CHAPTER VI
SERIOUS NEWS
IT was just three days after the strange bear hunt that the boys, onreturning from a little trip to see what their traps might contain thusearly in the season, found that the home circle had been widened by thecoming of the Irish trapper, Pat O'Mara.
He was a jovial fellow, with a fiery red beard, and hair of the samehue falling far below his coonskin cap. His blue eyes generallytwinkled with humor; but, for all that, he had long since provedhimself a fit companion for such woodsmen as Daniel Boone, SimonKenton, James Harrod, Jo Daviess and John Hardin, foremost in the listof pioneers who had carved their names on the pages of history by theirbrave deeds along the disputed border countries.
Pat was delighted to see the two Armstrong boys again, for they hadbeen favorites of his ever since the days when, acting on his advice,David had decided to leave Virginia and cast his fortunes with the boldsettlers along the upper Ohio. But wise Bob soon saw that, under allhis fun, there was a seriousness about Pat that he could not remembernoting before.
The trapper examined what few pelts the boys had taken up to now, andgave more or less advice about curing them to the best advantage.
"As the sa'son grows older the fur wull be thicker," he observed,smoothing the soft pelt of a red fox that had been recently taken."And, av ye obsarve what I'm tillin' ye, 'tis a better price ye'llrecave for the same from the trader, unless by the same token ithappens till be a Frinchman ye be d'alin' wid. They do be wantin' togobble the hull airth, I do be thinkin'."
This was always a subject upon which Pat felt deeply, for he was knownto have a bitter prejudice against the French trappers and tradersgenerally. At this time the French were in complete mastery of thevaluable fur regions around the Great Lakes, and, being also locatedfar in the south, at the mouth of the Mississippi at New Orleans,it was the announced intention of the companies controlling thesehalf-breed trappers to form a chain of trading posts from Canada tothe distant Mexican gulf.
Daniel Boone knew all about this tremendous scheme, and it was partlywith the idea of blocking it that he had pushed out so far into thewestern wilderness, and influenced others to follow his example.
Dangers without number they must face in so doing; but, surely, if thewonderful wide-reaching valley of the Mississippi might be saved forEnglish-speaking people, their efforts would be worth while.
While Bob watched the face of the Irish trapper, he came to theconclusion that Pat must have brought some unpleasant news along withhim. This turned out to be the exact truth. As the two boys had nowreached an age when they were to be depended on as defenders of thehome, David Armstrong only waited until Kate happened to be sent onan errand to a neighbor, when he had Pat recount the matter for thebenefit of Bob and Sandy.
There was much talk of a big Indian uprising all through the countrybetween the Ohio and the lakes. Pontiac was again endeavoring to forma coalition of the many tribes, from the Six Nations, or Iroquois, inNew York and Ohio, to the Pottawottomies and Sacs in the west, and theCreeks and Shawanees in the south.
Already, in many places, the red men were said to be on the warpath,and a trail of burning cabins marked their passage.
Pat had heard of these things, and, thinking of the good friendswho had settled on the Ohio only the preceding spring, he had lostlittle time in making his way back again to the settlement that wasflourishing so finely.
"It wull not be apt till come till ye, right away," he said inconclusion; "but 'tis just as well that ivery sowl be made aware avthe danger. Niver belave thot ye are safe from attack here. It do bea foine place to defind, located on a hill as ye are; but remimberthat the rids are backed up by more or less av thim treacherous Frinchtrappers and traders; and that they are sworn to wipe out ivery Englishpost wist av the mountains."
The news quickly spread until it was known in every home. Men gottogether and talked it over, trying to so arrange their plans that,in the event of an attack, the defence of the blockhouse would beconducted in the best possible manner.
Scouts were sent out whose business it was to scour the forest manymiles around, on both sides of the river. And, should one of thesediscover that they were threatened with an inroad of the Indians, itmust be his duty to hasten to send up a signal of warning.
This was to be in the shape of certain columns of black smoke, which,seen by the next scout, would be repeated, until in this manner thestartling news might be received at the settlement hours in advance ofthe coming of the fleetest messenger.
It was employing the tactics of the Indians to a good purpose.
