The Young Fur Traders

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.

  THE CHASE--THE FIGHT--RETRIBUTION--LOW SPIRITS AND GOOD NEWS.

  The tragical end of the consultation related in the last chapter had theeffect of immediately reconciling the disputants. With the exception offour or five of the most depraved and discontented among them, theIndians bore no particular ill-will to the unfortunate principal ofStoney Creek; and although a good deal disappointed to find that he wasa stern, unyielding trader, they had, in reality, no intention of comingto a serious rupture with him, much less of laying violent hands eitherupon master or men of the establishment.

  When, therefore, they beheld Mr Whyte weltering in his blood at theirfeet, a sacrifice to the ungovernable passion of Misconna, who was by nomeans a favourite among his brethren, their temporary anger wasinstantly dissipated, and a feeling of deepest indignation roused intheir bosoms against the miserable assassin who had perpetrated the baseand cowardly murder. It was, therefore, with a yell of rage thatseveral of the band, immediately after the victim fell, sprang into thewoods in hot pursuit of him whom they now counted their enemy. Theywere joined by several men belonging to the fort, who had hastened tothe scene of action on hearing that the people in the hall were likelyto come to blows. Redfeather was the first who had bounded like a deerinto the woods in pursuit of the fugitive. Those who remained assistedCharley and his friends to convey the body of Mr Whyte into anadjoining room, where they placed him on a bed. He was quite dead, themurderer's aim having been terribly true.

  Finding that he was past all human aid, the young men returned to thehall, which they entered just as Redfeather glided quickly through theopen doorway, and approaching the group, stood in silence beside them,with his arms folded on his breast.

  "You have something to tell, Redfeather," said Jacques, in a subduedtone, after regarding him a few seconds; "is the scoundrel caught?"

  "Misconna's foot is swift," replied the Indian, "and the wood is thick.It is wasting time to follow him through the bushes."

  "What would you advise, then?" exclaimed Charley, in a hurried voice."I see that you have some plan to propose."

  "The wood is thick," answered Redfeather, "but the lake and the riverare open. Let one party go by the lake, and one party by the river."

  "That's it, that's it, Injin," interrupted Jacques energetically; "yerwits are always jumpin'. By crossin' over to Duck River, we can startat a point five or six miles above the lower fall; an' as it'sthereabouts he must cross, we'll be time enough to catch him. If hetries the lake, the other party'll _fix_ him there; an' he'll be soonpoked up if he tries to hide in the bush."

  "Come, then; we'll all give chase at once," cried Charley, feeling atemporary relief in the prospect of energetic action from the depressingeffects of the calamity that had so suddenly befallen him in the loss ofhis chief and friend.

  Little time was needed for preparation. Jacques, Charley, and Harryproceeded by the river; while Redfeather and Hamilton, with a couple ofmen, launched their canoe on the lake, and set off in pursuit.

  Crossing the country for about a mile, Jacques led his party to thepoint on the Duck River to which he had previously referred. Here theyfound two canoes, into one of which the guide stepped with one of themen, a Canadian, who had accompanied them, while Harry and Charleyembarked in the other. In a few minutes they were rapidly descendingthe stream.

  "How do you mean to act, Jacques?" inquired Charley, as he paddledalongside of the guide's canoe. "Is it not likely that Misconna mayhave crossed the river already? in which case we shall have no chance ofcatching him."

  "Niver fear," returned Jacques. "He must have longer legs than most menif he gets to the flat-rock fall before us, an' as that's the spot wherehe'll nat'rally cross the river, being the only straight line for thehills that escapes the bend o' the bay to the south o' Stoney Creek,we're pretty sartin to stop him there."

  "True; but that being, as you you say, the _natural_ route, don't youthink it likely he'll expect that it will be guarded, and avoid itaccordingly?"

  "He _would_ do so, Mister Charles, if he thought we were _here_; butthere are two reasons agin this. He thinks that he's got the start o'us, an' won't need to double by way o' deceivin' us; and then he knowsthat the whole tribe is after him, and consekintly won't take a longroad when there's a short one, if he can help it. But here's the rock.Look out, Mister Charles. We'll have to run the fall, which isn't verybig just now, and then hide in the bushes at the foot of it till theblackguard shows himself. Keep well to the right, an' don't mind thebig rock; the rush o' water takes you clear o' that without trouble."

