a most important mission. If we choose to take unnecessary risks, and that paper never comes back signed by Jasper Williams, think of the consequences that are apt to follow. So you see that it is a wise thing for us to take no chances. We promised our mothers that, Roger; don’t forget again, when tempted to risk everything to please your own feelings.”
“Dick, you’re right, just as you always are, and I’m sorry I spoke that way. Yes, it would have been foolish to turn and try to punish that skulking half-breed. And he did no damage after all with his spinning arrow. Did you hear what a whistling noise it made as it passed over?”
“That was caused by the feathers being placed in a sort of winding way, so as to make the arrow whirl as it flew,” Dick explained. “It made me think of the duck we call a whistler, whose wings make a sound as it flies such as you can make by blowing in a hollow reed. But we seem to have outdistanced the enemy now, and perhaps it would be safe to breathe the horses a little.”
They pushed on during the whole of that day without once meeting any difficulty; although there were times when they found themselves compelled to make wide detours in order to avoid bad stretches of ground, or sloughs, where the footing was treacherous for the horses. (Note 3.)
On this account they did not make the progress impetuous Roger would have wished for, although his companion declared himself satisfied.
“Better luck, perhaps, to-morrow,” he would say, whenever Roger complained; and thus the latter was shamed out of his mood.
That night they found a place to camp that was totally unlike the fortress amidst the rocks, but offered them just as secure a refuge. And again they saw daylight come without any alarm.
So three days passed away, and it was now to be hoped that they would see nothing more of the half-breed. Dick remained on his guard, all the same, for he did not mean to be caught napping.
The nature of the country had changed again, and, instead of the woods or rocky bluffs which they had left farther down the river, they now found themselves looking out on vast stretches of level prairie, where the tall grass waved in the breeze until it resembled the waters of a wide sea; and in places innumerable wild flowers dotted it like splashes of paint, making a picture that even boys could admire.
Here they would be apt to come upon many novel things, of which they may have heard wandering trappers speak, but which up to recently they had hardly expected to see for themselves.
At the same time there would be ever-increasing danger of their being discovered by some hand of red hunters, stalking antelope or bison, and ready to leave their hunting for a more convenient season if they saw a chance to capture palefaces, with their wonderful “shooting-sticks,” which in those days were a source of great bewilderment to the Indians west of the Mississippi.
But nevertheless, in spite of the constant presence of peril, the two lads enjoyed the experience, and had no regrets about having started on the adventurous mission, since they were at the same time serving those they loved so well, and satisfying the craving for excitement that seems to be a part of almost every boy’s nature.
During this day there was hardly a stretch of half an hour but Dick and Roger made some new and interesting discovery. Now it was a little herd of antelope that, scenting the presence of human enemies on the wind, sprang from the grass where they had been lying, and went off with graceful bounds that awoke the ardent admiration of Dick, while Roger aimed his gun after them, though he was not foolish enough to waste precious ammunition when his good sense told him he had not a ghost of a show to bring the game down.
A little later they stumbled upon a village of prairie dogs, the first either of the boys had ever set eyes on. In fact, the first sign they had of the settlement was when one of the horses broke through into a burrow, and came near throwing its rider, or breaking a leg.
Then there was a great clatter as scores of the queer little fellows started to bark, and then vanish inside their burrows, from which they later cautiously thrust their noses, curious to see what these strange intruders were like.
“Better slow down to a walk until we are clear of this place,” warned Dick, as he suited his action to his words. “Did you ever see such a sight, Roger? There must be thousands of these little chaps around here; and hear the fierce way they bark at us before they run indoors.”
“I wonder if they are good to eat?” asked the practical Roger, for the elk meat was all gone, and he had begun to wonder what they might find next.
“I’m sure I don’t know,” his cousin replied; “and I wouldn’t like to try before I saw some one else eat one. The Indians are very fond of baked dog, you know; but I never heard that it was this breed. Better give that idea up, Roger; a little later we may find a chance to knock over one of those fast-running antelope, or else get a young buffalo calf for a change.”
