American Family Robinson

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  Chapter Nineteenth.

  They arrive at a stream of considerable magnitude over which theycross. Encampment on its bank. They ride in the water to elude theirpursuers. Jones and Cole give them some information relative to theirfriends, having met Lewis at Fort Laramie. The joyful reception of thenews. Desire to return. The lateness of the season prevents it. Theycontinue on. Arrival at the base of the Sierra Nevada. Fear of crossingthe mountains in the snow. They retreat to a place of security withintentions to encamp for the winter. They construct themselves winterquarters as well as they can.

  At daylight the fugitives came to a considerable stream which theycrossed and halted on the opposite bank. They turned their horses looseto feed and rest, and taking some fish from the stream by means ofshooting them with their arrows,[12] they broiled them. The fish,together with some roasted _yampa_ roots, made a plentiful andnourishing repast. Letting their horses rest as long as they dared,they mounted and entering the stream, followed it down a mile, so as todeceive the Indians, should they be pursued, then again taking to thebank they rode with great speed, until their beasts began to flag, whenagain halting on a position that overlooked the country around, theyprepared themselves a dinner, turning their horses loose to graze whilethey ate. After partaking of their meal, Jane fortunately fell asleep,and when they feared to remain in that position, they awoke her, andproceeded on till late in the night. Again halting, and posting asentinel who was relieved every two hours, they lay down to sleep, forthey were worn out with their rapid marches. At the first faint streakof light, they were in motion, and thus pursuing their way rapidly forthree more days, they were glad to halt, as their horses wereemaciated, lame, and sore, and were scarcely able to keep their feet,so galling and toilsome had been their journey.

  [12] A common mode of taking fish among the Indians.

  They calculated they had saved themselves from pursuit, and accordinglyprepared for a few days' rest which was made doubly sweet to them bythe prospect of the dear home and friends which loomed up before them.Building a temporary shelter, they spent several days in that place andbecame more acquainted with their two new companions. Jones was acuriosity in himself, fearing nor caring for nothing but being broiledalive, a fate for which he evinced the utmost repugnance, and declaredhe would be willing to adopt any emergency than encounter it, analternative they all coincided heartily in, with the exception of Cole,who expressed a decided belief that it was preferable to many things,and delighted to hold up its advantages, but what they were he neverspecified to his more sensitive companion.

  They were both from Connecticut and had been some years sailors, theirship having been driven and wrecked by winds on the Pacific coast theywere obliged to content themselves as best they could; and as theyenjoyed a large share of constitutional Yankee restlessness, sought toturn their misfortunes to some account. While waiting for relief theyexplored the deep unbroken wilds that surrounded them. In doing thisthey encountered many difficulties, and often hazarded their lives, butwere rewarded by finding, as they asserted, gold mines scattered over alarge district. Returning home by an overland route with specimens ofthe ore, they had induced others to return with them, accompanied bytheir families, their object being to take up the land on which theprecious metal was found and settle it, guessing with characteristicshrewdness that as soon as it was known in the Eastern States thatthere was gold in the place, the land would be of immense value.

  There were eleven of them all, two women and two children, one ten andthe other twelve years old; the rest being well calculated for such adaring enterprise. It was their intention to keep the same Indian trailback they had gone over in returning home, trusting to memory to keepthem from straying. When their journey was two-thirds accomplished theIndians had come unawares upon them and after fighting as long as theycould hold out, all were killed but these two, who were made prisonerswith all their baggage. "It was a struggle for life, and two days wekept them at bay," said Jones, "but we were one after another pickedoff until but five of us were left, when the savages maddened by thesight of their killed and wounded which must have been in greatnumbers, closed around us and we fought hand to hand for a few minutes,when Cole and myself were overpowered, disarmed and captured, the restwere killed, scalped, and their dead bodies left on the ground unburiedto become a prey to beasts scarcely more savage than the Indians. Ourfate was decided on in council the same evening we were taken to thevillage. We were sentenced to run the gauntlet.[13] If we survived wewere to become part of the tribe to supply the places of the lostwarriors; if we fell, the stake awaited us. We looked upon ourselves asdoomed, when an old Indian came to us, and displacing the thongs withwhich we were bound, bade us follow him. The rest you know, and we arehere together."