  With this concluding piece of advice, he pointed to the fall, whichplunged over a ledge of rock about half a mile ahead of them, and whichwas distinguishable by a small column of white spray that rose out ofit. As Charley beheld it his spirits rose, and forgetting for a momentthe circumstances that called him there, he cried out--

  "I'll run it before you, Jacques. Hurrah! Give way, Harry!" and inspite of a remonstrance from the guide, he shot the canoe ahead, gavevent to another reckless shout, and flew, rather than glided, down thestream. On seeing this the guide held back, so as to give himsufficient time to take the plunge ere he followed. A few strokesbrought Charley's canoe to the brink of the fall, and Harry was just inthe act of raising himself in the bow to observe the position of therocks, when a shout was heard on the bank close beside them. Looking upthey beheld an Indian emerge from the forest, fit an arrow to his bow,and discharge it at them. The winged messenger was truly aimed; itwhizzed through the air and transfixed Harry Somerville's left shoulderjust at the moment they swept over the fall. The arrow completelyincapacitated Harry from using his arm, so that the canoe, instead ofbeing directed into the broad current, took a sudden turn, dashed inamong a mass of broken rocks, between which the water foamed withviolence, and upset. Here the canoe stuck fast, while its owners stoodup to their waists in the water, struggling to set it free--an objectwhich they were the more anxious to accomplish that its stern laydirectly in the spot where Jacques would infallibly descend. The nextinstant their fears were realised. The second canoe glided over thecataract, dashed violently against the first, and upset, leaving Jacquesand his man in a similar predicament. By their aid, however, the canoeswere more easily righted, and embarking quickly they shot forth again,just as the Indian, who had been obliged to make a detour in order toget within range of their position, reappeared on the banks above, andsent another shaft after them--fortunately, however, without effect.

  "This is unfortunate," muttered Jacques, as the party landed andendeavoured to wring some of the water from their dripping clothes; "an'the worst of it is that our guns are useless after sich a duckin', an'the varmint knows that, an' will be down on us in a twinklin'."

  "But we are four to one," exclaimed Harry. "Surely we don't need tofear much from a single enemy."

  "Humph!" ejaculated the guide, as he examined the lock of his gun."You've had little to do with Injins, that's plain. You may be surehe's not alone, an' the reptile has a bow with arrows enough to send usall on a pretty long journey. But we've the trees to dodge behind. IfI only had _one_ dry charge!" and the disconcerted guide gave a look,half of perplexity, half of contempt, at the dripping gun.

  "Never mind," cried Charley; "we have our paddles.--But I forgot, Harry,in all this confusion, that you are wounded, my poor fellow. We musthave it examined before doing anything further."

  "Oh, it's nothing at all--a mere scratch, I think; at least I feel verylittle pain."

  As he spoke the twang of a bow was heard, and an arrow flew pastJacques's ear.

  "Ah, so soon!" exclaimed that worthy, with a look of surprise, as if hehad unexpectedly met with an old friend. Stepping behind a tree, hemotioned to his friends to do likewise; an example which they followedsomewhat hastily on beholding the Indian who had wounded Harry step fromthe cover of the underwood and deliberately let fly another arrow, whichpassed through the hair of the Canadi
an they had brought with them.

  From the several trees behind which they had leaped for shelter they nowperceived that the Indian with the bow was Misconna, and that he wasaccompanied by eight others; who appeared, however, to be totallyunarmed--having, probably, been obliged to leave their weapons behindthem, owing to the abruptness of their flight. Seeing that the whitemen were unable to use their guns, the Indians assembled in a group, andfrom the hasty and violent gesticulations of some of the party,especially of Misconna, it was evident that a speedy attack wasintended.

  Observing this, Jacques coolly left the shelter of his tree, and goingup to Charley, exclaimed, "Now, Mister Charles, I'm goin' to run away,so you'd better come along with me."

  "That I certainly will not. Why, what do you mean?" inquired the other,in astonishment.

  "I mean that these stupid redskins can't make up their minds what to do,an' as I've no notion o' stoppin' here all day, I want to make them dowhat will suit us best. You see, if they scatter through the wood andattack us on all sides, they may give us a deal o' trouble, and git awayafter all; whereas, if we run _away_, they'll bolt after us in a body,and then we can take them in hand all at once, which'll be morecomfortable-like, an' easier to manage."

  As Jacques spoke they were joined by Harry and the Canadian; and beingobserved by the Indians thus grouped together, another arrow was sentamong them.

  "Now, follow me," said Jacques, turning round with a loud howl andrunning away. He was closely followed by the others. As the guide hadpredicted, the Indians no sooner observed this than they rushed afterthem in a body, uttering horrible yells.

  "Now, then, stop here; down with you."