“That sounds good enough for me,” remarked the other; “and so I think I’ll let the prairie dogs alone just now. But look there, isn’t that a rattlesnake lying in the sun outside that burrow?”
“Just what it is,” Dick answered, quickly. “Which reminds me that I’ve been told that the snakes seem to occupy the burrows along with the dogs. Perhaps they’ve got some sort of arrangement between them; or else the prairie dog isn’t afraid of the poison of the rattlesnake. See, there’s another, yes, and even a third one, much larger than any of the rest!”
“Ugh! wouldn’t I hate to have to walk through this village in the dark!” Roger exclaimed, with a shudder, as they passed several more snakes lying in the warm sunshine, not at all bothered by the thud of horses’ hoofs.
“It’s a bad job going through it, even on horseback, and in the daytime,” Dick observed, “because you have to watch closely to keep from having the animal break through the roof of a burrow; and, first thing you know, one of those nasty rattlesnakes might be striking at the horse’s legs. It would be a shame to lose so valuable an animal in that way, when we need them both so badly.”
That caused Roger to awaken to the fact that he was not paying as much attention to his progress through the populous town as he should; and, having had his fears aroused, he now began to keep a close watch for signs of trouble ahead.
Being thus fully on their guard they were able to reach the border of the prairie dog settlement without having met with any disaster; and, the last they saw of it, several of the boldest of the natives had crept out of their burrows, and seemed to be “barking them a farewell,” as Roger laughingly said.
While they were jealous concerning their ammunition, hoarding it against a possible emergency, they seldom lost an opportunity to wet a line in the great river, whenever their camp was close by the bank.
Roger always carried hooks and lines along with him, so that on the present occasion he was well equipped to capture all the finny prizes they needed for food.
Many a night, while Dick slept, the other would sit on the river bank, with his line in his hand, waiting for a bite, and seldom did his vigilance go unrewarded, so that they had fish for breakfast on numerous occasions.
It happened that once again they discovered a place where undoubtedly the expedition they were following must have waited over night. There were the plain tracks of horses’ hoofs, and also the ashes of several fires, for, being in such numbers, the explorers of the Missouri did not feel compelled to hide whenever they made camp, in order to keep their location a secret from spying eyes.
Of course Roger asked his companion to try to find out from various signs, which could be readily picked up, whether they were now any closer to the column than on that other occasion, when they rested in the abandoned camp of the explorers.
This Dick did in a most thorough fashion, and, after concluding his labors, he announced it as his belief that they had indeed gained another day.
“Is that all?” remarked Roger, evidently disappointed; and from his manner one might believe he had expected to hear Dick say they would overtake Captain Lewis by another day or so.
“On my part,” declared Dick, “I think that we are doing as well as we ought to expect. All I ask is that things go right along as they have been doing. We are seeing some wonderful sights while we keep on the move each day. And, besides, you forget, Roger, that the sooner we come up with the expedition, the sooner we must be taking the back trail. Now that we’re away out here in this strange country I’d like to see all I can of it.”
“Yes, that’s so,” Roger replied, nodding his head to show that he quite agreed with his cousin; “and, do you know, Dick, if only we could find some safe way to get that paper home, after it has been signed by Jasper Williams, I’d like nothing better than to keep right on with Captain Lewis, and go with him all the way to the ocean. Oh! what a glorious thing that would be; and what strange sights we would see when we got to the mountains we’ve heard so much about, that they say reach far up into the clouds, and abound in all sorts of game, such as can be found nowhere else.”
Dick himself heaved a sigh, on hearing his companion speak in that way.
“Yes, that would be almost too good for us to enjoy, Roger,” he said, “much as we might wish it to come true. Our first duty is to make sure that the paper gets to our grandfather, since so much depends on it. I wouldn’t take any chance about its safe delivery, because we would never forgive ourselves if it went astray.”
“But, Dick, if we found that Captain Lewis meant to dispatch some of his men over the back trail, with an important message of his own, telling President Jefferson what success he had met with so far, couldn’t we trust the paper in their charge?”
