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diff --git a/old/65087-0.txt b/old/65087-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 86703c5..0000000 --- a/old/65087-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4545 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Ben, The Trapper, by Lewis W. Carson - -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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Ben, The Trapper - The Mountain Demon - -Author: Lewis W. Carson - -Release Date: April 15, 2021 [eBook #65087] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: David Edwards, Susan Carr and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (Northern Illinois - University Digital Library at http://digital.lib.niu.edu/) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEN, THE TRAPPER *** - - - - - BEN, THE TRAPPER; - - OR, - - THE MOUNTAIN DEMON. - - - A TALE OF THE BLACK HILLS. - - - BY MAJOR LEWIS W. CARSON. - - - NEW YORK: - BEADLE AND ADAMS, PUBLISHERS, - 98 WILLIAM STREET. - - - - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1875, by - BEADLE AND ADAMS, - In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PAGE - I. THE TRAPPER’S CAMP. 9 - II. THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 17 - III. THE MOUNTAIN DEVIL. 24 - IV. THE TRAPPING-GROUND. 30 - V. TREED BY A BUFFALO. 40 - VI. THE MESSAGE. 48 - VII. INDIANS! 57 - VIII. SHOWING HIS COLORS. 67 - IX. MIFFIN’S LEAP. 73 - X. THE SUCK. 80 - XI. THE QUICKSAND. 87 - XII. THROUGH THE SNARE. 94 - - - - - BEN, THE TRAPPER. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - THE TRAPPER’S CAMP. - - -In a deep defile among the Black Hills, far out on the western -plains, three men had made a camp. They were of that wonderful race -who have done more to develop the resources of the western world -than any other, the trappers of the North-west. Their great aid in -this cause has never been allowed by us as a people. We hear of -great discoveries of gold, or of a new pass through the mountains, -and in the _discovery_ lose sight of the _agent_, who, in nine cases -out of ten, is one of the class of whom this book is written. Their -wandering, perilous life is full of hardships, of which we have -no conception. The cold of winter, the savage foe, the yet more -savage employees of the Hudson Bay Company, the grizzly bear, the -snow-slide, all these are their enemies. They toil hard to pluck -from the hand of stern old winter a precarious livelihood, happy in -the possession of a few traps, a rifle, ammunition, and a blanket. -With these they lead as happy lives as any, and as useful as most. -Hundreds of tales of individual daring have been told of these men, -and yet the truth is not half known. Their creed is simple as that of -the border chiefs of Scotland: - - “That they should take who have the power, - And they should keep who _can_!” - -To hate an Indian, or an employee of the Hudson Bay Company. It -was in the days when the rivalry between the American Fur Company -and the Hudson Bay was at its height, and the rancor between them -equaled that of Whig and Tory during the Revolution. Each claimed -the country, and many a bleaching skeleton on the western streams -remains to this day, attesting the fact that the men fought for the -right of possession to the last. - -The men in the pass were types of different nationalities. One, -a tall, supple, wiry old fellow, dressed in a greasy buckskin -hunting-shirt and leggings, with moccasins of moose-hide, showed -himself to be a lifelong rover of the hills and plains. He was piling -brush on the fire, and smoking placidly, puffing the smoke from his -nose in clouds. His face was a study, covered though it was by a -beard of nearly seven months’ growth. It showed the character of the -man. Brave to a fault, an unrelenting foe, a steadfast friend--one -on whom great reliance could be placed in time of need. His rifle, -carefully covered with a buckskin sheath, was propped against a -rock near at hand. A huge knife hung in his belt, by the side of a -shot-pouch and powder-flask. - -The man on his right hand was a Frenchman--a keen-eyed, vivacious -fellow, dressed very much like his companion, and armed, in addition -to the knife and rifle, with a pair of handsome pistols. His name was -Jules Damand, and he had been a voyageur, trained to the business at -Saint Ann’s, on the St. Lawrence. - -The third was a Dutchman! A simple glance at his broad, stolid face -told his nationality. He was a stout fellow, of tremendous girth, -with a smiling blue eye, an expressionless face while in repose, and -a foot that looked much like a young trunk. He was smoking placidly, -and suffering his companions to attend to the fire, and cook the food -hanging over it. The last duty was the Frenchman’s, who, like nearly -all the men of his nation, had a theory in regard to cookery which he -was always ready to explain by example. - -“Look here, Jan,” said the first-named trapper, “why don’t ye lend a -hand at takin’ care of the fire?” - -“So help me, as I never know I vas vanted to help you mit de fire,” -said Jan. “I vas sit here, mit mine shmoke-pipe, unt I vas dinking -auver the times ven I vas in Yarmany. Yaw; dat is vat I dinks.” - -“I s’pose it’s considerable of a kentry,” said the old trapper. - -“Consider’ble mit a coonthry! Mein Cott! Dere is no such coonthry mit -all the earth. Vat! Ish dere any vere you kin find such vine ash ve -have dere? Now I dells you. Ven you coes to St. Louis, you vas co -to Yawcob Post’s saloon av you vants goot Rhine vine. Dere ish goot -many blaces mit St. Louis vere dey says dey keeps goot Rhine vine. -Put I dells you dat ish no more ash von lie! Dere ish no more ash -your blaces in dat town vere you can get goot vine, unt mein frent -Yawcob’s ish von, I dells you drue.” - -“It’s mighty poor stuff to drink,” said the trapper. “Fer me now, -when I drink, I take a little good rye whisky. _That’s_ good enough -fer me.” - -“Boor shtuff! Penn Miffin, av it vash not dat I know you too vell, I -vould hit you mit your nose av you says dat vonce more. I dells you -dere ish nottings so goot ash Rhine vine.” - -“Yes, for a _Dutchman_,” said Ben. - -“But you ish voolin’. Dere, I seen you laff. Don’t say dat no more,” -said Jan. - -“What does ye think about it, Jule?” said Ben, looking at the -Frenchman. - -“That it is very bad drink,” said the Frenchman. “Peste! The first -time I drank it, it was so sour I thought it would make me turn -myself inside out to get rid of it. The Rhine grape is very bad. In -la belle France they make wine that is good.” - -“Vy den you ask him?” blustered Jan. “Vat ish he more ash a -Vrenchman? Unt I ask you now, aff you vas dell me, vat ish de goot -over a man vat eats vrogs? So help me gracious, dey is no more goot -to eat dan snakes. Unt dey ish p’ison.” - -“I reckon yer wrong, Jan,” said the trapper. “They do say thet snakes -ain’t very bad eatin’ when a chap is hard druv’. I don’t say I want -to try ’em, but ef I c’u’d ’a’ got snakes the time I cum nigh to -starvin’ up yer in the Black Hills, durn my hide ef I wouldn’t hev -eat snakes or any thing else. I kem of a queer race. I ken eat any -thing, and lick my weight in wildcats. I’m death on grizzlys. I ken -wipe out an Injun as fur as I ken see him, and I calculate thet’s a -good ways.” - -“You talks a goot deal mit yer _mout_,” said Jan. “Put aff a man says -to me dat snakes unt frogs is goot to eat, den I dinks he ish no -more ash von vool. Aff ever I get vere I can no more get nottings to -eat, so help me gracious ash I vill _not_ eat snakes unt vrogs, aff -day vash to come to me in hundreds unt t’ousands, ready cooked, unt -beg me on dere knees to eat dem.” - -“Did you ever see a snake on his knees, Jan?” said Ben. - -“Yaw! Ven you poke dem mit a stick, dey gits up on dere tails. Dat’s -de vay dey vould do ven dey vash ask me to eat dem. Unt I vash say, -No, py tam!” - -The Frenchman said nothing, but stooped to stir some soup in an -iron pan placed on the coals, glancing up at the Dutchman with a -queer smile as he did so. The blood of the Teuton was up, and he -dropped off into low mutterings, like distant thunder, until a fresh -grievance caused him to break out again. He found this grievance in -Ben Miffins’ manner of smoking. - -“Dere,” he said, “shpose you look at dat, eh? Ven a man ash ought to -know petter, unt ve know ash he _knows_ petter, shmokes hish pipe -drue hish nose, like dat, he ish von tam vool. See him. Puff! puff! -puff! like a shteampoat mit a vire in her pelly. Now I dells you dat -ish not the vay to shmoke.” - -“It’s _my_ way,” said Ben. “Look yer, Dutchy, ef ye don’t like my way -of smokin’, does ye know what ye ken do? Ye ken take the back track -to the forts.” - -“Vy don’t you shmoke like a Christian den?” grunted Jan. - -“’Cause I don’t want to. Never told ye how I learned to smoke this -yer way, did I? No? I’ll tell ye then. When I was quite a young man -I was taken by the Crows. Durn ’em ef they didn’t keep me among ’em -more then three years. Made me a chief, and what not. Wal, they all -smoke this yer way, and I took it up. Don’t rile me up, Dutchy. I’m -the Big Buffalo of the Crow nation. Rile me, and I light on ye pooty -heavy. Smooth me down and I’m _ile_; but slick me the wrong way and -I’m a p’ison critter. Look out fer me when I flop my wings and crow.” - -“Look at the hills,” said Jan, prudently changing the course of the -conversation. “Vat you dinks ven I dells you I’ve seen hills all made -up mit ice, unt dey so pig ash dese hills, eh?” - -“I should think your story was like the hills,” said Jules. - -“How vash dat?” - -“_Made up_ mit a lie,” said the Frenchman, laughing and turning again -to his soup. - -“Den you ish von tam vool,” said Jan, in a rage. “It ish no more as -vive years since I cooms from Yarmany mit a backet. I vas very pad -ven I cooms avay. I vish I vash stay at home. Put it vash near spring -ven I cooms avay, unt the vind drive us up north. Unt den cooms von -of dese hills made up mit ice.” - -“It’s true,” said Ben. “I’ve seen ’em myself off the mouth of the -Columby. They call ’em icebergs.” - -“Dat’s it. Dat’s the name!” said Jan. “Vell, I stands on the deck mit -the packet, unt I sees it coom. I goes to the captain unt I dells -him America has proke loose, unt vash cooming down on the sheep, unt -would sink her. He laugh at me, unt said it vash an iceberg. Unt I -vatched it very close, unt py unt py it tipped oop, unt turned auver, -unt I dinks we ish gone. But it not strike the sheep.” - -“Lucky fer you,” said Ben. - -“Vat vash you dink auver an iceberg ash vash so pig ash it vash -tip auver on the sheep, unt sink the sheep. Now I ask you not for -to pelieve all dis unless you vash a mind to. You must do ash you -blease. Put dis is vat I sees myself. Vat is your opinion mit dese -tam icebergs?” - -“Oh, they say that they break away from the hills up north and float -down yer. That’s all I know.” - -“Yaw. Put vat makes dem tip auver? Dat ish vat I vants to know.” - -“How kin I tell?” - -“Vell, I dells you my opinion mit dese tam ole icebergs. Dey ish very -pig. Put, vat vas you dink mit a _vale_ (whale) ash vas so pig as he -vash go unther an iceberg, unt lift the iceberg oop on his pack, unt -tip her auver on the sheep, unt sink the sheep. Dat ish my opinion -mit dese tipping icebergs.” - -“Ye don’t mean to tell me thet you think a whale goes under an -iceberg and tips it over?” - -“Yaw. De vale goes unther the iceberg, unt lifts it oop on his pack, -and tips it auver on de sheep. Dat ish vat I dinks.” - -“He couldn’t do it,” said Ben. “Darn it. I’ve seen icebergs, and I’ve -seen whales, but I never seen a whale big enough to do thet, nor you -either.” - -“I shpose you dinks dish ish von lie. All right. You may dink vat you -blease, put dis is vat I sees myself. I ton’t care nottings now vat -you dinks, only ven a man vill not pelieve goot sense ven he hears -him, he is von very much vool. Vat you got in the pan, Shule?” - -“Soup,” said Jules. - -“Vat you makes him off?” - -“Grouse,” said Jules, smiling. - -“Ven he ish reaty, let us have somet’ings to eat. I ish hoongry. Vy -does ve coom here pefore it ish dime to set our traps, Penn?” - -“I’ll tell ye. Ef we ain’t on hand ’arly, all the places will be -taken up. And I know a place whar we kin make our fortun’s, sure. -I’ve got a beaver-dam thet beats the world. But come, Jule, I’m like -Dutchy. I want something to eat. Ef it’s ready, dish it up.” - -Each man had a tin cup among his other property, and Jules filled -three of them from the pan on the fire. For a few moments nothing was -heard but the clicking of spoons and smacking of lips over the savory -mess, for Jules was a good cook. Jan shoveled down the contents of -his cup first, and held it out for more. - -“Like it?” said Jules. - -“Goot!” said Jan, smacking his lips again. “Pest I ever eats. Gif me -more of it.” - -Jules filled the cup again, and then replenished his own and that of -Ben Miffin, who was not far behind the others in disposing of the -food. At last Jan was satisfied, and drawing his hand across his -mouth slowly, he proceeded to fill his pipe for a smoke. - -Jules cleared away the pan, put another stick of wood on the fire, -and got away from the reach of the ponderous hand of the Dutchman, -and then said: - -“I s’pose you know what you have been eating, Jan?” There was very -little, except in the accent of the young man, to show that he was a -Frenchman, and the occasional use of the pronoun “him” in the place -of “it.” - -“Didn’t you say it vash grouse?” said Jan. “’Twas goot, anyvay.” - -“Yer mighty right,” said Ben. “’Twas the best grub I’ve had fer a -long time. But ’twa’n’t no grouse. I knew it as soon as I put it in -my mouth. Ye gev me some once before, ye remember.” - -“It’s a pity Jan don’t like it. I think it’s durned good.” - -“Vat I peen eating?” cried Jan, in great alarm. “Off you vash not -dell me now, dis very dime, vat it vas, I vill raise my hand oop unt -let it fall on your cophf (cope), unt it vill kill you!” - -“It was something you said to-day you would not eat if you were -starving.” - -“Snakes!” screamed Jan, starting to his feet, with both hands pressed -on his stomach. - -“No, not so bad as _that_,” said Jules. “It was frog soup.” - -Jan sat down again to consider over the matter. For full five minutes -he neither moved nor spoke, but sat with his head resting on his -hand. At last he looked up. - -“Pring me dat pan,” he said. - -Ben reached over to where the pan stood and handed it to him. He took -up his spoon and devoured all that was left, not deigning a word to -the repeated demands of Jules that he should leave a little for him. -His jaws never ceased their action until he had deposited the whole -in his cavernous stomach. - -“Dere,” he said. “I veels petter. Unt so dat ish vrog, eh?” - -“I should think so,” said Jules. “You old cormorant!” - -“Vat ish dat?” - -“A bird that eats every thing he can get his claws on,” said Jules. -“Why didn’t you leave some?” - -“I vas brought oop to love mine neighbor ash myself. I dinks it ish -not right to eat vrogs. Put I dink so mooch more off my neighbor dat -I vill not leaf vrog soup vor a demptation.” - -“Sacrifice yourself for the public good, you old hog?” said Jules. - -“Yaw. Dat ish drue. I sees dat if I does not eat him you vould do it, -unt I dink so mooch off mine frent dat I vould not leaf it. Dat ish -all apout it.” - -“Do you mean to eat any more if I make him?” demanded Jules. - -“Yaw. Venever you makes vrog soup I vill not leaf any of him vor you. -Dat ish vat I dinks apout it.” - -“Perhaps you’ll get a good chance,” said the Frenchman. “And perhaps -you won’t. But you’ve finished it. Perhaps you will go out with me -and catch some more of them.” - -“Nein!” said Jan. - -“Why not? You eat them fast enough.” - -“Yaw. I alvays eat dem fast enough. I know vat ish goot for mine -frent, unt I dinks vrog soup very pad vor him.” - -“That’s enough,” said Ben. “You’ve taught Jan to eat frogs, and he -has taught you that if a Dutchman is slow, he is sure, and that you -can’t fool him wuth a cent. Scatter the brands and pick up your -dunnage. It’s time to be on the way.” - -“How far is it?” said Jules. - -“A matter of five miles or so,” said the trapper. “But we’ll get our -pay for the long journey we’ve made ef we ar’ a little footsore at -the end. Come on!” - -They shouldered their pieces and strode off into the hills, the -Dutchman sauntering in the rear, leading his horse by the bridle. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - THE GRIZZLY BEAR. - - -Ben Miffin strode on in advance of both the others, leading his -horse, loaded with camp utensils, by the bridle. This man was known -far and wide upon the prairies, as a skillful trapper, a bold -hunter, and an Indian fighter of great renown. He had one quality -which was his own, in common with many of his class--of boasting -of his exploits. Perhaps this trait was a part of his frontier -education, learned from the Indians. At any rate Ben exhibited the -strange anomaly of a boaster who was at the same time a brave man. -The scars upon his body were taken in many a bloody fight along the -Yellowstone, by the Platte, on the Washington, and in the Sierras. -His step was free and firm in spite of his fifty-five years, and the -gray hairs sprinkled in his heavy beard and mustache. - -The road lay through a growth of scattered pines, such as grow upon -the Black Hills, and among others a few specimens of the nut-pine, -known only in the West. Ben stooped to pick up one of the cones, and -as he was tearing off the husk to get at the seed he heard a sound -which caused him to drop the cone and seize his rifle. The sound was -a grunt resembling the grunt of a hog, and looking up, he saw, a -few feet from him, an enormous grizzly bear, standing with his head -cocked on one side in a knowing manner, regarding the trio in a way -which seemed to say that he hesitated to decide which of the three -would make the best meal. There is no living mountaineer who does not -fear the grizzly bear. Their strength and ferocity can not be fairly -stated. Ben knew the danger he had to encounter, and was ready to -meet it like a man. The Frenchman aimed his rifle at the animal, but -dropped it again at the stern signal of Ben Miffin’s hand, who never -removed his keen eyes from those of the fierce animal. Cooper says in -“The Pioneers,” “There is something in the front of the image of his -Creator that daunts the hearts of the inferior beings of creation.” -And the great student of nature was right. No one knew better than -Ben Miffin the power of the human eye, and his never quailed. - -“Let me shoot,” whispered Jules. - -“For your life, don’t!” muttered Ben. “Hold yer charge tell I give ye -the word, and then let him hev it.” - -“I can shoot him while he stands still,” replied Jules. - -“Mind me,” was the reply. “Keep yer eye on the brute all the time. -’Tain’t no use to fire; his hide is like a sheet of iron. Bullets -flatten ag’in’ it like paper-balls. Darn my hide ef they don’t. He’s -got his eye on my hoss; he kain’t hev it, mind ye.” - -All this was said almost in a whisper. The bear had not moved, but -was standing in the same place, shifting his head to and fro to get -away from the eye of the intrepid man. Ben knew his advantage, but -between keeping his young companion from firing, and watching the -bear, he had his hands full. At last the bear rose slowly on his hind -legs, and opening his jaws, uttered a terrific growl, at the same -time showing a set of long, white teeth, at the sight of which poor -Jan, who was crouching behind a rock, uttered a yell of terror. - -“Keep still, you durned fool,” said Ben, without turning his head. -“You’ll bring him on us ef you show the white feather thet thar way.” - -Still he kept the eye of the bear. The brute lowered himself upon -all fours and suddenly began to retreat. He had not gone ten paces, -however, when he turned again and rose upon his hind feet, repeating -the menacing growl which he had uttered before. - -“Och! Mein Cott!” muttered Jan. “Our vader vich art--goot saints, vat -teet’! Dere ish no more as fivifty teet’ in hees jaw. I dinks I ish -mooch ’fraid.” - -The bear again dropped on all fours and turned his head up the rocks. -But Miffin, who had restrained himself well until now, jerked his -rifle to his shoulder and fired. The ball had hardly left the barrel -when the savage brute, with a broken fore shoulder, came down the -slope on three legs, with growls which made the blood of the Dutchman -run cold in his veins, and wish himself safely back in fatherland. -But he took up the gun he had brought with him from the Rhine, a gun -on the pattern of the roer of southern Africa, and with his heart -in his throat awaited the onset. Jules Damand fired one ineffectual -shot at the savage brute, and then drew his pistols. Ben Miffin saw -that he had brought this on the party, and that he was the one to be -sacrificed, if any. He drew his knife and was about to close with the -bear, when the Frenchman dragged him away. - -“Climb a tree,” he said. “Take your gun with you.” - -Each darted at a low pine, and scrambled up as soon as possible, just -in time to escape the fury of the brute. He reared himself on his -hind legs at the foot of the tree occupied by the trapper, and glared -at him seated comfortably in the lower branches. The mouth of the -bear was open, and the white foam dropping from the red tongue. He -lowered his head and licked the blood from his wounded shoulder. The -taste of blood made him more savage, and he gnawed at the tree with -his white teeth. - -“Where are you, Jan?” cried Ben, not seeing the Dutchman anywhere. -“Have you got to a tree?” - -“Nein!” replied Jan from behind his rock, “dere ish no dree here. I -ish kilt! I ish eaten oop mit a pear! Ach mein Cott! vy you don’t -shoot ’im? Vire mit de gun at ’im. Dere ish no hope vor boor Jan -Schneider, dat ish drue; so help me der saints!” - -“Keep yer mouth shet,” replied Ben. “The b’ar may miss ye. But ef he -noses ye out, _dig_ fer a tree, that’s all.” - -The bear evidently suspected the presence of some one else, though -he had only seen the two he had treed. He began to nose about the -ground, making toward the horses. But they fled at his approach, and -he stopped a little way from the rock where Jan was hidden and began -to snuff the air. He then advanced toward the rock. - -“Look out thar!” cried Ben; “he noses ye now. Climb up on the rock.” - -Jan scrambled to the top of the rock, still clinging to his gun. -The grizzly reared his ponderous bulk against the rock and saw his -enemy. The growl he uttered caused cold shivers to begin at the top -of the Dutchman’s head and chase one another down his back and into -his boots. The only hope he had was in the gun. He thrust it forward -and was about to fire, when his bearship lifted his paw and gave it -a playful tap, which knocked it out of the poor fellow’s hand, and -sent it flying down the other side of the rock. But Jan caught it by -the stock and pulled it back. The bear began to climb up the rock, -but moved with difficulty, for one leg was useless to him, and every -movement was accompanied by a growl of pain. Ben Miffin had by this -time loaded his rifle, but the body of Jan was directly between him -and the bear, and he dared not fire. The gun of the Dutchman was -loaded with a handful of buckshot. As the bear came nearer he lifted -the wonderful weapon and pulled trigger. A noise like the report of a -small cannon followed, and Jan was knocked headlong from his perch, -falling on his head and shoulders nearly ten feet away. He was up in -an instant, running for a tree, fearing to feel the claws of the bear -in his back at every step. He reached the tree, tugged his weight -up to the branches and uttered a shout of joy. He was safe for the -present. - -“How does ye feel?” said Ben from his tree. - -“You’s nice man to shtand py a frent!” said Jan, in high dudgeon. -“You’s goot feller. I dinks I cooms out here goot many dimes more mit -you. Off auver a man is a good fiter, he vas fite den mit der pear. -You’s a coward, Penn Miffin.” - -“Yer safe in yer tree, or durn me ef I wouldn’t giv’ ye the darndest -lickin’ ye ever got in all yer life. I would, by gravy. Does ye think -a man like me is gwine to stand thet thar? I reckon not. I ruther -calculate ye’ve barked up the wrong tree. Jest wait tell I git down, -and I’ll chop ye inter kindlin’ wood. Thet’s as good as ef I swore to -it.” - -“Where is the bear?” said Jules. “I can’t see him.” - -“No? Mebbe the Dutchman knocked him over with that blunderbuss of -his’n--the darndest weepon! It’s got a muzzle like thet thar little -cannon they’ve got at the Mackinaw. Mountain howt’zer they called it. -Look sharp again, Jule; kain’t ye see him now?” - -“Yes, Ben; he lies under the rock, with his head on his paws. He -keeps very quiet.” - -“Mebbe he’s shammin’,” said Ben. “Don’t ye go too nigh the durned -critter. It’d be jest like him to git up and go fer ye the minnit yer -feet teched the ground. Jan?” - -“Vat?” - -“Git down outer that tree and go an’ prick him with yer knife. Ef he -don’t git up then we may safely conclude he’s a dead b’ar.” - -“I ain’t a vool!” said Jan. “I don’t vant nottings more to do mit te -pears. You go you’self unt brick him.” - -“All right,” said Ben, “I’ll do it; and if he is a dead b’ar, I’ll -take his sculp.” - -“Dake him all,” said Jan. “I not vants him. Der duyvel! He ish von -plack peast. I vash scared mit him.” - -Ben got down from the tree and crept cautiously toward the rock, -keeping it between himself and the bear. He reached it and drew -himself carefully up the side. He found the gun lying on the rock -where Jan had dropped it, and then, creeping forward, he looked -down upon the grizzly. The first look was enough, and he hailed his -companions with a shout. - -“Safe?” said Jules. - -“Dead as a hammer,” replied Ben. - -Jules slid down from his tree and hastened to join his companion. The -grizzly lay where he fell, and they could see that the heavy charge -of the roer had passed into the ear of the dead brute, and blown a -passage completely through his head. - -“Vell, vat you dinks?” said Jan, still in his tree. “If youse vool -me, unt dat pear ish not deat, I gits mad ash ter tuyvel.” - -“Dead enough,” said Ben; “it’s all your durned luck. Come down and -see him.” - -Jan slowly left his tree, and came toward them in a hesitating -manner, not yet satisfied that the savage was _sufficiently_ dead to -be safe. But even he was satisfied when he saw the hole the charge -had made. - -“Dere,” he said, “vat vas I dell you ven you laugh at mine gun. Dat -ish goot gun; more ash petter ash goot. It kill dish pear. All -right. Vy den you not kill him mit der little gun, eh?” - -“Could do it, ef I had a chaince ter put the barrel clost to his -head,” said Ben. - -“Yaw. Vy you not _do_ it, den?” said Jan. “Nobotty dinks you dare -do it. I vash not ’vraid, I vash not clime a dree all pecause off a -little pear like dat. I kills him mineself.” - -“Ye run fast enough after ye shot yer blunderbuss,” said Ben. “But -that ain’t it. Let’s git our hosses back again. I kin git mine easy -enough.” - -“How?” said Jules. - -“This way,” replied Ben, raising his fingers to his lips. A loud, -clear whistle rung through the hills. Directly after they heard the -swift beat of coming hoofs, and the three horses appeared in view, -led by the horse of Miffin. He advanced and seized his property, and -the faithful animal laid his head against his master, whinnying his -gladness. Ben stood a moment stroking his shining mane and his small, -shapely head. The horse was a model of his kind--of the mustang breed -so much in use upon the prairies. Of middle size, a pure white, with -small head, deep chest and long body, with keen eyes and the light -step of the deer. There is no better breed of horses in the world. - -“Yes, yes, old boy,” said the trapper; “ye are one thet will always -come at _my_ whistle, no matter when I sound it.” - -“Where did you get him?” said Jules, coming up, with the bridle of -his own horse across his arm. - -“From the Crows,” said Ben. “They are my friends yit. I’ll never need -one on the prairies. I go back to them onc’t in a while and they -always make a feast.” - -“The horse is a beauty,” said Jules, glancing at him. - -“He hasn’t his ekal on the prairies,” replied Ben. “Look fer him whar -ye may, ye won’t find a hoss to go as far and do as much and do it as -quick as Diamond. I’ll say thet fer him. I’ve got him to thank fer a -life saved from the Blackfeet before now. But them days is done. I’m -gettin’ to be an old man now. I feel it in my bones.” - -“Old!” replied Jules. “I’d like to find your match now in this -section.” - -“That’s easy enough to do,” said Ben; “not but thet the time hez -been when I was as spry a young chap as ye’d find atween the three -Buttes and the Massasipp. I tell ye true, I’ve seen the time I could -lick any thing on the prairie. I couldn’t do it now. I’m gittin’ too -powerful weak, that’s the reason, and good enough reason, too. I -c’u’d lift a buffler onc’t; I kain’t do it now. But I’m no chicken -to-day.” - -“Say,” said Jan, “vat you do mit my pear?” - -“Leave him here now,” said Ben. “To-morrow I reckon we’ll come back -and take him into camp.” - -“Vat you do mit him?” queried Jan. - -“_Eat_ him, of course. Never hed any bear-steak, I guess. I calculate -you’ll say it’s mighty refreshing fodder, once you git any of it.” - -“Eat a _pear_! Vy, dat ish worser dan to eat vrog,” said Jan. - -“No, not so bad,” said Ben, “only the frogs taste the best. I judge -you can’t beat them very easy.” - -“All right,” said Jan. “I eats any t’ing now; I eat a pear. I says -nottings. Pring him vere Jule cook him, unt py tam, I eat him. Dat’s -all.” - -“We’ll teach ye something about frontier life by the time we git done -with ye,” said Ben. “I ruther guess thet ye will see the time when a -baked Injun won’t be a bad dish fer ye.” - -“Paked Injun! Vat; you eat dem?” - -“I reckon ther’ pooty good fodder too, when you ain’t got nothin’ -else to feed on,” replied Ben, coolly. - -“I dells you vat,” said Jan, getting angry again, “ven I cooms to dis -coontry I dinks it must be goot coontry, but now I dinks it is no -more petter ash a Feejee Island. I vill not eat paked Injun. ’Tish no -good; dat ish vat I dinks.” - -“Ye don’t know any thing about it,” said Ben. “After ye’v’ been -on the prairie a while ye will git over thet and not be half so -squeamish. Jest lose yer sculp onc’t, and ye’ll be ready to eat an -Injun raw.” - -“Stop dat. I veel very pad. I dinks dere is no Injun here.” - -“Mebbe not. Mebbe the prairie down thar ain’t the’r old -stamping-ground, and mebbe it is. Anyhow, I’ve got my opinion, and -I’ll bet ye my fust beaver ag’in’ yours thet we see Injuns in less -then a week.” - -“I not likes Injuns.” - -“Nuther do I. I calculate ther’s a good many of jest the same opinion -on the prairies. They don’t like the sculpin’ process. I know a man -thet hez been sculped and is as lively as a cricket now. More’n thet, -he hez put forty notches in his rifle-butt sence the Blackfeet took -his sculp.” - -“Vat’s dat fer?” - -“He makes a notch fer every red nigger he wipes out. But I hear the -dam, boys, and there’s our campin’-ground.” - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - THE MOUNTAIN DEVIL. - - -They had hardly passed forward a dozen steps, when they were startled -by a sudden cry, which resembled nothing earthly. At the same moment -came the shout of a masculine voice, evidently in peril. The sounds, -coming so suddenly upon their ears, startled poor Jan immensely, and -he drew back with a look of horror, but Ben ran hastily forward in -the direction of the sound, followed more slowly by the Frenchman. -They reached a level spot of ground between the cliffs where they -widened enough to leave perhaps an acre of ground inclosed, and upon -this spot of ground two men were struggling for life or death. One -was a young man in the garb of a mountaineer, who had fallen upon one -knee and with his hand clasped about the body of his foe, was plying -his knife with desperate energy. - -The other was a being clad in skins, a savage, hairy, fearful -creature, which could not be called a man. This ferocious creature -had no weapon but a short club, with which it fought with desperate -courage, warding off the strokes of the knife, and giving fearful -blows in exchange. The nails of this horrible assailant were like the -claws of a panther. The teeth protruded over the lower lip, white -and savage. As it fought it uttered the cry which had welcomed the -entrance of the trappers to the glen. A little way off, a young girl -stood with clasped hands, in an agony of terror. Ben had no time to -look at her then, but, drawing his rifle to his shoulder, he fired at -the grizzly demon, which seemed to have the best of it, and had the -satisfaction of seeing the arm which lifted the club over the head of -his opponent, drop palsied at his side. - -The brute uttered the same ferocious cry which had attracted their -attention in the first instance, and turning, it darted up the face -of the cliff near at hand, at a place where human foot had never -trod. Jules fired at him, but without effect, and he passed over the -cliff and disappeared from view, gnashing his teeth and howling like -a wounded wolf. Ben ran to the assistance of the young man, who had -sunk bleeding to the earth, and raised him in his arms. The girl came -forward at the same moment, with a look of tender sympathy in her -face which could not be misunderstood. - -“How do you feel, Bentley?” she said. “Are you badly hurt?” - -“I hope not,” replied the young man. - -The next moment he fainted from loss of blood, and while they used -every measure in their power to aid him and stanch the flow of blood, -Ben had time to look at the girl. She was a lady-like woman, with