  Jacques instantly crouched behind a bush, while each of the party didthe same. In a moment the savages came shouting up, supposing that thewhite men were still running on in advance. As the foremost, a tall,muscular fellow, with the agility of a panther, bounded over the bushbehind which Jacques was concealed, he was met with a blow from theguide's fist, so powerfully delivered into the pit of his stomach, thatit sent him violently back into the bush, where he lay insensible. Thisevent, of course, put a check upon the headlong pursuit of the others,who suddenly paused, like a group of infuriated tigers unexpectedlybalked of their prey. The hesitation, however, was but for a moment.Misconna, who was in advance, suddenly drew his bow again, and let flyan arrow at Jacques, which the latter dexterously avoided; and while hisantagonist lowered his eyes for an instant to fit another arrow to thestring, the guide, making use of his paddle as a sort of javelin, threwit with such force and precision that it struck Misconna directlybetween the eyes and felled him to the earth. In another instant thetwo parties rushed upon each other, and a general _melee_, ensued, inwhich the white men, being greatly superior to their adversaries in theuse of their fists, soon proved themselves more than a match for themall, although inferior in numbers. Charley's first antagonist, makingan abortive attempt to grapple with him, received two rapid blows, oneon the chest and the other on the nose, which knocked him over the bankinto the river, while his conqueror sprang upon another Indian. Harry,having unfortunately selected the biggest savage of the band as hisspecial property, rushed upon him and dealt him a vigorous blow on thehead with his paddle. The weapon, however, was made of light wood, and,instead of felling him to the ground, broke into shivers. Springingupon each other, they immediately engaged in a fierce struggle, in whichpoor Harry learned, when too late, that his wounded shoulder was almostpowerless. Meanwhile, the Canadian, having been assaulted by threeIndians at once, floored one at the onset, and immediately began animpromptu war-dance round the other two, dealing them occasionally akick or a blow, which would speedily have rendered them _hors decombat_, had they not succeeded in closing upon him, when all three fellheavily to the ground. Jacques and Charley, having succeeded inovercoming their respective opponents, immediately hastened to hisrescue. In the meantime, Harry and his foe had struggled to aconsiderable distance from the others, gradually edging towards theriver's bank. Feeling faint from his wound, the former at length sankunder the weight of his powerful antagonist, who endeavoured to thrusthim over a kind of cliff which they had approached. He was on the pointof accomplishing his purpose, when Charley and his friends perceivedHarry's imminent danger, and rushed to the rescue. Quickly though theyran, however, it seemed likely that they would be too late. Harry'shead already overhung the bank, and the Indian was endeavouring toloosen the gripe of the young man's hand from his throat, preparatory totossing him over, when a wild cry rang through the forest, followed bythe reports of a double-barrelled gun, fired in quick succession.Immediately after, young Hamilton bounded like a deer down the slope,seized the Indian by the legs, and tossed him over the cliff, where heturned a complete somersault in his descent, and fell with a soundingsplash into the water.

  "Well done, cleverly done, lad!" cried Jacques, as he and the rest ofthe party came up and crowded round Harry, who lay in a state of partialstupor on the bank.

  At this moment Redfeather hastily but silently approached; his broadchest was heaving heavily, and his expanded nostrils quivering with theexertions he had made to reach the scene of action in time to succourhis friends.

  "Thank God," said Hamilton, softly, as he kneeled beside Harry andsupported his head, while Charley bathed his temples--"thank God that Ihave been in time! Fortunately I was walking by the river considerablyin advance of Redfeather, who was bringing up the canoe, when I heardthe sounds of the fray, and hastened to your aid."

  At this moment Harry opened his eyes, and saying faintly that he feltbetter, allowed himself to be raised to a sitting posture, while hiscoat was removed and his wound examined. It was found to be a deepflesh-wound in the shoulder, from which a fragment of the broken arrowstill protruded.

  "It's a wonder to me, Mister Harry, how ye held on to that big thief solong," muttered Jacques, as he drew out the splinter and bandaged up theshoulder. Having completed the surgical operation after a roughfashion, they collected the defeated Indians. Those of them that wereable to walk were bound together by the wrists and marched off to thefort, under a guard which was strengthened by the arrival of several ofthe fur-traders who had been in pursuit of the fugitives, and wereattracted to the spot by the shouts of the combatants. Harry and suchof the party as were more or less severely injured were placed in canoesand conveyed to Stoney Creek by the lake, into which Duck River runs atthe distance of about half a mile from the spot on which the skirmishhad taken place. Misconna was among the latter.

  On arriving at Stoney Creek, the canoe party found a large assemblage ofthe natives awaiting them on the wharf, and no sooner did Misconna landthan they advanced to seize him.