“Well, we won’t discuss that unless the opportunity comes,” the other remarked; for, to tell the truth, the temptation was almost irresistible, even to steady, reliable Dick Armstrong. Both boys possessed a strong yearning for exploration, and during their various hunts they had sought out new fields in every direction, whenever it was at all possible.
Another temptation had come to Roger with almost every hour of the day. This was the presence of innumerable prairie hens that were flying up from the long grass in every direction, as the horses passed along.
Roger kept his bow and arrows handy, and was frequently tempted to make use of them in trying for some of these plump and edible fowl, which often presented what looked like easy shots; but Dick was for hurrying, and did not wish to delay, at any time, long enough for his companion to creep up on the “chickens.”
But when they rested at noon, or in the early evening stopped to make camp, Roger would be denied his pleasure no longer, but started to stalk some of the ever present birds.
Nor was success wanting, for he succeeded in sending his feathered shafts through a brace of plump hens, which they managed to cook over a fire that was built in a hole dug in the ground, so that the flame might not be seen afar and draw the attention they sought to avoid.
Another day saw them crossing a wide stretch of the prairie, to avoid a slough that seemed to extend for many miles along the border of the river.
It had been a rather warm day, and several times they had eyed the heavens, as if half expecting that the clouds would gather and send down a deluge of rain. Up to now they had been singularly fortunate in having escaped many storms, and it chanced that those that did come had found the young explorers in some snug shelter. To be caught out on the open might not turn out to be such a pleasant thing for them.
Although they had now been on the march for weeks, neither of the boys seemed to feel in any way anxious for their journey to end, save that Roger’s impatience occasionally leaped beyond bounds; for he kept wondering whether they would find Jasper Williams after all, and their mission prove a success.
There were so many new sights to look upon as they went on, that it seemed as though they were continually expecting novel things. Around the settlement it had been pretty much all woods, so that this wonderful prairie was a source of never-ending delight to both lads, filling them with something of the same awe that one who is accustomed to the interior feels when first he sets eyes on the great ocean.
“I hope, though, we can make the river by to-morrow,” Roger was saying when the sun seemed to be well down in the sky, and it looked certain that they were to make camp again in the open.
“Chances are that it lies away over yonder, where you can just see a fringe of something that must be trees,” Dick observed, pointing as he spoke.
“And miles away at that, so there’s no use in trying for it to-day,” Roger said.
He was feeling a little provoked, for, after begging his companion to hold up half an hour for him, when he thought he saw a chance to stalk a small band of antelopes that afternoon, Roger had spent considerable time and energy in creeping through the grass, and getting behind a motte of timber that grew around some little slough, only to see the timid animals flying away when he thought he must be close enough to use his bow.
He had taken revenge, however, in shooting several prairie chickens, although, having once “made up his mouth” for venison, this was a poor substitute, good eating though the birds had proved on the other occasion.
“It lies to the west of us,” Dick chanced to say, as they looked toward the low fringe along the horizon which, as he had said, must be trees, and evidently bordering the river.
Later, Dick had occasion to congratulate himself that he had taken notice of the exact quarter where those trees seemed to lie, as he saw them just before sunset.
Once again they dug a hole, in which Roger expected to cook the prairie fowl which had fallen to his skill as an archer. Dick saw to the staking of the two horses, and made them additionally secure.
The clouds still hung overhead, and it would be strange if the night passed, he believed, without some sort of storm breaking over the prairie. The boys began to wish that they had their Indian tent along, for, old though it was, in a heavy downpour not a drop of water penetrated it.
Dick made preparations looking to a change of base if the threatening storm proved severe. He insisted that the bundles be kept almost intact, so that they could be fastened on the backs of the horses without the customary delay. That proved to be another fortunate move on the part of the boy, and for which he had much cause to be thankful.
The supper was finally prepared, though the fire had to be made as before from dead grass and dry buffalo chips, and was anything but a joy to Roger, accustomed as he had always been to plenty of good fuel.
