Chapter VIIAn Animal Progression
The thin sheath of ice did not last long. On the second day thesun came out and melted it in an hour. Then a warm wind blew andin a few more hours the earth was dry. On the third day Alberttook his repeating rifle from the hooks on the wall and calmlyannounced that he was going hunting.
"All right," said Dick; "and as I feel lazy I'll keep house untilyou come back. Don't get chewed up by a grizzly bear."
Dick sat down in the doorway of the cabin and watched his brotherstriding off down the valley, gun on shoulder, figure very erect.Dick smiled; but it was a smile of pride, not derision.
"Good old Al! He'll do!" he murmured.
Albert followed the brook into the larger valley and then wentdown by the side of the lake. Though a skillful shot, he was notyet a good hunter, but he knew that one must make a beginning andhe wanted to learn through his own mistakes.
He had an idea that game could be found most easily in the forestthat ran down the mountain side to the lake, and he was thinkingmost particularly just then of elk. He had become familiar withthe loud, whistling sound, and he listened for it now but did nothear it.
He passed the spot at which Dick had killed the big cow elk andcontinued northward among the trees that covered the slopes andflat land between the mountain and the lake. This area broadenedas he proceeded, and, although the forest was leafless now, itwas so dense and there was such a large proportion of evergreens,cedars, and pines that Albert could not see very far ahead. Hecrossed several brooks pouring down from the peaks. All were inflood, and once or twice it was all that he could do with aflying leap to clear them, but he went on, undiscouraged, keepinga sharp watch for that which he was hunting.
Albert did not know much about big game, but he rememberedhearing Dick say that elk and mule deer would be likely to comeinto the valley for shelter at the approach of winter, and he washopeful that he might have the luck to encounter a whole herd ofthe big elk. Then, indeed, he would prove that he was an equalpartner with Dick in the work as well as the reward. He wishedto give the proof at once.
He had not been so far up the north end of the valley before, andhe noticed that here was quite an expanse of flat country oneither side of the lake. But the mountains all around the valleywere so high that it seemed to Albert that deer and other wildanimals might find food as well as shelter throughout thewinter. Hence he was quite confident, despite his poor luck sofar, that he should find big game soon, and his hunting feverincreased. He had never shot anything bigger than a rabbit, butAlbert was an impressionable boy, and his imagination at onceleaped over the gulf from a rabbit to a grizzly bear.
He had the lake, an immense and beautiful blue mirror, on hisright and the mountains on his left, but the space between wasnow nearly two miles in width, sown thickly in spots with pineand cedar, ash and aspen, and in other places quite open. In thelatter the grass was green despite the lateness of the season,and Albert surmised that good grazing could be found there allthrough the winter, even under the snow. Game must be plentifulthere, too.
The way dropped down a little into a sheltered depression, andAlbert heard a grunt and a great puffing breath. A huge darkanimal that had been lying among some dwarf pines shuffled to itsfeet and Albert's heart slipped right up into his throat. Herewas his grizzly, and he certainly was a monster! Every nerve inAlbert was tingling, and instinct bade him run. Will had a hardtime of it for a few moments, struggling with instinct, but willconquered, and, standing his ground, Albert fired a bullet fromhis repeater at the great dark mass.
The animal emitted his puffing roar again and rushed, head down,but blindly. Then Albert saw that he had roused not a grizzlybear but an enormous bull buffalo, a shaggy, fierce old fellowwho would not eat him, but who might gore or trample him todeath. His aspect was so terrible that will again came neargoing down before instinct, but Albert did not run. Instead, heleaped aside, and, as the buffalo rushed past, he fired anotherbullet from his repeater into his body just back of the forelegs.
The animal staggered, and Albert staggered, too, from excitementand nervousness, but he remembered to take aim and fire again andagain with his heavy repeater. In his heat and haste he did nothear a shout behind him, but he did see the great bull stagger,then reel and fall on his side, after which he lay quite still.
Albert stood, rifle in hand, trembling and incredulous. Could itbe he who had slain the mightiest buffalo that ever trod theearth? The bull seemed to his distended eyes and flushed brainto weigh ten tons at least, and to dwarf the biggest elephant.He raised his hand to his forehead and then sat down beside histrophy, overcome with weakness.
