CHAPTER VI
FELIX TAKES HIS TURN
So another day found the campers under the shadow of the great Rockies.They were up early, for it had been about nine o'clock when they turnedin on the preceding night; and there was plenty waiting to be done.
"Suppose you let the pelts go until later in the day, Tom," remarkedFelix as they ate breakfast at the rough table, which Old Sol had builtfor his use when he used to spend so many months every winter up here,in this favorite nook.
"What for?" asked the other, well knowing that Felix would never makethis odd proposition without having some good reason for it.
"Well," said his chum, slowly, "I'd like to go with you for a littlewhile, and see how you set the traps you think of putting out. Then,later on in the day, perhaps after we've had a bite of lunch, I mighttry a tramp in another quarter from where you went, just to see what thecountry looks like."
"Just as you say," replied Tom, readily enough. "I didn't stop to thinkthat perhaps you'd like to see the operation. And I guess it's just aswell that you pick up some information about how to do the job; becausesome days perhaps you'll want to run the line of traps yourself; andthen you'll have to know how to set them, as well as keep your scentfrom staying around, and warning timid animals away."
In about half an hour they started forth, each carrying a few traps. Tomhad been cudgeling his brains to remember all that Old Sol had told himabout his favorite places for setting his mink traps. There was a littleravine close by, through which a stream of water ran; and along thebanks of this the wary animals abound.
Perhaps Tom may not have gone about his task in exactly the same way anexperienced trapper would; for it takes years of work to learn all thereis to know in connection with the cunning little fur-bearing animalsthat look on man as their most implacable foe, as indeed he has beenever since the world began.
Some people have a knack for doing this sort of thing, while othersnever seem able to learn anything about the game. Tom was one of theformer. He had spent enough time with Old Sol to learn a great manypoints that were worth knowing. The rest could only come throughpersonal experience in the field.
These mink traps were set in front of certain openings in the bankswhich, from the signs, were "used" by the mink in traveling about, apeculiar habit they have of doing at certain times of the year.
Then a couple of fox traps were left at spots which Tom understood werelikely to bring about results. Great care had to be exercised in settingthese traps, so as to conceal the human scent, which would come to theacute sense of smell of the sly fox, and completely baffle the designsof the would-be trappers.
After that some muskrats traps were placed in a little marsh where therodents lived in great numbers. They are possibly the easiest animal totrap there is; and as the price of their skins has been going steadilyup from next to nothing, until now they bring as high as sixty-fivecents apiece, it pays a trapper to devote his entire time to taking therats; which, truth to tell, are really no relation to the ordinary houserats, but are called musquash by the Indians, and are really very tastyas food.
It was when the boys were starting back to the dugout, after locatingthe last of their muskrat traps in the marsh, that Tom made a discovery.
"Looky here!" he exclaimed, pointing to one side; "what's been going on,d'ye suppose? Part of a deer, and it hasn't been killed more'n a week.Why, the foxes haven't made way with it all. Queer those hungry wolvesdidn't scent it; but then they don't eat carrion as a rule, like thecoyotes. They're daintier in their choice of food."
"Whatever do you suppose killed this deer?" asked Felix, as they turnedthat way.
"We'll soon find out," replied his chum; "but the chances are ten to oneit was a bullet from a rifle."
He bent over to examine the few remains, and presently looked up with asmile.
"What did I tell you, Felix?" he demanded, holding some small objectbefore his chum's eyes.
It was a bullet, somewhat flattened from having struck the heavierbones, when it pierced the body of the deer.
"And only a week back, you say, Tom?" remarked Felix, a frown appearingon his face. "Then some party has been around here a short time ago? Ihad begun to believe we were going to have it all to ourselves; but Isuppose that would be too good luck. Any idea what sort of a man thehunter was?"
"Injun," replied Tom, laconically, as he pointed to the mark of amoccasin in the soft soil near by; and which Felix noticed "toed-in;"for an Indian always walks that way; as Nature intended man should,before he began to wear stiff boots, and started to use his feet thewrong way, by "toeing-out."