Though they might have had the benefit of a fair moon but for the clouds, the latter were so dense that the night seemed inky dark. The usual noises of crickets and katydids and other insects appeared to be hushed, so that a strange silence rested on the wide expanse around them.
They were tired, and lay down soon after eating, not knowing how long they would have a chance to sleep before the coming of the storm disturbed them again. Dick, in fact, hardly expected to even doze, for he felt that some sort of watch should be kept; but, after lying there a while, his eyes gradually closed, and almost before he was aware of what was coming he went to sleep.
Neither of the boys ever knew how much time passed in this way when they were aroused by the growling of thunder, as they believed; and, sitting up, Dick called out to his companion:
“It’s coming at last, Roger!”
“Yes, I heard it; but what are we going to do?” answered the other, fretfully; for the prospect of getting a wet jacket was not very inviting.
“We’ll have to stand it, I guess; grin and bear it, as father says,” Dick returned, being much more philosophical than Roger.
“But some of our bundles will be soaked,” declared Roger.
“We can’t help that; and I’ve made sure to wrap our extra ammunition in the waterproof cloth, so as to save it. Both of us have our horns filled with powder, which will be sure to keep dry, no matter how we are drenched. I think I could jump into the river, and stay there an hour, without a drop getting into that good old horn father gave me long ago, and which he used himself when a boy.”
In this fashion did Dick seek to buoy up the low spirits of his companion.
“It’s getting closer, Dick, and that thunder is rattling pretty steady, seems to me. I’m sorry for both of us, because we’re due for a fine ducking. I hope the horses don’t get frightened, if the storm is a bad one, and break their ropes. Hadn’t we better bring them in close by, Dick? Looks like we’ve got to worry over our mounts, one way or another, right along. First it’s Indians stealing them; then the chance of some panther jumping the beasts for a meal; and now a stampede, if the lightning flashes too brightly, or the thunder breaks over us with a roar. How about it, Dick?”
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to get them in here, and keep hold of the ropes,” the other replied; “horses are always more contented if they find themselves near human beings in a storm, so I’ve heard. So come on, then!”
They were now on their feet. The blackness of the night still held good, only every little while a flash of lightning along the horizon whence the storm was coming dispelled it for a brief interval, when they could see a long distance away.
Just as they started to get the horses Dick noticed that the distant rumbling sound had grown heavier. Suddenly he stood still, and clutched the sleeve of his companion’s tunic.
“Roger, perhaps that isn’t thunder we hear, after all!” he exclaimed, with a catch in his voice, as though the presence of some new and never before experienced danger influenced him.
“Why, what could it be then?” demanded the other, instantly.
“Oh! look! look yonder!” cried Dick.
Just then another friendly flash of lightning illuminated the heavens, and for the space of several seconds the prairie was lighted up almost like day. And the two pioneer boys, staring toward the region where the storm seemed brooding, saw a spectacle that chilled their blood, it was so wonderful, so full of tremendous possibilities for evil!
Far away, it seemed as though the whole surface of the prairie was in motion. To the right and left the boys had seen the same bewildering sight. Roger failed to comprehend what it meant, and turned to his companion for an explanation.
“What is it, Dick?” he called out.
“Buffaloes—one of those great herds we’ve been told about, and which stretches as far as the eye can reach!” the other replied.
“But will they come this way; and ought we saddle up so as to be ready to make a run for it?” Roger continued; not because he was timid, but that the sight of that endless, heaving mass of moving animals had impressed him strongly.
“Yes, I think we should,” Dick replied. “If the storm comes along after them, and starts a stampede, as they call it, we would stand in danger of being trampled under ten thousand hoofs. No one could ever tell what had become of us. So let’s roll up our blankets, and get the horses; quick, Roger, because they’re heading in our direction, and coming right along.”
Indeed, even as they brought the snorting horses in, and started to fasten the loads on their backs, the rumble had increased to a steady roar, so that it seemed to Roger he could actually feel the ground vibrate under the pounding of those myriad of hoofs, as the heavy animals galloped toward the river.
