Far Past the Frontier

by James A. Braden

  CHAPTER XII.

  Building a Cabin.

  By reason of having been the first to see the strange foot-prints, andhaving come upon them, too, in the gray light of the early morning, whenalone in the forest solitudes, John found it hard to shake off the dreadwith which they filled him. On the other hand, Ree was bright and chipperas a squirrel in the nutting season. He reasoned that the discovery ofthe tracks was fortunate, rather than otherwise, for it proved that theirmysterious enemy was still hovering on their trail and gave them anopportunity of finding out who the wretch might be. And they now knewthat they must be constantly on their guard, while except for thediscovery, they might have become careless and fallen easy victims totheir sneaking foe.

  So he cheered John up, and loud and clear the sounds of their axes rangout in the crisp, delightful air of the woods. Both boys threw off theircoats as the healthful perspiration came to their faces and hands, andtheir vigor and strength seemed to grow rather than decrease as theyworked. They had been careful to keep their axes sharp, and the chipsflew almost in showers.

  The trees selected for cutting were those from five to eight inches indiameter, whose trunks were firm and straight. The lads would be able tohandle logs of this size, while larger ones would give them trouble,especially as they no longer had a horse to draw them to the cabin site.The work would be hard at best, but no more than the boys had expected,and the hearty good will with which they set about the task before them,promised its speedy accomplishment in spite of obstacles.

  For mutual safety the boys remained near one another as they worked, andtimber was so plentiful that their progress was not interfered with bythis arrangement. Their rifles were within reach, and their eyes and earswere alert.

  The hour of noon brought a brief but pleasant rest, and the afternoonslipped quickly away. As supper time drew near, John, having had only acold lunch at noon, was becoming very hungry and was about to mentionthat fact, when, instead, he suddenly seized his rifle and sprang behinda tree. At the same instant Ree did likewise.

  "As sure as shooting I heard some one cough!" exclaimed John in anundertone.

  "I heard a footstep," Ree quietly answered.

  "Ho ho!" It was Tom Fish who called, and coming forward, he confessedthat he had been trying the boys' watchfulness by trying to steal up tothem without being discovered. He was decidedly surprised to find them soquick to detect his approach, for he had scarcely come within gun shot.

  Tom declared to John, however, that he had not coughed, saying it musthave been John's alert instinct which told him that some one was drawingnear, and made him imagine he heard such a sound. The boys did not agreewith him, however, for he also undertook to say that Ree had not heard afootstep at all, but being keenly alive to detect the approach of anyone,had imagined he heard a noise before he really did, all through thatpeculiar sense which he called instinct.

  "But anyway it's a good thing for you, Tom Fish, that you hollered whenyou did," said John. "I was just on the point of giving you a dose ofthese lead pills that you are so everlastingly talking about!"

  Tom's face lengthened. "You don't want to be too quick with your pillbox, boy," said he. "You want to see what an' who you're shootin' at.Great Snakes, now! What if ye had peppered away at me?"

  "Well, don't come creeping up like a sneaking Mingo then," laughed John,and Ree, who knew that John had not seen Tom until after he called, andhad been really frightened, joined in his chum's merriment.

  "But tell us what you found, Tom," urged Ree.

  "Well, I'll tell ye," Tom slowly and very soberly answered, "I don't knowwhat to make of it. Them tracks was made by a redskin an' they camestraight to the camp along the trail we made yesterday. Then afterleaving here, they strike off an' go straight to the little lake acrossfrom the Delaware town, an' there they stop. It's plain as kin be, thatsome varmint from that there town has been spyin' on us. Now was it thesame critter as killed the horse, or wa'n't it? An' if it was, was thatcritter the Buffalo chap? An' what was he hangin' 'round here ag'in forlast night?"

  These questions furnished an abundance of material for conversationduring the evening meal, but no definite answers were agreed upon. Reewould not admit that they were in danger from the Delawares, though heagreed that Big Buffalo was a bad Indian. He was quite sure, however,that Big Buffalo had not shot old Jerry, for the Indian was at the headof the party of savages he had encountered the morning after the horsewas shot, and had plainly been surprised to see any white person so farwest.

  But these arguments did not satisfy Tom Fish, nor was John at all surethat Ree was right.

  After supper Tom said he must go back for a deer which he had killed inthe morning, a couple of miles from camp, and which he had hung up beyondthe reach of the wolves, until his return. But he had made a short cut incoming back to camp and so had not secured the venison.