"Whew! then all I hope is, that it turns out to be that good oldhalfbreed we heard so much about, Charley Crow they call him, becausehis other name is too much for a fellow's tongue. I wouldn't mind him somuch; and if he's starting to put in a season trapping in thisneighborhood, why, we might make friends with him, you know."
"As for me," declared Tom, with a disconsolate look on his sun-burnedface; "you know, I don't take much stock in any Injun or half-breed. Ionly hope we have the good fortune not to run across this fellow, or anyof his kind, all the time we stick it out up here. But then I'mprejudiced, I own up. Charley may be all they say about him. We'll letit go at that. If he doesn't bother us, be sure I'll not go ten stepsout of my way to look him up."
All the same, it made them a little serious as they walked back to thecamp. If there were others hunting and trapping in that section, such athing always opened the door for all sorts of new troubles.
Supposing there should turn out to be a whole hunting party of Shoshonesor Flatfoot Indians off their reservation, and engaged in a grand hunt;they would make things look pretty "sick," as Tom expressed it, aroundthere, in short order.
But then, fortunately perhaps, boys are not much given to forebodings;and presently both Tom and his chum were feeling themselves again.Doubtless the recollection of that deer would return to them more than afew times to arouse these same doubts and speculations. And every timeTom felt that smashed bit of lead in his pocket, he would allow himselfto indulge in guesses that could hardly lead to anywhere in particular.
It was now getting on toward noon, and Felix announced that he would notbother making a start until some time afterwards. There was no need ofhurry, and inside of a couple of hours, he thought he ought to cover asmuch ground as he wanted to get over for that time.
"I'd better be making a start with those wolf pelts," said Tom; "becausethere's no telling what we may have on our hands by tomorrow, if only athird of those nine traps bring us returns. Makes me think I'm out againwith Old Sol. How much I'd like to have him along, right now, he's sucha bully old chap; and with a lot of queer things to tell about hisexperiences."
Although Felix did not bother to say so, truth to tell, he was entirelysatisfied with the way things ran just then; there could not be a bettercomrade than Tom Tucker, and according to his mind, two was always abetter number than three.
He watched Tom get busy with one of the pelts, and affix it to the largestretching board; after he had done considerable scraping, so as to getthe skin as free from flesh as possible.
"They're prime skins, and that's what," the worker declared. "And ifyou'd shot this fellow on purpose so as not to injure his hide, youcouldn't have done better."
"That must be the one that was trying to butt in at the door when Iopened it just a mite," declared Felix. "I gave him his right down histhroat; for he had his mouth open, and I could see the rows of shiningwhite teeth; besides his red tongue hanging out."
"Of course that's it," remarked Tom. "I remember now that the others areshot in the side, and both of them just back of the foreleg. Great work,that, my boy; and when it comes to shooting I'll have to take a backseat, I reckon."
"Lay it to the gun," chuckled Felix; "all you have to do is to stickthat shooting-iron out, and shut your eyes as you pull trigger. It doesall the rest."
"Yes, and goes out to retrieve your game besides," added Tom,
with alaugh. "The gun's all right, and I've used it enough to know what it cando; but there's a whole lot in the fellow behind the gun, as they say inthe navy."
"By the way, Tom, you'd better tell me if you think there's any chanceof my getting lost in these same old woods. I don't know half as much asyou do about finding my way about; and I used to have the greatestweakness for losing my bearings you ever saw, some time back. Yes, Istudied up all the known ways for telling the direction, if I lost mycompass and could point out north as well as the next fellow; but thetrouble with me was, I couldn't say whether camp meant north, south,east or west, most of the time. Of course, here I'd have the mountainsto guide me; and besides, I've got a bully little compass somewherearound; so I don't think I'll worry about it. And even if I did strayoff, it could only be for a night. After several stabs at it, I'd besure to arrive at the proper direction."
"I don't believe you would lose yourself around here if you tried,Felix," asserted Tom, positively. "You're only saying that to josh me.But I'm not going to let it bother me any. If you don't turn up, why,I'll be on your trail in the morning." Tom said this jokingly, neverdreaming that he might have a chance to put his words into practice sosoon.