"Well, now, you have done it, young one! I thought I'd get afinger in this pie, but I came up too late! Say, young fellow,what's your name? Is it Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett?"
It was Dick who had followed in an apparently casual manner. Hehad rushed to his brother's rescue when he saw the bull charging,but he had arrived too late--and he was glad of it; the triumphwas wholly Albert's.
Albert, recovering from his weakness, looked at Dick, looked atthe buffalo, and then looked back at Dick. All three looks wereas full of triumph, glory, and pride as any boy's look could be.
"He's as big as a mountain, isn't he, Dick?" he said.
"Well, not quite that," replied Dick gravely. "A good-sized hillwould be a better comparison."
The buffalo certainly was a monster, and the two boys examinedhim critically. Dick was of the opinion that he belonged to thespecies known as the wood bison, which is not numerous among themountains, but which is larger than the ordinary buffalo of theplains. The divergence of type, however, is very slight.
"He must have been an outlaw," said Dick; "a vicious old bullcompelled to wander alone because of his bad manners. Still,it's likely that he's not the only buffalo in our valley."
"Can we eat him?" asked Albert.
"That's a question. He's sure to be tough, but I remember how weused to make steak tender at home by beating it before it wascooked. We might serve a thousand pounds or two of this bull inthat manner. Besides, we want that robe."
The robe was magnificent, and both boys felt that it would proveuseful. Dick had gained some experience from his own buffalohunt on the plains, and they began work at once with their sharphunting knives. It was no light task to take the skin, and thebeast was so heavy that they could not get it entirely free untilthey partly chopped up the body with an ax that Dick brought fromthe cabin. Then it made a roll of great weight, but Dick spreadit on the roof of their home to cure. They also cut out greatsections of the buffalo, which they put in the same place fordrying and jerking.
While they were engaged at this task, Albert saw a pair of fieryeyes regarding them from the undergrowth.
"See, Dick," he said, "what is that?"
Dick saw the eyes, the lean ugly body behind it, and heshuddered. He knew. It was the timber wolf, largest andfiercest of the species, brother to him whom he had seen prowlingabout the ruined wagon train. The brute called up painfulmemories, and, seizing his rifle, he fired at a spot midwaybetween the red eyes. The wolf uttered a howl, leaped high inthe air, and fell dead, lying without motion, stretched on hisside.
"I didn't like the way he looked at us," explained Dick.
A horrible growling and snapping came from the bushes presently.
"What's that?" asked Albert.
"It's only Mr. Timber Wolf's brethren eating up Mr. Timber Wolf,now that he is no longer of any use to himself."
Albert shuddered, too.
It was nightfall when they took away the last of the buffalo forwhich they cared, and as they departed they heard in the twilightthe patter of light feet.
"It's the timber wolves rushing for what we've left," said Dick."Those are big and fierce brutes, and you and I, Al, must nevergo out without a rifle or a revolver. You can't tell whatthey'll try, especially in the winter."
The entire roof of the cabin was cove
red the next day with thebuffalo robe and the drying meat, and birds of prey began tohover above it. Albert constituted himself watchman, and, armedwith a long stick, took his place on the roof, where he spent theday.
Dick shouldered one of the shotguns and went down to the lake.There he shot several fine teal, and in one of the grassy gladesnear it he roused up prairie hen. Being a fine shot, he securedfour of these, and returned to the cabin with his acceptablespoil.
They had now such a great supply of stores and equipment thattheir place was crowded and they scarcely had room for sleepingon the floor.
"What we need," said Dick, "is an annex, a place that can be usedfor a storehouse only, and this valley, which has been so kind tous, ought to continue being kind and furnish it."
The valley did furnish the annex, and it was Albert who foundit. He discovered a little further up the cleft an enormous oak,old and decayed. The tree was at lease seven feet through, andthe hollow itself was fully five feet in diameter, with a heightof perhaps fourteen feet. It was very rough inside with sharpprojections in every direction which had kept any large animalfrom making his den there, but Albert knew at once that theneeded place had been found. Full of enthusiasm he ran for Dick,who came instantly to see.
