CHAPTER XV
WHEN STOUT HEARTS WERE NECESSARY
"WE have covered a good many miles since starting, Dick, and I hopethey soon show signs of stopping for the night."
The afternoon was getting well along when Roger made this remark to hiscousin. His tone had a vein of complaint in it, for, although Rogercould tramp through the woods all day and feel it but little, he didnot like being forced to do the walking against his will.
Another thing that fretted the boy was the fact that every furlongpassed over carried them further away from their friends of theexpedition, the only whites, saving the French traders, within hundredsof miles.
Dick had begun to notice this growing feeling of irritation on thepart of his comrade. He himself could look trouble in the face withoutflinching, and he now concluded it was time to cheer up Roger'sdrooping spirits.
"No question but that they intend to pull up pretty soon, Roger," hesaid, as he trudged along close to the other's elbow. "In fact, I'venoticed some of them looking about as if they expected to reach a goodcamp-ground at any minute. They were tired at the time they lay in waitfor us, and must have come a long way."
"Of course you noticed, Dick, that two of the braves stayed behindwhen we left the river, though they did catch up with us several hoursafterwards?"
"Yes, and it is not difficult to guess what their part in the retreatwas," replied Dick. "They remained to conceal every trace of moccasinedfeet, so that it would have to be a mighty good tracker who could tellwhat had happened there on the bank of the small stream."
"Yes, and of course they've blinded our trail in the bargain every nowand then on the way," continued Roger, ruefully. "Three separate timesdid we walk for half a mile in shallow water, and leave the creek onthe stones, so there would be no sign left after the sun and wind driedthe wet marks. It was the old Indian trick that we know so well."
"I tried my best to leave a plain track," added Dick, "but the bravescoming behind must have seen me do it, and made sure to cover it."
"What do you believe Captain Lewis will do about it?" asked Roger, hehimself having pondered on this subject without coming to a conclusion.
"When we fail to return to the camp of course they will send some ofthe men up to look the ground over," Dick answered, thoughtfully. "Thedisappearance of the friendly Indian will give them a clew. Then theyare apt to find some of the trout that were left behind fastened to thewillow withes."
"I hope they enjoy them," muttered Roger, with a grimace, for he couldnot help remembering how his mouth had fairly watered with anticipationof the treat he had expected to have that evening.
"I've been wondering, myself, how it came that the Indians overlookedtaking the fish," continued Dick, "and the only thing I can see is thatthey were so anxious to get on the move before any of the white mencame along with those terrible 'fire-shooting-sticks,' that they forgotabout it."
"Yes," Roger added, "and that treacherous chap who guided us into thetrap was so taken up looking over your gun, which Waller had turnedover to him, that he forgot all about the fish, too. Well, I hope theyare found, and will make a fine supper for the men."
"It has clouded up, and looks a little as if we might have a storm ofsome kind before morning breaks," went on Dick.
"More trouble if that happens," grumbled the other, glancing up at theheavens to verify his comrade's statement.
"Don't be too sure of that," Dick told him. "It may turn out to be agreat help to us, for all we know, and give us a chance to make ourescape."
"What, do you think that, after all, some of the trailers among ourfriends will be able to follow us, and take these Indians by surprise?"asked Roger.
Dick, however, shook his head at this.
"To tell you the truth, Roger," he observed, "I'm afraid we can counton no such help from our friends, even if they could discover ourtrail, which is much in doubt."
"But why not?" demanded the other. "Captain Lewis thinks a lot of us,and he is hardly the man to desert a friend, Dick."
"Every word of that is true," his chum assured him. "There never couldbe a finer man than Captain Lewis; but stop and think, Roger; heis not on business of his own now, but bent on carrying out a greatexploring expedition that was sanctioned by Congress, and backed byPresident Jefferson himself. Every day counts in the spelling ofsuccess; a delay here might ruin all their plans."
Roger nodded his head, as though he grasped the idea.
"Yes, I can see what you mean, Dick," he admitted, slowly andregretfully, "and I guess you are right. Much as Captain Lewis himselfmight want to lay over and send a party of his men out in search of us,his duty binds him the other way. He will have to go on, and leave usto our fate."
"Well, we have been able to take care of ourselves lots of times beforenow, Roger, and why not again?"
Somehow his last words seemed to arouse the dormant spirit ofconfidence in the other. Roger gritted his teeth, while his eyesflashed defiantly.
"You're right, Dick, we have done plenty of things before, and canagain," he declared with a ring in his voice that Dick liked to hear."Our fathers never showed the white feather when they faced troublesjust as bad, and why should we? How many times have we listened tothem tell how they followed that band of Iroquois Indians ever so farinto the North, and rescued their sister Kate, who had been carriedaway.[3] I'm done with repining, Dick; from now on you'll find medifferent."