Whenever the lightning flashed, and this was more frequently than before, with peals of thunder following, both boys found themselves compelled to shoot quick glances of both curiosity and alarm toward the advancing peril. And what they saw was a sight never to be forgotten.
It was like the border of a troubled sea, that tremendous line of moving animal life, heaving and tossing, and coming steadily on like a dust cloud impelled by the wind. As yet they could not distinguish the units comprising this immense whole; but it was easy to imagine them, for both boys had shot buffaloes before now, and knew what they were like, though they had never looked upon a herd of more than half a dozen at a time.
“Oh! there must be millions in that lot!” cried Roger, when a particularly vivid flash came, that showed them the whole level stretch covered with the advancing horde as far as their eyes could reach.
“Too many for us to stay here, and try to divide!” Dick answered.
“How lucky that you noticed where the trees grew along the river,” said Roger; “because that will be our best chance, don’t you think, Dick?”
“Yes, and the sooner we’re off the better,” was the other’s answer.
He knew that their horses must still be tired from the long journey of the day before, and, laden as they were, might not be able to run as swiftly as under other conditions. Just how fast that avalanche of shaggy forms could advance he had no means of knowing. If further frightened by the flash of lightning, and the crash of thunder, a stampede of the herd would mean that the bison would come on the full gallop, madly seeking to find shelter from the howling blast.
“Have we got everything, do you think?” asked Roger, ready to mount his horse, which could hardly be held in hand, such was its terror at the approach of this thundering mass of heavy beasts; it was as though the intelligent animal understood the danger that threatened, and wanted to be on the move.
“No matter, we cannot afford to waste another minute hunting for anything now. Our lives are worth more than any other thing we possess. Get in your saddle, quick, Roger; and be careful not to let the horse throw you, or all is lost!”
The warning came not any too soon, for the fretful animal was jumping and tugging at the bridle, trying the best it could to break away, so that it might dash off, and keep a space between that approaching peril and its fleet heels.
But Roger was a pretty fair horseman, and succeeded in mounting, in spite of all the prancing of the steed. Then away they went, helter-skelter, allowing the horses to have their heads.
They tried to keep as near to one another as possible. The one danger Dick feared more than anything else was that one of the horses in this headlong gallop might set his feet in a marmot hole, and bring about disaster; for a spill in the face of the oncoming army of buffaloes would mean that the unfortunate one must be trampled under foot, whether his horse had a leg broken or not.
When first seen the buffaloes had apparently been simply galloping steadily on, as though bent on changing their feeding grounds; but Dick, turning to look with each flash, believed he could detect a change coming over their method of advance.
This was doubtless caused by the increasing crashes of thunder that sounded high above the steady roar of those tens of thousands of hoofs beating upon the hard turf. In other words, as the oncoming storm began to overtake the drove, their gallop was fast degenerating into a stampede, when every animal would put on its best spurt, and, wild with fear, seek to outrun the threatening gale.
Already the horses were doing their best, and it was folly to dig one’s heels into the sides of his straining beast, as Roger was doing, seeking to obtain a little more speed.
And now both boys began to look anxiously ahead. Despite the best efforts of the horses it seemed as though the leading buffaloes were much closer to them than when the mad race had started; and this meant that, unless they could manage to gain the shelter of the trees, they were going to have a hard time of it avoiding disaster.
Already Roger had learned that his comrade had guessed true when he said that the indistinct line along the horizon, seen just at sunset, must be trees. They had become much more distinct by now, so that, although but a fleeting glimpse of them could be obtained when the lightning flashed, still that was enough.
And now the rain started to fall, but neither cared for that, if only it did not interfere with their striking the timber belt at its nearest point.
Probably neither of those boys would ever forget that wild ride, with the thunder booming all around them; the lightning seeming to strike here, there, and everywhere; the rain falling in a deluge that soon soaked them to the skin; and, worst of all, that endless line of galloping bison gaining constantly, as they were urged on by their fright.
