The Silver Canyon: A Tale of the Western Plains

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

  SPEARING SALMON UNDER DIFFICULTIES.

  The undertaking of the chief was considered sufficient, and as a changeof food would be very acceptable to the little mining colony, the Doctormade no difficulty about the matter, so the Beaver sent out scouts intothe plain to give the earliest notice of the appearance of danger, andto supplement this, the Doctor posted Harry, their English follower, inthe best position on the mountain, with the powerful glass, so that hemight well sweep the plain, and give an earlier notice of the enemy'scoming than even the Indians could supply.

  The Beaver looked very hard at the telescope, and said that it was verygreat medicine, evidently feeling for it a high degree of respect. Thencertain other arrangements having been made, including the choice ofhalf-a-dozen of the Mexican greasers to carry the salmon that Bart saidlaughingly they had not yet caught, the fishing party, which includedBart, Joses, the Beaver, the interpreter, and six more Indians, allstarted for the patch of forest.

  They were all well-armed, and, in addition to their weapons, the Indianshad contrived some ingeniously formed three-pronged spears, keen aslancets, and well barbed, ready for use in the war against the fish.

  The deep rift leading down to the canyon was soon found, and this timeBart approached cautiously, lest there should be another of therattle-tailed snakes lurking in a crevice of the rock; but this timethey had nothing of the kind to encounter. A magnificent deer, though,sprang from a dense thicket, and Bart's rifle, like that of Joses, wasat his shoulder on the instant.

  "No, no!" cried the Beaver, eagerly; and they lowered the pieces.

  "Ah!" cried Bart, in a disappointed tone, "I had, just got a good sightof him. I know I should not have missed."

  "The Beaver's right, Master Bart," said Joses, quietly. "If we fired,the sound might travel to the Apaches, and bring 'em down upon us. Bestnot, my lad. We'll get the salmon without our guns."

  They entered the "chimney," and, acquainted now with its peculiarities,the party descended much more quickly than on the previous occasion.The way was clearer, too, the vines and tangled growth having beencleared at the first descent, when pieces of rock were removed, andothers placed in clefts and cracks to facilitate the walking, so that,following the same plan again, there was a possibility of the slopebecoming in time quite an easy means of communication between the canyonand the plain.

  They reached the bottom in safety, and probably to make sure that thereshould be no such accident as that to the Doctor occur unseen, the chieftook the precaution of planting the party on rocks out in the streamwell in view one of the other, and just where the fish would pass. Hethen set a couple of his men to watch for danger, and the spearingbegan.

  "Now, Master Bart," said Joses, "sling your rifle as I do, and let's seewhat you can do in spearing salmon."

  "Hadn't we better leave our rifles ashore there, under the trees?"replied Bart.

  "Yes, my lad, if you want to be taken at a disadvantage. Why, MasterBart, I should as soon think of leaving an arm or a leg ashore as myrifle. No, my lad, there's no peace times out here; so no matter howinconvenient it may be, sling your piece, and be always prepared for theworst."

  "Oh, all right, Joses," replied Bart, pettishly, and he slung his rifle.

  "Oh, it's of no use for you to be huffy, my lad," growled Joses. "Younever know when danger's coming. I knowed a young fellow once up in thegreat north plains. He'd been across the Alkali Desert in a bad time,and had been choked with the heated dust and worried with the nastysalty stuff that had filled his eyes and ears, so that when he got to abranch of one of the rivers up there that was bubbling over rocks andstones just as this may be, and--ah, stoopid! Missed him!" cried Joses,after making a tremendous stab at a salmon.

  "Well, Joses?"

  Well! no, it wasn't well. He thought he must have a good swim, and sohe took off his clothes, laid his rifle up against the trunk of a bigpine-tree, and in he went, and began splashing about in the beautifulcool clear water, which seemed to soften his skin, and melt off quite anasty salt crust that had made him itchy and almost mad for days.