a -sweet face, a calm, bold eye, and a trim figure. Her dress was that -of the better class of western emigrants, though travel-stained and -torn. The young man called Bentley was wounded in a dozen places by -the sharp nails of his late assailant, and badly beaten about the -head with the heavy club. They raised him in their arms and carried -him forward. In a moment more they turned an angle in the path and -reached their camping-ground. They gathered a quantity of pine -branches and threw their blankets on it and laid the wounded man -upon it. Ben had some rude knowledge of surgery, a knowledge which -stood him in good stead now. He went away and came back directly, -holding in his hands a small heap of leaves. These he placed upon a -flat stone and quickly reduced them to a pumice, which he applied to -the wounds of the young stranger. By this time he had recovered his -senses, and though yet faint from loss of blood, he understood his -situation and the care which was being taken for his recovery. - -The girl had followed them without a word. There was something in the -face of Trapper Ben which inspired confidence in him. No woman could -look in his face and feel the least fear of him after it. A good, -brave old man, knowing his work, and doing it. - -When every thing which could be done for the comfort of the wounded -man had been accomplished, Jules Damand built a fire, and began to -fry some venison-steaks, which he found in his saddlebags. There -is a natural taste for the fine arts in cookery which seems to be -characteristic of the French people, and Jules was no exception to -the rule. To see him at work upon a venison-joint would make the -mouth of an epicure water. And though Jan was no epicure, he was -dreadfully hungry after his tackle with the bear, and watched the -process of cooking with a sense of unsatisfied longing which pleased -Ben exceedingly. - -“Yer hungry, old man?” he said. - -“Hoongry? You pet. I’m yoost as hungry ash nefer vas. Vy you vait so -long, Shules? Sh’pose you hurry pefore I die mit hunger.” - -“Not I. You will find that it is impossible to hurry meat. It must -cook just long enough, or it will not be fit for pigs. You must not -expect me to slight my cookery now, when there is a lady in the case.” - -“Oh, coom, coom. Don’t keep him dere no more. I more hoongry efery -minnit.” - -Jules shook his head, and continued his work of turning the steaks -with an air of interest in the occupation which only a Frenchman can -feel in such labor. At last his work was done, and taking some of -the venison on a piece of bark, he approached the young lady, and -handed it to her with the look of a marquis offering refreshment to a -duchess. And, indeed, the graces of Monsieur Jules Damand upon this -occasion would have done credit to any rank in life. - -“Yoost look at him,” whispered Jan, his sides shaking with subdued -laughter. “You t’ink he shentleman, ven I nefer sees such a vool vile -I lifs.” - -“Oh, let him be, Jan. Yer mad because you can’t show off before a gal -the way he kin. Don’t deny it, ye know it’s true,” said Ben. - -“I nefer dells a man he lie,” said Jan, coolly, “put ven _I_ lie I -dalks yoost ash you pees dalkin’ _now_. Vat you dink of dat, eh?” - -The young lady took the food offered her by the Frenchman, with -a smile and bow, and ate with a keen appetite. The others helped -themselves, and even the wounded man disposed of a goodly quantity -of the savory meat. When they had finished, Jules cleared the table -by the summary process of throwing the bark into the river, and they -drew up beside the fire upon which Ben threw more wood. - -“Ef it wouldn’t be askin’ too much, young lady, I’d like to know how -you kem here. It ain’t often we see young an’ handsome gals out in -the Black Hills.” - -“You have a right to know, after what you have done for us,” she -answered, in a sweet voice. - -“Now don’t ye begin thet ’ar way,” said Ben. “I won’t stand it. We -ain’t done nothin’.” - -“You saved us from that terrible creature.” - -“Psho! What signifies pullin’ a trigger? Thet ain’t no trouble to a -man thet’s used to lookin’ through the double sights. Tell yer story, -and never ye mind us. We mout hev the will to do ye good, mebbe, -s’posin’ we got a chaince. What’s yer name?” - -“My name is Millicent Carter,” she answered. “My companion’s name is -Bentley Morris. We had been part of a party of emigrants on their -way to the Far West. I suppose it is the old story to you. We were -attacked by Indians in the night, and we are all that they left to -tell the story.” - -“Der Sherusalem!” cried Jan, with a look of horror. “I hate Injuns.” - -“It was the durned Blackfeet, I’ll bet a farm in Nebraska,” said Ben. -“What? Not one of all the comp’ny left but you two?” - -“We alone. By the aid of the strong arm of my friend, I escaped from -that scene of blood and death, at which my heart sickens even now. -You will understand that but for him, I should have been one of the -victims.” - -“Millicent!” said the wounded man. - -“Be silent, Bentley. It was your bravery which saved me. You came -back in the midst of the fray, when you might have escaped alone.” - -“He’s a brave lad,” said Ben. “Ef he denies it I won’t believe him, -for he’s got it in his eye. Now, don’t you say a word. Go on, miss.” - -“It was many weary miles from this, and we were footsore and weary -before we came so far. We reached the entrance to this place and came -in to find a secure asylum for the night. As we passed on I thought -I heard footsteps following us and told Bentley. He had heard them, -too, and was uneasy. We kept on our course until we reached the -place where you found us, and where Bentley determined to pass the -night. It might have been an hour after, and he was gathering some -sticks with which to make a little fire, for I was cold and wet, when -that terrible creature appeared on the rocks overhead, uttering its -fearful cry. If I live to be old and gray, that horrible vision will -never leave me. I see it plainly now.” - -“B’ar up, miss; don’t be afraid. Yer safe enough now,” said Ben. - -“Put vat if dat tuyvel vas to coom pack ag’in, Penn?” said Jan, -looking uneasily over his shoulder. “I pees afraid mit him now.” - -“He’d better not. Let him try it on ef he wants to git his gruel. I’m -ekal to any low-lived squab of thing like that, I reckon. Don’t you -be afraid, miss. Thar ain’t no danger.” - -“It is childish in me to fear now,” she said, “when I have such able -protectors. There, the feeling is gone; I put implicit confidence in -you.” - -“Thet’s right. You might do wuss then to trust old Ben Miffin. That’s -my name, miss. Trapper Ben, they call me sometimes. This is Jules -Damand. He’ll stand by you, an’ cook all the vittles. This is Jan -Schneider. He ain’t much to look at, but he killed a grizzly a little -while ago, with that weepon he calls a roer. Don’t it roar when it -goes off? I guess not!” - -“It ish goot gun,” said Jan. “Don’t you make fun off me now, Penn -Miffin.” - -“Who’s makin’ fun of ye? I ain’t. I’m tellin’ the lady you’re goin’ -to stand by her, and shoot that durned critter ef it comes back here.” - -“Do you know what that thing could be called, sir?” said the girl; -“it surely can not be a man.” - -“Don’t say sir to me. I’m old Ben Miffin. Please to call me by my -name.” - -“If you like it?” - -“You bet I like it. I ain’t ashamed of my handle, not a bit. It’s a -good one, an’ I cum by it honest--the way I cum by all my traps. I -fight fa’r for every thing, even with a durned low-lived swab of a -Hudson Bay man, an’ anybody knows they ain’t human. Ye asked me what -that critter was. I tell ye fa’r, I don’t know. I’ve seen it onc’t -before. Some of the boys hez seen it too, an’ they don’t know. It’s a -quar sort of critter. Ef I hed my say about it, I sh’u’d think it war -half man an’ half wolf. It’s mean enough.” - -“It does not talk; but you noticed that it was clothed in skins.” - -“I seen that. It’s a quar critter, I must say. The boys call it the -Mountain Devil. It’s a good name. It’s lucky for the thing that I -fired in a hurry; and then the youngster was so much in the way I -dassen’t fire at any thing but the arm. I hit that.” - -“It saved my life,” said young Morris. “I had no strength to ward off -another blow; I felt that my time had come.” - -“So you mought well think. It ain’t one man but a dozen hez gone -under, time and ag’in, here in the Black Hills. Whatever it is, it -hates a man like death. Don’t you talk too much, young ’un; it mought -hurt ye.” - -“These scratches are nothing,” replied Morris. “I shall be well in a -day or two.” - -“Look around ye and see how ye like the place ye’ve got to live in -till we go to the States.” - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - THE TRAPPING-GROUND. - - -The stream on which they halted was one of the tributaries of the -Missouri, the _Cache la Poudre_, which flowed through the passes of -the Black Hills not more than forty miles from Fort Laramie. From -the place where they stood, they could see the peaks of the three -brothers, the Buttes, raising their heads on high. Mount Laramie -loomed up in the distance and at their feet the river poured on down -the mountain-pass. Near the place where they stood, that sagacious -animal, the beaver, had dammed the stream and made themselves homes. -The round tops of the little huts rose above the water, and knowing -heads were peeping out at the strange intruders. - -In all probability, no other feet than those of Ben Miffin had ever -trod the banks of the stream, if we except the Indian hunters. The -entrance was narrow and crooked, and once in, the eternal rocks -seemed to rise on every hand, inaccessible to mortal feet. Low -growths of pine and the creeping forms of the cactus were the only -vegetation. The silence was unbroken by a single sound. Ben looked at -his companions in triumph. They had met him in St. Louis, and he had -thought proper to reveal to them his discovery and make them partners -in his toils. He was not avaricious, and he found them with no wealth -except their weapons, eager to try his trapping-ground. He wished to -better their condition, and had taken this way to do it. Personally, -he knew nothing of them or their antecedents. But they had appealed -to his sympathies in their destitution, and no man ever appealed to -him in vain. He had a large heart, open always to the cry of the -needy. In another sphere he would have been a philanthropist. In his -own, he was only a true-hearted, simple man, with only one object, -and that to live out his simple life as the Maker whom in his rough -way he reverenced, would have him. Jan had told him wonderful tales -of the prowess he had shown in hunting in southern Africa, where he -had been when a young man. It only required a little of the rough -experience of the prairie to show him that he was not the mighty -Nimrod he had made himself out to be. But, Ben cared nothing for -this, and was pleased with the eccentricities of the Dutchman. - -“Thar,” said the trapper; “ain’t thet a sight fur sore eyes? Thar’s -peltries enough in this yer stream to make us rich all summer.” - -“Vat ish dem?” said Jan, pointing to the beaver-houses; “who live -dere?” - -“Injuns!” said Ben. - -“Vat!” said Jan, leaping from the earth. “Vy den you cooms here? Vy -den you no stay at home mit yourself unt not pring me out here vere -dey lifs?” - -“Ye never seen a beaver hut, I reckon,” said Ben. “Ye wouldn’t -believe me when I tell ye thet them houses ar’ the work of beasts.” - -“Who puild dem houses, den?” - -“Beavers,” said Ben. “S’arch creation through, and I reckon ye won’t -find any beast thet ken beat them. They’re carpenters, masons, and -engineers; an’ they know the’r trade too.” - -“Penn Miffin, you ish no more ash von liar. Vy you dry to fool me? -How dem peavers coot down trees, eh?” - -“With the’r teeth. A lot of ’em git at a tree thet stands close to -the bank, and gnaw away at it till it falls over. Then they work away -with sticks an’ stones to make the’r dam, an’ when thet is done they -build the’r houses. You’d better believe they ain’t got the’r ekal -anywhere in the ’arth. I’ll tell ye lots more about ’em, miss.” - -“Thank you,” said Millicent. - -“Vell, you cooms here to catch dem? Dey too smart,” said Jan. - -“They are pooty smart, thet’s a fact,” said Ben. “But we manage to -get the upper hand of ’em somehow. But thet’s neither here nor thar. -Let’s make a cabin. The gal must hev a place to live in. Ye ken use -an ax, can’t ye?” - -“Yaw,” said Jan. - -They had hoppled their horses and allowed them to stray at will about -the inclosure, after the traps and furniture had been removed. -Leaving their new friends together, each of the men attacked a pine -about a foot through at the butt, and soon cut enough logs for their -hut. Both Ben and Jules were old hands at this kind of work, and Jan, -when he understood what was required of him, did good service. The -logs were cut down, squared slightly, notched at the ends, and in a -few hours they began to lay the first in their places. By the time it -was dark they had raised the walls four feet from the ground. - -“Knock off fur the night,” said Ben. “Let’s hev something more to -eat.” - -“Yaw,” said Jan, “dat ish coot. I pees so mooch hungry as nefer.” - -“Ye’ve worked well, old man,” said Ben. “I say thet fur ye. Come, -Jule, try yer hand at the cookery ag’in. Don’t make too much fire. -Git dry wood. These yer pine branches make too much smoke unless -the’r dry. Go up thar by the rocks. Thar’s an old pine cut down thar, -and it will make a good fire. I cut it down when I were here before, -miss.” - -“Vy you ’vraid of too mooch vire, Penn?” asked Jan, looking -doubtfully around. - -“Ye don’t know the Blackfeet as well as I do, or ye wouldn’t ask -the question,” said Ben. “Wet wood makes too much of a smoke, and -a Blackfoot brave could see a smoke as fur off as ye could see a -mountain.” - -“Vell, vat ef he does?” - -“Then he would come and sculp ye by the light of yer fire, ef he -didn’t make up his mind to roast ye a little fust. Ther’ a pizen, -sneakin’, murderin’ set, an’ would make no more of takin’ the sculp -of a Dutchman, then I would of skinnin’ a beaver. Thet’s all.” - -“Dey very near?” said Jan, looking fearful. “Vy you stay here?” - -“We didn’t come out yer to _play_,” said Ben; “an’ the Blackfoot -thet gits my sculp will hev to fight fer it. I’ve a likin’ fer my -own ha’r. It growd thar, an’ thar it’s got to stay until things git -so mixed up thet I kain’t raise a hand to fight fer it. I’m goin’ to -make this yer place a fort before long.” - -“How you do dat, Penn?” - -“Never mind. I’ve no doubt the Blackfeet will nose us out ’fore we -quit, an’ when they do, we’ve got to fight. I count you good fer -three Injuns. I’m good fer ten, and Jule will wipe out eight. So -you see they must bring down twenty-two to hev any left to do the -sculpin’.” - -“Jule ain’t goot for mooch. I can vip him so easy ash notting ever -vas. I kills oct Injuns, unt he kills dree. Dat’s it.” - -“I’ll eat the Injun when you kill him,” said Jules. “You’ll run from -the first one you see.” - -“Me run vrom an Injun. No, py der saints, I kill auvery one I see, -same ash I kills de pear. You prave mans, you two. Climb oop trees, -unt leave poor Dutchman all alone. Yaw; dat ish no goot.” - -“See yer, Dutchy. I want you to go back to the bear and bring him -in. I’m afraid the wolves will git at him ef we leave him thar. You -wouldn’t have the wolves eat up your bear, would you?” - -“I not got _time_ to go pack,” said Jan. “I so hoongry, pesides I’m -very tired.” - -“Yer skeered. Thet’s what’s the matter with ye, Dutchy. Yer skeered -half to death. Ye wouldn’t no more go back to thet b’ar then ye would -fly. I ain’t quite so sure he’s dead, anyhow. Isn’t thet him comin’ -down the hill yonder?” - -Jan leaped up, clasped the trunk of a tree with both hands, and began -to climb with might and main, while the others rolled over and over -on the ground, bursting with laughter. By the time he reached the -first branch he had collected sufficient fortitude to look about him, -and could see no such fearful monster as he imagined coming down upon -him. The truth dawned upon him that he was the victim of a sell, and -he slid down again in great wrath. - -“You’s the wust liar, Penn Miffin, in dis coontry. Auvery Yankee can -lie goot deal, put you can lie more as dat. Dere vas no pear.” - -“Wasn’t ther’? It must hev been the rock I seen and I thought it was -a b’ar, sure as shootin’. But ye was skeered that time; ye kain’t say -ye wa’n’t.” - -“Kin, too! Wasn’t scared a bit, Penn Miffin.” - -“Ye wasn’t? What made ye climb the tree, then?” said Ben. - -“Pecause I can not see no pear on the ground, unt I climbs oop the -tree to look vor him, unt ven I gits dere, I can see no pear. Den I -knows dere vas no pear, unt dat you vas no more ash von liar like -auvery Yankee.” - -Ben laughed heartily and turned his attention to the food which the -Frenchman was cooking over the blaze. He had built his fire with all -the care of the frontierman. First, the light leaves were ignited, -then some small twigs, which would burn without smoke, were added, -and when these had kindled into flame, larger sticks were laid on, -and the fire was now blazing merrily, though still without much smoke. - -“Thet’s the sort of fire to fool a Blackfoot,” said Ben. “Ah, many -and many’s the brave fellow hez gone under fer the want of a little -care. Now, I don’t know thet ther’s an Injun within twenty mile of -us, but I always go to work as ef they were all around, as they may -be fer all we know, and most likely ar’.” - -“What makes ye think so, Ben?” said Jules. - -“’Cause it’s the last of the huntin’ season, an’ the braves are out -for buffler. Thet’s my reason. Then, ag’in, ye kain’t depend on a -Blackfoot; ther’ a treacherous, hoss-stealin’ set. Mind I tell ye.” - -“The Crows are just as bad.” - -“No they _ain’t_. Anyhow, they won’t be to us while I’m hyar. You see -they ain’t forgot the’r old chief yet. I calculate I’ve got a wife -among ’em som’ers.” - -“Don’t you know where she is?” - -“Kain’t say thet I do. When I was in the Crow village last, and -thet’s three years ago, she were thar. Ther’s a young chief takes -care of her on my account, seein’ he ain’t got no father or mother, -an’ she sort of adopted him. So I reckon she rubs along right peart. -She orter, anyhow. Prehaps I couldn’t appreciate the woman. I didn’t, -anyhow.” - -“Didn’t you like her?” said Jules. - -“No, I _didn’t_ relish her much, thet’s a fact. Ye see she had a -tongue of her own, and a mighty sharp tongue it were too--the wust -you ever see. She never stopped her clack from mornin’ tell night. I -wouldn’t hev minded it so much ef she had only taken a rest onc’t in -a while, but she didn’t. It seems to me now, thet the durned critter -thought ef she let her tongue rest a minnit, she couldn’t start it -ag’in.” - -“What did you do?” - -“Do! What any man orter do when he kain’t save himself no other way.” - -“What was that?” - -“_Heeled_ it ez hard ez I c’u’d go. I reckon that was pooty lively -too.” - -“Vat vas your vrow’s name?” said Jan. - -“Does ye want her, Jan? Ef ye do, take her, with my blessin’. The -truth is, yer gettin’ too fat, and ef ye hed to stand her jaw only a -month ye’d git worked down to yer fitin’-weight pooty sudden, that’s -all.” - -“I don’t vant her,” said Jan. - -“Don’t refuse on account of any feelin’ on my part,” said Ben. “Don’t -be bashful nuther. Or, ef it suits ye better, I’ll _sell_ her to ye. -I’ll sell her _cheap_ too. Give me thet huntin’-knife of yourn an’ -she’s yer own. Thet’s fair, I’m sure.” - -“Don’t _vant_ her,” persisted Jan. “S’pose she dead, unt I puy her? -Den I lose mine goot knife all vor nottings.” - -“Ef she’s dead, may she rest easy in her grave. But I don’t think she -would, any way. I’ve got my opinion, an’ I think she’d never rest in -any grave. They won’t hev her in the other world nuther. She’d worrit -them to death, mind ye.” - -“Vy don’t you dells me vat pe her name, Penn?” said Jan. - -“Hill-a-leah, the Green Snake. Lovely name, ain’t it?” - -“Goot cracious. Dat ain’t a vooman’s name?” - -“Ain’t it? _Prehaps_ yer right. I doubt ef she’s a woman _myself_. -Anyhow, I’ve got my opinion and I reckon she’s got a devil in her. -I hearn a preacher down to the fort tell of a woman thet hed seven -devils in her, an’ thet the good man cast ’em out. Now, ef any one -woman hed seven such lively devils in her ez the Green Snake hez, -then she must hev been a healthy female, thet’s all. How gits on the -grub, Jule?” - -“Near done, Ben. In five minutes.” - -“All right. Soon as convenient I’ll worry down a piece of thet -venison. I’d like to make a trade with Jan fer this wife of mine. She -ain’t no use to _me_, an’ I think she’d be just the woman for Jan.” - -“I dells you again, I don’t vant no voomans ash vas hev such names -ash Hill-a-baloo,” added Jan. “Schnake--Creen Schnake! Der Himmel, -dat ish dreadful! Don’t you talk mit me no more ’pout her. I rather -gifs you de knife dan marry a voomans like that.” - -“Wal, I’m sorry we kain’t make a trade,” said Ben, regretfully; -“raally sorry. I’d like to sell her to some likely man thet would set -store by her, an’ not run away from her in less than two months. I -wouldn’t risk a cent thet any man could keep his nat’ral senses an’ -stay with her longer then that, unless he was sorter seasoned to it, -same as I was. I’d ’a’ been a chief among the Crows now, ef it hadn’t -been fer thet.” - -“Is that the reason you left, eh?” said Jules. - -“Ye bet ye! I liked it there fust rate. They never made me go out on -the’r war-parties unless I hed a mind to, though I went out offen -enough, fer thet matter. Ye see, I’m down on Blackfeet fer more -reasons then one; an’ the Crows are the nat’ral inemies of them -critters. I’d like to extarminate the hull cussed race of them, durn -the’r picters!” - -“What makes you hate the Blackfeet so?” said Jules. - -“I’ll tell yer. ’Tain’t less’n ten years ago I was trappin’ on the -north branch of the Platte with a comrade of mine, a likely chap as -you ever see, Jim Johnson was his name, and the best-hearted feller -in Oregon. We made a heap of pelts, ye bet, an’ was countin’ on a -lively time at the forts the next winter. Jim hed a gal thar, an’ -was allus lettin’ on how happy he’d be when he c’u’d see her ag’in. -He never did, poor feller. I’d been out to see after my traps, gone -nigh on to half a day, mout be, an’ was comin’ home with a load of -pelts, fo’ we hed been lucky all through, an’ when I got to the cabin -we’d built, thar he lay, with his head split like an egg-shell, an’ -sculped. I looked around an’ found Blackfoot signs everywhar, durn -the’r hides. I know them, an’ I’ll make them pay fer it some day. -I promised him then, as he lay thar, thet I’d avenge him on the -Blackfeet. Mout be I’ve done it; mout be I didn’t. Anyhow I’ve got my -opinion, an’ I’ll back it thet the Blackfeet are sorry they killed -Jim Johnson.” - -“Do you know who the men are that killed him?” asked Jules. - -“Yes. Thar’s only two of them on the’r feet to-day, an’ they ar’ -bound to go under ef ever they meet Ben Miffin, or else he goes -under--and he don’t think he will.” - -“Who are they?” - -“One’s a big Blackfoot brave they call Whirling Breeze, an’ the other -a white-livered cuss who claims to be a white man. Precious little -civilized blood he’s got in his veins, an’ that he’s got is mighty -mean. He’s a renegade, an’ I tell ye a renegade is the worst of all -God’s creatures.” - -“What’s his name?” - -“Will Markman. They call him by some Indian name. The worst of it is, -his white blood shows more then the Indian, an’ he is ez handsome a -feller ez you ever see. But he’s got a cruel heart in his breast. God -pity him if I ever meet him.” - -“Is he a chief?” - -“Yes; they like to git a white man on the’r side. He lays round yer -som’ers, an’ does the dirty work of the Blackfeet. That’s his way, -durn him. Why, ye never did see another sech critter in yer born -days--the wust ye ever saw, I tell ye. Makes no more of takin’ a -sculp then I do of skinnin’ a buffler. What ar’ ye tryin’ to do now, -Jan?” - -The Teuton was craning his neck, looking anxiously up the hill. - -“I dinks I sees a Plackfeet,” replied the other. “He pees on the -hillside yonder.” - -“Pshaw, Jan; ’tain’t no sech thing--leastways, I kain’t see no sech -critter myself. I guess ye didn’t see nobody.” - -“Did too, Penn Miffin. Who’s a liar? I sees him over dere py dat bine -tree. He vas a pig fellows, bretty near so pig ash a house. I never -sees anypody so pig ash he vas. I dinks he pe some shiant.” - -“Where was he?” said Ben, anxiously. - -“Over yonder, mit der dree. I sees him. I dinks aff ye dakes yer gun -unt coes to him unt kills him, mebbe it vould pe goot plans.” - -“Hadn’t you better go yourself?” said the Frenchman, maliciously. - -“I dinks I hain’t got time,” said Jan, quickly. “How can I go ven I -can not dell vether dere pe anybotty dere? Penn coes mit himself.” - -“That’s enuff foolin’,” said Ben. “Jan didn’t see no Injun, I hope. -But we are tired with a long journey. Jule, let us fix some sort of -place for the gal. I don’t like thet she sh’u’d hev to rough it like -us men.” - -“You are too kind to me,” said Millicent. “How can I ever thank you?” - -“Never mind; you ain’t got no call to thank me ez I knows on. I ain’t -gone round gittin’ sech things ez thanks this year. Wait till I ask -’em. Jule, you come yer.” - -They had a good supply of extra blankets; these were brought in, and -by the aid of two of them, they curtained off a recess in one corner -of the unfinished building, in which they laid the other blankets, -and, apologizing in a homely but heartfelt way for their lack of good -accommodations, they allowed Millicent to retire. - -It was in the middle of the night when a strange alarm occurred. -Jules, who was very tired, had taken upon himself the post of sentry -for the first part of the night, and had stationed himself just -outside the building, sitting down at the foot of a tree. The hours -crept slowly by, and he dropped off into a doze. All at once he -awakened to find himself prostrate upon the ground, with some heavy -body lying on his breast which pressed him close to the soil. By the -ghostly moonlight he made out his assailant to be the creature which -they had met that day. It was making no attempt to harm him, but -simply lying upon his breast, its long, heavy hands toying with his -throat. - -Jules Damand was a cool, hardy fellow, and had been in danger before -now. But, there was something so frightful in the load upon his -breast, that for a moment his heart failed him. He lay silent, and -put out his hand toward a pistol by slow degrees. - -The strange thing uttered, now and then, a low, chuckling laugh, -horrible to hear. Ben, who lay near the door of the cabin, heard the -sound and stirred uneasily in his sleep. Jules, silent as the grave, -allowed his hand to slide along the ground toward the pistol-butt. -Even the slight motion he made annoyed the savage brute, and he -uttered a sort of low snarl. Jules stopped and waited for him to -become quiet. He was in an uncomfortable position, flat upon his -back, with his right arm lying under the body of the assailant, who -grinned and chattered at him, and scratched at his throat with his -long nails in a playful manner. - -“Sacré!” muttered Jules. “If I could only get my right arm free.” - -He found that impossible; the whole weight of the hairy body lay -upon it and fixed it like a rock. Jules again began to feel for -his pistol, and laid his hand upon it, when the hairy palm of the -Mountain Devil suddenly closed upon it. There seemed to be something -in the touch of the cold steel which roused his hate, for he darted -his long nails into the face of the trapper, and left bleeding -furrows from brow to chin. At the same time Jules managed to get the -pistol partly free, and made a shot at him in the dark. - -The creature had some powers of memory; he knew that the ball which -had pierced his arm that morning had been accompanied by a sound like -the crack of the pistol, and he sprung away for a little distance, -and stood licking the blood from another wound in his arm. The report -of the pistol had roused everybody, and they came out in great haste, -Ben leading the way with his rifle in his hand. At the sight of him -the wild creature bounded away, and hurried up the mountain side. It -was plain that he remembered Ben as the man who had injured him in -the morning. He snarled and screamed as he disappeared from view, -while Jan stood with chattering teeth and shaking limbs, glaring -after the form which was disappearing behind the hills. - -“Ach, mein Gott! Dere he ish again. Now you mine vat I says. Dat ish -ter tuyvel. Don’ you co to say ash it vas not. Dat ish ter tuyvel, -unt no mistake. My prains are all hurly-purly. I mos’ deat mit -fright.” - -“Shet up. Don’t ye see the lady?” said Ben. “Sorry to call ye out of -yer sleep, miss, but our friend of this mornin’ hez paid us a visit. -See how the black brute has marked Jules.” - -“So he has. This is terrible. I can not do any thing to help you, Mr. -Damand?” - -“No,” said Jules. “I shall do very well. They are only scratches.” - -“Very painful ones, I fear.” - -“A little. They will soon go away. I shall be satisfied if they do -not leave deep scars. You had better retire again. It served me -right. I should have kept better watch, when I had such treasures to -guard.” - -“Can I be of no service?” - -“No. Not the least. Thank you.” - -She retired again, and Ben found some of the plants which he had -used for Bentley’s wounds that morning, and made a salve for Jules’ -face. When this was done, he sent the Frenchman into the house, and -took his place as guard, half hoping that the brute would come back, -and give him a shot. Twice during the night he heard its eldritch -screams, far off in the hills, but it did not come back. Ben stood -on his guard, however, until the night passed, and the gray light of -morning appeared in the sky. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - TREED BY A BUFFALO. - - -The people in the roofless cabin had slept soundly, after the visit -of the wild thing known as the Mountain Devil. Millicent came out, -blooming like a mountain rose, and drew from the old trapper a -compliment on her personal appearance, which brought new roses to her -cheeks. To the surprise of every one, Bentley also appeared. - -“You git back to yer nest!” shouted Ben. “Don’t you s’pose I ain’t -got no better business than to be a nuss to you? You’ll get a relapse -ef you don’t take keer.” - -“No fear of that, old man,” said Bentley, addressing the trapper in -the free and easy style peculiar to the plains. “Don’t be troubled. I -never felt better in my life. That blood-letting, together with the -venison you cook, has done me a world of good. I shall punish your -provisions tremendously.” - -“Waal, as ter that, ye’ve got a rifle of yer own. I reckin ye kin -keep yerself in grub. How does ye shoot?” - -“Pretty well,” said Bentley. “Nothing to brag of, you know, but -enough to swear by.” - -“Thet thing tried Jule another hack last night. Ye orter see his -face. It looks ez ef a hoss an’ wagin had drew right over it.” - -“It is a malicious thing.” - -“You bet. It clawed Jule up spiteful, and don’t make no more of a -rifle-ball then you or I would of a flea-bite. Must be powerful -tough.” - -“Powervul!” cried Jan. “Ach, goot cracious! I sees him mineself, unt -he vash so pig ash a mountain. I vash scart mit him.” - -“You had good reason to be,” said the young man. “Now, boys, let us -get to work. You must teach us what to do, Ben.” - -“All right,” ejaculated Ben. “I’m the boss, then. I’ll give you work -enough.” - -The first thing was to finish their cabin and set some traps. Ben -taught Jan and Bentley how to commence, and was pleased to find them -apt at the business. Jan did not lack for intelligence and his wits -were sharpening by contact with the keen trapper and the volatile -Frenchman. The latter needed very little instruction, for he had -received his education in the cold region of British America, under -the fostering care of the Hudson Bay Company, then in its glory, but -suffering from the enterprise of the North-west Company, which had -sprung up about this time under the lead of the enterprising German, -Jacob Astor. But, Ben Miffin could never submit to be a hanger-on to -any company, and his trapping was done on his own hook. The ground he -had chosen for his labors was new. As has been said, no other white -man’s foot had trod it before. - -When the hut was completed they built a _cache_ to hold their furs -and food. This was necessary. The wolves were numerous and ravenous, -and would strip any trap of its contents in a moment. This last labor -completed, they started out on a hunt, leaving Bentley in charge of -the camp, and of Millicent. An hour’s ride brought them to the level -prairie, dotted here and there by low clumps of trees. Ben paused, -and his quick eye swept the vast plain from side to side. At last his -eye brightened and he stretched out his right hand to the east. - -“Buffler!” he said. - -They followed the direction of his finger, but Jan could see nothing. - -“I dinks dat ish von lie, Penn. I does not see von puffalo.” - -“Course ye don’t,” said Ben, contemptuously. “’Tain’t to be expected -ye _kin_, nohow. Does ye see them black spots, close down to the edge -of the prairie, over yonder?” - -“Yaw; I sees _dem_,” replied Jan. - -“Oh, ye _do_. Waal, _them’s_ buffler.” - -“Ish _dey_ goot to eat?” - -“Good! Ye bet yer bottom dollar on that ar’, ye may. I calculate thar -ain’t nothin’ in creation to ekal a buffler-hump; no, nothin’. Why, -the juices squeeze out’n it when ye set yer teeth in it, like _ile_. -Oh, it’s _good_. Ye bet I like it. Anyhow, I’ve got my opinion, and -I’ll risk a beaver-pelt ye never tasted anythin’ half so good. So, -_thar_!” - -“I dinks I likes him pooty good,” said Jan. “Vell, den, ve coes unt -kills him pymepye, pooty soon, unt cooks him hump. Vat him hump pe, -Penn?” - -“The first cut off the _horns_,” said Jules. - -“I dinks dat ish von lie,” said Jan, coolly. “Dat ish too tough. I -not talks mit _you_, Shule. I asks Penn.” - -“I guess ye’ll find out what a buffler-hump is before ye’ve been long -on the prairie. But, see hyar. It don’t taste half so good unless ye -kill it yerself. So ye must try to kill one. I’ve always said ye’d -got good stuff in ye, ef we could only bring it out, an’ I reckon we -kin do it; eh, Jule?” - -“Yes,” said Jules. “We’ll put him through.” - -“I don’t vant no voolin’,” said Jan, in considerable trepidation. “I -not likes dat. ’Tis not goot. S’pose you dells me right how to kill -him, all right. S’pose you don’t, den I licks you, Shule. Yaw; dat -ish vat I does.” - -“No quarrelin’,” said Ben. “I won’t hev it. The fust one thet gits to -fightin’, I’ll fetch him a lick over the jaw thet’ll make him sick; I -will, by gravy. Now look out.” - -In obedience to his signal, the party put themselves in motion, -riding at a careful pace toward the black spots, which the -experienced eye of the trapper had detected. A light wind was blowing -in their faces. - -“We’ve got the wind of ’em,” said Ben. “They kain’t smell us.” - -There was a small growth of timber between them and the buffaloes, -of not more than a dozen trees. Keeping this in line with them, they -were enabled to get within three or four hundred yards of the herd, -and peeping out from the trees, they could count them. The herd -was small, consisting only of five, headed by a giant bull, whose -patriarchal head was slightly elevated, as if he snuffed danger in -the air. - -“The cunnin’ animile thinks somebody is around,” whispered Ben. “Oh, -what a beauty. But the cows ar’ the best to eat. Is yer gun loaded, -Jan?” - -“Yaw,” replied Jan. - -“Then git ready. When I give the word, foller me. Ar’ ye ready, Jule?” - -“Yes,” said Jules, from between his set teeth. - -“Then go it!” cried Ben. - -The three horses bounded from the thicket, and before the animals -were fairly awake to their danger, the horsemen were upon them. Ben -drew his never failing rifle to his shoulder and let fly. The fattest -cow in the herd dropped on her knees, and then rolled slowly over on -her side, dead! Jules was equally fortunate, prostrating another by -a lucky shot in the brain. Jan, sitting on his horse, endeavored to -fire, but, his animal was restive, and he could not get aim. - -“Git down!” cried Ben. - -Jan, who had begun to learn to obey the old trapper implicitly, -leaped down at the word, and pointed his gun at the bull. He fired, -and, as usual, found himself rolled in the dust. His horse bounded -away leaving him helpless. - -The charge of buckshot had struck the buffalo in the forehead, and -he staggered to his knees. Jan sprung forward with a shout of joy. -But this joy was speedily changed to grief, for the animal, which was -only stunned, staggered to his feet, and shaking his head, charged -the Dutchman, who ran for dear life. - -In watching the motions of a buffalo, it is quite a natural -supposition that he can not run fast. This is a mistake. In spite -of his unwieldy bulk, he can get over the ground at a good pace, -as poor Jan found to his cost. Running was not at all in his line, -but he exerted himself to the utmost, and bolted over the prairie -at a pace which astonished himself. But he could hear the buffalo -lumbering on in the rear, and was conscious that he gained at every -stride. At last he reached a tree; but it was too large for him to -climb, and the animal was close at his heels. He got the body of the -tree between him and his adversary, and the next moment, mad with -anger, the brute plunged against it with a shock which startled Jan -immensely. - -“Goot Lord!” he ejaculated. “Der plack puffalo ish very mat!” - -Recoiling from the shock, the buffalo began to chase Jan around the -tree. Though large of body, Jan had a decided advantage over his -adversary in this sort of a chase, for he could run round close to -the body of the tree, while the huge brute was forced to make a -circuit. It was simply a question of wind. If the buffalo could run -longer than Jan, he would be overtaken and trampled to death, and -there seemed a strong probability that such was to be the case. It -was a ludicrous sight, in spite of the danger the Dutchman was in, to -see him whip round the tree, the flap of his hunting-shirt streaming -in the wind, followed by the buffalo, with erected tail, flashing -eye, and lowered head. Jan cast longing glances at the little clump -of trees a few rods away. If he only could get to them far enough -in advance of the buffalo to climb one, he might be safe. But the -distance, though short to the eye, was a great deal of ground to go -over followed by an infuriated buffalo bull, Jan thought. But he -could not hold out much longer and it must be tried. Away he went -at his best speed, the buffalo making half the circuit of the tree -before he could turn. By this time Jan had gained a hundred feet, -and this was every thing to him. Even this was hardly enough, and -though he got to the tree and began to climb, the buffalo bumped -against it before he had gained the lowest limb, nearly shaking him -from his perch. - -The animal drew back, cast a single glance of his vicious eye at the -Dutchman, who had just laid his hand upon the lowest limb, and then!-- - -Bump! - -Jan clasped the tree with all his strength, but his feet were swaying -in the air above the head of his enemy. In the mean time he was -shouting at the top of his voice all sorts of ludicrous appeals for -aid from his companions. Ben’s rifle had been loaded long ago, but he -dared not use it while they were running round the tree, not knowing -but that he might injure Jan in some way. Jules made no effort to -aid him. The moment he reached the tree, Ben rushed to the rescue, -calling Jules to follow, who did so, his face wrinkled with laughter. - -Bump! - -“Vy you no cooms here?” screamed Jan. “Vy you no shoot dis ugly pig? -I can’t holt on mooch longer.” - -Bump! - -“Dere he pe ag’in,” screamed Jan. “Help! help! Ach, mein cracious! -Ven I cooms out here to shoot puffaloes ag’in den I ish von vool, dat -ish all. Ach! gootness! Shoot! Vy don’t you shoot!” - -Ben’s rifle cracked; the buffalo tottered like a tower shaken by an -earthquake, then fell to the ground. Jules sent up peal after peal of -laughter. - -“Vat you laugh at?” said Jan, looking down from the tree. - -“At _you_, you great blunderhead,” replied Jules. - -“_Vy_ you laugh at _me_?” - -“Because I like to see a Dutchman run.” - -“Ish he teat?” said Jan, looking at Ben. - -“Dead as a pickled fish,” said Ben. “You may come down.” - -Jan slid down from the tree, walked slowly to the place where Jules -sat on his horse, picked him off solemnly, and cast him down like an -untimely fig. The whole thing was done in such a deliberate manner -that Ben did not suppose any such action intended, and before he had -time to think, the Frenchman was down, and Jan’s big foot placed upon -his breast. - -“What do ye mean?” shouted Ben. “Let him up, ye durned fool.” - -“Vell, vat makes him laff at me ven I pe chase py a puffalo?” said -Jan. “I dink I dells him somet’ings. Lie dere vile I spoke mit you du -or drie dimes.” - -“Take your foot from my breast!” said Jules, fiercely. “You cursed -Dutchman, I will kill you. Let me up!” - -“You keep still little dimes,” answered Jan, coolly. “I dinks ven a -mans laff at anuder, he mus’ have a shance to ask him vy he does it. -Dat ish vat I dinks.” - -“Jan,” cried Ben, sternly. - -“Vat you expects?” - -“Let him up.” - -Jan removed his foot from the breast of the prostrate man and Jules -rose to his feet. His first movement was to draw a knife, and rush -at the immovable figure of the Dutchman. So sudden was the attack -that nothing on the part of the assailed party could have saved him, -but Ben suddenly threw up his rifle, separating them. So strong was -his arm, that while holding the rifle extended, the rush of the -Frenchman, excited though he was, could not bend it in the least. - -“Keep back!” said Ben, “or I’ll be into you with somethin’ sharper -than a toothpick. What do ye want?” - -“I’ll have his heart’s blood!” hissed Jules. “He has insulted me.” - -“Come, it’s about an even thing. You made game of him, ye know. Then -don’t make any durned fuss about it. I ain’t goin’ to stand it. Shake -hands. Jan didn’t mean any thing.” - -“I vas mat,” said Jan. “I’m sorry I did it now. Put vat makes him -laff at me?” - -“Thar; he apologized. He says he’s sorry. He kain’t say no fairer -then that, kin he? Shake hands, Jule. Durn me ef I’m goin’ to hev a -man with me thet holds a grudge like thet thar. _Shake hands!_” - -“He needn’t aff he don’t vants to,” added Jan. “I ain’t ’fraid of him -anyway. Put I pe villing to make vrents.” - -Jules sullenly extended his hand. - -“I’d never do it if it was not for Ben,” he said. “He’s been kind to -me. But if you ever lay a hand on me again I will kill you.” - -“No growlin’,” said Ben. “Durn it, kain’t a man know enough to make -up with a feller and hev no back talk? Come; hyar’s lots of work. -We’ve got to cut up these buffler. Use yer knife on thet, not on a -human.” - -“Shall we cut up the old one here?” said Jules, throwing off the -appearance of anger, although his cheeks glowed yet. - -“No. I reckon we won’t want any of him but the hump and marrer-bones. -It’s jest as Jan says. It’s his buffler anyhow.” - -“Mine!” ejaculated Jan. - -“Yes, yours. Didn’t ye bring him hyar yerself, say? Of course he’s -yer own. I’ll show ye how to git his hump. Durn me ef ye don’t take -up the business of takin’ the pelt off a critter right handy.” - -“I vas a _putcher_,” said Jan. - -“Oh, that’s the reason. Wal, ye jest take the hide off’n this yer -beast, an’ we’ll go out an’ ’tend to the others. When ye git it off, -holler to me, an’ I’ll show ye how to git the hump an’ marrer-bones.” - -They left him and proceeded to the place where the other animals had -fallen. Soon they were busily engaged in stripping the skins from -the game, and cutting it up for the convenience of carriage, as Ben -well knew how. In the mean time Jan worked away quietly, taking off -the skin in a way which none but a professional could do, and singing -in a low tone. As he stooped over, something fell at his feet. He -picked it up. It was an arrow, stained red on one side, and the -other scoured white as snow. Jan stood with the missile in his hand, -looking this way and that, not knowing whence it had come. The shape -was peculiar: the head was double, and of polished steel, flattened -as thin as a knife-blade, and as flexible. Jan went to the edge of -the woods and called Ben. He started at the sight of the weapon, -snatching it out of the Dutchman’s hand and looking at it with an -intentness which the others could not understand. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - THE MESSAGE. - - -Jules and Jan waited for the trapper to speak. They knew by the -expression of his face that the arrow meant something more than any -ordinary shaft. - -“What does it mean?” at length asked Jules. - -“Ye don’t understand Injun signs. Look at the color--one half red, -the other half white. That’s clear Injun. It says ez plain ez a man -could speak, ‘Git out of this an’ we won’t hurt ye. Stay hyar an’ -blood must flow.’” - -“How do you know that?” said Jan. “I don’t see nottings like that on -the arrow.” - -“Course ye don’t. Wal, _I does_. That red half of the arrer means -war. The white half sez thet they don’t car’ to kill us, an’ ef we go -away quietly it’ll be all right. But ef we _stay_, they’ll kill us. -Whar did ye stand when the arrer fell, Jan?” - -“I vas skinning te puffalo.” - -“Yes, so ye was. Wal, thet’s all right, I guess. The chap is hid -som’ers about yer, an’ I’m gwine to hev him out. Scatter an’ s’arch -the woods.” - -Jan did not like the idea of going alone through the woods, and he -followed close on the heels of Ben. - -“Git away,” said Ben. “None of thet. I want ye to git used to takin’ -car’ of yerself an’ ye must do it. I said _scatter_!” - -Jan reluctantly went away and began to search. Ben glided from tree -to tree, bending forward like a hound on the trail. He found at last -a place where a moccasined foot had trod. The footmark was small and -delicate. - -“A gal or boy, by gracious!” said Ben. “Look sharp; I’ve found him.” - -The others rushed to his side. The trapper stood at the root of a -tree which in some way had been torn up by the roots, leaving a -cavity below. Before this cavity Ben stooped and looked in. A single -glance showed him an Indian boy, crouching in the darkest corner. - -“Come out hyar,” he said. - -The boy did not move, and Ben addressed him in the Indian tongue, -telling him to come out and fear nothing. The lad obeyed, and stood -before them, in his simple Indian garb, a blanket thrown over his -buckskin shirt. His moccasined feet were small as a girl’s. For an -Indian, he had a fine, bold face, and his black eyes gleamed with a -half-scornful light. - -“What do you want here?” said Ben, in the Blackfoot language. - -“The sons of the Blackfeet go where they will,” said the boy, calmly, -toying with the bow which he held in his hand. “Who dares question -them in their own land?” - -“The son of a chief stands before me,” said Ben. “I can see that at -once. No one questions the son of a chief as to his _right_. But we -are out upon the prairie and in danger. The brave youth can see that.” - -“It is true,” said the boy. “My brother is in danger; it is well that -he sees it, for when we know that danger is nigh we can avoid it, and -pass away. My brother has seen the arrow?” - -“Yes.” - -“His head is getting gray; he knows the custom of the Blackfeet. -They know that he is a just man, though he has killed some of their -people. Good--they give him a chance. They let him go in peace when -and where he will, so that he trouble the hills no more with his -traps and rifle.” - -“Listen,” said Ben, unconsciously adopting the language of an Indian -while speaking in that tongue. “I have been a chief of the Crows -for a long time; my head has grown gray among them; they taught me -not to fear what man can do. Why should we fly from the face of the -Blackfoot braves?” - -“My father is _very_ brave,” said the boy. “But what can he do -against so many? What nation is like the Blackfeet? What chiefs are -like theirs? They are many, they are strong. Their horses speed like -the wind. Their hearts are very strong. There are three white men; -they can fight well, but the braves will sweep them from the earth, -when they come in anger.” - -“We do not fear,” said Ben. “We have come to take beaver and we must -do it.” - -“The white men are wrong,” said the boy, stamping fiercely. “They -think to drive the Indians from the land their fathers left them. I -have heard of great tribes in the east, by the big water, who have -been driven out and have perished one by one, until they have no -longer a name or a place among the people. But it shall not be so -with the Blackfeet.” - -“They must do as they will,” said Ben. “We will not go.” - -“Be warned. If you do not go, look for the blood-red arrow.” - -“We shall expect it. Tell the chiefs that the Strong Buffalo said so -old a head as yours has no business on the shoulders of a boy. Go. -You will be a chief.” - -The boy straightened himself up proudly and turned away. But Jules -seized him by the arm. - -“He must not go,” he said. - -“What ye gwine to do about it?” said Ben. “Let go his arm. The fust -thing ye know ye’ll git us into some kind of trouble with yer durned -nonsense.” - -“He must not go, I say,” replied Jules, angrily. “Our lives are in -danger.” - -“Ye ain’t helpin’ us by techin’ the boy,” said Ben. “Let him go.” - -“I will not,” was the reply. - -“Ye won’t, eh?” cried Ben, throwing up his rifle. “Then I’ll bet -my life I make daylight shine through yer karkidge in about half a -minute. Drop yer hold.” - -Jules obeyed sullenly, and the boy, turning a grateful look at the -trapper, darted across the prairie. Jules turned to the trapper with -a lowering brow. - -“You have had your way, it seems. We will see what will come of it. -But let me tell you one thing: do not point your rifle at me again, -or something may happen to you.” - -“Don’t git up on yer ear about it. I ain’t goin’ to hev no bloodshed -thet kin be helped, I ain’t. S’pose ye’d ’a’ killed this boy--and -a brave young feller he is too--what good would ’a’ come of it? -’Twould ’a’ brought them down on us all the sooner, thet’s all. So -don’t say nothing to me.” - -They finished cutting up the buffalo and returned to camp, walking by -their horses’ sides, with the skins containing the choicest portions -of the meat slung over their saddles. They found the camp as they had -left it, and at once built a fire. - -“I don’t reckon it will do much good to be very careful now, sence -the Injuns knows whar we ar’. But, ther’s one thing we kin do: we -kin make our hut stronger, an’ ef they git our sculps they’ll hev to -fight for ’em. We’ve got a strong party, an’ we don’t go back fer no -man; no, we don’t.” - -“If we were alone we might do well,” said Jules. “But, this ignorant -Dutchman--” - -“Vat sort of a Doochman?” roared Jan. “You say dat again unt I valls -on you unt smash you all mit little bieces so pig ash my thumb.” - -“Do be silent, Jan,” said Millicent. “Do I understand that you have a -fear of danger, Ben?” - -“’Tain’t nothin’ new. It’s allers dangerous on the prairie,” said -Ben. “Never you mind, little ’un. We’ll take keer of ye.” - -“I am not afraid, but, I should like to know what the danger is.” - -“Blackfeet,” said Ben. “We met one while huntin’ buffler.” - -“Off you have anyt’ing to say to me, Shule Damant,” said Jan, -breaking in on the conversation at this point, “I shall pe glad to -have you do it. Put, ton’t sit dere unt look ash if you would like to -eat me. I wouldn’t sit goot on your stomach.” - -“I do not forget that you insulted me by placing your foot upon my -breast this morning. You had better be silent.” - -“Am I frait mit you, Shule? No. I ish not, I dells you blain. Off you -like to pe frents mit me dat ish goot. Off you ton’t like it, vat do -I care? Take your own vay.” - -“I’ll give one of you a back-handed wipe in a minnit!” roared Ben. -“Shet up, both of you. Jan, we have got to go and skin the bear you -shot yesterday.” - -“Who kilt ter pear, Penn Miffin?” cried Jan. “Vas it Shule? Vas it -you? or vas it a pig Doochman named Jan Schneider, eh? Vell, I coes -mit you off you like.” - -“I should like to see a bear before he is cut up,” said Millicent. - -“Would you? Then you shall take Jule’s hoss, and ride with us. I’ll -take mine, ’cause I like to ride, and Jan may take his because I want -it to bring home the meat. You two stay and watch the camp.” - -The three rode out of the camp together. When out of sight of the -Frenchman, Ben beckoned Jan close to him. - -“Why did ye tumble Jules over this morning, Jan?” - -“Vell, he keeps sayin’, Doochmans, Doochmans, Doochmans, till I vas -tire of hear him. Sh’pose I t’rows him town on his pack, den he knows -ash I vill shtand no nonsense mit him no more. I pees not a vool.” - -“I’m jubous you’ve made him yer innimy,” said Ben. “I don’t like -that. I don’t want no quarrelin’ in my camp. When I take chaps out -with me they must be the right kind of men, and not too _hash_ in -their ways. Now I don’t reckon it’ll hurt ye much to show him ye -ain’t afraid of him.” - -“You are speaking of your companion,” said Millicent. “Do you know -that I am afraid of him? He has looked at me in a way I do not -understand. Did your friend quarrel with him this morning?” - -“Yes. Now ther’s one thing more atween Jan and me. It looks as ef -we’d got to tramp the prairie together fer a long time. Now any man -thet travels alongside of old Trapping Ben, must hev the right sort -of pluck. Don’t ye see thar’s always danger in the life of a free -trapper?” - -“I nefer dinks dere vas so mooch, Penn. Off I dinks so, I would not -coom.” - -“All right. Hyar ye ar’ an’ hyar ye’ve got ter stay this season. Now -I’ve noticed thet when they b’ar ye right down to it ye kin fight -ez well ez the best man among ’em. But, ye’r’ apt to shirk danger -ef ye hev time to think an’ see it comin’. Now, thet ain’t the way -with a free trapper. They don’t like to fight, nuther will they shirk -danger, nor go a step out of the way to git cl’ar of it.” - -“Yaw. Dat ish vat I dinks. You likes to vite. Now I vould sooner -_run_ den fight, if I can.” - -Millicent laughed at this _naive_ confession on the part of the -Dutchman, whose face was the very picture of truth. - -“I’ll cure ye of that before I quit ye, my boy,” ejaculated Ben. -“Take my word for it. I ain’t goin’ to hev no cowardly cuss in my -camp. Now ef we meet an Injun, what ar’ ye goin’ to do?” - -“I dinks I vould run avay so hard ash efer I can,” said Jan, with -refreshing candor. “I not likes Plackfeet no more ash hogs.” - -Again the merry laughter of Millicent rung through the pass. Old Ben -looked at her with a fatherly smile. - -“You’d run away, would ye? Now, don’t ye ever go to do it. Fer ef ye -do, ez sure ez a gun you git it right through the back. I won’t hev -no skulkin’. It’s no wonder the gal laughs at you. But hyar’s our -b’ar.” - -The leaves had rattled down during the night, and drifted so that the -body of the animal was completely covered. Ben brushed them away with -his hand and exposed the huge body to view. Millicent had never seen -a grizzly bear, and it was something so terrible that she could not -repress a cry. The wound which the roer had made was exposed to view. -Indeed, the top of the head was completely blown off. - -“Dere!” cried Jan, in high good humor. “I kills dat pear mit mine -roer.” - -“It was a bold thing to do.” - -“Vell, I dinks off I vas not kill dat pear, ter pear vould kill me,” -said Jan. “So I kills ter pear.” - -“That showed great discretion on your part,” laughed Millicent. “But, -what is the sound that seems to come from below?” - -Ben stopped pulling at the body of the bear and listened. There was -a pattering sound, like drops of falling rain, and then the pass -below them was filled with a moving mass, and that mass was a pack of -prairie-wolves, coming on at - - “Their long gallop, which can tire - The hounds’ deep hate or the hunter’s fire.” - -A pack of wolves, mad with hunger. There is nothing more fearful to a -trapper. They know too well the vindictive fury with which the black -brutes pursue and drag down their prey. - -“Togs?” queried Jan. - -“Wolves!” shouted Ben. “Heel it, Jan! Git up a tree as lively as you -kin. I wouldn’t give a beaver-pelt fer yer life ef ye don’t, and ez -fer the b’ar--umph! Run for it. Turn the hosses loose.” - -Snatching Millicent from the horse, he put her into the branches of -a low pine and ordered her to clamber higher. She obeyed without a -word, and he took another tree close at hand. The horses ran toward -the camp. - -Jan needed no second bidding, but ran away, with a face which -betokened his earnest hate of the animal in question. Wolves! He had -heard their ominous howl near his house on the borders of the Black -Forest many a time. The ferocity of the animal is wonderful. Jan knew -that well. He recognized the lolling tongue, the white teeth. He had -heard his father tell of peasants taken in the forest, far from home -and dragged down, screaming in vain for aid. Next day their friends -would find their bones whitening in the sun’s rays. - -The pack uttered fierce yells at the sight of the man, and rushed at -him. But Jan got to a tree in season, taking his gun with him. Down -came the pack, snarling, snapping at each other, and scattering the -leaves on either side. In a moment they surrounded the trees in which -the trappers had taken shelter, leaping up against them, gnashing -their white teeth and clawing at the bark. Millicent uttered a cry of -terror. - -“I dinks I puilds a ’ouse in a dree,” said Jan, despairingly. “I has -peen drove to a dree more ash dree times sence I cooms here. I dinks -dat it vas von coonthry vere dey lifs in der drees.” - -“Ye oughter be glad ye’ve _got_ a tree so nigh,” said Ben. “The -durned animiles would ’a’ tore ye to pieces in half a minnit more. -Thar! They’ve found yer b’ar. Don’t holler, gal. They kain’t get at -ye.” - -A dozen fierce jaws were tearing at the rough hide of the grizzly, -and others struggling to get a taste of the coveted flesh. Jan was in -a rage. His “pear,” the trophy of his valor, the beast he had killed -with his own hand, to be devoured before his eyes by a pack of hungry -wolves! He was in a towering passion. - -“I dinks dat pymepye I gets down unt kills auvery volf in dat flock. -Look! See how dey shpile my pear! I kills dat pear myself.” - -“I’m satisfied thet ’tain’t our hide the’r’ a-tearin’,” said Ben. -“Thet’s all right. Let ’em eat. Then mebbe they won’t be so hungry -for us. I guess we may ez well drop a few of them while we’ve got the -light.” - -He raised his rifle and was about to fire, but a second thought -caused him to lower it. “No, ’twon’t do to make them any madder then -they ar’, or the obstinate brutes will stay hyar a week but they’ll -hev us. Durn a wolf, anyhow. What do they want to chase us for jest -now?” - -“Shpose I shoots my cun at dem vunce,” said Jan. “I shoots fiviff or -sax mit one dime. Look; I shoots dat vun over dere.” - -Jan leaned forward and fired. - -The charge flew among the wolves about the body of the bear, wounding -several of them more or less. At the same time the branch upon which -the Dutchman was sitting broke, and he fell to the ground. The wolves -fell back at first, but, seeing only one man, rushed at him on every -side. - -The German then showed that he was brave enough, if need be. The -heavy gun was swung above his head, and the iron-bound butt descended -on his foes with mighty force. The first brute fell with a crushed -skull. Ben Miffin was not the man to see a comrade in danger and not -come to his aid. He sprung down, scattering the cowardly creatures -right and left. - -The diversion enabled Jan to get back to the tree. Ben made a last -rush at the wolves and then climbed to his perch again, leaving a -portion of the flap of his hunting-shirt in the jaws of the foremost -brute. - -“Git a stronger limb this time,” said Ben. “Don’t fall ag’in; ef ye -do, durned ef _I’ll_ help ye.” - -The pack now recommenced the struggle for the possession of the bear. -Here and there an old or weak wolf was being throttled and torn in -pieces by his comrades. - -“A hungry lot,” muttered Ben. “I wish they’d clear out. I don’t want -to stay up hyar all night, an’ I ain’t goin’ to. Come sassies, git -done yer meal an’ clear out.” - -“Penn,” said Jan in a slightly tremulous voice, “can volfs climb -drees?” - -“Climb trees, ye durned fool! _Of_ course they kin. If they was in -any hurry for ye they’d ’a’ been up thet thar tree half an hour ago. -Oh, I reckon yer cat’s-meat _now_. Say yer prayers, ef ye’ve got any. -I think ye’d better, anyhow. It’s the last chaince ye’ll hev.” - -“Don’t talk dat vay, Penn,” said Jan. “Vy you likes to scare a poor -Doochman all to bieces? I dells you I don’t like volfs. Dey ish got -long teeth like nails. I dinks dey pe very hoongry. Vell, shpose I -gits to St. Louis once more, I goes pack to Yarmany mit a backet. I -not shtays here.” - -“I judge ye won’t git back to St. Louis,” said Ben. “Them chaps don’t -look much ez ef they meant to let ye, do they? I judge not. Anyway, -I’ve got my opinion, and I’ll back it, thet they begin to gnaw ye in -just ten minnits by the sun. They make short work of a Dutchman.” - -“Don’t I know you, Penn Miffin? Don’t I know you so vell ash never -vas? Dey can’t climb no more as a pig. You’s a liar, unt you knows -you pe a liar. I never sees a vorse vun.” - -“Jest wait a bit, my lad,” said Ben. “I’ll come to you by and by.” - -“I’d rather pe licked py a man dan swallowed py a volfs,” whimpered -Jan. “I fights dem, anyway. I pees not afraid of dem no more ash you. -Coom; vy you no shoots?” - -“Shet up!” said Ben. “Somebody is coming. Hark!” - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - INDIANS! - - -As he spoke, the wolves scattered right and left, and ran in terror -up the gullies at the sides of the pass. The men in the trees -remained still as death, one from terror, the other from caution. - -There was good reason for the hasty fight of the wolves and the -silence of the men hidden in the trees. A band of savages were -coming down the mountain pass, admirably mounted, dressed in the -gaudy style of the Indian warrior, with flaming feathers and beaded -garments. Each poised in his right hand a long buffalo-lance, which -they managed to carry gracefully, without appearing to incumber them. -Some of them bore a small shield of buffalo-hide, but most of them -rather depended upon their own activity than this slight defense. -In front of the band rode a tall chief in a rich costume, with a -belt of worked wampum thrown over his shoulder and buckled about his -waist. He eschewed the lance, and carried instead a beautiful rifle. -His figure was commanding, and he had a noble head, a nose cut like -Cæsar’s, and a firm mouth. His eye was black and piercing. His hair -long and dropping on his shoulders. By his side, armed in every -respect like the elder, rode the boy who had been taken prisoner by -the trapper on the prairie and threatened by Jules. - -The party might have contained a hundred in all, and a single glance -convinced the trapper that they were Blackfeet. They pulled up at -the skeleton of the bear, uttering cries of surprise, for, of all -animals, they think the grizzly bear the fiercest, and most to be -feared. They dismounted and examined the body. The head had been -untouched by the wolves, and the gaping wound was revealed. - -They crowded together about the body, chattering loudly, putting -their hands into the wound, and evidently wondering what weapon could -have inflicted it. Even the chief descended and looked at the body. - -“They have great guns at the big wigwam which make a hole like this,” -said he gravely. “This is a white man’s work. It is not a rifle.” - -“Can a white man carry a great gun on his back?” said another Indian, -in the dress of a chief. “I can not understand. Some medicine-man has -taken the life of the big bear of the hills. It is no common gun.” - -“Wah-be-o-win says well. All the white men are great medicine. My -race pass away before them like trees before their axes. But Whirling -Breeze will not live long enough to see the work done. While he is -alive, there will be war between his people and the white men.” - -“Why should we not make peace?” said a chief who had not spoken -before. “Why should we fight against those who are stronger? I have -been to the forts and I have been to the towns by the big water. They -have talking-houses which make them flour, and guns and powder. They -took me into these talking-houses, and showed me what was done. Why -not be friends with them, since they be stronger than we?” - -“Peace, Red Arm,” said Whirling Breeze, angrily. “The Blackfeet shall -never bow the knee to the white men. They will die one by one, but -they will never yield to the destroyer.” - -“Let us find those who have done this,” said the chief, Wah-be-o-win. -“We will take their scalps as a beginning.” - -Whirling Breeze gave a signal, and all the braves bounded into the -saddle and rode away down the pass. - -Ben stretched out his head and watched them anxiously. There were -two passes through the hills, and if the Indians would only take the -wrong one it would give the whites a chance to run down and apprise -their comrades of the danger. A moment of breathless suspense, and -the party turned into the pass leading to the hunter’s camp. - -“It’s all up,” said Ben. “Poor Jule is done fer, an’ that young -chap Bentley. Come down, Jan. We must get out of the way as soon as -possible. The durned thieves won’t be long gutting the concern.” - -The old trapper helped Millicent from the tree. Jan came down in -great haste and followed Ben’s lead. He turned into the second pass -before mentioned, and hurried down it half a mile. No concealment of -the trail was attempted; but at last they reached a place where there -was a break in the rocky sides of the cañon, and up this went the -men, with their guns at a “right shoulder shift,” using one hand to -assist them in climbing. Ben looked back once at Jan. All traces of -fear had left his face, and his compressed lips told of a steadfast -determination. Ben nodded, and muttered to himself. Millicent -followed them bravely, pale, but evidently not from fear. - -“He’ll do; I’ll cure him,” muttered Ben, “an’ the gal is good grit, -too.” - -The pass grew steeper. They slung the guns over their shoulders -by the straps, and used both hands in dragging themselves up the -ascent. They had to stop now and then to assist Millicent. Jan was -puffing like a grampus. Millicent could hardly see why Ben had taken -this course. From the spot where they stood they had a complete -view of the valley and its occupants. It was already crowded by -the Indian band, who were running about at will, peeping into the -cabin, overturning camp-utensils and snapping the springs of some -spare traps which had been left in the cabin. Ben looked in vain for -the Frenchman. He had hidden somewhere on the first approach of the -savages, and a number of them were scattered up and down, searching -for him. It was clear they knew all about the camp, and the number of -its occupants. Bentley was nowhere in sight, and Millicent began to -hope. - -“They don’t seem to t’ar things much, as _yit_,” said Ben. “I expect -to see the dry