The Young Fur Traders

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.

  AN UNEXPECTED MEETING, AND AN UNEXPECTED DEER-HUNT--ARRIVAL AT THEOUTPOST--DISAGREEMENT WITH THE NATIVES--AN ENEMY DISCOVERED, AND AMURDER.

  Next morning they rose with the sun, and therefore also with the birdsand beasts.

  A wide traverse of the lake now lay before them. This they crossed inabout two hours, during which time they paddled unremittingly, as thesky looked rather lowering, and they were well aware of the danger ofbeing caught in a storm in such an egg-shell craft as an Indian canoe.

  "We'll put in here now, Mister Harry," exclaimed Jacques, as the canoeentered the mouth of one of those small rivulets which are called inScotland _burns_, and in America _creeks_; "it's like that your appetiteis sharpened after a spell like that. Keep her head a little more tothe left--straight for the p'int--so. It's likely we'll get some fishhere if we set the net."

  "I say, Jacques, is yon a cloud or a wreath of smoke above the trees inthe creek?" inquired Harry, pointing with his paddle towards the objectreferred to.

  "It's smoke, master; I've see'd it for some time, and mayhap we'll findsome Injins there who can give us news of the traders at Stoney Creek."

  "And, pray, how far do you think we may now be from that place?"inquired Harry.

  "Forty miles, more or less."

  As he spoke, the canoe entered the shallow water of the creek, and beganto ascend the current of the stream, which at its mouth was so sluggishas to be scarcely perceptible to the eye. Not so, however, to the arms.The light bark, which, while floating on the lake, had glided buoyantlyforward as if it were itself consenting to the motion, had now becomeapparently imbued with a spirit of contradiction, bounding convulsivelyforward at each stroke of the paddles, and perceptibly losing speed ateach interval. Directing their course towards a flat rock on the leftbank of the stream, they ran the prow out of the water and leapedashore. As they did so, the unexpected figure of a man issued from thebushes and sauntered towards the spot. Harry and Hamilton advanced tomeet him, while Jacques remained to unload the canoe. The stranger washabited in the usual dress of a hunter, and carried a fowling-piece overhis right shoulder. In general appearance he looked like an Indian; butthough the face was burned by exposure to a hue that nearly equalled thered skins of the natives, a strong dash of pink in it, and the mass offair hair which encircled it, proved that, as Harry paradoxicallyexpressed it, its owner was a _white_ man. He was young, considerablyabove the middle height, and apparently athletic. His address andlanguage on approaching the young men put the question of his being a_white_ man beyond a doubt.

  "Good-morning, gentlemen," he began. "I presume that you are the partywe have been expecting for some time past to reinforce our staff atStoney Creek. Is it not so?"

  To this query young Somerville, who stood in advance of his friend, madeno reply, but stepping hastily forward, laid a hand on each of thestranger's shoulders, and gazed earnestly into his face, exclaiming ashe did so--

  "Do my eyes deceive me? Is Charley Kennedy before me--or his ghost?"

  "What! eh," exclaimed the individual thus addressed, returning Harry'sgripe and stare with interest, "is it possible? No--it cannot--HarrySomerville, my old, dear, unexpected friend!"--and pouring out brokensentences, abrupt ejaculations, and incoherent questions, to whichneither vouchsafed replies, the two friends gazed at and walked roundeach other, shook hands, partially embraced, and committed sundry otherextravagances, utterly unconscious of, or indifferent to, the fact thatHamilton was gazing at them, open-mouthed, in a species of stupor, andthat Jacques was standing by, regarding them with a look of mingledamusement and satisfaction. The discovery of this latter personage wasa source of renewed delight and astonishment to Charley, who was so muchupset by the commotion of his spirits, in consequence of this, so tospeak, double shot, that he became rambling and incoherent in his speechduring the remainder of that day, and gave vent to frequent and suddenbursts of smothered enthusiasm, in which it would appear, from theoccasional muttering of the names of Redfeather and Jacques, that he notonly felicitated himself on his own good fortune, but also anticipatedrenewed pleasure in witnessing the joyful meeting of these two worthiesere long. In fact, this meeting did take place on the following day,when Redfeather, returning from a successful hunt, with part of a deeron his shoulders, entered Charley's tent, in which the travellers hadspent the previous day and night, and discovered the guide gravelydiscussing a venison steak before the fire.