  Well, this was so good that he swam farther and farther, till he swamright across to where the stream ran fast right under the steep rock,not so big as this, but still so big and steep that a man could not haveclimbed up it at the best of times, and--"Got him, my lad?" heexclaimed, as he saw Bart make a vigorous thrust with his spear.

  "Yes, I have him," cried Bart, excitedly, as he struggled with thevigorous fish, a large one of fourteen or fifteen pounds' weight, onewhich he successfully drew upon the rocks, and after gloating over itssilvery beauty, carried to the shore, returning just in time to seeJoses strike down his fish-spear, and drag out a fish a little largerthan the first one caught.

  "That's a fine one, Master Bart," growled Joses, as he set off to stepfrom stone to stone to the bank, while Bart, eager and excited, stoodwith poised spear, gazing intently down into the clear depths for thenext beauty that should come within his reach.

  Just then one came up stream, saw the danger impending, and went offlike a flash through the water, turning slightly on his side and showinghis great silvery scales.

  "Too late for him, Joses," cried Bart.

  "Ah, you must be sharp with them, my lad, I can tell you," cried hiscompanion. "Well, as I was telling of you, the rock on the oppositeside of the river rose up like a wall, and there was just a shelf ofstone big enough for a man to land on before he tried to swim back.Those stones, too, were right in the sunshine, and the wall behind themwas just the same, and they'd be nice and warm."

  "How do you know, Joses?"

  "How do I know? because I've swum across that river often, and it's verycold--so cold that you're glad to get out and have a good warm on therocks before you try to swim back. Got him again?"

  "Yes," replied Bart, who had made a successful thrust. "Only a smallone though."

  "Not so bad, my lad; not so bad. He's a good eight or nine pounds.Well, as I was telling you, this young man got out on the bit of ashelf, and was warming himself, when his eyes nearly jumped out of hishead, for he saw half-a-dozen Injuns come from among the pine-trees, andone of them, when he saw that young man there, ran loping towards wherethe gun stood, caught it up, and took a quick aim at him. Now, then--Ah, I've got you this time," cried Joses, spearing the largest fish yetcaught, dragging it out of the water, and taking it ashore.

  "Fine one, Joses?" cried Bart.

  "Yes; he's a pretty good one. Ah, you missed him again. It wants asharp poke, my lad. Well, now then," he added, as Bart, recoveredhimself after an ineffectual thrust, "what ought that young man to havedone, Master Bart?"

  "Taken a header into the river, dived, and swum for his life."

  "Right, boy; but he was so scared and surprised that he sat therestaring at the Injun, and gave him a chance to fire at him, being sonear that the shot whistled by his ear and flattened on the rock behind,and fell on the shelf where he was sitting."

  "That woke him up, I suppose?" said Bart.

  "It just did, my lad; and before the Indians knew where he was, he wentplop into the river and disappeared, and the Injun ran down to catch himas he came up again."

  "And," said Bart, quickly, "they didn't catch sight of his head when hecame above the water, because he swam up with the eddy into a dark poolamong some rocks, and squatted there, with only his nose above thewater, till they thought he was drowned, and went, and then he creptout."

  "Why, how did you know?" growled Joses.

  "Because you've told me half-a-dozen times before. I recollect now,"said Bart, "only you began it in a different way, so that I thought itwas a new story; and you were that young man, Joses."

  "Course I was," growled the other; "but hang me if I tell you a storyagain."

  "Never mind, Joses; here's another," cried Bart, laughing.

  "And here's a bigger one, Master Bart," said Joses, chuckling.

  "What splendid sport!" cried Ba
rt, as he followed Joses ashore with hisprize, and added it to the silvery heap.

  "Ay, it ain't amiss. We shall give them a reg'lar treat in the camp,that we shall."

  "Look, Joses, the Beaver's got a monster. He has let it go. What's hebounding ashore for like that?"