bones rattle pretty soon. They kain’t help but burn -us out. It’s in the’r natur’s, the condemned critters. I wisht I hed -about a hundred Crows here, I’d make the feathers fly in thet thar -company, I would. Durn a Blackfoot!” - -“Vare pe Shule gone, Penn?” said Jan. “I not see ’im noveres. Unt -vere ish Pentley?” - -“No more I don’t know, Dutchy. They’ve got into kiver som’ers. But -they’ll nose them out, ye see ef they don’t. A Blackfoot is wuss then -a hound on a cold scent. Lordy! they ain’t got no chaince! An’ fer my -part, I don’t see whar they kin hev hid themselves. Thar ain’t no -hole thet I know on.” - -“Vat ish de Injun doin’ mit de hoss?” demanded Jan. “Shpose dey -_shteal_ ’im?” - -“Steal him! They’d steal the cents off’n a dead Dutchman’s eyes. Ye -don’t know Blackfeet. I _do_. They ain’t wuth a cuss. I wouldn’t -take the offer to buy out the hull tribe, ef I c’u’d git ’em for -a beaver-skin. Not the hull tribe. The’r’ in a state of gineral -cussidness thet is alarmin’. I kain’t go a cent on ’em. An’ ef they -take that hoss, I’ll extarminate the hull tribe. Don’t look skeered, -miss. I reckon the young man is safe hid.” - -“I dinks it would pe petter to keep avay,” said Jan. “I don’t dink it -vould pe right to fite mit a dribe. I dinks dey vip us.” - -“Don’t ye believe it! I consider myself capable of cleanin’ out the -entire tribe. I kin do it every time. I kin do it jest ez _easy_. -What’s a little tribe of Injuns to a white human of my mental and -moral caliber. I’m ez good ez a dozen missionaries, _I_ am. A -missionary talks to ’em a while, an’ they listen tell they git tired, -an’ then take his sculp. They’d take it before, only they kain’t -understand a word he sez, an’ it don’t hurt ’em. Now I cum of a -strong family, an’ that kind of moral suasion ain’t my best holt. I -don’t reason with ’em thet way.” - -“How you do it, Penn?” - -“I put a ball right through the’r karkidges, an’ then I kin reason -with ’em to great advantage. They understand what I mean.” - -“Vat ef he pe deat, Penn?” - -“That’s the beauty of my style. He kain’t resist the line of argyment -I hev adopted. He appreciates its force, I allow. Don’t ye see?” - -“Yaw. Kill him unt den talks mit him. Dat ish goot vay! I does him -myself, pymepye, ven I kills an Injun.” - -“I reckon ye’ll hev a chaince, one of these days. What ar’ they -prowlin’ roun’ thet beaver-dam fur? The’r’ after my traps, the -sneakin’ varmints. It’ll bother ’em some to git ’em, anyhow; I’m -ruther good at hidin’ traps. But I’ll mark every Injun in the party, -an’ one of these yer days we’ll hev a settlement. Keep out of sight. -Ef they see us, they’ll never rest tell they git us. Lay low!” - -“All right, Penn. I dakes care. I no likes to fight mit dem unless -I have to; put vat I dinks ish dis: Aff’n’ man ash vas vant to lif -so long vat he can, vill not vite vor his life, ven he _haf_ to do -it, den he vas vun pig vool. I not like to vite. I pees not a vitin’ -character. Put off dey cooms, I kills all of dem vat I _can_. Dat ish -drue vat I dells you.” - -“Thet’s the right kind of talk, old man,” said Ben. “I like thet. -It sounds like a man. Don’t rush into danger, but don’t _dodge_ it. -Thet’s the way to talk it. Thet’s the way to be sensible. Kin ye see -any thing of Jule yit?” - -“I don’t see him noveres,” replied Jan. - -“I kain’t think whar he’s hid, or what them buggers ar’ pokin’ round -thet dam fer. He kain’t be thar, kin he? Ain’t one of them Injuns -goin’ into the water?” - -“More ash vun of ’em,” said Jan. “More ash a tozen, I dinks.” - -It was true. A number of the Indians had gone into the shallow -stream, and were wading toward the dam, approaching the beaver-hut -nearest the shore. One of them approached the opening and climbed up -on the dam. Another followed, and they commenced taking off the top -of the hut. Beavers do their work well, and it was the work of some -moments. At last the top was removed, and they stooped together and -dragged something out. Was it a beaver? No; but Jules Damand, who had -ensconced himself in the hut as a hiding-place. - -They passed on to the next hut, and in like manner dragged out -Bentley Morris, who had taken refuge there. It was with the deepest -sorrow that the party on the mountain saw their ill-fated companions -dragged from their places of refuge, amid the exultant yells of the -savages, and conducted to the shore. They made no struggle; indeed, -any resistance would have been useless against such a force. - -“They are taken. Oh, gracious heaven, they are taken. What will be -their fate?” cried Millicent. - -“I kain’t tell,” said Ben. “They may kill ’em, but I don’t think it. -Jule has got the wust chance, fer he tried to kill the boy.” - -“Poor Shule,” said Jan. “I pees sorry I gits mat mit him unt wrastle -him town on his pack.” - -“The least they kin hope fer is to be pris’ners of the Blackfeet fer -years. Poor lads. I’d give anything to set ’em free. But, what kin I -do; _what_ kin I do?” - -The prisoners were dragged out into the open space and questioned -angrily. Whirling Breeze stood in front of them for a while, and -then, taking Jules by the shoulder, he led him into the cabin. - -“He’s tryin’ to git him to tell whar we ar’ hid,” said Ben, chuckling -hugely. “He’ll make a good deal out’n Jule, I reckon. Take keer not -to show yerself, gal, it won’t do. Ef they catch sight of a woman, -they’ll foller her till doom’sday but they’ll ketch her. But we’ve -got things our own way. Ef Jule _knew_ he wouldn’t tell, and as he -don’t know whar we ar’, he _kain’t_ tell. So we ar’ safe two ways, -don’t ye see?” - -Shortly after, Jules and Whirling Breeze came out of the cabin, the -Indian excited and gesticulating violently. The sound of his voice -even reached the rock on which the watchers stood. But, they could -not distinguish his words. At last they bound the prisoners, and -placed them on horses. This done, the entire band trooped away. - -In a few moments all was still, and nothing remained to show that a -visit had been made but the two broken beaver-huts, a few scattered -beads, with here and there a broken shaft, a feather, or a worn -moccasin. To the surprise of the trapper, his horse, which had run -back to the camp when the wolves attacked them, was left at liberty -as well as the Dutchman’s. Millicent had sunk down upon her knees, -her face buried in her hands. The man who had saved her from deadly -peril, who had placed his own life in jeopardy to save hers, who -had kept up his courage and hers in starvation and fatigue, and had -taken deep wounds in her behalf, was a prisoner in the hands of a -bloodthirsty enemy! - -She never knew her love till now. - -“It’s hard, gal,” said Ben, sadly. “I agree to that. But it happens -often out hyar on the plains. I’m sorry. But we couldn’t help it.” - -“He was a brave man,” she said, sobbing. “He saved my life twice, and -now he is gone.” - -“Don’t you give it up. Thar ain’t no use of _thet_. Pshaw! He may git -away. He’s a bright young chap, and he may get cl’ar. Let’s hope so. -Blame it, he hez got a good chaince. Let’s go back to camp. Ar’ you -goin’ with me, or will you stay hyar, Jan?” - -“I coes mit you, Penn.” - -“That’s right. Stick by me. You scratch my back an’ I’ll scratch your -back. I know what they’ll do with Jule. He will hev a four-ounce ring -in his nose, and be painted red, yaller and green. I wouldn’t mind -_thet_ ef they won’t kill him. I’ve wore the chief’s paint myself, -and it ain’t so bad to be chief in a tribe, and I judge he’ll be a -chief ef he don’t make ’em too mad at him.” - -They began to descend into the camp from the spot where they stood. -It was difficult, more so than on the other side, and needed a quick -eye and hand to accomplish the descent without the greatest danger. -A fall would have been certain death. They took Millicent between -them, and aided her down the perilous path, the strength and skill of -Ben standing them both in good stead in a hundred ways before they -accomplished the distance. The loose slate slipped under their feet, -and it was with a feeling of heartfelt satisfaction that he saw his -two companions safe on the solid earth below. - -“Well done, miss; well done, old boy; I knew ye hed the right sort of -stuff in ye. This climbin’ about among the rocks is my best holt, an’ -ye kept even with me. Thar ain’t many could do it, an’ I may safely -say no woman’s foot ever trod what yours did to-day, miss. It’s -somethin’ to be proud of, an’ I’m raally proud of comin’ down thar. -Now then, put yer best foot foremost, an’ let’s see what damage the -brutes hev done in the camp.” - -“You objected to my calling you _sir_ the other day,” said Millicent. -“I must quarrel with you now, father Ben. My name is Milly.” - -“Psho, now!” responded Ben, with a delighted look. “Ye don’t mean to -call the old man by _that_ name, do ye?” - -“Yes; all my hope is in you now; you must call me Milly.” - -“Yer a sweet gal, Milly; the man thet couldn’t fight fer ye don’t -desarve the name of man nohow. Now look yer: I’m goin’ ter save yer -young man--you see ef I don’t! I’ll save him or lay my bones by the -Powder river; thet’s ez good ez swore to.” - -“If you could save him, father Ben, I should love you always, dearly.” - -“You would? And ye called me father Ben? All right. We’ll see ef thar -ain’t suthin’ yit in old Ben Miffin.” - -They hurried to the hut and entered; every thing was in confusion, -and it was some time before they could collect the scattered -articles sufficiently to see that not one had been removed. Every -thing remained intact, to the utter surprise of Ben, who knew that -Blackfeet are born thieves. In all his experience, he had never -known them to enter a camp and leave any thing which could possibly -be taken away; and there were many little articles, such as traps, -blankets, knives, hatchets, and the like, much coveted by the -Indians, lying about in every direction, untouched. Ben looked about -him in amazement. - -“I’ve seen a good many things in my time, strange things too, but -this beats all natur’,” he said. - -“Vat beats?” said Jan. - -“They ain’t stole a _thing_; they’ve even left our hosses.” - -“I dinks dese pe coot Injuns,” said Jan, with a grin. - -“Good! Git out! Don’t be pokin’ fun at a chap in yer old age. The -world is comin’ to an end; don’t say it ain’t; I know better. I went -down to Selkirk last summer, an’ thar was a chap thar preachin’ thet -the accounts of the world would be brung to a close jest about this -time; an’ the durned critter was right--a Millerite, they called him.” - -“I know vat dey pe; dey sits on a stone in der mill, mit dere little -chisels, unt go chip, chip, chip on der stones; dat ish vat a -Mill’rite pe.” - -“Ye git out! ’tain’t no sech thing; this hyar critter was a -_preacher_. He was a long-haired, lanky chap, with jaws ez long ez my -knife. I didn’t believe him then; I do now. Blame me ef I ever hern -tell of sech a thing. Come hyar, Diamond.” - -The white horse, which had been straying at will about the cañon, -came at his call, and rubbed his beautiful head against the trapper’s -shoulder. The old man returned the caress by gently stroking the -silken mane and putting it back from the ears of the noble animal. - -“I kin forgive ’em a good deal, seein’ they left ye to me,” said Ben. -“Ef they’d taken ye away, old hoss, I’d ’a’ gone for ’em in a way -thet would hev set ’em back sev’ral files, the durned critters.” - -“Penn,” said Jan, “somepoty’s a-coomin’.” - -“Whar?” said Ben. - -“Listen, unt you hear ’em. A horse is valking dis vay.” - -“Git to kiver then. Into the hut; it’s the only place. Blame my cats -ef they ain’t comin’ back.” - -They plunged hastily into the cabin and barred the door. This done, -they went to the side looking toward the entrance to the cañon and -watched. They could hear the hoofs of the coming horse, and make out -that he was advancing slowly. At last the head of the horse appeared -in view, then the rider, and they saw who it was. Jules Damand! His -hands and feet were tied, and he could urge his horse forward only -very slowly. Both the men started out eagerly to meet him, followed -by Millicent. They cut his bonds and assisted him to alight. - -“Ve t’ought you vas teat,” said Jan. - -“I thought you war gobbled,” said Ben. - -“So I was,” said Jules, coolly, with a sidelong look at the face of -Millicent. “But you see I have escaped.” - -His manner was constrained, and he tried to avoid the eyes of his -companions. To their questioning he made answer that the Indians had -ridden out upon the prairie, and soon after entered a defile in the -hills--a dark and narrow pass. In this pass he managed to make his -escape, leaving Bentley in the hands of the enemy. - -“Couldn’t you ’a’ managed to cut his bonds loose, or least ways to -give him a wink somehow?” - -“No, I couldn’t,” said he, rather sulkily. “You don’t seem over glad -I got away.” - -“And glad we ar’ to see ye, though ye didn’t bring the young man with -ye. It does my heart good to see ye. I gave ye up fer a goner. Lordy! -when Whirling Breeze gits his claw on a white man, he ain’t got much -chaince, unless the Injuns take a shine to him ez the Crows did to -me. Did ye hear why they didn’t take our traps?” - -“Something which the boy said; he is a son of Whirling Breeze.” - -“I thought so; they ar’ alike ez picters. I’m glad I did the boy a -good turn. I kain’t git it through me how Whirling Breeze ever let -them traps alone. And the hosses! Who ever hern tell of an Injun -leavin’ a hoss he could steal jest ez well ez not?” - -“Never mind the boy; I will remember him to his cost,” said Jules. - -“Where did you leave them?” - -“About five miles to the east.” - -“Then the pass they went into lies south of the big hills, don’t it?” - -“Yes.” - -“Then I know whar they mean to camp,” said Ben, “and thar’s goin’ to -be the only place whar I stand a chaince of gettin’ that boy out’n -the hands of the durned Blackfeet. It’s got to be did, if old Ben -Miffin kin cipher it down. I don’t know thet I’d do it fer his sake, -but fer the gal.” - -“You seem to take a great deal of interest in her, don’t you?” said -Jules, with a half-sneer which Ben did not at all like. - -“To be sure; don’t you?” - -Jules Damand laughed in a strange way, which by no means pleased Ben. -Indeed, there was something in his conduct lately different from the -frank and open manner which had won the sympathy of the old trapper, -in St. Louis. Even the stolid German observed the change. - -Millicent drew the Frenchman aside as soon as she could do so. - -“Was Bentley down-hearted? Did he despair?” she asked. - -“Who? Do you call him by his first name? What is he that you should -take so much interest in him?” - -“He is my very dear friend. You do not answer my question.” She spoke -in rather a haughty tone. - -“He was down-hearted indeed, and with good reason. He is either -going to a hopeless captivity or certain death, and he lacks the -spirit to escape, as I did.” - -“Sir!” - -“Well, what now?” - -“No man dare say to me that Bentley Morris fears to attempt any thing -a man may do. You shall not traduce him. I believe that you hate him, -though I can not imagine the cause.” - -Damand slowly left her, with a savage gleam in his eyes. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - SHOWING HIS COLORS. - - -Next morning Ben was on his feet early, and mounting the white horse, -he went away alone, leaving Millicent in the care of the Dutchman and -Jules. He whispered in the ear of the young girl that he would either -bring her lover back to her, or leave his bones upon the prairie. She -had the utmost confidence in him, and felt a certain elation at heart -as she saw that the brave old man was determined on the enterprise. -Jan, who was fast learning to trust in him, wished to go too, but the -old trapper would not allow it, and resolutely ordered the Dutchman -to return, which he did, with several Dutch expletives, not proper to -enter in this book. - -Left with these rough men in camp, Millicent had not the slightest -fear. She knew that the Dutchman, in his rude way, was her knight, -ready to defend her from insult of any kind. - -“I am afraid that father Ben will get into danger on my account,” she -said. - -“Oh, Penn ish not afrait,” said Jan, looking at her with a broad -smile, as she sat down upon a stump near him. “Penn so prave ash -nefer vas.” - -At this moment Jules, who had been leaning against the doorpost of -the cabin, apparently in deep thought, came up and whispered in her -ear. - -“What do you want?” she said, without turning her head. - -“I wish to speak to you for a moment,” he replied, in the same tone. - -She rose and followed him to the river side, where she sat down on -a fallen log and he took a position a few feet away, regarding her -earnestly. - -“You wonder what I can have to say to you,” he said. “In the first -place, give me your promise not to reveal it to a living soul. It -applies to this Bentley Morris.” - -Without thought, never dreaming that the purport of what he had to -say could in any way apply to her, she gave the required promise. - -“You must know that I am a man whom the bad fortune of life has -pressed to the earth. Time was when my family stood high in rank and -wealth. That time has gone by, and step by step I have been forced -down, until I own not a foot of land in all the world. What of that? -I am Jules Damand yet, and will carve out a way to fortune with my -own right arm.” - -“I am sorry for you,” she said. “Is this what you have to say? I hope -you may succeed.” - -“It is the prelude only,” he answered. “I wish to make you understand -that, though you find me a poor voyageur and trapper, I am still -equal in rank to yourself.” - -She was silent now. A woman of quick wit, she saw at once toward what -he tended, and knew no way to stop him. She was not astonished when -he went on: - -“I love you, and wish to make you my wife.” - -She was on her guard immediately. - -“You do me too much honor, Mr. Damand. It seems to me that the few -days we have been acquainted are hardly sufficient to warrant you in -taking this step. You will excuse me.” - -“Not without an answer.” - -“It seems to me there is but one answer. I must decline your -proposal,” she answered, firmly. - -“I supposed as much. That is nothing. I am prepared for any thing. -What if I tell you I have a way of compelling you to accede to my -demand?” - -“If you were to tell me so, I think I should say you told a -falsehood.” - -“Then I should feel called upon to prove my words true. In the first -place, then, you have a sort of feeling for the young person known as -Bentley Morris. What if I were to tell you that his fate depends in a -great measure upon you?” - -“How can that be? He is in the hands of the Blackfeet.” - -“I am aware of it. Yet I am ready to attest upon oath that I have -the power of freeing him from captivity, or at least of saving him -from death. I am rather inclined to the opinion that they will roast -him. I should be sorry to have that done, really, as I have nothing -against the young gentleman, except the penchant you have for him, -which is not _his_ fault, poor fellow. Be merciful. Save him from -this dreadful fate.” - -“You are a wretch. I suspected you all along, and now I am sure of -it. You are in league with the Indians.” - -“Ah; you have great penetration.” - -“When father Ben returns I will inform him of this.” - -“You forget. You are pledged not to say a word. Remember that.” - -“You entrapped me into a promise which I ought to break,” she -answered. - -“Yet you dare not. I tell you that the fate of your lover hangs upon -my life. I am not likely to give you up readily. I repeat that I love -you. A Frenchman loves in a moment, and forever. Beware what you do, -and above all, keep silent.” - -She knew that she was in his power. He laughed lightly, and laid his -hand upon her shoulder. All the passion in her nature was aroused, -and she struck him in the face with the flat of her hand. He stepped -back a pace and put his hand to a knife instinctively. A flush of -blood rushed into his face. Jan, from where he was sitting, saw the -action, and rushing forward, thrust his heavy body between them to -shake his ponderous fist under the nose of Jules, who recoiled at the -sight. - -“She struck me,” he cried, angrily. “I will make you repent that blow -so bitterly that you will wish you had never been born, rather than -have raised your hand against me.” - -“You drove me to do it,” she answered. - -“Vat you say mit her, Shules Tamant?” demanded Jan, his fist -vibrating to and fro in front of the Roman nose of Damand. “Yoost you -shpeaks now, vile I dalks mit you. I vants to know yoost all apout -it. Off you say a vord mit her vat ish not goot, I vill preak you in -so many ash vorty t’ousand bieces.” - -“I will make daylight shine through your body in a moment if you do -not take care,” said Damand. “Get out of my way.” - -“I von’t! I shtays here yoost so long ash I haf a mind to. Now yoost -you look here. You’s a vool, you is. I nefer sees such a vool in all -mine life. Auver a man knows any t’ing he know petter ash to talk mit -a vooman, unt put a hant to a knife.” - -“Stand aside,” roared Jules, whipping out his knife. “It will be -better for you.” - -Jan instantly knocked him down in spite of his knife, and tied his -hands and feet. When he recovered from the blow Jan had conveyed him -into the cabin and shut the door. He writhed about in his bonds. - -“Jan!” he bawled. No answer. “Jan Schneider!” - -A silence like the grave. After he had roared himself hoarse Jan -thrust his head in at the door and said quietly: - -“Vas you callin’ _me_?” - -“Of course I was.” - -“Berhaps you ton’t know I’ve got a hantle to mine name, Mister Shules -Tamant? Beeples call me _Mynheer_ Jan Schneider.” - -“Come here. I want you to untie these straps.” - -“Hein?” cried Jan, in astonishment. - -“I want you to let me go.” - -“Geh zum tuyfel! Ven I lets you co, I vas a very pig vool. Yon t’ink -you coom rount here unt haf eferyt’ing your own vay? I dells you goot -ash you can nix do nottings like dat. Ven Penn coomes pack, mebbe ve -t’row you in der vasser.” - -“Oh, but this is more than a joke, Jan. Untie me. This has gone far -enough. I did not intend to use the knife.” - -“No more den I intent to use mine vist. Unt I did intent to use him -_goot_. How your ear veel pout dis dime of ter day, Shule?” - -“Will you, or will you not, release me from these bonds?” - -“I vill not, unless you bromise to peg der bardon auver der young -lady.” - -“I’ll never do that.” - -“All right. Den shtay vere you pe until Penn coomes pack.” - -“I’ll beg her pardon.” - -“Vell. Den you must yoost peg _my_ bardon,” said Jan. - -“Yours. _Sacré!_ I will never do that, at any rate,” roared Jules. - -“Goot! Den shtay vere you pe. I don’t vant to let you co.” - -“I’ll do any thing you ask.” - -Jan went away and was gone for a few moments. Then he came back and -set the Frenchman at liberty. He at once hurried to the place where -he had left his arms. They were nowhere to be found, and Jan, a -perfect arsenal of pistols and knives, was pacing up and down near -by, talking with Millicent. - -“Where are my arms?” roared Jules. - -“Arms? Vy, dere dey pe, py your sides, hanging vrom your shoulters. -Vere else vould dey pe?” - -“Where is my rifle, you scoundrel?” - -“Your rifle. Oh, vy didn’t you ask vor it? I pees ’vraid he gets -preak, so I puts him avay.” - -“You have my pistols and knife in your belt; give them up directly.” - -“Mr. Damand,” said Millicent, advancing, “we have decided to retain -your arms until the return of Ben.” - -“In other words, you mean to keep me sort of prisoner in this place?” - -“Precisely.” - -“I will not endure it.” - -“You must; there is no other course open to you. Jan will not -hesitate to shoot you if you attempt to go away. I am satisfied that -you would throw obstacles in the way of Ben’s rescue of Bentley. You -must be quiet.” - -“I must, eh? The time will come when you shall repent this. I loved -you dearly; I wanted to make you my wife. You scorned my love; you -shall feel my hate.” - -“I fear you not.” - -“Look here, Shule: vas you vool enough to dalk love mit der young -lady? I vill preak you all in bieces. You’s der vust vool I efer sees -in all mine life. I dells you as I dinks yoost so. Oh, mein cracious, -vat a vool you must pe!” - -The Frenchman looked as if he would like to commit murder if he had -the weapons in his hands. But, fate was against him. - -“You have every thing your own way now,” he said; “let it pass; I -will remain a prisoner.” - -“We are going this afternoon to the top of the hill to see if father -Ben is in sight.” - -“I will remain here.” - -“No, you will accompany us; we do not propose that you shall have an -opportunity to look for your arms, and turn the tables on us.” - -Jules ground his teeth, but there was nothing for him but obedience. -Shaking his head, he went back into the cabin, while Jan looked after -the traps which were near at hand, and took out the beaver which he -found there. He did not go far away, however. Late in the afternoon -they mounted the hill to look out upon the prairie. Jan forced -his prisoner to go in front, and they reached the summit, whence -Millicent cast a sweeping glance over the broad plain. As she did so, -she saw Bentley, mounted on the white horse of the trapper, pushing -him forward at his best speed toward the little stream which ran -through the prairie. The horse rose to the leap with all his might -and landed safely on the other side. Not far behind him came Ben -Miffin, at full speed, with two Indians close at his heels. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - MIFFIN’S LEAP. - - -The trapper had not been long in finding the Indians. They were -merely a hunting party who had come out upon the plains for buffalo, -and who had turned aside for the purpose of rooting out the men -who had dared to invade their hunting-grounds. The arrow had been -sent, the warning given, and there was nothing for them to do but to -destroy the insolent intruders. - -The trapper approached the Indian camp warily. It was pitched upon -the wooded prairie, not far from one of those growths of timber which -rise like oases in the desert, in the prairie country. Ben tied -his horse in a thick clump a quarter of a mile away from the camp, -and crept cautiously forward, like a born scout as he was. Silent -as death, not even stirring a leaf, his moccasined feet passed on, -until the woods hid him from view. But for the fact that a high peak -intervened between the hill on which Millicent took her station to -watch, and the ground upon which the camp stood, she might have seen -the entire transaction. - -The moment he had entered the woods he felt safer. Pressing forward -to the extreme verge of the thicket, he climbed a tree, from which he -had a view of the encampment. It was about noon, and the Indians were -in great commotion. Nearly every warrior was gathered about Whirling -Breeze, who was haranguing them in a loud voice. Some portions of the -speech Ben could comprehend. - -“Be not impatient, warriors of the Blackfeet. Have faith in the -chief. These white men shall be given into our hands. There is a -maiden among them fairer than snow; she shall dwell in the lodges of -my people. Warriors and chiefs, it is well that some of the white men -should come among us. They have many arts, of which we know nothing, -by the power of which the Indians are fading away, as the snow melts -when the sun is high. He shall teach us these things. When we know -them, we can meet the white men with their own weapons, and sweep -them away. Let us wait the good time.” Who the “he” here referred to, -Ben could not for his life comprehend. - -He looked about him for Bentley Morris. He was standing near the -center of the camp, bound to a small tree. Ben began to despair. How -was it possible, alone and unaided, to free him from the hands of the -enemy? - -Some time he sat in the tree. Indians passed and repassed. Several of -them stood for a few minutes beneath the tree, and conversed in low -tones. Ben was in doubt. Was it possible that Jules Damand had turned -traitor? His heart sunk at the thought that he had left Millicent -under such a guard. No, impossible that Jules could play false. He -had no motive for treachery--he could gain nothing, but would lose -every thing, by desertion. So the honest old hunter disposed of -_that_ suspicion. - -There were several young squaws in the camp, as is generally the -case with a hunting-party. Their not unmusical voices could be heard -calling to each other and singing snatches of Indian songs. - -A greater tumult arose. Looking to the east, Ben was conscious that a -dark mass was beginning to show itself upon the prairie, miles away. -This dark mass was no strange sight to Ben Miffin. He had seen it a -hundred times before on these limitless prairies. A herd of buffalo, -driven forward by the scouts of the Indian band, who had been beating -the prairie for game. - -The greatest excitement immediately ensued in the Indian camp. Half -the warriors vaulted upon their horses’ backs without orders; the -rest, more orderly, waited the movements of the chief. Whirling -Breeze threw himself into the saddle and led the way at a gallop. Not -a warrior remained in the camp, with the exception of the pair who -guarded the prisoner. Even these ran out of the camp, and followed -the herd with their eyes, burning to be among them. The women had -gone out after the warriors as fast as they could run, leaving the -camp deserted for a moment. This moment was not lost by Ben Miffin. -Slipping from his perch, he ran to the tree, cut the bonds upon the -arms of the prisoner, and they ran together to the shelter of the -trees. If they had gained them unseen, the escape might have been -unnoticed for some time. But, an old woman, who had remained in the -camp, caught sight of them as they ran, and raised a yell that might -have done credit to a good-sized panther. This cry accelerated the -fugitives’ speed, and they reached the place where the white horse -was tied. - -“Git up,” said Ben. - -“What will you do?” - -Miffin never answered a word, but, throwing his rifle to the “trail,” -ran off at a speed which awakened the admiration of the young man. -As he hesitated, an arrow whizzed near his head. Looking back, he -saw his late guards coming up at a run, while the man who had fired -at him was fitting another shaft to the bow. Bentley leaped into the -saddle, and followed Ben, who had by this time gained several hundred -yards. He laughed as he saw the guards were after them. He had no -fear of any thing they could do to him unless others came to their -aid. - -“Keep your hoss at a trot, boy. Not too fast; keep alongside. You -ain’t got no weepons. Hyar’s a pistol. ’Tain’t a bad thing fer clust -quarters, but blame ’em when ye hev to fire mor’n ten feet. They -don’t work; you take my word fer it, they don’t work. Them Injuns are -good runners. The head one’s the best. We’ve got to cross the stream. -Kin ye do it?” - -“The horse can swim it.” - -“Better jump it. Turn his head down-stream and go yer best now. Never -mind me. I’m game enough to take keer of myself. You bet on that. -Ride hard. ’Bout half-a-dozen rods below thar’s a narrer place. I -ain’t got time to turn.” - -It was at this moment that Millicent arrived at the crest of the -mountain and saw them on the plain. She saw that the only danger was -to the brave old man, who had given up his horse to save his young -friend. One of the savages had turned off in chase of Bentley. The -other followed close on the heels of Ben, whirling his hatchet in the -air. Half a mile in the rear, coming up at the utmost speed of their -fast horses, the girl saw at least a dozen savages, riding to the aid -of the guards. - -Ben was running directly for the little stream which meandered -through the prairie. Millicent thought him doomed. His rifle was -not loaded. Would he turn upon the bank of the stream and meet -the Indians? The pace at which they were going was tremendous. -The Indians knew him well, and those in the rear redoubled their -efforts to come up with him. A wild yell of triumph broke from every -throat as they saw him approach the stream. He comprehended his -desperate situation now and had made up his mind as to his course. -In times like these men do things which in their calmer moments -seem impossible. He never slackened his speed as he approached the -deep watercourse, and gathering all his powers for the effort, and -grasping the rifle which had served him faithfully in many a bloody -fray, he bounded into the air, and landed safe and sure upon the -other bank! The place where he leaped was in the midst of a growth -of prairie-timber, and by the side of a tree. As he turned, rifle -in hand, his headmost pursuer, who had not been able to check his -headlong speed, appeared upon the other bank, his countenance -expressing the utmost surprise, as he gazed upon the wide space over -which Ben had leaped. Throwing up his hands in astonishment, he -shouted in the best English he could muster: - -“_Good_ jump! Big Buffalo make very big jump!” - -“Yes, durn yer dirty face. Now _git_ afore I bore a hole in ye! I -don’t keer to hurt ye, but ef ye ain’t out’n this afore I load this -yer rifle, good-by.” - -The Indian saw his danger. The dreaded rifle was not yet loaded, and -turning, he plied his heels in a way which did credit to his powers -of locomotion. Millicent, from her station on the hill, could hardly -refrain from laughing aloud as she saw the Indian run. Jan was in -ecstasies. While Ben was on the other side of the stream he kept up -a running fire of pitying phrases and encouraging words. When the -trapper leaped the stream he performed a war-dance with great spirit -upon the mountain top. - -“Yoost look at dat, you Vrenchmans. Dat’s mine vrent, Penn. _See_ him -shump! Shumps