  It would be vain to attempt a description of all that the reunitedfriends said and did during the first twenty-four hours after theirmeeting: how they talked of old times, as they lay extended round thefire inside of Charley's tent, and recounted their adventures by floodand field since they last met; how they sometimes diverged intoquestions of speculative philosophy (as conversations _will_ oftendiverge, whether we wish it or not), and broke short off to make suddeninquiries after old friends; how this naturally led them to talk of newfriends and new scenes, until they began to forecast their eyes a littleinto the future; and how, on feeling that this was an uncongenial themeunder present circumstances, they reverted again to the past, and by apeculiar train of conversation--to retrace which were utterlyimpossible--they invariably arrived at _old_ times again. Having incourse of the evening pretty well exhausted their powers, both mentaland physical, they went to sleep on it, and resumed the colloquial_melange_ in the morning.

  "And now tell me, Charley, what you are doing in this uninhabited partof the world, so far from Stoney Creek," said Harry Somerville, as theyassembled round the fire to breakfast.

  "That is soon explained," replied Charley. "My good friend andsuperior, Mr Whyte, having got himself comfortably housed at StoneyCreek, thought it advisable to establish a sort of half outpost, halffishing-station, about twenty miles below the new fort, and believing(very justly) that my talents lay a good deal in the way of fishing andshooting, sent me to superintend it during the summer months. I am,therefore, at present monarch of that notable establishment, which isnot yet dignified with a name. Hearing that there were plenty of deerabout twenty miles below my palace, I resolved the other day to gratifymy love of sport, and at the same time procure some venison for StoneyCreek; accordingly, I took Redfeather with me, and--here I am."

  "Very good," said Harry; "and can you give us the least idea of whatthey are going to do with my friend Hamilton and me when they get us?"

  "Can't say. One of you, at any rate, will be kept at the creek, toassist Mr Whyte; the other may, perhaps, be appointed to relieve me atthe fishing for a time, while _I_ am sent off to push the trade in otherquarters. But I'm only guessing. I don't know anything definitely, forMr Whyte is by no means communicative."

  "An' please, master," put in Jacques, "when do you mean to let us offfrom this place? I guess the bourgeois won't be over pleased if wewaste time here."

  "We'll start this forenoon, Jacques. I and Redfeather shall go alongwith you, as I intended to take a run up to the creek about this time atany rate.--Have you the skins and dried meat packed, Redfeather?"

  To this the Indian replied in the affirmative, and the others havingfinished breakfast, the whole party rose to prepare for departure, andset about loading their canoes forthwith. An hour later they were againcleaving the waters of the lake, with this difference in arrangement,that Jacques was transferred to Redfeather's canoe, while CharleyKennedy took his place in the stern of that occupied by Harry andHamilton.

  The establishment of which our friend Charley pronounced himselfabsolute monarch, and at which they arrived in the course of the sameafternoon, consisted of two small log houses or huts, constructed in therudest fashion, and without any attempt whatever at architecturalembellishment. It was pleasantly situated on a small bay, whosenorthern extremity was sheltered from the arctic blast by a gentlerising ground clothed with wood. A miscellaneous collection of fishingapparatus lay scattered about in front of the buildings, and two men ina canoe completed the picture. The said two
men and an Indian womanwere the inhabitants of the place; the king himself, when present, andhis prime minister, Redfeather, being the remainder of the population.

  "Pleasant little kingdom that of yours, Charley," remarked HarrySomerville, as they passed the station.