  "Quick, Master Bart--danger!" cried Joses, excitedly, as a warning cryrang along the river. "Look out! This way!"

  "What's the danger?" cried Bart, leaping ashore and un-slinging hisrifle.

  "Injun, my lad; don't you see 'em? they're coming down the canyon. Thisway. Never mind the fish; make straight for the chimney. We can holdthat again 'em anyhow."

  _Crack_--_crack_! went a couple of rifles from some distance up theriver, and the bullets cut the boughs of the trees above their heads.

  Bart's immediate idea was to sink down amongst the herbage for cover andreturn the shot, but the Beaver made a rush at him, shouting, "No, no,no!" and taking his place, began to return the fire of the approachingIndians, bidding Bart escape.

  "I don't like leaving all that fish after all, Master Bart," said Joses;"they'd be so uncommon good up yonder. Go it, you skunks! fire away,and waste your powder! Yah! What bad shots your savages are! I don'tbelieve they could hit our mountain upstairs there! Hadn't we betterstop and drive them back, Beaver, and let the greasers carry away thefish?"

  _Crack_--_crack_--_crack_! rattled the rifles; and as the faint puffs ofsmoke could be seen rising above the bushes and rocks high up thecanyon, the sounds of the firing echoed to and from the rocky sides tillthey died away in the distance, and it seemed at last, as the firinggrew a little hotter, and was replied to briskly by Joses and theIndians, that fifty or sixty people were firing on either side.

  The attack was so fairly responded to that the Apaches were checked forthe time, and Joses raised himself from the place he had made hisrifle-pit, and called to the Mexican greasers to run and pick up thefish, while he and the Indians covered them; but though he calledseveral times, not one responded.

  "What's come of all them chaps, Master Bart?" he cried.

  "I think they all got to the chimney, and began to climb up," repliedBart.

  "Just like 'em," growled Joses. "My word, what a brave set o' fellowsthey are! I don't wonder at the Injun looking down upon 'em and makingfaces, as if they was an inferior kind of beast. Ah, would you?"

  Joses lowered himself down again, for a bullet had whizzed by inunpleasant proximity to his head.

  "Are you hurt, Joses?" cried Bart, half rising to join him.

  "Keep down, will you, Master Bart! Hurt me? No. They might hit you.I say, have you fired yet?"

  "Yes, three times," replied Bart; "but I fired over their heads tofrighten them."

  "Hark at that!" cried Joses; "just as if that would frighten an Injun.It would make him laugh and come close, because you were such a badshot. It does more harm than good, my lad."

  _Crack_!

  Joses' rifle uttered its sharp report just then, and the firing ceasedfrom a spot whence shot after shot had been coming with the greatestregularity, and the rough fellow turned grimly to his young companion.

  "I don't like telling you to do it, Master Bart, because you're such ayoung one, and it seems, of course, shocking to say shoot men. But thenyou see these ain't hardly like men; they're more like rattlesnakes. Wehaven't done them no harm, and we don't want to do them no harm, but allthe same they will come and they'll kill the lot of us if they can; sothe time has come when you must help us, for you're a good shot, my lad,and every bullet you put into the Injun means one more chance for us tosave our scalps, and help the Doctor with his plans."

  "Must I fire _at_ them then, Joses?" said Bart, sadly.

  "Yes, my lad, you must. They're five or six times as many as we are,and they're coming slowly on, creeping from bush to bush, so as to get acloser shot at us. There, I tell you what you do; fire at their chests,aim right at the painted skull they have there. That'll knock 'em downand stop 'em, and it'll comfort you to think that they may get betteragain."

  "Don't talk foolery, Joses," cried Bart, angrily, "Do you think I'm achild?"

  Joses chuckled, and took aim at a bush that stood above a clump ofrocks, one from which another Indian was firing regularly; but just thenthe Beaver's rifle sent forth its bullet, and Bart saw an Indian springup on to the rocks, utter a fierce yell, shake his rifle in the air, andthen fall headlong into the river.