Once Roger’s horse stumbled, and the boy came near falling, only retaining his seat because he had firmly fixed himself there. His heart seemed to jump into his throat with a sudden fear lest the animal had lamed itself, and would prove unequal to the task of keeping ahead of the oncoming herd.
But, so far as could be seen, the horse did not show any signs of injury.
“Can we make it, Dick?”
It was necessary for Roger to shout, although at the time he could not have been ten feet away from his companion. The combination of noises all around them prevented such a small thing as a human voice from being heard, unless strained to the utmost.
“Looks like it! keep up your heart, Roger!” was the cheery reply.
But, although Dick spoke in this manner, he was not so very sure that the tired horses would be equal to the test. He almost hated to glance backward now, for it seemed to him that the advance of that endless line of pursuers must be overtaking them rapidly. Perhaps that was only his fears magnified; but it impressed Dick disagreeably, nevertheless.
In vain he racked his brain to conjure up some means by which their progress might be increased. Even if they could take the time to detach some of the various packages with which they had loaded their horses, it was doubtful if such a sacrifice would avail to any considerable extent, and so Dick dismissed it as useless.
The best hope that he had lay in the chance that the trees might be somewhat nearer than they believed to be the case, owing to the impossibility of correctly gauging distances while the rain was falling, driven by the wind, and the deceptive lightning held sway.
At any rate, all they could do was to hang on, and trust to good fortune to carry them to safety. The horses were fully conscious of their danger, and could be trusted to head for the river. Besides, Dick kept his senses about him all the while, for he knew what it might mean if he allowed himself to give way.
When the thunder stopped booming for a few seconds they could hear the roar of those countless hoofs behind them. It had at least one good element about it—it spurred their horses on.
Had it been daylight, or even a clear, moonlight night, Dick might have managed to alter his course so as to strike the trees at some point nearer than the one the frightened horses were aiming for. But in such a storm one could only keep straight ahead, and trust to luck for the rest.
Roger, for once at least, had no suggestion to make. True, he looked backward at times as though almost ready to turn at bay, and face that rolling mass of tossing black horns and shaggy heads; but the folly of such a thing must have impressed itself upon him immediately, for he kept beside his companion throughout the entire ride.
His one bullet, even granting that it found a victim, would have counted no more than a grain of sand on the seashore. And after he had fired his bolt the end must have overwhelmed him instantly; for that resistless tide would sweep on, and every object in its path would be blotted out of existence.
It seemed to Roger that his nerves had reached a point where they could stand no more. And then he heard Dick give vent to a loud shout, not of new alarm, but with a ring of triumph in it; and surely never did the sound of human voice break upon the ears of Roger Armstrong with a sweeter cadence than when he grasped the tenor of what his companion was calling:
“The trees, Roger, the trees are at hand! Keep it up for five minutes more, and it will be all right!”
That five minutes seemed a terribly long time to Roger. He could hear the oncoming herd close at hand now, so that stragglers began to pass them by on either side, and this fact gave new alarm. What if one of the buffalo chose to turn and gore the nearest horse with its wicked horns? Even though only a wound followed, it would mean a spill, and that would be the same as the end of it all.
But evidently the frightened animals had all they wanted to do in looking out for their own affairs. Perhaps they considered the running horses, with those queer bunches on their backs, only in the light of some singular fellow animals, seeking safety in flight. Roger had heard it said that, when a fire chased over these vast prairies, all manner of wild animals—deer, wolves, and buffaloes—ran side by side, only concerned in making their escape. He had heard his father read out of the Bible about the time when the lion and the lamb would lie down together, and he guessed that it would be something like this universal fear that must bring it about.
The trees began to loom up ahead, and both lads began to feel a new concern with regard to how they could manage, first of all, to pass in among the sheltering timber, so as to avoid meeting with an accident; and then, after this had been accomplished, escape being crushed in the dense mass of buffaloes that would be surging forward, bent on finding a haven from the pelting rain.
“Be careful now, Roger!” shouted Dick, as they passed the first outlying tree.