He, himself, had never been lost in all his life. Like the homingpigeon, Tom seemed to have some sort of instinct that, under allcircumstances, allowed him to face toward home when he wanted to turnthat way. And he could not understand how anyone could make suchmountains out of mole-hills. Why, all they had to do was to use theireyes, and what sense lay in their head, in order to figure out just howto head to get back to their starting point.
And yet you could drop Felix down into the heart of a strange city, evengreat London, and he would presently be able to find his way around, sothat in a week's time the streets would be as familiar to him as thoseof his native town; while probably Tom Tucker would have to be escortedto his hotel by the police every time he sauntered forth. He was used toone thing, and Felix another.
When two hours had passed Tom, seeing that his companion had not madeany sign of going forth began to ask questions.
"Give up the idea of that little hunt for today, Felix?"
"Oh! no," was the reply, as the other got up and stretched himself, forhe had been busying himself with some small job that allowed of sitting.
"Better be moving, then, or you'll be caught by darkness away from camp;and then you'll have to try bunking alone for once," suggested theother.
"That's so," Felix went on, beginning to buckle on his ammunition belt,and put a few things in the pockets of his coat, the sight of which madeTom elevate his eyebrows.
"Don't mean to take any chances, eh?" he remarked.
"Oh! well, there's no telling, and you yourself always say its best tobe prepared. I expect to be back inside of two hours at the most,however," and Felix picked up his gun, showing that he was now ready tostart.
"And I expect to have a lot of things done by the time you do comeback," remarked Tom. "If you're lucky enough to get your deer, perhapsyou'd better only bring home the saddle, and leave the rest fortomorrow."
"You're saying that because you know I'm not built along the same huskylines you are," declared Felix; "but lots of times these thin fellowscan show plenty of grit and carrying power. So-long, Tom."
"And Felix," called out the other, as an after thought, "if you happento run up against any of those fellows like Abe Cozzins and PerleyKline,--you remember Frazer telling us about their stamp, don'tyou?--better give 'em a wide berth. We know they're being looked for bythe Government men, and p'raps they know it too, so they may feel uglytoward every one. If we were together I wouldn't think much of it; butyou haven't rubbed up against that sort of border scoundrel as much as Ihave. Be careful, won't you?"
"I guess I will, Tom; and don't worry about me."
With that Felix was gone, his gun over his shoulder, and not a sign ofhis recent weariness to be seen about his quick, springy step, Tomnoticed, with satisfaction.
The time passed rapidly to the boy who was so busy in camp. In fact, hehardly noticed its passage, and when he heard a distant shot, soonfollowed by a second, he was astonished to find that two hours hadreally gone.
"That sounded as though he'd struck something worth while," Tom wassaying to himself, with a smile, once more turning his attention towhatever it was at which he chanced to be working at the time. "Butunless he hurries in his work, it'll come on dark before he gets back.At this time of year night just seems to be in the tallest kind of ahurry to get a move on the daylight."
And indeed, as the dusk deepened, and he saw nothing of his chum, Tomwent to the open door many times, wondering whether after all Felixmight not have wandered so far afield that his own laughing predictionwas being fulfilled, and that in truth he was temporarily lost.
But Tom, having prepared supper for two, waited a long time before hewould sit down alone to eat his portion. As Felix was still absent theWestern boy began to feel more or less worried. He had thought therecould be little or no danger in those woods at the base of the Rockies;but now, with the absence of his chum, he began to see all sorts of evilthings that might have come upon Felix, rather unused to these vastranges of wilderness, so different from those he was accustomed toroaming in the Far East.
Later grew the hour, and Tom realized that the matter was getting a bitserious. He even went out, and fired his gun three times in rapidsuccession; and then listened eagerly; but there was no air stirring tocarry sounds, and only the melancholy hooting of an owl up among thecliffs far away answered him.
Rocky Mountain Boys; Or, Camping in the Big Game Country Page 6