  "Saved my charge," said Joses, grimly. "There, I won't fool about withyou, Master Bart, but tell you the plain truth. It's struggle for lifeout here; kill or be killed; and you must fight for yourself and yourfriends like a man. For it isn't only to serve yourself, lad, butothers. It's stand by one another out here, man by man, and makeenemies feel that you are strong, or else make up your mind to go underthe grass."

  Bart sighed and shuddered, for he more than once realised the truth ofwhat his companion said. But he hesitated no longer, for these savageswere as dangerous as the rattlesnakes of the plains, and he felt thathowever painful to his feelings, however dreadful to have to shed humanblood, the time had come when he must either stand by his friends like aman, or slink off like a cur.

  Bart accepted the stern necessity, and watching the approach of theIndians, determined only to fire when he saw pressing need.

  The consequence was that a couple of minutes later he saw an Indian dartfrom some bushes, and run a dozen yards to a rock by the edge of theswift river, disappear behind it, and then suddenly his head andshoulders appeared full in Bart's view; the Indian took quick aim, andas the smoke rose from his rifle the Beaver uttered a low hissing sound,and Bart knew that he was hit.

  Not seriously apparently, for there was a shot from his hiding-placedirectly after, and then Bart saw the Indian slowly draw himself up intoposition again, partly over the top of the rock, from whence he wasevidently this time taking a long and careful aim at the brave chief,who was risking his life for the sake of his English friends.

  Bart hesitated no longer. Joses had said that he was a good shot. Hewas, and a quick one; and never was his prowess more needed than at thatmoment, when, with trembling hands, he brought his rifle to bear uponthe shoulders of the savage. Then for a moment his muscles felt likeiron; he drew the trigger, and almost simultaneously the rifle of thesavage rang out. Then, as the smoke cleared away, Bart saw him standingerect upon the rock, clutching at vacancy, before falling backwards intothe river with a tremendous splash; and as Bart reloaded, his eyesinvoluntarily turned towards the rushing stream, and he saw theinanimate body swept swiftly by.

  "What have I done!" he gasped, as the cold sweat broke out upon hisbrow. "Horrible! What a deed to do!" and his eyes seemed fixed uponthe river in the vain expectation of seeing the wretched savage comeinto sight again.

  Just then he felt a touch upon his arm, and turning sharply foundhimself face to face with the Beaver, whose shoulder was scored by abullet wound, from which the blood trickled slowly down over his chest.

  As Bart faced him he smiled, and grasped the lad's hand, pressing itbetween both of his.

  "Saved Beaver's life," he said, softly. "Beaver never forgets. Bart isbrave chief."

  Bart felt better now, and he had no time for farther thought, the perilin which they were suddenly appearing too great.

  For the Beaver pointed back to where the chimney offered the way ofescape.

  "Time to go," the Beaver said. "Come."

  And, setting the example, he began to creep from cover to cover, afteruttering a low cry, to which his followers responded by imitating theirleader's actions.

  "Keep down low, Master Bart," whispered Joses. "That's the way. Thechimney's only about three hundred yards back. We shall soon be there,and then we can laugh at these chaps once we get a good start up. Wemust leave the fish though, worse luck. There won't be so many of 'emto eat it though as there was at first. Hallo! How's that?"

  The reason for his exclamation was a shot that whizzed by him--one fire
dfrom a long way down the canyon in the way they were retreating, and, toBart's horror, a second and a third followed from the same direction,with the effect that the savages who had attacked first gave atriumphant yell, and began firing quicker than before.

  "Taken between two fires, Master Bart," said Joses, coolly; "and if wedon't look out they'll be up to the chimney before we can get there, andthen--"

  "We must sell our lives as dearly as we can, Joses," cried Bart.