It required considerable control over the laboring horses to keep from colliding with the obstacles that began to be strewn across their path; but by degrees the boys managed to regain control over their steeds, which were almost winded, on account of their long run; and after that it was not so difficult.
Sure enough, the river proved to be close at hand, and, finding that there was an open stretch of beach bordering it, Dick led the way along this, his object being to reach a point as far up-stream as possible, so as to get beyond the range of the buffalo herd.
Now their horses were floundering knee-deep in the water, and again running along the shore; but all the while making progress, and that satisfied the two lads.
“That was as close a shave as we ever had, Dick!” called out Roger, who was in the rear, quite content for once to let his cousin do the leading, for he was still quivering with the recent excitement, and could hardly believe that they had come out of it with whole skins.
“Yes, and it’s a good thing for us this little stretch runs along the edge of the water,” was what the other answered back.
“Listen to the buffaloes coming into the timber. There seems to be no end to them. Do you think they’ll crowd down to the water before we can get above the edge of the drove? Is there any end to it, Dick?” (Note 4.)
“Oh! yes,” replied Dick, “and already I think we’re getting to where there are not so many, for the sound of their hoofs seems less. Keep right on coming, Roger, and in the end we’ll have a fire, and dry off.”
“That suits me, because already I’m shivering with the cold. This thing of riding at top speed with a wet jacket isn’t much fun, Dick, I tell you.”
So long as there was danger that they might be trampled under the hoofs of the herd, Roger had not given his soaked condition a single thought, for the excitement kept him up. It was only after safety seemed assured that he could allow himself to consider his feelings; and then, as he said, he discovered that he was shaking all over.
Dick proved a true prophet, for after a while they managed to get to a point that seemed to be beyond the limits of the vast drove. Further down the river they could hear the greatest splashing imaginable, as thousands of the beasts pushed into the water, either to drink, or because the press behind was so great as to crowd them off the bank.
Roger was only too willing to pull up when Dick gave the word.
The rain had stopped entirely, and the mutter of thunder was only heard now in the distance, showing that the storm was past.
So the two young pioneers jumped to the ground, and the first thing they did was to slap their chilled arms vigorously back and forth, after the customary method of starting a circulation of the blood.
“Now, how about a fire?” asked Roger.
“Wait until we stake the horses, and then I’ll hunt around for an old stump, or a log, from which to tear the dry heart to make a beginning,” Dick declared.
Of course these boys, having roamed the woods in search of game since they were capable of handling one of the long-barreled rifles known to the settlers of the day, understood just how to go about getting fire, no matter if everything around them seemed to be soaking wet.
Having found the needed stump, Dick used knife and hatchet, and presently announced that he had enough dry tinder to make a start.
Meanwhile Roger had also been collecting twigs that would be apt to take fire quickly, and had selected the site on which the cheery blaze should be built. In doing this he had been influenced in some measure by the idea of hiding the fire as much as possible, although the boys did not believe hostile eyes could see it in the thick timber.
Once Dick had got out his tinder box, and his flint and steel, there was little time wasted in sending the spark where it glowed amidst the inflammable stuff, being quickly fanned into a tiny flame by the breath of the fire-maker. Matches may be a great invention, and a labor-saving device, but in those pioneer days, under favorable conditions it was amazing how rapidly an expert could light a fire. And in rainy weather the “matches” did not get wet, which must have been more or less of a consolation.
It certainly did feel good to crouch near that hot little blaze, and let their wet garments steam on them, gradually feeling warmer, and in this manner drying.
The boys knew that they could not sleep again that night, so there was no use trying. Accordingly they sat there, keeping their small fire going, and talking of the thousand-and-one things connected with their mission, and the wonderful experiences through which they were passing.
When the clouds parted overhead, and they could see the stars, it was possible for either of them to give a good guess as to how the night was passing; for, since watches were almost unknown among the settlers, every boy was taught to read the heavenly bodies, and to observe things that might be passing around him.