  "Very," was the laconic reply.

  They had scarcely passed the place above a mile, when a canoe,containing a solitary Indian, was observed to shoot out from the shoreand paddle hastily towards them. From this man they learned that a herdof deer was passing down towards the lake, and would be on its banks ina few minutes. He had been waiting their arrival when the canoes camein sight, and induced him to hurry out so as to give them warning.Having no time to lose, the whole party now paddled swiftly for theshore, and reached it just a few minutes before the branching antlers ofthe deer came in sight above the low bushes that skirted the wood.Harry Somerville embarked in the bow of the strange Indian's canoe, soas to lighten the other, and enable all parties to have a fair chance.After snuffing the breeze for a few seconds, the foremost animal tookthe water, and commenced swimming towards the opposite shore of thelake, which at this particular spot was narrow. It was followed byseven others. After sufficient time was permitted to elapse to rendertheir being cut off, in an attempt to return, quite certain, the threecanoes darted from the shelter of the overhanging bushes, and spranglightly over the water in pursuit.

  "Don't hurry, and strike sure," cried Jacques to his young friends, asthey came up with the terrified deer that now swam for their lives.

  "Ay, ay," was the reply.

  In another moment they shot in among the struggling group. HarrySomerville stood up, and seizing the Indian's spear, prepared to strike,while his companions directed their course towards others of the herd.A few seconds sufficed to bring him up with it. Leaning backwards alittle, so as to give additional force to the blow, he struck the speardeep into the animal's back. With a convulsive struggle, it ceased toswim, its head sank slowly, and in another second it lay dead upon thewater. Without waiting a moment, the Indian immediately directed thecanoe towards another deer; while the remainder of the party, nowconsiderably separated from each other, dispatched the whole herd bymeans of axes and knives.

  "Ha!" exclaimed Jacques, as they towed their booty to the shore, "that'sa good stock o' meat, Mister Charles. It will help to furnish thelarder for the winter pretty well."

  "It was much wanted, Jacques: we've a good many mouths to feed, besides_treating_ the Indians now and then. And this fellow, I think, willclaim the most of the hunt as his own. We should not have got the deerbut for him."

  "True, true, Mister Charles. They belong to the redskin by rights,that's sartin."

  After this exploit, another night was passed under the trees; and atnoon on the day following they ran their canoe alongside the woodenwharf at Stoney Creek.

  "Good-day to you, gentlemen," said Mr Whyte to Harry and Hamilton asthey landed; "I've been looking out for you these two weeks past. Gladyou've come at last, however. Plenty to do, and no time to lose. Youhave dispatches, of course. Ah! that's right," (Harry drew a sealedpacket from his bosom and presented it with a bow), "that's right. Imust peruse these at once.--Mr Kennedy, you will show these gentlementheir quarters. We dine in half an hour." So saying, Mr Whyte thrustthe packet into his pocket, and without further remark strode towardshis dwelling; while Charley, as instructed, led his friends to their newresidence--not forgetting, however, to charge Redfeather to see to thecomfortable lodgment of Jacques Caradoc.

  "Now it strikes me," remarked Harry, as he sat down on the edge ofCharley's bed and thrust his hands doggedly down into his pockets, whileHamilton tucked up his sleeves and assaulted a washhand-basin whichstood on an unpainted wooden chair in a corner--"it strikes me that if_that's_ his usual style of behaviour, old Whyte is a pleasure that wedidn't anticipate."

  "Don't judge from first impressions; they're often deceptive,"spluttered Hamilton, pausing in his ablutions to look at his friendthrough a mass of soap-suds--an act which afterwards cost him a gooddeal of pain and a copious flow of unbidden tears.

  "Right," exclaimed Charley, with an approving nod to Hamilton.--"Youmust not judge him prematurely, Harry. He's a good-hearted fellow atbottom; and if he once takes a liking for you, he'll go through fire andwater to serve you, as I know from experience."