"Then to-night, when we are in camp, we must try to outwit these redrascals. Even now I have something of a plan in my mind. And you maybe sure that every mile we covered I kept tally of the direction, so Iknow just how to go in order to reach the Missouri again."
"You shame me, Dick," frankly admitted the other boy; "to know that,while I've been fretting and complaining, thinking only of ourtroubles, you were keeping track of such things as would help us getback to our friends."
A little later on, Dick, who seemed to keep his eyes constantly on thealert, once more spoke to his comrade.
"There's something brewing, as sure as you live, Roger," he said; "forthe Indians are consulting together in hushed tones, and examining theground as if they had run across some tracks there that excited them."
"Can it be game, and they are being tempted to start on a hunt?" askedRoger.
"Two-footed game, then," replied the other boy, "for I can see thereare moccasin tracks all around. Of course, as the different tribes makemoccasins after their tribal way, it's easy for these Dacotahs to knowthe others are not of their kind."
"They certainly do act as if they suspected there might be a breathof danger hanging around, Dick. Do you know whether the Sioux and theDacotahs are enemies or not?"
"They have been in the past," acknowledged Dick; "but I know the printof a Sioux moccasin, and these are different, Roger."
"Perhaps Shoshones. You remember Captain Lewis told us we were likelyto run upon some of that warlike tribe at any time now. Yes, and heremarked that, as a rule, they were enemies to the Blackfeet, Crows,Flat Heads, Dacotahs, and nearly every other tribe up in the Northwest."
"I shouldn't be surprised if you have hit on the truth, Roger, andthat this war party turns out to be fierce Shoshones. Our good friend,Captain Lewis, said he hoped to make friends of them, since we mustpass through their country before striking the great mountains."
"There, we are going on again, Dick, but notice how the braves keeplooking to the right and to the left, as if they feared an ambush. TheShoshones must be a fierce lot of fighters, or else be in overpoweringnumbers."
"I think, if I can read an Indian's mind," said Dick presently, "thesebraves will make an early camp. If they start a fire at all it will beonly a small one without smoke, and hidden in a hole, so that its lightwill not betray them."
"Then there's a poor chance for supper, I take it," grumbled Roger,who, having a splendid appetite, did not fancy going hungry, or chewingon a tough piece of pemmican, or jerked venison.
"You often complain of things being dull
, Roger; but I am sure you mustadmit there's no lack of excitement for us now. We are prisoners in thehands of the hostile Indians; there is a storm threatening; and nowcomes a chance that, before morning, the camp may be attacked by theseShoshones who are out looking for plunder and scalps."
"If they should come, Dick, what do you suppose would happen to us?"
Roger felt rather anxious, for he had heard it said that among Indiansit was the custom to kill their prisoners rather than have themrescued, or taken away by a rival tribe.
"If I can carry out my plans," Dick assured him, "I don't mean to waituntil the camp is attacked. I'd like to be miles on the way back to theriver before that comes to pass, if it really does."
"There, I think we are going to pull up at last," ventured Roger, ashe saw the leading Indians halt, and begin to look around as though tomake sure that no enemy lurked in the neighboring woods.
It was a well-chosen spot for a concealed camp. A shallow depression,very like a large bowl, offered them a chance to build a small firewithout any risk of the blaze being seen; and, so far as smoke wasconcerned, those dusky sons of the forest could be counted on to selectsuch wood that there would not be sent up the slightest column of vaporto betray them.
Roger, still watching, soon uttered a low cry of satisfaction.
"See, Dick, they do mean to have a little cooking-fire!" he exclaimed;"and that means we may get some supper after all. So far they haveshown us no particular ill will, and treated us half-way decently."
"That comes of being taken for the sons of the Great White Fatherat Washington," remarked Dick, with a chuckle that told that hisspirits had not been crushed even though the future looked so darkand forbidding. "It is a high honor that has come to us, Roger, to bereckoned President Jefferson's own boys!"
Roger, however, was more interested in what was going on about thelittle fire than anything else. He observed just how the expert bravesformed a small pyramid, and then used the flint and steel to start atiny blaze.
"Yes, one of them is unwrapping that bundle he carries, Dick," the boywent on to say, "and, just as I expected, it contains some freshlykilled venison. Oh! it's going to be all right, and we are due for somesupper, I reckon."
But Dick was thinking of other things than eating just then. Hesurveyed with a critical eye the lowering sky, and wondered if a stormwas about to break upon them before morning came.
FOOTNOTE:
[3] See "The Pioneer Boys on the Great Lakes."
The Pioneer Boys of the Columbia; or, In the Wilderness of the Great Northwest Page 18