CHAPTER XIII
HUNTING THE BIGHORN
"I've fixed things so that today the traps can take care of themselves,"remarked Tom, one morning, as they sat there at the rude table eatingtheir breakfast of oatmeal, and coffee, and some biscuits Felix hadmanaged to make, using a pan for his oven, and with pretty fair success,too, Tom had declared, after making away with his tenth one, coveredwith honey.
Felix looked quickly up at his chum. He could read between the lines,and understood that Tom would not have said this unless he had somethingto propose.
"And what were you thinking of doing, then?" he asked, seeing that theother was waiting to be questioned.
"Well, I happened to notice yesterday that a little flock of bighornsheep seemed to be feeding in a certain patch away up the face of themountain, where there must be some grass that has been protected so farfrom the freeze; and I was wondering whether you would feel like takinga shy at the same, always providing we can climb up to a place withingunshot?"
Felix jumped up, as he was really through eating; his eyes danced witheagerness, just as Tom anticipated they would.
"Let's start right now," he remarked; whereat the other laughed at him.
"Not a bit of need for hurry," he said; "and I want to make certainpreparations for the jaunt. It isn't any easy thing, climbing themountains, and especially at this time of year. We may be away allnight, for all we know, and must dress warm enough for anything likethat. Besides, we want to make up something to eat; these left-overbiscuits and some dried venison will just fill the bill. And thenthere's that rope we brought along, because you said we might need it;I'll wrap it around my middle, because in mountain climbing a rope issometimes worth its weight ten times over in gold. Fact is, no mountainguide over in the Alps would think of starting out for a climb, withoutat least one rope along."
"I guess you're right," replied Felix; "and I'll begin to get thingsmoving now. Looks like we might have a decent day, too; which I'm rightglad to see. I'd hate to be caught up there in a snow storm, with ahowling wind blowing." And stepping to the door he looked up to wherethe frowning rocky heights could be seen through the partly barebranches of the trees of the valley.
Tom would not allow his impatient companion to hurry him in the least.He declared that there was plenty of time; and he did not want to forgetsomething which they ought to carry, the absence of which might work ahardship later on.
But about the time the sun was an hour high showing through the gap tothe east, the two lads left the old dugout, and headed toward the west,where the main ridge arose like a monstrous barrier, shutting them outfrom everything lying beyond, since to cross its snowy peaks was a taskutterly beyond their ability, even had they ever dreamed of such anundertaking.
Later on, when they were really in one of the canyons, Felix began tocomprehend something of the magnitude and grandeur of the massiveRockies. At a distance they had excited his curiosity and interest; butonce he found himself in their midst, it was a feeling of awe thatgradually took possession of his soul.
Still, the ambition of a hunter was strong within the Eastern lad; andwhen his companion pointed out to him a certain green spot nearly halfway to the top of the nearest ridge and told him to notice the movingwhite specks upon it, he realized that these must be the famousbig-horns feeding.
"However do you expect we're going to get up there?" asked Felix, aghastat the prospect of climbing at such a height, which looked somethingformidable to him just then.
"Perhaps we can't do it," replied the other; "but we're going to make ajab at the job all the same; and I reckon I know about the best way. Ihaven't been studying the make-up of these mountains, day after day, fornothing."
"I'd just depend on it, you've got your plan all laid out," laughedFelix. "I never knew you to start into anything without doing that."
"Oh! yes you have," answered the other, chuckling. "When I invaded theden of my friend, the black bear, and started to smoke him out withouteven knowing that it was his house, why, I guess I didn't have any planmade up beforehand. Any old thing just had to answer; but after all, Icame out of that scrape better than I deserved, after being so breezy asto invite the gentleman to come out and get acquainted."
They started in to climb. Tom, as he said, had figured it pretty wellall out, and in this way better progress was made than Felix would havethought possible.
Sometimes it turned out to be easy enough; and then again, they wouldeither have to go around some obstruction, or else make a difficultascent of a small cliff.
When noon came they had ascended a pretty good distance, and Felix sawthat the green patch was much closer. Indeed, he could easily make outthe bighorns now, and even counted them several times.
"Seven all told, in sight, Tom?" he remarked. "And I wonder if they'llstill be there when we get within range, if we ever manage it?"
"If not, we must lie over until tomorrow, and take chances that way,"replied the other. "For after going to all this trouble, we must try andget a sheep, just for the horns; because the mutton of a big fellow willdent your teeth."
"Have you got our route all mapped out above here?" asked Felix.
"Yes; and from now on we must be careful not to let them glimpse us evenonce," returned the Western boy. "I haven't hunted sheep before, but Iknow something of them, and they're mighty suspicious animals."
"I notice that we've got the wind in our faces," continued the other.