like a vrog, same vat you eats. Ach! Ho, ho, ha! See -dat Injun run. Hein? Trouble coom after you soon, Mister Injun. Oh, -Shules, how could you pe so pad ash to durn against such a mans ash -Penn?” - -“Who said I turned against him? It is got up between you and this -woman. I’ll ask the old man when he comes in if I am to be insulted -by every one and make no return. You old bully, I’ll cut your heart -out.” - -“You shut oop. I ain’t a vool. Vat you dakes der knife to me vor? Vat -vor you dries to make love to der vooman? Vat you vant mit a gun ven -I let you co? No, Shules, you pad egg.” - -“I’ll let you know, for one, whether I am to be insulted or not. Ben -will set it right. He wrongs no man.” - -“That is true,” said Millicent. “Be content to let the matter rest. -Or stay. They are now coming up the mountain and the Indians will not -dare to follow them into the pass. They know that they are desperate -men. If I promise to say nothing to them of your conduct, will you -promise to refrain from the like in future?” - -“The Dutchman would tell.” - -“Not if I ask him not,” said Millicent, smiling on the German. - -“No, py der saints! I nefer says nottings, put I keep oop a good deal -of t’inking all de dimes.” - -“Do you promise, Mr. Damand?” - -“I must. I can’t afford to have Ben against me.” - -“Then it is a bargain. See that you keep your part, Jan,” said -Millicent. - -“Oh, I keeps my pargains,” said Jan. “Off it’s a pad one, I can nix -help it. I makes pad pargains sometimes, ven I can not help him. Let -us co down to Penn. I very sorry to keep any t’ing vrom Penn. He goot -chap. You no dells der young feller?” - -Millicent flushed crimson. The acute German had found out that she -loved Bentley Morris. - -“Why should I tell him, Jan?” - -“Vy? I don’t know. Only ven you pe his vrow, pimepye, pooty soon, den -you dells him eferyt’ings. Yaw.” - -Jan chuckled hugely at her confusion, and walked behind the rest all -the way down the mountain, that he might enjoy a laugh by himself. -They came to the level plain just at the point where the pass -entered the valley, and there waited for the coming of the others. -As they waited, they heard the crack of a rifle in the ravine below, -followed by a shout from Ben. - -“Run to their aid,” cried Millicent. “Why do you hesitate?” - -They hurried on to the assistance of the trapper, and found him -standing in the mouth of the pass, rifle in hand, disputing the -further advance of the party of Indians, who had by this time crossed -the stream, and were parleying with him. - -“My brother will let his red friends come. They wish to smoke a pipe -with him,” said the leading Indian. - -“I am not in a smoking mood to-day,” said Ben. “You clear out. I’ve -made a camp hyar, an’ hyar I mean to stay.” - -“My brother is welcome to the home of the Blackfeet. But, why has he -come among us, and stolen our prisoners?” - -“None of your puisiness,” roared Jan, taking a position by the side -of Ben so suddenly, that even the iron-nerved trapper started. “Vat -you vant here?” - -“Ah-ha! Ar’ you thar, old Bologna?” laughed the trapper. “I’m -teachin’ ye how to do it, then. Ha, Jule, you here too? Whar is the -little ’un? Whar is she?” - -“Here,” said Millicent, in her clear, sweet voice, stepping to the -front. “I could not keep away, while you were all in danger. And I -brought Bentley his rifle. He needs a weapon.” - -Something in her manner as she gave the weapon into the owner’s hand, -told Jules that this indeed was her lover. He turned pallid as a -corpse, and ground his teeth fiercely, but said not a word. That was -useless now. He hoped that his day of triumph was not far off. - -“Now, sons of the Blackfeet,” said Ben, raising his voice, “ye kin -see what kind of a chaince ye’ve got ag’in’ us, with them bows, -arrers and spears. I reckon ye mout ez well give it up.” - -The Indians drew together and held a conference. This over, they -turned their horses’ heads and galloped away to the east. One by one -the horses splashed through the river, and they were gone across the -broad prairie, toward their camp. - -“Penn,” said Jan Schneider, extending his hand, “I’m glad you shumps -dat rifer. I pees afrait you gone dere.” - -“So was I, Jan, when I see how wide it was. Let’s go an’ measure it. -I’m proud of that jump.” - -They went back to the stream and measured the distance, and found it -to be just twenty-three feet. And the river was nearly as deep. - -“Swanzey-dree feet!” roared Jan. “Dere! Some of you peat dat!” - -“I can’t,” said Bentley. “What did that Indian say when you jumped? I -heard him roar something after you.” - -“He said, ‘Good jump; Big Buffalo’--that’s me--‘make very big jump,’” -said Ben. “By thunder, he made me laugh so I couldn’t have shot at -him. An’ didn’t he light out when I begun to load?” - -“’Twas a great jump,” said Bentley. “You ought to be proud of it. -What shall we do now?” - -“Better git back to camp. I don’t allow no Injun to drive me out -until I git ready.” - -The party went back over the rocky way, and Damand saw, with silent -rage, that it was upon the arm of Bentley the maid leaned, and _his_ -words which pleased her most. But he waited his time, satisfied that -his turn must come. They set to work and collected the scattered -articles, which in the late trouble had got into confusion. The traps -were in a bad way, and many of them needed resetting. The four men -went the rounds that day and got every thing in order, and brought in -a number of fine skins. - -“These are valuable skins,” said Bentley. “I have been in the fur -trade myself, and I never saw better beaver.” - -“They ain’t been thinned out much,” replied Ben. “All the old uns ar’ -hyar yit. It makes a big difference.” - -“I know it does. What a pity we must be driven away so soon.” - -“Ef it wa’n’t for the gal, we’d stay hyar and brass it out. But, -while we’ve got weak ’uns like that with us, it makes a man cowardly. -So we must git back ez soon ez we kin. Onc’t she is safe to the -forts, I’m comin’ back, fer one.” - -“I would not, if I were you,” said Jules. “It is dangerous.” - -“Who keers for a little danger? Any man kin git into danger ef he -wants to. It’s the spice of life, danger is. Go out fer that trap, -Jules, I’m a little stiff after my run. I ain’t ez strong ez I used -to be.” - -“You can run faster than any man in the party now,” said Bentley. -“And who among us is able to jump twenty-three feet?” - -“The old man ain’t dead yit,” replied Ben, grinning. “He’ll do a -power of work afore he goes under. Yes, he will; you bet on it. An’ -as for the durned Injuns, they may drive us away now, but we’ll come -back. And to-morrer we’ve got to build a raft. ’Twon’t do to be taken -unawares. Hurry up!” - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - THE SUCK. - - -The river upon which these scenes are laid, was a narrow stream, -sometimes flowing smoothly over a sandy bottom, and at others leaping -downward with all the force of a mountain-torrent. The water, -dropping over a beaver dam, fell upon a sloping bed and rushed -downward with impetuous fury. The currents drew together in the -center after leaving the falls, forming what is known in the Far West -as a “Suck.” The current was full of rocks at this point, against -which the water rushed in ungovernable rage, with a strength hardly -to be resisted. On the morning succeeding the escape of Ben and young -Morris, they began to build a raft. - -The events of the past few days satisfied Ben that they might be -attacked at any time, and he wished to provide a way of escape. Just -at the foot of the waterfall was a growth of light pine suitable for -his purpose. Calling on the others for assistance, all set to work -upon the float. The logs were slightly squared, and bound together -with tough green withes after a manner much in vogue among the -trappers. It was the work of half a day, and as they had little else -to do, they gave much care to it. The raft finally was finished and -fastened to the shore by a lariat. Ben looked at the structure in -some pride. - -“Did anybody ever go down the river here, father Ben?” said Millicent. - -“Not often, little gal,” said Ben. “It’s an awful perilous -undertakin’, an’ we won’t do it unless we’re driv’ so close we kain’t -help it. It’s best to be prepared allers. Leastways I think so.” - -“Will that raft hold us all?” asked Millicent. - -“You git on’t, Jan, an’ try.” - -Jan stepped carefully on the float. Ben stood close to the shore, -watching the effect of his weight upon the structure. Jules stood -just behind the trapper. Millicent was nearer the river. Bentley had -gone into the hut for something they needed. - -“Jump up an’ down on it,” said Ben. - -Jan did as he was requested. The next moment there was a loud crack, -as of a hawser parting under a heavy strain, and the craft was -whirling down the current, out of reach of the men on the shore. Ben -darted into the water and made an ineffectual attempt to grasp it, -but it was already beyond the utmost stretch of his arm. To their -horror they saw their comrade drifting hopelessly down the stream. -They looked downward; as far as the eye could reach, the river was -hopelessly churned into foam, and gray rocks reared their heads -above the water, threatening death to any unfortunate wretch thrown -upon them. The bluffs stood out bold and high on either side, and -buried the river in from mortal view. In every eddy by the side of -these bluffs, the cunning beavers had made their lodges, satisfied -that they were safe from their inveterate enemies, the trappers. The -Dutchman saw nothing of this; he only saw the foaming river, the -brown ledges, and the ragged rocks. - -From the spot where the raft started, the eddy swept him directly -across the stream in the direction of a serrated ledge, which -threatened instant destruction. Seated on the narrow craft, grasping -it with both hands and ever looking toward the other shore, the -unfortunate man set up a cry for help, which pierced brave old Ben -to the very heart. He began to throw off his hunting-shirt. Just as -he stood, half naked, on the bank, the raft struck the ledge against -which it was drifting. Such was the momentum which it had acquired, -that it sent Jan flying from the logs, striking the water many feet -away. - -“Alas, alas!” cried Millicent, “he is gone!” - -“Not yit,” said Ben; “I’m hyar.” - -The current swept Jan further down, and he struck the rocks again; -but this time he grasped a jutting ledge, found a place for his feet, -and shouted for help at the top of his voice. - -“I’m comin’, ole chap,” responded Ben in return. “Look out! Foller -me, Jule.” - -He plunged into the stream, while Jules remained standing on the -bank. The trapper sunk from view in a moment. Taking advantage of the -undertow, he swam toward the other shore. He had learned from the -Indians the trick of swimming under water, and did it well. For a few -moments nothing was heard but the splash of the water and the shouts -of poor Jan, who imagined himself forsaken in the bleak world. All -at once he beheld the water separate close by his side, and from the -swift current Ben Miffin sprung into view, dashing the water from his -eyes with one hand as he laid the other on the rocks to keep himself -from floating downward. - -“How ar’ ye?” he said, coolly. “Rayther a cold berth, this.” - -“Ve never gets out of dis no more, Penn,” said Jan, despairingly. “I -pees very mooch ’vraid ve gone dis dimes. Vy den you pring me to dis -miser’ble coonthry?” - -“It’s good enough fer the natyves,” said Ben. “Shet up yer meat-trap. -Let _me_ do the talkin’; I’ll hev enough of it, I reckon.” - -“Dalking’s no use,” replied the poor fellow. “Vat I vants ish to pe -sure I can get out from dis. An’ dis ish vat I dinks: ve vill never -get out from dis no more vile ve lifs, so help me ash I pelieve dis -ish drue. Dere ish no more hope vor poor Jan Schneider. He ish deat -unt drownded mit vasser. Ach! Mein Gott! Phew!” - -“Jest you open yer mouth ag’in, an’ I’ll give ye a smash right squar’ -in the meat-trap. Now mind what I tell ye: I ain’t goin’ to hev two -head bosses in this yer business--you bet I ain’t. Now listen to me, -an’ hold yer row. Kin ye swim?” - -“Like a hoondred pounts off iron,” said Jan. “Gootness cracious!” - -“Thet’s bad. I never did see a Dutchman thet knowed any thing. Ye -durned anatomy! Well, ef I let ye git on my shoulders, will ye -promise not to ketch me round the neck?” - -“Yaw; I bromise anyt’ings, so ash I does not pe drownded mit vasser.” - -“Very good. Then when I give ye the word, lay yer hands on my -shoulders an’ kick out with both feet. Kin ye do it?” - -“I kicks like ter duyvel.” - -Ben loosened his hold on the rock, and let himself float down to -the speaker. When all was ready, Jan laid his brawny hands upon the -shoulders of the trapper, and he pushed out from the shelving bank. -Jan immediately began to flourish his heels like the paddles of an -ocean steamer, leaving a broad trail of foam behind him. Indeed, so -vehement were his efforts, that he buried the head of the swimmer -under the water, and Ben was compelled to call on him to desist. But -when he fell a dead weight upon the shoulders of the trapper, the -drag became fearful even for his iron strength to sustain. - -They were by this time in the midst of the powerful current, where -the “suck” formed a vortex so strong that when within twenty feet of -the shore it seized them and hurried them away from the safety so -nearly gained. In vain the trapper struggled against it and called -to Jules for help. But the Frenchman seemed to have lost all control -of himself. Instead of following the trapper he remained on the -bank, running wildly up and down, making no effort to assist either -of them. But Bentley was coming down from the hut at full speed. -“Help! help!” cried Ben, in a sinking voice. He had got out of the -suck by this time, but faced it again bravely. The current had been -gradually sweeping them downward. They reached a place where a pine -had fallen to the ground and was lying in the water. Ben, striking -out desperately, felt the sunken branches strike his leg. - -“Kick, Jan, kick!” he shouted, with all the power of his lungs. “Kick -fer yer life.” - -Jan lashed out desperately, and though the head and shoulders of the -trapper were buried by the effort, he managed to grasp the limb of -the fallen tree. - -“Easy, Jan; keep cool,” he said. - -Jan ceased plunging, and Ben slowly hauled away on the slender limb, -going up it hand over hand, as sailors do. If it should break! He -looked below and saw the jagged rocks and the high walls of stone on -both sides of the cañon. To drift lower down was certain death. - -He felt the limb bend in his grasp, but it held firmly, and at last -he laid his strong hand on a stouter one. As he did so, he allowed -the shout of joy which had been pent up in his breast so long to -escape in an exultant cry. Jan took it up and made the rocks fairly -ring. - -It was easy work now. In a moment more their feet trod the unyielding -soil of the bottom of the stream, and they clambered to the shore. -Ben ran to the place where his clothes lay, and got into them without -delay. - -“There! I feel better,” he said, as the last garment was donned. “I -kain’t say I like the other style of costume in the winter. ’Tain’t -voluminous enuff. Fer summer, now, a light an’ airy rig like thet ar’ -would be jest the thing; but it won’t do fer the Black Hills; oh no.” - -“I dinks ve petter haf a vire,” said Jan, with rattling teeth. “It -ish very cold here.” - -“Yer mighty right,” rejoined Ben. “Say, Jule, kain’t ye do thet much -fer us?” - -Jules walked away slowly and began to gather the materials for a -fire; but he walked lazily, and Jan turned in to help him, dripping -as he was. Ben looked at the Frenchman in considerable astonishment. -A change seemed to have come over him since his capture by the Indian -band. His eye had a sullen light; his looks were downcast, and his -whole appearance that of a man who was wholly actuated by some bad -passion. - -“Blowed ef I kin make out what’s the matter with Jule,” muttered Ben. -“He’s got trouble on his mind, somehow.” - -“Come here, father Ben,” said Millicent at this moment. “I have -something to show you.” - -He turned, and walked to the place where she stood, near where the -raft had been lying. The broken withe by which it had been tied still -hung to the trunk of the pine. Millicent lifted this and showed it to -him. - -“Do you see nothing strange in this?” she said. A glance at it was -sufficient to show that it had not been broken in any ordinary way. -It was _cut_ clean through by some sharp instrument. He looked about -him. Jules was still lazily working at the fire. - -“Mebbe thar’s somethin’ on the tree or the rocks that did it,” he -whispered. - -“If there is we can find it,” said Millicent; “you had better try.” - -He searched the trunk of the tree and the rocks near at hand, to find -any thing which could by any possibility have cut the rope. He looked -in vain. The trunk was wonderfully smooth and the rocks out of reach. -There was but one supposition then. Some one had cut the withe. - -“Ye don’t mean to tell me that Jules c’u’d hev the heart to do that?” -said Ben. - -“I do not like to suspect anybody, but I believe from my heart that -it was he. I have good reason to fear him, and so have you.” - -Ben turned toward the Frenchman. He had at last collected material -for a fire, and Jan had kindled them into a blaze, over which he -was crouching, while Jules stood watching him with a sullen and -dissatisfied air. - -“Come here, Jules,” said Ben. “I have something to tell ye.” - -Jules looked as if he would like to refuse. - -“What do you want?” he said, moving slowly and sullenly toward the -trapper. - -Millicent had left the old man, and was talking with Bentley by the -river side. - -“Come hyar,” repeated Ben, in an authoritative tone of voice. - -Jules paused irresolutely and looked the speaker over from head to -foot. - -“Come hyar, I say,” repeated Ben. “Hev a man got to w’ar his tongue -out a-tellin’ of ye to move?” - -Jules followed him reluctantly aside, and they stood together near -the wall of the hut, not far from Jan, who was intently engaged in -drying his clothing. The Frenchman did not like the expression of -the old trapper’s face. It showed a determination to understand the -matter. - -“Ye hang back like a twelve-year-old gal, ye do,” said the old -trapper. “What’s the matter with ye, anyhow? I want ter ask ye a -question or two. I asked ye to foller me when Jan got adrift. Why -didn’t ye?” - -“Where would you have been if the tree-top had not lain in the water? -Battered to pieces on the rocks below the fall. I wasn’t going to try -it, you’d better believe. I warned you to come back.” - -“_That’s_ all right,” said Ben. “I ain’t hard-hearted enough to force -a man to do any thing he’s _afraid_ of. But look yer. Do you see this -withe? Who cut it?” - -He held up to view the severed strand, showing where it had been cut. -So sudden was the question, and so unexpected, that the Frenchman -stammered and turned deadly pale. There could be no doubt as to his -guilt. - -“I never touched--” - -“Take keer! Don’t lie to me! I ask ye as a friend to keep a straight -tongue. I expect ye to try it on, but it’s no use. So don’t lie. -Don’t I know ye? Didn’t ye stand behind me when ye cut the withe? -Wasn’t it cut through and through? I ain’t quite a fool, nuther be -you. So shut up. You cut it yerself, jist to git rid of the Dutchman, -I s’pose, because of yer old grudge ag’in’ him.” - -Jules covered his confusion by a laugh. He thought best to turn it -off in that way. - -“Well, Ben, I did cut the withe; but it was a joke, just to give that -Dutchman a big scare. I had no idea the raft would get away.” - -“A joke. I cum pooty nigh makin’ it the dearest jest you ever hearn -of.” - -“You don’t suppose I meant any thing in earnest,” said Jules, -cringingly. - -“It don’t matter so much what I think,” said Ben. “I believe Jan -has a v’ice in the matter, an’ I reckon he’d say if it wa’n’t in -earnest it was the roughest joke on him ever hern of. Anyhow, I’ve -got my opinion, and I’ll back it for ten mills, U. S. currency, that -he licks you out of your boots when he hears about this nice little -joke. Ef he don’t lick ye, he’s a fool.” - -“He dare not lay the weight of a finger upon me in anger,” said -Jules, fiercely. “He has done it more than once. Let him beware of -the next time.” - -“I’ve had a hint before to-day thet all ain’t right. I begin to -suspect ye grevious. I won’t say anything about that now. About Jan -first; he ain’t a bit afraid of you, Jan ain’t. Now let me give you -a piece of advice. I don’t want to hev any words with you. Jest let -the Dutchman alone. He’s clumsy, mebbe, but he’s got the makin’ of a -man in him, and he’s good-hearted, an’ I won’t hev him abused. Thet’s -about the way the thing stands now, nigh as I kin git at it.” - -“You seem to have taken to him all at once,” muttered Jules. - -“He’s _honest_; thet’s one reason; I like honesty in any one. An’ I -give ye fa’r warnin’, next time ye dar’ to do a mean thing to him, -I’ll walk into ye like chalk. D’ye h’ar what I say? Understand me, -too. I won’t hev no man in my company that won’t give the others a -fair show. And ye’ve been hard on thet poor feller ever sense he cum -hyar with us. Now stop it.” - -“Is it any thing to you?” - -“Ye bet it is. Ef it ain’t I’ll make it so mind thet.” - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - THE QUICKSAND. - - -They set to work at once and built another raft. After it was done, -Jules mounted and rode away to the east. At any other time, Ben would -have questioned him with regard to his absence. But Millicent gave -him a sign which he understood, and he let him go without a word. The -moment he was gone she came to the old trapper and revealed to him -enough to excite Ben’s anger and scorn of the treacherous rascal. - -“Don’t say a word to him. I gave my promise to remain silent about it -while he remained quiet. He has broken his pledge, but do not let him -know that we suspect him.” - -“The gal is right,” said Ben. “Don’t let him know. But we kin watch -the devil clust; an’ when he gives us a chaince, down with him.” - -“You will do nothing rashly, I hope. Remember, much depends on that.” - -“I can’t keep my hands off him,” responded Bentley. - -They had just prepared dinner when Jules returned, coming, not up the -river, but out of the pass to the east. - -Ben looked at his face as he came in and saw that it was moody. He -said nothing, but made a place for him at the fire so that he might -have the benefit of the warmth. Jules did not immediately take -advantage of this, but busied himself in removing the blanket from -his horse, and turning him loose. When this was done, he came slowly -toward the fire and sat down. - -“Whar have ye been?” asked Ben. - -“Up the east pass. I thought, this morning, that I sighted a -moose-herd, and I’ve been out scouting round, thinking I might -possibly find some of the critters. I struck their tracks at the -bottom of the second cañon, and not long after came upon the herd. -There was only three of them in all, and pretty well south they have -got, too. But if we can kill one, it will give us good fodder for a -week to come.” - -“Moose down hyar? That’s mighty uncommon, I tell ye. Their grounds is -at least five hundred miles to the north of this. I’d like to go with -ye, but I don’t think I kin, I’ve got so much to do. S’pose ye go out -with Jan? Mebbe ye’ll git one of them.” - -“All right,” said Jules, eagerly. “What do you say, Jan? Will you go?” - -“I coes mit you,” said Jan. “I likes to shoot von vat you call -him--moose.” - -They started out directly after eating their dinner, leaving the rest -at the camp. Jan carried the tremendous weapon which already had done -such fearful execution. Jules had his rifle. They kept their horses -until they had reached the mouth of the pass down which Jan, Ben and -Millicent had turned to get upon the mountain, on the day when the -Indians came to the camp. Here they picketed the animals and went -forward on foot, with great caution. As they emerged from the pass -they had a view of the small valley. It was like their own camp, -nearly circular in form, with the river in front and the mountains on -the other three sides. There might have been sixty acres of flat land -in the valley, and on the other side, close down to the water’s edge, -three moose were feeding. Along the western base of the mountains ran -a long strip of timber, and into this the trappers at once plunged, -keeping the wind in their faces, for the keen-scented animals would -have detected them in a moment if they had come up on the other side. -The distance from the woods to the game was not more than a hundred -yards, and Jules prepared to fire. As he dropped on one knee and laid -his rifle across a low limb, the leading moose raised his stately -head and looked about him, as if scenting danger. Jan had followed -the example of the Frenchman, and his roer was lying across a branch, -pointed at the second of the two animals. As the moose looked up, -both pieces exploded. To the utter surprise of Jules, the one he -fired at bounded away unhurt, while Jan’s dropped upon the ground, -staining it with his flowing life-blood. Jan ran hastily toward the -wounded beast, while Jules watched him with a malevolent eye. He -knew the danger into which the honest Dutchman ran in approaching a -wounded moose, but did not warn him. A hundred feet from the body of -the game Jan’s feet suddenly sunk beneath him, and he fell as if an -iron hand had seized his ankles and held him down. - -“Coom here, Shules,” he shouted. “I pe got in der mut. Coom here unt -help me out!” - -Jules walked slowly to the end of the quagmire, about ten feet -from the imprisoned Dutchman. All the evil in the man’s heart -showed itself at that moment. All that was bad, all that was cruel, -imprinted deep lines on his face, which gleamed savagely in the -sun-rays. - -“You are in trouble, friend Jan?” he said, coolly. - -“Help me out!” cried Jan. - -“Keep quiet,” said Jules. “Do you remember the day out yonder on the -prairie, when you threw me down and planted your elephant foot upon -my breast? Ah, I see you have not forgotten. You remember it with -pleasure. I have not forgotten it either, and I swore, sooner or -later, to have my revenge. You aided that girl against me, and for -_that_ I’ll be doubly revenged.” - -“I’m sinkin’ deeper all de dimes!” cried Jan. “Coom, Shules, pe a -goot veller unt help me out. Vat’s de use of voolin’? I bunch your -heat ven I does get out, off ye leave me here any more.” - -“Perhaps you don’t know where you are?” said Jules. “Then I will -tell you. There are places in these hills which we call quicksands. -A man falls into one and from that moment, unless help is near, he -is doomed. Even his struggles tell against him. Deeper and deeper he -sinks in the slimy sand. The iron hands upon his ankles drag him down -every moment. He sinks to his knees in the slime. He throws himself -down. That is useless and will hasten his death. He struggles up -again. He sinks to his thighs.” - -“Mein Cott!” moaned Jan. - -“You begin to comprehend. You see now what my revenge will be. You -have sunk to your knees. The efforts you make to pull up one leg -sink the other deeper. Your ponderous weight sinks you very fast. -By-and-by you will be up to your neck; then your mouth will be -covered; and when you begin to choke, I will sit by and laugh.” - -Jan was sinking slowly, his face turned toward his executioner, who -sat grimly down by the side of the quicksand, and waited for the end. -The Dutchman made no effort to break down his stubborn resolve. A -single glance at his set face was enough to show that all entreaties -would be useless. In that hour when the true spirit of man comes to -the surface, it was plain that Jan’s fears were rather the result of -a life fraught with little danger, than cowardice; and if he failed -to look danger bravely in the face at first, it was because it came -to him in a new form. But now, his face was steady, and though his -lips moved, it was in saying the prayers he had heard in faderland, -and which he had learned at his old mother’s knee. The cold quicksand -had risen above his thighs, and yet Jan seemed unmoved. Such calmness -exasperated his enemy. He had expected to hear the Dutchman cry -aloud for mercy; to beg him to help him; to humble himself for pity; -but Jan did not think of that. His face was pale, but there was a -kind of smile upon it. - -“Cry for mercy!” shouted Jules, tauntingly. “Beg for your life!” - -“No, Shules; off you have any pity in your heart, unt care enough for -me to forget vat I did, unt save me, I vould pe glad. Put I don’t ask -any t’ings from you.” - -“You will die like a dog.” - -“Never,” replied Jan. “Like a man whose fader died in battle vor -te sake of his dear faderland. Sit py unt see me tie. It vill pe a -_man’s_ deat!” - -Jules assailed him with a storm of vituperation, to which Jan made no -answer. - -At this moment there came a great shout of surprise and anger, -and they saw Ben Miffin running toward them at full speed with a -hatchet in his hand. Jules caught up his rifle and began to load it -hastily, but Ben was too quick for him, and he clubbed the weapon and -stood upon his guard. But his defense was vain against the wiry old -trapper, who broke down his guard and prostrated him by a blow on the -head. Before a minute had passed, his arms were buckled behind him by -means of a belt, and his legs served in the same way. - -“Quick, Penn, quick!” shouted Jan. - -“Keep cool, my boy! I’ll save ye yit,” cried Ben. “Keep yer arms -clear of the mud.” - -He whistled for his horse, which he had tied in the pass. A loud -neigh answered him, and directly they heard the sound of hoofs. -Diamond had broken his lariat and was coming at full speed. Catching -sight of his master, he bounded to his side. Ben took the broken -lariat from the saddle-bow and formed a slip-noose, which he threw to -Jan. - -“Put that under yer arms an’ draw it taut,” said Ben. - -Jan obeyed. By this time Jules had recovered from the effects of the -blow, and lay watching their movements anxiously. When the noose was -under Jan’s arms, Ben instructed him how to pass a stick through it, -so that it would not draw too tightly around his body. The loose end -of the lariat he fastened to the saddle-bow. The horse stood quietly -waiting, as if he comprehended fully what was expected of him. - -“Be ready, Jan,” said the trapper, “an’ if the strain is too much, -sing out. Now then, Diamond, pull!” - -The horse did not jerk, but pulled steadily. Jan set his teeth, for -the strain was fearful. For a moment he was stationary, then he felt -his body rise a little from the clinging sand. - -“That started ye,” said Ben, joyfully. “Whoa, Diamond. Can ye stand -it?” - -“Yaw, yaw, pull away,” cried Jan, in an eager tone. “I shtands any -t’ings so dat I gits out vrom dis blace.” - -“Pull, Diamond,” said Ben. - -The horse drew away on the lariat, and to the intense joy of both, -the body of the Dutchman was pulled high up on the hard ground. For -a moment Jan lay panting, and the next he sprung up and grasped the -trapper by both hands. - -“T’ank you, Penn. I don’t say much, but I dinks a great deal. I nefer -forgets vile I lifs.” - -“Pshaw,” said Ben. “Thank the hoss; he did the work.” - -The intelligent animal turned his head to look at them, as if -conscious that they were talking of him, and bent forward that he -might receive the caresses which Jan showered upon him. For awhile -they thought nothing of the man who lay at their feet, until Jan’s -eye fell upon him as he lay there, his black eyes twinkling with rage -and apprehension. - -“Dere he lies, dat villains!” said Jan. “He gets me in der mut, unt -den he von’t help me out.” - -“I was jubous he’d do something of the kind,” said Ben. “I wa’n’t fur -away. Thet’s what I let him go with ye fur, _jest to try him_. I’m -sorry I did it now. Ain’t he a sweet specimen for a human?” - -He stooped and loosened the strap on the legs of the Frenchman. - -“Git up!” he said. - -Jules Damand rose slowly, with his eyes continually fixed upon the -earth. - -“_Nice_ kind of man, ain’t ye?” said Ben. “What ye got to say fer -yerself?” - -“Nothing,” replied Jules. - -“Nothing?” - -“Not a word. Do with me as you choose. If you had staid away ten -minutes longer, the work would have been complete.” - -“Ye cold-blooded scoundrel! I’m sorry I ever broke bread with the -like of ye. A mean-sperited skunk! I’d sarve ye right ef I sent a -bullet through yer skull. Wouldn’t I now?” - -“Do it, then.” - -“I leave it with Jan. Ef he says kill ye, why, yer no better then a -dead man. Ye owe yer life to him, an’ ef he choses to take it, thar’s -no law among free trappers to save ye. Anyway, I won’t help ye. Jan!” - -“Vell?” - -“Hyar’s a pistol. It’s loaded with a ball. This skunk ain’t fit to -live. Trapper law will bar ye out in shootin’ him through the head. -He is in yer hands.” - -Jan took the pistol, cocked it, and placed it close to the head of -the Frenchman. A deathlike stillness reigned in the place. The face -of Jules was utterly colorless, but he did not speak a word. He knew -that his life was forfeited by the stern laws of the trappers, and -that nothing could save him, if the man whose life he had placed in -such deadly peril chose to claim that forfeit. But his proud spirit -would not permit him to speak a word. He looked straight into the -muzzle of the threatening weapon, his lips white as ashes. - -“Fire!” he whispered at length. - -Jan dropped his hand. - -“Remember that this is the second time he has nearly killed ye,” said -Ben. “He cut the raft loose the other day.” - -“Vat?” cried Jan. - -“Yes,” replied Damand. “I did that. Fire away.” - -Again Jan raised the weapon and again that deathlike silence fell -upon the scene. But Jan could not do it. Such an act was not in his -nature. He uncocked the weapon and handed it back to Ben. - -“I can’t do it,” he said. “He nearly kills me, deux, swi dimes, put I -nefer kills a man mit his hands tied. Let him go.” - -“Walk before us,” said Ben, sternly. “Don’t try to escape.” - -Jules obeyed sullenly, although glad of any respite. - -“Holt on,” said Jan. “Dere ish my moose vat I kills.” - -“We ain’t got time to ’tend to him now. Lead my hoss. I want to watch -this beauty.” - -They went back to the horses. Jules was put upon his own and his -feet bound with a lariat. Jan rode in front. Ben brought up the -rear, with his pistol ready, in case the fellow tried to get away. -He made no such attempt. In this order they reached the camp. Here -Ben tied the horse of the Frenchman to a tree and opened the cache. -The beaver skins they had taken were bound up in bundles of twenty -each. Ben laid them out in three equal piles. When this was done he -untied Jules and made him dismount. Millicent and Bentley looked on -in silence. - -“Ar’ them divided _fa’r_?” said Ben. - -“Yes,” said Jules. - -“Then take either pile ye like and _git_.” - -“I don’t want them,” said Jules. “Give me my horse and gun and let me -go.” - -“Do just ez ye chose. Thar they ar’. Ef ye don’t want ’em, it’s all -right. We kin find a use for ’em.” - -“I won’t take the skins.” - -“All right. Thar’s yer hoss an’ thar’s yer gun. Take them an’ _git_, -and mind, ef ye turn up against us yer a dead man. I lets ye go now -because none here wants yer life or yer company, but yer a dead man -ef ye ever crosses my track. I have spoken--so be off with you!” - -Jules obeyed. Without a word he rode away and the hills soon hid him -from their sight. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - THROUGH THE SNARE. - - -The three men began to complete their raft, working with all their -power. In a few hours the work was done, and they were ready to go -down the river at a moment’s warning. Then Ben set to work upon -another cache for his skins, which it would be impossible to take -with him. He chose a place within the cañon through which the river -ran, and here he laid the skins. His brow was sad. The old man had -been deceived in regard to a comrade, and he was grieved. - -“Do not grieve for a bad man,” said the girl, observing his sadness. -“He is not worth a single pang.” - -“True enough, gal. An’ yit, I thought the lad a true one. I did -indeed. But, let him go; the time will come when he’ll be sorry in -his heart fer what he’s done.” - -When all was ready, they pushed the raft down to the very mouth of -the cañon and there embarked. The horses were abandoned. Ben took his -station in front of the raft. Bentley and Jan took the sides, each -armed with a long pole. Millicent crouched in the center, beside the -pile of provisions which the forethought of the trapper had induced -him to bring. - -A perilous path lay before them. The stream ran dark and swift -between huge bowlders of gray rock, rearing their heads in the -air. Without the skill of Trapper Ben their lives were not worth a -moment’s purchase. At first they were in the power of the “suck,” -which drew them rapidly toward the other bank, and threatened to dash -them on the place where the other raft was beaten to pieces. But the -quick eye of Ben saw the peril and averted it. As the raft dashed -down upon the wall a skillful push of the long pole sent it whirling -down the stream, while the other men stood aghast, and Millicent also -covered her face with her hands. - -When she looked up, the present peril was over and they were dashing -down the dark channel at a breakneck speed. There was a wild, -triumphant look in the eyes of the old hunter, as he guided the raft -on its course. - -“Hurray, boys; now we _ar’_ goin’,” he shouted, “Don’t be skeered, -little gal. I’ll take ye safe through, or bu’st things a-trying. Durn -a Frenchman. Does he think he kin overreach me? Hey! look out fer -that rock, Bentley. That’s right. You’d make a good raftsman in time. -Look sharp, Jan. Thar’s a rock loomin’ up on your side. Give it a sly -tap. That’s it. Well done. Ef we onc’t git on the level, it will be -all right. I’ve got an idee. Stand steady, boys. The wust time is -comin’. You kain’t help me much. Bentley, go astern and when that -brown rock is just abeam of us, sock that pole ag’inst it, and push -ez hard ez you kin. Now mind you do it.” - -“Ay, ay,” said Bentley, going to the stern. “Give me the word.” - -They were now approaching a place where a fall in the bed of the -stream made a rapid, in which the water was churned into dazzling -foam--a terrible sight to the eyes of those not accustomed to the -terrors of the western plains. Naturally brave, Millicent could not -help a shudder as she saw the danger upon which they were rushing -headlong. But a glance at that old man standing upright in the bow of -the raft, stern and calm, grimly confident in himself, restored her -courage. - -Down into that wild waste of wreathing foam rushed the raft. A rock -was on the right hand, one on the left, and she seemed rushing -directly upon destruction in front. But, all at once, the head of the -raft swung round, and showed clear water in front, perhaps ten feet -in width, into which they rushed. The spray flew high overhead and -for a moment blinded them. The next moment they passed out of their -danger, and lay rising and falling in the more tranquil water just -above another beaver-dam, in the midst of the cañon. - -“Aha,” said Ben. “Hyar we be. It’ll trouble Injuns to nose us out -hyar. They’ll git round lively ef they do.” - -The raft floated on, and struck against the little dam. Using his -pole, Ben pushed it along close to the edge of the dam and gained the -shore, where he helped Millicent from the raft, and secured it. - -“Dat ish goot,” said Jan. “More ash petter ash goot. De ret Blackfeet -nefer finds us here. Von’t tey pe mat!” and the Dutchman laughed -loudly. “Vat you do now, Penn?” - -“Do? I’m going fur help. I kin git it too. I seen Crow signs when I -were out on the prairie after you, Bentley, and I think an old friend -of mine, Falling Oak they call him, is out on the plains. Ef I kin -find him, I’ll make ye safe, ef ye dar’ to stay.” - -“I am willing,” said Millicent. - -“And I,” said Bentley. - -“I’d rudder go mit Penn, put if he say shtay here, I does it,” cried -Jan. - -“Then I say stay hyar. They may need ye. Ef the wust comes, push out -yer raft an’ make fer the plains. Ye mout git off thet way. Ef so be -I’m above ground, I won’t be two days gone. I’ve left ye meat enough -to last a week, ef ye don’t go too heavy on it. Good-by, gal. Ef I -don’t come back and ye git away, remember the old man sometimes, -won’t ye?” - -Millicent threw her arms about his neck, and kissed him as she might -have kissed her father. The face of the old man worked for a moment, -and then the undaunted one was sniveling. - -“Thar, git away. Ye’ve made a baby of me at last. I knew ye would. -Now let me go. Good-by, boys. Whatever happens, take keer of the -little gal. Be sure of that.” - -He sprung upon the dam and crossed to the other side. They saw him -clamber up the distant side of the mountain, and turn to wave his -hand in token of farewell. Then he passed over the crest and was lost -to sight. - -A strange feeling fell upon them then. A feeling of loneliness, a -sense of insecurity, and all felt how much they had learned to love -and trust Trapper Ben. Jan felt his loss most of all, and went aside, -where he cast himself down on the ground and put his arm before his -eyes. - -The others did not care to stay the tide of the honest Dutchman’s -sorrow, and a half-hour passed in unbroken silence, when suddenly -Millicent cried: - -“Look there, look there!” - -Above them, on a ledge of rocks, stood the strange creature which -had haunted them since their entrance into the hills. Jan ran for -his roer, but Bentley seized him and would not let him fire. But, at -the sight of the gun, the monster sprung away and concealed himself -behind a rock, from which he peeped out at them, dodging back when -the gun was presented. - -“Don’t you dare to fire,” said Bentley. “You do not know what danger -you may bring down upon us by the act.” - -Jan yielded reluctantly, and laid aside the gun. The moment he did -so the creature, with its fierce laugh, sprung up the cliff and -disappeared. - -“Thank heaven he is gone,” said Millicent. “That monster gives me -more uneasiness than the Indians and Jules Damand to boot. Something -within tells me that the villain will yet give us trouble. Oh, if he -should get me, by any means, in his power!” And she visibly shuddered. - -“One of us must stand guard,” said Bentley. “We have more dangers -than this to fear.” - -“So you have,” yelled a voice on the cliff above. “Beware!” - -They looked up, long enough to see the malicious face of Jules -Damand looking down upon them. It was only a passing glimpse, for he -disappeared immediately. - -“Just as I feared,” said Millicent with a sigh. “That villain will -not let us rest.” - -“He knew that we would take to the river, and followed along the -crest until he saw us land. There goes his rifle; he is firing at -something.” - -The report of the rifle was followed by the cry of the Mountain -Devil. Then they heard the sound of feet upon the ledge above, and -shortly after Jules Damand appeared upon the ridge, closely pursued -by the wild thing. The Frenchman had a knife in his hand, and as he -reached the level rock overhanging the stream, and saw that he could -run no further, he turned at bay, and was ready to fight for his -life. The Mountain Devil held in his hand the barrel of the rifle -which he had wrenched from the hand of Jules, and the stock of which -he had shattered on the rocks. - -“Shall we help him, Jan?” - -“Yaw,” said Jan. “Den we tie him oop.” - -They began to clamber up the rocks, while Millicent stood, with bated -breath, watching the combat on the ledge. The monster was raining a -storm of blows upon the head of the Frenchman; but he had closed and -grasped it by the shaggy hair upon its breast, so that the blows were -not at the full sweep of the arm. Already the keen knife had been -plunged thrice to the hilt in the body of the monster, when it threw -down the rifle barrel, and caught Jules Damand in its long arms. - -Millicent uttered a scream which rung through the hills, for she -saw that the man was doomed. The monster had got his death-wound, -but still the strength he possessed was too much for Jules Damand, -even though fighting with the energy of despair. He saw the heads of -Bentley and Jan appear above the ledge, and knew that they would be -too late, for the monster had forced him back to the extreme edge of -the chasm, two hundred feet above the torrent below. - -As the feet of Bentley reached the rock he caught a glimpse of the -agonized face of Damand, whose paleness was terrible. He gasped for -breath and made one struggle. It was his last; for the next moment, -with a demoniac laugh, the huge body of the Mountain Devil shot out -into the air, bearing in its arms the form of Damand. Millicent saw -them strike the water, and ran to the spot. A crimson stain told -where they had gone down, and a white hand and arm could be seen -struggling faintly in the flood. She seized it, and with a strength -which was unnatural dragged Jules Damand out of the water. He had -only time to gasp out a prayer for forgiveness, and die. - -They buried him that day under the shadow of the ledge. The body of -the Mountain Devil was also raised, and they laid it on the shore. -Then they saw that it was in the form of a man of gigantic size, -whose uncouth aspect might have been gained by companionship with -beasts. They buried him too, and waited for Ben. - -He came back next day, triumphant, but would tell them nothing. “Come -along,” he said, and they followed with implicit faith up the ledge. -The day was nearly spent when they reached their old camp, but Ben -caught the horses and made his companions mount. Jules had left his -horse, which had found its way back to the camp. Bentley took it. -Ben gave up his own good beast to Millicent, and walked by its side. -They reached the mouth of the pass, and Ben called them to a halt, -and pointed out upon the prairie. There they saw the band of Whirling -Breeze encamped, apparently in the greatest security. - -“Load yer weepons, boys,” said Ben. “Leave the gal hyar. I’m goin’ to -fire my rifle. When I do, watch the spur of the mountain yonder, an’ -then foller me.” - -They obeyed him. Ben raised his rifle and fired in the air. Obedient -to the signal, two hundred warriors, armed to the teeth, emerged -from their covert and charged the astonished Blackfeet. Ben sprung -into his saddle and rode forward to aid his friends. He came too -late. The band of Whirling Breeze was scattered, and he only escaped -by the speed of his horse. Ben arrived in time to sequestrate two -fine mustangs, and compliment the Crow chief upon the neatness and -dispatch of the action. - -The party proposed to return to the forts. The chief and fifty -chosen warriors rode with them. Among the prisoners Ben found the -son of Whirling Breeze, and asked the chief for him. The request was -granted, and the young warrior was set at liberty and returned to his -friends. - -“Chief,” said Ben, when he had heard the story of the death of the -Mountain Devil, “do ye know what that was?” - -“Half-breed,” said the chief. “Mad. Lived in the Black Hills many -years. Glad he dead. Kill many warriors.” - -“It was a madman, then,” said Bentley. “I thought so.” - -A few miles from the first fort the Indians left them. They reached -the fort in safety. Here the old man and Jan bade them good-by, but -not until he had seen Bentley and Millicent married by the fort -chaplain. The parting was painful, and the young bride was deeply -affected. But it was over at last, and Millicent, hand in hand with -her husband, watched their retiring forms as they passed over the -prairie, toward the distant hills. - -When Bentley Morris was older, and children were growing up about his -knees, in the strong young State of which he was a leading man, he -often told the tale of those perilous times, with Trapper Ben and Jan -Schneider, in the camp in the Black Hills. - -And once a year a letter, strange in orthography and composition, -comes from the two trappers. Jan is still with Ben, and will be to -the last. - - - THE END. - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes - - The Table of Contents at the beginning of the book was created by - the transcriber. - - Minor punctuation and spelling errors have been silently corrected - and, except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the - text, especially in dialogue, and inconsistent or archaic usage, - have been retained. - - Page 9: “the Hudson Bay was at its hight” changed to “the Hudson - Bay was at its height”. - - Page 43: “headed by a giant bull, whose patriarchial” changed to - “headed by a giant bull, whose patriarchal”. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEN, THE TRAPPER *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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Carson</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<table style='min-width:0; padding:0; margin-left:0; border-collapse:collapse'> - <tr><td>Title:</td><td>Ben, The Trapper</td></tr> - <tr><td></td><td>The Mountain Demon</td></tr> -</table> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Lewis W. Carson</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: April 15, 2021 [eBook #65087]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: David Edwards, Susan Carr and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (Northern Illinois University Digital Library at http://digital.lib.niu.edu/)</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEN, THE TRAPPER ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter illowp48" id="cover" style="max-width: 62.5em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<h1 class="pg-brk">BEN, THE TRAPPER;<br /> - -<span class="fs50">OR,</span><br /> - -<span class="fs70">THE MOUNTAIN DEMON.</span></h1> - - -<p class="pfs120 p4">A TALE OF THE BLACK HILLS.</p> - - -<hr class="r20a" /> - -<p class="pfs120">BY MAJOR LEWIS W. CARSON.</p> - -<hr class="r20b" /> - -<p class="pfs100 p6">NEW YORK:<br /> -<span class="fs120">BEADLE AND ADAMS, PUBLISHERS</span>,<br /> -<span class="fs80">98 WILLIAM STREET</span>.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p class="pfs70 p10 pb10 pg-brk">Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1875, by<br /> -<span class="lsp2">BEADLE AND ADAMS,</span><br /> -In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CONTENTS">CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<table class="autotable fs90" width="85%" summary=""> -<tr> -<td class="tdl"></td> -<td class="tdl"></td> -<td class="tdr fs80">PAGE</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">I.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE TRAPPER’S CAMP.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">9</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">II.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE GRIZZLY BEAR.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">17</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">III.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE MOUNTAIN DEVIL.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">24</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">IV.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE TRAPPING-GROUND.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">30</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">V.</td> -<td class="tdl">TREED BY A BUFFALO.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">40</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">VI.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE MESSAGE.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">48</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">VII.</td> -<td class="tdl">INDIANS!</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">57</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">VIII.</td> -<td class="tdl">SHOWING HIS COLORS.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">67</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">IX.</td> -<td class="tdl">MIFFIN’S LEAP.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">73</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">X.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE SUCK.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">80</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XI.</td> -<td class="tdl">THE QUICKSAND.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">87</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XII.</td> -<td class="tdl">THROUGH THE SNARE.</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">94</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</span></p> - -<p class="pfs150 p2">BEN, THE TRAPPER.</p> - -<hr class="r20 p3" /> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.<br /> -<span class="fs60">THE TRAPPER’S CAMP.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">In</span> a deep defile among the Black Hills, far out on the -western plains, three men had made a camp. They were of -that wonderful race who have done more to develop the resources -of the western world than any other, the trappers of -the North-west. Their great aid in this cause has never been -allowed by us as a people. We hear of great discoveries of -gold, or of a new pass through the mountains, and in the <em>discovery</em> -lose sight of the <em>agent</em>, who, in nine cases out of ten, -is one of the class of whom this book is written. Their wandering, -perilous life is full of hardships, of which we have no -conception. The cold of winter, the savage foe, the yet more -savage employees of the Hudson Bay Company, the grizzly -bear, the snow-slide, all these are their enemies. They toil -hard to pluck from the hand of stern old winter a precarious -livelihood, happy in the possession of a few traps, a rifle, ammunition, -and a blanket. With these they lead as happy -lives as any, and as useful as most. Hundreds of tales of individual -daring have been told of these men, and yet the truth -is not half known. Their creed is simple as that of the border -chiefs of Scotland:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indentq">“That they should take who have the power,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And they should keep who <em>can</em>!”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">To hate an Indian, or an employee of the Hudson Bay Company. -It was in the days when the rivalry between the -American Fur Company and <ins class="corr" id="tn9" title="Transcriber’s Note—“the Hudson Bay was at its hight” changed to “the Hudson Bay was at its height”.">the Hudson Bay was at its height</ins>, -and the rancor between them equaled that of Whig -and Tory during the Revolution. Each claimed the country, -and many a bleaching skeleton on the western streams remains<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[10]</span> -to this day, attesting the fact that the men fought for the right -of possession to the last.</p> - -<p>The men in the pass were types of different nationalities. -One, a tall, supple, wiry old fellow, dressed in a greasy buckskin -hunting-shirt and leggings, with moccasins of moose-hide, -showed himself to be a lifelong rover of the hills and -plains. He was piling brush on the fire, and smoking placidly, -puffing the smoke from his nose in clouds. His face -was a study, covered though it was by a beard of nearly seven -months’ growth. It showed the character of the man. Brave -to a fault, an unrelenting foe, a steadfast friend—one on whom -great reliance could be placed in time of need. His rifle, -carefully covered with a buckskin sheath, was propped against -a rock near at hand. A huge knife hung in his belt, by the -side of a shot-pouch and powder-flask.</p> - -<p>The man on his right hand was a Frenchman—a keen-eyed, -vivacious fellow, dressed very much like his companion, -and armed, in addition to the knife and rifle, with a pair of -handsome pistols. His name was Jules Damand, and he had -been a voyageur, trained to the business at Saint Ann’s, on -the St. Lawrence.</p> - -<p>The third was a Dutchman! A simple glance at his broad, -stolid face told his nationality. He was a stout fellow, of -tremendous girth, with a smiling blue eye, an expressionless -face while in repose, and a foot that looked much like a young -trunk. He was smoking placidly, and suffering his companions -to attend to the fire, and cook the food hanging over it. -The last duty was the Frenchman’s, who, like nearly all the -men of his nation, had a theory in regard to cookery which -he was always ready to explain by example.</p> - -<p>“Look here, Jan,” said the first-named trapper, “why don’t -ye lend a hand at takin’ care of the fire?”</p> - -<p>“So help me, as I never know I vas vanted to help you -mit de fire,” said Jan. “I vas sit here, mit mine shmoke-pipe, -unt I vas dinking auver the times ven I vas in Yarmany. -Yaw; dat is vat I dinks.”</p> - -<p>“I s’pose it’s considerable of a kentry,” said the old trapper.</p> - -<p>“Consider’ble mit a coonthry! Mein Cott! Dere is no -such coonthry mit all the earth. Vat! Ish dere any vere<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[11]</span> -you kin find such vine ash ve have dere? Now I dells you. -Ven you coes to St. Louis, you vas co to Yawcob Post’s saloon -av you vants goot Rhine vine. Dere ish goot many -blaces mit St. Louis vere dey says dey keeps goot Rhine vine. -Put I dells you dat ish no more ash von lie! Dere ish no -more ash your blaces in dat town vere you can get goot vine, -unt mein frent Yawcob’s ish von, I dells you drue.”</p> - -<p>“It’s mighty poor stuff to drink,” said the trapper. “Fer -me now, when I drink, I take a little good rye whisky. -<em>That’s</em> good enough fer me.”</p> - -<p>“Boor shtuff! Penn Miffin, av it vash not dat I know you -too vell, I vould hit you mit your nose av you says dat vonce -more. I dells you dere ish nottings so goot ash Rhine -vine.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, for a <em>Dutchman</em>,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“But you ish voolin’. Dere, I seen you laff. Don’t say -dat no more,” said Jan.</p> - -<p>“What does ye think about it, Jule?” said Ben, looking at -the Frenchman.</p> - -<p>“That it is very bad drink,” said the Frenchman. “Peste! -The first time I drank it, it was so sour I thought it would -make me turn myself inside out to get rid of it. The Rhine -grape is very bad. In la belle France they make wine that -is good.”</p> - -<p>“Vy den you ask him?” blustered Jan. “Vat ish he -more ash a Vrenchman? Unt I ask you now, aff you vas -dell me, vat ish de goot over a man vat eats vrogs? So help -me gracious, dey is no more goot to eat dan snakes. Unt dey -ish p’ison.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon yer wrong, Jan,” said the trapper. “They do -say thet snakes ain’t very bad eatin’ when a chap is hard druv’. -I don’t say I want to try ’em, but ef I c’u’d ’a’ got snakes -the time I cum nigh to starvin’ up yer in the Black Hills, -durn my hide ef I wouldn’t hev eat snakes or any thing else. -I kem of a queer race. I ken eat any thing, and lick my -weight in wildcats. I’m death on grizzlys. I ken wipe out -an Injun as fur as I ken see him, and I calculate thet’s a good -ways.”</p> - -<p>“You talks a goot deal mit yer <em>mout</em>,” said Jan. “Put -aff a man says to me dat snakes unt frogs is goot to eat, den<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[12]</span> -I dinks he ish no more ash von vool. Aff ever I get vere I -can no more get nottings to eat, so help me gracious ash I vill -<em>not</em> eat snakes unt vrogs, aff day vash to come to me in hundreds -unt t’ousands, ready cooked, unt beg me on dere knees -to eat dem.”</p> - -<p>“Did you ever see a snake on his knees, Jan?” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“Yaw! Ven you poke dem mit a stick, dey gits up on -dere tails. Dat’s de vay dey vould do ven dey vash ask me -to eat dem. Unt I vash say, No, py tam!”</p> - -<p>The Frenchman said nothing, but stooped to stir some -soup in an iron pan placed on the coals, glancing up at the -Dutchman with a queer smile as he did so. The blood of -the Teuton was up, and he dropped off into low mutterings, -like distant thunder, until a fresh grievance caused him to -break out again. He found this grievance in Ben Miffins’ manner -of smoking.</p> - -<p>“Dere,” he said, “shpose you look at dat, eh? Ven a -man ash ought to know petter, unt ve know ash he <em>knows</em> -petter, shmokes hish pipe drue hish nose, like dat, he ish von -tam vool. See him. Puff! puff! puff! like a shteampoat -mit a vire in her pelly. Now I dells you dat ish not the vay -to shmoke.”</p> - -<p>“It’s <em>my</em> way,” said Ben. “Look yer, Dutchy, ef ye don’t -like my way of smokin’, does ye know what ye ken do? Ye -ken take the back track to the forts.”</p> - -<p>“Vy don’t you shmoke like a Christian den?” grunted Jan.</p> - -<p>“’Cause I don’t want to. Never told ye how I learned to -smoke this yer way, did I? No? I’ll tell ye then. When -I was quite a young man I was taken by the Crows. Durn -’em ef they didn’t keep me among ’em more then three years. -Made me a chief, and what not. Wal, they all smoke this -yer way, and I took it up. Don’t rile me up, Dutchy. I’m -the Big Buffalo of the Crow nation. Rile me, and I light on -ye pooty heavy. Smooth me down and I’m <em>ile</em>; but slick -me the wrong way and I’m a p’ison critter. Look out fer -me when I flop my wings and crow.”</p> - -<p>“Look at the hills,” said Jan, prudently changing the course -of the conversation. “Vat you dinks ven I dells you I’ve -seen hills all made up mit ice, unt dey so pig ash dese hills, -eh?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[13]</span></p> - -<p>“I should think your story was like the hills,” said -Jules.</p> - -<p>“How vash dat?”</p> - -<p>“<em>Made up</em> mit a lie,” said the Frenchman, laughing and -turning again to his soup.</p> - -<p>“Den you ish von tam vool,” said Jan, in a rage. “It ish -no more as vive years since I cooms from Yarmany mit a -backet. I vas very pad ven I cooms avay. I vish I vash -stay at home. Put it vash near spring ven I cooms avay, -unt the vind drive us up north. Unt den cooms von of dese -hills made up mit ice.”</p> - -<p>“It’s true,” said Ben. “I’ve seen ’em myself off the mouth -of the Columby. They call ’em icebergs.”</p> - -<p>“Dat’s it. Dat’s the name!” said Jan. “Vell, I stands on -the deck mit the packet, unt I sees it coom. I goes to the -captain unt I dells him America has proke loose, unt vash -cooming down on the sheep, unt would sink her. He laugh -at me, unt said it vash an iceberg. Unt I vatched it very -close, unt py unt py it tipped oop, unt turned auver, unt I -dinks we ish gone. But it not strike the sheep.”</p> - -<p>“Lucky fer you,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“Vat vash you dink auver an iceberg ash vash so pig ash -it vash tip auver on the sheep, unt sink the sheep. Now I -ask you not for to pelieve all dis unless you vash a mind to. -You must do ash you blease. Put dis is vat I sees myself. -Vat is your opinion mit dese tam icebergs?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, they say that they break away from the hills up north -and float down yer. That’s all I know.”</p> - -<p>“Yaw. Put vat makes dem tip auver? Dat ish vat I -vants to know.”</p> - -<p>“How kin I tell?”</p> - -<p>“Vell, I dells you my opinion mit dese tam ole icebergs. -Dey ish very pig. Put, vat vas you dink mit a <em>vale</em> (whale) -ash vas so pig as he vash go unther an iceberg, unt lift the -iceberg oop on his pack, unt tip her auver on the sheep, unt -sink the sheep. Dat ish my opinion mit dese tipping icebergs.”</p> - -<p>“Ye don’t mean to tell me thet you think a whale goes -under an iceberg and tips it over?”</p> - -<p>“Yaw. De vale goes unther the iceberg, unt lifts it oop on<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">[14]</span> -his pack, and tips it auver on de sheep. Dat ish vat I -dinks.”</p> - -<p>“He couldn’t do it,” said Ben. “Darn it. I’ve seen icebergs, -and I’ve seen whales, but I never seen a whale big -enough to do thet, nor you either.”</p> - -<p>“I shpose you dinks dish ish von lie. All right. You may -dink vat you blease, put dis is vat I sees myself. I ton’t care -nottings now vat you dinks, only ven a man vill not pelieve -goot sense ven he hears him, he is von very much vool. Vat -you got in the pan, Shule?”</p> - -<p>“Soup,” said Jules.</p> - -<p>“Vat you makes him off?”</p> - -<p>“Grouse,” said Jules, smiling.</p> - -<p>“Ven he ish reaty, let us have somet’ings to eat. I ish -hoongry. Vy does ve coom here pefore it ish dime to set our -traps, Penn?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell ye. Ef we ain’t on hand ’arly, all the places will -be taken up. And I know a place whar we kin make our -fortun’s, sure. I’ve got a beaver-dam thet beats the world. -But come, Jule, I’m like Dutchy. I want something to eat. -Ef it’s ready, dish it up.”</p> - -<p>Each man had a tin cup among his other property, and -Jules filled three of them from the pan on the fire. For a -few moments nothing was heard but the clicking of spoons and -smacking of lips over the savory mess, for Jules was a good -cook. Jan shoveled down the contents of his cup first, and -held it out for more.</p> - -<p>“Like it?” said Jules.</p> - -<p>“Goot!” said Jan, smacking his lips again. “Pest I ever -eats. Gif me more of it.”</p> - -<p>Jules filled the cup again, and then replenished his own -and that of Ben Miffin, who was not far behind the others in -disposing of the food. At last Jan was satisfied, and drawing -his hand across his mouth slowly, he proceeded to fill his pipe -for a smoke.</p> - -<p>Jules cleared away the pan, put another stick of wood -on the fire, and got away from the reach of the ponderous -hand of the Dutchman, and then said:</p> - -<p>“I s’pose you know what you have been eating, Jan?” -There was very little, except in the accent of the young man, to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[15]</span> -show that he was a Frenchman, and the occasional use of the -pronoun “him” in the place of “it.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t you say it vash grouse?” said Jan. “’Twas goot, -anyvay.”</p> - -<p>“Yer mighty right,” said Ben. “’Twas the best grub I’ve -had fer a long time. But ’twa’n’t no grouse. I knew it as -soon as I put it in my mouth. Ye gev me some once before, -ye remember.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a pity Jan don’t like it. I think it’s durned -good.”</p> - -<p>“Vat I peen eating?” cried Jan, in great alarm. “Off you -vash not dell me now, dis very dime, vat it vas, I vill raise my -hand oop unt let it fall on your cophf (cope), unt it vill kill -you!”</p> - -<p>“It was something you said to-day you would not eat if -you were starving.”</p> - -<p>“Snakes!” screamed Jan, starting to his feet, with both -hands pressed on his stomach.</p> - -<p>“No, not so bad as <em>that</em>,” said Jules. “It was frog -soup.”</p> - -<p>Jan sat down again to consider over the matter. For full -five minutes he neither moved nor spoke, but sat with his head -resting on his hand. At last he looked up.</p> - -<p>“Pring me dat pan,” he said.</p> - -<p>Ben reached over to where the pan stood and handed it to -him. He took up his spoon and devoured all that was left, -not deigning a word to the repeated demands of Jules that he -should leave a little for him. His jaws never ceased their -action until he had deposited the whole in his cavernous -stomach.