  [13] The gauntlet consists in drawing up the members of the village in two files facing each other four feet apart, through which the victim has to make his way, the Indians striking at him as he runs with clubs, knives, tomahawks or any weapon they choose to arm themselves with. Not one out of a hundred get through the file, and if they do they are sure to meet with kindness; but if beaten down they are either killed on the spot or carried wounded and bleeding to the stake where they perish amidst horrible tortures.

  "For which I am really grateful," said the trapper, who informed themof the principal events of their wandering for the last year anda-half. They listened with great interest until the recital wasfinished, and then Jones said, musingly, "It must be that you are thesame of whom we heard so much, more than a year ago, although yourfriends believed you had perished by the cruel hands of the Indians."

  "Then you have seen them! Are they well? Have they removed from theencampment by the brook?" and numberless other questions were showeredin a breath upon them.

  "One at a time," said the imperturbable Yankee; "one at a time, and Iwill answer them all."

  "Then, are they alive and well?" asked Jane, who could not restrain heranxiety.

  "They are, as far as I know," said Jones. "I saw but one they calledLewis, and he was well, and I heard him tell another man who wasinquiring for the rest of the family that the rest were.

  "Thank heaven for that," said Jane, fervently.

  "Where are they?" asked the trapper.

  "I don't know, exactly," said Jones. "The young man I saw was at FortLaramie. He had heard there were several distant tribes of Indiansencamped there to trade with the whites, and had come to see if hecould learn from them the fate that had befallen you."

  "Then I suspect," said the trapper, "they have remained near the spotwhere they were encamped when we were stolen."

  "Who is the chief of the Arapahoes?" asked Whirlwind.

  "I think he is called the Bald Eagle, but I don't remember distinctly.When I passed through their country last spring, I heard about a greatMedicine man, who was likewise their chieftain, who had been killed orcarried away at the same time part of the family of Mr. Duncan had."

  "This is the chief," said the trapper, "he still lives, and I hope willfor many a long year yet to come."

  "That would be great news for the Arapahoes," said Cole, "and their joycould scarcely be exceeded by that of Mr. Duncan's family, could theyknow their lost ones were safe."

  They had somewhat recovered from the fatigues of their flight, andproposed renewing their journey. The autumn, which was far advanced,warned them it was time to be on the move, if they intended to reachthe haunts of civilization before the snows began to fall, and as Coleand Jones assured them they would certainly strike a trail that led tothe Pacific coast in three or four days' travel, they were impatient tobe on the move. They suffered much with the cold, as the nights werekeen enough to create ice an inch in thickness, and the frostsdestroyed a great deal of the herbage on which the horses subsisted.The third day the sky began to grow heavy in the morning, and as theair was keen they feared snow would fall, but it partially broke awaybefore night, greatly to their satisfaction. They lay dow
n by theircamp-fire with the stars gleaming, though faintly, above them.

  About midnight they were awakened by flakes of snow falling on theirfaces, and on awaking, they discovered the ground white around them.Before morning the white covering was three inches deep. The winter hadset in uncommonly early, and they with saddened hearts rode all daythrough the falling snow. Night came on, and scraping the ground clearof leaves and snow, they built themselves a temporary shelter, leavingone side open, by which the camp-fire was built. They had nothing toeat, having laid by no supply of roots or meat, and the ground wascovered with snow so that the roots could not be found. Leaving Sidney,Edward, and Jane in the camp, the rest went out to get some game, andin half an hour the trapper returned with a pair of wild turkeys. Hewas followed soon by Cole who brought some pheasants and a greysquirrel. As the shades of night began to gather around them, theothers came in with a fawn and a mountain sheep. There was no fear thenof their being supperless; and, after eating a hearty meal, they laiddown to sleep with the snow still falling around them. When they awokein the morning the sky was clear and the sun arose warm, and by noonhad softened the snow so much as to make it wet their clothing, as theybrushed it from the pendant branches in riding along. When theyencamped that night, Jane was shivering with cold, and too ill to eat;but the rest lay by the fire, and slept as well as the disagreeablesituation in which they were placed would allow. Jane was quite ill thenext day, and they did not think it prudent to travel; but by night shefelt much better, and as they calculated they could strike the trail inanother day's journey, they determined to be in the saddle by daylight.

