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diff --git a/old/60220-0.txt b/old/60220-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index abba97d..0000000 --- a/old/60220-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9113 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Camp in the Foot-Hills, by Harry Castlemon - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Camp in the Foot-Hills - or Oscar on Horseback - -Author: Harry Castlemon - -Release Date: September 1, 2019 [EBook #60220] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CAMP IN THE FOOT-HILLS *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, David Edwards, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -[Illustration: TOM PRESTON FOUND.] - - - - - THE - CAMP IN THE FOOT-HILLS - OR - _OSCAR ON HORSEBACK_ - - - BY - - HARRY CASTLEMON - - AUTHOR OF “GUNBOAT SERIES,” “ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES,” “WAR SERIES,” ETC., - ETC. - -[Illustration] - - PHILADELPHIA - - PORTER & COATES - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1893, - - BY - - PORTER & COATES. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. AT THE COLONEL’S HEAD-QUARTERS, 1 - - II. OSCAR’S OUTFIT, 10 - - III. BIG THOMPSON, 20 - - IV. PICKING OUT A PONY, 27 - - V. LARAMIE PLAINS, 36 - - VI. A RIDE THROUGH THE SAGE-BRUSH, 48 - - VII. ANOTHER UNEXPECTED MEETING, 54 - - VIII. TOM PRESTON, 63 - - IX. TOM’S STORY, 71 - - X. TOM LEARNS SOMETHING, 79 - - XI. TOM BECOMES DESPERATE, 88 - - XII. OSCAR TALKS TO THE COLONEL, 97 - - XIII. OSCAR WRITES A NOTE, 107 - - XIV. LEFT IN THE SAGE-BRUSH, 116 - - XV. THE HUNTING PARTY, 126 - - XVI. A CHASE AND A CAPTIVE, 137 - - XVII. COURSING AND STILL-HUNTING, 149 - - XVIII. “CLIMB DOWN, PARD!” 160 - - XIX. THE STOLEN MULE, 173 - - XX. INSIDE THE DUG-OUT, 183 - - XXI. THE RANCHMAN SAYS SOMETHING, 193 - - XXII. THE CAMP IN THE FOOT-HILLS, 202 - - XXIII. HUNTING THE BIG HORN, 212 - - XXIV. A FREE FIGHT, 222 - - XXV. OSCAR DISCOVERS SOMETHING, 232 - - XXVI. THE RIVAL HUNTERS, 244 - - XXVII. BIG THOMPSON FOLLOWS A TRAIL, 256 - - XXVIII. “OLD EPHRAIM,” 269 - - XXIX. A LUCKY SHOT, 280 - - XXX. OSCAR HAS A VISITOR, 292 - - XXXI. TOM AND HIS PARTNER, 307 - - XXXII. THE WOLFER’S PLAN, 318 - - XXXIII. LISH DECIDES TO MOVE, 329 - - XXXIV. A CLIMAX, 340 - - XXXV. WHAT OSCAR’S VISITOR DID, 354 - - XXXVI. THE TABLES TURNED, 365 - - XXXVII. BIG THOMPSON’S HUNTING DOG, 378 - - XXXVIII. FAREWELL TO THE HILLS, 389 - - - - - THE - - CAMP IN THE FOOT-HILLS; - - OR, - - OSCAR ON HORSEBACK. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - AT THE COLONEL’S HEAD-QUARTERS. - - -“I declare, I almost wish I was going with him!” - -It was our old friend Oscar Preston who said this. He was standing on -the platform in front of the station at Julesburg, gazing after the -stage-coach in which Leon Parker, the disgusted and repentant runaway, -whose adventures and mishaps have already been described, had taken -passage for Atchison. - -Oscar, as we know, had stumbled upon Leon by the merest chance, and -fortunately he was in a position to render him the assistance of which -he stood so much in need. - -By advancing him money out of his own pocket he had put it in Leon’s -power to return to the home he had so recklessly deserted, and those who -have read “TWO WAYS OF BECOMING A HUNTER” know how glad the runaway was -to accept his proffered aid. - -Up to this time Oscar had been all enthusiasm. There was no employment -in the world that he could think of that so accorded with his taste as -the mission on which he had been sent—that of procuring specimens for -the museum that was to be added to the other attractions connected with -the university at Yarmouth. - -His head was full of plans. So anxious was he to make his expedition -successful, and to win the approbation of the committee who employed -him, that he had been able to think of nothing else; but when he saw the -coach moving away from the station he began to have some faint idea of -the agony Leon must have suffered when he found himself alone in that -wilderness, with no friend to whom he could go for sympathy or advice. - -In short Oscar was very homesick. In a few days, if nothing unforeseen -happened, Leon would be in Eaton, surrounded by familiar scenes and -familiar faces, while Oscar himself would, in a short time, disappear as -completely from the gaze of the civilized world as though he had -suddenly ceased to exist. - -Even with his inexperienced eye he could see that bad weather was close -at hand. Perhaps before he reached the foot-hills the winter’s storms -would burst forth in all their fury, blocking the trail with drifts, and -effectually shutting him off from all communication with those he had -left behind. - -He had never been so far away from his mother before, and neither had -she ever seemed so dear and so necessary to him as she did now. - -And then there was Sam—impulsive, good-natured, kind-hearted Sam -Hynes—who had so long been his chosen friend and almost constant -companion! - -Oscar would have given much if he could have looked into his honest face -and felt the cordial grasp of his hand once more. - -Some such thoughts as these passed through the mind of the young hunter -as he stood there on the platform with his hands in his pockets, gazing -after the rapidly receding stage-coach, and for a moment he looked and -felt very unlike the happy, ambitious boy who had left Eaton but a short -time before with such bright anticipations of the future. - -Then he dashed away the mist that seemed to be gathering before his -eyes, pushed back his hat, which he had drawn low over his forehead, and -took himself to task for his weakness. - -“A pretty hunter I shall make if this is the way I am to feel!” was his -mental exclamation. “I talked very glibly to Sam Hynes about going on a -three or four years’ expedition to Africa to collect specimens, and here -I am, homesick already, although I have been away from Eaton scarcely -two weeks. This will never do. I must get to work at once.” - -Just at that moment the stage-coach reached the top of a high ridge over -which the road ran, and Leon turned in his seat to wave his farewell to -the boy who had befriended him. - -Oscar waved his handkerchief in reply, and, having seen the coach -disappear over the brow of the hill, he sprang off the platform and bent -his steps toward the fort. - -As he passed through the gate, the sentry respectfully brought his -musket to a “carry.” He had seen Oscar in familiar conversation with all -the high officers belonging to the post, and that made him believe that -the visitor, young as he was in years, must be a person of some -importance. - -He was well enough acquainted with the men who commanded him to know -that they did not associate on terms of intimacy with everyone who came -to the post on business. - -Oscar walked straight to the colonel’s head-quarters, and the orderly -who was standing in the hall opened the door for him. - -The room in which he now found himself was not just such a room as he -had expected to see in that wilderness. The open piano, the expensive -pictures, the papered walls, and the richly upholstered easy-chairs that -were arranged in order about the table made it look almost too -civilized. - -And yet there were a good many things in it to remind one of the plains. -There was no carpet on the floor, but there were rugs in abundance, -although they were not such rugs as we have in our houses. They were -made of the skins of the wild animals that had fallen to the colonel’s -breech loader. - -The commandant was not only a brave soldier, a successful Indian -fighter, and a daring horseman, but he was also an enthusiastic -sportsman and a crack shot with the rifle. - -The walls of his room were adorned with numerous trophies of his skill -as a hunter and marksman in the shape of antlers, skins, and deer heads -(the latter not quite so well mounted as they ought to be, Oscar -thought); and the brace of magnificent Scotch greyhounds, which were -lying at their ease on an elk skin in front of the blazing logs that -were piled in the huge, old-fashioned fireplace, were fair specimens of -the pack the colonel had imported for the purpose of coursing the -antelope that were so abundant on the prairie. - -The weapons the colonel used in war and in the chase were conspicuously -displayed, and beside them hung Indian relics of all descriptions. - -There was the shield that had once belonged to the hostile chief Yellow -Bear, who had given the soldiers and settlers a world of trouble, and -who was almost as celebrated in his day as Sitting Bull was a few years -ago. - -It was ornamented with the scalps the chief had taken during his -numerous raids, and exactly in the centre of it was the hole made by a -bullet from the colonel’s rifle, which had put an end to one raid and -terminated the career of Yellow Bear at the same time. - -Hanging on one side the portrait of a distinguished army officer was the -strong bow, made of elk horn, and braced with deer sinews, which the -colonel used when he went out to hunt coyotes; and on the other was the -tomahawk he had wrested from the hands of the warrior who had rushed up -to secure his scalp when his (the colonel’s) horse was shot under him. - -It was by no means the terrible-looking weapon that Oscar had supposed -an Indian tomahawk to be. It was simply a plasterer’s hatchet, which the -former owner had purchased of a trader. - -The colonel, who was sitting in an easy-chair, reading one of the papers -which Oscar had laid on his table the day before, looked up as the boy -entered and pointed to a seat on the opposite side of the fireplace. - -“Well, you have seen your friend off, I suppose?” said he. “You arrived -in the nick of time, didn’t you? The doctor says he honestly believes -that Leon would have died of homesickness if you had not come just as -you did. He has told me the lad’s story, and I must say that, although I -have often read of such things, I never really believed that any living -boy could entertain notions so utterly ridiculous. Why, just look at it -for a moment! You will begin your life on the plains under the most -favorable circumstances. You will have the benefit of the experience of -every hunter about the post, both professional and amateur, be provided -with all the necessaries that money can buy, be looked after by a -competent guide, and yet before the winter is over you will wish a -thousand times that you were safe back in Eaton again. Leon could not -hope for the aid and comfort that will be so cheerfully extended to you. -He intended to go in on his own hook, using as a guide some trashy -novel, written by a man who probably knows no more about life on the -plains than you do, and the consequence was that his want of experience -got him into trouble at the very outset. That was a most fortunate thing -for him, for if one of our Western ‘blizzards’ had overtaken him he -never would have been heard of again. I hope his experience will be a -lesson to him.” - -“I hope so, from the bottom of my heart,” said Oscar as he took the -chair pointed out to him, and patted the head of one of the greyhounds, -which arose from his comfortable couch, and, after lazily stretching -himself, came up and laid his black muzzle on the boy’s knee. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - OSCAR’S OUTFIT. - - -“I have had your luggage taken in there,” continued the officer, nodding -his head toward an open door, which gave entrance into a cosey bedroom -adjoining the sitting-room, “for you are to be my guest as long as you -remain at the post. Now I don’t want to hurry you away, for those -letters you brought me will insure you a welcome here and good treatment -as long as you choose to stay; but my experience as a plains-hunter -tells me that if you want to reach a country in which game is abundant -before the bad weather sets in you had better start pretty soon.” - -“I know it, sir,” replied Oscar. “I shall feel as though I was wasting -valuable time as long as I stay here, and I am anxious to get to work -without the loss of another day.” - -“Oh, you can’t do that!” said the colonel. “The time you spend here will -not be wasted, because it is necessary that you should make due -preparation before you start. I tell you it is no joke to spend a long, -hard winter among the hills, no matter how well housed and provided with -supplies you may be. You told me, I believe, that you had purchased a -few things in St. Louis. Let me see them. When I know just what you have -I can tell you what else you need.” - -As the colonel said this he arose from his seat and led the way into the -bedroom which had been set apart for Oscar’s use. - -Producing a key from his pocket, the boy unlocked the small -packing-trunk in which a portion of his outfit was stowed away, and -brought to light two pairs of thick army blankets, which he handed over -to the colonel. - -“They will pass muster,” said the latter, as he laid them upon the bed; -“but those things,” he added, as Oscar drew out a pair of heavy boots -with high tops, “you had better leave behind. You don’t want to load -your pony down with articles that will be of no use to you.” - -“My pony! He can’t carry all my luggage. That box must go,” said Oscar, -pointing to a large carpenter’s chest, which had once belonged to his -father. “If I can’t take them with me I might as well stay at home.” - -“What’s in it?” asked the colonel. - -“A complete set of taxidermist’s tools, artificial eyes, a lot of -annealed wire of different sizes, some strong paper for making funnels, -pasteboard boxes and cotton for packing away the smaller specimens, -and—oh, there are lots of things in it!” - -“I should think so! Are you going to put up your birds and animals as -fast as you shoot them?” - -“No, sir. I couldn’t do that with the limited facilities I shall have at -my command. I simply want to put the skins in such shape that I can -mount them when I get home. I brought the eyes with me because it is -easier to insert them when the specimen is first killed than it is to -put them in after the skin is brought to life again.” - -“What do you mean by that? I’d like to see you restore a dead bird to -life.” - -“I didn’t say I could do that,” answered Oscar, with a laugh. “But I can -restore the skin to life.” - -“It makes no difference whether the body is in the skin or not, I -suppose?” - -“None whatever. I don’t care if the body was cooked and eaten a year -before the skin came into my hands. You see, it isn’t necessary that we -should use any extra pains in caring for the skins of animals. No matter -how badly rumpled the hair may become it can be combed straight at any -time. When the body has been taken out, and the bones you need are -nicely cleaned, and the eyes are inserted, and the skin has been -thoroughly cured with arsenic, it is rolled up and packed away until we -get ready to use it.” - -“I should think that if you left it for any length of time it would -become as hard as a brick.” - -“So it does, but that doesn’t hurt it in the least. It is packed away in -a box of wet sand, and in twenty-four hours it is as soft and pliable as -it was when it was first taken from the animal. That is what I meant -when I said I could bring a skin back to life.” - -“Oh! Ah!” said the colonel. - -“Bird skins require very different treatment,” continued Oscar. “The -greatest pains must be taken with them. As soon as the specimen is -killed the throat must be cleaned out and stopped with cotton, to keep -the strong acid of the stomach from destroying the small feathers that -grow about the base of the bill. It must then be put into a paper funnel -shaped like the cornucopias that are sometimes hung on Christmas trees, -and in that way it can be carried to camp without the ruffling of a -feather. After the skin is taken off and cured it must be smoothly laid -out between layers of cotton. If it becomes wrinkled, or the plumage -becomes displaced, it is almost impossible to make a good job of it.” - -“Well, I declare!” said the colonel. “Yours is not so easy a business, -after all, is it? I had no idea that there was so much in taxidermy. How -long does it take to learn it?” - -“A lifetime,” answered Oscar. - -“Then I don’t think I’ll bother with it; my hair is white already, and -the span of life that is left to me is so short that I couldn’t master -even the rudiments of the science. Now let’s go back to business. The -hunters in this country generally travel on foot, and let the ponies -carry their supplies; but you will need a light wagon, and a good, -strong mule to draw it. Those boots you will find to be very -uncomfortable things to wear in this country in winter. A pair of Indian -leggings and moccasins, which you can purchase of the sutler, will keep -you much warmer,” he added, as Oscar drew out of the trunk first the -stock and then the barrel of a heavy Sharp’s rifle and proceeded to put -them together. - -The colonel, who admired a fine weapon as much as he admired a fast -horse and a good hunting dog, examined the rifle with the greatest -interest, now and then bringing it to his shoulder and taking aim at the -different objects about the room. - -There were but few articles in Oscar’s outfit, and they consisted of two -suits of durable clothing, a light rubber coat, a heavy overcoat, which -was provided with a hood instead of a cape, a few fish lines, two dozen -trout flies, a light axe, a hunting knife with belt and sheath, a -frying-pan, some stout sacks in which to stow away his provisions, and -lastly a neat little fowling-piece, which, being short in the barrel, -and weighing but a trifle over seven pounds, was just the thing for use -in thick cover or in the saddle. - -Every article passed muster except the frying-pan. That, the colonel -said, would do well enough for city hunters, but it would take up just -so much room in the wagon; and Oscar, before he had spent a month in the -hills, would probably throw it away and broil his meat on the coals. - -“Now what else do I need?” asked Oscar, after the colonel had examined -all the articles in his outfit and passed judgment upon them. “I shall -want some provisions, of course.” - -“Certainly. You will need some salt, two or three sacks of hardtack, a -little dried fruit, a small supply of tea, coffee, sugar, and corn meal, -a pony, mule, and wagon, and a good plainsman to act as guide and cook.” - -“I suppose the sutlers can furnish me with everything except the last -four articles,” said Oscar. “Where are they to come from?” - -“There will be no trouble about them. Orderly, tell Big Thompson I want -to see him.” - -The orderly, who had entered the room in response to the summons, -disappeared as soon as he had received his instructions, and the colonel -went on: - -“The mule and wagon can be found in the village; there are always plenty -of them for sale, especially at this season of the year, and the pony -can be procured here at the post. Two weeks ago a party of young braves, -who had been out on a stock-stealing expedition, came in, very penitent, -of course, and profuse in their promises that they would not do so any -more; but I took away their arms and dismounted them, and have orders -from the government to sell their ponies. They have been appraised by -the quartermaster, and you can get one, ranging in price from twenty to -seventy-five dollars.” - -“They can’t be good for much,” said Oscar. - -“There’s right where you are mistaken,” answered the colonel, with a -smile. “They are just suited to the plains, and would live where an -American horse would starve to death. And as for speed—well, we have -horses in the fort that would probably beat the best of them in a race -of three or four miles, but beyond that it would be safe to back the -endurance of the pony. This man, Big Thompson, whom I shall try to -induce to act as your guide, is my favorite scout. He has been out with -me on several campaigns, and I know him to be perfectly reliable. As he -says himself, he isn’t much to look at, and, having been born and -brought up on the plains, he is of course very ignorant, and has some -queer notions. He is as superstitious as any Indian, and equal to the -best of them in hunting and trailing.” - -“That reminds me of something,” said Oscar suddenly. “My friend Leon -said that, just before Eben Webster robbed and deserted him, they were -warned by one of the escort of a stage-coach that the Indians were on -the war-path. I hope I shall run no risk of being discovered by them.” - -“You need not be at all alarmed. The Indians to whom he referred were a -party of young braves, mostly boys, who broke away from their -reservation and went out to raid a camp of their sworn enemies, the -Pawnees. They got neatly whipped for their pains, and, on such -occasions, they always try to console themselves by taking the scalps of -any small party of whites who may chance to fall in their way. They -don’t like to go back to their village empty-handed if they can help it. -If they had happened to meet Eben and your friend they might have stolen -everything they had, but it isn’t at all likely that they would have -attempted any scalping so near the post. Some of my troops have them in -charge, and they are probably safe at their agency before this time. -Here comes Big Thompson now.” - -As the colonel said this, the footsteps of the orderly sounded in the -hall, and a moment later the door opened, admitting the man who was to -be Oscar’s companion and counsellor as long as he remained on the -plains. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - BIG THOMPSON. - - -“How, kurnel!” exclaimed the newcomer. - -“How!” replied the officer. “Sit down.” - -“The race of giants is not extinct, after all,” thought Oscar, as his -eyes rested on the tall, broad-shouldered man, who stepped across the -threshold, carrying a soldier’s overcoat on his arm and a slouch hat in -his hand. “I don’t wonder that he is called ‘Big’ Thompson.” - -He _was_ big—that was a fact. He stood considerably over six feet in his -moccasins, and must have weighed at least 250 pounds, although there was -not an ounce of superfluous flesh on him. - -He moved as if he were set on springs, and his tightly fitting jacket of -buckskin showed muscles on his arms and chest the like of which Oscar -had never seen before. - -He wore no weapon, and in fact the boy did not think he needed any, for -he looked strong enough to battle empty-handed with anybody or anything. - -Like most big men he was good-natured,—his face testified to that -fact,—and it needed but one glance at it to satisfy Oscar that the owner -of it was a man who could be trusted under any circumstances. - -“Thompson,” continued the colonel, as the scout seated himself in the -chair that was pointed out to him, and deposited his hat and coat on the -floor, “this young gentleman is Mr. Oscar Preston, who has come out here -from the States to spend the winter in hunting. He needs a guide who -knows all about the country and the game that is to be found in it, and -I have recommended you. Now see if you can strike a bargain with him.” - -The scout listened attentively, and when the colonel ceased speaking he -turned and gave Oscar a good looking over. - -The boy thought he could not have been very much impressed with his -appearance, for, after running his eyes over him from head to foot, he -nodded his head slightly, said “How!” in rather a gruff tone—that was -his way of saying “How do you do?”—and then settled back in his chair -and turned his face toward the colonel again. - -The latter went on to explain the nature of Oscar’s business, and, as -the scout knew no more about taxidermy or a museum than he did of -chemistry or geology, the officer was obliged to make use of a good many -words, and those of the simplest kind too, in order to make him -understand what it was that brought the boy to the plains. - -There were two things, however, that Big Thompson _did_ comprehend, -viz., that Oscar intended to spend the winter in some good game country, -and that he was able and willing to pay liberally for the services of an -experienced plainsman to act in the capacity of guide and cook. - -The hunting Oscar intended to do himself. He hastened to explain this -fact to the scout, adding that, when he presented his specimens for the -inspection of the committee at Yarmouth, he wanted to be able to say -that they had all fallen to his own rifle. - -“Then we’ll starve fur want of grub, an’ you won’t get none of them -things,” remarked Big Thompson. - -“What things?” asked Oscar. - -“Them what-do-ye-call-’ems.” - -“Specimens? Oh, I hope I shall! I have a room full of them at home now.” - -“What be they?” - -“Birds, principally.” - -“Did you ever see a b’ar?” - -“Not a wild one.” - -“Nor a painter nuther?” - -Oscar replied in the negative. - -“What do ye reckon ye’d do if ye should see one o’ them varmints?” asked -the scout. - -“I am sure I don’t know,” was the honest reply. - -“Wa-al, I kin tell ye. Ye’d take to yer heels an’ leave me to shoot him. -I’ve been huntin’ with a heap of fellows from the States, an’ that’s -what they all do.” - -“I know one fellow from the States who will not take to his heels at the -sight of a bear or a panther,” said Oscar to himself. - -He did not speak the words aloud, for, being no boaster, he preferred to -be judged by his actions. - -Before many weeks had passed over his head he had an opportunity to show -what he was made of, and then Big Thompson found that he had been sadly -mistaken in the boy. - -If Oscar’s courage had not been equal to his skill as a taxidermist the -scout never would have seen Julesburg again. - -“I reckon ye wouldn’t mind if I should do a little huntin’ an’ trappin’ -on my own hook, would ye?” said Big Thompson after a moment’s pause. - -“Certainly not. All I ask is that you will let me go with you and see -how it is done. It is possible that I may make my living for years to -come in that way, and I want to know how to go to work. Now let’s come -to business. What wages do you expect, and do you want to be paid every -month, or shall I settle with you when we return to the fort in the -spring?” - -“Wa-al, pilgrim, we’ll settle up when we come back, an’ it’ll be afore -spring too,” replied the scout, with a grin. “A kid like yourself, who -has lived in the States his hull life, aint a-goin’ to stay all winter -in the hills—leastwise not if he can get outen ’em. Ye hear me speakin’ -to ye?” - -Without stopping to argue this point Oscar again broached the subject of -wages, and at the end of a quarter of an hour the matter had been -satisfactorily settled and all arrangements completed. - -Thompson was to be allowed three days in which to make ready for the -journey. He was a married man, and his cabin was located twenty miles -from the fort. - -He wanted to move his family nearer to the post, so that during his -absence his wife could easily procure the supplies she needed from the -sutler. - -It would not be long, he said, before travelling on the Laramie plains -would be next to impossible, and while he was gone he wanted to know -that his family was well provided for, and in no danger of being snowed -up and starved to death. - -He would be at the post bright and early on the following Monday, and -would expect to find Oscar all ready for the start. - -This much having been arranged, and the rate of the pay agreed upon, the -scout put on his coat and hat and walked out, accompanied by the colonel -and Oscar. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - PICKING OUT A PONY. - - -Standing in front of the door of the colonel’s head-quarters was a -sleepy-looking sorrel pony, saddled and bridled. He looked very -diminutive when contrasted with the heavy cavalry horse from which an -orderly had just dismounted, and so light was his body and so slender -his legs that it seemed as if an ordinary twelve-year-old boy would -prove as heavy a load as he was able to carry. - -But to Oscar’s great surprise Big Thompson walked straight up to the -pony and vaulted into the saddle, whereupon the little fellow’s head -came up, his sleepy eyes opened, and, breaking at once into a gallop, he -carried his heavy rider through the gate and down the hill out of sight. - -Oscar watched him as long as he remained in view, and then broke out -into a cheery laugh, in which the colonel heartily joined. - -“That beats me!” exclaimed the boy as soon as he could speak. “I think -it would look better if Thompson would get off and carry the horse -instead of making the horse carry him. His great weight will break the -beast down before he has gone a mile.” - -“You don’t know anything about an Indian pony,” replied the colonel. “I -once had occasion to send Thompson to Fort Laramie with despatches, and -he rode that same horse eighty-five miles in twenty-four hours without -the least trouble.” - -“I shouldn’t have believed that little animal had so much strength and -endurance,” said Oscar, still more astonished. “Thompson doesn’t seem to -think much of my skill as a hunter, does he?” - -“You can’t wonder at it after the experience he has had with people from -the States. He once shot four buffaloes for a gentleman living in New -York, who cut off the tails of the game, took them home, and hung them -up in his library as trophies of his own prowess.” - -“I don’t see how he could do that,” said Oscar almost indignantly. “I -will gladly pay Thompson for any specimens I cannot procure myself, but -I couldn’t have the face to pass them off as my own. He hasn’t a very -high opinion of my courage, either. He thinks I shall be willing to come -back to the fort before spring.” - -“That’s another thing you can’t wonder at. He knows what is before you, -and you don’t. Now you have two days to spend in any manner most -agreeable to yourself—this is Thursday, and you are not to start until -Monday, you know—and, if you are not too weary with travel, I think I -can put it in your power to obtain two or three fine specimens before -you start for the hills. Do you ride?” - -“Yes, sir. I have broken more than one colt to the saddle.” - -“Then that is something you will not have to learn over again. Could you -stand a fifteen-mile canter to-night?” - -“I should enjoy it,” replied Oscar with great eagerness. - -“All right. We’ll make up a little party among the officers, and spend -the greatest part of to-morrow in coursing antelope. That is a sport you -know nothing about, of course, and I tell you beforehand that your -horsemanship, and skill with the revolver and lasso, will be pretty -thoroughly tested.” - -“Lasso?” repeated Oscar. “I didn’t know that antelope were ever hunted -with the lasso.” - -“Certainly they are; and it is the most exciting way of capturing them. -You can’t imagine what hard riding it takes to enable one to slip a -lariat over the head of a youngster about six months old. The little -fellows run like the wind, and have a way of dodging and ducking their -heads, just as the noose is about to settle down over their necks, that -is perfectly exasperating. On Saturday we will pay our respects to the -wolves. They are not worth a charge of powder, but we manage to get a -little sport out of them by shooting them with the bow and arrow.” - -“Then I shall not get any,” said Oscar. “I don’t know how to use a bow.” - -“You can’t learn younger. The first thing, however, is to go down to the -corral and pick out a pony. The quartermaster knows all about them, and -we will ask him to go with us and make the selection. Orderly, tell -Major Baker I want to see him.” - -The major, who was the acting quartermaster, made his appearance in a -few minutes, and the three walked leisurely toward the gate, discussing -the merits of the captured ponies as they went. - -At a sign from the colonel, accompanied by a pantomime that Oscar could -not understand, a man who was sitting on the opposite side of the parade -ground, with a blanket over his shoulders, arose to his feet and -disappeared through an open doorway. - -When he came out again Oscar saw that he was an Indian, and that he had -exchanged his blanket for a coil of rope, which he carried in his hand. - -He fell in behind the colonel and his two companions, and followed them -down the hill toward the corral in which the ponies were confined. - -There were twenty-five or thirty of them in the enclosure, and they -looked so very small, when compared with the cavalry horses that were -picketed on the outside, that Oscar could hardly bring himself to -believe that they were full-grown animals. - -They looked more like colts, and it did not seem possible that they -could carry a rider for weeks at a time, with nothing but grass to eat, -or beat a Kentucky thoroughbred in a race of twenty miles. - -The officers stopped when they had passed through the gate of the -corral, and while the major was running his eyes over the herd in search -of the particular pony he wanted to find, Oscar had opportunity to take -a good survey of the Indian. - -He was one of the Osage scouts attached to the colonel’s command, and -though not so large a man as Big Thompson, he was taller than either of -the officers, and the battered stovepipe hat he wore on his head made -him look taller than he really was. - -He wore leggings and moccasins, a gray flannel shirt, a tattered -officer’s dress coat, with a captain’s epaulet on one shoulder and a -sergeant’s _chevron_ on the other, and the band on his hat was stuck -full of feathers. - -He did not look like a very formidable person, and yet, as Oscar -afterward learned, he had the reputation of being the bravest man in his -nation. He stood quietly by, with his lasso on his arm, awaiting the -colonel’s further orders. - -“There he is! there he is!” exclaimed the major, laying his hand on his -commander’s shoulder, and pointing toward the pony of which he was in -search. “Come here, Preston, and tell me what you think of him.” - -“I don’t see him,” replied Oscar, stepping behind the major, and raising -himself on tiptoe, so that he could look along the officer’s -outstretched arm. “I can’t tell one from the other. They are all -sorrels, and look exactly alike to me.” - -“But there is a big difference in them, all the same,” answered the -major. “That fellow is a trained hunter, and worth fifty dollars of any -man’s money. He will follow a buffalo, antelope, or elk over the -roughest ground or through a prairie-dogs’ village without making a -single misstep, and without the least guidance from the reins. I know -that to be a fact, for I have seen him do it. If you want something a -little handsomer and more fancy,” added the major, pointing to a pony -that was trotting about on the outskirts of the herd, as if to show off -the ribbons and feathers that were braided in his mane and tail, “there -he is, and he is worth thirty dollars more.” - -“I don’t care for anything fancy,” replied Oscar. “I came out here to -work, not to put on style. Those thirty dollars are worth more to me -than they are to Uncle Sam.” - -“I think the buffalo hunter is the one you want,” remarked the colonel. -“You will have two days in which to try him, and if he doesn’t suit you -can bring him back and exchange him for another.” - -So saying he turned to the Osage, and pointing out the horse in -question, told him to secure it. - -The Indian at once went in among the ponies, which had retreated to the -furthest corner of the corral, and when he came out again, leading the -buffalo hunter by his lasso, which he had twisted about the animal’s -lower jaw, the rest of the herd turned and followed at his heels. - -The presence of the Indian seemed to quiet them at once. They stood in -no fear of him; but the moment they caught sight of the white men, who -were waiting in front of the gate, they wheeled in their tracks and ran -back to the other end of the corral again. - -When Oscar came to take a good look at the animal he told himself that -he was the homeliest thing in the shape of a pony he had ever seen. - -There were a dozen others in the corral, which, if left to himself, he -would have selected in preference to this one. - -He was not at all pleased with the animal’s actions, either; for when he -advanced to lay his hand upon him the pony snorted loudly, threw his -ears close to his head, and retreated away from him as far as the length -of the lariat would allow. He was vicious as well as homely. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - LARAMIE PLAINS. - - -“That’s the way they all do at first,” said the colonel, smiling at the -rueful look on Oscar’s face. “An Indian pony doesn’t like a white man -any better than his master does, and, like his master, he must be forced -into submission. You are not afraid of him, I suppose?” - -“Oh, no, sir. Just let me get on his back, with a good bit in his mouth, -and I’ll manage him.” - -While on the way back to the fort the colonel, with the major’s -assistance, arranged all the details of the hunting expeditions that -were to come off during the next two days, and named the officers of the -garrison who, being off duty, would be at liberty to take part in them. - -It was decided that as soon as dress parade and supper were over the -party would leave the fort on horseback, taking with them a light wagon, -in which to carry their tents and provisions, and bring back any game -that might chance to fall to their rifles. - -By midnight they would reach a small stream which ran through a country -much frequented by antelope in the early hours of the morning. - -There they would camp and sleep until daylight, when they would take to -their saddles again and begin the hunt. - -Having reached the gate the colonel gave the Indian some instructions -concerning Oscar’s pony, after which he and the major walked on to their -quarters, while Oscar bent his steps toward the sutler’s store, where he -purchased a saddle and bridle, a rawhide lasso and picket pin, and a -pair of elk-skin moccasins and leggings. - -He hung the saddle, bridle, and lasso upon a peg behind the stall in -which the Indian had left his pony, and the other articles were carried -into his bedroom and stored away in his trunk. - -After that Oscar had nothing to do but to amuse himself in any way he -saw fit. His first care was to get ready for the hunt, so that no time -would be lost when the hour for the start arrived. - -He filled his belt with cartridges for his rifle and revolver, placed -these weapons where he could readily lay his hands upon them, took from -his trunk one of the thick, coarse suits of clothing he intended to wear -while in the hills, and then set out to look about the fort. - -He took a good survey of the stables and barracks, peeped into all the -warehouses that were open, watched the teamsters, who were busily -engaged in hauling the winter’s supply of wood into the fort, and -finally, growing tired of passing the time in this way, he went back to -the stable to take another look at his pony. - -As he walked up and down the floor behind the stall in which the animal -was hitched, he incautiously approached a little too near his heels. In -an instant the pony’s little ears were thrown back close to his head, -and his hind feet flew up into the air with tremendous force, but Oscar -was just out of reach. - -Fortunately he saw the motion of the pony’s ears, and, suspecting -mischief, he jumped aside just in time to avoid the blow, which, had it -been fairly planted, would have ended his career as a taxidermist then -and there. - -“That’s your game, is it!” exclaimed Oscar, picking up the hat that had -fallen from his head. “Well, if you want a fight we may as well have it -out now as any time.” - -So saying, Oscar took his bridle down from its place on the peg and -walked into the stall. - -The pony must have been astonished at his boldness, and perhaps he was -cured by it. At any rate he offered but little resistance as Oscar -forced the bit into his mouth and strapped the saddle on his back. - -He raised no objections either when the boy, having led him out of the -stable, prepared to mount him; but he did not wait for him to be fairly -seated in the saddle. - -No sooner had Oscar placed his foot in the stirrup and swung himself -clear of the ground than the pony broke into a gallop and carried him -swiftly out of the gate. - -Oscar could ride almost as well as he could shoot. He was quite at home -in the saddle, and it seemed like old times to find himself moving over -the ground with a speed almost equal to that of a bird on the wing, and -to hear the wind whistling about his ears. - -The pony was perfectly willing to go and the boy was perfectly willing -to let him. - -Up one hill and down another he went at an astonishing speed, and when -at last his rider thought he had gone far enough he attempted to check -him by pulling gently on the reins that were buckled to the snaffle bit -and talking to him in English. - -But the pony, which had all his life been accustomed to the severest -treatment,—an Indian has no more mercy on his favorite horse than he has -on the captives that fall into his hands,—was not to be controlled by -gentle measures or smooth words uttered in an unknown tongue, so Oscar -was obliged to resort to the curb. - -That was something the pony could understand, for he was used to it. -After he had been thrown almost on his haunches three or four times he -slackened his pace and finally settled down into a walk. - -Then Oscar straightened up, pushed his hat on the back of his head, and -looked about him. He was alone on the prairie. - -Even the top of the tall flag-staff which arose from the parade ground -in the fort was hidden from view by the last swell over which the pony -had carried him. - -But there was no danger of getting lost, for the trail was as clearly -defined as any country road he had ever travelled. - -He followed it to the summit of the next hill, which, being higher than -the surrounding ones, brought the flag-staff and a portion of the hamlet -of Julesburg again into view, and there he stopped to take a survey of -the country. - -The ridge on which he stood stretched away behind him as far as his eye -could reach, and in front terminated in a steep bluff, perhaps a hundred -feet in height, at the base of which flowed the dark waters of the -Platte. - -To the north and west the long, regular swells gave place to innumerable -ravines, which crossed and recrossed one another, and twisted about in -the most bewildering fashion. - -They were deep and dark, and their precipitous sides were so thickly -covered with stunted oaks and pines that the light of the sun rarely -penetrated to the bottom of them, even at mid-day. - -In the years gone by these same ravines had afforded secure -hiding-places for the hostile Sioux, who had so stubbornly resisted the -onward march of the white man. - -From their cavernous depths they had poured forth in overwhelming -numbers to pounce upon some wagon train, and in them they had found -refuge when worsted in conflict with the troops, their perfect knowledge -of the ground enabling them to effectually baffle pursuit. - -Far beyond the ravines, long miles away, and yet rendered so distinct by -the clear atmosphere that it seemed to Oscar that but a few hours’ ride -would be required to take him to it, was a tract of level prairie, which -stretched away through four degrees of longitude to the foot-hills. - -This level prairie was known as the Laramie plains, and even so far back -as the day Oscar gazed upon it it was historic ground. Little mounds of -stone, and the bleaching and crumbling bones of horses and cattle, -marked the spot where more than one desperate battle had been fought -between the hardy pioneers and their savage foes, and when Oscar, a few -days later, was brought face to face with these mementoes, he wondered -at his own temerity in so eagerly accepting a commission that took him -to a country in which such scenes had been enacted. - -He knew that the Laramie plains were still debatable ground; that the -outrages that had been perpetrated there might at almost any day be -repeated. - -It was true that the country was now thickly settled,—at least the old -pioneer thought so,—that comfortable ranches and dug-outs were scattered -over the prairie, from fifteen to twenty miles apart, and that numerous -droves of sheep and cattle cropped the grass which had once afforded -pasturage for countless thousands of buffalo; but these evidences of the -irresistible progress of civilization did not intimidate the Indian. -They rather served to enrage him and to excite his cupidity. - -Isolated ranches could be easily plundered, and the flesh of sheep and -cattle was fully as palatable as that of the buffalo, which had been -driven away. - -Of course there was no trouble to be apprehended at that season of the -year, it being too near winter for the Sioux to break out into open -hostilities. - -A plains Indian does not like to move during the snowy season. Indeed it -is almost impossible for him to do so, for the reason that his main -dependence—his pony (without which, so old hunters say, the Indian is -not a foe to be feared)—is utterly unfit for service. - -His food being deeply buried under the drifts, he is forced to content -himself with the branches of the cottonwood, which the squaws cut for -him to browse upon. - -He becomes reduced almost to a skeleton, and even staggers, as he walks -about to find some sheltered nook into which he can retreat for -protection from the keen winds which cut through the thickest clothing -like a knife. - -His master, whom he has perhaps carried safely through a score of -successful hunts and forays, pays not the slightest attention to him. - -Comfortably settled in his teepee, hugging a little fire over which a -white man would freeze to death, the warrior sits with his buffalo-robe -around him, passing the time in smoking and sleeping, but arousing -himself at intervals to engage in a game of chance with some of his -companions, or to send his squaw to the agency to draw the rations a -generous government provides for all the “good” Indians. - -But when spring comes, and the snow melts away, and the tender grass -begins to spring and grow luxuriantly beneath the genial influence of -the sun, a great change takes place in the Indian and his pony. - -The latter quietly sheds the long, rough coat he has worn all winter, -and with it the burrs and mud with which he was covered; his ribs -disappear, his skeleton frame begins to swell out into a well-rounded -form, and all his old-time life and spirit come back to him; while his -master, having shaken off his lethargy, polishes up his weapons, lays in -a new supply of ammunition, and begins to look about for something to -do—something that will add new laurels to those already won. - -If he can find the least excuse for so doing he is ready at any moment -to take the war-path. Oftentimes he has no excuse at all beyond a desire -to gratify his incontrollable propensity for stealing and shooting. - -Not infrequently a company of boys, who are ambitious to prove -themselves expert thieves, and thus render themselves candidates for the -“sun-dance,” through which trying ordeal all must pass before they -become full-fledged warriors, break away from their agency and raid upon -the sheep and cattle herders before spoken of. - -Sometimes whole bands and tribes break out in this way, and spend the -summer in dodging the troops and sacking defenseless ranches. - -While the brave is on the war-path he is a “bad” Indian, and runs the -risk of being shot by anybody who meets him; but in spite of this he -enjoys himself to the utmost while summer lasts. - -It is not until the pleasant weather draws to a close, and all the -ranches he can find have been plundered and burned, and all the sheep -and cattle in the country have been captured or dispersed, and the fall -buffalo-hunt is over, and the cold winds begin to sweep over the plains, -that the Indian becomes repentant. - -Then he thinks of his warm teepee in that sheltered nook in the ravine, -where his family has lived all summer, subsisting upon government -rations, and he makes all haste to return to it before the snows of -winter come to shut him up in the mountains. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - A RIDE THROUGH THE SAGE-BRUSH. - - -The moment the repentant and plunder-laden warrior reaches his -reservation he becomes one of the “good” Indians, and is entitled to all -the privileges the government accords to them. - -These privileges consist principally in drawing rations, riding stolen -horses, dressing in stolen clothing, carrying stolen weapons, and -wearing as an ornament on his shield the scalp of the unfortunate -ranchman to whom the aforesaid stolen property once belonged. He does -this too right before the face and eyes of the agent, who will not -arrest him, and the troops dare not. - -“It must be a fine thing to be an Indian,” said Oscar to himself as -thoughts something like these passed through his mind—“nothing to do, -and plenty to eat and wear. But, on the whole, I think I’d rather be a -taxidermist. Now, where shall I go? I would explore one of these gullies -if it were not for the associations connected with them. I should expect -a band of hostiles to jump down on me at any moment. But I’ll go, -anyway. A pretty hunter I shall make if I am afraid to ride into a -ravine just because it is dark. It isn’t at all probable that I shall -see a living thing.” - -With this reflection to comfort him and keep up his courage Oscar urged -his pony forward, and rode slowly along a well-beaten path that ran -through a thicket of sage-brush and led in the direction he desired to -go. - -Then, for the first time since leaving the fort, he wished that he had -brought his double-barrel with him, for he saw “specimens” on every -side. They first appeared in the shape of a flock of sage-hens, which -suddenly arose from the brush close in front of him, and sailed away -toward the foot of the ridge. - -They were a little larger than the ruffed grouse Oscar had so often -hunted in the hills about Eaton, and their flight, though strong and -rapid, was so even and regular that he would have had no trouble -whatever in picking out a brace of the best birds in the flock. - -True to his hunter’s instinct, Oscar marked them down very carefully, -and while he sat in his saddle, looking first at the fort and then at -the place where he had seen the birds settle to the ground, debating -with himself whether or not it would be a good plan to go back and get -his gun, something that looked like a yellowish-gray streak emerged from -the sage brush, and ran with surprising swiftness down the path, which, -at this point, happened to be perfectly straight. Just before it reached -the first turn it halted suddenly, and gave Oscar a view of the first -mule rabbit he had ever seen. - -He did not wonder at the name it bore, nor did he any longer doubt the -truth of the stories he had often read in regard to the attempts made by -old plainsmen to pass the creature off on inexperienced pilgrims as a -genuine mule. Its ears looked altogether too long for so small an -animal, and Oscar wondered if they did not sometimes get in its way. - -He studied the rabbit with a great deal of interest, noting particularly -the position of the body and the ears. He knew now how he would set up -the first one he brought to bay. - -“It’s a lucky thing for you that I left my gun behind, my fine fellow,” -said Oscar, as he rode slowly toward the rabbit, which gazed at him as -if he were no more to be feared than one of the sage-bushes that lined -the path. “You would be booked for Yarmouth, sure. If I only had you out -on the open prairie, I’d make you show how fast you could run!” - -When the rabbit thought Oscar had come near enough, he began moving away -with long, deliberate bounds, and at the same moment the boy gave his -pony the rein and started forward in pursuit. - -The animal heard the clatter of hoofs behind him, and letting out two or -three sections in its hind legs,—that is the way old plainsmen express -it, when they want one to understand that a rabbit has made up his mind -to exhibit his best speed,—he shot ahead like an arrow from a bow, and -was out of sight in a twinkling. - -He did not turn into the bushes, but kept straight down the path, -completely distancing the pony before the latter had made a dozen jumps. - -“Oh, if I only had some dogs like the colonel’s!” said Oscar, after he -had succeeded in making his horse comprehend that he was expected to -settle down into a walk once more. “With a brace of greyhounds to run -antelopes, wolves, and jack rabbits, and a well broken pointer to hunt -sage hens, one could see splendid sport right here in the neighborhood -of the fort. I am sure those birds would lie well to a dog, and I have -not the least doubt——” - -The young hunter’s soliloquy was cut short by the sight of an apparition -in blue flannel and buckskin which just then came into view. - -It proved, on second look, to be a man dressed in the garb of a hunter; -but such a man and such a garb Oscar had never seen before. No -description could do them justice. - -The man belonged on the plains, that was evident. So did Big Thompson, -to whom Oscar had that day been introduced; but the two were as -different in appearance as darkness and daylight. - -The one had gained Oscar’s confidence the moment he looked at him; but -the sight of this man aroused a very different feeling in his breast, -and caused him to bless his lucky stars that the meeting had taken place -so near the fort. - -He was a person whom the young hunter would not have cared to meet in -any lonely spot. - -With a muttered exclamation of anger, the man jerked his horse part way -out of the path, and Oscar made haste to ride on and leave him out of -sight. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - ANOTHER UNEXPECTED MEETING. - - -When two or three bends in the path had shut the stranger out from view, -Oscar drew a long breath of relief and began a mental description of -him. - -He was fully as tall as Big Thompson, as thin as a rail, and blessed -with a most sneaking, hangdog cast of countenance. He was clad in a blue -flannel shirt, a soldier’s overcoat, and a pair of buckskin trousers, -all of which had grown dingy with age and hard usage. - -On his head he wore a brimless slouch hat, and on his feet a pair of -ancient moccasins, and between the moccasins and the tattered bottom of -his trousers—which were much too short for him—could be seen an ankle -which was the color of sole-leather. His hands and the very small -portion of his face that could be seen over a mass of grizzly whiskers, -were of the same hue. - -This uncouth object sat on his saddle—a piece of sheepskin—with his back -rounded almost into a half circle, and his long neck stretching forward -over his pony’s ears. - -He did not look like a very dangerous character, but still there was -something about him which made Oscar believe that he was a man to be -feared. - -While the young hunter was busy with his mental photograph of the -stranger, his pony was walking rapidly down the path which now emerged -from the sage-brush and entered the mouth of one of the ravines. - -Oscar looked into its gloomy depths and drew in his reins, although he -did not draw them tightly enough to check the advance of his pony. - -“I don’t know whether I had better go in there or not,” thought Oscar, -facing about in his saddle to make sure that the ill-looking fellow who -had obstructed his path in the sage-brush was out of sight. “If he -followed this road, he must have come out of this ravine, and who knows -but there may be more like him hid away among these trees and bushes? -But who cares if there are?” he added, slackening the reins again. “If I -am going to be a hunter, I may as well begin to face danger one time as -another, for it is something I cannot avoid. I’ll never start out by -myself again without my rifle or shot-gun.” - -The path was quite as plainly defined at this point as it was in the -sage-brush, and of course Oscar had no difficulty in following it. -Neither did he have any fears of being lost in the labyrinth before him, -for all he had to do when he had ridden far enough was to turn about and -the path would lead him back to the sage-brush again. - -He kept on down the ravine for a mile or more, peering into the dark -woods which had so often echoed to the war-cry of the hostile Sioux, -wondering all the while who the strange horseman was and where he lived, -and finally he began to think of retracing his steps, but just then his -ear caught the sound of falling water a short distance in advance of -him. - -He had heard much of the trout-streams of this wild region, and his -desire to see one induced him to keep on, little dreaming that when he -found the stream he would find something else to interest him. - -When Oscar had ridden a few rods farther he came within sight of the -falls, the music of whose waters had attracted his attention, and also -in sight of a smouldering camp fire. Seated on a log in front of it, -with his elbows on his knees and his chin resting on his hands, was a -figure almost as forlorn and dilapidated in appearance as was the -horseman he had seen in the sage-brush. - -He was gazing steadily into the fire and seemed to be very much -engrossed with his own thoughts; but when the sound of the pony’s hoofs -fell upon his ear he sprang up and gazed at Oscar as if he were -fascinated. - -The camp, upon which our hero had so unexpectedly stumbled, was located -in the mouth of a ravine that branched off from the one he had followed -from the foot of the ridge. - -The fire was built upon the opposite bank of the stream, which here ran -across the main ravine to mingle its waters a few miles farther on with -those of the Platte, and behind it was a clear space a dozen or more -feet in diameter that served as the camp. - -Various well-known signs, which did not escape his quick eye, told Oscar -that the camp had been occupied for several days, and yet nothing in the -way of a shelter had been erected, the campers, no doubt, being fully -satisfied with the protection afforded them by the overhanging cliff and -the thick cluster of evergreens that grew at its base. - -And there were other things missing, too, which Oscar had never failed -to see in every camp whose inmates had any respect for their health and -comfort. The supply of wood was exhausted, and although there was an axe -handy the campers had sat musing by the fire until it had almost burned -itself out, being too lazy to chop a fresh supply of fuel. - -There was nothing in the shape of bed clothes in sight, or any -provisions, or any packages that looked as though they might contain -provisions; and the only cooking utensil to be seen was a battered and -blackened coffee-pot, which lay on the edge of the brook, where it had -stopped when its owner angrily kicked it out of his way. - -Having noted these evidences of the extreme poverty and utter -shiftlessness of the campers, the young hunter turned his attention to -the figure before the fire, who still stood and gazed at him as if he -were spellbound. - -The boy was somewhat surprised at the result of his hurried -observations, for he saw at once that the camper was not a born -plainsman. Beyond a doubt he had known better times. His clothing, as -well as a certain indefinable air and manner which are inseparable from -those who have all their lives been accustomed to good society, loudly -proclaimed these facts. - -He looked like a broken-down gentleman, but still there was something of -the backwoods about him, too. A stiff hat that had once been black -covered his long uncombed hair, and his clothing was all of the finest -broadcloth, and cut in faultless style; but his trousers were worn in a -pair of heavy cowhide boots, and a glaring red shirt-collar was turned -down over the collar of his coat. He was young in years, but wore a full -beard and mustache, the latter having been long and carefully -cultivated, while the whiskers were of recent growth. - -Oscar took all these little points in at a glance, and was about to turn -away with an apology for his intrusion, when something in the carriage -of the head and the position assumed by the camper caused him to pause -long enough to look him over a second time. He had never seen the face -before, that was certain; but there was something about the form that -seemed familiar to him. - -“It is nothing but a foolish notion of mine, of course,” said Oscar to -himself, as he drew in the reins preparatory to turning his pony about. - -Then speaking aloud, he said: - -“I didn’t mean, sir, to jump over in your camp in this unceremonious -way. I wasn’t aware there was anyone here. I wish you good-day!” - -To Oscar’s unbounded surprise, the reply that came across the brook was -a volley of violent imprecations. They were called forth, not by anger, -apparently, but by overwhelming amazement; and the strangest part of the -whole proceeding was that they were uttered by a familiar and well-known -voice—a voice that Oscar had not heard for many a long month. - -The effect of this interchange of compliments was astonishing. The -camper came close to the bank of the stream, and leaning forward until -his body was bent almost double, shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed -fixedly at Oscar, who, having suddenly grown too weak to keep his feet -in his stirrups, was obliged to cling to the horn of his saddle with -both hands, in order to keep his swaying body from toppling over -headlong to the ground. - -They stood thus for a few seconds without speaking, and then the camper, -after a great effort, recovered the use of his tongue. - -“It _is_ Oscar Preston, as sure as I’m a sinner!” he exclaimed, in a -hoarse whisper. - -“Tom, is that you?” said Oscar, in the same husky voice. - -Then there was silence. The two seemed to have been struck dumb again, -and to be utterly unable to remove their eyes from each other. But at -length the camper slowly, inch by inch, brought himself into an upright -position, and, moving with stealthy footsteps, and keeping his gaze -fastened upon Oscar, as if he feared that the boy was an apparition that -might vanish into thin air if he made the least noise or lost sight of -him for an instant, he walked back to his log by the fire, and seating -himself upon it, buried his face in his hands. - -These actions aroused Oscar, who rode across the brook, and, after tying -his pony to a convenient sapling, he went up to the log and seated -himself beside the camper. - -The latter did not notice him for several minutes; but, at length, as if -he began to feel ashamed of the weakness he had exhibited, he -straightened himself up and looked defiantly into Oscar’s face. - -It was Tom Preston, sure enough (Oscar recognized him now, in spite of -his whiskers), but how changed from the dashing, dandified book-keeper -he had known at Eaton! He seemed to have grown ten years older since the -day his brother last saw him. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - TOM PRESTON. - - -“Tom,” said Oscar, as soon as he could speak, “you are the last person -on earth I expected to meet in this wilderness.” - -“I may say the same in regard to yourself,” answered Tom sullenly. “What -brought you here?” - -“I came on purpose to hunt.” - -“You _did_?” - -Tom was greatly amazed when he heard this. He ran his eye over Oscar -from head to foot, critically examining his neat, warm outfit, and -noting, with no little bitterness of heart, the air of comfort and -contentment which those who are prosperous in the world seem to carry -with them wherever they go, and then he looked down at himself. - -Oscar, following the direction of his gaze, saw that his suit of -broadcloth was very seedy and threadbare, and that in some places it was -almost worn through. - -What would Tom do when winter fairly set in, and the ravines were piled -full of snow, and the keen winds came roaring down from the mountains? -If that was the warmest suit he had, he would certainly freeze to death. - -“Where is your overcoat?” asked Oscar, looking about the camp. - -“Overcoat?” repeated Tom, with a sneering laugh. “Do you imagine that I -am able to own such a thing? My uncle’s got it.” - -“Your uncle?” - -“Yes—Uncle Solomon, who lives in Denver. I had to shove it.” - -Oscar looked down at the ground, and turned these words over in his -mind. He did not quite understand them, and yet he was almost afraid to -ask Tom to explain. - -He wanted to know all about his brother’s circumstances and plans for -the future, for he was as ready to assist him as he had been to assist -Leon Parker; but still he did not like to ask too many questions, for -Tom spoke very gruffly, and in a tone of voice which showed that he was -in no mood to say much about himself. - -Finally, Oscar came to the conclusion that Tom, having become pressed -for money, had been obliged to pawn his overcoat, and the latter’s next -words proved that this conclusion was the right one. - -“The old skinflint took advantage of my necessities, as people of that -class always do,” said he. “He gave me only fifteen dollars for it, and -it cost me forty. But those fifteen dollars came in very handy, I tell -you, for with them I was able to purchase three flannel shirts and these -boots, which are a mile too big for me. Now, let me tell you what’s a -fact, Oscar. You had better take the advice of one who has been through -the mill, and dig out for the States while you have the chance. I was as -spruce as you are when I first came out here, and now look at me. Just -look at that!” he went on, thrusting out a foot which, up to the time he -left home had always been encased in boots made of nothing heavier then -French calf-skin or patent leather. “If I had been compelled to wear -such stogas while I was in Eaton, I should have thought I was very badly -abused, but now I have to wear them, or go without any. I’ll tell you -another thing—if you stay here you needn’t look to me for help. It is as -much as I can do to take care of myself.” - -Here Tom got upon his feet and walked back and forth in front of his -brother, shaking his fists in the air and swearing audibly. - -“Those three thousand dollars didn’t do you much good, did they?” said -Oscar, after a moment’s pause. - -“Where did I get three thousand dollars?” demanded Tom, suddenly -stopping in his walk and looking down at his brother. - -“I am sure I don’t know; but an examination of your accounts showed a -deficit to that amount.” - -“Ah! That may be; but I didn’t have any such sum when I came out here. I -spent a good deal before I left Eaton.” - -“What did you do with the money you brought with you?” inquired Oscar, -who hardly expected that Tom would reply to the question. - -“Oh, I dropped it!” - -“Did you lose it?” - -Tom nodded his head, and resumed his walk. - -“How did it happen?” - -“Why, I was fool enough to buck the tiger down in Denver, if you must -know,” answered Tom snappishly. “I wanted to increase my capital, and -the consequence was I lost it all.” - -“You don’t mean to say that you gambled it away?” Oscar almost gasped. - -“Well, that’s about the plain English of it,” was the careless reply. - -“O Tom!” exclaimed Oscar. “What do you suppose mother would say if she -knew it?” - -“I don’t intend that she shall know it, and she never will unless you -get to swinging that long tongue of yours. It was my intention to shut -myself out so completely from the world that nobody in Eaton would ever -hear of me again; and I should have succeeded if some evil genius had -not sent you prowling through this ravine. What brought you here, -anyway? I tell you again that I can’t take care of you, and I won’t, -either! By the way, for how much did you get into old Smith?” - -It was plain enough to be seen that Tom, in his endeavors to account for -his brother’s unexpected presence in that country, was shooting wide of -the mark. He readily believed that Oscar, like himself, had stolen money -from his employers and fled from Eaton in order to escape punishment at -the hands of the law. - -He could not think of anything else that would be likely to bring Oscar -so far away from home. - -“There’s just one thing about it,” said Tom to himself, after he had -looked at the matter from all points and arrived at what he considered -to be a perfectly satisfactory conclusion, “his money will soon be -wasted—if it hasn’t been wasted already—and now that he has found me, he -will naturally expect me to help him; but I can’t do it, and I won’t, -and he might as well know it first as last. How much money did you bring -away from Eaton with you?” he asked aloud. - -“About eleven hundred dollars,” replied Oscar, who knew that his brother -was very far from suspecting the real facts of the case. “And I left -five hundred behind me.” - -“Good for you!” exclaimed Tom. “You made a bigger haul than I did. You -kept that five hundred to fall back on, I suppose. I wish I had been -sharp enough to do the same. What did you do with the rest?” - -“I saved every cent of it, except what I was obliged to spend.” - -This answer almost took Tom’s breath away, and caused him to make a -radical change in the programme he had marked out for himself. - -Oscar did not fail to see it all, for Tom’s thoughts could be easily -interpreted by the expression of his face. - -“I don’t gamble, you know, and neither am I given to drink,” continued -Oscar. - -“Do you mean to say that I am?” demanded Tom, once more pausing in his -walk. - -“I do, for your face says so. No one ever saw a total abstainer with -such eyes and such cheeks as you are carrying about with you to-day. -Now, Tom, it may be to your interest to tell me all about yourself. I -arrived at the fort no longer ago than yesterday morning, but I have -already started one disgusted runaway on the road toward home, and I am -able to help you.” - -These words removed a heavy load of anxiety from Tom’s mind. His brother -was willing to help him. - -He was very impatient to know how much help—in other words, how much -money—Oscar would be likely to give him; but, for the moment, his -curiosity overcame his greediness. He wanted to hear all about that -runaway. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - TOM’S STORY. - - -“What was that runaway’s name?” asked Tom. “Was he from Eaton?” - -“He was, and his name was Leon Parker,” replied Oscar. “He wasn’t -satisfied with as comfortable a home and as kind a father and mother as -any boy ever had, so he ran away and came out here to be a hunter.” - -“Well, of all the born idiots I ever heard of, he is the beat!” -exclaimed Tom, who could hardly believe his ears. - -“That’s my opinion exactly. If he could see you now, or if he could have -seen the miserable being I met while I was riding through the sage-brush -a little while ago, he would be——” - -“While you were riding through the sage-brush!” interrupted Tom. “Did -you come that way?” - -“Yes; I came directly from the post, and on the road I nearly ran over -the meanest specimen of humanity my eyes ever rested upon. I tell you, I -wouldn’t like to meet him on a dark night, if I had anything about me -that was worth stealing.” - -“Oh, he isn’t as bad as he looks,” said Tom. - -“How do you know he isn’t?” asked Oscar, who was greatly amazed. “It -isn’t possible that you are acquainted with him?” - -“Yes, it is possible,” replied Tom, turning away his head so that his -brother might not see the hot blush of shame that momentarily overspread -his features. “I know him, and, more than that, he is my partner. I am -getting ready to start out with him.” - -“Worse and worse,” said Oscar, who was utterly confounded. “Why, Tom, -what in the world is going to become of you?” - -“No preaching now!” was the angry rejoinder. “I had to put up with it -from mother while I was at home, but I am not obliged to submit to it -now, and I won’t, either! If you want to talk business, go ahead; but if -you want to preach, wait until some other time.” - -The words he had in his mind were: - -“If you want to preach, clear out, and leave me as you found me.” - -But he recollected himself in time, and did not utter them. - -Oscar had expressed a desire to assist him, and, consequently, it would -not be wise to make him angry. - -“You told me that you had already helped one runaway, and that you would -help me,” continued Tom, seating himself on the log by Oscar’s side, and -laying his hand familiarly on his shoulder. “Now, let’s talk about that. -How much are you going to give me, and how did you happen to strike it -so rich? I mean, how did you manage to secure so large a haul and get -away with it?” he added, seeing the inquiring look on his brother’s -face. - -“Let me hear your story, and then you shall hear mine,” answered Oscar. -“Tell nothing but the truth, now. How came you in this fix?” - -“Well, to make a long story short, I came out here with about fifteen -hundred dollars in my pocket, intending to go to the mines, -but—unfortunately for me—I struck Denver on the way, and stayed there -until I had squandered all my money. Then I had to go to work. A fellow -can’t live in this country without doing something to bring in the -stamps, I tell you, for he has to pay two prices for all the necessaries -of life. - -“The first position I managed to work myself into was that of -mule-whacker—teamster, you know; but I didn’t understand the care of -stock. I wasn’t strong enough to handle the heavy boxes and bales of -freight, and after one of the mules had kicked me over a few times, I -became sick of the job, threw it up, and went back to Denver. Everything -there was full—more applicants than there were places for them to fill. - -“One day while I was wandering about the streets, waiting for something -to turn up, I came across a college graduate who was sawing wood for his -dinner. After a little talk with him, I made up my mind that I would -have to come down to it, too, so I took in every job of that kind I -could find, swept out saloons and stores—in fact, did anything that -would bring me money enough to pay for a decent meal once a day.” - -“Where did you sleep?” asked Oscar. - -“In deserted shanties, principally,” was the reply. “When I was hungry -or thirsty, and couldn’t find any way to earn money, I pawned some of -the clothing I had purchased in St. Louis. At last I had nothing left -but my overcoat, and I dared not think what I should do when that, too, -was gone. But they say it is always darkest just before daylight, and, -as it happened, I struck a lead just in the nick of time—struck it rich, -too. - -“While I was sweeping out a saloon to pay for my breakfast, this man—who -is now my partner—came in for his regular eye-opener. After he had drank -it, he fell into conversation with two or three fellows who were sitting -around, and then I learned that he was a professional wolfer. He said -that he had made thirty-five hundred dollars out of his last season’s -catch, and had come to the settlements to sell his plunder and have a -good time. Having spent all his money, and winter being close at hand, -he was getting ready to start out again. All he lacked was a companion, -but he couldn’t find one. - -“I don’t know what it was that prompted me to follow him out of the -saloon when he left, but I did it, and I tell you it was a most lucky -thing for me. I told him that I didn’t know anything about a wolfer’s -business, but I must do something to earn my grub and clothes, and -offered, if he would take me with him and teach me the tricks of the -trade, to give him one-third of my catch. He jumped at my offer, and -here I am, _but_ in this condition,” said Tom, arising to his feet and -turning his trousers’ pockets inside out, to show that they were empty. - -“I don’t see that you have had any good luck yet,” replied Oscar. “You -seem to be completely strapped.” - -“So I am, but I consider myself very fortunate, all the same, for I am -in a fair way to make a splendid living. Thirty-five hundred dollars in -one season, and all the summer to rest in! Just think of it! Why, man -alive, we’ll be rich in five years! We’ll have a cattle ranch of our -own, live on the fat of the land, and fairly roll in money!” cried Tom, -trying in vain to infuse some of his bogus enthusiasm into his brother, -who was not at all impressed by these visions of ease and wealth. - -We said that Tom’s enthusiasm was not genuine, and neither was it. It -was assumed for a purpose, and Oscar knew what that purpose was before -his brother’s next words revealed it. - -“Come to think it all over, I am heartily glad I met you,” continued -Tom. “Here we are, brothers, strangers in a strange land, and both in -trouble. Our interests are identical. Two can do more than one, and we -ought by all means to hang together. You must have seven or eight -hundred dollars, haven’t you?” - -“Yes, I have that much.” - -“Can you get hold of that five hundred you left behind?” - -“I suppose I can, but I don’t want it.” - -“Oh, we shall need it, sooner or later, and you might as well make -arrangements accordingly. That makes twelve or thirteen hundred dollars -that we are sure of. Now I’ll tell you what we’ll do. We’ll go halves on -that, and I will drop my old partner and take you in his place. What do -you say?” - -Oscar did not say anything immediately. His brother’s proposition was -rather more than he had bargained for. This was the point Tom had been -trying to reach ever since he found out that Oscar had money in his -possession. The latter had seen it very plainly, and knew that the -matter must at some time be thoroughly discussed, and Tom be given to -understand that his offer of partnership could not be entertained. He -knew, too, that there would be an explosion when the denouement came, -and Tom learned how sadly he had been mistaken in regard to some things, -and for this reason Oscar was anxious to put the critical moment off as -long as he could. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - TOM LEARNS SOMETHING. - - -“What do you think of my plan, anyhow?” asked Tom. “Isn’t it glorious?” - -“I would rather know what _you_ think of it when you have heard my -story, which I will begin as soon as you have finished yours,” answered -Oscar. “You have not yet given me any idea of your business. Where’s -your home?” - -“Haven’t got any. Don’t need one.” - -“How did you come up from Denver?” - -“Walked every step of the way, and my partner’s pony carried the -plunder.” - -“He didn’t have to overtax his strength, did he?” said Oscar, looking at -the battered coffee-pot in the brook, which was the only thing in the -shape of “plunder” or luggage that he had seen in the camp, if we except -the axe which rested on the other end of the log that served them for a -seat. “Where is your rifle?” - -“Don’t need that, either, although I confess it would be a nice thing to -have at hand in case of trouble. My partner has one, and I was going to -depend on him to supply our larder and keep us in bait. I suppose you -have firearms?” - -“Yes; I have a rifle, revolver, and shot-gun.” - -“All right. We are well provided for in that line, but strychnine is -what we shall depend on, so don’t forget to lay in a good supply of it -when you go back to the village. Before you go I will tell you what else -we need, and bright and early to-morrow morning we’ll set out. When we -reach a country in which wolves are known to be plenty, we’ll make a -camp, and go to work at once. The first thing will be to procure bait, -which may be anything in the shape of fresh meat that comes in our way. -The skin we shall save, of course; but the meat will be cut up into -pieces, sprinkled with strychnine, and scattered about over the snow. -The next morning we’ll go out and bring in our dead wolves. The skins -will be taken off and cured, and the carcasses will serve as bait for -other wolves.” - -“You will need warmer clothes than those you have on, if you are going -to be exposed to the weather,” said Oscar. - -“I know it; and I shall depend on you to buy some for me. I shall soon -be able to repay you, for there is money in this business. Everybody -says so.” - -“I am glad of it, and since you seem determined to go into it, I hope -you will be successful. If you are, you can return Mr. Smith’s money -with legal interest.” - -Oscar watched his brother narrowly as he uttered these words, and was -not much surprised at the effect they produced upon him. - -Tom jumped to his feet, and doubling up his fists, began flourishing -them in the air over his head, preparatory to saying something emphatic. -Then, suddenly recollecting himself, he dropped his hands by his side, -and took his seat on the log again. - -“I can do that, can’t I?” said he, with a great show of earnestness, -which, like the enthusiasm he had exhibited a few minutes before, was -all “put on” for the occasion. “It would restore me to my old standing -in society, wouldn’t it?” - -“No, it wouldn’t, although it would go a long way toward it. It is, in -fact, the very first step you must take if you want to regain the -confidence of the folks in Eaton. There is a stain upon your character, -and you must live it down. That’s what I had to do.” - -“You! My conduct didn’t affect you in any way.” - -“I should say it did, and in more ways than one. Mr. Smith discharged me -because he was afraid to trust me, and that is what brought me out here. -You remember how much sport you used to make of my taxidermy, don’t you? -Well, it is now bringing me in a hundred dollars a month, clear of all -expenses. I received enough in advance to make mother comfortable a long -time, and a thousand dollars besides with which to pay my bills.” - -“Why, what do you mean?” exclaimed Tom, who was quite as much astonished -as Oscar expected him to be. - -“I mean just what I say. I have a life position, if I succeed in -satisfying my employers, with the promise of a big increase in my -salary. I may go to Africa after I get through here on the plains.” - -“Oh, now, leave off chaffing me!” said Tom impatiently. “I am in no -humor for nonsense.” - -“It is not nonsense. I will tell you all about it, and when you have -heard my story, you are at liberty to think what you please.” - -Oscar then went on to describe, in as few words as possible, all the -incidents which had operated to make so great a change in his -circumstances. - -He told the story of his discharge from the store, of the vindication of -his character by the discovery of the thief who had been systematically -robbing the money-drawer (Oscar did not yet know that his friends, Sam -Hynes and Miles Jackson, had anything to do with that affair), and of -Mr. Smith’s efforts to induce him to return to his old situation at an -increased salary. - -He told how he and Sam Hynes had rescued Professor Potter when the -latter was capsized off the head of Squaw Island, and wound up his -narrative by giving the details of his visit to Yarmouth, and his -employment by the committee who controlled the immense fund which was to -be expended in adding a museum to the university. - -Tom listened in genuine amazement; and, by the time the story was -finished, he was so angry that he could scarcely breathe. - -He would have been glad, indeed, if he could have disbelieved every word -his brother uttered, but his story bore the impress of truth upon the -face of it. - -We know how he had accounted for Oscar’s presence there on the plains, -and he had fairly rejoiced in the belief that his brother was a runaway -thief like himself. - -Misery loves company, you know, and Tom found great satisfaction in the -thought that Oscar, whom everybody in Eaton believed to be strictly -honest and truthful, had at last yielded to temptation and sunk to a -level as low as that which he himself occupied. But, when the real facts -of the case were revealed—when Tom learned that his brother had left -home in broad daylight, and with his mother’s full and free consent; -that he was backed up by a committee worth a hundred thousand dollars, -and provided with letters that would place him on terms of intimacy with -the highest officers on the plains, both civil and military; that those -officers would give him a good “send-off,” and stand ready at all times -to assist him by every means in their power—when Tom thought of all -these things, his rage got the better of him, and he jumped to his feet -with the wildest kind of a warwhoop. - -“Have you got the impudence to come here and tell me that you are -growing rich every day, while I am freezing and starving?” he demanded, -in a voice which was rendered almost indistinct by intense passion. - -“I tell you that I have a steady income, and it is the truth,” replied -Oscar. - -“And you never stole any of old Smith’s money?” - -“Of course not. I never handled a dishonest penny in my life.” - -“And do you know that while you were comfortably housed at the fort last -night, and having a good time with those officers, who wouldn’t look at -me any sooner than they would look at a yellow dog—do you know that -while you were enjoying yourself in that way, I was sitting shivering -over this camp fire, with nothing but hardtack to eat, and nobody but an -ignorant, ragged backwoodsman for company? Do you know it?” yelled Tom, -who hardly realized what he said in the excess of his fury. “What do you -mean by it? and what amends are you going to make for treating me so?” - -“I don’t know that I can make you any amends,” said Oscar, who was -greatly astonished. “You surely can’t expect me to come out here and -shiver over a miserable camp fire, and take a ragged backwoodsman for a -companion, just because you choose to do so!” - -“You know well enough that I didn’t mean that!” Tom almost shrieked. -“Why didn’t you do something for me?” - -“I didn’t know you were here.” - -“And it would have made no difference if you had known it. But that’s -always the way. Those who are lucky don’t care a straw for those that -are unlucky. The harder a fellow tries to better his condition in life -the worse he is off. There is no one who has planned and schemed more -than I have to make money, and now look at me! You, on the contrary, -took matters easily, and Fortune has showered favors on you by the -bucketful. You will go off to the hills with a guide, provisions, and -clothing in abundance, and everything else that will enable you to live -in camp as comfortably as you would at home, while I——” - -Tom was too angry to say more just then. He walked back and forth in -front of his brother, shaking his fists in the air and swearing at the -top of his voice. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - TOM BECOMES DESPERATE. - - -“Look here,” said Tom, suddenly pausing in his walk and looking down at -his brother. “The fact that you came honestly by your money will not -interfere with our arrangement, will it?” - -“I know what you mean, of course,” answered Oscar, “but I can’t consent -to it. My instructions are most explicit, and the money I shall spend is -not my own.” - -“What’s the odds? Who’ll know whether you obey orders or not? How much -are you to pay your guide?” - -“A dollar and a half a day from the time we leave the fort until we get -back.” - -“Well, you will save all that by taking me in his place; and that -consideration ought to have some weight with you, if you are as careful -of the committee’s money as you pretend to be. When you go back to the -post, tell him that you don’t want him—that you have made other -arrangements—and be ready to meet me in the sage-brush to-morrow at -sunrise. I shall want a pony, of course, and while you are about it you -might as well bring me a rifle and a supply of ammunition. In the -meantime, I will shake my partner, and we’ll set out together. When we -find a place that suits us, we’ll go into camp, and while you are -securing specimens I will put in the time in catching wolves. What do -you say to it?” - -“I say that there are many objections to your plan,” replied Oscar. “In -the first place, my instructions are to hire a guide, and I have done -so. If I should discharge Big Thompson, now that I have engaged him——” - -“Big Thompson?” interrupted Tom. “He isn’t your guide, I hope?” - -“He is; and he was recommended to me by the colonel commanding the -post.” - -“I don’t care who recommended him, he’s a rascal.” - -“Do you know him?” asked Oscar. - -“Not personally; but my partner does, and he doesn’t know any good of -him, either. I wouldn’t pass a minute alone in the hills with him for -all the money there is in the States.” - -Oscar called to mind the kindly face of his guide, and the clear, -honest-looking eyes which had gazed straight into his own whenever their -owner spoke to him, and contrasted the man to whom that face and those -eyes belonged with the sneaking ruffian he had met in the sage-brush; -and the conclusion at which he arrived was that there was nothing in the -world that would induce him to change companions with Tom. - -Before he would do that he would throw up his situation and look about -for some other occupation that would support himself and his mother. - -Believing that Tom’s “partner” had some good cause for hating Big -Thompson, Oscar said no more about him, but went on to state the other -objections he had to Tom’s plan. - -“Another reason why I can’t agree to your proposal is that I am working -on a salary, and I am in duty bound to do the best I can for those who -employ me,” said he. “What could you and I accomplish by roaming about -among the hills without an experienced hunter to show us where the game -is? You would catch no wolves, and I should find no specimens.” - -“Yes, we would, for game of all kinds is so abundant that we couldn’t -run amiss of it,” answered Tom. - -Without stopping to argue this point, Oscar continued: - -“There is still another reason. I am only on probation now, and unless I -can show that committee that I am a hunter as well as a taxidermist, I -shall have to step aside and give place to somebody else. You can see -for yourself that it is to my interest to do the best I can at the -start.” - -“You seem to be full of excuses, but you needn’t offer any more,” said -Tom, with suppressed rage. “If you don’t want to agree to my proposal, -say it in so many words.” - -“I don’t want to agree to your proposal,” returned Oscar. “I can’t.” - -“You were ready enough to help Leon, who is nothing to you, and who did -his best to injure you in every possible way while you lived in Eaton!” -sneered Tom; “but when your brother asks you for a lift, you refuse to -raise a finger. Lend me a hundred dollars to buy an outfit with. Can you -do that?” - -“No, I can’t. I haven’t got the money.” - -“There! What did I tell you?” Tom almost shouted. “A little while ago -you said you had a thousand dollars.” - -“But it doesn’t belong to me. I have to use it in paying my expenses.” - -“And Leon’s too!” exclaimed Tom. “You must have paid his stage and -railroad fare out of that fund.” - -“I did; but I shall have to replace it out of my own pocket.” - -“You couldn’t lend me a hundred dollars, and replace it in the same way, -I suppose?” - -“No, I could not, for two reasons: In the first place, that mortgage -must be paid, so that mother can be sure of a home of her own; and in -the next, I don’t know how much money I shall need this winter. I must -feed my guide as well as myself, and when we come back to the fort I -must pay him cash in hand for his services. Then I have a pony, mule, -and wagon to buy, and it will cost a snug sum to transport myself and -the specimens I hope to procure to Eaton. Wouldn’t I be in a pretty fix -if I should find my money was running short?” - -“You could draw on that committee for more, couldn’t you?” - -“No, I couldn’t. That wasn’t in the bargain.” - -“What’s the odds? Take the risk. Tell them that you were robbed, or that -your expenses were a little heavier than you thought they would be.” - -“I’ll not tell a lie to please anybody,” said Oscar indignantly. - -“Of course not! _Of_ course not!” yelled Tom, who was so nearly beside -himself with fury that he could not stand still even for a moment. “You -were quite willing to help a boy who has slandered you, and to work -yourself to death in order to win the approbation of strangers, but you -wouldn’t give your needy brother fifteen cents to save him from -starving.” - -“I’ll tell you what I will do,” said Oscar, paying no heed to Tom’s -remarks. “I will give you a suit of warm clothing and an overcoat, if -you will accept them.” - -It was right on the point of Tom’s tongue to tell Oscar to bundle up -that suit of warm clothing and the overcoat, and take them to Guinea, or -some other place under the equator—not because he did not need the -clothing, but because he wanted money more, and it made him angry to -know that he could not get it. - -If Oscar had been able to comply with his demands, every cent would have -been squandered, and his brother would have started out in his -threadbare suit to face the winter’s storms. - -Tom did not utter the words that arose to his lips. He paced back and -forth for some minutes, with his eyes fastened on the ground, when -suddenly a daring project suggested itself to him. - -Without stopping to dwell on it, he strode up and faced his brother. -There was a wild look in his eyes, and his fingers worked convulsively. - -“How much money have you got in your pocket?” he asked, in as steady a -tone as he could command. - -“Not a red cent,” was the reply. “I left it all at the fort. I thought -it would be safer there.” - -“And I wasn’t mistaken, either,” said Oscar, to himself, as he looked up -at his brother. “No honest face ever wore an expression like that. I -think I would be safer at the fort myself.” - -Tom could not meet his brother’s gaze. He turned away his head and -resumed his seat on the log. - -Oscar had never before come so near being robbed as he had that day. Tom -was really in terrible straits, and so very much in need of money that -he would not have hesitated to knock his brother senseless, if he had -been sure that by so doing he could secure possession of his well-filled -pocket-book. - -If the latter had not been thoughtful enough to place all his money in -his trunk before setting out on his ride, there would have been a -desperate battle on the banks of that little stream; and it is possible -that before it was ended Tom would have discovered that he had -undertaken more than he could accomplish. - -He was much larger and heavier than his brother, and plumed himself on -being a boxer, but he was weakened and dispirited, by long-continued -dissipation, while Oscar, having lived a strictly temperate life, was -always in condition to do his best. - -“Don’t you think it about time to turn over a new leaf?” asked Oscar, as -he arose to his feet and laid his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “One -is getting pretty near the end of his rope when he can bring himself to -think seriously of committing such a crime as you had in contemplation a -few minutes ago.” - -Tom did not raise his head or utter a sound. He could not find words -with which to deny the accusation. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - OSCAR TALKS TO THE COLONEL. - - -“What shall I do with the clothes?” continued Oscar. “Shall I bring them -to you, or would you rather go up to the sutler’s and pick them out for -yourself?” - -“I’d rather you would bring them to me,” answered Tom, without looking -at his brother. “Bring them to the mouth of the ravine, and I will meet -you there—say in a couple of hours. You had better not come in here -again, for my partner is an odd sort of a fellow, and doesn’t like to -have any strangers about his camp. If I shouldn’t happen to be on hand -when you come back, don’t wait for me. Just hide the clothes in the -bushes at the foot of a big rock you will see there, and I’ll find them. -You will know what rock I mean when you see it, for there is a large oak -tree leaning over it. Good-by till I see you again.” - -While Oscar was listening to what his brother had to say in regard to -the disposal of the clothing, something told him that Tom did not intend -to be at the place appointed to receive them. - -Impressed with this idea, and believing that it would be a long time -before he would meet him again,—if, indeed, he ever met him,—he resolved -to extort from him a promise that he would not only withdraw from the -companionship of such men as the one he had seen in the sage-brush, but -that he would make an honest and persevering effort to refund the money -he had stolen, and regain a place among reputable people. But he did not -have time to say a word, for Tom’s good-by was an abrupt dismissal. - -That he intended it should be taken as such was proved by his actions. -As soon as he ceased speaking, he caught up the axe and plunged into the -bushes. - -“Don’t leave me in that way. I want to say something more to you,” cried -Oscar. - -He listened intently for a reply, but the only one he received was the -echo of his own voice thrown back from the cliffs. - -He called again, with no better success, and then, unhitching his pony, -he sprang upon his back, and slowly and sadly rode down the ravine. - -He turned in his saddle occasionally, to run his eye over the thicket in -which Tom had disappeared; but he could see nothing of him, and finally -a sudden turn in the road shut the camp out from his view. - -The exhilarating gallop Oscar had enjoyed on his new pony had done much -to cure his homesickness and banish the gloomy thoughts that had crowded -upon him when he saw Leon Parker setting out for the States; but the -events of the last half hour had brought them all back again. - -He had never dreamed that he would stumble upon his brother in that -wilderness, or that he would ever see him in a condition so deplorable. - -Tom’s ill-gotten gains, which he had expected would bring him so much -happiness, had brought him nothing but misery. He was thinly clad, his -pockets were empty, he had often gone hungry, and he was the companion -and associate of the lowest characters. - -“His case certainly looks desperate,” thought Oscar, glancing at his -watch and putting his pony into a gallop, “and I am completely at my -wit’s end. I don’t know what to do, and I wish there was someone here to -whom I could go for advice. Tom will never be anything better than he is -while he remains with such fellows as that ‘partner’ of his, that’s -certain; but how shall I get him away from them? That’s the question -that troubles me.” - -And we may add that it troubled him all the way to the fort; but just as -he was riding into the gate a thought passed through his mind, inducing -him to turn his pony toward the stable instead of toward the -hitching-post in front of the commandant’s head-quarters, as he had at -first intended to do. If anybody could help him it was the colonel. - -He would not take the officer into his confidence, of course, but he -would question him in a roundabout way, and perhaps during the -conversation some hint would be dropped that would show him a way out of -his difficulty. - -Leaving his pony in the stall that had been set apart for his use, Oscar -walked across the parade-ground and entered the hall leading to the -colonel’s quarters, the orderly, as before, opening the door for him. He -was glad to find that the officer was alone. He was engaged in writing, -but when Oscar came in he laid down his pen and greeted him with: - -“Ah! you have turned up at last, have you? I have had an orderly looking -for you, thinking that perhaps you would like to take a short ride to -try your new horse.” - -“I have just returned from a five-mile gallop,” answered Oscar, who -hoped that the colonel would not offer to accompany him when he left the -fort to carry the clothes to the ravine. “I am going to start right -back, and this time I shall take my gun with me. I saw some grouse and a -big jack-rabbit down there in the sage-brush.” - -“Oh, you can find them any day if you keep your eyes open,” said the -colonel carelessly. “But I suppose you might as well begin to form your -collection one time as another. How does your pony suit?” - -“Very well so far. He showed a disposition to be ugly at first, but I -had no trouble to bring him to his senses. By-the-way, I met a couple of -wolfers while I was gone.” - -“Well, what did they steal from you?” - -“Nothing, sir. The only thing I had with me that was worth stealing was -my pony. No doubt you will be surprised when I tell you that one of -these wolfers is an old acquaintance of mine.” - -“You don’t say so!” exclaimed the colonel, who was indeed surprised. -“You beat anybody I ever heard of. How many more acquaintances are you -going to find while you are out here? Are you going to ship this fellow -off to the States, too?” - -“No, sir; because he can’t very well—I mean he doesn’t want to go back -where he came from,” stammered Oscar, who was not a little confused when -he found that he had let out more than he had intended. - -“_Ah!