  "Good, lad--good, lad!" replied Joses, taking deadly aim at one of theIndians up the river, and firing; "but my life ain't for sale. I wantit for some time to come."

  "That's right; keep up the retreat. Well done, Beaver!"

  This was an account of the action of the chief, who, calling upon threeof his men to follow him, dashed down stream towards the chimney,regardless of risk, so as to hold the rear enemies in check, while Bart,Joses, and the other three Indians did the same by the party up stream,who, however, were rapidly approaching now.

  "I want to know how those beggars managed to get down into the canyonbehind us," growled Joses, as he kept on steadily firing whenever he hada chance. "They must have gone down somewhere many miles away. I say,you mustn't lose a chance, my lad. Now then; back behind those rocks.Let's run together."

  _Crack_--_crack_--_crack_! went the Indians' rifles, and as the echoesran down the canyon, they yelled fiercely and pressed on, the Beaver'smen yelling back a defiance, and giving them shot for shot, one of whichtook deadly effect.

  There was a fierce yelling from down below as the savages pressedupwards, and the perils of the whole party were rapidly increasing.

  "Didn't touch you, did they, Master Bart?" cried Joses from hishiding-place.

  "No."

  "Keep cool, then. Now, Injuns! Another run for it--quick!"

  A dash was made after the Beaver to a fresh patch of cover, and thefiring from above and below became so fierce that the position grew oneof dire extremity.

  "Look out, my lads!" cried the frontiersman; "they're getting togetherfor a rush. You must each bring down your man."

  There was no mistaking the plan of the Indians now, and Bart could seethem clustering into some bushes just at the foot of the mountain whereit ran perpendicularly down, forming part of the canyon wall. Theyseemed to be quite thirty strong, and a bold rush must have meant deathto the little party, unless they could reach the chimney; and apparentlythe savages coming up from below had advanced so far that the Beaver hadnot been able to seize that stronger point.

  "Keep cool, Master Bart. We must stand fast, and give 'em such a sharpfire as may check them. As soon as we've fired, you make a run for it,my lad, straight for the chimney. Never mind anybody else, but risk thefiring, and run in and climb up as fast as you can."

  "And what about you, Joses?" asked Bart.

  "I'll stop and cover your retreat, my lad; and if we don't meet again,tell the Doctor I did my best; and now God bless you! good-bye. Beready to fire."

  "I'm ready, Joses, and I shan't go," replied Bart firmly.

  "You won't go? But I order you to go, you young dog!" cried Joses,fiercely.

  "Well, of all the--look out, Beaver! Fire, Master Bart! Here theycome!"

  Quite a volley rang out as some five-and-twenty Indians came leapingforward, yelling like demons, and dashing down upon the little party.Two of this number fell, but this did not check them, and they werewithin fifty yards of Bart, who was rapidly re-charging, when Josesroared out: "Knives--knives out! Don't run!"

  The bravery of the Indians, of Joses, and Bart would have gone asnothing at such a time as this, for they were so terribly outnumberedthat all they could have done would have been to sell their lives asdearly as they could. In fact, their fates seemed to be sealed, whenhelp came in a very unexpected way, and turned the tide of affairs.

  The savage Apaches had reduced the distance to thirty yards now, andBart felt quite dizzy with excitement as he fired his piece and broughtdown one of the enemy, whose ghastly, painted breasts seemed to add tothe horror of the situation.

  Another moment or two, and then he knew that the struggle would come,and dropping his rifle, he wrenched his knife from its light sheath,when suddenly there was a fierce volley from on high--a fire that tookthe Indians in the rear. Six fell, and the rest, stunned by thisterrible attack from a fresh quarter, turned on the instant, and fled upthe canyon, followed by a parting fire from which a couple more fell.

  "Hurray!" shouted Joses; "now for the chimney. Come, Master Bart! Now,Beaver--now's your time!"