</p> - -<p>“Dere,” he said. “I veels petter. Unt so dat ish vrog, -eh?”</p> - -<p>“I should think so,” said Jules. “You old cormorant!”</p> - -<p>“Vat ish dat?”</p> - -<p>“A bird that eats every thing he can get his claws on,” -said Jules. “Why didn’t you leave some?”</p> - -<p>“I vas brought oop to love mine neighbor ash myself. I -dinks it ish not right to eat vrogs. Put I dink so mooch -more off my neighbor dat I vill not leaf vrog soup vor a -demptation.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">[16]</span></p> - -<p>“Sacrifice yourself for the public good, you old hog?” said -Jules.</p> - -<p>“Yaw. Dat ish drue. I sees dat if I does not eat him -you vould do it, unt I dink so mooch off mine frent dat I vould -not leaf it. Dat ish all apout it.”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean to eat any more if I make him?” demanded -Jules.</p> - -<p>“Yaw. Venever you makes vrog soup I vill not leaf any -of him vor you. Dat ish vat I dinks apout it.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you’ll get a good chance,” said the Frenchman. -“And perhaps you won’t. But you’ve finished it. Perhaps -you will go out with me and catch some more of -them.”</p> - -<p>“Nein!” said Jan.</p> - -<p>“Why not? You eat them fast enough.”</p> - -<p>“Yaw. I alvays eat dem fast enough. I know vat ish -goot for mine frent, unt I dinks vrog soup very pad vor -him.”</p> - -<p>“That’s enough,” said Ben. “You’ve taught Jan to eat -frogs, and he has taught you that if a Dutchman is slow, he -is sure, and that you can’t fool him wuth a cent. Scatter the -brands and pick up your dunnage. It’s time to be on the -way.”</p> - -<p>“How far is it?” said Jules.</p> - -<p>“A matter of five miles or so,” said the trapper. “But -we’ll get our pay for the long journey we’ve made ef we ar’ -a little footsore at the end. Come on!”</p> - -<p>They shouldered their pieces and strode off into the hills, -the Dutchman sauntering in the rear, leading his horse by the -bridle.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[17]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.<br /> -<span class="fs60">THE GRIZZLY BEAR.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Ben Miffin</span> strode on in advance of both the others, leading -his horse, loaded with camp utensils, by the bridle. This -man was known far and wide upon the prairies, as a skillful -trapper, a bold hunter, and an Indian fighter of great renown. -He had one quality which was his own, in common with many -of his class—of boasting of his exploits. Perhaps this trait -was a part of his frontier education, learned from the Indians. -At any rate Ben exhibited the strange anomaly of a -boaster who was at the same time a brave man. The scars -upon his body were taken in many a bloody fight along the -Yellowstone, by the Platte, on the Washington, and in the -Sierras. His step was free and firm in spite of his fifty-five -years, and the gray hairs sprinkled in his heavy beard and -mustache.</p> - -<p>The road lay through a growth of scattered pines, such as -grow upon the Black Hills, and among others a few specimens -of the nut-pine, known only in the West. Ben stooped to -pick up one of the cones, and as he was tearing off the husk -to get at the seed he heard a sound which caused him to drop -the cone and seize his rifle. The sound was a grunt resembling -the grunt of a hog, and looking up, he saw, a few feet -from him, an enormous grizzly bear, standing with his head -cocked on one side in a knowing manner, regarding the trio -in a way which seemed to say that he hesitated to decide -which of the three would make the best meal. There is no -living mountaineer who does not fear the grizzly bear. Their -strength and ferocity can not be fairly stated. Ben knew the -danger he had to encounter, and was ready to meet it like a -man. The Frenchman aimed his rifle at the animal, but dropped -it again at the stern signal of Ben Miffin’s hand, who -never removed his keen eyes from those of the fierce animal. -Cooper says in “The Pioneers,” “There is something in the -front of the image of his Creator that daunts the hearts of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[18]</span> -inferior beings of creation.” And the great student of nature -was right. No one knew better than Ben Miffin the -power of the human eye, and his never quailed.</p> - -<p>“Let me shoot,” whispered Jules.</p> - -<p>“For your life, don’t!” muttered Ben. “Hold yer charge -tell I give ye the word, and then let him hev it.”</p> - -<p>“I can shoot him while he stands still,” replied Jules.</p> - -<p>“Mind me,” was the reply. “Keep yer eye on the brute -all the time. ’Tain’t no use to fire; his hide is like a sheet -of iron. Bullets flatten ag’in’ it like paper-balls. Darn my -hide ef they don’t. He’s got his eye on my hoss; he kain’t -hev it, mind ye.”</p> - -<p>All this was said almost in a whisper. The bear had not -moved, but was standing in the same place, shifting his head -to and fro to get away from the eye of the intrepid man. Ben -knew his advantage, but between keeping his young -companion from firing, and watching the bear, he had -his hands full. At last the bear rose slowly on his hind legs, -and opening his jaws, uttered a terrific growl, at the same -time showing a set of long, white teeth, at the sight of which -poor Jan, who was crouching behind a rock, uttered a yell of -terror.</p> - -<p>“Keep still, you durned fool,” said Ben, without turning his -head. “You’ll bring him on us ef you show the white feather -thet thar way.”</p> - -<p>Still he kept the eye of the bear. The brute lowered himself -upon all fours and suddenly began to retreat. He had -not gone ten paces, however, when he turned again and rose -upon his hind feet, repeating the menacing growl which he -had uttered before.</p> - -<p>“Och! Mein Cott!” muttered Jan. “Our vader vich art—goot -saints, vat teet’! Dere ish no more as fivifty teet’ in -hees jaw. I dinks I ish mooch ’fraid.”</p> - -<p>The bear again dropped on all fours and turned his head up -the rocks. But Miffin, who had restrained himself well until -now, jerked his rifle to his shoulder and fired. The ball had -hardly left the barrel when the savage brute, with a broken -fore shoulder, came down the slope on three legs, with growls -which made the blood of the Dutchman run cold in his veins, -and wish himself safely back in fatherland. But he took up<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[19]</span> -the gun he had brought with him from the Rhine, a gun on -the pattern of the roer of southern Africa, and with his heart -in his throat awaited the onset. Jules Damand fired one ineffectual -shot at the savage brute, and then drew his pistols. -Ben Miffin saw that he had brought this on the party, -and that he was the one to be sacrificed, if any. He drew -his knife and was about to close with the bear, when the -Frenchman dragged him away.</p> - -<p>“Climb a tree,” he said. “Take your gun with you.”</p> - -<p>Each darted at a low pine, and scrambled up as soon as -possible, just in time to escape the fury of the brute. He -reared himself on his hind legs at the foot of the tree occupied -by the trapper, and glared at him seated comfortably in the -lower branches. The mouth of the bear was open, and the -white foam dropping from the red tongue. He lowered his -head and licked the blood from his wounded shoulder. The -taste of blood made him more savage, and he gnawed at the -tree with his white teeth.</p> - -<p>“Where are you, Jan?” cried Ben, not seeing the Dutchman -anywhere. “Have you got to a tree?”</p> - -<p>“Nein!” replied Jan from behind his rock, “dere ish no -dree here. I ish kilt! I ish eaten oop mit a pear! Ach -mein Cott! vy you don’t shoot ’im? Vire mit de gun at -’im. Dere ish no hope vor boor Jan Schneider, dat ish drue; -so help me der saints!”</p> - -<p>“Keep yer mouth shet,” replied Ben. “The b’ar -may miss ye. But ef he noses ye out, <em>dig</em> fer a tree, that’s -all.”</p> - -<p>The bear evidently suspected the presence of some one -else, though he had only seen the two he had treed. He -began to nose about the ground, making toward the horses. -But they fled at his approach, and he stopped a little way -from the rock where Jan was hidden and began to snuff the -air. He then advanced toward the rock.</p> - -<p>“Look out thar!” cried Ben; “he noses ye now. Climb -up on the rock.”</p> - -<p>Jan scrambled to the top of the rock, still clinging to his -gun. The grizzly reared his ponderous bulk against the rock -and saw his enemy. The growl he uttered caused cold -shivers to begin at the top of the Dutchman’s head and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[20]</span> -chase one another down his back and into his boots. The only -hope he had was in the gun. He thrust it forward and was -about to fire, when his bearship lifted his paw and gave it a -playful tap, which knocked it out of the poor fellow’s hand, -and sent it flying down the other side of the rock. But Jan -caught it by the stock and pulled it back. The bear began -to climb up the rock, but moved with difficulty, for one leg -was useless to him, and every movement was accompanied by -a growl of pain. Ben Miffin had by this time loaded his rifle, -but the body of Jan was directly between him and the bear, -and he dared not fire. The gun of the Dutchman was loaded -with a handful of buckshot. As the bear came nearer he -lifted the wonderful weapon and pulled trigger. A noise like -the report of a small cannon followed, and Jan was knocked -headlong from his perch, falling on his head and shoulders -nearly ten feet away. He was up in an instant, running for -a tree, fearing to feel the claws of the bear in his back at -every step. He reached the tree, tugged his weight up to the -branches and uttered a shout of joy. He was safe for the -present.</p> - -<p>“How does ye feel?” said Ben from his tree.</p> - -<p>“You’s nice man to shtand py a frent!” said Jan, in high -dudgeon. “You’s goot feller. I dinks I cooms out here goot -many dimes more mit you. Off auver a man is a good fiter, -he vas fite den mit der pear. You’s a coward, Penn -Miffin.”</p> - -<p>“Yer safe in yer tree, or durn me ef I wouldn’t giv’ ye -the darndest lickin’ ye ever got in all yer life. I would, by -gravy. Does ye think a man like me is gwine to stand thet -thar? I reckon not. I ruther calculate ye’ve barked up the -wrong tree. Jest wait tell I git down, and I’ll chop ye inter -kindlin’ wood. Thet’s as good as ef I swore to it.”</p> - -<p>“Where is the bear?” said Jules. “I can’t see him.”</p> - -<p>“No? Mebbe the Dutchman knocked him over with that -blunderbuss of his’n—the darndest weepon! It’s got a muzzle -like thet thar little cannon they’ve got at the Mackinaw. -Mountain howt’zer they called it. Look sharp again, Jule; -kain’t ye see him now?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Ben; he lies under the rock, with his head on his -paws. He keeps very quiet.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[21]</span></p> - -<p>“Mebbe he’s shammin’,” said Ben. “Don’t ye go -too nigh the durned critter. It’d be jest like him to git up -and go fer ye the minnit yer feet teched the ground. -Jan?”</p> - -<p>“Vat?”</p> - -<p>“Git down outer that tree and go an’ prick him with yer -knife. Ef he don’t git up then we may safely conclude he’s -a dead b’ar.”</p> - -<p>“I ain’t a vool!” said Jan. “I don’t vant nottings -more to do mit te pears. You go you’self unt brick him.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” said Ben, “I’ll do it; and if he is a dead b’ar, -I’ll take his sculp.”</p> - -<p>“Dake him all,” said Jan. “I not vants him. Der -duyvel! He ish von plack peast. I vash scared mit -him.”</p> - -<p>Ben got down from the tree and crept cautiously toward the -rock, keeping it between himself and the bear. He reached -it and drew himself carefully up the side. He found the -gun lying on the rock where Jan had dropped it, and then, -creeping forward, he looked down upon the grizzly. The -first look was enough, and he hailed his companions with a -shout.</p> - -<p>“Safe?” said Jules.</p> - -<p>“Dead as a hammer,” replied Ben.</p> - -<p>Jules slid down from his tree and hastened to join his companion. -The grizzly lay where he fell, and they could see -that the heavy charge of the roer had passed into the ear of -the dead brute, and blown a passage completely through his -head.</p> - -<p>“Vell, vat you dinks?” said Jan, still in his tree. “If -youse vool me, unt dat pear ish not deat, I gits mad ash ter -tuyvel.”</p> - -<p>“Dead enough,” said Ben; “it’s all your durned luck. -Come down and see him.”</p> - -<p>Jan slowly left his tree, and came toward them in a hesitating -manner, not yet satisfied that the savage was <em>sufficiently</em> -dead to be safe. But even he was satisfied when he saw the -hole the charge had made.</p> - -<p>“Dere,” he said, “vat vas I dell you ven you laugh at mine -gun. Dat ish goot gun; more ash petter ash goot. It kill<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[22]</span> -dish pear. All right. Vy den you not kill him mit der little -gun, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Could do it, ef I had a chaince ter put the barrel clost to -his head,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“Yaw. Vy you not <em>do</em> it, den?” said Jan. “Nobotty -dinks you dare do it. I vash not ’vraid, I vash not clime a -dree all pecause off a little pear like dat. I kills him mineself.”</p> - -<p>“Ye run fast enough after ye shot yer blunderbuss,” said -Ben. “But that ain’t it. Let’s git our hosses back again. I -kin git mine easy enough.”</p> - -<p>“How?” said Jules.</p> - -<p>“This way,” replied Ben, raising his fingers to his lips. A -loud, clear whistle rung through the hills. Directly after they -heard the swift beat of coming hoofs, and the three horses appeared -in view, led by the horse of Miffin. He advanced and -seized his property, and the faithful animal laid his head -against his master, whinnying his gladness. Ben stood a -moment stroking his shining mane and his small, shapely -head. The horse was a model of his kind—of the mustang -breed so much in use upon the prairies. Of middle size, a -pure white, with small head, deep chest and long body, with -keen eyes and the light step of the deer. There is no better -breed of horses in the world.</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes, old boy,” said the trapper; “ye are one thet -will always come at <em>my</em> whistle, no matter when I sound -it.”</p> - -<p>“Where did you get him?” said Jules, coming up, with the -bridle of his own horse across his arm.</p> - -<p>“From the Crows,” said Ben. “They are my friends yit. -I’ll never need one on the prairies. I go back to them onc’t -in a while and they always make a feast.”</p> - -<p>“The horse is a beauty,” said Jules, glancing at -him.</p> - -<p>“He hasn’t his ekal on the prairies,” replied Ben. “Look fer -him whar ye may, ye won’t find a hoss to go as far and do as -much and do it as quick as Diamond. I’ll say thet fer him. -I’ve got him to thank fer a life saved from the Blackfeet -before now. But them days is done. I’m gettin’ to be an -old man now. I feel it in my bones.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[23]</span></p> - -<p>“Old!” replied Jules. “I’d like to find your match now in -this section.”</p> - -<p>“That’s easy enough to do,” said Ben; “not but thet the -time hez been when I was as spry a young chap as ye’d find -atween the three Buttes and the Massasipp. I tell ye true, -I’ve seen the time I could lick any thing on the prairie. -I couldn’t do it now. I’m gittin’ too powerful weak, that’s -the reason, and good enough reason, too. I c’u’d lift a buffler -onc’t; I kain’t do it now. But I’m no chicken to-day.”</p> - -<p>“Say,” said Jan, “vat you do mit my pear?”</p> - -<p>“Leave him here now,” said Ben. “To-morrow I reckon -we’ll come back and take him into camp.”</p> - -<p>“Vat you do mit him?” queried Jan.</p> - -<p>“<em>Eat</em> him, of course. Never hed any bear-steak, I guess. -I calculate you’ll say it’s mighty refreshing fodder, once you -git any of it.”</p> - -<p>“Eat a <em>pear</em>! Vy, dat ish worser dan to eat vrog,” said -Jan.</p> - -<p>“No, not so bad,” said Ben, “only the frogs taste the best. -I judge you can’t beat them very easy.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” said Jan. “I eats any t’ing now; I eat a pear. -I says nottings. Pring him vere Jule cook him, unt py tam, -I eat him. Dat’s all.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll teach ye something about frontier life by the time -we git done with ye,” said Ben. “I ruther guess thet ye -will see the time when a baked Injun won’t be a bad dish fer -ye.”</p> - -<p>“Paked Injun! Vat; you eat dem?”</p> - -<p>“I reckon ther’ pooty good fodder too, when you ain’t got -nothin’ else to feed on,” replied Ben, coolly.</p> - -<p>“I dells you vat,” said Jan, getting angry again, “ven I -cooms to dis coontry I dinks it must be goot coontry, but -now I dinks it is no more petter ash a Feejee Island. I -vill not eat paked Injun. ’Tish no good; dat ish vat I -dinks.”</p> - -<p>“Ye don’t know any thing about it,” said Ben. “After -ye’v’ been on the prairie a while ye will git over thet and not -be half so squeamish. Jest lose yer sculp onc’t, and ye’ll be -ready to eat an Injun raw.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">[24]</span></p> - -<p>“Stop dat. I veel very pad. I dinks dere is no Injun -here.”</p> - -<p>“Mebbe not. Mebbe the prairie down thar ain’t the’r old -stamping-ground, and mebbe it is. Anyhow, I’ve got my -opinion, and I’ll bet ye my fust beaver ag’in’ yours thet we see -Injuns in less then a week.”</p> - -<p>“I not likes Injuns.”</p> - -<p>“Nuther do I. I calculate ther’s a good many of jest the -same opinion on the prairies. They don’t like the sculpin’ -process. I know a man thet hez been sculped and is as -lively as a cricket now. More’n thet, he hez put forty -notches in his rifle-butt sence the Blackfeet took his -sculp.”</p> - -<p>“Vat’s dat fer?”</p> - -<p>“He makes a notch fer every red nigger he wipes out. But -I hear the dam, boys, and there’s our campin’-ground.”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.<br /> -<span class="fs60">THE MOUNTAIN DEVIL.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">They</span> had hardly passed forward a dozen steps, when they -were startled by a sudden cry, which resembled nothing -earthly. At the same moment came the shout of a masculine -voice, evidently in peril. The sounds, coming so suddenly -upon their ears, startled poor Jan immensely, and he drew -back with a look of horror, but Ben ran hastily forward in -the direction of the sound, followed more slowly by the Frenchman. -They reached a level spot of ground between the cliffs -where they widened enough to leave perhaps an acre of ground -inclosed, and upon this spot of ground two men were struggling -for life or death. One was a young man in the garb of -a mountaineer, who had fallen upon one knee and with his -hand clasped about the body of his foe, was plying his knife -with desperate energy.</p> - -<p>The other was a being clad in skins, a savage, hairy, fearful -creature, which could not be called a man. This ferocious<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[25]</span> -creature had no weapon but a short club, with which it fought -with desperate courage, warding off the strokes of the knife, -and giving fearful blows in exchange. The nails of this horrible -assailant were like the claws of a panther. The teeth -protruded over the lower lip, white and savage. As it fought -it uttered the cry which had welcomed the entrance of the -trappers to the glen. A little way off, a young girl stood with -clasped hands, in an agony of terror. Ben had no time to -look at her then, but, drawing his rifle to his shoulder, he fired -at the grizzly demon, which seemed to have the best of it, and -had the satisfaction of seeing the arm which lifted the club -over the head of his opponent, drop palsied at his side.</p> - -<p>The brute uttered the same ferocious cry which had attracted -their attention in the first instance, and turning, it darted -up the face of the cliff near at hand, at a place where human -foot had never trod. Jules fired at him, but without effect, -and he passed over the cliff and disappeared from view, gnashing -his teeth and howling like a wounded wolf. Ben ran to -the assistance of the young man, who had sunk bleeding to -the earth, and raised him in his arms. The girl came forward -at the same moment, with a look of tender sympathy -in her face which could not be misunderstood.</p> - -<p>“How do you feel, Bentley?” she said. “Are you badly -hurt?”</p> - -<p>“I hope not,” replied the young man.</p> - -<p>The next moment he fainted from loss of blood, and while -they used every measure in their power to aid him and stanch -the flow of blood, Ben had time to look at the girl. She was -a lady-like woman, with a sweet face, a calm, bold eye, and -a trim figure. Her dress was that of the better class of -western emigrants, though travel-stained and torn. The young -man called Bentley was wounded in a dozen places by the -sharp nails of his late assailant, and badly beaten about the -head with the heavy club. They raised him in their arms -and carried him forward. In a moment more they turned an -angle in the path and reached their camping-ground. They -gathered a quantity of pine branches and threw their blankets -on it and laid the wounded man upon it. Ben had some rude -knowledge of surgery, a knowledge which stood him in good -stead now. He went away and came back directly, holding<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[26]</span> -in his hands a small heap of leaves. These he placed upon -a flat stone and quickly reduced them to a pumice, which he -applied to the wounds of the young stranger. By this time -he had recovered his senses, and though yet faint from loss of -blood, he understood his situation and the care which was being -taken for his recovery.</p> - -<p>The girl had followed them without a word. There was -something in the face of Trapper Ben which inspired confidence -in him. No woman could look in his face and feel the -least fear of him after it. A good, brave old man, knowing -his work, and doing it.</p> - -<p>When every thing which could be done for the comfort of -the wounded man had been accomplished, Jules Damand built -a fire, and began to fry some venison-steaks, which he found -in his saddlebags. There is a natural taste for the fine arts -in cookery which seems to be characteristic of the French -people, and Jules was no exception to the rule. To see him -at work upon a venison-joint would make the mouth of an -epicure water. And though Jan was no epicure, he was -dreadfully hungry after his tackle with the bear, and watched -the process of cooking with a sense of unsatisfied longing -which pleased Ben exceedingly.</p> - -<p>“Yer hungry, old man?” he said.</p> - -<p>“Hoongry? You pet. I’m yoost as hungry ash nefer vas. -Vy you vait so long, Shules? Sh’pose you hurry pefore I die -mit hunger.”</p> - -<p>“Not I. You will find that it is impossible to hurry meat. -It must cook just long enough, or it will not be fit for pigs. -You must not expect me to slight my cookery now, when -there is a lady in the case.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, coom, coom. Don’t keep him dere no more. I more -hoongry efery minnit.”</p> - -<p>Jules shook his head, and continued his work of turning -the steaks with an air of interest in the occupation which only a -Frenchman can feel in such labor. At last his work was -done, and taking some of the venison on a piece of bark, he -approached the young lady, and handed it to her with the -look of a marquis offering refreshment to a duchess. And, -indeed, the graces of Monsieur Jules Damand upon this occasion -would have done credit to any rank in life.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[27]</span></p> - -<p>“Yoost look at him,” whispered Jan, his sides shaking with -subdued laughter. “You t’ink he shentleman, ven I nefer -sees such a vool vile I lifs.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, let him be, Jan. Yer mad because you can’t show -off before a gal the way he kin. Don’t deny it, ye know it’s -true,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“I nefer dells a man he lie,” said Jan, coolly, “put ven <em>I</em> -lie I dalks yoost ash you pees dalkin’ <em>now</em>. Vat you dink of -dat, eh?”</p> - -<p>The young lady took the food offered her by the Frenchman, -with a smile and bow, and ate with a keen appetite. -The others helped themselves, and even the wounded man -disposed of a goodly quantity of the savory meat. When -they had finished, Jules cleared the table by the summary -process of throwing the bark into the river, and they drew -up beside the fire upon which Ben threw more wood.</p> - -<p>“Ef it wouldn’t be askin’ too much, young lady, I’d like -to know how you kem here. It ain’t often we see young an’ -handsome gals out in the Black Hills.”</p> - -<p>“You have a right to know, after what you have done for -us,” she answered, in a sweet voice.</p> - -<p>“Now don’t ye begin thet ’ar way,” said Ben. “I won’t -stand it. We ain’t done nothin’.”</p> - -<p>“You saved us from that terrible creature.”</p> - -<p>“Psho! What signifies pullin’ a trigger? Thet ain’t no -trouble to a man thet’s used to lookin’ through the double -sights. Tell yer story, and never ye mind us. We mout hev -the will to do ye good, mebbe, s’posin’ we got a chaince. -What’s yer name?”</p> - -<p>“My name is Millicent Carter,” she answered. “My companion’s -name is Bentley Morris. We had been part of a -party of emigrants on their way to the Far West. I suppose -it is the old story to you. We were attacked by Indians in -the night, and we are all that they left to tell the story.”</p> - -<p>“Der Sherusalem!” cried Jan, with a look of horror. “I -hate Injuns.”</p> - -<p>“It was the durned Blackfeet, I’ll bet a farm in Nebraska,” -said Ben. “What? Not one of all the comp’ny left but -you two?”</p> - -<p>“We alone. By the aid of the strong arm of my friend,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[28]</span> -I escaped from that scene of blood and death, at which my -heart sickens even now. You will understand that but for -him, I should have been one of the victims.”</p> - -<p>“Millicent!” said the wounded man.</p> - -<p>“Be silent, Bentley. It was your bravery which saved me. -You came back in the midst of the fray, when you might -have escaped alone.”</p> - -<p>“He’s a brave lad,” said Ben. “Ef he denies it I won’t -believe him, for he’s got it in his eye. Now, don’t you say a -word. Go on, miss.”</p> - -<p>“It was many weary miles from this, and we were footsore -and weary before we came so far. We reached the entrance -to this place and came in to find a secure asylum for the -night. As we passed on I thought I heard footsteps following -us and told Bentley. He had heard them, too, and was -uneasy. We kept on our course until we reached the place -where you found us, and where Bentley determined to pass -the night. It might have been an hour after, and he was -gathering some sticks with which to make a little fire, for I -was cold and wet, when that terrible creature appeared on the -rocks overhead, uttering its fearful cry. If I live to be old -and gray, that horrible vision will never leave me. I see it -plainly now.”</p> - -<p>“B’ar up, miss; don’t be afraid. Yer safe enough now,” -said Ben.</p> - -<p>“Put vat if dat tuyvel vas to coom pack ag’in, Penn?” -said Jan, looking uneasily over his shoulder. “I pees afraid -mit him now.”</p> - -<p>“He’d better not. Let him try it on ef he wants to git his -gruel. I’m ekal to any low-lived squab of thing like that, I -reckon. Don’t you be afraid, miss. Thar ain’t no danger.”</p> - -<p>“It is childish in me to fear now,” she said, “when I have -such able protectors. There, the feeling is gone; I put implicit -confidence in you.”</p> - -<p>“Thet’s right. You might do wuss then to trust old Ben -Miffin. That’s my name, miss. Trapper Ben, they call me -sometimes. This is Jules Damand. He’ll stand by you, an’ -cook all the vittles. This is Jan Schneider. He ain’t much -to look at, but he killed a grizzly a little while ago, with that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[29]</span> -weepon he calls a roer. Don’t it roar when it goes off? I -guess not!”</p> - -<p>“It ish goot gun,” said Jan. “Don’t you make fun off -me now, Penn Miffin.”</p> - -<p>“Who’s makin’ fun of ye? I ain’t. I’m tellin’ the lady -you’re goin’ to stand by her, and shoot that durned critter ef -it comes back here.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know what that thing could be called, sir?” said -the girl; “it surely can not be a man.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t say sir to me. I’m old Ben Miffin. Please to call -me by my name.”</p> - -<p>“If you like it?”</p> - -<p>“You bet I like it. I ain’t ashamed of my handle, not a -bit. It’s a good one, an’ I cum by it honest—the way I cum -by all my traps. I fight fa’r for every thing, even with a -durned low-lived swab of a Hudson Bay man, an’ anybody -knows they ain’t human. Ye asked me what that critter was. -I tell ye fa’r, I don’t know. I’ve seen it onc’t before. Some -of the boys hez seen it too, an’ they don’t know. It’s a quar -sort of critter. Ef I hed my say about it, I sh’u’d think it -war half man an’ half wolf. It’s mean enough.”</p> - -<p>“It does not talk; but you noticed that it was clothed in -skins.”</p> - -<p>“I seen that. It’s a quar critter, I must say. The boys -call it the Mountain Devil. It’s a good name. It’s lucky for -the thing that I fired in a hurry; and then the youngster was -so much in the way I dassen’t fire at any thing but the arm. -I hit that.”</p> - -<p>“It saved my life,” said young Morris. “I had no strength -to ward off another blow; I felt that my time had come.”</p> - -<p>“So you mought well think. It ain’t one man but a dozen -hez gone under, time and ag’in, here in the Black Hills. -Whatever it is, it hates a man like death. Don’t you talk too -much, young ’un; it mought hurt ye.”</p> - -<p>“These scratches are nothing,” replied Morris. “I shall -be well in a day or two.”</p> - -<p>“Look around ye and see how ye like the place ye’ve got -to live in till we go to the States.”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[30]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.<br /> -<span class="fs60">THE TRAPPING-GROUND.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> stream on which they halted was one of the tributaries -of the Missouri, the <em>Cache la Poudre</em>, which flowed through -the passes of the Black Hills not more than forty miles from -Fort Laramie. From the place where they stood, they could -see the peaks of the three brothers, the Buttes, raising their -heads on high. Mount Laramie loomed up in the distance -and at their feet the river poured on down the mountain-pass. -Near the place where they stood, that sagacious animal, the -beaver, had dammed the stream and made themselves homes. -The round tops of the little huts rose above the water, and -knowing heads were peeping out at the strange intruders.</p> - -<p>In all probability, no other feet than those of Ben Miffin -had ever trod the banks of the stream, if we except the Indian -hunters. The entrance was narrow and crooked, and -once in, the eternal rocks seemed to rise on every hand, inaccessible -to mortal feet. Low growths of pine and the creeping -forms of the cactus were the only vegetation. The silence was -unbroken by a single sound. Ben looked at his companions -in triumph. They had met him in St. Louis, and he had -thought proper to reveal to them his discovery and make them -partners in his toils. He was not avaricious, and he found -them with no wealth except their weapons, eager to try his -trapping-ground. He wished to better their condition, and -had taken this way to do it. Personally, he knew nothing -of them or their antecedents. But they had appealed to his -sympathies in their destitution, and no man ever appealed to -him in vain. He had a large heart, open always to the cry -of the needy. In another sphere he would have been a philanthropist. -In his own, he was only a true-hearted, simple -man, with only one object, and that to live out his simple life -as the Maker whom in his rough way he reverenced, would -have him. Jan had told him wonderful tales of the prowess -he had shown in hunting in southern Africa, where he had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[31]</span> -been when a young man. It only required a little of the -rough experience of the prairie to show him that he was not -the mighty Nimrod he had made himself out to be. But, Ben -cared nothing for this, and was pleased with the eccentricities -of the Dutchman.</p> - -<p>“Thar,” said the trapper; “ain’t thet a sight fur sore eyes? -Thar’s peltries enough in this yer stream to make us rich all -summer.”</p> - -<p>“Vat ish dem?” said Jan, pointing to the beaver-houses; -“who live dere?”</p> - -<p>“Injuns!” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“Vat!” said Jan, leaping from the earth. “Vy den you -cooms here? Vy den you no stay at home mit yourself unt -not pring me out here vere dey lifs?”</p> - -<p>“Ye never seen a beaver hut, I reckon,” said Ben. “Ye -wouldn’t believe me when I tell ye thet them houses ar’ the -work of beasts.”</p> - -<p>“Who puild dem houses, den?”</p> - -<p>“Beavers,” said Ben. “S’arch creation through, and I -reckon ye won’t find any beast thet ken beat them. They’re -carpenters, masons, and engineers; an’ they know the’r trade -too.”</p> - -<p>“Penn Miffin, you ish no more ash von liar. Vy you dry -to fool me? How dem peavers coot down trees, eh?”