"Fine," said Dick approvingly. "We'll call it the 'Annex,' sureenough, and we'll get to work right away with our axes."
They cut out all the splinters and other projections, smoothingoff the round walls and the floor, and they also extended thehollow overhead somewhat.
"This is to be a two-story annex," said Dick. "We need lots ofroom."
High up they ran small poles across, fixing them firmly in thetree on either side, and lower down they planted many wooden pegsand hooks on which they might hang various articles.
"Everything will keep dry in here," said Albert. "I would notmind sleeping in the Annex, but when the door is closed therewon't be a particle of air."
It was the "door" that gave them the greatest trouble. Theopening by which they entered the hollow was about four feet highand a foot and a half across, and both boys looked at it a longtime before they could see a way to solve the puzzle.
"That door has to be strong enough to keep everything out," saidDick. "We mean to keep most of our meat supply in there, andthat, of course, will draw wild animals, little and big; it's thebig ones we've got to guard against."
After strenuous thinking, they smoothed off all the sides of theopening in order that a flat surface might fit perfectly againstthem. Then Dick cut down a small oak, and split out severalboards--not a difficult task for him, as he had often helped tomake boards in Illinois. The boards were laid together the widthof the opening and were held in place by cross pieces fastenedwith wooden pegs. Among their stores were two augers and twogimlets, and they were veritable godsends; they enabled the boysto make use of pegs and to save the few nails that they had forother and greater emergencies.
The door was made, and now came the task to "hang" it. "Hang"was merely a metaphorical word, as they fitted it into placeinstead. The wood all around the opening was about a foot thick,and they cut it out somewhat after the fashion of the lintels ofa doorway. Then they fitted in the door, which rested securelyin its grooves, but they knew that the claws of a grizzly bear ormountain lion might scratch it out, and they intended to make itsecure against any such mischance.
With the aid of hatchet and auger they put three wooden hooks oneither side of the doorway, exactly like those that defend thedoor of a frontier cabin, and into these they dropped three stoutbars. It was true that the bars were on the outside, but no wildanimal would have the intelligence enough to pry up those threebars and scratch the door out of place. Moreover, it could nothappen by accident. It took them three laborious days to makeand fit this door, but when the task was done they contemplatedit with just pride.
"I call that about the finest piece of carpenter's work ever donein these mountains," said Albert in tones suffused withsatisfaction.
"Of course," said Dick. "Why shouldn't it be, when the bestcarpenters in the world did the job?"
The two laughed, but their pride was real and no jest. It waslate in the afternoon when they finished this task, and on theway to the cabin Albert suddenly turned white and reeled. Dickcaught him, but he remained faint for sometime. He hadovertasked himself, and when they reached the cabin Dick madehim lie down on the great buffalo robe while he cooked supper.But, contrary to his former habit, Albert revived rapidly. Thecolor returned to his face and he sprang up presently, sayingthat he was hungry enough to eat a whole elk. Dick felt a mightsense of relief. Albert in his zeal had merely overexertedhimself. It was not any relapse. "Here's the elk steak and youcan eat ten pounds of it if you want it," he said.
They began early the next morning to move supplies to the Annex.High up in the hollow they hung great quantities of dried meat ofbuffalo, elk, and mule deer. They also stored there several elkand mule deer skins, two wolf skins, and other supplies that theythought they would not need for a while. But in the main it waswhat they called a smokehouse, as it was universally known in theMississippi Valley, their former home--that is, a place forkeeping meat cured or to be cured.
This task filled the entire day, and when the door was securelyfastened in place they returned to the cabin. After supper Dickopened the window, from which they could see the Annex, as theyhad cut away a quantity of the intervening bushes. Albertmeanwhile put out the last coals of the fire. Then he joinedDick at the window. Both had an idea that they were going to seesomething interesting.
The valley filled with darkness, but the moon came out, and,growing used to the darkness, they could see the Annex fairlywell.