  They ran from cover to cover, meeting shot after shot from below, and ina minute were close up with the Beaver and his three men, who were hardpressed by the advancing party.

  "Now, Beaver," cried Joses, finishing the re-loading of his piece, "whatdo you say to a bold rash forward--right to the mouth of the chimney?"

  "Yes," said the chief; "shoot much first."

  "Good," cried Joses. "Now, Master Bart, fire three or four timeswherever there's a chance, and then re-load and forward."

  These orders were carried out with so good an effect that the Apachesbelow were for the moment checked, and seemed staggered by thisaccession of strength, giving the little party an opportunity to maketheir bold advance, running from bush to bush and from rock to rockuntil they were well up to the mouth of the chimney, but now in terriblyclose quarters with their enemies, who held their fire, expecting thatthe advance would be continued right on to a hand-to-hand encounter.

  Then there was a pause and a dead silence, during which, in obedience tosigns made by the Beaver, first one and then another crept behind thebushes to the mouth of the chimney, entered it, and began to ascend.There was a bit of a fight between Bart and Joses as to which should befirst, with the result that the latter went first, then Bart followed,and the Beaver came last.

  So close was it, though, that as they climbed up the steep narrow rockyslope there was a fierce yell and a rush, and they saw the lightslightly obscured as the Apaches dashed by the entrance in a fiercecharge, meant to overwhelm them.

  Directly after the canyon seemed to be filled with yells ofdisappointment and rage, as the Apaches found that their intendedvictims had eluded them just as they had vowed their destruction.

  This gave a minute's grace, sufficient for the fugitives to get somelittle distance up the narrow rock passage, the Beaver and Bart pausingby the top of the steepest piece of rock about a hundred feet above theentrance, which, overshadowed as it was by trees, had a beautifullypeaceful appearance as seen against the broad light of day.

  All at once there was a loud yell, betokening the fact that the entranceto the chimney had been seen, and directly after a couple of Indiansleaped in and began to climb.

  Bart's and the Beaver's rifles seemed to make but one report, when thenarrow chasm was filled with the vapour of exploded gunpowder, and thetwo Indians fell back.

  "Climb," whispered the Beaver; and Bart led the way, the chief keepingclose behind him, till they were on the heels of the rest of the party,who had halted to see if they could be of use.

  The entry was now hidden, and they stopped to listen, just as thesuccessive reports of three rifles came echoing up in company with thecurious pattering noise made by the bullets, which seemed as if theyglanced here and there against the stones, sending fragments rattlingdown, but doing no farther harm, for the fugitives were not in the lineof the shooters' sight.

  The retreat went on, with the Beaver and Joses taking it in turn toremain behind at a corner of the rift or some barrier of rock to keepthe Apaches in check, for they kept coming fiercely on. Now and thenthey were checked by a shot, but in that dark narrow pass there was butlittle opportunity for firing, and the chief thing aimed at was retreat.

  The top was reached at last, and as they neared it, to Bart's greatdelight, he found that there was a strong party there, headed by theDoctor, who had heard the firing, and came to his followers' relief.

  The main thing to decide no
w was how to hold the Apaches in check whilea retreat was made to the mountain, where all was right, the horses andcattle being in their strong places, and every one on the alert.

  The Beaver decided the matter by undertaking, with one of his men, tokeep the Apaches from getting to the top till their friends had reachedthe rock, where they were to be ready to cover his retreat.

  The Doctor made a little demur at first, but the chief insisted, andafter an attempt on the part of the Apaches at fighting their way up hadbeen met by a sharp volley, the whole party, saving the Beaver and onefollower, retreated to the rock fortress, where they speedily manned allthe points of defence, and waited eagerly for the coming of the chief.But to Bart's horror he did not come, while simultaneously there was ashout from the Doctor and another from Joses, the one giving warningthat a very strong body of mounted men was appearing over the plains,the other that the savages from the canyon had fought their way up thechimney, and were coming on to the attack.