  "Keep back, friends," cried Jacques, who perceived their intentions, andstepped hastily between them.--"Come here, lads," he continued, turningto his companions; "surround Misconna. He is _our_ prisoner, and mustha' fair justice done him, accordin' to white law."

  They fell back in silence on observing the guide's determined manner;but as they hurried the wretched culprit towards the house, one of theIndians pressed close upon their rear, and before any one could preventhim, dashed his tomahawk into Misconna's brain. Seeing that the blowwas mortal, the traders ceased to offer any further opposition; and theIndians, rushing upon his body, bore it away, amid shouts and yells ofexecration, to their canoes, to one of which the body was fastened by arope, and dragged through the water to a point of land that jutted outinto the lake near at hand. Here they lighted a fire and burned it toashes.

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  There seems to be a period in the history of every one when the fairaspect of this world is darkened--when everything, whether past,present, or future, assumes a hue of the deepest gloom; a period when,for the first time, the sun, which has shone in the mental firmamentwith more or less brilliancy from childhood upwards, entirely disappearsbehind a cloud of thick darkness, and leaves the soul in a state
of deepmelancholy; a time when feelings somewhat akin to despair pervade us, aswe begin gradually to look upon the past as a bright, happy vision, outof which we have at last awakened to view the sad realities of thepresent, and look forward with sinking hope to the future. Various arethe causes which produce this, and diverse the effects of it ondifferently constituted minds; but there are few, we apprehend, who havenot passed through the cloud in one or other of its phases, and who donot feel that this _first_ period of prolonged sorrow is darker, andheavier, and worse to bear, than many of the more truly grievousafflictions that sooner or later fall to the lot of most men.

  Into a state of mind somewhat similar to that which we have endeavouredto describe our friend Charley Kennedy fell immediately after the eventsjust narrated. The sudden and awful death of his friend Mr Whyte fellupon his young spirit, unaccustomed as he was to scenes of bloodshed andviolence, with overwhelming power. From the depression, however, whichnaturally followed he would probably soon have rallied had not HarrySomerville's wound in the shoulder taken an unfavourable turn, andobliged him to remain for many weeks in bed, under the influence of aslow fever; so that Charley felt a desolation creeping over his soulthat no effort he was capable of making could shake off. It is true hefound both occupation and pleasure in attending upon his sick friend;but as Harry's illness rendered great quiet necessary, and as Hamiltonhad been sent to take charge of the fishing-station mentioned in aformer chapter, Charley was obliged to indulge his gloomy reveries insilence. To add to his wretchedness, he received a letter from Kateabout a week after Mr Whyte's burial, telling him of the death of hismother.

  Meanwhile, Redfeather and Jacques--both of whom, at their young master'searnest solicitation, agreed to winter at Stoney Creek--cultivated eachother's acquaintance sedulously. There were no books of any kind at theoutpost, excepting three Bibles--one belonging to Charley, and one toHarry, the third being that which had been presented to Jacques by MrConway the missionary. This single volume, however, proved to be anample library to Jacques and his Indian friend. Neither of these sonsof the forest was much accustomed to reading, and neither of them wouldhave for a moment entertained the idea of taking to literature as apastime; but Redfeather loved the Bible for the sake of the great truthswhich he discovered in its inspired pages, though much of what he readwas to him mysterious and utterly incomprehensible. Jacques, on theother hand, read it, or listened to his friend, with that philosophicgravity of countenance and earnestness of purpose which he displayed inregard to everything; and deep, serious, and protracted were thediscussions they plunged into, as night after night they sat on a log,with the Bible spread out before them, and read by the light of theblazing fire in the men's house at Stoney Creek. Their intercourse,however, was brought to an abrupt conclusion by the unexpected arrival,one day, of Mr Conway, the missionary, in his tin canoe. Thisgentleman's appearance was most welcome to all parties. It was like abright ray of sunshine to Charley to meet with one who could fullysympathise with him in his present sorrowful frame of mind. It was anevent of some consequence to Harry Somerville, inasmuch as it providedhim with an amateur doctor who really understood somewhat of hisphysical complaint, and was able to pour balm, at once literally andspiritually, into his wounds. It was an event productive of theliveliest satisfaction to Redfeather, who now felt assured that histribe would have those mysteries explained which he only imperfectlyunderstood himself; and it was an event of much rejoicing to the Indiansthemselves because their curiosity had been not a little roused by whatthey heard of the doings and sayings of the white missionary, who livedon the borders of the great lake. The only person, perhaps, on whom MrConway's arrival acted with other than a pleasing influence was JacquesCaradoc. This worthy, although glad to meet with a man whom he feltinclined both to love and respect, was by no means gratified to findthat his friend Redfeather had agreed to go with the missionary on hisvisit to the Indian tribe, and thereafter to accompany him to thesettlement on Playgreen Lake. But with the stoicism that was natural tohim, Jacques submitted to circumstances which he could not alter, andcontented himself with assuring Redfeather that if he lived till nextspring he would most certainly "make tracks for the great lake," andsettle down at the missionary's station along with him. This promisewas made at the end of the wharf of Stoney Creek the morning on whichMr Conway and his party embarked in their tin canoe--the same tin canoeat which Jacques had curled his nose contemptuously when he saw it inprocess of being constructed, and at which he did not by any means curlit the less contemptuously now that he saw it finished. The littlecraft answered its purpose marvellously well, however, and boundedlightly away under the vigorous strokes of its crew, leaving Charley andJacques on the pier gazing wistfully after their friends, and listeningsadly to the echoes of their parting song as it floated more and morefaintly over the lake.