_” said the colonel in a very significant tone of voice. “It is a -wonder you met him at all, for these wolfers generally have good reasons -for keeping themselves hidden in the thickest part of the woods they can -find. If you have cause to dislike this man—whoever he is—you may have -the satisfaction of knowing that he can’t get any lower down in the -world—not by land, as some humorist remarks.” - -“I have no cause to dislike him,” replied Oscar. “On the contrary, I -think a good deal of him; but I do not like the company he keeps. I met -his partner while I was riding through the sage-brush, and I must say -that he was the worst specimen of humanity that I ever looked at. He was -tall and raw-boned, with grizzly hair and whiskers, a pair of -wild-looking eyes——” - -“And rode a little sorrel pony, with a sheepskin for a saddle,” added -the colonel. “That was Lish, the Wolfer. I know him. Where is he now?” - -“In the village, probably. I judge so, from the fact that, when I met -him, he carried a couple of empty sacks across his pony’s neck. I -thought he was going after supplies.” - -“Where did you find his companion?” - -“In camp, on the banks of the brook that runs through the ravine, -about——” - -“Orderly, tell Lieutenant Fitch I want to see him!” shouted the colonel. - -Oscar was very much surprised at this unceremonious interruption, and he -was still more surprised, and not a little alarmed, besides, when the -lieutenant—who happened to be close at hand—entered the room in haste, -and was thus addressed by his superior: - -“Mr. Fitch,” said the colonel, “Lish, the Wolfer, has been in Julesburg. -How long ago was it you met him?” he added, turning to Oscar. - -“About two hours, I should say.” - -“Well, he has had plenty of time to get drunk. Go and find him, Mr. -Fitch, and listen to what he has to say. When he is in his cups, he is -like an Indian in the war-dance—much given to boasting of his valorous -deeds. If he says anything relating to that affair of last summer, take -him into custody at once, and then go up and arrest his companion, whom -you will find on the banks of that little trout-stream we fished in last -summer. If one had a hand in it, the other did, too, and so we must pull -them both.” - -Having received his instructions, the lieutenant hurried from the room, -while Oscar sank helplessly back in his chair, almost overcome with -bewilderment and alarm. - -“Worse and worse,” he thought, when he had recovered himself so that he -could think at all. “Tom has been doing something else that renders him -liable to arrest. What will become of him?” - -Then, seeing that the colonel’s eyes were fastened upon him with an -inquiring look, he called a sickly smile to his face, and asked, in a -voice that was strangely calm, considering the circumstances: - -“Are the wolfers all bad men?” - -“Oh, no. There are exceptions, of course; but take them as a class, they -are a desperate lot. I know of several men, two of whom I have in my -mind at this moment, who made their start in life as wolfers. One of -them is now a prosperous merchant in an Eastern city, and the other is -running an extensive cattle ranch in Texas. But they were careful of -their money, while the majority of those who follow that business -squander every cent they earn. They brave hunger, cold, and all sorts of -hardships for several months in the year, and devote the rest of their -time to getting rid of their money. They are held in supreme contempt by -all honest plainsmen, and this acquaintance of yours had better break -off associating with them before he gets himself into trouble, if he -hasn’t done so already. If he is going to be a wolfer, he had better -hunt alone than in the company of that miserable fellow he seems to have -chosen for a companion. No matter how much money he makes, Lish will -find means to obtain possession of the whole of it.” - -“Do you think he will rob him?” exclaimed the boy. - -“He is capable of anything,” was the colonel’s reply. - -And it was accompanied by a shrug of the shoulders that spoke volumes -and excited a train of serious reflections in Oscar’s mind. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - OSCAR WRITES A NOTE. - - -While the colonel was speaking, Oscar had twisted uneasily about on his -chair, waiting with the utmost impatience for him to bring his remarks -to a close. - -At almost any other time he would have plied the officer with questions -regarding the class of nomads known as “wolfers,” for he would like to -have learned more about them; but he had already found out all he cared -to know just then. - -Tom was suspected of complicity in some crime that rendered him liable -to punishment; and, if he escaped and went to the hills with Lish, he -would run the risk of being robbed by him. - -Oscar thought it was his duty to warn him of these dangers. He knew that -the lieutenant would carry out his instructions with the utmost -promptness and decision—these regulars waste no time when acting under -orders—and not a moment was to be lost. - -The colonel settled back in his chair as though he had nothing more to -say just then, and Oscar arose to his feet and went into his bedroom. - -After slinging on his powder-flask and shot-pouch, and making sure that -the little box in the stock of his fowling-piece was filled with caps, -he opened his trunk, and, taking from it a sum of money sufficient to -pay for the clothes he had promised to purchase for his brother, he went -back into the colonel’s room. - -There the officer detained him for a few minutes in order to describe -the localities in the immediate vicinity of the fort in which he would -be likely to find the most game, and to tell him how to shape his course -in order to reach those localities. He thought he was doing the boy a -kindness; but instead of that he was putting him on nettles. - -Oscar listened as patiently as he could; and, when the colonel ceased -speaking, he bade him good-by and left the room. - -He bolted through the outer door, and ran at the top of his speed across -the parade-ground to the sutler’s store. Fortunately there were no -customers present, and so the sutler was at liberty to attend to his -wants at once. - -Slinging his double-barrel over his shoulder by the broad strap that was -attached to it, Oscar quickly selected the articles he thought his -brother needed, paid the price demanded for them, and, as soon as they -had been tied up in a compact bundle, he hurried to the stable after his -horse. - -The animal, as before, showed a desire to use his heels, but Oscar, -having no time to waste, paid not the slightest attention to him. The -curb and the rawhide lasso were both brought into requisition; and, -before the vicious little beast was fairly through smarting under the -energetic pulls and blows he had received, he had carried his rider -through the gate and out of sight of the flag-staff. - -The pony accomplished the distance that lay between the fort and the -mouth of the gully in much less time than he had accomplished it before; -for Oscar made no effort to check him, not even when he was moving with -headlong speed down the steep path that led through the sage-brush. - -Almost before he knew it, the boy found himself in the mouth of the -ravine, and there he drew rein and brought his pony to a stand-still. - -He now had another cause for uneasiness. Suppose the lieutenant had -found Lish at the village, and that the wolfer had said or done -something to warrant his arrest! Suppose, too, having placed Lish safely -in the guard-house, the young officer should come after Tom, and find -Oscar there in the ravine! - -Even if he did not suspect him of something—and it is hard to see how -the lieutenant could help it when he caught sight of the big bundle that -was tied to the horn of Oscar’s saddle—would he not mention the -circumstance to the colonel when he made his report, and wouldn’t the -colonel have a word or two to say about it? - -“Gracious!” exclaimed Oscar; “I’ll be in trouble myself if I don’t look -out. What could I say to the colonel if he should ask me what I was -doing here, and what I had in my bundle? Tom!” he added, calling as -loudly as he dared. “If you are about here, show yourself without any -fooling. I am in a great hurry, and I have news for you.” - -Tom _was_ about there, but he would not show himself. He was lying at -the foot of a scrub-oak, on the other side of the ravine, keeping a -close watch over his brother’s movements; but not even the announcement -that Oscar had some news to communicate, could induce him to stir from -his place of concealment. He felt so heartily ashamed of himself that he -did not want to meet his brother face to face again, if he could help -it. - -“I can’t waste any words on him. There are his clothes, and when he -wants them he can come after them,” said Oscar, pitching the bundle down -behind the rock Tom had described to him. “Now then, I don’t know -whether or not I shall have time to do it, but I’ll take the risk.” - -So saying, Oscar drew from his pocket a diary and lead-pencil, and -dashed off a short note to his brother, using the pommel of his saddle -for a writing-desk. The pony was as motionless as the rock beside which -he stood. - -Probably he thought—if he was able to think at all—that Oscar had ridden -into the bushes in order to conceal himself from some enemy who was in -pursuit of him. At any rate, he showed the training he had received at -the hands of his Indian master. - -The note ran as follows: - - - DEAR TOM: - - Here are the clothes you need. I am sorry I cannot see you again, - for I should like to ask you some questions in regard to a certain - “affair” that happened last summer; and in which you and Lish, the - Wolfer, are supposed to have been engaged. If you had anything to do - with it, you will know what I mean, and you had better dig out of - here without the loss of a minute’s time. Go off somewhere among - white folks; begin all over again, with an earnest resolution to do - better, and, as soon as you are able, make amends for what you have - done. But first drop Lish, as you would drop a hot potato. You will - never amount to a row of pins so long as you have anything to do - with him or men like him. I have as good evidence as I want that he - will rob you before the season is over, as Frank Fuller and Eben - Webster robbed Leon Parker. If you had no hand in that “affair,” - whatever it may be, come up to the fort as soon as you have read - this note and put on these clothes, and I will do everything in my - power to give you a start. In either case drop Lish. It would be - better for you to work for nothing and board around, as you did in - Denver, than to associate longer with him. - - -For prudential reasons, Oscar signed no name to the note; and, indeed, -no signature was needed to tell Tom where it came from. He read it over -hastily, and bending down from his saddle, he thrust it under the string -with which the bundle of clothing was tied up. - -“It isn’t as emphatic as I wish it was,” thought he, “but I have no time -to re-write it, and I don’t know that I could make any improvements in -it if I should try. I would much rather talk to him, and I wish he -had——” - -Just then the pony’s head came up with a jerk, and his ears were thrown -back as if he were listening to some sound behind him. - -He did not turn about as most horses would have done, nor did he move -one of his feet an inch—not even when the clatter of hoofs on the hard -path began to ring out clearly and distinctly, as it did a moment later. - -Somebody was coming through the sage-brush toward the ravine—that was -evident. Beyond a doubt it was the lieutenant; and here was Oscar, -fairly cornered. - -A person thinks rapidly when placed in a situation like this, and it did -not take the boy an instant to make up his mind that everything depended -on his pony. - -The rock behind which he had hidden the bundle stood on the hillside, -fully twenty feet from the path, and the intervening space was thickly -covered with trees and bushes. - -If the pony could be kept from revealing his presence, it was possible -that the approaching horseman might pass on into the ravine, without -suspecting that there was anyone near him. - -“It’s rather a slender chance,” Oscar thought, as he swung himself from -the saddle and seized his pony by the bit; “but it is the only one I -have. Now, old fellow,” he added in a whisper, “just imagine that I am -an Indian hiding here to escape from a white man who wants to shoot me!” - -If the pony had been able to understand every word his master said to -him, he could not have behaved with more circumspection. - -He stood perfectly still, and there was nothing but the motion of his -ears to indicate that he heard anything. - -Oscar kept a close watch of the path through a convenient opening in the -bushes, and presently the horseman passed across the range of his -vision. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - LEFT IN THE SAGE-BRUSH. - - -The opening in the bushes was so small that Oscar was able to obtain but -a momentary glimpse of the passing horseman, but that momentary glimpse -was enough to satisfy him on two points. It was not the lieutenant, -after all, but Lish, the Wolfer, and he had not been to the village for -the purpose of getting drunk, as the colonel had intimated, but to lay -in some necessary supplies in the way of provisions. The well-filled -bags that were slung across his pony’s neck, and the side of bacon which -hung from the muzzle of the long rifle he carried over his shoulder -testified to this fact. - -Oscar drew a long breath of relief when he saw the man ride down the -path, and told himself that one thing was certain: If Tom was determined -to go with the wolfer he would have something to eat during the journey -to his hunting-grounds, and if he went hungry after that, it would be -because his partner was too lazy to keep the larder supplied with meat. - -As soon as the wolfer had passed out of hearing Oscar mounted his pony -and rode down into the path. He made his way around the brow of the -hill; and, when he had put a safe distance between himself and the mouth -of the ravine, he checked his pony and proceeded to load his gun. - -“Tom has got the matter in his own hands,” said he, as he rested the -butt of the weapon on the toe of his boot and poured a charge of powder -into each barrel. “If he had nothing to do with that ‘affair’ that -happened last summer—I wish to goodness I knew what it was—and has any -desire to turn over a new leaf and to go to work in earnest, he will -come up to the fort as soon as he has read that note. If he does not -come I shall have to look upon his absence either as a confession of -guilt, or as a declaration that he prefers the companionship of such men -as that wolfer to the society of honest folks. In either case I have -done all I can, and the business ends right here so far as I am -concerned.” - -Oscar would have been very much surprised if anyone had told him that he -had not seen the end of the business after all; that, in fact, he had -seen only the beginning of it. - -The note he had written, as well as the clothing he had purchased to -keep Tom from freezing, were destined at no distant day to be produced -as evidence against him. - -Was it a dread of impending evil that prompted him to say, as he placed -the caps on his gun and started his pony forward again: - -“Mr. Chamberlain was always right, and he shot close to the mark when he -told me that I would not find plain sailing before me, simply because I -was about to engage in a congenial occupation. I have been at the fort -but a few hours, and yet I have wished myself back in Eaton more than a -dozen times. Why didn’t I keep away from that ravine? Thoughts of Tom -will force themselves upon me continually, and all my pleasure will be -knocked in the head. How can I enjoy myself when I know that he is in -such a situation? Hold on there! I am ready for you now!” - -Although he was deeply engrossed in his meditations, Oscar could still -keep an eye out for game; and when that flock of sage-hens arose from -the bushes almost at his pony’s feet, they did not catch him napping. - -Being accustomed to the noise made by the grouse of his native hills -when it suddenly bursts from its cover, the sound of their wings did not -startle him as it startles the tyro. - -He was so excited that he did not think to stop his pony, but still he -was cool enough to make his selections before he fired; and when he saw, -through the thick cloud of smoke that poured from each barrel, two -little patches of feathers floating in the air, and marking the spot -where a brace of the finest members of the flock had been neatly stopped -in their rapid flight, he knew that his ammunition had not been expended -in vain. - -There was another thing Oscar did not think of, and that was whether or -not his pony would stand fire. But it was now too late to debate that -question, and besides, it had been settled to his entire satisfaction. -Almost simultaneously with the quick reports of the fowling-piece there -arose other sounds of an entirely different character—a crashing in the -bushes, followed by muffled exclamations of astonishment and anger. -These sounds were made by Oscar, who had been very neatly unhorsed. - -The pony would no doubt stand fire well enough to suit his half-savage, -rough-riding Indian master, but he was not steady enough to suit the -young taxidermist. - -When the double-barrel roared almost between his ears, his head went -down, his hind feet came up, and Oscar, being taken off his guard, went -whirling through the air as if he had been thrown from a catapult. - -He lost no time in scrambling to his feet, but he was too late to catch -his pony. All he saw of him was the end of his tail, which was -flourishing triumphantly in the breeze as the tricky little beast went -out of sight over the brow of the hill. - -“Well, go if you want to!” shouted Oscar, holding one hand to his head, -and rubbing his shoulder with the other. “You’ll never come that on me -again, I tell you. I can hunt just as well on foot. Now, where’s my -gun?” - -The weapon had been pitched into a thick bush, a short distance in -advance of the one in which Oscar had brought up, and fortunately it had -sustained no injury beyond a few deep scratches in the stock, which -Oscar tried to rub out with the sleeve of his coat. - -The boy’s first care was to put fresh loads into each barrel, and his -second to hunt up his specimens, which he found to be perfect in every -way. - -After examining them to his satisfaction, he placed them in a couple of -paper cones which he had taken the precaution to put into his game-bag -before leaving the fort, and then set out in search of the jack-rabbit -he had seen a few hours before. - -He did not waste any time in looking for his pony, for he knew that all -efforts to recapture him would be unavailing. The animal would no doubt -make the best of his way back to the corral from which he had been taken -in the morning, and Oscar would find him there when he returned to the -fort. - -If he ever got on his back again, he would teach him that he was -expected to halt the instant he saw his rider raise a gun to his face, -and give him to understand, besides, that any and every attempt to throw -that rider would be sure to bring a certain and speedy punishment. - -The young hunter walked up and down the ridge several times, carefully -beating the cover on each side of the path, but he could not make the -jack-rabbit, or any member of his family, show himself. - -Probably there were plenty of his species running about in the brush, -within easy range, or hiding away in secure retreats, listening to the -sound of his footsteps; but he had no dog to drive them out into the -open so that he could get a shot at them. How Bugle would have enjoyed -an hour’s run in that thicket! - -Becoming weary of the hunt at last, Oscar looked at his watch, felt of -his head—which must have been pretty severely bumped, judging by the way -it ached—and drew a bee-line for the post. - -Tom had been allowed ample time to read the note and put on the clothes -that had been provided for him; and, if he thought it best to come up to -the fort, Oscar wanted to be on hand to meet him. It was near the hour -of dress-parade, too. - -As soon as that was over, and supper had been served, the officers who -were to compose the hunting expedition were to be ready for the start. - -Oscar knew that the hunt had been planned solely for his own benefit, -and since the colonel had shown him so much courtesy, it would not do -for him to be a minute behind time. - -There was a vast difference, Oscar found, in traveling over two miles -and a half of prairie on a swift and willing horse, and walking the same -distance when one has an aching head on his shoulders and a -fowling-piece to carry, even though it does weigh but little over seven -pounds. - -It seemed a long way from the sage-brush to the fort, but he reached his -journey’s end at last, and just in time to see the companies fall in for -dress-parade. - -From the top of the hill on which the fort was located, Oscar witnessed, -for the first time, this imposing ceremony, which took place on a level -plain a short distance away. - -It consisted principally of a short exercise in the manual of arms, the -reception of the reports of the first sergeants, and the publication of -the latest orders. - -There were eight companies in line, and every one of them was composed -entirely of well-dressed veterans. There was not a man in the ranks who -had not heard the warwhoop, and joined in headlong charges against the -hostile Sioux. - -They presented a fine appearance as they sat there in their saddles, the -rays of the declining sun glancing from their bright weapons and -burnished accoutrements, every man’s arm and body moving as one, in -obedience to the sharp words of command. As Oscar looked at them his -heart thrilled, and he wished that he was a soldier himself. - -This wish he communicated to a young second lieutenant, Joel Warwick by -name, who was to be one of the hunting party, and who joined him as soon -as the parade was dismissed. - -The officer stared at Oscar a moment, as if to assure himself that he -was really in earnest, and then astonished him by saying: - -“I would change places with you to-day, if I could, and give you boot -into the bargain. You see us now in our Sunday clothes, and you think we -look nice. So we do; for there’s not a finer sight to be seen in this -world than a battalion of cavalry drawn up in line, unless it be that -same battalion making a charge. But you ought to see us and our clothes -after a hard scout!” - -“Well, you don’t go on scout every day,” said Oscar. “Besides, you have -a life position; you get good pay for what you do, and there are your -chances for promotion. You’ll be a colonel yourself some day.” - -“Not much. We go by the seniority rule in peace times, and there are a -good many on the list above me, I tell you. Nothing but a war that will -kill off some of my seniors will advance me.” - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - THE HUNTING PARTY. - - -Joel Warwick was a dashing young officer, proud of his chosen -profession, and anxious for an opportunity to distinguish himself in it. -Although he was fresh from West Point—he had been on the plains but -little more than a year—he had shown himself to be possessed of a good -many qualities that go to make up a first-class soldier. - -“I have been thinking of you ever since we were introduced,” continued -the lieutenant, “and wondering if you really knew the worth of the -attentions that have been shown you. You came out here a perfect -stranger, and yet you were received at once on terms of intimacy by the -colonel, who can’t do too much for you; while we little fellows, who -have risked our lives in obedience to his orders, must keep our -distance. The gulf between line and field officers in the regular army -is a wide one, and no subordinate must attempt to cross it. Before my -commander will be as free with me as he is with you, I must wear an -eagle on my shoulders.” - -“And yet he thinks a great deal of you,” said Oscar. “He told me that -you would some day make a fine officer.” - -“Did he say that?” exclaimed the lieutenant, his eyes sparkling with -pleasure. “Well, I knew that he was satisfied with me. If he wasn’t, he -never would have invited me to go on this hunt.” - -“What did you do to please him?” - -“I rode my horse to death while carrying despatches for him. While we -were out on our last scout, it became necessary for him to communicate -with the commandant at Fort Wallace; so he started me off with Big -Thompson for a guide. I rode a splendid animal, which my father had -presented to me when I was first ordered out here, and which I believe -to be equal, if not superior, to anything that ever stood on four feet; -but, before we had gone half the distance, he was completely done up, -and Thompson had to shoot him. That was in accordance with orders, you -know. If a horse gives out, he is killed, to keep him from falling into -the hands of the hostiles who may use him against us. My guide then ran -ahead, on foot, and I rode his horse. And would you believe it?—that -miserable little pony of his was none the worse for the journey, and -neither was Thompson, while I was so completely played out that I wasn’t -worth a cent for a whole week. By the way, I thought I saw you leave the -post on horseback?” - -“So I did; but out there in the sage-brush he threw me, and made off -before I could catch him. I hope to find him somewhere about the -corral.” - -“I hope you will, but I am afraid you won’t. I think you will find that -he has struck a straight course for the camp where his old master hangs -out. Let’s go and see if we can find him, and then we’ll come back and -take a look at that mule and wagon the quartermaster sent up from the -village. The man who owns them has been waiting for you over an hour.” - -“Have you heard anybody else inquiring for me?” asked Oscar, thinking of -his brother. “Well, I have done all I can,” he added to himself, upon -receiving a reply in the negative. “Tom has made his own bed, and he -must occupy it.” - -What the lieutenant said about the pony made Oscar a little uneasy. If -it was true that the animal had gone off to hunt up his former owner, he -might make up his mind that he had seen the last of him; for the Indian -would take particular pains to see that he did not fall into the hands -of the soldiers again very soon. - -If he did not send him off to some secure hiding-place among the -ravines, he would turn him loose with a lot of other ponies, and the -most experienced horseman at the post could not have picked him out from -among them. - -If by any chance he was discovered and taken possession of by the -soldiers, some “good” Indian would lay claim to him, and the agent—who -is always more in sympathy with his Indians than he is with the troops -whose presence protects him—would order him to be given up. - -The lieutenant explained all this to Oscar as the two walked toward the -corral. When they arrived there they could see nothing of the missing -steed. - -The guards were questioned, but the invariable reply was that no pony -wearing a saddle and bridle had passed through the lines that afternoon. - -He was not to be found in his stall either: and, after spending half an -hour in fruitless search, Oscar gave him up for lost, and followed the -lieutenant across the parade-ground to the colonel’s quarters, in front -of which stood the wagon and mule the quartermaster had sent up for the -boy’s inspection. - -“Be you the college-sharp that’s needin’ a mu-el?” asked a roughly -dressed man, who arose from the warehouse steps and sauntered up to them -while they were critically examining the wagon and the long-eared animal -that was hitched to it. - -Oscar looked at the man, and then he turned and looked at the -lieutenant, who said in a low tone: - -“Every expert is called a ‘sharp’ out here. If he is a good poker-player -he is called a card-sharp; if he is an eloquent preacher he is called a -gospel-sharp—and no disrespect is intended either. It is simply a -plainsman way of talking. He has heard somewhere that you are backed up -by a university, and that’s the reason he calls you a college-sharp. -It’s a pretty fair looking rig, isn’t it? I don’t know that you can do -better, for you may rest assured that the quartermaster wouldn’t pick -out anything inferior for you. You can easily find sale for it when you -come back; and, if your horse is lost, and you don’t feel like buying -another, you can ride the mule when you want to go hunting. Now, then, -what are you laughing at?” - -“I am laughing at the idea of making a hunting horse out of a mule,” -replied Oscar. - -“Now, I’ll tell you what’s a fact—they make good ones,” exclaimed the -lieutenant. “One of our favorite scouts rides a mule on all his hunting -excursions, and that same mule can make an elk break his trot quicker -than any thoroughbred in the regiment.” - -The officer might almost as well have talked Greek, for Oscar did not -know what he meant when he spoke of an elk being made to break his trot; -but, before he could ask an explanation, the lieutenant continued: - -“You look him over, and I’ll go and find the major. It isn’t always safe -to invest in horse- or mule-flesh in this country until you know how -many owners it has. You don’t want to pay for it more than once.” - -The young officer hurried off as he said this, and Oscar was left to -complete his examination alone. - -It was easy enough to see that the mule was a superior animal. Although -he was not very large or heavy, he was well put together, and looked -strong enough to draw a much weightier vehicle than the one to which he -was hitched—a light “three-spring,” built something like an ambulance, -and provided with a canvas top to protect its cargo from the weather. - -Oscar had already made up his mind to purchase, and a few words from the -major—who presently came up—confirmed him in his decision. - -The money—a good round sum—was paid over to the owner, who departed -satisfied; the mule and wagon were given into the charge of one of the -teamsters, and Oscar and the lieutenant hurried to their rooms to get -ready for supper. - -During the meal the loss of Oscar’s pony was discussed, and the -conclusion at which all the officers arrived was that the young -taxidermist was just fifty dollars out of pocket, besides the amount he -had paid for the lasso, saddle, and bridle, which the animal had carried -away with him. - -“No doubt those articles will be very acceptable to the Indian, who will -be delighted to get his horse back again,” said the major. “But I can -mount you for this hunt. I’ll give you Gipsy. She is a beautiful rider, -and as gentle as a kitten. She is pretty fast, too, but when you are in -the chase you’ll have to look out for her. She is not as sure-footed as -your last pony, and if you should happen to get into a prairie-dog’s -nest she might break her legs, and your neck into the bargain. While you -are gone I’ll make every effort to recover your horse, but you mustn’t -be disappointed if I fail.” - -Supper over, Oscar went into his room to get ready for the start. When -he came out again he carried his heavy Sharpe’s rifle on his shoulder, a -pair of saddle-bags, containing a few necessary articles, over his arm, -and a belt filled with cartridges was buckled about his waist. - -The other members of the party were waiting for him on the -parade-ground. There were six of them in all, not counting the soldier -who was to drive the wagon in which the tents and other camp equipage -was stowed away, and the Osage guide, who sat on his pony near the gate, -waiting for the party to start. - -The hunters were all in their saddles, and the colonel’s hounds were -frisking about in front of the wagon, with every demonstration of joy. - -The quartermaster stood holding by the bridle a beautiful little nag, -which was affectionately rubbing her head against his shoulder. - -This was the major’s holiday horse—the one he rode on dress-parades, and -other extra occasions. The one he rode on his scouts and campaigns was a -tall, raw-boned roan, which he called his war-horse. - -Oscar threw his rifle over his shoulder—it was provided with a sling -similar to the one that was attached to the fowling-piece—placed his -saddle-bags in the wagon, and mounted his horse, whereupon the guide put -his pony in motion and rode out of the gate, the cavalcade following -close at his heels. - -The sun was just setting as they started out; and, before they had -proceeded many miles on their way, night settled down over the prairie. - -As the sky was cloudy, and no stars were to be seen, the darkness soon -became intense. All Oscar could see in advance of him was the white -blanket worn by the Indian guide, who kept steadily on his way, as sure -of his course as he would have been in broad daylight. - -But the darkness did not affect the spirits of the hunters, who acted -like a lot of boys just turned loose from school. Even the colonel had -thrown aside his dignity, and seemed delighted to have the opportunity -to let out a little of the jovial spirit and good feeling which had so -long been restrained by the requirements of official etiquette. - -He shouted and sang songs until he was hoarse, and even yelled back at -the wolves, which now and then serenaded the party. - -Shortly after midnight they arrived at the place which had been selected -for their camping-ground—a little grove of timber situated on one of the -branches of the Platte. - -Here the wagon was brought to a halt, and almost before Oscar had had -time to gain any idea of his surroundings, the horses had been staked -out, the tents pitched, and a fire started in the edge of the timber. - -Oscar had often made camp in the woods after dark, but he found that the -officers were better at such business than he was. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - A CHASE AND A CAPTIVE. - - -Having picketed his horse and placed his saddle and bridle under the -wagon with the others, Oscar joined the group about the fire, who were -preparing to dispose of a second supper before going to bed—their long -ride in the keen air having given them a most ravenous appetite. - -Oscar was as hungry as the rest, and never did he partake of homely fare -with more relish than he did that night. The black coffee sweetened with -brown sugar, and served up without milk, was equal to any his mother had -ever made; the fat bacon was better than most beef, and the hardtack was -to be preferred to pastry. - -He ate his full share of the viands, and then rolled himself up in his -blankets, and, with his saddle for a pillow, slept the sleep of the -weary, until he was aroused by the voices of the teamsters, who, with -the help of the Indian, had kept watch of the horses during the night. - -A dash of cold water in his face, and a hasty breakfast, prepared him -for the hunt, the details of which were arranged while the horses were -being brought up. - -“Now, Oscar,” said the colonel, as he sprang into the saddle and led the -way toward a plateau that lay about two miles distant from the camp, -“stay as close to me as you can, and if we don’t secure a specimen of -something before another meal is served up to us, it will not be our -fault. What do you intend to do with that rifle, I’d like to know?” - -“Why, I am going to shoot a prong-horn with it if I get the chance,” -answered Oscar. - -“Take it back to camp, and tell the teamsters to take care of it until -you return,” said the colonel. “It will only be in your way. Your -revolver and lasso are what you must depend on this morning.” - -Oscar hastened to obey, and, when he reached the camp, he found that the -colonel had not brought his hounds along. As soon as he came up with the -officer again he asked why he had not done so. - -“We want to see some sport while our horses are fresh,” was the reply, -“and the best way to get it is to run the game down ourselves. A dash of -three or four miles will take all the breath out of them, and then we’ll -give the hounds a chance. This afternoon we will try still-hunting, -which has gone almost out of style, except among the Indians and a few -white pot-hunters, and then you can use your rifle.” - -During the ride to the plateau the colonel improved the opportunity to -give Oscar some instructions in regard to the manner in which antelope -were hunted, and the course he must pursue to make the hunt successful. - -He showed him how to throw the lasso, and, although the boy tried hard -to imitate him, he did it simply out of politeness, and not because he -believed that he would ever be able to capture anything with that novel -weapon. - -He could throw the lasso with all ease as far as its length would -permit, and sometimes the noose would go, and sometimes it wouldn’t. He -was not very expert with the revolver either, and often wished he had -held fast to his rifle. - -When the hunting party mounted the hills that led to the plateau, Oscar -obtained his first view of a prong-horn. - -He was disappointed, as almost everybody is who sees for the first time -something he has often read or heard about. He knew that the antelope -seldom exceeds three feet in height at the shoulders, and that it rarely -weighs more than sixty or seventy pounds; but still he did not expect to -find it so diminutive a creature. - -There were several small herds grazing quietly within range of his -vision, and but for their color they might have been taken for so many -sheep. - -Having carefully marked the position of the different herds, the hunters -drew silently back down the ridge, and following in the lead of the -colonel made a detour of a mile or more, in order to reach some hillocks -on the leeward side of the game, under cover of which they could -approach some hundreds of yards nearer to the spot on which they were -grazing. - -On reaching this place of concealment, they dismounted for a few minutes -to tighten their saddle-girths, arrange their lassoes and look to their -revolvers; and, when everything was ready for the exciting chase that -was to follow, they rode out on the plateau and showed themselves to the -antelope. - -The actions of the animals, who were thus disturbed at their quiet -repast by the sudden appearance of enemies whose presence they had never -suspected, astonished Oscar. - -Instead of setting off in full flight at once, as he had expected they -would, they one and all made a few “buck-jumps”—that is, sprang straight -up and down in the air; and then, running together in a group, stood and -stared at the intruders. - -But when the colonel, with a wild Indian yell and a wave of his hat, -dashed toward them at the top of his speed, they scattered like leaves -before a storm, and made off at their best pace. - -Oscar followed close at the colonel’s heels, the gallant little black on -which he was mounted easily keeping pace with the officer’s more bulky -horse; and presently he saw a full-grown doe, with a couple of fawns at -her side, break away from the others and direct her course across the -plateau toward the lower prairie that lay beyond. - -“There’s your chance, Preston!” shouted the colonel. “Shoot the doe and -lasso the youngsters. You’ll never find finer specimens if you hunt -until your hair is as white as mine. Go it, now, and don’t forget that -the louder you yell the more fun you’ll have!” - -The hubbub that arose behind him made Oscar believe that the other -members of the party must be of the same opinion. - -The chorus of whoops and howls that rent the air when the game was seen -in full flight was almost enough to raise a doubt in his mind as to -whether his hunting companions were friendly white men or hostile -Indians. - -[Illustration: OSCAR SHOOTS THE PRONG-HORN.] - -The colonel kept on after a magnificent buck on which he had set his -eye. Oscar turned off in pursuit of the trio which had been pointed out -to him as his quarry, and Lieutenant Warwick came dashing after him, -uttering hideous yells to urge both horses to renewed exertions. - -The prong-horns ran with such surprising swiftness that Oscar, almost -from the start, began to despair of overtaking them; but by the time he -had gone half a mile, he saw that he was rapidly closing up the gap that -lay between himself and the game. - -If the antelope’s staying powers were equal to its speed for a short -distance, all efforts to run it down on horseback would be unavailing; -but it soon begins to show signs of weariness, and then even a -moderately fast horse can come up with it. - -As soon as he had approached within easy range, Oscar drew his revolver -from his belt, and, by a lucky snap shot, threw the doe in her tracks—an -achievement which the lieutenant hailed with another chorus of yells. - -Well satisfied with his work so far, Oscar returned his revolver to its -place, and taking his lasso from the horn of his saddle, kept on after -the fawns, which were running wildly about, as if bewildered and -terror-stricken by the loss of their guardian. - -He hardly expected to capture one of them, for the little fellows, -having shown themselves to be very light of foot, now proved that they -were equally quick at dodging and doubling; but after he had made a few -throws, which were nimbly eluded by the game, he succeeded, to his great -surprise and the infinite delight of the lieutenant, who still followed -close at his heels, shouting out words of encouragement and advice, in -slipping the noose over the head of the nearest fawn and pulling it to -the ground. - -In an instant the two horses were at a stand-still, and the lieutenant -was on the ground beside the struggling captive. With his own lariat he -securely tied its feet, and then he threw off the noose that was around -its neck. - -“Go on and capture the other one,” he shouted, “and you will have a -couple of the nicest pets you ever saw! You know how it is done now.” - -Setting his horse in motion again, the successful hunter galloped away -in pursuit of the captive’s mate, and soon discovered it standing on a -little hill a short distance away, looking wistfully around, as if -trying to find its lost companion. - -It allowed Oscar to come pretty close to it before it took the alarm; -but when it was fairly started it made up for lost time. It ran faster -than it did before; and it was only after a two-mile chase that Oscar -was near enough to it to use his lasso. - -He threw until his arm ached, and was on the point of settling the -matter with a shot from his revolver, when the fawn, in the most -accommodating manner, ran its head directly into the noose and was -quickly pulled to the ground. - -“There!” exclaimed Oscar, panting loudly after his exertions, “I did it, -didn’t I? Now, Gipsy, I am going to see if you are as smart as your -master thinks you are. I want you to hold that fellow for me until I see -what he looks like.” - -Oscar had often heard and read of the wonderful intelligence exhibited -by trained horses in assisting their riders to secure animals that had -been lassoed in the chase, but he had never put the least faith in it. -Now he had an opportunity to test the matter for himself, and the result -proved that their skill had not in the least been exaggerated. - -Having wrapped his lariat around the horn of his saddle, Oscar -dismounted to take a nearer look at his captive. - -As he approached, the little creature sprang to its feet, but was almost -instantly pulled down again by a quick movement on the part of the -horse, which stepped backward, throwing her weight upon the lasso as she -did so. - -“I declare, you do understand your business, after all, Gipsy!” -exclaimed the boy, who watched her movements with great admiration. -“Now, how am I going to tie this fellow? I believe I’ll slip that noose -under his forelegs, and make him walk to camp. If he doesn’t feel like -going peaceably, I can make the mare drag him. Hollo! What’s that?” - -Oscar, who had bent over his captive in readiness to carry out the plan -he had hit upon, suddenly straightened up, and burying his hands deep in -his pockets, looked first toward a distant swell, down which the -lieutenant was coming at headlong speed, waving his hat in the air and -uttering triumphant yells, and then he looked at the fawn. - -He was a born hunter, and whenever he bagged any game of which he had -long been in search, and which promised, when mounted, to make an -unusually fine specimen, he was a proud and happy boy; but just now he -felt anything but pride in his success. - -His little captive shed tears so copiously, and looked up at him with so -appealing an expression, that Oscar, for the moment, was completely -unnerved. - -Then, too, its forelegs were lacerated, the skin having been cut away by -repeated blows from the sharp points of the hinder hoofs, and Oscar knew -that it must be suffering intensely. - -Besides this, Gipsy, who was doing her duty faithfully, was leaning back -so heavily on the lariat that the iron ring which formed the noose was -pressed down upon the little creature’s throat until it seemed on the -point of strangling. - -“Good gracious!” cried Oscar, who took this all in at a glance, “I can’t -stand it, and I won’t, either. There you are! Clear out, and take better -care of yourself in future.” - -To run to his horse and undo the lariat that was made fast around the -horn of his saddle was scarcely the work of a moment. - -Holding it in his hand, just tightly enough to prevent the captive from -jumping to its feet, he approached it, and with a quick movement opened -the noose and threw it off its neck. - -The fawn was on its feet in an instant, and in a few seconds more it was -making railroad time down the ridge. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - COURSING AND STILL-HUNTING. - - -Oscar watched the fawn as long as it remained in sight; and was glad to -see that the injuries it had inflicted upon itself did not in the least -interfere with its running. - -When it disappeared from his view, he mounted his horse and turned -about, to find the lieutenant sitting motionless in his saddle and -looking at him with every expression of astonishment. - -“What did you do that for?” he asked, as Oscar came up. “That wasn’t a -very bright trick.” - -“I couldn’t help it,” was the reply. “He cried so, and seemed to be in -such misery.” - -“Well, you beat anybody I ever heard of!” exclaimed the young officer, -who could scarcely believe his ears. “You come out here on purpose to -hunt game, and when you secure as fine a specimen as one can find in a -year’s shooting, you must up and let it go because it _cries_!” - -The lieutenant shouted out the last word at the top of his voice, and -clapped his hands, and waved himself back and forth in the saddle, and -laughed until Oscar was obliged to laugh too. - -“That’s the way they all do,” continued the officer, as soon as he could -speak. “You’ll have to get used to it.” - -“I can’t, and I’ll not try,” was the emphatic rejoinder. “I’ll never -chase another antelope on horseback, unless I am in danger of going -hungry. Why, his forelegs were all cut to pieces!” - -“That’s another thing they always do when they begin to get tired and -are hard pressed. It is because they don’t pick up their forefeet fast -enough to keep them out of the way of the hind ones. Well, we have seen -all we shall see of this drive, and we’d better go back and find the -others. The colonel will want to try the speed of his dogs now. You’ll -not mind looking at a pretty race, I suppose?” - -“I shall take no part in it,” answered Oscar. “If the colonel wants more -antelope, why doesn’t he shoot them and be done with it?” - -The lieutenant shrugged his shoulders as if to say that what the colonel -did was something he could not answer for, and after that the two rode -in silence, the officer now and then turning in his saddle to gaze in -the direction in which the fawn had disappeared, and acting altogether -as if he had half a mind to turn about and resume the pursuit on his own -responsibility. - -He believed in making as large a bag as he could when he went hunting, -and the loss of the fawn troubled him not a little. - -Oscar had almost decided to let the other captive go free also; but, -when he reached the place where it had been left, he found that it was -but slightly injured, not having been so long and perseveringly pushed -as its mate; so he decided to keep it if he could, and take it back to -the States with him. - -Sam Hynes would go into ecstasies over a gift like that, and, as for his -handsome sister, she—that is—well, he would take it home with him, -anyhow. - -Having made his lasso fast around the fawn’s fore shoulders, Oscar, with -the lieutenant’s assistance, untied its legs and allowed it to spring to -its feet. - -It “bucked” beautifully for a while, and made the most desperate efforts -to escape; but at last it became exhausted by its useless struggling and -permitted its captor to lead it back to the place where the doe had been -brought down by the shot from Oscar’s revolver. - -She proved to be a very fine specimen, and the lieutenant, who had been -in at the death of more than one antelope during the time he had been on -the plains, assured the lucky hunter that he would see but few larger. - -While they were examining their prize the colonel and the rest of the -party appeared on the plateau; and, after looking at the boys through -their field-glasses, one of them separated himself from his companions -and began riding his horse in a circle at a full gallop. - -“What is he doing that for?” asked Oscar, when he saw the lieutenant -laugh and swing his hat about his head. - -“I suppose he wants us to go there,” was the reply; “but he is giving -the wrong signal. He is riding ‘Danger! get together at once.’ The first -time I saw that signal, I tell you it made my hair stand right up on -end. I was out on a scout with a small party, when one of our lookouts, -who was so far away from us that we could hardly see him with the naked -eye, began riding in a circle; and, by the time we were ready for -action, we had ten times our number of Indians down with us. We can -communicate with one another with our horses and our hands as easily as -we could with signal-flags. If two or more columns of troops are -marching through the same country out of sight of each other they raise -smokes.” - -The lieutenant went on to explain the different signals that were in -vogue among the soldiers; and, by the time he had succeeded in making -Oscar understand them, they reached the plateau where the colonel’s -party was engaged in picking up the antelope that had fallen to their -revolvers, and putting them into the wagon, which the teamster had -brought up in obedience to a signal from his commander. - -The officers were loud in their praises of Oscar’s skill, he having been -the only one who was fortunate enough to capture any of the fawns alive, -and they were both surprised and amused when they learned that one of -his captives had been set at liberty “because it cried.” - -Leaving the teamster and the Indian to pick up the rest of the game and -to care for the captive fawn, the party, accompanied by the hounds, -which were now to be allowed to share in the sport, rode away from the -plateau from which all the herds had been driven by the noise of the -chase, and set out to hunt up a suitable coursing-ground. - -After a five-mile gallop they found themselves on a level plain, bounded -on all sides by high ridges, on the top of which they saw several small -herds of prong-horns feeding in fancied security. They had taken -measures to provide for their safety, having posted sentinels on the -highest points of the ridges. - -From their commanding elevations these lookouts could survey the plain -for a long distance on two sides, their view in other directions being -obstructed at intervals by thickly wooded ravines, under cover of which -a cautious hunter could approach within easy rifle-range. - -The colonel, who always acted as chief huntsman, now made a change in -his programme. - -Three of the party were at once sent off with orders to make a wide -detour and find concealment in one of the ravines before spoken of. - -When they had approached as close to the game as they could, they were -to show themselves suddenly, and drive the herds into the plain, so that -the hounds would be given a fair chance to show their speed. - -As soon as the selected three had ridden away, the rest of the party, of -whom Oscar was one, moved behind a swell out of sight; and, after -turning their horses loose, stretched themselves out in the grass to -wait until the time for action arrived. - -The hounds were with his party, and, well trained as they were, it was a -task of no little difficulty to restrain them. They had obtained a fair -view of their prospective game, and were eager to be sent in pursuit of -it. The colonel frequently consulted his watch; and, at the end of an -hour, gave the order to “catch up,” which is a plainsman’s way of saying -“get ready for the start.” - -He had calculated, almost to a minute, the time which the detachment he -had sent off would consume in reaching the cover of the nearest ravine. - -As he and Oscar rode to the top of the swell behind which they had been -concealed, three mounted figures suddenly appeared in sight and charged -upon the game. - -The little animals scattered in all directions, some securing their -safety by turning squarely off and running the wrong way, while the -others, seeing no enemy on the plain below them, darted down the ridges -and held a straight course for the colonel’s party. - -The impatience of the hounds increased as the distance between them and -the approaching antelope was lessened; but their master had them under -perfect control, and not one of them moved until the word was given. - -When the nearest of the herd had arrived within three hundred yards of -the ridge on which their new enemies were crouching in the tall grass, -the colonel raised a yell, and the chase began. - -It was fully as exciting as Oscar thought it would be, but he did not -take as much interest in it as his friends did, for he could not help -feeling sorry for the terrified creatures, who had nothing but their -speed to depend upon. - -Like the rest, he urged his horse forward at her best pace, in order to -obtain as good a view of the run as he could; but his sympathies were -all with the game, and he could not repress a shout of exultation when -he saw one of the antelope suddenly turn at bay and tumble the nearest -hound over with a vicious prod from his sharp little horns. - -But, before it could repeat the blow, the other hound—the sagacious -animals hunted in couples—pulled it down and ended its struggles in a -moment. - -Three antelope were captured during the run; and, as both horses and -dogs were pretty well tired out by this time, the hunters dressed their -game on the spot, and then set out for camp. Supper was waiting for -them, and they were hungry enough to do ample justice to it. - -There was still one way of hunting prong-horns that our hero had not -tried, and when the colonel had smoked his after-supper cigar he -proposed to show Oscar how it was done. - -Leaving the rest in camp with the hounds, they rode back to the plateau -on which they had first sighted game in the morning, each carrying his -rifle slung over his shoulder, and in his hand a long pole, with a red -handkerchief attached to it. - -The animals they had pursued in the morning, having got over their -fright, had returned to their feeding grounds, and the colonel’s first -move was to attract the attention of some of them, which he did by -riding slowly back and forth on the edge of the plateau. - -Then he and Oscar dismounted, and, after hobbling their horses, planted -their poles in the ground a few rods apart, and lay down in the grass to -await developments. - -The prong-horns watched all their motions with the keenest interest, -and, as if by a common impulse, began circling around the fluttering -handkerchiefs as if trying to learn what they were put there for. - -Three of their number, one of them being the finest buck in the herd, -very soon found out; for, the instant they came within range, the ready -rifles cracked, and both the bullets went straight to the mark. - -The colonel got in another effective shot before the herd was out of -reach of his breechloader, and these three, added to the number they had -shot in the morning and secured with the aid of the hounds, made eleven -fine animals they had to show as the result of their day’s work. - -Oscar, all inexperienced as he was, had done better than any of his -companions. If he had not released that captured fawn, he would have had -more to his credit than any other member of the party. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - “CLIMB DOWN, PARD!” - - -It was a merry party that assembled around the camp-fire that night as -well as a tired one. Oscar sought his blanket at an early hour, and fell -asleep listening to the hunting stories that were told, of which each -officer, and especially the colonel, seemed to have an inexhaustible -stock; but he was up in the morning with the rest, and fully as eager as -they were to engage in the day’s sport, which was to consist in shooting -wolves with the bow and arrow, and coursing them with the hounds after -the horses became weary. - -He had no sympathy for the wolves, and tried as hard as he could to send -his arrow into one; but the missiles all went wide of the mark, and, -after he had emptied his quiver without bringing one of the animals to -bag, he had recourse to his revolver, with which he succeeded in -knocking over a specimen. - -Oscar had always been of the opinion that nobody but an Indian could use -the bow and arrow, and that even he was glad to lay it aside as soon as -he had secured possession of a rifle; but in this he was mistaken. - -An Indian certainly does long for a rifle above everything else in the -way of a weapon, but he never gives up his bow and arrow, not even at -this day, when Winchester rifles that shoot sixteen times without -reloading can be had with comparatively little exertion. - -The bow is more effective at close quarters than a muzzle-loading rifle, -because it can be used with much greater rapidity; and ammunition is -costly, and must be purchased of the trader, while the bow and arrow are -implements the Indian can make for himself. - -And as for skill in shooting—that was something that even a white man -could acquire by practice. - -Oscar was astonished to see what an adept the lieutenant had become -during his short experience on the plains. He rarely missed pinning a -wolf to the ground while his horse was going at full speed; and, with -the colonel’s strong elk-horn bow, he could draw an arrow to the head -with the greatest ease, while Oscar found it a task of no little -difficulty to string it. - -Some of the incidents of the day were amusing as well as exciting; and, -although Oscar thoroughly enjoyed himself, and won praise for his -perseverance and horsemanship, if not for his skill, he was glad when -the late dinner was over, and the order was given to catch up. - -He had nothing of which to complain, having secured with his own weapons -as many specimens as he could use; but he thought he had lingered long -enough in the vicinity of the fort, and was impatient to be off for the -hills. - -He had found out, through the colonel, that it was a wild and lonely -region to which Big Thompson intended to guide him, and that more than -one hunter had gone there who had never been heard of afterward; but -everybody said that game of all kind was abundant, and that was just -what he had been sent out there to find. - -The night ride to the fort was accomplished without any incident worthy -of note, and at twelve o’clock the hunters were all in their beds, -sleeping soundly. - -Sunday was emphatically a day of rest with Oscar, and he needed it, for -his hard riding had set every bone in his body to aching. - -The others did not mind it in the least, for it was no uncommon thing -for them to spend whole weeks in the saddle; but with Oscar it was an -unusual experience, and it was a long time before he could pass a day on -horseback without feeling the effects of it afterward. - -On Monday morning he was up long before daylight, and in an hour’s time -he was ready for the start. - -His luggage and the chest containing his tools were put into the wagon; -the skins of the specimens he had already secured were packed in cotton -and stowed away in one of the warehouses for safe keeping, and the -captive fawn was given into the charge of the lieutenant, who promised -to take the best possible care of it. - -The pony the quartermaster had selected for him, and which had never -been heard of since he threw his rider in the sage-brush, was duly paid -for; and the rest of his money was placed in the hands of the colonel, -all except a small sum which he kept out to pay for any little articles -of luxury—such as milk, butter, and eggs—he might wish to purchase at -the ranches along the route. - -No one had been inquiring for him at the fort during his absence; and -this proved that Tom had either done something which made him afraid, or -ashamed, to show himself, or else that he was entirely satisfied with -his present companion, and had no desire to better his condition in -life. - -Such reflections as these, which constantly forced themselves upon -Oscar’s mind, did much to mar his pleasure. - -By the time Oscar had eaten breakfast Big Thompson and his pony were on -hand. - -The guide looked dubiously at his employer’s outfit, and then glanced -down at the saddle-bags that contained his own, but he had no fault to -find. - -He waited patiently until the boy had taken leave of all the officers, -who wished him every success in his undertaking; and, when he saw Oscar -climb to his seat in the wagon, he turned his pony about and led the way -from the fort. - -Our hero had decided to take the lieutenant’s advice, and make his mule -do duty as a hunting-horse. That would be taking a long step backward, -Oscar thought; for, judging by the actions of his long-eared friend, -there was about as much speed in him as there was in a cow. His gait in -the wagon was a lumbering trot, which he was obliged to assume in order -to keep pace with the fast-walking little beast on which the guide was -mounted. - -He scraped his hind feet on the ground as he went along, allowed his -ears to bob back and forth in the laziest kind of a way, and if by -chance the pony increased his lead by a few yards, the mule, instead of -quickening his own pace in order to overtake him, would utter a mournful -bray, as if begging him to slacken up a little. - -Oscar was not at all pleased with him, but he could not afford to pay -fifty dollars for another mustang; and, as the mule would not be -required to draw the wagon after the foot-hills were reached, it was -nothing more than fair that he should earn his living and pay for -himself, by carrying his master in pursuit of game. - -He was not satisfied with his guide, either. The latter kept just far -enough ahead of the wagon to make conversation impossible, and Oscar was -left to the companionship of his own thoughts, which were not of the -most agreeable nature. - -The officers of the post, having taken a deep interest in him and his -business, had tried hard to make his sojourn with them an occasion long -to be remembered; and to give up his familiar intercourse with them for -the society of this uncongenial man was by no means a pleasant thing to -do. - -The prospect before him was gloomy enough, Oscar thought; but, -fortunately, things did not turn out as badly as he anticipated. - -The guide misunderstood him, just as Oscar misunderstood the guide and -the mule. They were both better than they seemed to be. It needed -trouble to bring out their good qualities; and that came soon enough. - -Shortly after noon, by Oscar’s watch, the guide halted on the banks of a -small stream; and, after removing the saddle and bridle from his pony, -turned the animal loose to graze. - -He said nothing to Oscar; and the boy, who now began to feel provoked at -his studied neglect, said nothing to him. - -“I can hold my tongue as long as he can hold his,” was Oscar’s mental -reflection. “If I must depend upon myself for companionship I can do it; -but he’ll attend to all the camp-work, I tell you, because that was what -he was hired for.” - -Stopping the wagon near the place where the guide was starting a fire, -Oscar unhitched the mule, turned him loose without removing any part of -the harness except the bridle, and throwing himself down between the -roots of a convenient tree, watched the motions of his guide, who now -began preparations for dinner. - -He filled the frying-pan with bacon for Oscar, the slices he intended -for himself being impaled upon a stick, which was thrust into the ground -in such a way that the meat hung over the flames. - -Then he placed the coffee-pot on the coals, and brought from the wagon -tin cups and a tin plate, on which he had deposited a few hard crackers. - -When the bacon was cooked to his satisfaction he placed the frying-pan -on the ground in front of his employer, and set a cup filled with coffee -beside it, after which he seized a handful of crackers and sat down on -the other side of the fire to eat his bacon, using as a fork the stick -on which it had been roasted. - -“This is about the worst dinner I ever had set before me,” thought -Oscar. “If Thompson can’t do better than this I’ll cook for myself. -There are plenty of other things in the wagon, and he might take a -little pains to get up something a fellow can relish. I am not used to -having my grub shoved at me as one would shove a bone to a hungry dog.” - -As soon as the guide bad satisfied his own appetite he began gathering -up the dishes, which he packed away in the wagon, after giving them a -hasty dip in the stream. - -He did not ask Oscar if he were ready to start; and, in fact, he did not -seem to care. He hitched the mule to the wagon (that was an act of -condescension that Oscar did not look for); and, having saddled his -pony, rode off, leaving the boy to do as he pleased about following him. - -He acted the same way when they went into camp that night; and, during -the whole of the next day, he never spoke a word to Oscar. - -He was sociable enough with the stockmen whose ranches they passed along -the road, but not a syllable did he utter for his employer’s benefit -until he was ready to make another halt for the night. Then he reined up -in front of a dug-out, and turned in his saddle to say: - -“Pilgrim, if ye’d like to sleep under a white man’s roof onct more afore -ye git to the hills, here’s yer chance. I reckon mebbe ye’d best do it, -kase why, we leave the trail fur good bright an’ arly to-morrer -mornin’.” - -Then, without waiting to hear what the boy had to say to his -proposition, he raised his voice and called out: - -“Halloo, thar, Ike! Have ye went into yer den, like a prairie-dog in -winter, an’ pulled the hole in arter ye? If ye aint, come outen that. -I’ve brought ye a tenderfoot fur a lodger.” - -The dug-out looked like a mound of earth, about thirty feet long and -half as wide; but that it was a dwelling was evident, from the fact that -a piece of stovepipe projected from the roof, the thick cloud of smoke -that rose from it indicating that a fire had just been started in the -stove below. - -A flight of rude steps, not made of boards, but dug out of the hard -earth, led down to the entrance, in which hung an army blanket that did -duty as a door. Taken altogether, it was a very forlorn-looking place. -There was not another human habitation in sight. - -As the guide ceased speaking, an answering whoop, uttered in a -stentorian voice, came from the inside; and presently the blanket was -raised and the owner of the voice appeared in the doorway. - -He was a tall, brawny man, roughly dressed, but still rather neater in -appearance than the other dwellers in dug-outs whom Oscar had seen along -the trail. - -His hair and whiskers looked as though they were combed occasionally, -and it was plain that he had sometimes washed his face, for when he came -to the door he brought with him a towel, which he was using vigorously. - -If he recognized an old acquaintance in the guide, there was nothing in -his actions to indicate the fact. Indeed, he did not appear to see him. -His gaze was fixed upon Oscar, at whom he stared with every indication -of astonishment. He looked very hard at him for a moment; and, uttering -an exclamation under his breath, stepped back into his house, dropping -the blanket to its place. - -Before the boy—who was somewhat surprised at these actions—could look -toward his guide for an explanation, the man again appeared at the door, -and this time he carried something besides a towel in his hands. It was -a double-barrel shot-gun. - -Oscar heard the hammers click as they were drawn back, and a moment -later the weapon was looking him squarely in the face, while the -ranchman’s eye was glancing along the clean brown tubes, and his finger -was resting on one of the triggers. - -“Climb down, pard,” said he in savage tones. “I have been waiting for -you.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - THE STOLEN MULE. - - -To say that Oscar was astonished at the ranchman’s words and actions -would but feebly express his feelings. - -He was utterly confounded; and, instead of obeying the order to “climb -down,” he looked toward his guide, whose blank expression of countenance -showed that he understood the matter no better than his employer did. - -“You heard me, pard,” continued the ranchman, seeing that Oscar did not -move. “You had better be a-tumbling, for I can’t hold on to this barker -much longer.” - -This implied that the ranchman was about to shoot; and Oscar, now -beginning to realize the danger of his situation, sprang out of the -wagon with such haste that he missed his footing as he stepped upon the -wheel, and fell headlong to the ground. - -He scrambled to his feet as quickly as he could, his movement being -greatly accelerated by the report of the gun, which, however, was not -pointed toward himself. - -As quick as Oscar was, the guide was quicker. Without saying a word Big -Thompson swung himself from his pony, and, dashing forward, seized the -gun; and it was during the short but desperate struggle that ensued that -the piece was discharged. - -The ranchman fought furiously to retain possession of the weapon, but it -was quickly torn from his grasp, and then the two men backed off and -looked at each other. - -“Now, Ike Barker!” exclaimed the guide, who was the first to speak, -“what’s the meanin’ of sich actions as them, an’ what did ye do it fur, -I axes ye?” - -“I’ll talk to you after a while,” was the ranchman’s reply. “That’s my -mule, and I am going to have him!” - -“Sho!” exclaimed the guide, whose face relaxed on the instant. - -After a little reflection he stepped up and handed back the gun he had -taken from the ranchman. - -This action satisfied Oscar that Big Thompson began to understand the -matter, and considered that there was no longer any cause for -apprehension. Indeed, Oscar began to understand the matter himself. - -He was suspected of being a thief; but that did not trouble him, for he -knew that he could easily prove his innocence. But, if the mule was a -stolen animal, he would have to give him up to his lawful owner and -purchase another. The very thought was discouraging. - -His departure for the foot-hills would be delayed, and it would take two -hundred dollars to buy another team. He had already drawn heavily on his -reserve fund; and, if there were many more unexpected drafts made upon -it, the expedition would have to be abandoned for want of means to make -it successful. - -“Now, young man,” continued the ranchman, “where did you get that mule?” - -“Wal, if that’s what ye wanted to know, why couldn’t ye have axed the -question without pintin’ yer we’pon around so loose an’ reckless?” -exclaimed Big Thompson. - -“I bought him at the fort,” replied the boy. “The major found him at -Julesburg, and it was by his advice that I made the purchase. I paid -cash for him, and in the presence of two witnesses.” - -“What sort of a looking fellow was it who sold him to you?” asked the -ranchman, who had walked up and taken the mule by the head, as if to -show that he intended to hold fast to his property, now that he had -found it again. - -“I thought he was a respectable looking man,” replied Oscar. “He wore a -red shirt, coarse trousers and boots——” - -“I don’t care anything about his trousers and boots,” exclaimed the -ranchman impatiently. “How did he look in the face? That’s what I want -to know.” - -Oscar described the man as well as he could; and, when he had finished, -Ike Barker, as he had been called, shook his head, and remarked that, -although he was acquainted with almost everybody in that part of the -country, he did not know any man who answered Oscar’s description. - -“But there is one thing I do know,” said he, turning to the guide—“that -mule and that wagon belong to me. They were stolen early last summer by -that miserable Lish, the Wolfer—you know him, Thompson—and when -I——What’s the matter with you, young man?” - -“Nothing,” answered Oscar, with more earnestness than the occasion -seemed to require. - -“Then what did you say ‘Ah!’ for?” asked the ranchman. - -Oscar hesitated. He did not know what reply to make to this question. -The truth was the exclamation that attracted the notice of the ranchman -had been called forth by a variety of conflicting emotions. - -Lish, the Wolfer, was the chosen companion and friend of his brother -Tom. He was suspected by the commandant of the fort of having been -engaged in something during the previous summer that rendered him liable -to arrest; and no doubt the stealing of the mule and wagon was the -“affair” to which the colonel referred. - -If that was the case, Tom could have had no hand in the matter, for it -was only recently that he had fallen in with the Wolfer. - -Oscar knew now what Tom was suspected of; and he knew, too, that he was -innocent. That was a great relief to him. But he knew, also, that his -brother was the willing associate of a thief who was in danger of being -apprehended or shot at any minute; and the knowledge of the fact weighed -heavily on his mind. - -What would his mother say if she knew it? - -If he gave a truthful answer to the ranchman’s question, he would be -obliged to explain all this, and that was something he would not have -done for the world. - -However, he knew that he must make some reply, so he gathered his wits -as quickly as he could, and said: - -“I will answer your question by asking another. If you knew who it was -that stole your mule, why were you in such haste to get the drop on -_me_?” - -Oscar had picked up this expression since he came on the plains. - -“To get the drop” on one, means, in frontier parlance, to get the -advantage of him. - -“When I first came up here you said you had been looking for me,” -continued Oscar. “How did you know that your mule was in my possession?” - -“I didn’t know that he was in your possession. I only knew that he was -coming, and that he would be here to-night.” - -“Who told you?” - -“Nobody _told_ me. I found it out in this way.” - -As the ranchman said this, he advanced and handed Oscar a piece of -soiled paper, on which was written something that almost knocked him -over. - -He had never dreamed that he could have an enemy in that country, where -he was so little known; but here was the plainest evidence to the -contrary. - -The note ran as follows: - - - MR. BARKER: - - The mule I stole from you last summer will be along this way - to-morrow afternoon. He will be driven by a young tenderfoot, who - will claim to have purchased him from someone at the post; but don’t - you believe him. He stole him, as I did. Be on the watch. - - -“Now,” continued the ranchman, after Oscar had finished reading the -note, and his words found an echo in the heart of the young taxidermist, -who backed up against the wagon-wheel and gazed fixedly at the paper he -held in his hand, “there’s something that isn’t exactly square about -this business. The language made use of in that communication is as -correct as any I could use myself, and I have had some schooling; in -fact, I spent four years in William and Mary College. I am acquainted -with Lish, the Wolfer—that is, I know as much about him as any white man -does, for he used to herd for me—and if I had a sheep on my ranch as -ignorant as he is I’d make mutton of him at once. Lish never wrote that -note. He has somehow managed to pick up a partner who knows a thing or -two, and he is the one who did the writing.” - -Oscar knew that very well. He recognized the bold, free hand as soon as -he put his eyes upon the note. It was his brother’s. - -“I wouldn’t be willin’ to give much fur that feller’s ketch,” remarked -Big Thompson. “Lish is mighty keerless when it comes to the dividin’.” - -“I thought at first it was a trick of some kind,” continued the -ranchman, whose tone seemed to grow kindlier the longer he talked to the -now discouraged young hunter; “but when I saw the mule I knew it wasn’t. -I am sorry I dropped on you so suddenly, for I really believe you bought -the mule.” - -“Indeed I did, sir,” answered Oscar, trying to choke down a big lump -that seemed to be rising in his throat. “As I told you, I paid the money -for him in the presence of witnesses.” - -“Have you done anything to make an enemy of Lish?” - -“I never exchanged a word with him.” - -“Nor his partner, either?” - -“I have never injured his partner in any way.” - -“Well, I can’t understand the matter at all,” said the ranchman. “Lish -had some object in sending me that note, but what it was I don’t know. -But I _do_ know that the mule is mine, and that I must have him if I -have to fight for him.” - -These words were uttered in a quiet but decided tone, and Oscar knew -that the ranchman meant all he said. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - INSIDE THE DUG-OUT. - - -Poor Oscar! This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the -expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes. - -What would his mother do now? What would be the verdict of the -committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, -and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a -thousand dollars of the university’s money? - -It is true that he still had funds at his command, but he had use for -them. If another mule must be purchased, where was he going to obtain -the money to pay his guide? It was a bad case, altogether, and almost -any boy would have been utterly discouraged. Oscar certainly was, and he -was on the very point of abandoning the whole thing in despair, when -something prompted him to say to himself: - -“If I give up here, I must return that money; and how in the world am I -to do that?” - -This thought frightened him, and made him almost desperate. He hastily -reviewed the situation, and in two minutes more had made up his mind how -to act. - -“All right, Mr. Barker,” said he, giving back the note which the latter -had handed him to read. “If this is your mule it is nothing more than -fair that you should have him. Thompson,” he added, turning to his -guide, who had stood by, an interested listener to all that had passed -between the ranchman and his employer, “what will you take for your -pony?” - -“Wal,” said the latter, suddenly straightening up and winking hard, as -if he had just been aroused from a sound sleep, “he aint fur sale, that -there hoss aint.” - -“Mr. Barker,” continued Oscar, “have you an extra pony that you would be -willing to dispose of? I haven’t money enough with me to pay for him; -but I will give you an order on the colonel, which I assure you will be -honored.” - -“No,” was the disheartening reply. “I have but one, and I can’t spare -him. But you don’t need a pony to carry you back to the fort, even if -you are a tenderfoot. You can easily walk that distance.” - -“Who said anything about going back to the fort?” exclaimed Oscar, -almost indignantly. “I have not the slightest intention of going back. I -shall not allow this expedition to fall through for the want of a little -pluck now, I tell you. I’ll walk, since I can’t buy a horse, but it will -be toward the foot-hills. I’ll take what I can on my back; and, -Thompson, you will have to carry the rest. We’ll not stop here to-night. -We can easily make five miles more before it is time to go into camp, -and every mile counts now.” - -“The foot-hills!” exclaimed the ranchman, who was plainly very much -surprised. “What are you going there for at this time of year?” - -“I am going to hunt. I was sent out by the Yarmouth University to -procure specimens for its museum,” answered Oscar. - -“_You_ were?” exclaimed the ranchman. - -“Yes, _I_ was.” - -Ike Barker looked toward the guide, who nodded his head in confirmation -of Oscar’s statement, whereupon the ranchman backed toward the little -mound of earth that had been thrown up when the steps were dug out, and -seated himself upon it. - -“This beats my time all hollow,” said he. - -“It is the truth, whether it beats you or not,” replied Oscar, who -showed that he could be independent if he was in trouble. “I have my -credentials in my pocket. I should have been successful in my -undertaking if I hadn’t been foolish, or, rather, unfortunate enough to -buy this stolen mule. I shall have to leave my chest behind, after all. -Mr. Barker, can I hire you to take it back to the fort for me?” - -“Not by a long shot!” exclaimed the ranchman, suddenly jumping up and -seizing Oscar by the arm. “Thompson, you turn your pony loose and -unhitch that mule. You come into my den with me, Mr.—Mr.—What’s your -name?” - -“Preston—Oscar Preston. But I don’t want to go into your den.” - -“Well, you’ll go, all the same. What sort of a man do you suppose I am, -anyhow—a heathen?” - -Before Oscar could reply, the ranchman, having tightened his grasp on -his arm, dragged rather than led him down the stairs, ushered him into -the dug-out, and seated him on an inverted dry-goods box that stood in -the corner near the stove. - -“There!” said he. “Sit down and talk to me, while I go on getting -supper. I didn’t expect company to-night; and, as I have sent most of my -grub and all my sheep off to the hills, I can’t give you as good a meal -as I could if you had come a week ago. I should have been on the way to -the hills myself by this time, if it hadn’t been for that note I found -fastened to my door. How is everything in the States? Got any late -papers with you?” - -The friendly tone in which these words were spoken surprised Oscar. -Could this be the same man who had pointed a loaded gun at his head a -few minutes before? - -While his host was speaking, Oscar had leisure to look about him. He had -never before seen the inside of a dug-out, and he was not a little -astonished at the appearance of it. - -It was really a comfortable dwelling, and not the dirty hole he had -expected to find it. There was plenty of room in it; and the furniture -it contained, although of the rudest description, showed that it had -been fitted up as a permanent abode. - -There were two bunks beside the door; and in one of them a comfortable -bed was made up. The other was empty. The walls were covered by blankets -and buffalo robes; two small dry-goods boxes did duty as chairs, and a -larger one served as the table. - -There was a small cupboard on each side of the stove, one of which -contained a few tin dishes, while the other, Oscar noticed with some -surprise, was filled with books. - -A solitary candle burned in a bracket candlestick that was fastened -against the wall; but, as there was a reflector behind it, the interior -of the dug-out was well lighted. - -The ranchman talked incessantly while he was busy with his preparations -for supper; but Oscar was too deeply engrossed with his own affairs to -pay much attention to him. - -The loss of the mule weighed heavily on his mind; but, after all, it did -not trouble him so much as did the note which the ranchman said he had -found fastened to his “door.” - -Oscar knew then, as well as he knew it afterward, that the note had been -written by his brother, at the dictation of Lish, the Wolfer, and that -it could have been written for no other purpose than to get him into -trouble with the ranchman; but why the Wolfer and Tom should want to get -him into trouble was something he could not divine. It was something -that baffled him completely. - -Worse than all, he was obliged to keep his own counsel; there was no one -to whom he could go for advice. - -He would have been glad to continue the journey that night; for he -wanted to get away by himself and think the matter over. - -Presently the guide came in, having unhitched the mule and turned his -pony loose to graze, as the ranchman had directed. - -He had but little to say while disposing of his share of the homely -supper that was speedily served up on the large dry-goods box, but left -the ranchman and Oscar to do the talking. - -The little he did say was addressed to his employer, who learned that he -had attained to high rank during the last half-hour. - -Although Oscar did not know it, he had made two firm friends by the -course he had pursued. - -An experienced plainsman has not the slightest respect for a “gentleman -sportsman,” which is the title that hunters from the States generally -assume for themselves; and that was the reason why Big Thompson had been -so morose and taciturn ever since leaving the fort. - -It would have been bad enough, the guide thought, to spend the winter in -the mountains in company with one of his own kind—a man upon whom he -could depend in any emergency, and who could relate stories of adventure -around the camp-fire as thrilling as any he could tell himself; but the -thought of passing long months in the society of a tenderfoot, and a -stripling, besides, was most distasteful to him. - -He had consented to act as Oscar’s guide simply because he knew the -colonel wished him to do so, and because he had been made aware of the -fact that the boy had money to pay him for his services; but he would -much rather have remained near the fort, and passed the time in -idleness. - -Now he seemed to have different opinions. A boy who could look into the -muzzle of a double-barrel with as little trepidation as Oscar had -exhibited, and who could hold to his purpose in spite of difficulties -and disappointments that would have disheartened almost anybody, must -have something in him, even if he was a tenderfoot. - -Not being accustomed to such things, the guide did not know how to -acknowledge his mistake directly, but he could indirectly; and he did it -by dubbing Oscar “professor,” by which dignified title he ever afterward -addressed him. - -That was Big Thompson’s way of showing his friendship; but the ranchman, -although he very soon fell into the way of calling Oscar by the same -title, showed his appreciation of the boy’s pluck and independence in a -much more substantial manner. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - THE RANCHMAN SAYS SOMETHING. - - -“Now, professor,” said the ranchman, as he rose from his box and filled -his pipe for his after-supper smoke, “you look as though a wink of sleep -would do you good. Whenever you get ready to turn in, bring your -blankets from the wagon and take possession of that empty bunk. It -belongs to my herdsman, who has gone to the hills with the stock.” - -Oscar was glad to comply at once with the invitation. He had found that -riding in a wagon behind a lazy mule, which had to be urged all the time -in order to keep him in motion, was almost as hard work as riding on -horseback, and he was tired and sleepy. - -Rude as the bed was, after he had got it made up, it looked inviting, -and he lost no time in tumbling into it. But he did not fall asleep at -once, as he had expected he would, for his mind was too busy with the -events of the day. - -The ranchman and Big Thompson drew their boxes in front of the stove, -smoked their pipes, and, without taking the trouble to ascertain whether -or not the boy was asleep, discussed him and his affairs with the utmost -freedom. - -The guide was talkative enough now, and Oscar wondered if he would use -his tongue as freely when they were alone in the hills. - -“Who is this young fellow, anyhow?” was the ranchman’s first question. - -“Oh, he’s one of them thar crazy loons who aint got nothin’ better to do -than tramp about the country, an’ ketch all sorts of critters, an’ stuff -’em full of hay or something,” said Big Thompson. - -And the tone in which the reply was made led Oscar to believe that the -guide had anything but an exalted opinion of a boy who could pass his -time in that way. - -“Then he really is a taxidermist, is he?” - -“Which?” exclaimed Big Thompson. - -“I mean that he is what he pretends to be?” - -“I reckon. They called him a college-sharp down to the post; an’ the -kurn, he took him in the minute he came thar, an’ treated him like he -was a little juke, or one of them thar nobby fellers from across the -water. If it hadn’t been fur the kurn, ye wouldn’t ’a’ ketched me here -with him.” - -Oscar might have heard much more of this sort of talk if he had chosen -to listen; but, as he was not in the habit of playing eavesdropper, he -turned his face to the wall, drew the blankets over his head, and -composed himself to sleep. - -Early the next morning he was awakened by the banging of the stove-lids, -and started up, to find his host busy with his preparations for -breakfast. - -He wished the boy a hearty good-morning, but he did not have anything of -importance to say to him until the meal was over, and Oscar, arising -from his seat, pulled out his pocket-book. - -“How much do I owe you, Mr. Barker?” said he. - -“Look here, professor,” replied the ranchman, with a smile, “after you -have been in this country a little longer, you will know better than to -ask a question like that.” - -“Very well,” said Oscar, who knew what that meant. “I am greatly obliged -to you for your hospitality. Now, I can’t take my outfit with me; and I -ask you again if I can hire you to take it back to the fort for me?” - -“And I tell you again that you can’t,” was the blunt, almost rude, -reply. - -“Well, will you take it for nothing—just to accommodate me?” - -“No, I won’t.” - -“Very well,” said Oscar again. “Then I shall have to abandon the most of -it right here. Thompson, come out to the wagon and select such things as -you think we ought to take with us.” - -“Are you going to walk to the foot-hills?” asked the ranchman, with an -amused twinkle in his eye that made Oscar angry. “The valley to which -Thompson intended to take you is all of a hundred miles from here.” - -“I don’t care if it is a thousand. I am going there, if I live,” was the -quick and decided reply. “If my guide will stick to me—and I know he -will, for the colonel said so—I’ll make a success of this expedition, in -spite of everything.” - -“You’re mighty right—I’ll stick to ye!” exclaimed Big Thompson; and, as -he spoke, he advanced and extended a hand so large that Oscar’s sturdy -palm—which was promptly placed within it—was almost hidden from view. “I -never seen sich grit in a tenderfoot afore. Perfessor, ye kin swar by -Big Thompson every time, an’ don’t ye never forgit it!” - -“Pilgrim,” said the ranchman, “you said something last night about -credentials. Perhaps you wouldn’t take offence if I should ask you to -produce them. We always like to know a little about strangers who pass -through this country, claiming to be something grand.” - -“I don’t claim to be anything grand. I simply say that I have been sent -out here to collect specimens of natural history for the Yarmouth -University; and, if you don’t believe it, look at that!” exclaimed Oscar -indignantly, at the same time handing out a letter signed by the -president of the college and the secretary of the committee, under whose -instructions he was working. “Probably you will say next that _I_ stole -your old mule!” - -“Well, I _have_ yet something to say,” answered the ranchman, as he -opened the letter; “and, when I say it, it will be to the point. You -hear me?” - -These words were spoken in a very decided tone, and Oscar could not make -up his mind whether the ranchman was angry or not. Sometimes he was sure -he was, and then again he was equally sure he wasn’t. - -He was certainly acting very strangely, and so was Big Thompson, who, -after his outburst of enthusiasm, relapsed into silence again, and now -seemed to be utterly indifferent to all that was passing before him. - -He stood in front of the stove, with his head inclining a little -forward, so that it might not come in contact with the rafters; and -Oscar could not tell by the expression on his face whether it would be -safe to depend on him for help in case of trouble between himself and -the ranchman, or not. - -“Look here, professor,” said the latter, after he had read and returned -Oscar’s credentials, “that’s my mule and wagon.” - -“Well, I don’t dispute it, do I? Take them and welcome.” - -“But look here, professor,” repeated the ranchman; “I’m a student -myself—I haven’t brains enough to be a scholar—and I couldn’t think of -throwing a straw in the way of those young fellows out there in -Yarmouth, who want a museum to assist them in studying natural history; -so, Thompson, you just go out and hitch up that mule; and, professor, -you jump into the wagon and go on, and good-luck attend you.” - -Oscar was electrified. He could hardly believe that he was not dreaming. -The only thing real about the whole proceeding was the tremendous grip -the ranchman gave him as he said this. There was no dream about that. - -“Do you mean to tell me that I can have the mule?” exclaimed Oscar, as -soon as he could speak. - -“Yes,” replied the ranchman, still holding Oscar’s hand in his own. “I -see very plainly that you can’t go on without him, and so I will lend -him to you. When you come back in the spring, you can give him up. If -you don’t find me here—and you may not, for life in these parts is so -uncertain that a fellow can’t tell to-day where he will be to-morrow—he -is yours, to sell or to keep, just as you please.” - -Oscar now began to realize that the ranchman, in spite of a certain -flippancy of manner, was in earnest; and the revulsion of feeling was so -great that, for a moment, the dug-out seemed to swim around him. - -“Mr. Barker,” he stammered, trying to squeeze the huge palm, to the -strength of which his own would have offered about as much resistance as -a piece of pasteboard, “I don’t know how to thank you for your -kindness.” - -“Then I wouldn’t try,” the ranchman said lightly. “Besides, it is not -kindness; it is only justice. You had no means of knowing that the mule -was stolen, and it wouldn’t be right for me to take him away from you. -If I should claim him now, and thereby put the success of your -expedition in jeopardy, I could never look a white man in the face -again.” - -Ike Barker spoke seriously now; and, for the first time since his -arrival at the dug-out, Oscar began to see what manner of man it was -with whom he was dealing. His backwoods bluntness of manner was entirely -foreign to him. He had learned to assume it in order to conceal feelings -and sentiments, the exhibition of which would have been regarded by -those with whom he was daily thrown in contact as unmanly in the -extreme. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - THE CAMP IN THE FOOT-HILLS. - - -“I say, perfessor, I reckon ye had an idee, mebbe, that I was kinder -goin’ back on ye, when we was down thar to Ike Barker’s, didn’t ye?” - -The nearest approach to a smile that Big Thompson could command -overspread his face, as he removed his pipe from his mouth long enough -to address this question to his employer. - -It was the first time he had in any way referred to the incidents that -had happened at the ranchman’s dug-out. - -The guide was seated on his blanket in front of a cheerful fire; and -Oscar stood in front of the open door, watching the storm that was -raging. - -The air was filled with snow-flakes, and the evergreens behind the cabin -were bending low before a furious gale. - -The short winter’s day was drawing to a close, and as the young hunter -gazed at the fading landscape before him, and listened to the howling of -the wind, he thrust his hands deeper into his pockets, shivered almost -involuntarily, and thanked his lucky stars that he was comfortably -sheltered. - -Big Thompson’s question aroused him from his revery. He stepped back -into the cabin, closed the door behind him, and dropped the heavy bar -that secured it in its place. - -“Yes, I did think so,” said he, as he turned down his coat-collar and -shook the snow-flakes from his cap. “All you did for me was to take that -gun out of Ike Barker’s hands. After you had done that, you stood and -looked on with the utmost indifference.” - -“Wal, no,” answered the guide slowly. “I heard every word he said to ye, -an’ if I hadn’t knowed the man I might have jined in the talk ye had -with him. But, ye see, I knowed him. I knowed the mu-el was his’n, kase -he said so; but that didn’t pester me none, fur I was sartin that when -he found out who ye was an’ all about ye, he wouldn’t make no furse -about the critter. That’s why I kept my mouth shet. I knowed ye wasn’t -in no danger.” - -Oscar and his guide were now fairly settled in their camp in the -foot-hills; and if Leon Parker could have looked in upon them that -stormy night he would have gone into ecstasies. - -Their journey from Ike Barker’s ranch had been accomplished without the -occurrence of any incident worthy of note. - -The weather was all they could have desired, and Oscar and Big Thompson -got on very well together. - -The guide no longer held himself aloof, as he did at the beginning of -the journey. He admired the courage the boy had exhibited, and used his -best endeavors to prove himself an agreeable and entertaining companion. - -The first thing he did was to take Oscar’s place in the wagon, and give -the boy his pony to ride. - -They made rapid progress after that, for the mule was not long in -finding out that in Big Thompson he had a driver who knew how to manage -him. - -The guide had an almost inexhaustible fund of stories at his command, -and enlivened many a weary mile of the way by relating them to his -employer, who was always glad to listen. - -This camp was located in a pleasant valley in the very heart of the -foot-hills; and they supposed that there was not a human being within a -hundred miles of them. - -The valley, so the guide informed Oscar, was twenty miles long and half -as wide. A deep and rocky ravine gave entrance to it; and it was in a -sheltered nook, about halfway between the mouth of this ravine and the -opposite end of the valley, that the camp had been made. - -This was the place for which Big Thompson had been aiming ever since -leaving the fort. He assured Oscar that it was a fine hunting-ground; -and they had not been in the valley twenty-four hours, before the boy -saw enough with his own eyes to convince him that such was the fact. - -The game, which always retreats to the foot-hills on the approach of -cold weather, seemed to have flocked here for shelter; and a better -winter abode could not have been found. - -The high and thickly wooded hills, that arose on every side, effectually -shut off the icy blasts that came roaring down from the mountains; the -pasturage was rich and abundant; and the clear, dancing trout-brook that -wound through the valley afforded a never failing supply of water. - -Oscar had discovered an otter-slide on the banks of the stream; and that -indicated that fur-bearing animals were to be found in the vicinity. - -He had seen a big-horn watching him from the summit of a distant hill; -the first blow he struck with his axe, when he went out to cut logs for -the cabin, had frightened from his concealment in the bushes the first -mule-deer he had ever seen; and a herd of lordly elk, led by a -magnificent buck, which Oscar resolved he would one day secure, had fled -precipitately at the sight of their first camp-fire. - -But such harmless animals as these were not the only inhabitants of the -valley. The fierce carnivora that preyed upon them had followed them -from the mountains; and the first night that Oscar passed in the valley -had been enlivened by a chorus from a pack of gray wolves, followed by a -solo from a panther. - -A trap, baited with a muskrat, which Oscar had set for a mink, was -robbed by a wolverine; and one morning, while they were out hunting for -their breakfast, Big Thompson showed him where a bear had crossed the -brook. All these things seemed to indicate that their opportunities for -sport and excitement would prove to be excellent. - -The hunters’ first care, on arriving at their camping-ground, was to -provide a house for themselves, which they did by erecting a neat and -roomy log cabin in the sheltered nook before spoken of. - -It was different from those erected by the early settlers, in that it -had no windows and no chimney; all the light, during the daytime, being -admitted through the door, and through an opening in the roof, at which -the smoke passed out. - -Under this opening a hole about two feet square had been dug in the dirt -floor, and this served as the fireplace. - -Oscar and his guide had been exceedingly busy during the last three -days; but now their work was all done, and they were securely housed for -the winter. - -Although it was cold and bleak outside, the interior of the cabin was -warm and cheerful. A fire burned merrily on the hearth; and, by the aid -of the light it threw out, one could easily see that the hunters had not -neglected to provide for their comfort in various ways. - -The cabin was provided with a table, a cupboard for the dishes, and a -stool for each of its occupants—all made of slabs split from pine-logs, -hewn smooth with an axe; and the various articles comprising their -outfit were disposed about the room in orderly array. - -There were no buffalo-robes for beds, but there were fragrant -pine-boughs instead, blankets in abundance, and a joint of venison -hanging from the rafters overhead. - -One end of the cabin was occupied by the wagon, which had been taken to -pieces and stored there for protection from the weather. - -In the rear of this cabin was another, not quite so carefully built, -into which the pony and mule were driven every night. During the day -they were allowed to roam at will in the valley (the guide said that -when the snow came and covered the grass they would be obliged to cut -down cottonwood trees for them to browse upon); and, as soon as it began -to grow dark, they were shut up for security. - -All the “signs” indicated that beasts of prey were abundant in the -valley; and, if a pack of wolves or a hungry grizzly should chance to -make a meal of the mule, how would they get Oscar’s specimens and chest -of tools back to the fort in the spring? - -Taken altogether, it was just such a camp as he had often read of; and -Oscar, as he rubbed his hands over the fire and gazed about their -comfortable quarters, grew enthusiastic. - -“Now, this is what I call comfort,” said he. “With plenty to eat, a good -supply of firewood close at hand, a tight roof to shelter us from the -storm, and no enemies to trouble us—what more could a couple of hunters -ask for? I don’t think spending a winter in the foot-hills is so bad -after all.” - -The guide smiled and nodded his head significantly, but made no other -reply. He knew that this was the poetry of a hunter’s life, and that the -prose would come soon enough. - -Having arranged his blankets and thrown a few sticks of wood upon the -fire, Oscar removed his boots and coat and lay down to rest, leaving Big -Thompson to the companionship of his pipe and his own thoughts. - -He lay for a long time watching the sparks as they ascended toward the -opening in the roof, and listening to the roaring storm, which seemed to -increase in violence every moment; and finally, while he was laying -elaborate plans for the capture of some of the wolves, whose mournful -howls now and then came faintly to his ears, he passed quietly into the -land of dreams. - -He did not know that there was another camp in the valley, and that -other ears besides his own were listening to the howls of those same -wolves, but such was the fact. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - HUNTING THE BIG-HORN. - - -Oscar slept soundly that night, in spite of the roaring of the wind and -the howling of the wolves, and awoke at daylight to find breakfast -waiting for him. A glance out at the door showed him that the storm had -ceased. The weather was clear and cold, and the snow covered the ground -to the depth of six inches. - -“Just deep enough for tracking,” Oscar remarked, as he gave his hands -and face a thorough washing in it. - -Of course the first thing on the programme was a hunt. - -That was what the boy came out there for, and he was anxious to begin -operations at once. - -He longed to bring down one of the big-horns he had seen watching him at -his work, and to knock over one of the lordly elk that had scurried away -with such haste when he and Big Thompson kindled their first camp-fire -in the valley. - -So very impatient was he that the breakfast the guide had so carefully -prepared did not delay him more than five minutes. - -He did not sit down to the table at all, but swallowed his coffee -scalding hot, and walked up and down the cabin, buckling on his -accoutrements with one hand, while he had his venison and cracker in the -other. - -The guide was more deliberate in his movements. He was almost too -deliberate, Oscar thought. - -After he had fully satisfied his appetite, he put away the dishes, -slowly filled and lighted his pipe; and, not until he had set the cabin -in order did he take his rifle down from the pegs on which it rested, -and sling on his powderhorn and bullet-pouch. - -Then a short consultation was held; and, after the guide had repeated -some of the instructions he had given Oscar in regard to deer-hunting, -and described to him the place at which he intended to camp at noon, -they left the cabin, Big Thompson turning his face toward the brook that -flowed through the valley, while Oscar directed his course along the -base of the cliffs. - -“Now, perfessor, yer sartin ye aint afeard of nothing?” said the guide, -as they were about to separate. - -“Of course not,” answered Oscar promptly. “You must have asked me that -question a dozen times since we planned our hunt yesterday afternoon.” - -“Wal, I know it. I ax ye kase it aint every tenderfoot who would care to -go philanderin’ off by himself in a country like this.” - -“You suggested it yourself,” said Oscar. “You said that if we hunted -about half a mile apart, we would stand a better chance of scaring up -game than we would if we went together.” - -“An’ I say so now.” - -“Then we’ll carry out our plan. I shall not be afraid until I see -something to be afraid of. Good-by! If you reach the camping-ground -before I do, don’t forget to give me the signal.” - -“He’s a cool one, if he is a tenderfoot,” muttered Big Thompson, as he -shifted his heavy rifle to the other shoulder, and continued on his way -toward the brook. “If I could see him facin’ some kind of a varmint, -like a grizzly or panther, I could tell jist how much pluck he’s got. -I’ll be kinder keerful how I go too fur away frum him, kase he may see -sumthin’ to be afeard of afore he knows it.” - -Meanwhile, Oscar was walking slowly along, just outside the bushes and -evergreens that lined the base of the bluffs, looking for a ravine that -would lead him from the valley into the hills. - -“Thompson gave me emphatic instructions to keep within hearing of him,” -said the boy to himself; “but I shall do as I please about that. He may -find a deer or two drinking at the brook; but my chances for jumping -game along here are not worth a copper. I am hunter enough to know that; -so I’ll just go up this way and see if I can find one of those sheep.” - -As Oscar said this, he turned into a deep gorge that opened into the -valley, and began picking his way carefully over the snow-covered -bowlders toward the hill which had served as a lookout station for the -sentinel big-horn. - -All that the young hunter knew of the habits of these animals he had -gained from conversation with his guide. - -He had learned that, like the antelope, they always put out sentinels -when they were feeding; that those sentries invariably stationed -themselves on the highest hills in the vicinity of the flock; that their -eyes were keen, and their noses so sharp that they had been known to -detect the presence of the hunter while he was yet more than half a mile -away; that they were to be found on their feeding-grounds only in the -morning or late in the afternoon; that when they had satisfied their -appetites they retreated to the most inaccessible ledges, to which no -enemy could follow them without their knowledge; and that, owing to -their timidity and vigilance, it was almost impossible to bring one of -them to bay, except under the most favorable circumstances. - -Oscar thought of all these things as he toiled slowly up the gorge, -stopping every few feet to examine the ground before him, and making use -of every bush and bowlder to cover his advance; and the difficulties he -saw in his way made him all the more determined to succeed. - -“Big Thompson doesn’t think much of my abilities as a hunter,” said he -to himself, “and I don’t know how I could surprise him more than by -shooting a big-horn, unless I were to shoot a panther or a grizzly, and -that is something I don’t expect to do. In fact, I have no desire to -attempt it. The wind is in my favor, and that is something upon which I -can congratulate myself.” - -For nearly an hour Oscar continued to work his way along the ravine; -and, when he believed that he had arrived at a point opposite the -pinnacle on which he had seen the sentinel big-horn, he turned into the -bushes and began clambering slowly up the cliff. - -As it was almost perpendicular, his progress was necessarily slow, but -he reached the top at last; and, cautiously raising his head, looked -over it. - -He had no sooner done so than he uttered an exclamation under his -breath, and drew his head quickly back again. - -He crouched behind the cliff long enough to cock his gun, and then he -straightened up, at the same time drawing the weapon to his shoulder. - -Before him was a level plateau, containing perhaps ten or fifteen acres. -On the right, and in front, it was bounded by the gorge that Oscar had -been following; and on the left was the valley in which the camp was -located. - -On the other side rose a perpendicular wall of rock that extended -entirely across the plateau. Near the base of this rock were the objects -that had attracted Oscar’s attention—four gray wolves, which were -feasting on a mountain sheep they had killed for their breakfast. Oscar -knew at once that it was a sheep, for he could see the head and horns. - -“What a pity that I didn’t happen along here when they first killed -him!” was the boy’s mental reflection. “He must have been a fine fellow, -judging by the size of those horns. Well, as I didn’t get the sheep, -I’ll knock over a couple of the wolves for our museum; and the horns -I’ll give to Sam Hynes to put up in his mother’s dining-room.” - -So saying, Oscar rested his rifle over the top of the bluff; and, -drawing a bead on the largest of the wolves, waited with all the -patience he could command for one of his companions to get behind him, -hoping to kill both of them with one bullet. - -The wolves gnawed and snapped at one another over their meal; and, -although they were constantly changing their positions, and the two that -Oscar wished to secure frequently came within range, their motions were -so rapid that he dared not fire at them for fear of missing his mark. - -At the report of his gun they would doubtless take to their heels, and -his chances for shooting one on the run were not one in a thousand. - -While the boy was waiting for a shot, he was suddenly startled by -hearing a loud snort close at hand; and, turning his head quickly, he -was astonished almost beyond measure to see an immense mountain-sheep -standing on the edge of the plateau. - -His gaze was fastened upon the wolves, whose presence did not seem to -cause him the least alarm. It rather seemed to encourage him; for now -and then he lifted one of his forefeet, and stamped it spitefully on the -ground, after the manner of a domestic sheep. - -It was the first of these animals of which Oscar had ever obtained so -near a view; and he told himself that in color and shape it resembled a -deer more than it resembled anything else. - -It was covered with hair instead of wool, and its color was tawny, -changing to white on the flanks and breast. But it carried the horns of -a sheep, and they were really magnificent. - -Where the animal came from so suddenly Oscar did not know, nor did he -stop to ask himself the question. He was there, and the next thing was -to secure him. - -Remembering the mountain-sheep’s wary nature, Oscar exercised the utmost -caution in turning the muzzle of his rifle from the wolves toward the -buck. - -Fortunately he succeeded in accomplishing this without alarming the -timid animal, which was giving all his attention to the wolves; and, -glancing along the clean, brown barrel, the boy was on the very point of -pressing the trigger when another interruption occurred. - -Three or four heads, adorned with horns like the gnarled branches of an -oak, suddenly appeared above the edge of the plateau, and as many more -came close behind them; these were followed by others; and, in less than -a minute, a dozen full-grown bucks were standing in plain view of the -young hunter, and not more than fifty yards away. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - A FREE FIGHT. - - -The sight was one that would have made the nerves of even an experienced -hunter thrill with excitement; and we can imagine the effect it must -have had upon Oscar, who had never seen anything like it before. - -He knew now where the leading buck came from so suddenly. He and the -rest of the flock had been down to the valley to slake their thirst at -the brook, and were now returning to their feeding-grounds. - -Probably the sheep the wolves had killed was a member of the same flock, -which had been left behind by his companions. That he had not been -attacked while in their company was speedily proved to Oscar’s entire -satisfaction. - -The hunter did not shoot for two reasons. The newcomers, when they -mounted the bluff, stepped up between him and the leading buck, -completely concealing him from view; and even if he could have seen him, -it was by no means certain that Oscar would have brought him down, for -there were others in the flock that were just as large as he was, and -whose horns were just as finely developed. It was hard to choose among -so many. - -While Oscar was running his eye over the flock, trying to make a -selection, the big-horns ranged themselves in a half-circle on the edge -of the plateau, and snorted and stamped their feet while they watched -the wolves at their repast. - -The fierce animals evidently did not like the looks of things at all, -for they stopped their quarrelling among themselves; and, keeping one -eye on the sheep, growled savagely at them, while they made all haste to -finish what was left of their breakfast. - -Matters stood thus for just about a minute, and then one of the sheep -bounded forward with an angry snort; and, lowering his head, struck the -nearest of the wolves a blow in the ribs that fairly lifted him off his -feet. - -As quick as thought the gallant buck turned upon another; but, before he -could strike him, the wolves closed upon him and pulled him to the -ground. - -They did not have time, however, to inflict any serious injury upon him; -for he was too promptly backed by every one of his companions. - -Rushing forward in a body, they closed upon the wolves from all sides; -and Oscar was the amazed spectator of one of the strangest battles that -any hunter ever witnessed. - -He was deeply interested in it, and so greatly bewildered, besides, that -he entirely forgot that he had a loaded gun in his hands. - -For a few seconds the combatants were mixed up in the greatest -confusion, and it was a wonder to Oscar that the bucks, in their -terrific rushes, did not knock one another over; but they seemed to know -just where to strike, and every charge they made was followed by a yelp -of pain from some unlucky wolf. - -The fight had hardly commenced before it became apparent to Oscar that -the wolves were getting the worst of it, and would have been glad to -escape if they could; but their enemies had hemmed them up against the -rocks, and every time one of them attempted to break through the -encircling ranks, he was met by a blow that knocked him back again. - -Finally, one succeeded in working his way out. Nearer dead than alive, -he suddenly made his appearance from beneath the feet of the charging -big-horns, and started across the plateau with all the speed he could -command; but his pace was not rapid, for the life had been well-nigh -knocked out of him by the terrific blows he had received. - -He was pursued by a splendid old buck, which came up with him just as he -reached the edge of the plateau, and sent him heels over head into the -gorge. - -In his eagerness to inflict further punishment upon his discomfited -enemy, the buck approached within less than twenty-five yards of the -concealed hunter before he became aware of his presence. - -Then he must have discovered him, or caught his wind, for he stopped -suddenly, and, wheeling like a flash, went back across the plateau with -short, high bounds, at the same time uttering notes of warning that -brought the battle to a close at once. - -His companions gathered about him in a frightened group; and Oscar, -knowing that in a moment more they would be off like the wind, drew his -rifle quickly to his face and pulled the trigger. - -The buck which had discovered his presence paid for his vigilance with -his life. He fell dead in his tracks, and the others fled with every -demonstration of terror. - -In less time than it takes to write it, Oscar threw out the empty shell, -pushed in a fresh cartridge which he had held in his hand, and, just as -the big-horns were about to plunge headlong into the gorge, he made a -hasty snap-shot, and had the satisfaction of seeing another of their -number fall to his knees; and, after struggling a moment to regain his -feet, roll over on his side. - -Such luck as this was quite unexpected, and it set Oscar almost wild -with excitement. - -Leaping upon the plateau, he ran forward to examine the first buck he -had brought down, at the same time sending up the hunter’s cry with all -the power of his lungs. - -“Who-whoop!” he shouted. - -“Who-whoop!” came the answer almost immediately. - -And, to Oscar’s delight, it sounded close to the foot of the bluff. - -This proved that Big Thompson had struck the trail of the big-horns in -the valley, and that he was following it up. - -“What ye doin’ thar?” asked the guide. - -“I have been getting the start of you,” replied Oscar. - -“An ye’ve gone an’ skeered away them big-horns, an’ haint got nuthin’, -nuther,” said Thompson. - -“What’s the reason I haven’t?” shouted Oscar in reply. “I’ve got two -sheep—and, I declare, I’ve got a wolf also,” he added, a moment later. -“Two of them, and another big-horn, as I live!” - -After the big-horns discovered his presence, Oscar had paid no attention -whatever to the wolves. - -He supposed that they had taken themselves safely off as soon as their -enemies stopped pounding them; but just then he happened to cast his eye -toward the battle-ground, and discovered, to his surprise, that the -conflict had been more desperate than he had imagined. - -One of the wolves lay motionless at the foot of the rocks, another was -vainly endeavoring to crawl off on two legs, and one of the finest -big-horns in the flock was straggling feebly near by. - -A merciful bullet from Oscar’s rifle quickly put the wounded sheep out -of its misery, and a second shot tumbled over the disabled wolf. - -“What in creation are ye wastin’ so much powder fur, up thar?” cried the -guide, who was working his way slowly up the side of the almost -perpendicular bluff. - -“I am not wasting it,” was the boy’s answer. “If you don’t believe it, -come up and see for yourself.” - -Big Thompson was coming with all possible haste, but he could not scale -the bluff as easily as the sheep did, and it was fully ten minutes -before he reached the plateau. - -Those ten minutes were occupied by Oscar in dragging his game together, -and securing the head of the big-horn that had been killed by the -wolves. - -The guide reached the top at last, and his countenance indicated that he -was not a little astonished at what he saw before him. - -Leaning on his rifle, he looked first at the game, then at the young -hunter, and finally he advanced and shook hands with him. - -He was so nearly out of breath that he could not congratulate him upon -his success in any other way. - -In a few hurried words Oscar told what he had done since parting from -Big Thompson three hours before, dwelling with a good deal of enthusiasm -upon the courage displayed by the sheep in attacking the wolves, and -winding up with the remark that he had no idea that so timid an animal -could make so gallant a fight. - -“Wal,” replied Big Thompson, who had by this time recovered a little of -his breath, “they aint by no means as skeery as ye think. It’s a fact -that they’ll ginerally run like the wind if they see a man or get a -sniff of him, but they don’t mind facin’ any varmints they ketch on -their feedin’-grounds. If you should happen to get one of ’em cornered, -he’d double ye up quicker’n ye could say ‘Gineral Jackson.’ I knowed a -feller onct who was larruped by an old doe whose lamb he wanted for his -dinner, an’ that thar feller was jest my size, an’ they called him Big -Thompson.” - -“I never heard of such a thing before,” said Oscar, who had always -believed that nothing inferior in strength to a bear or panther could -get the better of his stalwart guide. “Tell us all about it.” - -“That’s all thar is to tell. I plumped the lamb over fust; an’ the doe, -she run off. After follerin’ her fur half a mile I found her ag’in, and -knocked her over, too; but I didn’t kill her. When I went to take her by -the horns she jumped up an’ give me a whack that laid me out flatter’n a -slap-jack. When I kinder come to myself, about an hour afterward, I -found her standin’ over her lamb; an’ that time I made sure work of her. -Now, perfessor, what be ye goin’ to do next?” - -“I want to get this game to the camp with as little delay as possible,” -answered Oscar. “I have a good deal of work before me, and I can do it -now easier than I can after the specimens are frozen. But how are we -going to get them to the cabin? Why, those sheep must weigh two or three -hundred pounds apiece.” - -Oscar had been revolving this problem in his mind while his guide was -climbing the bluff, and it puzzled him not a little; but Big Thompson -solved it without an instant’s hesitation. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - OSCAR DISCOVERS SOMETHING. - - -“I believe you hunters generally make a litter to carry your game home -on, don’t you?” continued Oscar. - -“We do sometimes, when thar’s two fellers to tote it,” replied Big -Thompson. - -“Well, there are two of us here; but I never could carry one end of a -litter with all those animals piled on it. The distance is too great and -the load would be too heavy.” - -“Yes, I reckon seven or eight hundred pounds would be a pretty good lift -for a chap of your inches, an’ yer a mighty well put up sort of a boy, -too. We’ll have to snake ’em thar.” - -“That would never do,” returned Oscar, quickly. “It would spoil the -skins to haul the game so far over the snow.” - -“They shan’t tech the snow at all. I’ll tell ye what I mean.” - -Big Thompson gave the boy his rifle to hold, and, with the hatchet he -always carried in his belt, cut down a small pine tree, which was to be -used as a drag. - -With the aid of this drag they succeeded, after infinite trouble, and -two hours’ hard work, in transferring all the game from the plateau to -the mouth of the gorge. - -One of the big-horns was then placed on the drag and the guide started -with it for the cabin, leaving Oscar to protect the rest from any hungry -beast which might chance to pass that way. - -The guide was obliged to make four trips between the gorge and the camp, -and, as it was no easy work to haul the drag and its heavy burdens -through the snow, two hours more were consumed, so that it was near the -middle of the afternoon before Oscar saw his specimens safely housed. - -After full justice had been done to the cutlets, which, under Big -Thompson’s supervision, were cooked to perfection, Oscar set to work -upon one of the sheep, while the guide sat by, smoking his pipe and -watching all his movements with the keenest interest. - -At midnight Oscar was tired enough to go to bed. He slept soundly until -eight o’clock the next morning; and then awoke, to find that the fire -had nearly gone out, that the breakfast that had been prepared for him -was cold, and that the guide was missing. - -“He’s gone out to set some of his traps,” said Oscar to himself, as he -drew on his boots and went out to get an armful of wood from the pile in -front of the cabin. “He told me last night that that was what he was -going to do to-day. Well, I have three or four hours more of hard work -before me; and, when it is done, I’ll take a stroll down the valley and -see what I can find to shoot at.” - -In a very few minutes the fire was burning brightly; and, after he had -washed his hands and face, and brushed his hair in front of a small -mirror that hung on the wall (he never neglected such little things as -these simply because he was a hunter, and a hundred miles away from -everybody except his guide), Oscar placed the coffee-pot and frying-pan -on the coals, and laid the table for his breakfast. - -He had brought with him a good many things in the way of supplies that -Big Thompson had never seen in a hunter’s camp before, such as condensed -milk, pressed tea, sugar, self-leavening flour, canned fruits, pickles, -onions, beans, and desiccated potatoes. - -It was just as easy, he thought, to live well, even in that remote -region, as it was to keep himself neat in appearance; and he intended to -do both. - -Having eaten a hearty breakfast and set things in order in the cabin, -Oscar resumed work upon his specimens; and, by twelve o’clock, the skins -of the sheep, as well as those of the wolves, were packed snugly away in -one corner, surmounted by the horns he intended to present to his -friend, Sam Hynes. - -This done, he buckled on his cartridge-belt, thrust a hatchet into it, -and, taking his rifle down from its place over the door, set out for a -hunt by himself. - -Before deciding on his course, he stopped to see which way the wind was -blowing. On glancing at the boughs of the evergreens behind the cabin, -he observed that they hung motionless; there did not seem to be a breath -of air stirring; but the boy, knowing that there is always more or less -motion in the atmosphere, took a hunter’s way of finding out which -direction the breeze came from. - -This he did by moistening his finger in his mouth and holding it above -his head. The back of his finger was toward the upper end of the valley; -and, as it grew cold almost instantly, Oscar knew that what little wind -there was, came from the mountains. He knew, too, that experienced -hunters, while seeking for game, always travel against the wind; so, -without further hesitation, he shouldered his rifle and started up the -valley. - -“The elk we saw on the day we arrived here went in this direction,” -thought he, as he trudged along, keeping just in the edge of the timbers -for concealment; “and who knows but I may be lucky enough to find them -again? If I could get a fair shot at the old buck that carries those -splendid antlers, I should have a prize indeed!” - -Oscar worked his way cautiously through the woods, stopping now and then -behind a convenient tree to take a survey of the valley before him, but -not a living thing could he see. - -All the game-animals seemed to have taken themselves off to a safer -neighborhood; but that some of them had recently been about there was -made apparent to Oscar before he had gone two miles from the cabin. - -All of a sudden, while his thoughts were wandering far away from the -valley, across the snow-covered prairie to the little village of Eaton -and the friends he had left there, he came upon the place where a couple -of deer had passed the preceding night. - -He knew there were two of them, a large and a small one, for he could -see the prints made by their bodies in the snow when they lay down to -sleep. - -He was satisfied, also, that they had left their beds that morning, for -the appearance of the tracks that led to and from the thicket in which -they had passed the night, told him so. - -It had thawed just enough the day before to melt the top of the snow, -and during the night it had frozen hard enough to form a thick crust -over it. - -The bottom of the tracks that led into the thicket was covered with this -crust, while in those that led out of it the snow was soft to the touch. - -Oscar was hunter enough to settle this matter, but it needed the skill -of a more experienced person to determine how long the deer had been -gone, and whether or not it would be worth while to pursue them. - -“These tracks were not made by elk, because they are too small,” thought -the boy, stooping down and looking through the trees on all sides of -him, although he knew perfectly well that the animals that made the -tracks were a long way from there at that moment. “They couldn’t have -been made by common deer, either, for they’re too deep. There must have -been heavy bodies on top of those little feet to sink them to such a -depth in the snow. I wonder if they could have been made by black-tails? -I wish Thompson was here.” - -But Big Thompson was not there, and consequently if there was anything -done toward securing the deer, whatever their name might be, Oscar must -do it alone and unaided. - -He did not expect to be successful in his efforts, but that did not -deter him from taking up the trail at once. - -Breaking into a rapid trot, which he had been known to sustain for three -or four miles without the least inconvenience, he followed the tracks -out of the timber and across the valley toward the brook. - -When he reached the stream he found that the deer had spent considerable -time there, browsing among the willows, for a good many branches were -broken down, twigs and leaves were scattered about over the snow, and -the two trails ran across each other in every direction; but, by -devoting himself entirely to the tracks made by the larger animal, the -young hunter succeeded in following him through all his devious -windings, and he finally trailed him out of the willows and back across -the valley to the timber that grew at the foot of the hills. - -Here he stopped, discouraged. - -“It’s no use,” said he, as he looked about for a fallen log on which he -could sit down and rest for a few minutes. “I have followed this trail -for two hours and a half,” he added, consulting his watch, “and now I -must give it up. They were frightened at something as they passed along -here, and began to run. Their tracks show that very plainly, and -Thompson says that if a black-tail once makes up his mind that it is -necessary for him to show his speed, he will keep it up until——Hello! -what’s that?” - -While Oscar was looking around for a seat, he discovered something he -was not looking for, and that was another trail, that led diagonally -across the valley from the willows until it struck the trail of the -deer, a few yards from the spot on which he stood, and then it turned -and followed in the direction in which the game had fled. - -Oscar ran up to this trail and examined it with no little interest. It -was made by a man—a big man, too, judging by the size of his feet—and he -wore moccasins. - -The distance between his tracks showed that he had broken into a run the -moment he struck the trail, and this made it evident that he had decided -to pursue the deer. - -“Aha!” said Oscar, shouldering his rifle, and once more setting off at -his best pace, “Thompson has the start of me this time. But I can’t -imagine how he comes to be here, for I understood him to say that he was -going _down_ the valley to the place where we saw that otter-slide. I’ll -not go back to camp until I find him.” - -Oscar now had an opportunity to make some estimate of the speed his -guide could put forth when occasion rendered it necessary. He must be -set on springs that recoiled sharply whenever his feet touched the -ground, Oscar thought, for his tracks were so far apart that the boy -could scarcely step into them. - -Furthermore, he kept up the same pace without intermission for two long, -weary miles; and then Oscar began to realize that Big Thompson could run -long as well as rapidly. - -The boy was nearly out of breath by this time; and, after a short burst -of speed, made with the hope of coming within sight of his guide, he -settled down into a walk. - -As he moved slowly along, some things Big Thompson had told him in -regard to mule-deer came into his mind. - -The guide had informed him that in vigilance this animal was fully equal -to the mountain sheep, and that in cunning he could give a fox points -and beat him. - -One of the favorite tricks of an experienced old buck was this: when he -became aware that he was pursued, he would run like the wind until he -was certain that he had gained a good start of his enemy, then take a -short circle to the right or left of his trail, run back a mile or two -parallel with and a short distance from it, and finally stop on some -hill, from whose summit he could see the country over which he had just -passed without being seen himself. When he discovered the hunter -advancing along the trail below him, he would take to his heels again, -only to repeat the trick a few minutes later. - -It was the recollection of this piece of information that caused Oscar -to turn his head and look toward a ridge on his right hand, that -terminated in a bluff, about fifty feet in height. - -As he did so, his eyes opened to their widest extent, and his hands -trembled as he took his gun from his shoulder, and laid it in the hollow -of his arm. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - THE RIVAL HUNTERS. - - -The top of the ridge was thickly covered with bushes, and it was -something Oscar imagined he saw behind those bushes that caused his eyes -to open, and set his hands to trembling violently. - -Arising above the top of the thicket was an object that looked for all -the world like a pair of wide-spreading antlers; and on the ground could -be dimly seen another object, that greatly resembled a doe lying down. - -A person whose eyes were less keen than Oscar’s might have looked toward -the top of the ridge a score of times without seeing anything but bushes -there; but the young hunter was positive that the deer he had been -following were stationed within easy range of him, closely watching all -his movements. - -Why did he not bolt at once and shoot at them? For the reason that he -knew that so long as he kept moving, and the animals fancied themselves -unobserved, they would remain motionless in their place of concealment; -but the instant he came to a stand-still, they would take the alarm and -show him their heels. Besides, he wanted to obtain a better view of -them, if he could, to gain a favorable position for a shot, and to make -sure that they were really live deer, and not creatures of his -imagination. - -With these thoughts in his mind, Oscar walked slowly along the trail, -keeping his eyes fixed upon the shrubbery. - -In a few seconds another cluster of bushes shut the doe out of his -sight. This seemed to cause her some uneasiness, for she promptly arose -to her feet and moved nearer to the buck, so that she could look through -the tops of the bushes at the hunter. It was plain that she thought it -best to keep her eyes on him. - -The buck, at the same time, shifted his own position very slightly, and -thus brought himself in front of an opening in the thicket, through -which Oscar saw that he could obtain a fatal, or at least a disabling -shot. - -These movements on the part of the game removed all doubts from the mind -of the young hunter. - -He was looking at live deer, and nothing else. - -Still keeping his gaze fixed upon the animals, he moved along the trail -about ten yards further; and, when he had taken an extra cartridge from -his belt, he faced about and walked back, at the same time drawing the -rifle to his face. - -He kept the weapon directed toward the top of the ridge; and, when the -muzzle of it came within range of that clear space in the bushes, he -pressed the trigger. - -An instant afterward there was a great commotion behind the thicket. A -cloud of snow and deep leaves flew into the air, raised by the doe as -she bounded high in her tracks and sought safety in flight, and by the -hind feet of the buck, which, giving one convulsive spring, came -crashing through the tops of the bushes, and rolled down the bluff, -landing in a heap almost at the feet of the hunter, who jumped quickly -to one side to avoid the blows from the sharp little hoofs that were -flourished so spitefully in the air. - -But his struggles did not long continue. He was hard hit; and, by the -time Oscar had thrown the empty shell out of his rifle and put in the -cartridge he held in his hand, the buck was stone dead. - -The report of his gun awoke a thousand echoes, which reverberated among -the rocks and gorges until it seemed as if a dozen answering shots were -coming from as many different points of the compass, and fell upon the -ears of a man who, carrying his rifle at a trail, moving with long, -swinging strides, and keeping his eyes fastened upon the tracks in the -snow, was making his way through a dense thicket a quarter of a mile -distant. - -He stopped suddenly when he heard it; and, having made sure of the -direction from which the report came, he uttered an exclamation -indicative of astonishment and anger; and, turning short off from the -trail, ran at the top of his speed toward the valley. - -Arriving at the edge of the timber, he peeped cautiously through the -bushes, and saw Oscar standing below him, leaning on his rifle and -looking at the prize he had secured. - -The hunter either recognized in him somebody against whom he held a -grudge, or else he was enraged over the loss of the game he had so long -and perseveringly followed; for he raised his rifle to his face and -pointed it at the boy as if he had half a mind to drop him as Oscar had -dropped the mule-deer. - -It was probable, however, that he had no such intention, for he did not -cock his gun. He was only acting out in pantomime what he would have -been glad to do in reality, if he had not been afraid of the -consequences. - -Just then Oscar raised his head and set up a shout that once more put -the echoes at work among the hills. The sound seemed to startle the -concealed hunter, for he straightened up quickly and cast suspicious -glances behind and on both sides of him, at the same time straining his -ears to catch the reply, if any were given. - -After looking and listening for two or three moments he again brought -his rifle to a trail, glided away as noiselessly as a spirit, making use -of every tree and rock to conceal his progress, and presently he was -lost to sight in the depths of the woods. - -“Who—whoop!” yelled Oscar again, when he thought he had waited long -enough for a reply. “Where is Thompson, I wonder? If he can’t hear the -call he ought certainly to have heard the report of the gun, and I don’t -see why he doesn’t answer it. That was the agreement between us. If we -were hunting out of sight of each other he was to reply to my shot, and -come to me at once. I’ll try him again.” - -Oscar looked around for some mark upon which to exercise his skill, and -discovering a white spot on a tree fifty yards away, took a quick aim at -it, and had the satisfaction of seeing the centre of the spot disappear. - -The echoes answered as before, but the boy heard nothing that sounded -like the sharp, whip-like report of Big Thompson’s muzzleloader. - -He shouted until he was hoarse, but no reply came back to him save the -sound of his own voice thrown back from the cliffs. - -“I think I’d better not waste any more time,” said Oscar, after he had -waited nearly half an hour for the guide to make his appearance. “If he -comes back this way he will, of course, strike my trail, and he is such -a runner that it will not take him long to come up with me. Now, the -next thing is to find a drag.” - -Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, Oscar drew his hatchet from his -belt; and, after a short search among the saplings in front of him, -selected one that he thought would answer his purpose. - -A few blows with the hatchet brought it to the ground; and, when some of -the useless branches had been cut off, the buck was placed upon it—not -without a good deal of hard work, however, during which Oscar’s strength -was all brought into requisition—and the hunter set out for camp well -satisfied with his success. - -It was a task of no little difficulty to haul so heavy a burden through -the snow, and Oscar was often obliged to stop and rest. - -During every one of these halts he renewed his efforts to attract the -attention of his guide by shouting and firing his gun, but still no -answer was returned. - -Just as it was growing dark he reached the cabin; and, with a sigh of -relief, put his rifle in its place, and sat down on one of the stools to -take another good look at his prize. - -After resting a few moments, he took a tape-line from one of the pockets -of his saddle-bags and proceeded to make some measurements. - -Here is the entry he made in his diary—or, rather, a portion of it: - - - I have to-day secured my first specimen of the—I don’t know whether - to call it _Cervus columbianus_ or _Cariacus columbianus_, or - _Cariacus macrotis_; for no two authorities I have read agree on - that point. If he is a deer at all, he belongs to the family - _Cervidæ_, and therefore ought to be called _Cervus_ something. Who - knows but I may some day be an authority on these little matters - myself? He is a mule-deer; I know that much, and his dimensions are - as follows: spread of antlers, fifty inches; fourteen well-developed - prongs. Height, five feet four inches from the ground to tip of - antlers; at the haunches, three feet eight inches. Length of ears, a - fraction over eight inches. Body, round and plump; legs very - slender; feet so small that they seem greatly disproportioned to the - size of the animal. Color of coat a dark gray, tipped with black, - changing to yellow and white on the breast and flanks, and to a - tawny on the legs. Tail, thin and switchy; white at the top, and - terminating in a black brush three inches in length. Weight, about - two hundred and fifty pounds. - - -After Oscar had made this entry, and while he was sitting with his elbow -on his knee and his chin resting on his hand, looking down at the deer -to see if there were any points about him that he had not noted, he -heard footsteps breaking through the crust outside the cabin; and the -next moment the door opened, admitting Big Thompson, who carried -something slung over his shoulder. He stopped on the threshold and -uttered an exclamation of astonishment. - -“What have you got there?” inquired Oscar. - -The guide handed over his bunch of game, consisting of an otter and -several mink, for his employer’s inspection, and turned his attention to -the deer, which he examined with considerable interest. - -“Ye’ll never get a better one, if ye stay here till yer har’s as white -as the driven snow,” said he. “’Taint often ye see a black-tail larger’n -this yere. An’ I think I heard ye say that ye didn’t know nothin’ ’bout -huntin’ big game.” - -“And I told you the truth,” replied Oscar. “But I have paid strict -attention to everything you said in regard to the habits of the animals -found in these hills, and when I go hunting I make use of the -information you have given me. I know enough to beat you, don’t I?” - -“Looks like it from here,” answered the guide. - -“And you had the start of me, too,” continued Oscar. “I followed your -trail until I was tired out, and then, happening to recall what you said -regarding the habit a mule-deer has of doubling on his trail, I looked -toward the top of a bluff a little distance off and there he was. That’s -the way I got him. What was the reason you didn’t answer my signals?” - -“Look a-here, perfessor,” said the guide, drawing the other stool up on -the opposite side of the fire and seating himself, “what be ye tryin’ to -get through yerself?” - -“Nothing at all. I am simply trying to make you understand, that, while -you were following the deer, I got the start of you.” - -“Whar did ye shoot him?” asked Big Thompson. - -“About four miles up the valley. And you were there, too, for I saw your -trail.” - -“Not much, ye didn’t!” exclaimed the guide, who was very much surprised. -“Kase why—I was five miles _down_ the valley.” - -“You were?” said Oscar, now beginning to be surprised himself. “Then -there’s another hunter about here.” - -“Mebbe it was a bar track ye seed?” suggested the guide. - -“Don’t you suppose I can tell the print of a moccasin from a bear -track?” inquired Oscar. “Of course, you don’t know who he is.” - -“In course not; but I’ll find out to-morrer, while yer fixin’ up that -black-tail. I allers like to know who my neighbors be. I know this much, -howsomever. If this yere valley is git tin’ settled up, it aint no place -fur me an’ you. Somebody’ll have to be movin’; but it won’t be me an’ -the perfessor,” he added to himself. - -Oscar laughed outright. The idea that a hunting ground, covering over -three hundred square miles, was too densely populated when there were -only three hunters in it, amused him. - -He did not object to the presence of a third party. On the contrary, if -they chanced to meet him, and he proved to be the right sort of man, -Oscar would have been in favor of inviting him to take up his abode in -the cabin. He was a professional hunter, or he would not be in the hills -at that season of the year, and he would have stories to tell that would -help while away the long winter evenings. - -Big Thompson had other ideas. He had suspicions also; and, if he had -communicated them to Oscar, it is probable that the boy would have -thought as he did—that somebody would have to be moving. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - BIG THOMPSON FOLLOWS A TRAIL. - - -Both the hunters had work to do that night; and, as soon as supper had -been eaten, they set about it; Oscar devoting himself to the deer, while -Big Thompson removed and stretched the skins of the otter and mink he -had shot during the day. - -The boy was so much interested in what his guide was doing that he made -very little progress with his own task. - -Big Thompson, having spent many a year in the woods before he became a -government scout, was an expert in all that pertained to the trapping -and preserving of skins, and he handled his knife with a dexterity that -excited Oscar’s admiration and envy. - -His work being done at the end of an hour, he lighted his pipe and -watched the boy until he grew sleepy, and then he bade him good-night -and sought his blanket. - -Nothing more was said about the unknown hunter, and Oscar never thought -of him again until the next morning, when he awoke to find that the -guide, after preparing breakfast for his employer, had taken his rifle -and set off by himself. - -“He has gone out to see who my rival was,” thought Oscar, as he threw -off the blankets and drew on his boots. “I hope he will find him and -bring him here to live with us. There is room enough in the cabin for -three, and there is game enough in the valley to keep us all busy. If he -stays off there by himself, I am afraid he will shoot that big elk, and -that would be a disappointment to me. After I have eaten breakfast, I’ll -take a stroll down the brook and see if I can find some of Thompson’s -traps. When I see how they are set, I’ll put out some for myself. I -might just as well earn a few extra dollars while I am here as not. I -have spent a good deal of the committee’s money that I had no business -to spend, and every cent of it must be replaced.” - -Having disposed of a hearty breakfast—it was astonishing what an -appetite the cold, bracing air from the mountains gave him—Oscar -shouldered his rifle and left the cabin. - -He was gone all day; and when he came back, just before dark, he carried -over his shoulder a fine bunch of mink and otter, which he had found in -the guide’s traps and deadfalls. - -He had taken particular notice of the nature of the localities in which -these traps and deadfalls were set, and thought he had learned enough to -warrant him in beginning the business of trapping on his own -responsibility. - -Big Thompson had already returned, and supper was nearly ready. - -“That’s what I have done to-day,” said Oscar, as he entered the cabin -and exhibited his bunch of game. “Now, what have you done?” - -“I’ve found out that we’ve got the country to our own two selves ag’in, -like we’d oughter have,” answered Big Thompson. “That feller has dug -out.” - -“I am sorry to hear it,” said Oscar. “I was in hopes you would find him -and bring him back with you.” - -“I might have fetched him here if I’d found him, an’ then ag’in I -mightn’t. I don’t reckon ye’d make friends with every feller ye’d meet -in the settlements, would ye? Wal, ’taint safe to do so out yere in the -hills, nuther. Most likely he heared ye yellin’ an’ shootin’ yesterday, -an’ has gone off to find more elbow-room.” - -“I should think he ought to have heard me, if he was anywhere within a -mile of the valley,” said Oscar, with a smile. “I tell you I awoke the -echoes. But it seems to me that you fellows want a good deal of -elbow-room. I wouldn’t care if there were a dozen other hunters here. Do -you know who he was?” - -“I didn’t see him,” was the answer. - -“But do you know who he was?” repeated Oscar, who saw something in his -guide’s manner which led him to the belief that he wasn’t telling all he -knew. - -“Look a-yere, perfessor! Do ye s’pose I kin tell a man’s name by seein’ -the size of his hoofs in the snow?” demanded Big Thompson. “No, I can’t. -My ole pop, when he larnt me trailin’, never told me how to do that.” - -Oscar was entirely satisfied with, the reply. He little imagined that -the guide, although he uttered nothing but the truth when he affirmed -that he had not seen the man, could, nevertheless, tell all about him. - -When Big Thompson left the cabin, at the first peep of day, he bent his -steps toward the bluff on which Oscar had killed the mule-deer; and, -after an hour’s rapid walking, found his trail, as well as that of the -unknown hunter. - -This he took up at once, and followed through all its numerous windings -among the hills and gorges, until at last he came to the spot where the -tracks, which had thus far been a good distance apart, were made in -pairs. - -“This is whar he stopped when he heared the perfessor’s gun,” said the -guide to himself. “Then he went on a few steps an’ stopped; then a -leetle further, an’ stopped ag’in, an’ that’s the way the tracks were -made so clost together. Finally, he branched off this yere way, t’wards -the bluff, to see who it was a-shootin’ down thar in the valley.” - -Big Thompson also “branched off” at this point, following the trail to -the edge of the timber; and, by taking his stand behind the same cluster -of bushes that had served the unknown hunter for a concealment, he could -see the spot on which Oscar stood while he was examining his prize. - -Taking up the trail again, he pursued it at a swifter pace, his -knowledge of woodcraft enabling him to pick out every tree and bowlder -behind which the hunter had stopped to survey the ground before him; -and, after another hour’s rapid travelling, came within sight of a -smouldering camp-fire. - -He ran up to it at once; and, dropping the butt of his rifle to the -ground, halted to take a survey of its surroundings. - -The guide had already told himself who Oscar’s rival was; and, if there -were any lingering doubts in his mind as to his identity, they were now -all dispelled. - -The hastily constructed shelter, under which the snow was almost as deep -as it was in the woods, the carcasses of the wolves that were scattered -about, and the whole untidy and neglected appearance of the camp, fully -satisfied him that he had made no mistake. - -A plain trail led away from the camp, and this had been made by two -persons (one of whom wore boots) and an unshod pony. - -The owners of the camp had eaten an early breakfast, and set out to find -less populous hunting grounds. - -The guide followed their trail until he had made sure of their -direction, which he knew to be another valley among the hills a few -miles away, and then he turned about and retraced his steps. - -“I understand sunthin’ now that I didn’t quite see into afore,” thought -he. “Lish knowed that me an’ the perfessor would be sartin to strike fur -this valley, and that’s why he put that thar writin’ on to Ike Barker’s -door. He reckoned that if Ike tuk back his muel, as a’most any other -feller would ’a’done, that would knock us in the head, an’ him an’ his -pardner would have the country to themselves. But that thar leetle game -didn’t work, did it, Lish? I knowed it was yerself the minute I seed yer -trail a-dodgin’ ahind all them trees an’ rocks. Ye knowed the perfessor -was a-hollerin’ fur me, an’ ye didn’t want to see me, did ye? No; I -reckon ye didn’t—kase why, when we set eyes on to each other, we’ll pull -ha’r, me an’ you will.” - -The guide did not explain all this to his employer, because he knew, as -well as if Oscar himself had told him so, that there was something -between him and Lish the Wolfer, or between him and his partner, whoever -he might be. - -When Oscar read the note the ranchman found fastened to his door, he was -nearly overwhelmed with excitement, or something else, and the guide had -noticed it. So had Ike Barker, and the two had discussed the matter -after the boy fell asleep in his bunk; but, of course, without arriving -at any solution of the mystery. - -It was plain enough to Big Thompson that his young employer knew more -about one or the other of these two worthies than he cared to reveal; -but he had never said anything to him about it, for he knew that it was -no concern of his. - -If Oscar were in need of his assistance, and chose to take him into his -confidence, he would give him all the help he could. Until then he would -keep his mouth closed. - -This was the way Big Thompson looked at the matter, and the conclusions -at which he arrived showed that he was as expert at following out a -course of reasoning as he was at following a trail. - -During the next three weeks our hunters employed their time in much the -same way that they had employed it during the three days the incidents -of which we have so minutely described. They had come out there to hunt -and trap; and they went about their business as regularly as a carpenter -or a book-keeper goes about his daily work. - -Oscar passed one day in stalking some of the numerous herds of elk that -roamed in the upper end of the valley, and the next in visiting traps he -had set along the banks of the brook. - -Good luck attended all his efforts except in two, or, we may say, three -instances. He never went out after the elk that he did not succeed in -bringing down one; and, whenever he made the round of his traps, he -always brought to the cabin at least half a dozen, and sometimes more, -valuable fur-bearing animals. - -He had secured another mule-deer—a doe—which was a fit companion for the -buck he had killed; he had prepared for mounting several fine specimens -of the beaver, otter, mink, and marten tribes; he had knocked over two -or three gray foxes, and a common wolf which he found feasting on a deer -he had slain; he had bagged some representatives of all the game-birds -with which the woods were inhabited; and the pile of furs he intended to -sell, and which grew larger every day, satisfied him that he could -refund every dollar of the committee’s money that he had advanced to -assist Leon Parker and his brother Tom, and have a handsome surplus left -to put into his own pocket. - -These things made his heart light and his sleep sound; but he became -nervous and impatient when he reflected that, with all his careful -stalking, he had not been able to get a shot at that big elk with the -splendid antlers; that he could not obtain so much as a glimpse of the -thieving wolverine which was making a business of robbing his traps, or -of the panther which serenaded him and his companion nearly every night. - -The guide, who had heard so much about that big elk that he became as -anxious to secure him as Oscar was, advised the boy to run him down on -horseback; and at last Oscar consented to try it. - -Then he found that he had missed a good deal of sport during the time he -had devoted to still-hunting. - -An elk, when he is disturbed by a hunter, makes off at a trot which is -the very poetry of easy and vigorous motion. - -So rapid is his pace, and so long-winded is he, that the hunter who -would overtake him must be mounted on a fleet and enduring horse; and, -furthermore, he must push him hard enough at the start to make him -“break his trot”—that is, compel him to change his gait to a gallop. - -Although he can trot twenty miles without showing any signs of fatigue, -going up the side of a mountain, or through a dense forest, where the -way is obstructed by rocks and fallen trees, with as much ease, -apparently, as he would pass over an open prairie, a short gallop—even -on the smoothest ground—exhausts him; and then the hunter can ride close -enough to him to use his rifle or revolver. - -Oscar knew all this, for his guide had more than once explained it to -him. - -Hunting on horseback was easier than hunting on foot; and, after his -first day in the saddle, Oscar never went elk-stalking again. - -He lived on horseback during the daytime, for he always rode the guide’s -pony; the guide himself rode the mule. - -This much-abused animal, although he was the very personification of -laziness and obstinacy when hitched to the wagon, was all life and -animation when he had a rider on his back. - -He proved to be very light of foot; and, on more than one occasion, -tested the speed of the pony to the utmost. - -He was very knowing, too, and it was not many days before Oscar found it -out. If it had not been for that same mule this expedition would have -ended in failure, in spite of the success that had thus far attended -them. - -He did something that raised him to a high place in the boy’s -estimation; and anybody who struck that mule a blow after that, in his -presence, would have been very likely to get himself into trouble. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - “OLD EPHRAIM.” - - -Oscar and his guide enjoyed some splendid runs after they gave up -still-hunting and took to the saddle; and Big Thompson, who had been -surprised at the skill the boy exhibited in stalking, and the success -that attended him, was perfectly astonished when he saw him ride. - -His seat was easy and graceful; and, although he seemed to make no -effort to keep it, he was never unhorsed. In the ardor of the chase he -seemed to forget everything except the game before him. - -With his bridle flying loose in the wind, and his hands grasping his -rifle, which he carried ready for a shot, he would press close upon the -flanks of a flying herd, single out the best buck in it, and follow him -at headlong speed through the thickest woods, over the roughest ground, -and down declivities that in his sober moments he would have hesitated -to descend at a walk; and when at last the elk’s trot was broken and his -spirit began to flag, the loud report of the breech loader would -announce that that run was over. - -It was surprising how soon he and the pony came to have unlimited -confidence in each other. The little horse entered into the sport with -as much eagerness as Oscar did; and he would face every thicket and take -every leap that came in his way, all the while straining every nerve to -bring his rider to close quarters with the animal he had selected. And -it was surprising, too, how quickly he learned which animal it was that -Oscar wanted to bring to bay. - -After he had followed him through a few of his windings, guided by his -rider’s hand, he would take up the pursuit on his own responsibility, -and stick close to that particular elk, paying no attention to the other -members of the herd. - -During these runs Thompson always kept a little in the boy’s rear, -advising and encouraging him, except when that big elk was started, and -then he would take the lead, if he could, and try his best to secure -him; but this elk seemed to bear a charmed life. - -A good many bullets had been sent after him, and sometimes the hunters -were positive that he had been hard hit; but the next time they jumped -him—and they saw him almost every time they went to the upper end of the -valley—he would throw his heavy antlers back on his shoulders, stick his -nose straight out before him, and trot off as rapidly as ever. - -“I am afraid we’ll have to give it up,” said Oscar one day, as they were -slowly working their way homeward after another unsuccessful attempt to -bag the big elk. - -They had not been entirely unsuccessful, for Oscar had brought down a -specimen with which he would have been quite satisfied if he had never -seen that other buck. - -This specimen was slung across the mule’s back. It was easier to get the -game home in that way than it was to haul it on a drag. - -“Look a-yere, perfessor!” exclaimed the guide. “Ye said somethin’ -t’other day ’bout sendin’ me back to the fort, didn’t ye?” - -“Yes, I did,” replied Oscar. “There are several persons in the States -who ought to know what I am doing out here; and besides, I believe there -are letters for me at the fort.” - -“All right,” said the guide. “Now jest take my advice, an’ let that ole -buck alone till I come back. If ye keep on foolin’ with him the fust -thing ye know he’ll take that herd o’ his’n off to some other valley, -an’ then ye’ll have to give him up, sure. It’s a wonder to me that he -haint tuk ’em off long ago. If he stays yere we’ll have him as sartin as -he’s a elk.” - -“If we can get him when you come back why can’t we get him now?” asked -Oscar. - -“Kase we aint got what we want, that’s why. I’ve got somethin’ to hum -that’ll fetch a muel-deer every time; an’ seems to me that it had -oughter fetch that thar buck too. When I come back I’ll bring it with -me.” - -“What in the world is it?” - -“Wal, now, perfessor, if I promise ye, honor bright, that ye shall have -that thar buck to take back to the States with ye, hadn’t ye oughter be -satisfied with that?” - -Oscar thought he had, but still it was hard work to control his -curiosity. - -The boy had often talked of sending his guide to the fort to mail some -letters he had written, and to bring back any addressed to himself that -the colonel might have in his possession; and Big Thompson had as often -declared his readiness to start as soon as the weather and the -travelling would permit. - -There had been several days during the last three weeks on which it -stormed so violently that the hunters were confined within doors. - -Oscar passed those stormy days in writing letters, and jotting down in -his diary the particulars of such hunting expeditions as he thought -worth preserving, while the guide smoked his pipe and meditated. - -After these storms the guide’s chances for making the journey seemed -greatly lessened. - -The snow was now more than a foot deep on a level in the valley; and Big -Thompson said that in the gorges, and on the exposed prairie, where the -wind had a full sweep, the drifts must be twenty feet deep. - -“An’ the longer I wait the wuss the goin’ will git,” said he, as he lay -on his blanket that night, watching Oscar, who was busy with the elk he -had shot during the day. “I’ll try it to-morrer.” - -And he did. - -When it was four o clock by Oscar’s watch breakfast had been disposed -of, and the guide, having provided himself with a few pounds of crackers -and several slices of cooked venison—all of which he wrapped up in his -blankets, and carried over his shoulder, slung on his rifle’s -barrel—left the cabin in company with his employer, and led the way -toward the gulch that ran from the valley to the prairie. - -But he did not go far into the gulch. It was filled with drifts, and one -glance at them was enough for Oscar, who urged the guide to give it up -and go back to the cabin. - -“It would not be many days,” he said, “before a crust would form over -the newly fallen snow, and then he could make the attempt with every -hope of success.” - -But Big Thompson, being made of sterner stuff, declared that, having got -so far on his way, he would not turn back until he was compelled to do -so. - -He asked Oscar to repeat the messages he wished to send to the various -officers at the post, told him to go straight back to the cabin, and be -very careful of himself during his absence, and then shook him warmly by -the hand and set out on his lonely journey. - -The boy watched him as long as he remained in sight, but instead of -going back to camp, as he had been told to do, he built a fire under the -bluff, and sat down beside it to await the guide’s return. - -“He’ll be back pretty soon,” thought Oscar, “and I wish I had brought -the coffee-pot with me, for he will need something to refresh him.” - -Sure enough, Big Thompson returned just before noon (it was a little -after daylight when he took leave of his employer), covered with snow -from head to foot, and as nearly exhausted as a man like him could be. - -The snow was so deep and soft that he had gone scarcely five miles up -the gorge before he was glad to turn back. - -It was a fortunate thing for him that he did so, for on the very next -day the weather suddenly changed, and a “blizzard,” such as Big Thompson -himself had not often seen, and which continued for thirty-six hours, -roared through the hills. - -If the guide had gone on toward the fort the storm would have overtaken -him on the prairie; and Oscar might have been left to pass the rest of -the winter alone, and to find his own way out of the hills in the -spring. - -On the fourth day the skies cleared, and the guide, who had made a pair -of snow shoes, was ready to set out again as soon as he saw indications -of settled weather. - -The snow in the valley was too deep for hunting on horseback, and Oscar -and his companion were obliged to go on foot. - -The first day on which the weather permitted them to go out of doors -they spent in making the rounds of their traps, one going up and the -other down the valley, and the next they passed in company, hunting for -nothing in particular, but ready to knock over any animal that came in -their way, provided he was worth a charge of powder and lead. - -It was on the afternoon of this day that our hero saw a sight he did not -soon forget. - -He and his companion, after taking lunch on the bank of the brook, set -out to beat a thick grove in the upper end of the valley, in which the -herds of elk always sought concealment when pressed by the hunters. - -Oscar had been instructed to follow the stream, which here ran through a -wide but shallow gorge, while the guide made a circuit of a mile or two, -crossed the gorge at the upper edge of the timbers, and came down on the -other side, hoping to drive something within reach of the boy’s breech -loader. - -Neither of them had had a chance for a shot during the day, and -everything seemed to indicate that they were destined to go home -empty-handed. - -Oscar had been out of sight of the guide for an hour or more. He was -walking slowly up the gorge, moving with that stealthy step which he had -practised so often that it was becoming a confirmed habit with him, and -as he rounded the base of a lofty rock, under whose cover he had stopped -a few minutes to listen and peep through the wood on each side of him, -he found himself on the brow of a little hill, and within less than -twenty yards of an enormous grizzly bear. - -The boy knew that the animal belonged to this species, because he could -distinctly see the erect mane between the shoulders, the dark stripe -extending along the back from the base of the skull to the tail, the -white tips of the brownish-yellow hair with which the body was covered, -the pale muzzle, and the huge feet, with their sabre-like claws. - -The animal was lying down on the sunny side of an overhanging rock, but -he was not asleep. - -His head was raised, his eyes were fastened upon a thicket on the -opposite side of the little glade in which the rock stood, and his whole -attitude indicated that he was listening intently. - -A moment after Oscar discovered him he arose to his feet;, and the mane -between his shoulders bristled like the hair on the back of an angry -dog’s neck. - -The young hunter’s heart seemed to stop beating. If the bear had looked -large while he was lying down he looked four times larger when he got -up. - -How any man could willingly risk his life in an encounter with a beast -like that Oscar could not understand. - -Trembling with fear lest the bear should suddenly turn his head and -discover him, Oscar drew back quickly behind his rock, whispering softly -to himself: - -“It is Old Ephraim, as sure as the world!” - -This was the name that Big Thompson almost invariably applied to an -animal of this species. He seldom called it a grizzly. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - A LUCKY SHOT. - - -In none of his hunting excursions had Oscar ever been very badly -troubled by what is known as the “buck-fever.” It is true that the sight -of big game always startled him at first, but when the time came to -shoot his hands were as steady as those of Big Thompson himself. - -On this occasion, however, all his nerve seemed to desert him -completely. Slowly and cautiously he moved out from behind his rock, -and, raising his rifle to his shoulder, tried to bring the sights within -range of a spot behind the bear’s fore shoulder, near the region of his -heart; but the weapon swayed about like a sapling in a gale of wind, and -in two seconds’ time he had covered every inch of that side of the -bear’s body except the one at which he wished to shoot. - -“This will never do!” thought Oscar, drawing in a long breath, as if he -hoped in that way to calm his agitated nerves and stop the rapid beating -of his heart, which now thumped loudly against his ribs. “If I don’t -kill him dead, or disable him at the first shot, my life is not worth a -row of pins. If I stay here, or run, it’s an even chance if he don’t -discover me and assume the offensive. I don’t know what to do.” - -Oscar drew himself a little further back behind his rock, and took a -moment in which to think the matter over. - -He could not shoot; he dared not retreat; and he was afraid to stay -where he was. It looked as though he had got himself into a tight place. - -It has been said by those who ought to know, for they have “been there,” -that when a person is drowning the whole of his life passes in review -before him, like the scenes of a panorama; and Oscar could now affirm, -from personal experience, that a boy who unexpectedly finds himself in -the presence of a full-grown grizzly has to pass through the same -ordeal. - -He did, at any rate. He seemed to remember everything he had ever done. -Scenes and incidents long since forgotten, and which he had hoped would -never be recalled to him, flashed through his mind like lightning. - -His heart beat loudly and more rapidly than before, and Oscar became -thoroughly frightened when he found that his strength was all leaving -him. His rifle seemed to weigh a ton, and he gladly would have laid it -down if he had not been afraid of attracting the bear’s attention. - -All this while the grizzly stood motionless in his tracks, looking -toward the thicket on the opposite side of the glade and listening. He -did not appear to be aware of the boy’s presence, for he never once -turned his gaze in his direction; but it was plain that something had -aroused his suspicions. - -Knowing that it would be the height of folly to risk a shot while his -nerves were in that condition, the boy also turned his head toward the -thicket; but his senses were not as keen as those of the bear, and he -could neither see, hear, nor smell anything. - -There was something approaching that cluster of bushes, however, and -Oscar found it out a few moments later. - -All of a sudden a tall figure glided out from behind a tree, and Big -Thompson, carrying his rifle at a trail, and keeping his eyes fastened -on the snow, moved out into plain view. - -Then Oscar saw, for the first time, that the bear’s trail led from that -thicket to his den under the rock. The guide, whom the boy supposed to -be a mile away at that moment, had found it and was following it up. - -He was running right into danger too. His eyes being fastened on the -trail, he did not see the bear, which was as close to him as it was to -Oscar. At least that was what Oscar thought; but, as it happened, the -wary old hunter knew where the bear was as well as his employer did. - -The boy’s fears were greatly increased now. For a moment he seemed -utterly incapable of moving or speaking; and then, his power of action -and speech coming back to him as suddenly as it had deserted him, he -sprang to his feet and raised a shout that could have been heard half a -mile away. - -“Look out there, Thompson!” he yelled. “The bear is right in front of -you!” - -There is nothing of which the grizzly stands so much in fear as the -sound of the human voice. - -Numerous instances are on record bearing evidence to the fact that men -who have been stricken down and seriously wounded by these fierce -animals have saved their lives by setting up piercing shrieks of pain -and terror. - -This grizzly proved to be as timid as any of his species in this -respect. When Oscar’s shout awoke the echoes of the grove he turned -quickly; and, giving vent to a hoarse “huff, huff!” which resembled, in -everything except volume, the sound uttered by a wild hog when he is -suddenly startled, made all haste to get around the rock out of sight; -but before he had taken half a dozen steps he was floored by a bullet -from Big Thompson’s rifle. - -Now it so happened that this veteran hunter was quite as much -disconcerted at the sound of Oscar’s voice as the grizzly was. He never -dreamed that the boy was anywhere in that vicinity; and if he had held -his peace a moment longer the guide would have given a much better -account of himself. - -As it was, Oscar’s shout of warning disturbed his aim; and instead of -killing the bear outright, as he could have done under almost any other -circumstances, he only succeeded in inflicting upon him a painful wound, -which aroused all the ferocity in his nature at once. - -He got upon his feet in an instant, and, uttering growls of rage that -made Oscar shiver all over, charged toward the hunter, whose coolness -and courage were wonderful to behold. - -Having no time to recharge his muzzle loader, Thompson grasped the -barrel with both hands, and, swinging the heavy weapon over his head, -calmly awaited the onset. - -It was a picture for a painter; and on the brow of the hill a little -distance away was another picture for that same painter, if he wanted -something to represent “Fright.” - -There stood Oscar, with open mouth and staring eyes, watching all that -was going on below him, and so utterly overcome with terror that he did -not know he had a gun in his hands. - -Down came the guide’s rifle with tremendous force, and the anxious -spectator held his breath in suspense while he awaited the result of the -stroke. He fully expected to see the bear tumbled over with a broken -head, for it did not seem possible that anything in the shape of a skull -could withstand a blow like that. - -It was simply terrific. The stock of the rifle, broken short off at the -grip, flew ten feet away in one direction, while the barrel, slipping -from the hunter’s hand, went whirling through the air in another. - -The blow checked the bear for perhaps ten seconds, just long enough to -give Big Thompson time enough to gather himself for a jump. - -He made half a dozen of them—wonderful jumps they were, too—directing -his course toward the hill on which Oscar stood, with the intention of -seizing one of the overhanging branches and swinging himself out of the -reach of his enraged enemy; but he had not calculated on the depth of -the snow, and the first thing he knew he was floundering in a drift that -was waist deep. - -[Illustration: OSCAR SAVES BIG THOMPSON’S LIFE.] - -He was wedged in so tightly that he could scarcely move, while the -bear’s superior strength and weight enabled him to work his way through -it without the least difficulty. - -The fierce animal closed in rapidly upon the now helpless hunter, and -Oscar’s first impulse was to take to his heels, in order that he might -not see that which would surely follow when the bear came up with him. - -But instead of acting upon it he did something else—something that -excited Big Thompson’s unqualified admiration, and caused Oscar himself -the most unbounded astonishment whenever he thought of it afterward. - -He drew his gun to his shoulder, and the solid rock beside which he -stood was not steadier than the muzzle of that weapon. - -Taking a quick aim at the butt of the bear’s ear, near the place where -the spine joins the base of the skull, he pressed the trigger, and the -enraged animal fell as if he had been struck by lightning. - -So did Oscar, who, as soon as he saw the result of his shot, sunk down -beside the rock, at the same time letting go his hold upon his gun, -which slid, muzzle foremost, down the hill, and buried itself almost out -of sight in the snow. - -For a moment or two after that Oscar must have been unconscious. He did -not see the guide move; but when he looked toward him again Big Thompson -had worked his way out of the drift; and, having picked up the barrel of -his rifle, was searching for the stock. - -Seeing Oscar sitting at the foot of the rock, he called out to him in a -cheery voice: - -“Wal, perfessor, if ye haint done it fur Ole Ephraim this time I’m an -Injun. What be ye sittin’ up thar fur? Come down an’ take a look at -him.” - -The boy tried to obey. With great difficulty he arose to an upright -position; but his legs refusing to support him, he rolled helplessly -down the hill and landed in a snow-drift, from which he was extricated -by Big Thompson, who placed him firmly upon his feet. - -“Why, perfessor!” he exclaimed with some anxiety, as he gazed into the -boy’s pale face; “what’s the matter of ye? Thar aint no color into ye at -all.” - -“I don’t wonder that I look white,” panted Oscar. “I never before was so -badly frightened. I haven’t a particle of strength. I thought you were a -goner, sure.” - -“Me too,” said Big Thompson cheerfully. - -“I must say that you took it very coolly. You didn’t show the least -fear. Your face isn’t white.” - -“Wal, arter ye have been knocked about the mountains an’ prairies, an’ -been snowed an’ rained an’ blowed on as often as I have, ye won’t show -much white neither,” was the reply. “Of all the tenderfeet I ever seed -yer the best. Put it thar!” - -Oscar complied, and an instant afterward made the firm resolution that -if he ever again did his guide a service he would not shake hands on the -strength of it. - -The hunter’s long, bony fingers closed over his palm with almost -crushing force, and it was a long time before he forgot the terrible -shaking up that followed. This was Big Thompson’s way of showing his -gratitude. - -“Now,” continued the latter, as he resumed the search for the stock of -his rifle, “thar’s nigh on to a thousand pound of bone an’ muscle into -that thar feller, an’ it would take us a week to drag him to the shanty; -so I say let’s camp here till ye fix him up for stuffin’. We aint got no -blankets, but we’ve both got hatchets, an’ firewood is plenty.” - -Oscar was only too glad to give his consent to this arrangement. He was -so weak from fright that the bare thought of walking to the cabin made -him feel as though he wanted to sit down and take a long rest. - -Big Thompson evidently understood just how he felt, for he straightway -proceeded to strip the boughs from some of the evergreens that stood -close by, and when he had piled these boughs under the overhanging rock -he seated Oscar upon them. - -After that he rolled the bear upon a drag, drew it up under the rock, -and having started a roaring fire, picked up his employer’s breech -loader and went out to shoot something for supper. - -“Ye needn’t be oneasy, kase I shan’t go fur away,” said he as he was -about to set off. “I don’t reckon ye feel so pert as usual arter seein’ -Ole Eph with his dander riz, so I’ll kinder keep within shootin’ -distance of ye.” - -Big Thompson disappeared in the grove, and Oscar, with that delicious -feeling of relief and contentment which a weary traveller experiences -when he reaches his comfortable home and sinks into his easy-chair after -a long, tiresome, and dangerous journey, settled back on his fragrant -couch and feasted his eyes on the grizzly. He was like a boy with his -first pair of skates—he could look at nothing else. - - - - - CHAPTER XXX. - OSCAR HAS A VISITOR. - - -When Big Thompson returned from his hunt, half an hour later, carrying -over his shoulder a haunch of venison wrapped in the skin of a red deer, -he was astonished to find his employer hard at work gathering a supply -of fuel. His bed of boughs had been removed, and its place was occupied -by a roaring fire, which had been kindled close against the base of the -rock. - -“I did that because we haven’t any blankets, and the night promises to -be a cold one,” said Oscar, who was himself again. “As soon as the -ground and the rock are sufficiently warmed we’ll take the fire away, -put our beds there, and sleep as comfortably as we could in the cabin.” - -“Sho!” exclaimed the guide. “I have warmed my bed that way lots of -times. But who larnt ye so much?” - -“I got the idea from a book I read long ago.” - -The guide, who had often wondered at his young employer’s knowledge of -woodcraft, was obliged to confess that books might be of some use, after -all. - -They had certainly been of use to Oscar, who knew many things about a -hunter’s life with which the majority of sportsmen into whose company -Big Thompson had been thrown were entirely unacquainted. - -By the time the steaks which the hunter cut from the haunch had been -broiled on the coals, Oscar had thrown together a pile of firewood large -enough to last all night. The fire threw out a very bright light; and, -by the aid of it, he worked at his bear until nearly twelve o’clock. - -Big Thompson had in the meantime raked the fire away from the rock and -placed two beds of boughs there, and when Oscar took possession of the -one that had been arranged for himself he was surprised to find how warm -and comfortable it was. - -His sleep was sound and refreshing, in spite of the want of blankets; -and the next morning’s breakfast, although it consisted of nothing but a -piece of venison washed down with a cup of cold water from the brook, -was eaten with a relish. - -At nine o’clock the hunters started for their camp in the valley, Big -Thompson leading the way with the skin and bones of Old Ephraim on his -back, and Oscar following with the hide of the red deer, which was much -too valuable to be left behind for the wolves. - -The boy’s load grew larger and heavier before they reached the cabin, -for they stopped on the way to look at his traps. Some of them had been -sprung without catching anything; in others the bait was missing (this -proved that that thieving wolverine had been at it again); but the rest -had done their full duty, and twenty dollars’ worth of skins were that -night added to those that were to be sold to replace the amount he had -taken from the committee’s money. - -The third day after this was the one Big Thompson had set for his -departure for the post. He and his employer were up at four o’clock, and -while one was preparing breakfast and making up a bundle of provisions -for the journey, the other brightened up the fire and sat by it while he -wrote a hasty letter to the secretary of the committee and to Sam Hynes, -in both of which he gave a short account of the manner in which he had -secured the skin of the first grizzly. - -He told Sam that he intended to accompany his guide a mile or two on his -journey; but instead of that he went with him to the mouth of the gorge, -which was at least twelve miles from the camp. - -When they reached it Big Thompson put on his snow-shoes and turned to -take leave of his companion, and this time he showed considerable -feeling over it. He had not yet forgotten that the boy had saved his -life. - -“Now, perfessor,” said he, extending his hand, which Oscar took after -some hesitation, “thar’s one thing I see about ye that I don’t seem to -like fust-rate. Ye haint been trounced half enough, kase ye haint never -been larnt how to mind. I told ye, t’other day, to go straight to the -cabin an’ stay thar; but when I cum back I found ye camped thar under -the bluff. Sich doin’s as them won’t go down with Big Thompson. Now I -tell ye ag’in to draw a bee-line for the shanty; an’ that don’t mean for -ye to go philanderin’ off alone by yerself in the hills. ’Taint kase I’m -afeard of yer bein’ chawed up by some varmint, fur a boy who kin kill -the fust grizzly he ever seed with one bullet is able to take keer on -hisself. ’Taint that I’m afeard of, but it’s somehow kinder been -a-runnin’ in my mind that sunthin’s goin’ to happen to ye; an’ if ye say -the word I won’t budge another inch.” - -“Nonsense!” laughed Oscar. “I tell you to go, and may good luck attend -you. If there are any letters or papers for me at the post I want them.” - -“_Very_ good; yer the boss. But when I tell ye to keep outen them hills -ye’d best do it; kase why, I’ve knowed better hunters than me an’ you -ever dare be to go off alone by theirselves an’ never come back. It’s -mighty easy, when the snow’s as deep as it is now, fur a feller to roll -over into a gulch an’ break his leg or twist his ankle, an’ if ye done -that ye’d freeze or starve without nobody to help ye. I’ve knowed sich -things to happen more’n onct.” - -“Don’t worry about that,” replied Oscar. “I promise you that I’ll not go -out of the valley while you are gone. I will do no hunting at all until -I get out of meat. Now good-by. Don’t waste an hour, for I shall be -lonely without you. And I say, Thompson, don’t forget to bring that -thing, whatever it is, that you use in hunting mule-deer.” - -The guide turned away without making any reply. He could not trust -himself to speak. - -Oscar, who stood there leaning on his rifle, and watching him as he -moved rapidly on his snow-shoes over the tops of the drifts, little -dreamed how hard it was for the hunter to set out on his lonely tramp -that morning. - -He cared nothing at all for the journey, for he had often made longer -and more difficult ones; but, somehow, his heart had grown very tender -toward the boy of late, and he could not bear to part from him. - -The guide never stopped to look back. Oscar kept his eyes fastened upon -him as long as he remained in sight, and when at last he disappeared -around a bend in the gorge the young hunter shouldered his rifle and -turned his face toward the brook. - -“He’ll certainly succeed this time,” said he to himself; “and when he -comes back I shall have letters from home. In the meantime I shall learn -how it seems to be alone in the hills. Thompson needn’t be at all afraid -that I shall go out of the valley. I have no desire to meet Old -Ephraim’s brother, and if I should happen to fall over a cliff and hurt -myself I should be in a fix indeed. I never thought of that.” - -The guide’s traps and deadfalls, which were all set in the lower end of -the valley, were better than his own, or else that wolverine never -visited them, for in every one that was sprung that morning the boy -found something to take home with him. - -They were all carefully reset, fresh bait was supplied for those that -needed it, and Oscar spent so much time at this work that he did not -reach the cabin until near the middle of the afternoon. - -The remaining hours of daylight were spent in replenishing the pile of -wood at the door, and as soon as it began to grow dark the pony and mule -were driven into their quarters for the night. - -This done, Oscar shut himself in the cabin, and after eating a hearty -supper went to work to remove and stretch the skins of the animals he -had taken from the guide’s traps. - -The cabin, which had always appeared so cheerful and inviting to him, -was very gloomy now, and Oscar never before felt so lonely and -down-hearted. - -He had a good many days of this sort of life before him, for he knew -that the guide could not make the journey in less than three weeks, and -it was quite possible that four might elapse before they would again -take each other by the hand. - -A great many things might happen in that time, Oscar told himself; and, -sure enough, some things _did_ happen to him that would certainly have -been averted if Big Thompson had been there. - -Oscar slept but little that night, and was glad when daylight came. -While he was busy he did not have time to think how lonely he was, and -before he left his blanket he made the mental resolution that every one -of his waking hours should be devoted to some kind of work. - -This particular day he intended to spend in visiting his own traps, and -he began his round as soon as he had eaten his breakfast, released the -mule and pony from their shelter, and cut down a cottonwood or two for -them to browse upon. - -The weather having become settled again, the animals that found -pasturage in the valley were once more on the move; and while Oscar was -walking toward the brook he crossed the trails of several deer. They -were all fresh, and when he found one that was considerably larger than -the rest he was strongly tempted to follow it, but he lacked the -courage. - -He had grown very timid since his encounter with the grizzly, and the -fear of spraining an ankle, or breaking a leg by falling over the brink -of some deep gorge, made him shudder. - -“If I stay in the valley, as I was told to do, I shall be in no danger -of meeting with such an accident,” thought he, as he forced his way -through the willows toward the brook. “The deer will gain confidence if -they are not disturbed during the next three or four weeks, and when -Thompson returns there will still be time enough left to——Hello, here!” - -Just at that moment Oscar came out of the willows and stopped on the -bank of the brook in plain view of the spot on which he had set one of -his steel traps. - -He confidently expected to find something in it, but not only was he -disappointed in this, but when he came to look a little closer he saw -that the trap was missing. - -“Aha,” thought the young hunter. “That rascally wolverine has been -caught napping at last. He put his foot into the trap and dragged it -away with him; but of course he left a broad trail, and I shall have no -difficulty in following it.” - -Oscar walked up the bank until he arrived opposite the spot on which the -trap had been set, and there he stopped and stood motionless, looking -the very picture of astonishment. - -There was a trail there, but it was not such a trail as the wolverine -makes. He had seen that often enough to be able to recognize it the -moment he laid his eyes upon it. - -The trap had been set in the bed of the stream—the water ran so rapidly -that it did not freeze—but the chain that secured it led to the bank, -where it was firmly fastened to a convenient root. - -Knowing that the wolverine is a very strong animal, Oscar expected to -find this chain broken; but instead of that he saw that it had been -unfastened, and by human hands too, for right there on the edge of the -bank were the prints of moccasined feet, showing where the thief had -stood when he undid the chain. - -He saw further that a trail made by those same feet led directly up the -bank, and this suggested something to him. - -Glancing quickly about among the willows to make sure that the thief was -nowhere in sight, Oscar hurried down the stream as far as his trapping -ground extended, following the trail all the way. - -He found that it led to every one of his traps and deadfalls, and that -every one of the former was missing. Some of the deadfalls were left -undisturbed, for the reason, probably, that there was nothing in them; -but all those that contained any game had been plundered. - -Having satisfied himself on this point, Oscar retraced his steps to the -spot where he first discovered the trail, and, taking it up again, -followed it along the bank. - -The thief had played the same game up here. He had made the entire round -of Oscar’s traps, and the boy counted fourteen deadfalls which he was -certain had been robbed. - -“If each of them had a mink in it that rascal has made twenty-eight -dollars, not counting the skins he must have taken out of some of the -steel traps,” said Oscar, while he wished from the bottom of his heart -that he was as large and strong as his guide, so that he could follow -the thief and give him a good thrashing for what he had done. “If they -were all fishers or martens he has made double that sum. Now who is he, -and where is he? That’s the question. This trail looks like the one I -saw on the day I shot my first mule-deer. The tracks are wide apart, and -in one of them is the print of a patch on the bottom of the moccasin. I -noticed that in the other trail. What’s to be done about it? Since he -has found my traps, who knows but he has found Thompson’s too?” - -When this thought passed through Oscar’s mind, he started at his best -pace down the stream to see how far the depredations of the thief -extended. - -He did not, however, go all the way to the guide’s trapping grounds, for -before he got there he saw enough to indicate that the thief had not -been so far down the stream. - -A short distance below the place from which Oscar’s first trap had been -stolen the trail branched off from the brook and led toward the outer -edge of the willows, from which the cabin could be distinctly seen. The -thief had passed along here for half a mile or more, making frequent -halts behind rocks and trees to reconnoitre the camp, and then the trail -ran back across the brook and struck off through the open valley toward -the hill on the opposite side. - -After following it long enough to make sure that the thief came from -those hills (remember that he had been following the back trail all this -while), Oscar turned about and went back to the cabin. - -Having put his rifle in its place over the door, Oscar sat down to think -about it, and to make up his mind what he ought to do under the -circumstances; and it was while he was thus engaged that a light step -sounded outside the cabin, and the door, which he had left ajar, was -pushed a little further open. - -But Oscar did not know it, for he was wholly wrapped up in his -meditations. The first thing that aroused him was the creaking of the -wooden hinges. Then he looked up to see that a shaggy, uncombed head, -covered with a greasy felt hat, had been thrust into the cabin. Under -the hat was a most villainous and repulsive countenance that Oscar -recognized at once. - -Knowing the man and the reputation he bore, he jumped to his feet with -an exclamation of astonishment, and made a dash for his rifle; but at -the same instant the door was thrown wide open, and the tall, slouching -figure of Lish the Wolfer barred his way. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI. - TOM AND HIS PARTNER. - - -“Well, if this doesn’t bang me completely! Who in the world would ever -have dreamed of seeing that boy out here? I can’t describe the feelings -I experienced when he first came in sight. I knew that I was neither -asleep nor dreaming, and I was really afraid that my senses were -deserting me. If I haven’t passed through enough since I left home to -unsettle almost anybody’s mind I don’t want a cent. This much I -know—I’ll never be surprised at anything that happens hereafter.” - -It was Tom Preston who spoke. The last time we saw him he was hurrying -into a thicket, with an axe on his shoulder, ostensibly for the purpose -of cutting some wood for the fire, which he had allowed to burn itself -nearly out; but his real object was to get away from his brother, whose -presence he could no longer endure. - -He now stood in the edge of the thicket, listening to the echoes made by -the pony’s feet as Oscar rode away from the camp. As soon as the sound -ceased he walked out of the bushes, threw his axe spitefully down upon -the ground, and seated himself on his log again. He had never been so -nearly overcome with rage before in his life. - -“This is a pretty state of affairs, I must say!” he exclaimed aloud. -“Here’s Oscar, with a thousand dollars in clean cash at his command, a -fine hunting rig of his own, a pony to ride, and living like a gentleman -at the fort, with those gold-bespangled officers, who wouldn’t so much -as look at me if they met me on the trail, or even speak of me, unless -it was to say, ‘There goes some worthless vagabond.’ And he even had the -impudence to tell me that he has a guide, and is going to the mountains -in style; while I——It’s a lucky thing for him that he left his money at -the fort,” said Tom, grinding his teeth in his fury. “I’d have choked -some of it out of him in short order. He must have seen at a glance how -miserable I am, and yet he seemed to take delight in telling me how -comfortably he is situated.” - -For a long time Tom sat on his log, making himself miserable with such -thoughts as these, and the longer he indulged them the madder he became. -He could see very plainly that there was a wide gulf between him and his -brother, and it hurt him terribly to know that he had made that gulf by -his own acts. - -He had never dreamed that there was anything in Oscar, or “Old Sober -Sides,” as he used to call him; but here he was, the associate of a -college faculty and the daily companion of officers who held high and -honorable positions under the government. - -As for himself, there was only one person in the world he could lean -upon, or to whom he could look for a kind word; and he was so low down -in the scale of humanity that, had he presumed to intrude among those -with whom Oscar associated on terms of the closest intimacy, he would -have been promptly kicked out of doors. - -When Tom thought his brother had been allowed time enough to ride to the -fort, and purchase the blankets and clothing he had promised to give -him, he arose to his feet and walked slowly down the ravine. - -“If there were any way in which I could smash up that expedition of his, -and send him back to the States with as heavy a heart as I carry at this -moment, I’d do it,” said Tom, who was so envious of Oscar that he would -gladly have injured him by every means in his power; and, this being his -state of mind, he was quite eager to fall in with a plan that was -suggested to him a few days afterward. “It _must_ be broken up, for it -would never do to allow him to go back to Eaton and Yarmouth, and earn -honors and money there, while I am out here in this deplorable -condition. I’ll speak to Lish about it as soon as he comes back.” - -While Tom was ready to throw all the obstacles he could in the way of -his brother’s success, he was equally ready to accept from him a suit of -thick clothes and a pair of blankets to keep him warm of nights. He -thought Oscar ought to be on his way back by this time, and so he was, -as Tom found when he reached the mouth of the ravine. - -He was coming at a gallop along the path that led through the -sage-brush. Tom did not want to meet him again, so he sought a hasty -concealment among the bushes on the side of the ravine opposite to that -on which stood the rock he had described to his brother. - -He heard Oscar pronounce his name and say that he had news for him, but -he could not be coaxed out of his hiding-place. He saw the bundle that -Oscar carried on the horn of his saddle, watched him as he rode up the -bank toward the rock behind which the bundle was to be left, and -wondered what it was that kept him there so long. - -He also saw his worthy partner when he went by, and was somewhat -surprised that Lish, whose eyes were as sharp as an Indian’s, did not -see the trail that Oscar’s pony made when passing through the bushes. -Oscar, too, saw the wolfer, as we know, and made all haste to quit the -ravine as soon as he had passed out of hearing. - -“He’s gone at last,” said Tom, as he drew a long breath of relief, -sprang to his feet, and ran across the ravine toward the rock. “If he -had stayed here much longer I should have thought that he was making the -clothes or weaving the blankets for me. Oh, I see what it was that kept -him,” he added, snatching up the note that Oscar had thrust under the -string with which the bundle was tied. “Perhaps I shall now find out -what it was he wanted to tell me, and perhaps, too, he has been -thoughtful enough to put a ten-dollar note into this. No, he hasn’t! I -might have known better than to expect it.” - -Tom opened the letter, but there was nothing but writing in it. He -quickly made himself master of its contents; and, after cramming it into -his pocket, untied the bundle, threw out the blankets, which were on the -top, and began a hurried examination of all the pockets in his new suit; -but he did not find what he was looking for—every one of them was empty. - -“He must have hurt himself,” said Tom in great disgust, as he picked up -the blankets, one after the other, and shook them violently in the air, -at the same time keeping a close watch of the ground under them to see -if anything fell out. “A pair of blankets, an overcoat, and a suit of -clothes, but not a cent of money, although he knows that I stand in -great need of it. You haven’t made anything by this day’s work, Mr. -Oscar. Yes, you have,” he added a moment later. “You have made an -implacable enemy of me, and of Lish also; for I know he will be hopping -mad when I read that note to him. I wish I knew what that ‘affair’ was, -for then I could read something to Lish to make him madder. No matter. I -can make up something.” - -Although Tom’s rage was greatly increased by the sight of his brother’s -gift—the articles comprising it were not as fine and costly as he had -expected them to be—he did not hesitate to take it. On the contrary, he -made all haste to pull off his threadbare garments and get inside the -new and warmer ones. - -He did not abandon his old clothes, but wrapped them up in his blankets, -threw them over his shoulder, and started toward the bottom of the -ravine. - -Just as he reached it his steps were arrested by an exclamation of -astonishment that fell upon his ear, and, looking up, he saw Lish the -Wolfer peeping out from behind a rock a little distance away. - -“Hello! What brought you back here?” exclaimed Tom. “I thought I saw you -ride toward the camp a quarter of an hour ago.” - -“Mebbe ye did,” replied the wolfer, still keeping his position behind -the rock, and showing nothing but his head around the side of it. -“Thar’s been a hoss through this gulch since I went away. But, see here, -pard. Ye don’t look like yerself.” - -“Don’t I?” replied Tom, who now walked up and presented himself before -the wolfer. “Well, you can see that it is I, can’t you? Come on. I’ve a -story to tell and a letter to read to you; and if you don’t get mad and -vow vengeance against the one who wrote it, you are not the man I take -you for. Lish, you had an awful row with some fellow last summer, and -injured him seriously, and if you don’t dig out of here in a little less -than no time you’ll be arrested.” - -“’Taint no sich thing!” exclaimed Lish, stopping suddenly, and facing -his companion. - -Tom saw at once that he had made a mistake. If he had been a little -better acquainted with his partner he never would have accused him of -being in a fight with anybody, for he lacked the courage to carry him -through such an ordeal. - -“Well, you are suspected of it, anyway,” said Tom; “and if you stay here -and allow yourself to be taken into custody our trip to the hills is up -stump. But you did steal something,” he added, closely watching his -companion’s face, on which a change at once became visible, “and I know -it.” - -That he had hit the nail on the head this time was evident. Lish turned -all sorts of colors, and looked up and down the ravine, and before and -behind him, as if he were trying to make up his mind which way he would -run, in case circumstances rendered it necessary for him to seek safety -in flight. - -Finally he backed into the bushes, and said, almost in a whisper: - -“Who told ye that story, pard?” - -“I will begin at the beginning and tell you all about it,” was Tom’s -reply. “You met a boy on horseback up there in the sage-brush, didn’t -you? Well, that fellow was my brother, whom I supposed to be a long way -from——Don’t interrupt me now,” he exclaimed, when he saw his companion’s -eyes growing larger and his mouth open as if he were about to speak. -“Let me tell my story in my own way, and then I will answer all the -questions you can ask. That was my brother, as I told you, and he is——” - -Here Tom went on to tell, in language the wolfer could easily -comprehend, all about the unexpected meeting between himself and Oscar, -and to repeat, as nearly as he could, the conversation that passed -between them. - -He described how his brother happened to be there, told what he intended -to do, how much money he had, and wound up with the remark that he was -soon to start for the hills, with Big Thompson for a companion. - -Then he exhibited the new clothes and blankets that Oscar had purchased -for him, and finally he came to the note, which he read to suit himself, -not forgetting to put in something about the theft Lish had committed, -and going into the particulars of that terrible fight he was suspected -of being engaged in during the previous summer. - -It may have been all imagination on Tom’s part, but he really thought -that his companion seemed to grow taller and swell out considerably when -he read that imaginary part of the letter that related to the fight. He -certainly did grow bigger in feeling, if not in person, for he had never -before been suspected of “severely injuring” anybody, and he regarded it -as a high honor. He forgot the strange story to which he had listened, -and became lost in admiration of himself. - -“Mebbe thar’s sunthin’ in that thar account, arter all,” said he, -looking reflectively at the ground. “I’ve had so many of them triflin’ -skrimmages, an’ tumbled over so many fellers that I don’t seem to -rightly know which one that thar letter tells on. Don’t amount to -nothin’ when ye gits used to ’em.” - -As the wolfer said this he drew himself up to his full height and looked -formidable indeed. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII. - THE WOLFER’S PLAN. - - -“If folks don’t want to git hurt they mustn’t come within reach of this -yere,” continued Lish, tapping the handle of the knife he wore in his -belt. - -“I suppose not,” said Tom, who could not help feeling the most profound -contempt for his lying partner. “Now what did you steal?” - -“Wal, that _thar_ aint by no means so triflin’,” replied Lish, once more -lowering his voice and glancing suspiciously about him. “I reckon mebbe -we’d best move on an’ change our camp afore one of them sergeants comes -down here with a squad. I seed a young leftenant down thar to the -settlement, an’ I kinder thought he was arter me by the way he looked; -but I had disremembered all about stealin’ that thar muel from Ike -Barker last summer. The kurn knows it, I reckon.” - -“Of course he does!” replied Tom promptly. - -“Who told him?” - -“My brother did. He’s just that sort.” - -“What’s he got ag’in me, do you reckon?” asked Lish, who seemed to be -all in the dark. - -“Nothing at all. He wants to injure me, and the only way he can do it is -by breaking up our expedition. He knows that I am going to make money -this winter, and he doesn’t like it. He wants to keep me away from the -hills, and that is the reason he is trying to have you arrested.” - -“I wish I could bring the sights on my rifle an’ the tip eend of his -nose in range for jest half a minute,” said the wolfer in savage tones, -as he came out of the bushes and led the way down the ravine. “I’d make -him think creation was comin’, sure!” - -“I don’t want you to shoot at him,” said Tom, who need not have had any -fear on this score. “I only want you to help me serve him as he is -trying to serve me. He is getting on in the world altogether too fast.” - -“Wharabouts in the hills is him an’ Big Thompson goin’?” - -“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me.” - -“We must watch ’em an’ find out. If we see that they are strikin’ for -our grounds we must shoot their critters an’ stop ’em. Thar aint room -enough in our valley fur me an’ Big Thompson.” - -“You don’t like that man, do you? What has he done to you?” - -The two worthies had by this time reached the place where Lish had left -his horse. The latter did not answer Tom’s question, but threw one of -his long legs over the pony’s back, and rode toward the camp, leaving -his partner to follow on foot. - -He did not even offer to carry Tom’s bundle, for he was too lazy to make -any unnecessary exertion. - -While on the way down the ravine Tom made repeated efforts to find out -why it was that Lish hated Oscar’s guide so cordially, but the answers -he received did not let him into the secret of the matter. - -All he could learn was that Big Thompson had interfered too much with -the wolfer’s business, and that the latter owed the guide a grudge for -it. - -He had never been able to have a settlement with him, but he would have -it the very first time they met. - -The facts of the case were that Big Thompson, in his capacity of -government scout, had several times caused the wolfer to be arrested on -the charge of selling arms and ammunition to hostile Indians. - -While there was not the least doubt of his guilt, there was no evidence -on which he could be convicted, and he had always been released, after a -short confinement in the guard-house. - -This, of course, made Lish very angry, and on one occasion he had tried -to make matters easier for himself, and deprive the government of a -faithful servant at the same time, by sending a ball after Big Thompson; -but the long chase that followed, and the noise of the bullets which his -determined pursuer sent whistling about his ears, satisfied him that the -scout was a good man to be let alone. - -He never repeated the experiment, but took the best of care to keep out -of Big Thompson’s sight. The latter had not forgotten this little -incident, and that was the reason he threatened to pull the wolfer’s -hair when he met him. - -As soon as Tom and his companion reached their camp, they packed up the -little luggage they possessed, and struck deeper into the woods. - -Two hours afterward they were snugly settled in a thicket on the side of -a bluff, from which they could see the bottom of the ravine for the -distance of half a mile, and thus detect the presence of anyone who -might approach the bluff before they could be seen themselves. - -In this camp they passed only their nights, their waking hours being -given to watching the fort from the top of the hill on which the -sage-brush grew. They were waiting to see what Oscar and his guide were -going to do. This was a matter of no little importance to the wolfer. - -Whenever Tom grew down-hearted and discouraged Lish had always tried to -cheer him up by describing to him a beautiful valley among the hills, in -which not only wolves, but game animals of all kinds were so abundant -that one soon grew tired of shooting and trapping them. - -It was true that there was a valley something like this a few days’ -journey distant, and it was also true that Oscar’s guide knew as much -about it as Lish did, and that he quite as fully appreciated the hunting -and trapping to be found there. - -He had led a party of sportsmen to that very place a summer or two ago, -and his presence there had caused the wolfer to pack up his skins and -leave with the utmost precipitation. - -Lish wanted to go to that same valley this winter, and if events proved -that Big Thompson was going there too, he must be stopped at all -hazards. It was too fine a hunting ground to be given up to anybody. - -These days of waiting were very tedious to Tom, who soon grew tired of -lying around in the brush, watching for somebody who never showed -himself. All this while Oscar was enjoying the best of sport, in company -with a select party, coursing antelope and shooting wolves with the bow -and arrow; but Tom and his companion did not see him when he left the -fort or when he came back to it, for the reason that on both occasions -they were soundly asleep in their camp on the bluff. - -Monday morning dawned at last, and they had scarcely taken up their -usual stations when a horseman rode out of the fort, followed by a -covered wagon, drawn by a large mouse-colored mule. - -Tom saw them, but he would have paid no very particular attention to -them had it not been for the actions of the wolfer, who, after uttering -an exclamation indicative of the greatest amazement, rubbed his hands -together and chuckled to himself. - -“It’s them,” said he; “the very fellers we’ve been a-waitin’ fur so -long. That one on the pony is Big Thompson, an’ I reckon t’other one is -yer brother, aint it?” - -“I can’t tell yet. He’s too far away,” replied Tom. “You seem to be glad -that we are about to make a start.” - -“Yes, I be; but that aint what makes me feel so peart. That thar muel -an’ wagon is the very ones I borrered from Ike Barker last summer. I -sold ’em down in Denver; an’ if the feller I sold ’em to haint brung ’em -up here an’ sold ’em to yer brother, I’m a Dutchman! Now, if they’re -goin’ to our grounds, they’ll foller the trail, an’ that’ll take ’em -right past Ike Barker’s ranch. If they’ll only go thar we’ll bust ’em up -higher’n the moon!” - -“How will we do it?” asked Tom. - -“I’ll tell ye when the time comes. Stay here an’ keep your eyes on to -’em, while I go back to camp arter our plunder.” - -As there was no very hard work about this, Tom readily consented to do -as his companion desired. He lay concealed in the edge of the brush, -watching the wagon, and as it drew nearer to him he saw that the driver -of it was his brother. He recognized him by the clothes he wore. He -shook his fist at him as he passed along the base of the hill. - -When the wolfer came back an hour later, leading his pony, which was -loaded with their camp equipage and provisions, Tom met him at the mouth -of the ravine. - -He told him which way the wagon had gone, and Lish declared that it was -all right. He thought he knew where Big Thompson was going, but they -would watch him a day or two, he said, until they were sure of his -course, and then they would get ahead of him and carry out the plan he -had determined upon. - -We have already told what the plan was, and therefore it is needless to -dwell upon it. The note Ike Barker found fastened to his door was -written by Tom at his partner’s dictation, and as Lish could not have -been induced to undertake so dangerous a mission himself, Tom -volunteered to put it where the ranchman could find it. - -This he did without being discovered, but he breathed a great deal -easier when he came back from the dug-out and joined his companion, who -was waiting for him behind a swell a little distance away. - -“There was a blanket hanging in the doorway, and I fastened the note to -it with a pin I happened to have in my coat,” said Tom, with a sigh of -satisfaction. “I guess they have gone about as far toward the hills as -they will get this fall—don’t you?” - -“I’m sartin of it,” answered the wolfer, who seemed to be as highly -elated as Tom was. “Ike’ll know his critter as soon as he puts his -peepers on to him, and he’ll have him back spite of Big Thompson or -anybody else. He’s that kind of a feller.” - -If Tom had really succeeded in stopping his brother’s progress it would -have been a most unfortunate thing for himself. But Oscar was helped out -of the difficulty by the kindness of the ranchman, and thus it happened -that he was in a condition to give assistance to Tom at a time when he -stood in the greatest need of it. - -After this piece of strategy the wolfers journeyed more rapidly toward -the hills. Having no wagon to impede their movements, they were able to -take a straight course for the valley of which Lish had so often spoken, -and in this way they gained nearly three days on Oscar and his guide, -who were obliged to keep to the “divides.” - -With his usual caution, the wolfer proceeded to hide himself as soon as -he reached his hunting grounds. - -He went the whole length of the valley, and when at last he was ready to -make his winter’s camp, he selected a spot that was almost hemmed in by -high and perpendicular bluffs, and which could be approached only from -one direction. - -Long before they were settled in this camp (their only shelter was a -hastily constructed “lean-to,” through whose roof the snow found its way -to the ground almost as readily as it did anywhere in the woods) Tom had -become heartily disgusted with his partner and tired of his company. - -He turned out to be a regular tyrant; and when things went wrong—and -they never seemed to go any other way—he abused Tom without stint. - -He could do this with impunity now, for Tom could not desert him with -any hope of finding his way back to civilization; nor could he resist -his partner’s tyranny without bringing upon himself certain and speedy -punishment. There was a wicked gleam in the wolfer’s eye sometimes that -fairly made Tom tremble. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII. - LISH DECIDES TO MOVE. - - -The wolfer had brought Tom to the hills with him for a purpose. He -intended to make him do all the drudgery of the camp, and to increase -his own profits in the spring by stealing the skins the boy might find -time to capture. - -But Tom was not long in discovering that his catch was not likely to be -very large. He was expected to cook all the meals and cut all the wood -for the fire. - -As their larder was not very well supplied, the cooking did not amount -to much, but the chopping did. - -Being more accustomed to handling a pen than he was to swinging an axe, -he made very slow progress with this part of his work, and by the time -it was done there were but a few hours of daylight left. - -Still he did manage to take a few pelts, and it seemed to him that he -ought to have taken more, for some of his baits were always missing, and -on following up the trail that led from them, he not unfrequently found -the carcasses of the wolves that had eaten the baits—minus the skins. - -Lish was systematically robbing him. Knowing where the boy put out his -baits, he visited them early every morning, taking as many skins as he -thought he could without exciting his companion’s suspicion, and then -going off to hunt up his own. - -“He’ll never know the difference,” Lish often said to himself, “an’ I -don’t reckon it makes any odds to me if he does, fur if he opens his -yawp I’ll wear a hickory out over his back. The spelter’ll all be mine -some day, anyhow. I aint a-goin’ to show him the way to this nice wolf -ground an’ give him grub an’ pizen fur nothin’, I bet you!” - -“This is some more of my honest partner’s work,” Tom would say when he -found the body of a wolf from which the skin had been removed. “It beats -the world what miserable luck I do have! I can’t make a cent, either -honestly or dishonestly. Oscar knew what he was talking about when he -said that Lish intended to rob me. Why didn’t I go up to the fort to see -him, as he wanted me to do, instead of making myself unhappy over his -good luck? If he were only here now how quickly I’d bundle up my share -of the skins and find my way to his camp!” - -We have said that things always went wrong with Lish, but that is not in -strict accordance with the facts. - -There was one hour in every twenty-four during which he allowed his good -nature to triumph over the tyrant in his disposition, and that always -happened at night, provided his own catch had been tolerably fair, and -he had been able to steal a few skins from Tom without being caught in -the act. - -On these occasions Lish entered into friendly conversation with his -partner over his pipe, during which he never failed to make a good many -inquiries concerning Oscar and his business, and he seemed particularly -desirous of finding out just how the young taxidermist looked and acted. - -This led Tom to believe that Lish was greatly interested in his brother -and his movements, and so he was; for he had not yet been able to settle -down into the belief that his plan for keeping Oscar out of the hills -would prove successful. - -Through the influence of Big Thompson a compromise of some kind might be -effected between Oscar and the ranchman, or the boy might purchase the -stolen mule and wagon. - -In either case he and his guide would be able to continue their journey -with but little delay, and come into the valley in spite of the wolfer’s -efforts to keep them away from it. - -This was what Lish was afraid of, and it was one cause of his constant -ill-humor. - -When the snow fell and blocked the gorge he would feel safe, and not -before. The wolfer knew Big Thompson, but Oscar he did not know,—he did -not have time to take a very good look at him when he met him in the -sage-brush,—and he wanted to learn all about him, so that he would be -sure to recognize him if he chanced to encounter him in the valley. He -had another idea in his head too; and what it was shall be told further -on. - -The wished-for storm came at last, and Tom was disposed to grumble -sullenly when he awoke the next morning and found three inches of snow -on his blanket; but Lish was as gay as a lark, and excited the -suspicions of his companion by offering to help him prepare the -breakfast. - -All the wolfer’s fears were banished now. If Big Thompson was not in the -valley already, he would not be likely to get there at all, for the gale -must have filled the gorge full of snow. But Lish wanted to satisfy -himself entirely on this point; so he left the camp as soon as he had -eaten his bacon and cracker, and, after stealing a few skins from Tom, -set out to visit the lower end of the valley. - -On his way there, he struck the trail of two mule-deer, and this caused -him to postpone his reconnoissance for the present. He was getting tired -of bacon, and believing that a fresh steak for dinner would be more -palatable, he took up the trail at once, and followed it at the top of -his speed. - -About two miles further on the trail left the valley and turned toward -the hills. When Lish saw this he deposited his wolf-skins in the fork of -a small tree, and having thus put himself in light running order, he -went ahead faster than ever. - -By the time he had run himself almost out of breath he had the -satisfaction of discovering, by signs which an experienced hunter can -readily detect, that he was closing in upon the game. - -He had already begun to look around for it, when he was startled almost -out of his moccasins by the report of a rifle, which sounded close at -hand, followed by a tremendous crashing in the bushes, as a fine doe -broke cover and dashed down a hill a short distance away. - -Lish could easily have shot her, as she passed without seeing him; but -he never thought of it. His whole mind was concentrated on something -else. Who fired that gun? Being determined to find out, the wolfer ran -to the edge of the bluff and looked over. - -“That thar letter that Tom writ an’ put on to Ike Barker’s door didn’t -stop ’em, arter all,” said Lish to himself, as he stretched his long -neck out to its full length, and took a good survey of the hunter below -him. “Here’s one of them pizen critters now. He’s gone an’ killed my -black-tail, an’ now he’s a-yellin’ for Big Thompson. So ye’re the chap -as wanted to have me put into the guard-house ag’in, be ye? Fur two -cents I’d——” - -The wolfer finished the sentence by drawing his rifle to his shoulder, -as if he were about to shoot. - -After taking a good aim at Oscar’s head he lowered the weapon and looked -nervously about him, at the same time listening for Big Thompson’s -reply. He wanted to see which way it came from, so that he could secure -his own safety by running off in another direction. - -But there was no answer to Oscar’s repeated calls, and the wolfer -finally mustered up courage enough to start for camp, not forgetting to -stop on the way and take down the bundle of skins he had left in the -tree. - -Hearing nothing of his dreaded enemy, his fears left him after a while, -and he was able to think the matter over and make up his mind what he -would do about it. One thing was certain—he dared not remain longer in -that valley, for there was no knowing at what moment he and Big Thompson -might run against each other in the woods. In order to avoid that it was -necessary to break camp at once and start for new hunting grounds. - -“I won’t tell Tom who them fellers is,” thought the wolfer as he neared -his camp, “for if I do he’ll run off and jine ’em. Now whar is he, do ye -reckon? He’s allers off when he’s wanted to hum.” - -Tom, having completed his morning’s drudgery, had gone out to visit the -baits he had scattered around the day before, and he did not come in -until it was almost dark. - -Lish waited and watched for him with no little impatience, constantly -harassed by the fear that Tom would somehow discover that his brother -was in the valley, in which case he knew that he would be obliged to -pass the rest of the winter alone, doing all his own work about the -camp, and catching all his own skins. Tom was too valuable an assistant -to be given up, and the wolfer resolved to hold fast to him as long as -he could. - -Tom came in at last, staggering under the weight of his day’s catch, and -was instantly put on his guard by the friendly greeting his partner -extended to him. - -The wolfer’s cordiality, however, was all assumed for the occasion. If -Lish had acted out his feelings he would have abused Tom soundly for -being so long absent from camp, and, in his rage, he might have done -something even worse; but knowing that it would not be safe to say or do -too much just then, he bottled up his wrath, to be held in reserve until -some future occasion, and said cheerfully: - -“Pard, ye’ve done fine; ye have so. An’ yer the green young feller that -wanted me to show ye how to pizen wolves! Ye know more about the -business now nor I do, an’ I’ve follered it a good many years. Now I -reckon ye must be a trifle tired arter packin’ all them skins so fur, -an’ if ye’ll cook the supper I’ll chop the wood.” - -“What’s up, I wonder?” thought Tom, as he threw his hides down in one -corner of the lean-to. “He don’t speak that way to me unless he wants me -to do something for him. Well,” he added aloud, “where is it?” - -“Whar’s what?” asked Lish. - -“The deer, or whatever it was, that you shot. I heard the report of your -gun.” - -“So ye did; but I didn’t get him. I missed him.” - -Lish put a stop to the conversation by grabbing the axe and going at the -pile of fuel in front of the cabin as if he meant to do something; but -when he had cut a few sticks of half-decayed wood he was tired enough to -stop and rest. - -“Say, pard,” he exclaimed, “I’ve been a prospectin’ to-day! The varmints -aint by no means as plenty about yere as they had ought to be, but I -know whar thar’s piles of ’em in a leetle valley ’bout ten miles deeper -into the hills. We want to go whar the wolves is, ye know; so to-morrow -mornin’ we’ll pack up bright an’ arly an’ dig out.” - -“Oh, that’s what you want, is it?” thought Tom. “Well, I don’t care -where we go. I’ve got to endure your detestable company all winter, I -suppose, and I might as well be in one place as another. I shall not see -a happy day anywhere.” - -“What do ye say, pard?” exclaimed Lish. - -“I say all right,” was the indifferent reply. - -That this was all the wolfer wanted was evident from his actions. He -threw down the axe, declaring that he was awful tired after his long -tramp, and picking out the warmest place beside the fire, he took -possession of it, leaving Tom to cook the supper and cut the wood -besides. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIV. - A CLIMAX. - - -At daylight the next morning breakfast had been eaten, and the two -wolfers were on their way to their new hunting grounds, Lish leading his -pony, which was loaded with their outfit and the skins they had secured, -and Tom bringing up the rear. - -If the latter had been as skilled in woodcraft as his brother was he -would not have been long in finding out that Lish had told him a -falsehood regarding his movements of the previous day. - -There were no signs of a trail in the gorge which they followed from one -valley to the other, and that proved conclusively that the wolfer had -not been along there during the last twenty-four hours. - -But Tom took no note of the fact. He was utterly indifferent to -everything around him, and it is hard to tell how he would have lived if -he had not been cheered and sustained by the hope—which sometimes -amounted to positive conviction—that there were brighter days in store -for him, and that his affairs would soon take a turn for the better. - -He was in a very repentant frame of mind, and promised himself over and -over again that, if he ever got back among civilized people, he would -lead an honest and respectable life, in spite of all the temptations -that could be thrown around him. - -His first hard work should be to return every cent of Mr. Smith’s money, -and when that was done he would once more be able to look honest men in -the face. - -The valley, which they reached at noon that day, was by no means as fine -a hunting ground as Tom had expected to find it. It was not so well -watered or so effectually protected from the storms as the one in which -they had first taken up their abode, and consequently the deer, and the -wolves that preyed upon them, were not found in any great numbers. - -Their want of success of course had its effect upon the temper of his -partner, and for three long weeks he never spoke a civil word to Tom, -who lived in constant apprehension of open violence. - -Lish grumbled every time the firewood gave out before morning, and swore -whenever he looked at the very small supply of bacon and cracker they -had left. - -Finding that he grew worse every day, Tom, who feared an outbreak above -all the other evils that threatened him, gradually gave up wolfing and -devoted himself to his camp duties; but not even the sight of the nice -fat grouse that were set before him every night, and which Tom had -snared in the neighboring woods, could put Lish in good humor. - -From this time forward Tom provided all the fresh meat that was served -up in that camp, for Lish would not expend his ammunition on anything -smaller than a deer, and that was an animal he did not often see. - -When Tom stopped putting out bait for the wolves he gave the wolfer -another cause for displeasure, and the man took his own way to show how -mad he was over it. - -One afternoon, when Tom came in from making the round of his snares, he -was surprised to see that the skins they had captured, which were piled -in one corner of the lean-to after being cured, had disappeared. - -Believing that the camp had been robbed during his absence, and that he -would be sure to suffer for it when his partner returned at night, Tom -threw down the grouse he had captured and made the circuit of the -lean-to, looking for the robber’s trail. - -He found it after a short search, and the moment he saw it he knew that -it had been made by Lish himself. He followed it up for a few hundred -yards, taking care to step exactly in the wolfer’s tracks, and presently -came within sight of a tree, which had been partly uprooted by the wind. - -Among the branches, about twenty feet from the ground, was a small -platform, built of poles, and on this platform was something covered -with a blanket. - -To scramble up the inclined trunk, raise the blanket, and see what was -under it was scarcely two minutes’ work. The blanket was one of his own, -and the objects it concealed and protected from the weather were the -skins he and Lish had captured. - -At the sight of them Tom uttered a low whistle; and, after looking all -around to make sure that his partner was nowhere in sight, he backed -down the trunk and set out for camp at a rapid walk, being careful, as -before, to step squarely into the wolfer’s tracks. - -Arriving at the lean-to, he replenished the fire; and, picking up one of -the grouse, began plucking it, working as fast as he could in order to -make up for lost time. - -He knew that Lish would be sure to take him to task for something the -moment he returned, and if he did not find a cup of hot coffee waiting -for him, supplemented by as good a supper as Tom’s limited means would -allow him to prepare, something disagreeable might happen. - -“What object could Lish have had in view when he stole those skins out -of the camp and hid them in that tree?” Tom asked himself over and over -again. “I can’t think of any unless he intends to clear out and leave me -to shift for myself. If he should do that, what in the world would -become of me?” - -While Tom was turning this alarming thought over in his mind he heard -somebody coming toward the camp at a rapid pace, stamping furiously -through the crust as if to give emphasis to some words he was muttering -to himself, but which Tom could not catch. - -The next moment the wolfer came round the side of the lean-to. In one -hand he carried his rifle and in the other a stout switch, which he was -brandishing wildly over his head. His face was fairly black with fury. - -“Look a-yere!” he yelled, as he leaned his rifle up in one corner and -approached the place where Tom was sitting. “What ye bin a-snoopin’ -round out thar in the timber fur to-day? Don’t be long in speakin’ up, -kase this hickory is gettin’ heavy, an’ it will have to drop somewhar -purty soon!” - -Tom was surprised, and greatly alarmed besides. He was alarmed by the -expression of almost ungovernable fury he saw in the wolfer’s face, and -surprised to learn that his movements had been so readily detected, -after all the pains he had taken to cover his trail. - -But there was nothing surprising in that, for if he had carefully -examined his trail he would have seen that there were the prints of two -boot heels in each one of the tracks that had been made by the wolfer’s -moccasined feet. - -“What ye bin a-pokin’ yer nose into my business fur?” shouted Lish, -making the switch whistle as he whirled it around his head. “What made -you go out an’ hunt up them skins?” - -“What made you hide them?” asked Tom, as soon as he could speak. “It -looks as though you were trying to rob me of my share. Some of those -skins belong to me.” - -“I hid ’em kase I aint a-goin’ to have ye slip inter the camp when I -aint here, an’ go off to find yer brother.” - -“If my brother was anywhere within reach of me it would take a better -man than you to keep me here,” was the thought that passed through Tom’s -mind. - -But he knew better than to give utterance to it. - -“Thar don’t none of them pelts b’long to ye, an’ I don’t want ye to -fergit it, nuther!” exclaimed Lish. “Ye haven’t pizened a dozen varmints -since we come to this yere place.” - -“That’s because I can’t do all the work about camp and put out baits -too,” replied Tom. “If you will cut the wood I’ll do the cooking and -catch as many skins as you do into the bargain.” - -“Yer so powerful lazy yer don’t ’arn yer salt,” said the wolfer, paying -no attention to this proposition. “Now I’ll jest tell ye what’s a fact. -If ye don’t mind yer own business an’ let mine be I’ll lay that hickory -over yer head till ye see more’n a hundred stars. Ye hear me? I’ll put -it here in this corner, so’s to have it handy. Ye’ve been a-spilin’ for -a trouncin’, an’ I’m jest the feller to give it to ye.” - -Tom drew a long breath of relief, but made no reply. - -He had been expecting something like this for a long time, and he was -glad to know that his punishment was to be postponed for a few hours at -least. - -He did not go near the skins again (if he had he would not have found -them in the tree, for they had been removed to other and safer -quarters), but gave all his time to his camp duties and to keeping Lish -supplied with fresh meat, which the latter was sure to call for every -night and morning. - -Tom’s object was to put off the day of his “trouncin’” as long as he -possibly could. - -One afternoon, about two weeks after the occurrence of the events we -have just described, Tom had the misfortune to cut his foot while he was -chopping wood. - -The wound would have been considered a serious one under any -circumstances, but situated as he was it became positively dangerous. - -Lacking the forethought as well as the means to provide for such -accidents as this, he had brought no bandages or liniment with him, and -all he could do was to pull off his boot, apply some ice-cold -water—which was about the worst thing he could have put on it—wrap the -injured member up in one of his extra shirts, and crawl to his bed under -the lean-to. - -Lish swore loudly when he came in. He fairly surpassed all his previous -efforts in this line; and one, to have heard the abuse he heaped upon -the head of his unfortunate partner, would have supposed that Tom had -been guilty of some great crime. - -The wolfer now had to cook for himself and cut his own wood. A short -experience must have disgusted him with this sort of work; for, on the -third morning after the accident, Tom awoke from a troubled slumber to -find his last blanket and his partner missing. If it had not been for -the fact that the pony was standing near the dying embers of the fire, -he would have believed that Lish had deserted him in his trouble. - -The wolfer was gone two whole days and a part of another, and when at -last he came within sight of the camp he was followed by a very small -pony, which fairly staggered under the weight of a huge pack he bore -upon his back. - -Where he had been, and what he had been doing, of course Tom did not -know; but he could see by the expression on his face that Lish was -highly elated over something. He really looked good-natured. - -“Hello, pard!” he exclaimed as he came to a halt in front of the -lean-to. “How ye makin’ it by this time? If we aint struck it rich now -we never will! That thar pony is jest loaded down with jest the finest -lot of——” - -Lish stopped and looked about him, evidently not at all pleased with the -gloomy appearance of things. A few green boughs sputtered on the fire, -giving out a dense smoke, but no flame; Tom was flat on his back, just -as he had left him, and there was no dinner waiting for him. - -“Why didn’t ye get me nothin’ to eat?” demanded Lish. - -“Why didn’t you send a messenger on ahead to tell me that you were -coming?” replied Tom, driven almost desperate by the pain of his wound, -which was growing worse, in spite of the best care he could give it. - -“Wal, ye see me here now, don’t ye?” retorted Lish. “Git up from thar -an’ make me a cup of coffee.” - -“I can’t; the coffee is all gone.” - -“Then give me a partridge an’ some bread!” commanded the wolfer, -beginning to grow angry. - -“I can’t do that either. I haven’t been able to visit my snares since -you went away, and there is not a crumb of cracker left.” - -“Thar aint?” shouted Lish, while an ominous light shone in his eyes. -“An’ ye aint done nothin’ but lay thar an’ stuff yerself till our coffee -an’ grub’s all gone! Git up from thar, I tell ye, an’ go out an’ ketch -me a partridge!” - -“I can’t,” replied Tom, who, seeing that an outbreak was not very far -distant, began to be terribly alarmed. “I can’t walk a step. You have no -idea how I suffer all the time.” - -“’Taint nothin’ on ’arth but laziness that is the matter of ye!” said -Lish as he laid down his rifle and picked up the switch. “If ye won’t -move, I’ll have to move ye. Git up from thar! Git up, ye lazy wagabone, -an’ git me sunthin’ to eat! Do ye reckon yer goin’ to git up?” - -These words were accompanied by a shower of blows, which fell upon Tom’s -head and shoulders with such force that the sound of them could be, -indeed _was_, heard a considerable distance away. - -If his life had depended upon it, poor Tom could not have maintained an -upright position for half a minute. He had tried it often enough to -know. Whenever he attempted it the blood rushed into his foot, causing -him the most intense anguish. - -He could only lie there and make feeble, but unavailing, efforts to -shield his face, which seemed to be the mark at which his tormentor -aimed his blows. His shrieks of agony fell upon deaf ears, the wolfer -having determined to beat him until he got upon his feet. - -They were both so completely engrossed—Lish in raining his blows upon -his helpless victim, and Tom in trying to ward them off—and the hubbub -they occasioned was so great, that they did not hear the sonorous bray -which awoke the echoes of the hills, nor the noise made by rapidly -advancing hoofs. - -Just as Tom was about to give up in despair, and allow the wolfer to -beat him to death—if he had made up his mind to do so—a large -mouse-colored mule, without saddle or bridle, but carrying a rider on -his back, suddenly appeared upon the scene. - -The mule was coming at a furious pace directly toward the lean-to, and -for a moment it looked as though he was going to run right through it; -but he stopped when he reached the side of the pony, and his rider swung -himself to the ground. - -No sooner was he fairly landed on his feet than he dashed forward with -an angry exclamation, and planted his fist so squarely and forcibly -against the wolfer’s neck that he doubled him up like a piece of wet -cloth, and brought the fracas to a close in an instant. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXV. - WHAT OSCAR’S VISITOR DID. - - -Lish the Wolfer had not passed many days in his new camp before he began -to see very plainly that he had not bettered his prospects by coming -there. For reasons we have already given, game was not as abundant as it -was in that other hunting ground, and something must be done about it, -or the furs he would carry back to the settlements in the spring would -not sell for any great sum. - -There was only one thing he could do, and that was to carry out a plan -that had long ago suggested itself to him. - -Lish knew that a man of Big Thompson’s active habits would not be -content to pass more than half his time in camp doing nothing, but that -he would devote all his spare hours to trapping. He was as successful in -this line as he was in causing the arrest of those who violated the law -by selling arms and ammunition to hostile Indians, and if Lish could -only find out where his traps were set, and visit them occasionally -while the lawful owner was absent, he might make something handsome by -it. - -The only objection to this plan was that there was a spice of danger in -it; but this Lish hoped to avoid by the celerity and secrecy of his -movements. - -Having pondered the matter for almost a month, the wolfer set out for -the valley from which he had so hastily retreated, intending to give it -a good looking over, and to be governed in his future movements by what -he saw there. - -He took Tom’s last blanket from his shoulders while the latter was -asleep, and left him without a stick of wood with which to replenish the -fire when he awoke. - -He went into camp that night on the side of the valley directly opposite -to the thicket in which Oscar’s cabin stood; and, at an early hour the -next morning, he had that cabin under surveillance. He saw Big Thompson -and his young companion when they started for the gorge—this was the -morning on which the guide began his second journey to the fort—and, as -soon as they were out of sight, he ran across the valley from the -willows and plunged into the woods behind the cabin. - -The impulse to look into it, and see if there was anything there worth -stealing, was very strong; but the fear that Big Thompson might come -back and find him there was stronger, and he did not yield to that -impulse. - -He followed about half a mile in the rear of the two hunters, keeping -them always in sight; and, when he saw them shake hands and separate at -the mouth of the gorge, one going on toward the prairie, while the -other—after loitering about for a while—came back into the valley, his -delight knew no bounds. - -He knew as well as Oscar did that Big Thompson was about to make an -effort to reach the fort; and his first care must be to watch him, and -see if he succeeded in getting through the gorge. If he did, so much the -better for himself, for he would have a clear field for his operations. - -Leaving Oscar to go where he pleased, until it suited his convenience to -look after him, the wolfer ran along in the edge of the woods until he -reached the gorge. A high hill arose on one side of it, and this the -wolfer scaled, after considerable trouble, and sat down on the top of it -to watch Big Thompson’s progress. - -From his lofty perch he kept the guide in sight for more than an hour; -and the ease with which the latter passed over the drifts would have -satisfied a less crafty and suspicious person that there was no danger -to be apprehended from his unexpected return. - -But Lish was so very much afraid of Big Thompson that he dared not take -any risks. He kept his position on the top of the hill until it was -almost dark, and then scrambled down and ran back to his camp. - -“I s’pose I might have turned that thar chap outen that thar cabin, an’ -slept for onct with a tight roof over my head an’ plenty of blankets to -keep me warm,” muttered the wolfer, as he searched about in the timber -for some dry wood with which to start his fire. “But if Big Thompson -_should_ ’a’ happened to come back in the night—whooppee! Howsomever, -who keers? I’ll go thar bright an’ arly in the mornin’, and take -everything I kin lay my hands on to. I’ll larn that young chap that he’s -barkin’ up the wrong tree when he tries to shet me into the -guard-house!” - -By the time daylight came, however, the wolfer had made a slight change -in his programme. Before visiting the cabin, he thought it would be a -good plan to hunt up Big Thompson’s traps, and thus make sure of -something to repay him for his long journey. After that he would take a -look at the camp, and, if the coast was clear, make a descent upon it; -but, if he found that the guide had returned during the night, he would -pick up the game he had stolen from the traps and make all haste to get -back into his own valley. - -This programme was duly carried out, and the result exceeded the -wolfer’s most sanguine expectations. Both sides of the brook were lined -with traps, and Lish robbed and stole so many that, by the time he found -the last one, his load was as heavy as he could conveniently manage. - -His first work was to lighten it, which he did by removing the skins of -the stolen animals, which, with the traps, he placed among the -evergreens, out of sight. - -He was very proud of his morning’s work, and his success gave him -courage. - -The wolfer now crossed to the nearest bluffs; and, running along under -cover of the timber, finally took up a position from which he could -command a view of the cabin door. - -He saw Oscar when he came out and went toward the brook to make the -round of his traps, but he did not dare go any nearer the cabin. The -fear that Big Thompson might be in there held him back. - -It was three hours before the young taxidermist returned; and, when he -came in sight, there was something in his attitude and movements which -told Lish that the boy had discovered his loss. - -As soon as Oscar disappeared through the door, the wolfer arose to his -feet and came out of his hiding place. This was the time, if ever, to -ascertain whether or not Big Thompson was at home. - -He ran toward the cabin with noiseless footsteps; and, placing his ear -close to one of the cracks between the logs, listened intently. - -No sound came from the inside, and this emboldened him to move around to -the door and listen there. Still he heard nothing, and this gave him -courage to thrust his head into the cabin. - -There sat Oscar, gazing fixedly into the fire, and he was alone. The -hinges creaked dolefully as the wolfer laid his hand upon the door, and -this aroused Oscar, who jumped to his feet and ran forward as if he -meant to shut the intruder out; but, if that was his object, Lish -defeated it by throwing the door wide open and stepping across the -threshold. - -“Hold on thar!” he exclaimed in tones which he intended should strike -terror to the boy’s heart and drive away all thoughts of escape or -resistance. “If ye come an inch nigher I’ll send ye to kingdom come -quicker’n ye could bat yer eye!” - -Oscar stopped and stood motionless, for it would have been folly to do -anything else. The wolfer held his rifle at a “ready,” the hammer was -raised and his finger was on the trigger. - -“So yer the chap as wanted to put me into the guard-house, be ye?” -exclaimed Lish, after he had given his prisoner a good looking over. - -“I?” cried Oscar. “I guess not!” - -“Wal, I guess ye be,” said Lish, taking something from his pocket and -throwing it at Oscar—he was afraid to hand it to him for fear that the -boy would seize his gun. He was so big a coward that he dared not meet a -youth of sixteen on anything like equal terms. “Read that, an’ see if ye -aint.” - -It was a piece of paper; and, when Oscar picked it up and opened it, he -saw that it was the note he had written to his brother on the day he -left that bundle of clothing behind the rock. - -But there were some words in the note that did not belong there—some -that related to a fight and a theft, and an attempt that was to be made -to arrest the wolfer. Tom had put them there to refresh his memory, and -to enable him to read the note twice alike. - -Oscar saw through it all, and wondered how his brother could be guilty -of such an act of meanness, to call it by no harder name. - -“What do ye say now?” demanded the wolfer, as Oscar tossed the note back -to him. - -“I have nothing at all to say. What are you going to do about it?” - -“I’ll mighty soon show ye!” Lish almost shouted. “Git outen here. Cl’ar -yerself sudden, an’ don’t let me find yer in sight when I come out, -nuther!” - -Oscar, who was so greatly bewildered that he scarcely knew what he was -doing, put on his overcoat and cap and left the cabin, the wolfer -stepping out of the door and covering him with his rifle as he passed. - -“Well,” said he resignedly, as he walked slowly toward the brook, “this -knocks us. There is no way out of this scrape. The man’s object is -revenge as well as plunder, and he’ll not leave us a skin. My rifle, -revolver, ammunition, and provisions will all go, too; for what he can’t -carry away he will doubtless destroy. O Tom, how could you put him up to -such a thing?” - -Having reached the willows, Oscar found a hiding-place among them, and -set himself to watch the movements of the robber. Of course he could not -tell what he was doing inside the cabin, but he noticed that he came to -the door every few minutes and looked down the valley toward the gorge. - -Oscar knew that he was watching for Big Thompson, and wished most -heartily that the guide would make his appearance. But luck was on the -wolfer’s side this time, and he was allowed to proceed with his -depredations without being disturbed. - -After he had been at work in the cabin a quarter of an hour, he came to -the door, carrying over his shoulder the plunder he had selected, and -which was made up in the form of a pack-saddle. - -This made it evident that he intended to make either the pony or the -mule carry it home for him. He wanted to catch the mule, knowing him to -be a valuable animal; but that sagacious quadruped had evidently had -quite enough to do with Lish, for, when the man approached, he turned -his heels toward him, laid back his ears, and seemed so anxious to get a -kick at him that the robber dared not go near him. - -So he was obliged to content himself with the guide’s pony, which -offered no resistance as Lish caught him by the foretop and led him -toward the cabin. - -After slipping a bridle over his head and placing his plunder upon his -back, the wolfer took a last look at the gorge and led the pony up the -valley out of sight, the mule following quietly at his heels. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVI. - THE TABLES TURNED. - - -When the wolfer had disappeared, Oscar arose from his place of -concealment and walked slowly toward the cabin. While on the way his -attention was attracted by the actions of the mule; which, after -following the pony a short distance down the valley, stopped and brayed -after him, as if urging him to come back. - -Oscar supposed that he would, of course, go off with the mustang (the -two animals never seemed to be easy when they were out of sight of each -other), but the mule showed no desire to do anything of the kind. - -He called to his companion several times, and then, turning about, -galloped up to Oscar and brayed at him, as if he were trying to tell him -how lonely he was. - -“So you are going to stay with me, are you?” said the boy dolefully. -“That is very kind of you. I must give you back to your master in the -spring, and if you had gone off, I should have been two hundred dollars -more out of pocket; but where I should have raised the money to pay for -you is more than I can tell. Come on, old fellow!” - -The mule followed Oscar toward the cabin, and would probably have gone -in there with him, if the door had not been closed in his face. - -Oscar was gone but a minute, and when he came back he had a piece of -hard tack in his hand. He gave the mule a bite of it, and, holding the -rest just in front of his nose, led him around to his quarters and shut -him up. Oscar felt a little easier after that. - -Having put it out of the mule’s power to run after his companion, the -young taxidermist went back into the cabin to see how things looked -there. It was in the greatest confusion; but, without wasting any time -in useless repining, he set to work to restore order. - -At the end of half an hour he had got matters in such a shape that he -could make an estimate of his losses. His rifle was gone from its place -over the door, but the cartridges that belonged to it were all there. -The thief had not taken them, because he did not know how to manage a -breech loader; and he had carried off the rifle in order to put it out -of Oscar’s power to follow him and recover his property by force of -arms. A good portion of the bacon and crackers was missing, but the cans -containing the condensed milk and preserved fruits were none of them -gone. The robber did not know what they were. The saddles, bridles, both -his blankets, all his cherished specimens, and every one of the skins he -and the guide had trapped had disappeared; but the wolfer had not -wantonly destroyed anything, and Oscar was very thankful for that. - -This forbearance on his part was all owing to his wholesome fear of Big -Thompson. If Lish had known that his dreaded enemy was more than forty -miles from the valley, and increasing the distance at every step, he -would have taken more time to select his plunder; and his desire to be -revenged upon Oscar for something the boy never did might have led him -to burn all that he could not carry away. - -Having put everything that was left in its place, Oscar threw a few -sticks of wood on the fire, drew a stool up beside it, and sat down to -think over the events of the day; but an instant afterward he jumped to -his feet, placed the stool in front of the door, stepped upon it, thrust -his hand into the space between the roof and the topmost log, and could -scarcely repress a shout of exultation when his hand come in contact -with something wrapped in a piece of deer-skin. - -“The thief didn’t get this, anyway,” he said, as he drew the stool back -to the fire. “If I had had it in my hands when I first saw his ugly head -sticking in at the door, I don’t know whether he would have had so easy -a time in robbing the cabin or not.” - -As Oscar spoke, he unwrapped the deer-skin and brought to light a -silver-mounted revolver and two boxes of cartridges. When he first came -into the hills, he had always been in the habit of carrying the weapon -with him on his hunting excursions; but, having seen how handy it was to -have something else in his belt when it became necessary to build a fire -in the woods or to cut a drag, he had put the revolver carefully away, -and carried a hatchet instead. - -While Oscar sat holding the weapon in his hand, an idea suddenly -suggested itself to him—one that caused him the most intense excitement, -and led him to believe that his affairs were not in so desperate a state -after all. - -Why could he not follow the robber, watch his camp when he saw him leave -it, run up and recover the articles that had been stolen from him, and -get away with them before Lish returned? Or, what was to hinder him from -making use of the very tactics which the wolfer had so successfully -employed—namely, surprising him in his camp, ordering him out of doors -at the muzzle of his revolver, and making off with his property; taking -with him the robber’s rifle, so that the latter could not pursue him -with any hope of success. - -“I’ll do it!” said Oscar to himself. “We are both out of reach of the -law; and, since there is no officer here to protect me, I have a perfect -right to protect myself. Yes, sir; I’ll do it.” - -Oscar was so very highly elated that he could not sit still; so he arose -from his stool and walked up and down the cabin while he matured his -plans, which were to be carried into operation the following morning. - -Being afraid to allow the mule his liberty, he cut a quantity of -cottonwood boughs which he threw into the stable for him to browse upon; -brought him some water from the brook; and, having provided for his -comfort as well as he could, left the cabin—with his revolver for -company—to make the round of Big Thompson’s traps. He knew that the best -way to make the time pass rapidly was to keep busy. - -By daylight the next morning breakfast had been disposed of; and Oscar, -having put on his overcoat—taking care to see that his trusty revolver -and a plentiful supply of cartridges were safely stowed away in one of -the pockets—released the mule from his prison and sprang upon his back. - -Did that long-eared animal know where he was going, and what he intended -to do? It certainly looked like it; for, during the whole of the journey -to and from the wolfer’s cabin, he was under as perfect control of his -rider as he would have been if he had had a bit in his mouth. - -Oscar guided him by touching his head with his hand on the side opposite -to that toward which he wished him to turn. But he did not require any -guidance at all after he struck the pony’s trail. - -He followed it through all its windings, and in due time brought his -rider to the place where the wolfer had passed the night. It was in his -old camp—the one he and Tom had occupied when they first came into the -valley. - -The fire was still burning, and this showed Oscar that he was close upon -the heels of the robber. - -From this point forward Oscar was often obliged to check the mule’s -impatience, which he did by talking to him. The animal, if left to -himself, would have broken into a gallop and brought the boy face to -face with Lish in less than half an hour; but this was something that -Oscar particularly wished to avoid. - -His object must be accomplished by strategy, or it could not be -accomplished at all. What he was most afraid of was that the mule would -give notice of his approach and warn the thief at the same time by -setting up one of his resounding brays; but happily his fears were not -realized. The animal was as silent as though he had lost all power to -utter a sound. - -After leaving the camp in which the wolfer had passed the night, the -trail wound through a deep gorge that led from one valley to the other. - -It was about ten miles across here, and the eager mule walked so much -faster than the pony could with his heavy burden that if he had had a -mile further to go he would have brought the thief and his pursuer -together before the camp was reached. - -He nearly overtook Lish as it was, for he was not more than ten minutes -behind him. - -[Illustration: LISH THE WOLFER FOILED.] - -Almost before Oscar knew it he found himself riding out of the gorge -into a valley, and there, a little to his left and in plain view of him, -was a smouldering fire, and beside it stood Big Thompson’s pony, with -his pack still on his back. - -Under the lean-to, in front of which the miserable fire was smoking, was -a prostrate figure, dressed in a suit of clothes that Oscar instantly -recognized, and over him stood Lish the Wolfer, holding a heavy switch -in his hand. - -Both were talking loudly, one commanding and threatening, while the -other begged and protested. The next moment the wolfer began a fierce -attack upon the prostrate figure, who struggled feebly, and cried in -vain for mercy. - -All this passed in half a minute’s time. Oscar, astonished and alarmed -by his unexpected proximity to the wolfer’s camp, tried to stop the -mule; but the animal, which up to this moment had been so docile and -obedient, disregarded his commands, uttered a loud bray, and started on -a full gallop for the camp. He had seen his companion, and a curb-bit -would not have kept him from hastening to join him. - -But Oscar made no further effort to check him; he did not think of it. -All idea of concealment and strategy was gone now. His brother was being -severely beaten before his eyes; and, worse than that, he was taking the -punishment without making any determined effort at resistance. This -proved that there was something the matter with him, and that he needed -help. Fortunately for Tom, it was close at hand. - -While the wolfer, warming to his work, was putting in his blows with -such force that the end of the switch began to show signs of wear, -something like a clap of thunder sounded close to his ear; and, when he -picked himself up from the corner of the lean-to, into which he had been -sent headlong by Oscar’s terrific blow, he saw the two brothers with -their arms around each other. The face of one was suffused with tears, -while that of the other wore a threatening scowl. In this one’s right -hand, which was supporting Tom’s head, was something that was still more -threatening—a cocked revolver, whose muzzle was pointed toward the -corner from which the bewildered wolfer was slowly rising. - -“Tom! Tom! what is the meaning of all this?” cried Oscar in great alarm. -“Tell me quick what has happened. Why, what’s this?” - -The hand which he drew tenderly across his brother’s battered -countenance was marked with a crimson stain. - -Oscar gazed at it a moment in speechless amazement; then he looked at -his brother’s bandaged foot, and finally he turned his eyes toward the -wolfer. - -At the sight of him he jumped to his feet, caught up the switch, which -had fallen from the wolfer’s hand, and attacked him with the greatest -fury. Lish howled loudly, and tried to fight off the blows, but he might -almost as well have tried to resist Big Thompson. His active young -assailant was as strong just then as two boys of his age generally are; -and, to show that he had both the determination and the pluck to back up -his strength, we will simply mention the fact that when Lish, driven -desperate with pain, dashed forward to close with him, Oscar met him -full in the face with a left-hander that knocked him clean through the -brush side of the lean-to. - -“Look out, Oscar! Look out!” cried the amazed and terrified Tom, who -now, for the first time, found his tongue. “He’s got a knife!” - -But Oscar’s blood was up, and he did not heed the warning. He ran -quickly out of the front of the lean-to, intending to meet Lish on the -outside. But the latter was too smart for him. He was almost out of -sight in the woods, running like a deer, his hair sticking straight out -in the wind behind him. - -“What’s the matter with you?” panted Oscar, as he threw all that was -left of the switch upon the fire. “Have you frozen one of your feet?” - -“No; I cut it with an axe,” sobbed Tom. “O Oscar, you don’t know how -glad I am to see you again!” - -These were the pleasantest words to which the boy had listened since he -left home. There was so much meaning in them that a protracted -conversation between them was not necessary. - -“Can you sit on a horse?” he asked. - -“I can try,” replied Tom, smiling through his tears. “But I am pretty -weak, and almost frozen. I have had nothing much to eat for thirty-six -hours, and I haven’t been able to get about to gather any firewood.” - -“Hasn’t your partner taken care of you?” exclaimed Oscar. - -“Not by a great sight. He stole my last blanket, took almost all the -food we had, and left me to shift for myself. When you came, he was -beating me because I could not get him something to eat. How could I -make him a cup of coffee when there wasn’t any coffee?” - -Oscar jerked the remnant of the switch off the fire and went out to look -for Lish. But that worthy was out of sight. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVII. - BIG THOMPSON’S HUNTING DOG. - - -“Well, I declare, Oscar! How nicely you are situated, and how well you -live!” - -Tom Preston gave a sigh of satisfaction as he settled back on his elbow -and put down his cup, after taking a refreshing drink of the strong, hot -coffee. - -He lay upon a comfortable bed, beside a roaring fire; and his foot, -which bore an ugly looking wound, had just been dressed with some -soothing liniment. - -Beside him, on the floor, was the best dinner he had eaten for many a -day, consisting of juicy venison steaks, corn-bread, canned fruit, and -pickles. - -He and Oscar had been at home about twenty-four hours, and the cabin was -wearing its old-time look again. The specimens and skins were all there, -so were the saddles and bridles, and Oscar’s breech loader rested in its -accustomed place over the door. - -Everything the wolfer had stolen had been recovered except the small -portion of bacon he had eaten in his camp in the upper end of the -valley; and there was, also, one thing there he did not steal—at least -from Oscar—that was his rifle. - -At first the young hunter did not know whether to take the weapon home -with him or not, for he had no desire that the wolfer should starve for -want of means to procure food. But Tom insisted on it, and Oscar at last -yielded to his wishes. - -“He’s as treacherous as the wolf he hunts,” declared Tom, “and if you -leave him that rifle, he will surely waylay you and use it against you. -Take it by all means. It will help pay for the skins and blanket he has -stolen from me. You needn’t be afraid that he will starve. Nearly all -the fresh meat we have had this winter I caught in my snares, and he can -get some in the same way. We will leave him his pony, so that he can get -his spelter to the settlement in the spring, and that is all we will do -for him.” - -The return journey had been accomplished without any mishap. The mule -led the way, carrying the pack. Tom came next, riding Big Thompson’s -pony, and Oscar brought up the rear on foot. - -They spent the first night in the wolfer’s abandoned camp, arriving at -the cabin about noon on the following day. - -They could not travel faster on account of Tom’s injuries. The wound in -his foot was very painful, and he was black and blue all over from the -beating the wolfer had given him; but his tongue was all right, and he -kept it going incessantly. - -He gave his brother a truthful account of his wanderings, which we do -not repeat here because it has nothing to do with our narrative; and the -stories he told of his partner’s tyranny, and the description he gave of -the sufferings he experienced while he was alone in camp, made Oscar -wish most heartily that he had used something besides a switch on the -wolfer. - -He told how he had tried to injure his brother because he envied him in -his prosperity, but Oscar would not allow him to dwell upon that. - -He knew all about it, he said; it was all past and gone, and they would -not make themselves unhappy by referring to it, or even thinking of it -again. - -He said everything he could to strengthen Tom’s resolutions of -amendment, and had the satisfaction of knowing, in after years, that the -severe lessons the latter had received during his sojourn among the -hills had not been thrown away upon him. - -For a week or two the brothers kept a constant watch for the wolfer; -and, if he had come near that camp again, he would have met with the -warmest kind of a reception. But he had already put a good many miles -between himself and that valley, and Tom and Oscar never saw him again. - -Everything went smoothly with them after that. Tom’s foot healed -rapidly, and in a few days he was able to get about and do his share of -work in the cabin, which he kept as neat as a new pin. - -The stolen traps were again doing duty at the brook; and Oscar, without -saying a word to his brother about it, every day laid by a portion of -the skins he took from them, to be sold for Tom’s benefit. - -It would be hard work for the latter to begin his new life with empty -hands, and it would perhaps encourage him to know that he had a few -dollars to fall back upon in case of emergency. - -As soon as he was able to ride to the brook without inconvenience, Tom -put out a few deadfalls for himself, and it was not long before the -skins he captured exceeded in value those the wolfer had stolen from -him. - -The weeks wore on, and finally Oscar began to look anxiously for Big -Thompson. Every other day he and Tom rode down to the gorge to see if -they could discover any signs of his approach, but they always came back -disappointed. - -The guide, however, was daily making long strides toward them, fully as -impatient to see Oscar as the boy was to see him, and he arrived when he -was least expected. One night, just after the supper table had been -cleared away, he walked into the cabin, wrapped up in his soldier’s -overcoat, and carrying his rifle and snow-shoes over his shoulder. - -Oscar sprang to meet him; and the greeting that passed between them gave -Tom some idea of the strength of the affection they cherished for each -other. - -“Who’s that thar?” demanded the guide, when his eyes fell upon the new -occupant of the cabin. - -“That’s my brother,” replied Oscar. “Tom, this is my guide, of whom you -have often heard me speak.” - -Tom arose and extended his hand, but the guide pretended that he did not -see it. He put his rifle and snow-shoes in one corner of the cabin, and -then turned and looked down at Tom. - -“So yer the fine young feller as wanted to bust my pardner up, be ye?” -said he sternly, while Tom grew a shade whiter as he noticed the -expression that settled on the speaker’s face. - -“Now, Thompson, that’s enough of that,” interrupted Oscar. “It was all -settled long ago. Don’t say another word about it, for we want to forget -it.” - -“I’m amazin’ proud to hear it,” growled the guide. “But if ye can’t -forgit it, an’ it aint settled nuther, an’ ye wan’t it should be -settled——” - -He finished the sentence by striking his clenched hand into his open -palm. - -“But I tell you it is settled!” exclaimed Oscar. “Sit down and don’t -spoil a family reunion by showing your temper. Let us see how agreeable -you can be. If you don’t, the next time I see you pursued by a grizzly, -I’ll——” - -“Say no more, perfessor,” said Big Thompson, the scowl instantly fading -from his face. “Put it thar!” - -“Excuse me,” answered Oscar, thrusting his hands into his pockets. -“Where are my letters and papers?” - -The guide did not act as though he heard the question. He pulled his -pipe from his pocket, and, after filling and lighting it with a brand -from the fire, he drew a stool close to Oscar’s side and sat down. - -“Now,” said he, “I’m all ready. Go on.” - -“Go on with what?” - -“I want to know jest everything that’s happened in this yere valley -since I’ve b’en gone. An’ I say ag’in, go on.” - -Oscar, who knew that it was of no use to oppose the guide when he had -determined upon any particular course of action, began the story of his -adventures, intending to hurry through with it as soon as he could, and -make another demand on Big Thompson for the letters and papers he -carried in his pocket; but, as he dwelt upon the exciting scenes through -which he had so recently passed, he became interested, and, before he -knew it, he was giving a spirited and graphic account of them. - -Big Thompson kept his eyes fastened upon the boy’s face, listening so -intently that he allowed his pipe to go out; and he almost jumped from -his seat when Tom exclaimed, as Oscar was about winding up his story: - -“You ought to have seen him, Thompson. He knocked Lish flatter than a -pancake twice, and thrashed him until he wore a five-foot switch down to -two. I lay there and saw it all.” - -“Perfessor,” said the guide, whose astonishment and admiration knew no -bounds, “did ye lick Lish in a fair rough an’ tumble?” - -“I made him stop pounding my brother,” replied Oscar, “and I recovered -everything he stole from us, into the bargain.” - -“Perfessor,” repeated the guide, “put ’em thar! Put ’em both thar!” - -But Oscar very wisely made all haste to put them somewhere else. He put -them into his pockets, and the guide, not knowing any other way in which -to express his hearty approval of his employer’s conduct, brought one of -his huge hands down upon his knee with such force that the boy shook all -over. - -This action was taken as a declaration of hostilities by a formidable -body guard the guide had brought with him. A shrill bark, followed by a -series of growls that were meant to be very fierce, came from somewhere -about Big Thompson’s person, and the next instant a very diminutive -head, surmounted by a pair of fox-like ears and covered with hair so -long that it almost concealed the knowing little eyes that glared upon -him, suddenly appeared from between the buttons of the guide’s overcoat, -and a row of sharp white teeth gleamed in the firelight. - -Oscar started back with an exclamation of astonishment, while Tom and -the guide gave vent to hearty peals of laughter. - -“Perfessor,” said the latter, thrusting his hand inside his overcoat and -drawing out the animal to which the head belonged, the smallest, -homeliest specimen of a Scotch terrier that Oscar had ever seen, “that -thar big elk is jest as good as skinned an’ stuffed already. I call him -Pink, on account of the color of his ha’r—which is black. What do you -think of him fur a huntin’ dog?” - -“A hunting dog!” repeated Oscar, still more astonished. “Do you mean to -tell me that you are going to catch that magnificent elk with such a -miserable little——Humph! You can’t get a fair view of him without the -aid of a microscope, and a fair-sized rat would scare him to death. Now -hand out my mail.” - -Big Thompson complied this time, and he had a good bundle of it, too, -when it was all put together—papers from Eaton and Yarmouth, letters -from his mother, Sam Hynes, and Leon Parker, others from Professor -Potter and the committee, and the rest were from the officers of the -fort, who praised him extravagantly for the courage he had exhibited in -his encounter with the grizzly, the particulars of which they had heard -from Big Thompson. - -The papers were passed over to Tom, and Oscar also gave him all his -letters to read, with the exception of two, addressed in a neat, -feminine hand, which were put safely away in his pocket, only to be -taken out again at intervals and read and reread until they were almost -worn out. - -The boys became silent after the letters appeared, for the news they -contained made them homesick. - -Big Thompson, finding that nothing more was to be got out of his -employer that night, cooked and ate a hearty supper and went to bed, his -little hunting dog curling himself up with him under the blankets. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVIII. - FAREWELL TO THE HILLS. - - -“I say, perfessor, what in creation brung that thar brother of yours out -to this country, and throwed him into the company of such a varmint as -that Lish?” asked Big Thompson, as Oscar joined him at the woodpile the -next morning, where he stood taking an observation of the weather. - -“Oh, he came out here to make his fortune; and, like a good many others -who have tried it, he spent all his money, and had to take up with the -first thing that came in his way.” - -With this introduction, Oscar went on to tell as much of Tom’s history -as he was willing the guide should know. He went more into the -particulars of the matter than he would have done under almost any other -circumstances, for he saw very plainly that his companion was not at all -pleased to have Tom there. - -He very naturally supposed that anyone who could willingly associate -with such a fellow as the wolfer must of necessity be as bad and -worthless as he was, and Oscar’s first task was to free his mind from -this impression. His next was to awaken sympathy for the unfortunate -Tom, and in both these efforts he succeeded beyond his expectations. - -He had the gratification of seeing that, after his conversation with -him, Big Thompson was as friendly toward Tom as he was toward himself. - -“He is not going home with me,” said Oscar in conclusion. “He came out -here with a good deal of money in his pocket, and I don’t blame him for -wanting to stay until that money is all replaced. When we get to the -fort I am going to see what I can do for him.” - -Oscar felt better after this talk with his guide, and urged him to hurry -up the breakfast, as he was impatient to see that fine hunting dog at -work. - -He made all sorts of sport of the shaggy, ill-looking little fellow, who -must have understood some of his disparaging remarks, for he promptly -and fiercely resented every attempt that Oscar made to scrape an -acquaintance with him. Big Thompson only grinned and nodded his head, as -if to say, “Wait and see,” and so confident was he of success during the -coming hunt that he told Tom to follow about a mile in their rear with -the mule, and come up to them when he heard them shoot. - -Breakfast over, the two hunters set out on foot, Big Thompson carrying -his dog under his arm; and, after three hours’ rapid walking through the -willows that lined the banks of the brook, they came within sight of the -grove at the upper end of the valley. When they had approached within a -quarter of a mile of it, the boy’s heart bounded with hope, for he saw a -large elk—the very one he wanted most—walk out of the timber, take a -look about him, and then walk back again. - -The guide now took the lead, moving with noiseless steps, and Oscar -followed close behind. - -They approached within less than two hundred yards of the grove without -alarming the game, and there they halted. It was evident that a number -of elk were browsing in the grove, for the bushes could be heard -crashing in every direction. - -“Now, then,” whispered the guide, lifting the dog in the air, so that he -could look over the thicket behind which they had crept for concealment, -“do you hear ’em in thar? If yer sartin ye do, go in and fetch ’em out.” - -He placed the dog upon the ground, and the little animal was off like a -shot. He ran with surprising swiftness across the intervening space, and -disappeared in the grove, which presently began to echo with his shrill -bark. - -This was followed by an increased commotion in the bushes, and Oscar’s -first thought was that the insignificant little beast was driving the -elk away; but Big Thompson must have had a different opinion, for just -then he laid his hand on the boy’s arm, and said, in a very low tone: - -“He’s found ’em. Get yer we’pon ready, kase he’ll fetch ’em out in plain -sight afore long.” - -And so it proved. The lordly elk, finding themselves pursued by so small -an animal—the like of which they had never seen before—stopped and -stared at him with great curiosity; and finally, becoming annoyed by his -constant yelping, they began to show their displeasure by stamping their -fore feet on the ground and making short dashes at him. - -As fast as they advanced, the dog retreated in the direction of the -willows in which the hunters were concealed; and a few minutes later he -came pell-mell out of the bushes, closely pursued by one of the does. - -Then Oscar saw, for the first time, what the dog’s tactics were. As soon -as the doe stopped, he wheeled about and began barking at her again, -keeping just far enough away to be out of reach of her dangerous hoofs, -and close enough to annoy her. - -The rest of the herd came out, one after the other—there must have been -twenty-five or thirty of them in all—and the last one that appeared was -the big elk. - -He took up a position between the doe and his companions; and, after -making one or two unsuccessful efforts to strike him with his hoofs, -stood still and shook his horns at him. The animals were all so much -interested in Pink and his movements that they did not seem to think of -anything else. - -“What do ye think of that mis’able leetle cur dorg now, perfessor?” -whispered the guide, as Oscar cocked his rifle and raised it slowly and -cautiously to his shoulder. “Take all the time ye want, and don’t shoot -till yer hands is stiddy and ye kin git a fair squint. If they don’t -wind us, Pink’ll fetch ’em right into—— I say, ye done it, didn’t ye?” - -While the guide was uttering these words of caution and advice, Oscar’s -rifle spoke; and the big elk, pierced through the spine, fell to his -knees and rolled over dead. - -The rest of the herd fled in the greatest confusion; and Pink, alarmed -by the noise of the hoofs, and believing, no doubt, that they were about -to charge him in a body, took to his heels and made all haste to get -into the willows; but, finding that he was not pursued, he quickly -mustered up courage sufficient to run back to the prostrate elk, which -he was the first of the party to examine. - -“I’ve got him at last, thanks to you, Thompson,” said Oscar, as he -leaned on his rifle and looked down at the fallen monarch. “In all my -collection there is but one specimen that I value more highly than this -one, and that is the grizzly. Pink, you’re a brick, and I’ll never make -sport of you again.” - -The dog evidently did not appreciate the compliment, or else he did not -put any faith in the promise; for, when Oscar attempted to lay his hand -on his head, the little animal backed away and growled savagely at him. - -Tom presently came up with the mule, and, in two hours more, the new -specimen had been carried to the cabin and Oscar was hard at work upon -it. - -This was Oscar’s last notable exploit among the foot-hills. Of course -the sport did not end with the shooting of the monarch elk, for there -were still many animals in the valley that were not represented in his -collection, and Oscar’s efforts to secure them were not always -unattended by danger. - -He kept on adding to his specimens, and now and then he did something in -a quiet way that made him feel good for a week. - -One of these achievements was the bagging of the wolverine which had so -often robbed his traps. The animal was fairly outdone in cunning, and -knocked over when he did not know that there was an enemy near him. - -The rest of the winter was passed in much the same way as were the days -whose incidents we have so minutely described. The hunters devoted a -good deal of their time to trapping, and their pile of skins grew larger -every day. - -The traditional January thaw came at last, and set the eaves to dropping -and the brook to running for a few days; and then Jack Frost reasserted -his power, and shut everything up tight again. - -Many a hard storm roared through the valley after that, but the weather -gradually grew warmer, the snow melted slowly away, and finally the -grass began to appear in the sunniest places, and the drifts to look as -though the wind had scattered dust over them. - -It was no longer necessary to cut down trees for the pony and mule to -feed upon. They preferred the withered grass to the innutritious buds -and twigs of the cottonwood, and the change in their diet soon began to -make a change in their appearance and spirits. - -Spring was coming, but so slowly that Oscar grew tired of waiting for -it. It seemed as though the deep drifts in the gorge would never melt -away; and when they did, a roaring torrent, which showed no indications -of drying up, took their place. The grass in the valley was seen before -the gorge was passable. - -The day of their deliverance was close at hand, however, and one bright -morning the guide aroused the slumbering boys by shouting out the order -to “catch up.” - -This meant to cook and eat the breakfast, saddle the pony, and hitch the -mule to the wagon, which had for days been loaded and ready for the -start. - -These duties consumed but little of their time, for all three worked as -if they were in a great hurry. - -In less than an hour the wagon, with Tom and the guide on the seat, was -on its way down the valley, while Oscar lingered behind for a moment to -make sure that nothing had been forgotten. - -It was not without a feeling of sadness that he took his last look about -the cabin in which he had spent so many happy hours. - -The journey to the fort was safely and quickly accomplished. - -They found Ike Barker in his dug-out, and the greeting he extended to -them was cordial, indeed. - -He kept Oscar busy until midnight relating the incidents of his life in -the foot-hills; but there were some things that happened there which he -did not hear from the boy’s lips, for his modesty compelled him to leave -them out. - -He heard them from the lips of Big Thompson, who finished the story -after Oscar had gone to sleep. The ranchman was delighted at what the -guide told him, and took his own way to show it. - -“Mr. Barker,” said Oscar the next morning at breakfast, “I am greatly -indebted to you for your kindness, and I am sorry that I can return you -nothing but my hearty thanks. There are your mule and wagon, and if——” - -“Don’t want ’em!” exclaimed the ranchman. “I’ve got better. Take ’em up -to the post an’ sell ’em for what you can get. Look here, professor,” he -added hastily, seeing that the boy was about to speak, “I know I don’t -live like one of the royal blood, but I’ve got money for all that; and, -if you think you are in danger of running short of funds, say the word -and I’ll lend you all you want. You saved Thompson’s life, and whipped -Lish the Wolfer in a fair fight; and that shows that you are a boy after -my own heart.” - -Oscar, who was greatly surprised at this kind offer, could only stammer -out his thanks and reply that he did not stand in any need of pecuniary -assistance. - -“Then perhaps I can help you in another way,” continued the ranchman, -who was bent on showing his regard for Oscar. “I can give your brother -something to do. I have been unfortunate myself, and I know how it seems -to have a helping hand extended in time of trouble. Tom, how would you -like to herd sheep?” - -“I don’t know. I never tried it. But I am willing to do anything that -will bring me an honest living.” - -“That’s the sort of spirit I like. I’ll give you forty dollars a month -and board, and a pony to ride. Yes or no?” - -Tom said “Yes,” of course; and, after a short consultation, it was -decided that he should go to the post to sell his furs and see his -brother off, and then come back to the ranch on foot, and assume his -duties as sheep-herder. - -Oscar afterward had a private interview with the ranchman, and left him -with the feeling that Tom could not have fallen into better hands. - -Oscar spent but two days at the fort—pleasant days they were, too, and -everybody seemed glad to see him—for he was impatient to be on his way -home. - -Their furs, and the mule and wagon, were disposed of without the least -trouble; and, out of the money he received, Tom gave Oscar two hundred -dollars to be handed to Mr. Smith. - -It wasn’t much, Tom said, but still it would show the grocer that he -intended to make all the amends in his power. - -Tom and the guide assisted him to pack his specimens, which were put -into boxes and addressed to himself at Yarmouth, and placed in the -freight wagon that was to convey them to the nearest railroad station. - -There was one thing that Oscar could not take back with him, greatly to -his disappointment, and that was the fawn he had captured with the -lasso. - -These little animals never live long in confinement, especially if they -have been driven hard previous to their capture; and it had died during -his absence. - -Lieutenant Warwick had seen to it that the skin was carefully preserved; -but, as it had been taken off in the same manner that a butcher would -remove the hide from a slaughtered ox, and was afterward tanned with the -hair on, it was not of much value as a specimen. But then, somebody -could make a rug of it, and so it was packed up to be taken to Eaton. - -At last, when everything was ready for the start, and the farewells had -all been said, Tom set out for Ike Barker’s ranch, and Oscar stepped -into the stage-coach. - -His heart was by no means as light as he had supposed it would be, for -the pleasure he anticipated in once more shaking hands with his friends -in Eaton was marred by the sorrow he felt at parting from those with -whom he had so long been associated. - -But one thing was certain: the last few months of his life had not been -wasted. He had earned money enough to lift the mortgage from the roof -that sheltered his mother, and he had been able to assist Tom in his -extremity. The latter was on the right track now, and Oscar fervently -hoped that he would allow no temptations to switch him off. - -Sam Hynes, warned by a telegram which Oscar sent from Albany, met the -returned hunter at the depot, and stuck to him night and day during the -week he spent in Eaton, where everybody made a lion of him. - -His mother, of course, was overjoyed to meet him, and listened with a -beating heart to what he had to say in regard to Tom, who, during the -rest of his life on the plains, was the regular recipient of something -that did much to sustain and encourage him in his efforts to reform—a -mother’s letters. - -That week passed all too quickly for Oscar, who, at the end of it, was -once more obliged to tear himself away from home and go to work. - -He had months of it before him, too, for the specimens he had secured -were all to be stuffed and mounted. He was almost overwhelmed by the -attentions he received on every hand. - -It was not long before everybody in the city knew who he was and what he -had done; at least it seemed so, for everybody stared at him on the -streets, and Oscar finally began to wish that he was back in the -foot-hills, out of sight. - -The committee were more than pleased with his success, and with the -appearance of his specimens; and the first year he spent in their employ -was only the beginning of a long and profitable engagement with them. - - - THE END. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - -[Illustration: Specimen Cover of the Gunboat Series.] - - THE FAMOUS CASTLEMON BOOKS. - - BY - - HARRY CASTLEMON. - - - No author of the present day has become a greater favorite with boys - than “Harry Castlemon;” every book by him is sure to meet with - hearty reception by young readers generally. His naturalness and - vivacity lead his readers from page to page with breathless - interest, and when one volume is finished the fascinated reader, - like Oliver Twist, asks “for more.” - - ⁂ Any volume sold separately. - - - * * * * * - - =GUNBOAT SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 6 vols., 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $7 50 - - =Frank, the Young Naturalist= 1 25 - - =Frank in the Woods= 1 25 - - =Frank on the Prairie= 1 25 - - =Frank on a Gunboat= 1 25 - - =Frank before Vicksburg= 1 25 - - =Frank on the Lower Mississippi= 1 25 - - =GO AHEAD SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $3 75 - - =Go Ahead=; or, The Fisher Boy’s Motto 1 25 - - =No Moss=; or, The Career of a Rolling Stone 1 25 - - =Tom Newcombe=; or, The Boy of Bad Habits 1 25 - - =ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $3 75 - - =Frank at Don Carlos’ Rancho= 1 25 - - =Frank among the Rancheros= 1 25 - - =Frank in the Mountains= 1 25 - - =SPORTSMAN’S CLUB SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. - Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $3 75 - - =The Sportsman’s Club in the Saddle= 1 25 - - =The Sportsman’s Club Afloat= 1 25 - - =The Sportsman’s Club among the Trappers= 1 25 - - =FRANK NELSON SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols. 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $3 75 - - =Snowed Up=; or, The Sportsman’s Club in the Mts. 1 25 - - =Frank Nelson in the Forecastle=; or, The Sportsman’s Club among - the Whalers 1 25 - - =The Boy Traders=; or, The Sportsman’s Club among the Boers 1 25 - - =BOY TRAPPER SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $3 75 - - =The Buried Treasure=; or, Old Jordan’s “Haunt” 1 25 - - =The Boy Trapper=; or, How Dave Filled the Order 1 25 - - =The Mail Carrier= 1 25 - - =ROUGHING IT SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box. $3 75 - - =George in Camp=; or, Life on the Plains 1 25 - - =George at the Wheel=; or, Life in a Pilot House 1 25 - - =George at the Fort=; or, Life Among the Soldiers 1 25 - - =ROD AND GUN SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $3 75 - - =Don Gordon’s Shooting Box= 1 25 - - =Rod and Gun= 1 25 - - =The Young Wild Fowlers= 1 25 - - =FOREST AND STREAM SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. - Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $3 75 - - =Joe Wayring at Home=; or, Story of a Fly Rod 1 25 - - =Snagged and Sunk=; or, The Adventures of a Canvas Canoe 1 25 - - =Steel Horse=; or, The Rambles of a Bicycle 1 25 - - =WAR SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 4 vols., 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box 5 00 - - =True to his Colors= 1 25 - - =Rodney, the Partisan= 1 25 - - =Marcy, the Blockade Runner= 1 25 - - =Marcy, the Refugee= 1 25 - - =OUR FELLOWS=; or, Skirmishes with the Swamp Dragoons. By Harry - Castlemon. 16mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra 1 25 - - - - -[Illustration: Specimen Cover of the Ragged Dick Series.] - - ALGER’S RENOWNED BOOKS. - - BY - - HORATIO ALGER, JR. - - - Horatio Alger, Jr., has attained distinction as one of the most - popular writers of books for boys, and the following list comprises - all of his best books. - - ⁂ Any volume sold separately. - - - * * * * * - - =RAGGED DICK SERIES.= By Horatio Alger, Jr. 6 vols., 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $7 50 - - =Ragged Dick=; or, Street Life in New York 1 25 - - =Fame and Fortune=; or, The Progress of Richard Hunter 1 25 - - =Mark, the Match Boy=; or, Richard Hunter’s Ward 1 25 - - =Rough and Ready=; or, Life Among the New York Newsboys 1 25 - - =Ben, the Luggage Boy=; or, Among the Wharves 1 25 - - =Rufus and Rose=; or, the Fortunes of Rough and Ready 1 25 - - =TATTERED TOM SERIES.= (FIRST SERIES.) By Horatio Alger, Jr. 4 - vols., 12mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in - colors. In box 5 00 - - =Tattered Tom=; or, The Story of a Street Arab 1 25 - - =Paul, the Peddler=; or, The Adventures of a Young Street - Merchant 1 25 - - =Phil, the Fiddler=; or, The Young Street Musician 1 25 - - =Slow and Sure=; or, From the Sidewalk to the Shop 1 25 - - =TATTERED TOM SERIES.= (SECOND SERIES.) 4 vols., 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $5 00 - - =Julius=; or the Street Boy Out West 1 25 - - =The Young Outlaw=; or, Adrift in the World 1 25 - - =Sam’s Chance and How He Improved it= 1 25 - - =The Telegraph Boy= 1 25 - - =LUCK AND PLUCK SERIES.= (FIRST SERIES.) By Horatio Alger, Jr. 4 - vols., 12mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in - colors. In box $5 00 - - =Luck and Pluck=; or John Oakley’s Inheritance 1 25 - - =Sink or Swim=; or, Harry Raymond’s Resolve 1 25 - - =Strong and Steady=; or, Paddle Your Own Canoe 1 25 - - =Strive and Succeed=; or, The Progress of Walter Conrad 1 25 - - =LUCK AND PLUCK SERIES.= (SECOND SERIES.) By Horatio Alger, Jr. 3 - vols., 12mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in - colors. In box $5 00 - - =Try and Trust=; or, The Story of a Bound Boy 1 25 - - =Bound to Rise=; or Harry Walton’s Motto 1 25 - - =Risen from the Ranks=; or, Harry Walton’s Success 1 25 - - =Herbert Carter’s Legacy=; or, The Inventor’s Son 1 25 - - =CAMPAIGN SERIES.= By Horatio Alger, Jr. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $3 75 - - =Frank’s Campaign=; or, The Farm and the Camp 1 25 - - =Paul Prescott’s Charge= 1 25 - - =Charlie Codman’s Cruise= 1 25 - - =BRAVE AND BOLD SERIES.= By Horatio Alger, Jr. 4 vols., 12mo. - Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $5 00 - - =Brave and Bold=; or, The Story of a Factory Boy 1 25 - - =Jack’s Ward=; or, The Boy Guardian 1 25 - - =Shifting for Himself=; or, Gilbert Greyson’s Fortunes 1 25 - - =Wait and Hope=; or, Ben Bradford’s Motto 1 25 - - =PACIFIC SERIES.= By Horatio Alger, Jr. 4 vols., 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $5 00 - - =The Young Adventurer=; or, Tom’s Trip Across the Plains 1 25 - - =The Young Miner=; or, Tom Nelson in California 1 25 - - =The Young Explorer=; or, Among the Sierras 1 25 - - =Ben’s Nugget=; or, A Boy’s Search for Fortune. A Story of the - Pacific Coast 1 25 - - =ATLANTIC SERIES.= By Horatio Alger, Jr. 4 vols., 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $5 00 - - =The Young Circus Rider=; or, The Mystery of Robert Rudd 1 25 - - =Do and Dare=; or, A Brave Boy’s Fight for Fortune 1 25 - - =Hector’s Inheritance=; or, Boys of Smith Institute 1 25 - - =Helping Himself=; or, Grant Thornton’s Ambition 1 25 - - =WAY TO SUCCESS SERIES.= By Horatio Alger, Jr. 4 vols., 12mo. - Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $5 00 - - =Bob Burton= 1 25 - - =The Store Boy= 1 25 - - =Luke Walton= 1 25 - - =Struggling Upward= 1 25 - - - NEW BOOK BY ALGER. - - =DIGGING FOR GOLD.= By Horatio Alger, Jr. Illustrated 12mo. - Cloth, black, red and gold 1 25 - - - - -[Illustration: Specimen Cover of the Wyoming Series.] - - A New Series of Books. - - - Indian Life and Character Founded on Historical Facts. - - - By Edward S. Ellis. - - - ⁂ Any volume sold separately. - - - * * * * * - - =BOY PIONEER SERIES.= By Edward S. Ellis. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $3 75 - - =Ned in the Block House=; or, Life on the Frontier 1 25 - - =Ned in the Woods.= A Tale of the Early Days in the West 1 25 - - =Ned on the River= 1 25 - - =DEERFOOT SERIES.= By Edward S. Ellis. In box containing the - following. 3 vols., 12mo. Illustrated $3 75 - - =Hunters of the Ozark= 1 25 - - =Camp in the Mountains= 1 25 - - =The Last War Trail= 1 25 - - =LOG CABIN SERIES.= By Edward S. Ellis. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $3 75 - - =Lost Trail= $1 25 - - =Camp-Fire and Wigwam= 1 25 - - =Footprints in the Forest= 1 25 - - =WYOMING SERIES.= By Edward S. Ellis. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $3 75 - - =Wyoming= 1 25 - - =Storm Mountain= 1 25 - - =Cabin in the Clearing= 1 25 - - - NEW BOOKS BY EDWARD S. ELLIS. - - =Through Forest and Fire.= 12mo. Cloth 1 25 - - =On the Trail of the Moose.= 12mo. Cloth 1 25 - - - By C. A. Stephens. - - Rare books for boys—bright, breezy, wholesome and instructive; full of - adventure and incident, and information upon natural history. They - blend instruction with amusement—contain much useful and valuable - information upon the habits of animals, and plenty of adventure, fun - and jollity. - - =CAMPING OUT SERIES.= By C. A. Stephens. 6 vols., 12mo. Fully - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $7 50 - - =Camping Out.= As recorded by “Kit” 1 25 - - =Left on Labrador=; or The Cruise of the Schooner Yacht “Curfew.” - As recorded by “Wash” 1 25 - - =Off to the Geysers=; or, The Young Yachters in Iceland. As - recorded by “Wade” 1 25 - - =Lynx Hunting.= From Notes by the author of “Camping Out” 1 25 - - =Fox Hunting.= As recorded by “Raed” 1 25 - - =On the Amazon=; or, The Cruise of the “Rambler.” As recorded by - “Wash” 1 25 - - - By J. T. Trowbridge. - - These stories will rank among the best of Mr. Trowbridge’s books for - the young—and he has written some of the best of our juvenile - literature. - - =JACK HAZARD SERIES.= By J. T. Trowbridge. 6 vols., 12mo. Fully - Illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box $7 50 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - 2. Retained anachronistic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as - printed. - 3. 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