  Riding, as fast as the rugged uneven country through which they weretravelling would permit, for three hours, they came to the trailearlier in the day than they had anticipated, greatly to their relief.Here now they were on a road that would lead them to their friends fromwhich they had so long been separated, during which time they hadencountered so many trials and so much suffering. The sight of itdispelled all fatigue from them, and they were ready, nay, eager, toturn their horses homeward. They were restrained from such madproceedings by the cool, undisturbed equanimity of Jones, who said:"The journey home requires three months' hard travelling, and if weundertake it in our present unprepared condition, we shall certainlyperish by cold and hunger. On the other hand the trail in the oppositedirection, will lead us to a safe harbor, in a third of the distancewhich, when accomplished, we shall be willing to stay in till springcomes again. It is always dangerous travelling through these wilds whenprepared, but in our destitute condition it is most hazardous."

  "Lead us on; we can endure it," cried the children, enthusiastically.

  "No, no; children," said the trapper, "Jones tells the truth, we cannever cross the country that lies between us and our friends, in thedead of winter. We must content ourselves in a place of security, if wecan find one, until spring again comes."

  "Yonder," said the chief, pointing towards the west, where the GreatSierra arose with its snowy peaks towering among the clouds, "are theSnow mountain. To reach the white settlement beyond we must cross it.We are too weak and destitute to do it. Let us build a lodge here andgather what provisions we can before the snow is deeper, and the deerall leave us."

  "I believe it is the best thing we can do, for our safety," said thecautious trapper.

  "Oh! no; do not think of such a thing!" said Sidney. "I am sure we cancross the mountain, and when over them, it cannot be far to civilizedhabitations."

  "You are young and sanguine," said the trapper, "and do not know thedangers before you."

  "We might as well pursue the trail a day or two," said Jones, "andthen, if we think we cannot cross the mountain, we can build winterquarters. For my part, I do not relish a winter here, any more thanSidney."

  "Well," said Cole, casting an admiring glance towards Jane, "I thinkquarters might become tolerable, if well supplied with venison--and Ithink they might, between us all."

  The chief saw the look, and a close observer might have for an instantobserved a peculiar glitter in his eye, but no word or movement of hisindicated that he had witnessed it, or if he did, cared for it.Resuming their journey, they were soon made aware that the groundbefore them was rising, and covered with a greater depth of snow. Bynoon they had come to the base of high ranges of hills that rose oneabove another, and above all towered the Sierra Nevada. Over these thetrail extended, and they were compelled either to encamp on the spot,go back, or cross over the mountains. To pass over them seemedimpossible--to encamp on the exposed slope on which they were wouldsubject them unnecessarily to severe suffering from cold; and theironly safe alternative was to fall back to some secure unexposedposition, and raise a winter camp.

  A few miles back, a sheltered position was discovered; the snow wascleared away, and all working with an earnest will, a commodious hutwas soon erected consisting of strong poles for the frame work, whichwere covered with bark, and this again thickly studded with boughs tokeep out the cold. The ground was also strewn with them, for they hadno skins to spread over it, nor even to make themselves a coveringthrough the night with--a want from which they suffered much. Takingadvantage of their experience the last winter, they collected stonefrom beneath the snow, and built themselves a rough but efficientfire-place, which occupied nearly one side of the hut, and in whichthey could build large fires that diffused their genial warmth over theroom without endangering the frail fabric.