  "Which means to say _three_ things," replied the implacable Harry:"first, that for all his good-heartedness at _bottom_, he never showsany of it at top, and is therefore like unto truth, which is said to lieat the bottom of a well--so deep, in fact, that it is never got out, andso is of use to nobody; secondly, that he is possessed of that amount ofaffection which is common to all mankind (to a great extent even tobrutes), which prompts a man to be reasonably attentive to his friends;and thirdly, that you, Master Kennedy, enjoy the peculiar privilege ofbeing the friend of a two-legged polar bear!"

  "Were I not certain that you jest," retorted Kennedy, "I would compelyou to apologise to me for insulting my friend, you rascal! But see,here's the cook coming to tell us that dinner waits. If you don't wishto see the teeth of the polar bear, I'd advise you to be smart."

  Thus admonished, Harry sprang up, plunged his hands and face in thebasin and dried them, broke Charley's comb in attempting to pass ithastily through his hair, used his fingers savagely as a substitute, andovertook his companions just as they entered the messroom.

  The establishment of Stoney Creek was comprised within two acres ofground. It consisted of eight or nine houses--three of which, however,alone met the eye on approaching by the lake. The "great" house, as itwas termed, on account of its relative proportion to the otherbuildings, was a small edifice, built substantially but roughly ofunsquared logs, partially whitewashed, roofed with shingles, andboasting six small windows in front, with a large door between them. Onits east side, and at right angles to it, was a similar edifice, butsmaller, having two doors instead of one, and four windows instead ofsix. This was the trading-shop and provision-store. Opposite to thiswas a twin building which contained the furs and a variety ofmiscellaneous stores. Thus were formed three sides of a square, fromthe centre of which rose a tall flagstaff. The buildings behind thosejust described were smaller and insignificant--the principal one beingthe house appropriated to the men; the others were mere sheds andworkshops. Luxuriant forests ascended the slopes that rose behind andencircled this oasis on all sides, excepting in front, where the clearwaters of the lake sparkled like a blue mirror.

  On the margin of this lake the new arrivals, left to enjoy themselves asthey best might for a day or two, sauntered about and chatted to theirhearts' content of things past, present, and future.

  During these wanderings, Harry confessed that his opinion of Mr Whytehad somewhat changed: that he believed a good deal of the first badimpression was attributable to his cool, not to say impolite, receptionof them; and that he thought things would go on much better with theIndians if he would only try to let some of his good qualities be seenthrough his exterior.

  An expression of sadness passed over Charley's face as his friend saidthis.

  "You are right in the last particular," he said, with a sigh. "MrWhyte is so rough and overbearing that the Indians are beginning todislike him. Some of the more clear-sighted among them see that a gooddeal of this lies in mere manner, and have penetration enough to observethat in all his dealings with them he is straightforward and liberal;but there are a set of them who either don't see this, or are soindignant at the rough speeches he often makes, and the rough treatmenthe sometimes threatens, that they won't forgive him, but seem to benursing their wrath. I sometimes wish he was sent to a district wherethe Indians and traders are, from habitual intercourse, more accustomedto each other's ways, and so less likely to quarrel."

  "Have the Indians, then, used any open threats?" asked Harry.

  "No, not exactly; but through an old man of the tribe, who is wellaffected towards us, I have learned that there is a party among
them whoseem bent on mischief."

  "Then we may expect a row some day or other. That's pleasant!--Whatthink you, Hammy?" said Harry, turning to his friend.

  "I think that it would be anything but pleasant," he replied; "and Isincerely hope that we shall not have occasion for a row."

  "You're not afraid of a fight, are you, Hamilton?" asked Charley.

  The peculiarly bland smile with which Hamilton usually received anyremark that savoured of banter overspread his features as Charley spoke,but he merely replied,--"No, Charley, I'm not afraid."