  John jokingly cautioned him to let them know when he approached the campin returning, lest he be mistaken for the prowler, and Tom most soberlypromised he would, and was at great pains to do so; for he was always ata loss to understand the younger of the two friends, and could not besure whether he was in sober earnest or only joking, no matter what wassaid.

  The night passed without incident. Tom did more than his share of guardduty, but it became apparent next day that he did not like to wield anaxe. He said he would go out for some fresh "provender" and "sort o' earnhis keep" that way.

  So while Fish went hunting, the boys toiled away. They could not complainbecause Tom helped so little with the cabin, for they had no right toexpect it of him; they were thankful indeed, to have him keep the larderwell supplied and to let him sleep during the day, for he took the partof sentinel a large part of every night. This gave the boys opportunityto secure a good rest and to rise each morning eager to continue the taskof building.

  Their faithful efforts were rapidly being rewarded and in due time thelogs for the cabin were all ready. These were chopped into lengths with aview to making their dwelling 12 by 14 feet--no longer than the averagebedroom of modern houses, but affording all the space necessary, andbeing the easier to keep warm by reason of being compact.

  No time was spent on "fancy work," as John called it, at that time. Afloor and other improvements could be added later. For the main thing tobe accomplished was to get a secure shelter ready as soon as possible.

  The Indian summer was long since gone, and though there were still warm,pleasant days now and then, cold rains and snow came frequently. Nomatter what the weather, however, the work went on, though hands andfaces were cut and scratched by the brush and chapped by the raw winds.

  "Ree, you are a perfect fright," said John with a laugh, one day. "Ifpeople from home were to see you now, they would say you would be luckyto find a scare-crow which would trade places with you. And yourhair--why, it almost reaches your shoulders!"

  Ree smiled but did not at once reply. Then, looking up, he said: "Oldboy, we are going back to Connecticut some day, but the time is a longway off. If we go with whole skins and with money in our pockets, it willbe an easy matter to get into good clothes and to get our hair cut. Whatyou want to do, is to watch out that some Indian barber does not cut thatlong hair of yours, rather closer than you like."

  It was so seldom that Ree joked, and he spoke now in so droll a way, thatTom Fish laughed boisterously. It had been long since the boys had heardhim so merry; for, though he never mentioned that subject, theremembrance of the scalp Big Buffalo had carried, seemed always on hisspirits, bearing him down to a melancholy, unnatural mood.

  They did not understand it then; they did not know.

  When the time came to raise the cabin--that is, to fit the logs in placeone upon another, after they had been dragged and rolled to the summit ofthe mound, to be in readiness, Tom's help was found most valuable, andboth Ree and John appreciated his work. But notwithstanding, they wouldhave been better pleased had he not remained with them. He had shown somuch ill-feeling toward the Indians who had co
me about from time to time,that there was reason to believe he would commit some rash act whichwould make trouble for all.

  They could not tell Tom they did not trust him. They could not tell himto go. Ree's repeated cautions that they must avoid getting intodifficulty with the redskins, were the only hints that could be given.

  Capt. Pipe himself and a large number of his braves visited the camp whenthe cabin was nearly finished, to make the settlement for the land theboys had engaged to buy. The young pioneers had twice sent word to him byIndians who were passing, that they wished to make their payment andenter into a final agreement, and he had at last sent messengers to saythat he would visit them on a certain day. On the day before Capt. Pipe'sexpected visit Ree and John went hunting to secure an abundance of meatfor a feast for their guests. It was the first day they had spent awayfrom the hard work on their cabin, except for Sundays when they bathedand gave their clothes needed attention, and no two boys ever enjoyed aholiday more. There was some snow--not enough to make walking difficult,but really an advantage to the young hunters, for it showed them thenumerous tracks of the game they sought.

  To this day, men, who have heard the stories handed down from generationto generation, of the hunters' paradise in what is now the Northern partof Ohio, in the years before 1800, delight to tell of the abundance ofchoicest game found in the valley of the Cuyahoga and about the smalllakes in its vicinity, and Ree and John were in that very locality yearsbefore the white man's axe had opened up the country to generalsettlement, driving the deer, the bear and wolves and all kindred animalsaway.

  Little wonder is it that these hardy pioneer boys were constantlyreminding themselves that they must pass by many fine opportunities for agood shot, because of the necessity of saving their powder and bulletsfor actual use; there must be no shooting except when there was a goodchance of securing game of some value.