So Dick and Roger knew just about when certain bright planets should set or rise; and a glance upward at any time when the sky was clear was sufficient to tell them how the day or night might be passing.
“We’ll have daylight in less than two hours,” Dick announced, when the break in the clouds came, allowing him to consult his “clock.”
“And when it comes,” Roger returned, with a shake of his head, “do you know what I intend to do? Why, try for a young buffalo with my bow and arrows. I never yet had the chance to shoot such a big animal with that Indian bow. If it can bring down an elk, why not a buffalo? And let me tell you, after the fright they gave us, I feel more like feasting on buffalo meat than ever before.”
Dick declared that he would have no objection to tasting more fresh meat; and so it was arranged that, while he stayed with the outfit, Roger should set out for a little hunt.
He promised not to wander far away, and to stick to the timber belt. When Dick spoke of this latter condition his companion laughed aloud.
“Well, you wouldn’t catch me stepping out on that prairie on foot with all those savage bulls around, no, sir, not if I was paid to do it,” he declared. “It was bad enough to be chased while we had our horses to depend on, and, let me tell you, I don’t hanker after trying a foot race.”
When the time did come he started off, while Dick busied himself in the camp, for there were numerous duties to be looked after, besides keeping the fire going. In their mad gallop the horses had managed to get some of the bundles disturbed, which was not surprising, and these had to be rearranged.
Hardly an hour had passed when Dick heard a joyous whoop, and, looking up, as his hand involuntarily reached out toward his ready firearm, he discovered his camp-mate staggering in, bearing a package of meat done up in a portion of hide.
“You were lucky, then, I see,” ventured Dick, as the other threw his burden down.
“It was as easy a job as I ever had,” replied Roger, panting a little after his exertions. “Why, Dick, I could have shot a dozen, if I’d wanted, they were so thick through the timber, and seemed to be wanting to just lie there and rest. The hardest thing was to get a chance to cut up my game, after it had fallen. You see, I was afraid some old bull might take a notion to charge me; but I managed it all right, and without any fight, either.”
“I hope you got a yearling, then,” remarked the camp guard, as he started to open the meat pack.
“Just what I did,” replied Roger. “With all those around to choose from, I picked the very choicest and fattest in sight. Oh! I can hardly wait to get some in the pan, I’m so hungry.”
And so it came about that even the great buffalo stampede, that at one time had threatened to bring the journey of the young pioneers to a speedy termination, was the means of supplying them with food.
When the fresh meat was done to a turn, both lads pronounced it the very finest they had ever eaten; and somehow it seemed to remove some of the sting from their inglorious night gallop in front of the panic-stricken herd.
Then once more the forward movement was resumed; for their determination to overtake the expedition that was piercing the Western wilderness had not abated. Accustomed to meeting and overcoming difficulties, the boys thought little of things that might seem discouragements in the eyes of those less trained in the ways of borderers and hunters.
No doubt they would see more of these shaggy animals, if they stayed any length of time upon the prairies along the upper Missouri, for at that time the buffalo entered largely into all the history of the many Indian tribes living west of the Mississippi, and pictures of its chase could be found painted on thousands of the skin teepees used by the red hunters. Its meat, when dried, afforded their families sustenance through the long winters, and the annual drive, when hundreds of the ungainly beasts would be killed, was an event that took place every autumn. If the buffalo failed to show up in numbers, it promised to be a lean year for that unfortunate tribe, and the hunters would have to keep busy after the ground was knee-deep in snow, trying to bring in moose, caribou, or other animals that did not migrate each season to the warmer southland.
It was only fair that a period of peace should follow after a storm; and for many days the boys met with no particular adventure, but continued to make good time along the river.
At the same time they did not seem to be gaining to any appreciable extent on the explorers who were pushing on ahead; which fact gave Roger occasional fits of the blues, so that his companion was compelled to again show him that sooner or later they were bound to attain their end. For Captain Lewis had, before starting, announced that he expected to spend the winter somewhere short of the great mountain chain, which, it was believed, ran north and south somewhere in the distant country.