  "Do you know any of the Indians who are so anxious to vent their spleenon our worthy bourgeois?" asked Harry, as he seated himself on a rockyeminence commanding a view of the richly-wooded slopes, dotted with hugemasses of rock that had fallen from the beetling cliffs behind thecreek.

  "Yes, I do," replied Charley; "and, by the way, one of them--theringleader--is a man with whom you are acquainted, at least by name.You've heard of an Indian called Misconna?"

  "What!" exclaimed Harry, with a look of surprise; "you don't mean theblackguard mentioned by Redfeather, long ago, when he told us his storyon the shores of Lake Winnipeg--the man who killed poor Jacques's youngwife?"

  "The same," replied Charley.

  "And does Jacques know he is here?"

  "He does; but Jacques is a strange, unaccountable mortal. You rememberthat in the struggle described by Redfeather the trapper and Misconnahad neither of them seen each other, Redfeather having felled the latterbefore the former reached the scene of action--a scene which, he hassince told me, he witnessed at a distance, while rushing to the rescueof his wife--so that Misconna is utterly ignorant of the fact that thehusband of his victim is now so near him; indeed, he does not know thatshe had a husband at all. On the other hand, although Jacques is awarethat his bitterest enemy is within rifle-range of him at this moment, hedoes not know him by sight; and this morning he came to me, begging thatI would send Misconna on some expedition or other, just to keep him outof his way."

  "And do you intend to do so?"

  "I shall do my best," replied Charley; "but I cannot get him out of theway till to-morrow, as there is to be a gathering of Indians in the hallthis very day, to have a palaver with Mr Whyte about their grievances,and Misconna wouldn't miss that for a trifle. But Jacques won't belikely to recognise him among so many; and if he does, I rely withconfidence on his powers of restraint and forbearance.--By the way," hecontinued, glancing upwards, "it is past noon, and the Indians will havebegun to assemble; so we had better hasten back, as we shall be expectedto help in keeping order."

  So saying, he rose, and the young men returned to the fort. On reachingit they found the hall crowded with natives, who sat cross-legged aroundthe walls, or stood in groups conversing in low tones, and to judge fromthe expression of their dark eyes and lowering brows, they were inextremely bad humour. They became silent and more respectful, however,in their demeanour when the young men entered the apartment and walkedup to the fireplace, in which a small fire of wood burned on the hearth,more as a convenient means of rekindling the pipes of the Indians whenthey went out than as a means of heating the place. Jacques andRedfeather stood leaning against the wall near to it, engaged in awhispered conversation. Glancing round as he entered, Charley observedMisconna sitting a little apart by himself, and apparently buried indeep thought. He had scarcely perceived him, and nodded to several ofhis particular friends among the crowd, when a side-door opened, and MrWhyte, with an angry expression on his countenance, strode up to thefireplace, planted himself before it, with his legs apart and his handsbehind him, while he silently surveyed the group.

  "So," he began, "you have asked to speak with me; well, here I am. Whathave you to say?"

  Mr Whyte addressed the Indians in their native tongue, having, during along residence in the country, learned to speak it as fluently asEnglish.

  For some moments there was silence. Then an old chief--the same who hadofficiated at the feast described in a former chapter--rose, andstanding forth into the middle of the room, made a long and graveoration, in which, besides a great deal that was bombastic, much thatwas irrelevant, and more that was utterly fabulous and nonsensical, herecounted the sorrows of himself and his tribe, concluding with arequest that the great chief would take these things intoconsideration--the principal "_things_" being that they did not getanything in the shape of gratuities, while it was notorious that theIndians in other districts did, and that they did not get enough ofgoods in advance, on credit of their future hunts.

