Frank on the Prairie

by Harry Castlemon

  CHAPTER VIII.

  The "Ole Bar's Hole."

  Next morning, after a hasty breakfast, the boys saddled their horses,and, led by the trapper, set out to find the wagon. Now it was thatthe latter showed the young hunters his extraordinary "travelin'qualities," as he expressed it; for as soon as the boys were in theirsaddles, he shouldered his rifle and started off, at a rapid pace,which he did not slacken at all until they arrived on the banks of asmall stream, where they stopped to quench their thirst.

  "Now, youngsters," said the trapper, seating himself on the ground,and wiping his forehead with his coat sleeve, "There's the place. TheComanche's camp war pitched jest in the edge of them ar' willows, an'right where you see them bushes war where I stood afore I started torun the gauntlet. The chief's wigwam stood thar then. I tell you, itwarn't healthy fur a feller to go foolin' 'round here them days."

  The boys gazed long and earnestly at every object the trapper pointedout, and listened to his narration of the various incidents that hadtranspired during his captivity, until they almost fancied they couldsee the prairie covered with painted savages, and their guide, in themidst of his foes, awaiting the signal to begin his race for life.Dick, himself, was no less interested, for he sat for a long timefeasting his eyes on every familiar object; now and then castingsuspicious glances toward the distant willows, as if he almostexpected to catch a glimpse of a hostile warrior, or hear thewar-whoop which had so often awoke the echoes of those very mountains.

  "Wal, youngsters," said he, at length, "let's be movin'! I neverexpected to see the time when I could travel over these ere prairieswithout bein' in danger of havin' my har raised; an' if you live to beas old as I am, you'll see the day that 'em city chaps will ridethrough here on 'em steam railroads; an' if they see this place,they'll never dream that such things as I have told you about everhappened here."

  The travelers again set out, Dick leading the way, at a still morerapid pace, and in two hours they arrived at the camp. Mr. Winters andold Bob were lying in the shade of the wagon, and as the boysapproached, the former raised himself on his elbow, and inquired:

  "Well, boys, how do you like traveling on your own hook? Do you thinkyou could find your way to California without a guide?"

  "Oh, they war all right!" exclaimed Dick, leaning his rifle againstthe wagon, and picking up the antelope skin which Archie had throwndown, and which contained some choice pieces of meat. "They war allright! Me and Useless found 'em down on Muddy Creek, Bob. They hadkilled this prong-horn, made their camp, an' war takin' matters easylike, as though they had never heered tell on a Comanche--the keerlessfellers."

  While Frank and Archie were unsaddling their horses, the trapperproceeded to recount their adventures, to which both Mr. Winters andold Bob listened attentively. The latter was not a little astonishedto learn that the boys could so readily accommodate themselves tocircumstances, and was more firm than ever in his belief that "theyoungsters would make good trappers."

  Mr. Winters had, at first, been considerably alarmed at their absence;but, upon reflection, he remembered that the boys had often been inpositions fully as dangerous, from which they had always succeeded inextricating themselves, and he soon fell in with the trapper'sopinion, that they would "turn up all right." He did not think itnecessary to caution them, for, from the description the trapper gaveof their adventures, it was not at all probable that they would everagain be placed in a like situation.

  After a hearty dinner, which Dick speedily served up, they again setout toward the mountains, which they reached about the middle of theafternoon. After riding along the edge of the willows, for half amile, they came to a wide but very shallow stream, into which thetrapper turned, and after following it for some distance, drove out onthe bank and stopped.

  "Here we are," said he, as he climbed down out of his wagon. "Now,youngsters, you're at the ole bar's hole. But if you didn't know itwar here, you might hunt fur it till your har war whiter nor Bob's,an' then you wouldn't find it, an' that wouldn't be no wonder neither;fur many a sharpeyed Comanche has looked an' peeped fur it, but onlyone ever found it that I know of, an' it didn't do him no good, fur henever lived to tell of it."

  While the trapper was speaking, old Bob had dismounted from his horse,and, walking up to a thicket of bushes which grew at the foot of ahigh rock that overhung the bed of the stream, began pulling themaside, and finally disclosed to view an opening that appeared to leaddown into the very bowels of the earth. Meanwhile, Dick had gatheredsome dry wood for a torch, and, after lighting it, he backed down intothe hole and disappeared, followed by Frank and Archie, who wereimpatient to see the inside of the cave which had so often servedtheir guide as a secure retreat from his enemies. The passage was longand winding, and it was with considerable difficulty that the boysworked their way into it. Besides, it was in some places so narrowthat they could scarcely squeeze themselves through it. The trapper,however, worked his way along with a celerity that was surprising, andsoon both he and the torch were out of sight, and the boys were leftin pitch darkness. But there was little danger of their being lost inthat narrow passage, and they crawled along as rapidly as possible,until at length Archie, who was leading the way, stopped, and began torub his elbows and knees, which had received some pretty severescratches from the sharp rocks.

  "I say, Frank," he exclaimed, "how do you suppose Dick ever squeezedhis broad shoulders through a narrow place like this? What's that?" headded, in a terrified voice, as they heard a savage growl, whichseemed to sound directly over their heads.