Dick wet his finger and held it up.
"The wind is blowing from the Annex toward us," he said.
"That's good," said Albert, nodding.
They watched for a long time, hearing only the dry rustling ofthe light wind among the bare boughs, but at last Dick softlypushed his shoulder against Albert's. Albert nodded again, withcomprehension. A small dark animal came into the open spacearound the Annex. The boys had difficulty in tracing hisoutlines at first, but once they had them fixed, they followedhis movements with ease. He advanced furtively, stopping atintervals evidently both to listen and look. Some other of hiskind, or not of his kind, might be on the same quest and it washis business to know.
"Is it a fox?" whispered Albert.
"I think not," replied Dick in the same tone. "It must be awolverine. He scents the good things in the Annex and he wants,oh, how he wants, the taste of them!"
The little dark animal, after delicate maneuvering, came close upto the tree, and they saw him push his nose against thecold bark.
"I know just how he feels," whispered Albert with some sympathy."It's all there, but he must know the quest is hopeless."
The little animal went all around the tree nosing the cold bark,and then stopped again at the side of the door.
"No use, sir," whispered Albert. "That door won't open justbecause you're hungry."
The little animal suddenly cocked up his head and darted swiftlyaway into the shadows. But another and somewhat larger beastcame creeping into the open, advancing with caution toward theAnnex.
"Aha!" whispered Dick. "Little fellow displaced by a biggerone. That must be a wild cat."
The wild cat went through the same performance. He nosedeagerly at the door, circled the tree two or three times, butalways came back to the place where that tempting, well-nighirresistible odor assailed him. The boys heard a low growland the scratching of sharp claws on the door.
"Now he's swearing and fighting," whispered Albert, "but it willdo him no good. Save your throat and your claws, old fellow."
"Look, he's gone!" whispered Dick.
The wild cat suddenly tucked his tail between his legs and fledfrom the opening so swiftly that they could scarcely see him go.
"And here comes his successor," whispered Albert. "I suppo
se,Dick, we might call this an arithmetical or geometricalprogression."
An enormous timber wolf stalked into the clear space. He bore noresemblance to the mean, sneaking little coyote of the prairie.As he stood upright his white teeth could be seen, and there wasthe slaver of hunger on his lips. He, too, was restive,watchful, and suspicious, but it did not seem to either Dick orAlbert that his movements betokened fear. There was strength inhis long, lean body, and ferocity in his little red eyes.
"What a hideous brute!" whispered Albert, shuddering.
"And as wicked as he is ugly," replied Dick. "I hate the sightof these timber wolves. I don't wonder that the wild cat madehimself scarce so quickly."
"And he's surely hungry!" said Albert. "See how he stretches outhis head toward our Annex, as if he would devour everythinginside it!"
Albert was right. The big wolf was hungry, hungry through andthrough, and the odor that came from the tree was exquisite andpermeating; it was a mingled odor of many things and everythingwas good. He had never before known a tree to give forth such adelightful aroma and he thrilled in every wolfish fiber as ittickled his nostrils.
He approached the tree with all the caution of his cautious andcrafty race, and, as he laid his nose upon the bark, that mingledaroma of many things good grew so keen and powerful that hecame as near as a big wolf can to fainting with delight. Hepushed at the places where the door fitted into the tree, butnothing yielded. Those keen and powerful odors that penetrateddelightfully to every marrow of him were still there, but hecould not reach their source. A certain disappointment, a vaguefear of failure mingled with his anticipation, and as thewolverine and the wild cat had done, he moved uneasily around thetree, scratching at the bark, and now and then biting it withteeth that were very long and cruel.
His troubled circuit brought him back to the door, where thearoma was finest and strongest. There he tore at the lowest barwith tooth and claw, but it did not move. He had the aroma andnothing more, and no big, strong wolf can live on odors only.The vague disappointment grew into a positive rage. He feltinstinctively that he could not reach the good things that thewonderful tree held within itself, but he persisted. He bent hisback, uttered a growl of wrath just as a man swears, and fell toagain with tooth and claw.
"If I didn't know that door was so very strong, I'd be afraidhe'd get it," whispered Albert.