"Oh! sure, we couldn't have done the first thing any other way," Tomdeclared, as they once more started off.
An hour later, and Felix was allowed to creep to the edge of a littleridge of rock in order to take an observation. He found they had madesuch splendid progress that it almost seemed as though he might try tobring down that fellow sporting the massive horns, but then Tom hadwarned him that distances were deceiving up in that clear mountain air,and if so, after all he would be apt to make a mess of it should he try.
So once more, then, they had to go creeping along, always keeping out ofsight of the wary game, yet forever ascending. And still, when Felixlooked up at the top of the mountain they were climbing, it seemed aboutas far off heavenward as ever, in his eyes.
Later on Tom began to work around more. He believed that they were nowabout as close to the bighorn sheep as they could possibly get; andbesides, as the afternoon was waning, the animals might at any time takea notion to quit their feeding ground, for some other locality, wherethey were in the habit of passing the night; and unless the boys gotbusy shortly, they would have to wait until another day before securingthe coveted chance for a shot.
Leaving Felix lying in a little hollow, getting his breath after thelast fierce climb, Tom crept forward. The other saw him gradually raisehis head, and appear to take a peep over the rocks. Then drawing back,he turned and made a motion that meant he wanted his chum to comealongside.
Trembling with eagerness, Felix did so. And no sooner had he raised hiseyes to a level with the line of rock, so that he could look over, thanhe saw a sight calculated to pay him for all the trouble he had been to,in order to gain this position.
There were the sheep within the easiest possible gun range, so that itwould seem as though even a greenhorn could not miss his aim, if he buttook ordinary precautions.
"Oh!"
It was but the faintest sound, and seemed forced from Felix by thecloseness of the game; but Tom nudged him in the ribs, as though toindicate that even such a whisper must not be indulged in.
There was really no need of saying a word, because, as they climbed, theboys had made all the necessary arrangements.
Felix, therefore, knew absolutely that he was to try and take care ofthe buck carrying those massive horns which he envied; while Tom, on hispart, having his mind bent more on securing some mutton that could beeaten without first being chopped into atoms, meant to pick out ayearling, or one still younger, provided the flock contained any such.
Nor was that all, for they had arranged a silent cod
e between them,looking to the critical moment when they would want to shoot. Tom was togive the signal for this, after he had learned that his comrade was allready for business.
And on his part Felix must keep a bead on that big buck.
Perhaps the leader of the flock had some reason to feel suspicious. Hehad ceased browsing on the grass that grew in the little plateausheltered thus far from the cold, and getting all the warmth of thesunshine; they could see him standing there as though he might be cutout of solid rock, apparently sniffing the air as if in some incrediblemanner he had caught a whiff of danger, even though the wind blew almostdirectly from him toward the spot where the boys lay.
Tom kicked the ankle of his chum twice. That meant he was ready to givethe word to fire and Felix must be ready to press the trigger of hisMarlin when he heard the one word that was to be whispered, so theEastern boy nudged an answer with his elbow.
"Now!"
There was a double discharge, Tom firing just after his companion; forin his generosity he did not want to precede him, even by the fractionof a second, lest this serve to make the patriarch of the flock move,and disturb Felix in aiming.
The big buck with the wonderful horns made a leap into the air, and thenrolled down the slope, falling from the end of the shelf. They could seehis desperate efforts to cling to the rock at the brink with hisforefeet; but powerful as he may have been, that deadly ball had sappedhis strength with its shock; and ten seconds later he vanished from thesight of the hunters.
Of course the balance of the flock had bounded off in wild alarm, notwaiting to see what the fate of their leader might be; all but one,which lay there on the green spot, perfectly still. Tom evidently hadnot suffered in his aim because of allowing his chum the first chance topull trigger. As usual he had made a centre shot; and if only they couldfind a way to get across to where the young bighorn lay, there was aprospect of some pretty fine eating ahead.
"I got him, didn't I, Tom?" cried Felix, greatly pleased over the resultof his shot.
"But where d'ye suppose the beggar dropped to, and will we ever be ableto get to him? I'd just hate awfully to lose those horns, now that I'veknocked him galley-west. What had we better do, Tom?"
"I'll tell you," replied the other, calmly; for it took considerable toexcite Tom--an angry bear climbing up a tree after him had been known todo the trick all right, though. "First of all, before we try and go downafter those horns you want, let's see if we can get over to where thesheep were grazing. For my part, I've got my mouth set for some mutton,when we get home again; and I'd hate to lose what I've shot. It would bea wicked waste, that's what."
They began to look around, there being no longer any necessity forconcealment; and in a short time Tom announced that he believed he sawhow he might cross over to the little green plateau where the bighornshad been feeding.
Rocky Mountain Boys; Or, Camping in the Big Game Country Page 13