  Frank did not stop to answer, but throwing himself on his hands andknees, began to make the best of his way out of the passage, closelyfollowed by his cousin, who urged him to go faster. They had not gonefar when they were startled by the report of a rifle, which wasfollowed by a roar that echoed and reechoed through the cave like aheavy clap of thunder. What it was that had uttered that roar the boyswere unable to determine; but they knew, by the report of thetrapper's rifle, and the sounds of a fierce struggle that came faintlyto their ears, that Dick had found his old harboring-place occupiedby some animal which did not feel disposed to give up possession; andthey got out of the passage in much less time than it had taken themto get into it. When they reached the open air, the old trapper, whohad heard the report of his "chum's" rifle, threw himself on his handsand knees, and crawled into the cave, followed by Mr. Winters. Theboys at once ran to the wagon after their weapons, but by the timethey had secured them, the fight was ended, and Dick made hisappearance at the mouth of the passage. But he did not look like theman who had gone into that cave but a few moments before. Hishunting-shirt and leggins were torn almost into shreds, his arms werebare to his shoulders, and were covered with wounds that were bleedingprofusely. The boys were horrified; but their fears that the trapperhad received serious injury were speedily set at rest, for he smiledas if nothing had happened, and exclaimed:

  "Now you see what it is to be a trapper, youngsters. I shall allersthink that 'ar cave has a good name, fur if me an' Useless didn't findthe biggest grizzly bar in thar we ever sot eyes on, then thar aint nomore beaver in the Missouri River."

  As he spoke, he divested himself of what remained of hishunting-shirt, and walked down to the creek to wash the blood off hishands and face, in which he was assisted by Mr. Winters. While thiswas going on, old Bob crawled out of the cave, carrying two cubs inhis arms, which he presented to the boys, saying:

  "Them's young grizzlies. They don't look now as if they would ever getto be as big and fierce as their mother war."

  As the boys took them, they both set up a shrill cry, and fought mostdesperately for such small animals, and their sharp little claws leftmore than one mark upon the hands and faces of the young hunters.

  "Keep an eye open, Bob," shouted Dick, who was seated on the ground,while Mr. Winters was bandaging his wounds. "Keep an' eye open, 'causethe old man of the family may be 'round."

  Upon hearing this, Archie dropped his cub, and seizing his rifle, cas
tanxious glances upon the surrounding woods. But if the father was inthe vicinity, he evidently thought it best to keep out of sight.

  When Dick's wounds had been cared for, and he had put on another suitof clothes, he seated himself on the ground, near the boys, while Bobkindled a fire and began preparations for supper.

  "It aint allers fun to be a trapper, youngsters," said Dick, puffingaway at his pipe, "'cause, afore a man can earn that name, he's got togo through a heap of skrimmages, like the one I jest had. When I'm onthe prairy, or in the mountains, I allers keep my eyes open, an' thefust thing I seed as I crawled out of that passage into that ar' cavewar that grizzly bar. She seed me, too, and set up a growl, as if totell me that I couldn't get away from thar any too quick; but shedidn't wink more'n twice afore I sent a chunk of lead into her. Thelight of the torch, however, bothered me, an' I didn't shoot atweenher eyes, as I meant to; an' afore a feller could say 'Gin'ralJackson,' she war comin' at me. Now, I've been in jest such scrapesafore, an' the way I've got pawed up, an' seed other fellers that werebigger and stronger than me, clawed an' torn, has showed me that noone man that ever lived is a match fur a full-grown grizzly; an' whenI seed ole Bob poke his rifle out of the passage an' draw a bead onthat bar's head, I'll allow it made me feel a heap easier. If he hadstayed away five minits longer, I don't believe I'd ever showed youthe way to Californy. As it war, I got pretty well clawed up."

  This was the way the trapper described the fight in the cave, whichwas one of the most desperate he had ever engaged in, as the severewounds he had received proved. But he looked upon such things as amatter of course. He expected to be engaged in many similar fights;always held himself in readiness for them, and when they were over,another notch was added to those on the handle of his knife (for Dickkept a strict account of the number of grizzlies he killed,) and hehad another story to tell by the camp-fire.

  After supper, the trappers procured torches, and, accompanied by Mr.Winters and the boys, proceeded to explore the cave. There, lyingwhere she had fallen in defense of her young, was the grizzly, whichwas the first of these animals the boys had ever seen. As near as theycould judge, she was fully twice the size and weight of the bear Frankhad killed in the woods, and her claws, which she had used with sucheffect upon the trapper and his dog, (for, in defending his master,Useless had been most roughly handled,) measured eight inches inlength. Every thing in the cave bore evidence to the fact that thefight had been a severe one. The floor and walls were covered withblood, and on the bear's body were numerous wounds, made by the knifeof the trapper, and the teeth of the faithful Useless.

  After the boys had examined the bear to their satisfaction, old Bobbegan to remove the skin, while Dick pointed out other objects ofinterest in the cave. There were the withered hemlock boughs which hadmany a time served him and Bill Lawson for a bed, and under them was ahole about two feet square, which the trapper called his "pantry." Hetold Mr. Winters the story of the "struggle in the cave," and showedhim the passage that led to the top of the hill where the Comancheshad entered, and where he had for two days kept watch, awaiting thecoming of old Bill.

  They remained in the cave for an hour, listening to Dick's stories;for in his mind the "Ole Bar's Hole" was associated with many excitingevents, and it was dark before they returned to the camp.