"Never fear," Dick whispered back with confidence.
The big wolf suddenly paused in his effort. Tooth and claw werestill, and he crouched hard against the tree, as if he would havehis body to blend with its shadow. A new odor had come to hisnostrils. It did not come from the tree. Nor was it pleasant.Instead, it told him of something hostile and powerful. He wasbig and strong himself, but this that came was bigger andstronger. The growl that had risen in his throat stopped at histeeth. A chill ran down his backbone and the hair upon it stoodup. The great wolf was afraid, and he knew he was afraid.
"Look!" whispered Albert in rising excitement. "The wolf, too,is stealing away! He is scared by something!"
"And good cause he has to be scared," said Dick. "See what'scoming!"
A great tawny beast stood for a moment at the edge of theclearing. He was crouched low against the ground, but his bodywas long and powerful, with massive shoulders and fore arms. Hiseyes were yellow in the moonlight, and they stared straight atthe Annex. The big wolf took one hasty frightened look and thenfled silently in the other direction. He knew now that thetreasures of the Annex were not for him.
"It's a cougar," whispered Dick, "and it must be the king of themall. Did you ever see such a whopper?"
The cougar came farther into the clearing. He was of great size,but he was a cat--a huge cat, but a cat, nevertheless--and likea cat he acted. He dragged his body along the earth, and hiseyes, now yellow, now green, in the moonlight, were swungsuspiciously from side to side. He felt all that the wolf hadfelt, but he was even more cunning and his approach was slower.It was his habit to spring when close enough, but he saw nothingto spring at except a tree trunk, and so he still crept forwardon noiseless pads.
"Now, what will Mr. Cougar do?" asked Albert.
"Just what the others have done," replied Dick. "He will scratchand bite harder because he is bigger and stronger, but we'vefixed our Annex for just such attacks. It will keep him out."
Dick was right. The cougar or mountain lion behaved exactly asthe others had done. He tore at the door, then he circled thetree two or three times, hunting in vain for an opening. Everyvein in him was swollen with rage, and the yellowish-green eyesflared with anger.
"He'd be an ugly creature to meet just now," whispered Dick."He's so mad that I believe he'd attack an elephant."
"He's certainly in no good humor," replied Dick. "But look, Al!See his tail drop between his legs! Now what under the moon isabout to happen?"
Albert, surcharged with interest and excitement, stared as Dickwas staring. The mighty cat seemed suddenly to crumple up. Hisframe shrank, his head was drawn in, he sank lower to the earth,as if he would burrow into it, but he uttered no sound whatever.He was to both the boys a symbol of fear.
"What a change! What does it mean?" whispered Albert.
"It must mean," replied Dick, "that he, too, has a master andthat master is coming."
The cougar suddenly bunched himself up and there was a flash oftawny fur as he shot through the air. A second leap and thetrees closed over his frightened figure. Albert believed that hewould not stop running for an hour.
Into the opening, mighty and fearless, shambled a monstrousbeast. He had a square head, a long, immense body, and the clawsof his great feet were hooked, many inches in length, and assharp and hard as if made of steel. The figure of the beaststood for power and unbounded strength, and his movementsindicated overwhelming confidence. There was nothing for him tofear. He had never seen any living creature that could do himharm. It was a gigantic grizzly bear.
Albert, despite himself, as he looked at the terrible brute, feltfear. It was there, unconfined, and a single blow of its pawcould sweep the strongest man out of existence.
"I'm glad I'm in this cabin and that this cabin is strong," hewhispered tremulously.
"So am I," said Dick, and his own whisper was a little shaky."It's one thing to see a grizzly in a cage, and another to seehim out here in the dark in these wild mountains. And thatfellow must weigh at least a thousand pounds."
King Bruin shambled boldly across the opening to the Annex. Whyshould he be careful? There might be other animals among thebushes and trees watching him, but they were weak, timid things,and they would run from his shadow. In the wan moonlight, whichdistorted and exaggerated, his huge bulk seemed to the two boysto grow to twice its size. When he reached the tree he reared upagainst it, growled in a manner that made the blood of the boysrun cold, and began to tear with teeth and claws of hookedsteel. The bark and splinters flew, and, for a moment, Dick wasfearful lest he should force the door to their treasure. But itwas only for a moment; not even a grizzly could break or tear hisway through such a thickness of oak.