  Winter came, but no ray of sunshine broke through the dark cloud thathung over Stoney Creek. Harry Somerville, instead of becoming better,grew worse and worse every day, so that when Charley dispatched thewinter packet, he represented the illness of his friend to the powers atheadquarters as being of a nature that required serious and immediateattention and change of scene. But the word _immediate_ bears aslightly different signification in the backwoods to what it does in thelands of railroads and steamboats. The letter containing this hint tookmany weeks to traverse the waste wilderness to its destination; monthspassed before the reply was written, and many weeks more elapsed ere itscontents were perused by Charley and his friend. When they did read it,however, the dark cloud that had hung over them so long burst at last; aray of sunshine streamed down brightly upon their hearts, and neverforsook them again, although it did lose a little of its brilliancyafter the first flash. It was on a rich, dewy, cheerful morning inearly spring that the packet arrived, and Charley led Harry, who wasslowly recovering his wonted health and spirits, to their favouriterocky resting-place on the margin of the lake. Here he placed theletter in his friend's hand with a smile of genuine delight. It ran asfollows:--

  MY DEAR SIR,--Your letter containing the account of Mr Somerville's illness has been forwarded to me, and I am instructed to inform you that leave of absence for a short time has been granted to him. I have had a conversation with the doctor here, who advises me to recommend that, if your friend has no other summer residence in view, he should spend part of his time in Red River settlement. In the event of his agreeing to this, I would suggest that he should leave Stoney Creek with the first brigade in spring, or by express canoe if you think it advisable. I am, etcetera.

  "Short but sweet--uncommonly sweet!" said Harry, as a deep flush of joycrimsoned his pale cheeks, while his own merry smile, that had beenabsent for many a weary day, returned once more to its old haunt, anddanced round its accustomed dimples like a repentant wanderer who hasbeen long absent from and has at last returned to his native home.

  "Sweet indeed!" echoed Charley. "But that's not all; here's anotherlump of sugar for you." So saying, he pulled a letter from his pocket,unfolded it slowly, spread it out on his knee, and, looking up at hisexpectant friend, winked.

  "Go on, Charley; pray, don't tantalise me."

  "Tantalise you! My dear fellow, nothing is farther from my thoughts.Listen to this paragraph in my dear old father's letter:--

  "`So you see, my dear Charley, that we have managed to get you appointed to the charge of Lower Fort Garry; and as I hear that poor Harry Somerville is to get leave of absence, you had better bring him along with you. I need not add that my house is at his service as long as he may wish to remain in it.'

  "There! what think ye of that, my boy?" said Charley, as he folded theletter and returned it to his pocket.

  "I think," replied Harry, "that your father is a dear old gentleman, andI hope that you'll only be half as good when you come to his time oflife; and I think I'm so happy to-day that I'll be able to walk withoutthe assistance of your arm to-morrow; and I think we had better go beckto the h
ouse now, for I feel, oddly enough, as tired as if I had had along walk. Ah, Charley, my dear fellow, that letter will prove to bethe best doctor I have had yet. But now tell me what you intend to do."

  Charley assisted his friend to rise, and led him slowly back to thehouse, as he replied--

  "Do, my boy? That's soon said. I'll make things square and straight atStoney Creek. I'll send for Hamilton, and make him interimcommander-in-chief. I'll write two letters--one to the gentleman incharge of the district, telling him of my movements; the other(containing a screed of formal instructions) to the miserable mortal whoshall succeed me here. I'll take the best canoe in our store, load itwith provisions, put you carefully in the middle of it, stick Jacques inthe bow and myself in the stern, and start, two weeks hence, neck andcrop, head over heels, through thick and thin, wet and dry, overportage, river, fall, and lake, for Red River settlement!"