  Little wonder is it, that, even under these circumstances, Ree, by themiddle of the afternoon, had secured a deer and three turkeys besides abig rabbit which he caught in his hands as it sprang from its burrowbeneath a fallen tree-top. And John had also shot a deer and had killedtheir first bear--a half-grown cub which, late in finding quarters forits long winter's sleep, rose on its hind legs, growling savagely, as theboys came suddenly upon it, in passing around a great boulder in theriver valley.

  In good time on a certain Tuesday in December, Capt. Pipe and his partyarrived. Some of the braves were inclined to be very frolicsome and itwas necessary to watch that they did not get their hands on propertywhich was not their own.

  But their chief was all dignity. He seemed to take a fancy to Ree, whowas scarcely less dignified than himself,--being so grave and quiet inhis deportment, indeed, that a doughty warrior who had made up his mindto challenge him to wrestle, had not the courage to suggest the contest.

  The business of the day sat lightly on John's mind, however, and he wasfull of antics as any of the redskins. It resulted in his beingchallenged to wrestle, and he was laid on his back in short order. Thenhe remembered Ree's advice at the time he wrestled at the Delaware town,and making use of it, threw his man after a most clever and spiritedcontest.

  But the great feature of the day, in John's estimation, was the foot racein which he defeated a young Indian known to be one of the best runnersof the tribe, winning a beautiful pair of leggings which Big Buffalo putup in a wager. It was a short-distance race and he realized that in alonger run the Indian would have defeated him; it made him decide topractice running long distances. He might wish to outrun the redskins tosave his scalp, some day.

  Tom Fish sat silent and alone, a little apart from all the others, duringthe whole time. He eyed Big Buffalo sharply when no one save Ree observedhim, but the gruesome scalp no longer hung at the Indian's belt.

  Fishing Bird was there and seemed especially friendly, though, not beinga sub-chief, as was Big Buffalo, he did not pretend to any specialdignity, but enjoyed himself in sports with the other young Indians andJohn.

  When at last the Delawares settled down to business, there was a greatdeal of talk before an agreement was reached, that the boys should have atract embracing about 200 acres, which the Indians marked off, inexchange for three red blankets and a bolt of blue cloth. It was a ratherdear price, John thought, but Ree declared it was a bargain, for theysecured just the land they wanted. Moreover, they retained the friendshipof the Indians, and even though they should be obliged to pay for theland a second time to the United States government or the State ofConnecticut, they could well afford to do so, under these circumstances.

  There was general hand-shaking as the Delawares went away, though TomFish discreetly disappeared for the time, vowing he would give his handto "no bloody varmint."

  The Indians insisted that the young "Long Knives" (Ree and John) shouldreturn their visit the second day following, for a ratification of thebargain they had made. This the boys regretted, as it would probablydelay the completion of their cabin; but they were obliged to accept theinvitation, and did so.

  The next day, Wednesday, however, work on their rude dwelling wasresumed, and Tom Fish turned in and helped like a good fellow. Afire-place and chimney had already been built of flat stones from alongthe margin of the river, and this day, so industriously did all applythemselves, that the roof and door were finished and the cabinpractically completed except for the improvements to be added from timeto time.

  Words can hardly express the boys' pleasure as they built a fire for thefirst time in the big fire-place and found that their chimney did itswork admirably. Without loss of time they at once moved into their newhouse from the brush shack in which their home had been; and by thecheerful fire light, as the night came on, they placed their things in asorderly a manner as possible, and found themselves quite comfortable,though much remained to be done, the chinking of the walls being thechief task unfinished.

  Notwithstanding how the wind crept in at the open cracks until this workshould be done, the boys were happy as they cooked and ate their supperin their new home. The ripple and murmur of the river as it splashed onthe shore or washed over half-hidden stones, rose to them from the footof the mound, and was like sweet music in their ears. The wind gentlytossed the branches of the trees in harmony with the water's sound, andthe howling of wolves far off somewhere in the darkness, made the feelingof security which the stout cabin walls gave all the more pleasing. Theirprowling foe had not been about since the first night of their arrival,and they felt entirely safe.

  "I guess I'll turn in, then," said John, after trying in vain to brightenup Tom Fish and get him to telling stories; and he was soon asleep on thebed of leaves he had made in a corner.

  Ree, having had no chance to read since leaving home, resolved to improvethis opportunity. He got his "Pilgrim's Progress" from a chest, andsettled himself before the fire.

  All the evening Tom had sat in silence beside the big chimney, but soonhe leaned over, and placing one big hand on Ree's knee, said in a lowvoice:

  "I've been wantin' to tell ye somethin', Ree; it's about that thar scalpthat has upset me so ever since I seen it."