  Mr Whyte heard the old man to the end in silence; then, withoutaltering his position, he looked round on the assembly with a frown, andsaid, "Now listen to me; I am a man of few words. I have told you overand over again, and now repeat it, that you shall get no gratuitiesuntil you prove yourselves worthy of them. I shall not increase youradvances by so much as half an inch of tobacco till your last year'sdebts are scored off, and you begin to show more activity in hunting andless disposition to grumble. Hitherto you have not brought in anythinglike the quantity of furs that the capabilities of the country led me toexpect. You are lazy. Until you become better hunters you shall haveno redress from me."

  As he finished, Mr Whyte made a step towards the door by which he hadentered, but was arrested by another chief, who requested to be heard.Resuming his place and attitude, Mr Whyte listened with an expressionof dogged determination, while guttural grunts of unequivocaldissatisfaction issued from the throats of several of the malcontents.The Indian proceeded to repeat a few of the remarks made by hispredecessor, but more concisely, and wound up by explaining that thefailure in the hunts of the previous year was owing to the will of theGreat Manito, and not by any means on account of the supposed lazinessof himself or his tribe.

  "That is false," said Mr Whyte; "you know it is not true."

  As this was said, a murmur of anger ran round the apartment, which wasinterrupted by Misconna, who, apparently unable to restrain his passion,sprang into the middle of the room, and confronting Mr Whyte, made ashort and pithy speech, accompanied by violent gesticulation, in whichhe insinuated that if redress was not granted the white men wouldbitterly repent it.

  During his speech the Indians had risen to their feet and drawn closertogether, while Jacques and the three young men drew near theirsuperior. Redfeather remained apart, motionless, and with his eyesfixed on the ground.

  "And, pray, what dog--what miserable, thieving cur--are you, who dare toaddress me thus?" cried Mr Whyte, as he strode, with flashing eyes, upto the enraged Indian.

  Misconna clinched his teeth, and his fingers worked convulsively aboutthe handle of his knife, as he exclaimed, "I am no dog. The palefacesare dogs. I am a great chief. My name is known among the braves of mytribe. It is Misconna--"

  As the name fell from his lips, Mr Whyte and Charley were suddenlydashed aside, and Jacques sprang towards the Indian, his face livid, hiseyeballs almost bursting from their sockets, and his muscles rigid withpassion. For an instant he regarded the savage intently as he shrankappalled before him; then his colossal fist fell like lightning, withthe weight of a sledge-hammer, on Misconna's forehead, and drove himagainst the outer door, which, giving way before the violent shock,burst from its fastenings and hinges, and fell, along with the savage,with a loud crash to the ground.

  For an instant every one stood aghast at this precipitate termination tothe discussion, and then, springing forward in a body, with drawnknives, the Indians rushed upon the white men, who in a close phalanx,with such weapons as came first to hand, stood to receive them. At thismoment Redfeather stepped forward unarmed between the belligerents, andturning to the Indians, said--

  "Listen: Redfeather does not take the part of his white friends againsthis comrades. You know that he never failed you in the war-path, and hewould not fail you now if your cause were just. But the eyes of hiscomrades are shut. Redfeather knows what they do not know. The whitehunter" (pointing to Jacques) "is a friend of Redfeat
her. He is afriend of the Knisteneux. He did not strike because you disputed withhis bourgeois; he struck because Misconna _is his mortal foe_. But thestory is long. Redfeather will tell it at the council fire."

  "He is right," exclaimed Jacques, who had recovered his usual graveexpression of countenance, "Redfeather is right. I bear you noill-will, Injins, and I shall explain the thing myself at your councilfire."

  As Jacques spoke the Indians sheathed their knives, and stood withfrowning brows, as if uncertain what to do. The unexpected interferenceof their comrade-in-arms, coupled with his address and that of Jacques,had excited their curiosity. Perhaps the undaunted deportment of theiropponents, who stood ready for the encounter with a look of sterndetermination, contributed a little to allay their resentment.

  While the two parties stood thus confronting each other, as if uncertainhow to act, a loud report was heard just outside the doorway. Inanother moment Mr Whyte fell heavily to the ground, shot through theheart.