"Nothing can displace him," whispered Albert. "He's the realking."
"He's not the king," replied Dick, "and something can displacehim."
"What do you mean?" asked Albert with incredulity.
"No beast is king. It's man, and man is here. I'm going to havea shot at that monster who is trying to rob us. We can reach himfrom here with a bullet. You take aim, too, Al."
They opened the window a little wider, being careful to make nonoise, and aimed their rifles at the bear, who was still tearingat the tree in his rage.
"Try to hit him in the heart, Al," whispered Dick, "and I'll tryto do the same. I'll count three in a whisper, and at the'three' we'll fire together."
The hands of both boys as they leveled their weapons weretrembling, not with fear, but from sheer nervousness. The bear,meanwhile, had taken no notice and was still striving to reachthe hidden
treasures. Like the others, he had made the circuitof the Annex more than once, but now he was reared up again atthe door, pulling at it with mighty tooth and claw. It seemed toboth as they looked down the barrels of their rifles and chosethe vulnerable spot that, monstrous and misshapen, he wasconstantly growing in size, so powerful was the effect of themoonlight and their imagination. But it was terrible fact tothem.
They could see him with great distinctness, and so silent was thevalley otherwise that they could hear the sound of his clawsripping across the bark. He was like some gigantic survival ofanother age. Dick waited until both his brother and himself grewsteadier.
"Now don't miss, Albert," he said.
He counted "One, two, three," slowly, and at the "three!" thereport of the two rifles came as one. They saw the great beardrop down from the tree, they heard an indescribable roar of painand rage, and then they saw his huge bulk rushing down uponthem. Dick fired three times and Albert twice, but the bearstill came, and then Dick slammed the window shut and fastened itjust as the full weight of the bear was hurled against the cabin.
Neither boy ever concealed from himself the fact that he was in apanic for a few moments. Their bullets seemed to have had noeffect upon the huge grizzly, who was growling ferociously andtearing at the logs of the cabin. Glad they were that those logswere so stout and thick, and they stood there a little while inthe darkness, their blood chilling at the sounds outside.Presently the roaring and tearing ceased and there was the soundof a fall. It was so dark in the cabin that the brothers couldnot see the faces of each other, but Dick whispered:
"Albert, I believe we've killed him, after all."
Albert said nothing and they waited a full ten minutes. No soundwhatever came to their ears. Then Dick opened the window an inchor two and peeped out. The great bear lay upon his side quitestill, and Dick uttered a cry of joy.
"We've killed him, Al! we've killed him!" he cried.
"Are you sure?" asked Albert.
"Quite sure. He does not stir in the slightest."
They opened the door and went out. The great grizzly was reallydead. Their bullets had gone true, but his vitality was soenormous that he had been able to rush upon the cabin and tear atit in his rage until he fell dead. Both boys looked at him withadmiration and awe; even dead, he was terrifying in everyrespect.
"I don't wonder that the cougar, big and strong as he was, slunkaway in terror when he saw old Ephraim coming," said Dick.
"We must have his skin to put with our two buffalo robes," saidAlbert.
"And we must take it to-night," said Dick, "or the wolves will behere while we sleep."
They had acquired some skill in the art of removing furs andpelts, but it took them hours to strip the coat from the biggrizzly. Then, as in the case of the buffalo, they cut away someportions of the meat that they thought might prove tender. Theyput the hide upon the roof to dry, and, their work over, theywent to sleep behind a door securely fastened.
Dick was awakened once by what he thought was a sound ofgrowling and fighting outside, but he was so sleepy that it madeno impression upon him. They did not awake fully until nearlynoon, and when they went forth they found that nothing was leftof the great bear but his skeleton.
"The timber wolves have been busy," said Dick.
The Last of the Chiefs: A Story of the Great Sioux War Page 7