These precautions having been taken, the settlers went about theirdaily duties, confident that they would receive ample warning shoulddanger arise, and also that they would be able to give a good accountof themselves in battle, did the reds venture to attack the post.
But it was the policy of every man, woman and child, from that timeforth, to keep an uneasy eye on the sky line, especially toward theeast and west. Men, as they worked in their maize fields, would pauseevery little while to sweep the horizon with anxious gaze; and, shouldone of them at any time happen to discover any sign of smoke rising,it was apt to be an anxious moment for him until he had assured himselfthat the column was a single one, and not triple.
Even such a hovering cloud as this could not keep the two venturesomeArmstrong boys from going forth every day. Sometimes they had businessalong their trap line, for work grew pretty brisk as the seasonadvanced. Then again it might be a hunt that engaged their attention.Whenever they had any extra meat on hand it was their provident habitto dry the same for use in the hard winter months ahead.
As yet the settlers knew not what awaited them, once the snows ofwinter closed in, for they had never spent such a season on the Ohio.Tales of bitter weather had come to them; but they were hardy souls,and believed that, if the Indians could come through such a yearlyexperience unscathed, they ought to be able to do the same.
Nevertheless, every good housewife started early to lay in all suchextra stores as could be procured. The stock of simple herbs, dryingin bunches from the beams overhead in the living room of the Armstrongcabin, testified to the fact that the careful mother was prepared forany ordinary sickness that might arise. And there, too, could be seenvarious packages of the tough jerked venison, which would sustain life,when gnawed, as the Indians were accustomed to doing when on the trail,though the more civilized settlers preferred to use it in soups orstews.
For two days Bob and Sandy had not been out in the forest save to lookafter their traps. True, only the preceding day, a fine fat wild turkeyhad fallen before the gun of Sandy, and been greatly enjoyed; but bothlads felt an eagerness to once again go forth on a genuine hunt forlarger game.
The tender-hearted and fearful little mother could not forbid themventuring forth, even though she sighed after they had gone, andwiped a furtive tear from her eye. Food was a necessity, and they hadno other means for procuring it than in this manner. According totheir belief, Providence had stocked these woods with game in orderto provide sustenance for the pioneers who must blaze the trail ofcivilization.
Warned to be unusually careful, Bob and his brother once again wendedtheir way through the mysterious aisles of the solemn forest, whichhad now become so familiar a field to them. Did they not know nearlyevery little animal that had its home there; and were they not on goodterms with many that they scorned to injure, since their flesh was notwanted for food, nor their fur for trading purposes?
Two hours after leaving home the young pioneers came across thetracks of a deer, and, finding that the trail was fresh, they startedto follow. The wind was in their faces, so that everything seemedfavorable for stalking the quarry, should they find that the animal wasbrowsing in one of the little grassy glades which they knew were closeat hand.
And, true enough, as they thus advanced cautiously, they sighted anoble buck feeding as though all unconscious of danger. Foot by footthe boys crept closer, intent on securing such splendid qua
rry.
This time it was Bob's turn to fire first, while Sandy held himself inreadiness to make sure of the buck if by chance his brother failed.
Bob was looking along the barrel of his musket when, without warning, ashot rang out from a point further away, followed instantly by a secondand a third; but the buck, apparently uninjured, leaped off as thoughabout to speed beyond the danger zone.
The instinct of the hunter would not allow Bob to hold back his fire,even though he was startled by this unexpected volley. And, after hepulled the trigger, the buck gave one great leap into the air, to falla quivering mass on the moss-covered ground.
Both lads hurried forward toward the fallen deer; but Bob felt a quiverof apprehension when he discovered three burly figures hastening toarrive there ahead of them.
"Oh! they are French trappers, Bob!" exclaimed Sandy, though hebetrayed not the least symptom of holding back.
"Yes, and we must be careful what we do!" remarked Bob, uneasily.
"But it is your deer, for he fell when you fired!" Sandy declared,stubbornly.
In another minute the brothers had arrived at the spot, to find thefoot of a dark-faced forest ranger planted on the dead buck, and threepairs of snapping black eyes looking at them in defiance.
Apparently their right to the game was about to be seriouslyquestioned!
The Pioneer Boys on the Great Lakes; or, On the Trail of the Iroquois Page 9