</p> - -<p>“With the’r teeth. A lot of ’em git at a tree thet stands -close to the bank, and gnaw away at it till it falls over. Then -they work away with sticks an’ stones to make the’r dam, an’ -when thet is done they build the’r houses. You’d better believe -they ain’t got the’r ekal anywhere in the ’arth. I’ll tell -ye lots more about ’em, miss.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” said Millicent.</p> - -<p>“Vell, you cooms here to catch dem? Dey too smart,” -said Jan.</p> - -<p>“They are pooty smart, thet’s a fact,” said Ben. “But we -manage to get the upper hand of ’em somehow. But thet’s -neither here nor thar. Let’s make a cabin. The gal must -hev a place to live in. Ye ken use an ax, can’t ye?”</p> - -<p>“Yaw,” said Jan.</p> - -<p>They had hoppled their horses and allowed them to stray -at will about the inclosure, after the traps and furniture had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[32]</span> -been removed. Leaving their new friends together, each of -the men attacked a pine about a foot through at the butt, and -soon cut enough logs for their hut. Both Ben and Jules were -old hands at this kind of work, and Jan, when he understood -what was required of him, did good service. The logs were -cut down, squared slightly, notched at the ends, and in a few -hours they began to lay the first in their places. By the time -it was dark they had raised the walls four feet from the -ground.</p> - -<p>“Knock off fur the night,” said Ben. “Let’s hev something -more to eat.”</p> - -<p>“Yaw,” said Jan, “dat ish coot. I pees so mooch hungry -as nefer.”</p> - -<p>“Ye’ve worked well, old man,” said Ben. “I say thet fur -ye. Come, Jule, try yer hand at the cookery ag’in. Don’t -make too much fire. Git dry wood. These yer pine branches -make too much smoke unless the’r dry. Go up thar by the -rocks. Thar’s an old pine cut down thar, and it will make a -good fire. I cut it down when I were here before, miss.”</p> - -<p>“Vy you ’vraid of too mooch vire, Penn?” asked Jan, looking -doubtfully around.</p> - -<p>“Ye don’t know the Blackfeet as well as I do, or ye wouldn’t -ask the question,” said Ben. “Wet wood makes too -much of a smoke, and a Blackfoot brave could see a smoke as -fur off as ye could see a mountain.”</p> - -<p>“Vell, vat ef he does?”</p> - -<p>“Then he would come and sculp ye by the light of yer -fire, ef he didn’t make up his mind to roast ye a little fust. -Ther’ a pizen, sneakin’, murderin’ set, an’ would make no more -of takin’ the sculp of a Dutchman, then I would of skinnin’ -a beaver. Thet’s all.”</p> - -<p>“Dey very near?” said Jan, looking fearful. “Vy you stay -here?”</p> - -<p>“We didn’t come out yer to <em>play</em>,” said Ben; “an’ the -Blackfoot thet gits my sculp will hev to fight fer it. I’ve a -likin’ fer my own ha’r. It growd thar, an’ thar it’s got to -stay until things git so mixed up thet I kain’t raise a hand -to fight fer it. I’m goin’ to make this yer place a fort before -long.”</p> - -<p>“How you do dat, Penn?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[33]</span></p> - -<p>“Never mind. I’ve no doubt the Blackfeet will nose us -out ’fore we quit, an’ when they do, we’ve got to fight. I -count you good fer three Injuns. I’m good fer ten, and Jule -will wipe out eight. So you see they must bring down -twenty-two to hev any left to do the sculpin’.”</p> - -<p>“Jule ain’t goot for mooch. I can vip him so easy ash -notting ever vas. I kills oct Injuns, unt he kills dree. Dat’s -it.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll eat the Injun when you kill him,” said Jules. “You’ll -run from the first one you see.”</p> - -<p>“Me run vrom an Injun. No, py der saints, I kill auvery -one I see, same ash I kills de pear. You prave mans, you two. -Climb oop trees, unt leave poor Dutchman all alone. Yaw; -dat ish no goot.”</p> - -<p>“See yer, Dutchy. I want you to go back to the bear and -bring him in. I’m afraid the wolves will git at him ef we -leave him thar. You wouldn’t have the wolves eat up your -bear, would you?”</p> - -<p>“I not got <em>time</em> to go pack,” said Jan. “I so hoongry, -pesides I’m very tired.”</p> - -<p>“Yer skeered. Thet’s what’s the matter with ye, Dutchy. -Yer skeered half to death. Ye wouldn’t no more go back to -thet b’ar then ye would fly. I ain’t quite so sure he’s -dead, anyhow. Isn’t thet him comin’ down the hill yonder?”</p> - -<p>Jan leaped up, clasped the trunk of a tree with both hands, -and began to climb with might and main, while the others -rolled over and over on the ground, bursting with laughter. -By the time he reached the first branch he had collected sufficient -fortitude to look about him, and could see no such -fearful monster as he imagined coming down upon him. The -truth dawned upon him that he was the victim of a sell, and -he slid down again in great wrath.</p> - -<p>“You’s the wust liar, Penn Miffin, in dis coontry. Auvery -Yankee can lie goot deal, put you can lie more as dat. Dere -vas no pear.”</p> - -<p>“Wasn’t ther’? It must hev been the rock I seen and I -thought it was a b’ar, sure as shootin’. But ye was skeered -that time; ye kain’t say ye wa’n’t.”</p> - -<p>“Kin, too! Wasn’t scared a bit, Penn Miffin.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[34]</span></p> - -<p>“Ye wasn’t? What made ye climb the tree, then?” said -Ben.</p> - -<p>“Pecause I can not see no pear on the ground, unt I climbs -oop the tree to look vor him, unt ven I gits dere, I can see no -pear. Den I knows dere vas no pear, unt dat you vas no more -ash von liar like auvery Yankee.”</p> - -<p>Ben laughed heartily and turned his attention to the food -which the Frenchman was cooking over the blaze. He had -built his fire with all the care of the frontierman. First, the -light leaves were ignited, then some small twigs, which would -burn without smoke, were added, and when these had kindled -into flame, larger sticks were laid on, and the fire was now -blazing merrily, though still without much smoke.</p> - -<p>“Thet’s the sort of fire to fool a Blackfoot,” said Ben. -“Ah, many and many’s the brave fellow hez gone under fer -the want of a little care. Now, I don’t know thet ther’s an -Injun within twenty mile of us, but I always go to work as ef -they were all around, as they may be fer all we know, and -most likely ar’.”</p> - -<p>“What makes ye think so, Ben?” said Jules.</p> - -<p>“’Cause it’s the last of the huntin’ season, an’ the braves -are out for buffler. Thet’s my reason. Then, ag’in, ye kain’t -depend on a Blackfoot; ther’ a treacherous, hoss-stealin’ set. -Mind I tell ye.”</p> - -<p>“The Crows are just as bad.”</p> - -<p>“No they <em>ain’t</em>. Anyhow, they won’t be to us while I’m -hyar. You see they ain’t forgot the’r old chief yet. I calculate -I’ve got a wife among ’em som’ers.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you know where she is?”</p> - -<p>“Kain’t say thet I do. When I was in the Crow village -last, and thet’s three years ago, she were thar. Ther’s a young -chief takes care of her on my account, seein’ he ain’t got no -father or mother, an’ she sort of adopted him. So I reckon -she rubs along right peart. She orter, anyhow. Prehaps I -couldn’t appreciate the woman. I didn’t, anyhow.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t you like her?” said Jules.</p> - -<p>“No, I <em>didn’t</em> relish her much, thet’s a fact. Ye see she -had a tongue of her own, and a mighty sharp tongue it were -too—the wust you ever see. She never stopped her clack from -mornin’ tell night. I wouldn’t hev minded it so much ef she<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[35]</span> -had only taken a rest onc’t in a while, but she didn’t. It -seems to me now, thet the durned critter thought ef she -let her tongue rest a minnit, she couldn’t start it -ag’in.”</p> - -<p>“What did you do?”</p> - -<p>“Do! What any man orter do when he kain’t save himself -no other way.”</p> - -<p>“What was that?”</p> - -<p>“<em>Heeled</em> it ez hard ez I c’u’d go. I reckon that was pooty -lively too.”</p> - -<p>“Vat vas your vrow’s name?” said Jan.</p> - -<p>“Does ye want her, Jan? Ef ye do, take her, with my -blessin’. The truth is, yer gettin’ too fat, and ef ye hed to -stand her jaw only a month ye’d git worked down to yer fitin’-weight -pooty sudden, that’s all.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t vant her,” said Jan.</p> - -<p>“Don’t refuse on account of any feelin’ on my part,” said -Ben. “Don’t be bashful nuther. Or, ef it suits ye better, -I’ll <em>sell</em> her to ye. I’ll sell her <em>cheap</em> too. Give me thet -huntin’-knife of yourn an’ she’s yer own. Thet’s fair, I’m -sure.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t <em>vant</em> her,” persisted Jan. “S’pose she dead, unt -I puy her? Den I lose mine goot knife all vor nottings.”</p> - -<p>“Ef she’s dead, may she rest easy in her grave. But I -don’t think she would, any way. I’ve got my opinion, an’ I -think she’d never rest in any grave. They won’t hev her -in the other world nuther. She’d worrit them to death, mind -ye.”</p> - -<p>“Vy don’t you dells me vat pe her name, Penn?” said -Jan.</p> - -<p>“Hill-a-leah, the Green Snake. Lovely name, ain’t -it?”</p> - -<p>“Goot cracious. Dat ain’t a vooman’s name?”</p> - -<p>“Ain’t it? <em>Prehaps</em> yer right. I doubt ef she’s a woman -<em>myself</em>. Anyhow, I’ve got my opinion and I reckon she’s got -a devil in her. I hearn a preacher down to the fort tell of a -woman thet hed seven devils in her, an’ thet the good man -cast ’em out. Now, ef any one woman hed seven such lively -devils in her ez the Green Snake hez, then she must hev<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[36]</span> -been a healthy female, thet’s all. How gits on the grub, -Jule?”</p> - -<p>“Near done, Ben. In five minutes.”</p> - -<p>“All right. Soon as convenient I’ll worry down a piece of -thet venison. I’d like to make a trade with Jan fer this wife -of mine. She ain’t no use to <em>me</em>, an’ I think she’d be just the -woman for Jan.”</p> - -<p>“I dells you again, I don’t vant no voomans ash vas hev -such names ash Hill-a-baloo,” added Jan. “Schnake—Creen -Schnake! Der Himmel, dat ish dreadful! Don’t you talk -mit me no more ’pout her. I rather gifs you de knife dan -marry a voomans like that.”</p> - -<p>“Wal, I’m sorry we kain’t make a trade,” said Ben, regretfully; -“raally sorry. I’d like to sell her to some likely man -thet would set store by her, an’ not run away from her in less -than two months. I wouldn’t risk a cent thet any man could -keep his nat’ral senses an’ stay with her longer then that, unless -he was sorter seasoned to it, same as I was. I’d ’a’ been -a chief among the Crows now, ef it hadn’t been fer thet.”</p> - -<p>“Is that the reason you left, eh?” said Jules.</p> - -<p>“Ye bet ye! I liked it there fust rate. They never made -me go out on the’r war-parties unless I hed a mind to, though -I went out offen enough, fer thet matter. Ye see, I’m down -on Blackfeet fer more reasons then one; an’ the Crows are the -nat’ral inemies of them critters. I’d like to extarminate the -hull cussed race of them, durn the’r picters!”</p> - -<p>“What makes you hate the Blackfeet so?” said Jules.</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell yer. ’Tain’t less’n ten years ago I was trappin’ -on the north branch of the Platte with a comrade of mine, -a likely chap as you ever see, Jim Johnson was his name, and -the best-hearted feller in Oregon. We made a heap of pelts, -ye bet, an’ was countin’ on a lively time at the forts the next -winter. Jim hed a gal thar, an’ was allus lettin’ on how happy -he’d be when he c’u’d see her ag’in. He never did, poor feller. -I’d been out to see after my traps, gone nigh on to half -a day, mout be, an’ was comin’ home with a load of pelts, fo’ -we hed been lucky all through, an’ when I got to the cabin -we’d built, thar he lay, with his head split like an egg-shell, -an’ sculped. I looked around an’ found Blackfoot signs everywhar, -durn the’r hides. I know them, an’ I’ll make them pay<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[37]</span> -fer it some day. I promised him then, as he lay thar, thet I’d -avenge him on the Blackfeet. Mout be I’ve done it; mout -be I didn’t. Anyhow I’ve got my opinion, an’ I’ll back it thet -the Blackfeet are sorry they killed Jim Johnson.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know who the men are that killed him?” asked -Jules.</p> - -<p>“Yes. Thar’s only two of them on the’r feet to-day, an’ -they ar’ bound to go under ef ever they meet Ben Miffin, or -else he goes under—and he don’t think he will.”</p> - -<p>“Who are they?”</p> - -<p>“One’s a big Blackfoot brave they call Whirling Breeze, an’ -the other a white-livered cuss who claims to be a white man. -Precious little civilized blood he’s got in his veins, an’ that he’s -got is mighty mean. He’s a renegade, an’ I tell ye a renegade -is the worst of all God’s creatures.”</p> - -<p>“What’s his name?”</p> - -<p>“Will Markman. They call him by some Indian name. -The worst of it is, his white blood shows more then the Indian, -an’ he is ez handsome a feller ez you ever see. But he’s got -a cruel heart in his breast. God pity him if I ever meet -him.”</p> - -<p>“Is he a chief?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; they like to git a white man on the’r side. He lays -round yer som’ers, an’ does the dirty work of the Blackfeet. -That’s his way, durn him. Why, ye never did see another -sech critter in yer born days—the wust ye ever saw, I tell ye. -Makes no more of takin’ a sculp then I do of skinnin’ a buffler. -What ar’ ye tryin’ to do now, Jan?”</p> - -<p>The Teuton was craning his neck, looking anxiously up the -hill.</p> - -<p>“I dinks I sees a Plackfeet,” replied the other. “He pees -on the hillside yonder.”</p> - -<p>“Pshaw, Jan; ’tain’t no sech thing—leastways, I kain’t see -no sech critter myself. I guess ye didn’t see nobody.”</p> - -<p>“Did too, Penn Miffin. Who’s a liar? I sees him over -dere py dat bine tree. He vas a pig fellows, bretty near so -pig ash a house. I never sees anypody so pig ash he vas. I -dinks he pe some shiant.”</p> - -<p>“Where was he?” said Ben, anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Over yonder, mit der dree. I sees him. I dinks aff ye<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[38]</span> -dakes yer gun unt coes to him unt kills him, mebbe it vould -pe goot plans.”</p> - -<p>“Hadn’t you better go yourself?” said the Frenchman, maliciously.</p> - -<p>“I dinks I hain’t got time,” said Jan, quickly. “How can -I go ven I can not dell vether dere pe anybotty dere? Penn -coes mit himself.”</p> - -<p>“That’s enuff foolin’,” said Ben. “Jan didn’t see no Injun, -I hope. But we are tired with a long journey. Jule, -let us fix some sort of place for the gal. I don’t like thet she -sh’u’d hev to rough it like us men.”</p> - -<p>“You are too kind to me,” said Millicent. “How can I -ever thank you?”</p> - -<p>“Never mind; you ain’t got no call to thank me ez I knows -on. I ain’t gone round gittin’ sech things ez thanks this year. -Wait till I ask ’em. Jule, you come yer.”</p> - -<p>They had a good supply of extra blankets; these were -brought in, and by the aid of two of them, they curtained off -a recess in one corner of the unfinished building, in which they -laid the other blankets, and, apologizing in a homely but heartfelt -way for their lack of good accommodations, they allowed -Millicent to retire.</p> - -<p>It was in the middle of the night when a strange alarm occurred. -Jules, who was very tired, had taken upon himself -the post of sentry for the first part of the night, and had -stationed himself just outside the building, sitting down at the -foot of a tree. The hours crept slowly by, and he dropped -off into a doze. All at once he awakened to find himself -prostrate upon the ground, with some heavy body lying on his -breast which pressed him close to the soil. By the ghostly -moonlight he made out his assailant to be the creature which -they had met that day. It was making no attempt to harm him, -but simply lying upon his breast, its long, heavy hands toying -with his throat.</p> - -<p>Jules Damand was a cool, hardy fellow, and had been in -danger before now. But, there was something so frightful in -the load upon his breast, that for a moment his heart failed -him. He lay silent, and put out his hand toward a pistol by -slow degrees.</p> - -<p>The strange thing uttered, now and then, a low, chuckling<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[39]</span> -laugh, horrible to hear. Ben, who lay near the door of the -cabin, heard the sound and stirred uneasily in his sleep. Jules, -silent as the grave, allowed his hand to slide along the ground -toward the pistol-butt. Even the slight motion he made annoyed -the savage brute, and he uttered a sort of low snarl. -Jules stopped and waited for him to become quiet. He was -in an uncomfortable position, flat upon his back, with his right -arm lying under the body of the assailant, who grinned and -chattered at him, and scratched at his throat with his long -nails in a playful manner.</p> - -<p>“Sacré!” muttered Jules. “If I could only get my right -arm free.”</p> - -<p>He found that impossible; the whole weight of the hairy -body lay upon it and fixed it like a rock. Jules again began -to feel for his pistol, and laid his hand upon it, when the hairy -palm of the Mountain Devil suddenly closed upon it. There -seemed to be something in the touch of the cold steel which -roused his hate, for he darted his long nails into the face of -the trapper, and left bleeding furrows from brow to chin. At -the same time Jules managed to get the pistol partly free, and -made a shot at him in the dark.</p> - -<p>The creature had some powers of memory; he knew that -the ball which had pierced his arm that morning had been accompanied -by a sound like the crack of the pistol, and he -sprung away for a little distance, and stood licking the blood -from another wound in his arm. The report of the pistol had -roused everybody, and they came out in great haste, Ben leading -the way with his rifle in his hand. At the sight of him -the wild creature bounded away, and hurried up the mountain -side. It was plain that he remembered Ben as the man who -had injured him in the morning. He snarled and screamed -as he disappeared from view, while Jan stood with chattering -teeth and shaking limbs, glaring after the form which was disappearing -behind the hills.</p> - -<p>“Ach, mein Gott! Dere he ish again. Now you mine vat -I says. Dat ish ter tuyvel. Don’ you co to say ash it vas -not. Dat ish ter tuyvel, unt no mistake. My prains are all -hurly-purly. I mos’ deat mit fright.”</p> - -<p>“Shet up. Don’t ye see the lady?” said Ben. “Sorry to -call ye out of yer sleep, miss, but our friend of this mornin’<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">[40]</span> -hez paid us a visit. See how the black brute has marked -Jules.”</p> - -<p>“So he has. This is terrible. I can not do any thing to -help you, Mr. Damand?”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Jules. “I shall do very well. They are only -scratches.”</p> - -<p>“Very painful ones, I fear.”</p> - -<p>“A little. They will soon go away. I shall be satisfied -if they do not leave deep scars. You had better retire again. -It served me right. I should have kept better watch, when I -had such treasures to guard.”</p> - -<p>“Can I be of no service?”</p> - -<p>“No. Not the least. Thank you.”</p> - -<p>She retired again, and Ben found some of the plants which -he had used for Bentley’s wounds that morning, and made a -salve for Jules’ face. When this was done, he sent the -Frenchman into the house, and took his place as guard, half -hoping that the brute would come back, and give him a shot. -Twice during the night he heard its eldritch screams, far off in -the hills, but it did not come back. Ben stood on his guard, -however, until the night passed, and the gray light of morning -appeared in the sky.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.<br /> -<span class="fs60">TREED BY A BUFFALO.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> people in the roofless cabin had slept soundly, after -the visit of the wild thing known as the Mountain Devil. -Millicent came out, blooming like a mountain rose, and drew -from the old trapper a compliment on her personal appearance, -which brought new roses to her cheeks. To the surprise -of every one, Bentley also appeared.</p> - -<p>“You git back to yer nest!” shouted Ben. “Don’t you -s’pose I ain’t got no better business than to be a nuss to you? -You’ll get a relapse ef you don’t take keer.”</p> - -<p>“No fear of that, old man,” said Bentley, addressing the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[41]</span> -trapper in the free and easy style peculiar to the plains. -“Don’t be troubled. I never felt better in my life. That -blood-letting, together with the venison you cook, has done -me a world of good. I shall punish your provisions tremendously.”</p> - -<p>“Waal, as ter that, ye’ve got a rifle of yer own. I reckin -ye kin keep yerself in grub. How does ye shoot?”</p> - -<p>“Pretty well,” said Bentley. “Nothing to brag of, you -know, but enough to swear by.”</p> - -<p>“Thet thing tried Jule another hack last night. Ye orter -see his face. It looks ez ef a hoss an’ wagin had drew right -over it.”</p> - -<p>“It is a malicious thing.”</p> - -<p>“You bet. It clawed Jule up spiteful, and don’t make no -more of a rifle-ball then you or I would of a flea-bite. Must -be powerful tough.”</p> - -<p>“Powervul!” cried Jan. “Ach, goot cracious! I sees him -mineself, unt he vash so pig ash a mountain. I vash scart -mit him.”</p> - -<p>“You had good reason to be,” said the young man. “Now, -boys, let us get to work. You must teach us what to do, -Ben.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” ejaculated Ben. “I’m the boss, then. I’ll -give you work enough.”</p> - -<p>The first thing was to finish their cabin and set some traps. -Ben taught Jan and Bentley how to commence, and was -pleased to find them apt at the business. Jan did not lack for -intelligence and his wits were sharpening by contact with the -keen trapper and the volatile Frenchman. The latter needed -very little instruction, for he had received his education in the -cold region of British America, under the fostering care of -the Hudson Bay Company, then in its glory, but suffering -from the enterprise of the North-west Company, which had -sprung up about this time under the lead of the enterprising -German, Jacob Astor. But, Ben Miffin could never submit -to be a hanger-on to any company, and his trapping was done -on his own hook. The ground he had chosen for his labors -was new. As has been said, no other white man’s foot had -trod it before.</p> - -<p>When the hut was completed they built a <em>cache</em> to hold their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[42]</span> -furs and food. This was necessary. The wolves were numerous -and ravenous, and would strip any trap of its contents -in a moment. This last labor completed, they started -out on a hunt, leaving Bentley in charge of the camp, and of -Millicent. An hour’s ride brought them to the level prairie, -dotted here and there by low clumps of trees. Ben paused, -and his quick eye swept the vast plain from side to side. At -last his eye brightened and he stretched out his right hand to -the east.</p> - -<p>“Buffler!” he said.</p> - -<p>They followed the direction of his finger, but Jan could -see nothing.</p> - -<p>“I dinks dat ish von lie, Penn. I does not see von puffalo.”</p> - -<p>“Course ye don’t,” said Ben, contemptuously. “’Tain’t to -be expected ye <em>kin</em>, nohow. Does ye see them black spots, -close down to the edge of the prairie, over yonder?”</p> - -<p>“Yaw; I sees <em>dem</em>,” replied Jan.</p> - -<p>“Oh, ye <em>do</em>. Waal, <em>them’s</em> buffler.”</p> - -<p>“Ish <em>dey</em> goot to eat?”</p> - -<p>“Good! Ye bet yer bottom dollar on that ar’, ye may. I -calculate thar ain’t nothin’ in creation to ekal a buffler-hump; -no, nothin’. Why, the juices squeeze out’n it when ye set -yer teeth in it, like <em>ile</em>. Oh, it’s <em>good</em>. Ye bet I like it. Anyhow, -I’ve got my opinion, and I’ll risk a beaver-pelt ye never -tasted anythin’ half so good. So, <em>thar</em>!”</p> - -<p>“I dinks I likes him pooty good,” said Jan. “Vell, den, -ve coes unt kills him pymepye, pooty soon, unt cooks him -hump. Vat him hump pe, Penn?”</p> - -<p>“The first cut off the <em>horns</em>,” said Jules.</p> - -<p>“I dinks dat ish von lie,” said Jan, coolly. “Dat ish too -tough. I not talks mit <em>you</em>, Shule. I asks Penn.”</p> - -<p>“I guess ye’ll find out what a buffler-hump is before ye’ve -been long on the prairie. But, see hyar. It don’t taste half -so good unless ye kill it yerself. So ye must try to kill one. -I’ve always said ye’d got good stuff in ye, ef we could only -bring it out, an’ I reckon we kin do it; eh, Jule?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Jules. “We’ll put him through.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t vant no voolin’,” said Jan, in considerable trepidation. -“I not likes dat. ’Tis not goot. S’pose you dells<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[43]</span> -me right how to kill him, all right. S’pose you don’t, den I -licks you, Shule. Yaw; dat ish vat I does.”</p> - -<p>“No quarrelin’,” said Ben. “I won’t hev it. The fust -one thet gits to fightin’, I’ll fetch him a lick over the jaw -thet’ll make him sick; I will, by gravy. Now look out.”</p> - -<p>In obedience to his signal, the party put themselves in motion, -riding at a careful pace toward the black spots, which the -experienced eye of the trapper had detected. A light wind was -blowing in their faces.</p> - -<p>“We’ve got the wind of ’em,” said Ben. “They kain’t -smell us.”</p> - -<p>There was a small growth of timber between them and the -buffaloes, of not more than a dozen trees. Keeping this in -line with them, they were enabled to get within three or four -hundred yards of the herd, and peeping out from the trees, -they could count them. The herd was small, consisting only -of five, <ins class="corr" id="tn43" title="Transcriber’s Note—“headed by a giant bull, whose patriarchial” changed to “headed by a giant bull, whose patriarchal”.">headed by a giant bull, whose patriarchal</ins> -head was slightly elevated, as if he snuffed danger in the air.</p> - -<p>“The cunnin’ animile thinks somebody is around,” whispered -Ben. “Oh, what a beauty. But the cows ar’ the best -to eat. Is yer gun loaded, Jan?”</p> - -<p>“Yaw,” replied Jan.</p> - -<p>“Then git ready. When I give the word, foller me. Ar’ -ye ready, Jule?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Jules, from between his set teeth.</p> - -<p>“Then go it!” cried Ben.</p> - -<p>The three horses bounded from the thicket, and before the -animals were fairly awake to their danger, the horsemen were -upon them. Ben drew his never failing rifle to his shoulder -and let fly. The fattest cow in the herd dropped on her -knees, and then rolled slowly over on her side, dead! Jules -was equally fortunate, prostrating another by a lucky shot in -the brain. Jan, sitting on his horse, endeavored to fire, but, -his animal was restive, and he could not get aim.</p> - -<p>“Git down!” cried Ben.</p> - -<p>Jan, who had begun to learn to obey the old trapper implicitly, -leaped down at the word, and pointed his gun at the -bull. He fired, and, as usual, found himself rolled in the -dust. His horse bounded away leaving him helpless.</p> - -<p>The charge of buckshot had struck the buffalo in the forehead,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[44]</span> -and he staggered to his knees. Jan sprung forward -with a shout of joy. But this joy was speedily changed to -grief, for the animal, which was only stunned, staggered to his -feet, and shaking his head, charged the Dutchman, who ran -for dear life.</p> - -<p>In watching the motions of a buffalo, it is quite a natural -supposition that he can not run fast. This is a mistake. In -spite of his unwieldy bulk, he can get over the ground -at a good pace, as poor Jan found to his cost. Running was -not at all in his line, but he exerted himself to the utmost, -and bolted over the prairie at a pace which astonished himself. -But he could hear the buffalo lumbering on in the rear, -and was conscious that he gained at every stride. At last he -reached a tree; but it was too large for him to climb, and the -animal was close at his heels. He got the body of the tree -between him and his adversary, and the next moment, mad -with anger, the brute plunged against it with a shock which -startled Jan immensely.</p> - -<p>“Goot Lord!” he ejaculated. “Der plack puffalo ish very -mat!”</p> - -<p>Recoiling from the shock, the buffalo began to chase Jan -around the tree. Though large of body, Jan had a decided -advantage over his adversary in this sort of a chase, for he -could run round close to the body of the tree, while the huge -brute was forced to make a circuit. It was simply a question -of wind. If the buffalo could run longer than Jan, he would -be overtaken and trampled to death, and there seemed a strong -probability that such was to be the case. It was a ludicrous -sight, in spite of the danger the Dutchman was in, to -see him whip round the tree, the flap of his hunting-shirt -streaming in the wind, followed by the buffalo, with erected tail, -flashing eye, and lowered head. Jan cast longing glances at -the little clump of trees a few rods away. If he only could -get to them far enough in advance of the buffalo to climb -one, he might be safe. But the distance, though short to the -eye, was a great deal of ground to go over followed by an -infuriated buffalo bull, Jan thought. But he could not hold -out much longer and it must be tried. Away he went at -his best speed, the buffalo making half the circuit of the -tree before he could turn. By this time Jan had gained a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[45]</span> -hundred feet, and this was every thing to him. Even this was -hardly enough, and though he got to the tree and began to -climb, the buffalo bumped against it before he had gained the -lowest limb, nearly shaking him from his perch.</p> - -<p>The animal drew back, cast a single glance of his vicious -eye at the Dutchman, who had just laid his hand upon the -lowest limb, and then!—</p> - -<p>Bump!</p> - -<p>Jan clasped the tree with all his strength, but his feet were -swaying in the air above the head of his enemy. In the -mean time he was shouting at the top of his voice all sorts -of ludicrous appeals for aid from his companions. Ben’s rifle -had been loaded long ago, but he dared not use it while they -were running round the tree, not knowing but that he might -injure Jan in some way. Jules made no effort to aid him. -The moment he reached the tree, Ben rushed to the rescue, -calling Jules to follow, who did so, his face wrinkled with -laughter.</p> - -<p>Bump!</p> - -<p>“Vy you no cooms here?” screamed Jan. “Vy you no -shoot dis ugly pig? I can’t holt on mooch longer.”</p> - -<p>Bump!</p> - -<p>“Dere he pe ag’in,” screamed Jan. “Help! help! Ach, -mein cracious! Ven I cooms out here to shoot puffaloes ag’in -den I ish von vool, dat ish all. Ach! gootness! Shoot! Vy -don’t you shoot!”</p> - -<p>Ben’s rifle cracked; the buffalo tottered like a tower shaken -by an earthquake, then fell to the ground. Jules sent up peal -after peal of laughter.</p> - -<p>“Vat you laugh at?” said Jan, looking down from the -tree.</p> - -<p>“At <em>you</em>, you great blunderhead,” replied Jules.</p> - -<p>“<em>Vy</em> you laugh at <em>me</em>?”</p> - -<p>“Because I like to see a Dutchman run.”</p> - -<p>“Ish he teat?” said Jan, looking at Ben.</p> - -<p>“Dead as a pickled fish,” said Ben. “You may come -down.”</p> - -<p>Jan slid down from the tree, walked slowly to the place -where Jules sat on his horse, picked him off solemnly, and cast -him down like an untimely fig. The whole thing was done<span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">[46]</span> -in such a deliberate manner that Ben did not suppose any -such action intended, and before he had time to think, the -Frenchman was down, and Jan’s big foot placed upon his -breast.</p> - -<p>“What do ye mean?” shouted Ben. “Let him up, ye durned -fool.”</p> - -<p>“Vell, vat makes him laff at me ven I pe chase py a puffalo?” -said Jan. “I dink I dells him somet’ings. Lie dere vile -I spoke mit you du or drie dimes.”</p> - -<p>“Take your foot from my breast!” said Jules, fiercely. -“You cursed Dutchman, I will kill you. Let me up!”</p> - -<p>“You keep still little dimes,” answered Jan, coolly. “I -dinks ven a mans laff at anuder, he mus’ have a shance to -ask him vy he does it. Dat ish vat I dinks.”</p> - -<p>“Jan,” cried Ben, sternly.</p> - -<p>“Vat you expects?”</p> - -<p>“Let him up.”</p> - -<p>Jan removed his foot from the breast of the prostrate man -and Jules rose to his feet. His first movement was to draw a -knife, and rush at the immovable figure of the Dutchman. -So sudden was the attack that nothing on the part of the assailed -party could have saved him, but Ben suddenly threw -up his rifle, separating them. So strong was his arm, that -while holding the rifle extended, the rush of the Frenchman, -excited though he was, could not bend it in the -least.</p> - -<p>“Keep back!” said Ben, “or I’ll be into you with somethin’ -sharper than a toothpick. What do ye want?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll have his heart’s blood!” hissed Jules. “He has insulted -me.”</p> - -<p>“Come, it’s about an even thing. You made game of -him, ye know. Then don’t make any durned fuss about it. -I ain’t goin’ to stand it. Shake hands. Jan didn’t mean -any thing.”</p> - -<p>“I vas mat,” said Jan. “I’m sorry I did it now. Put vat -makes him laff at me?”</p> - -<p>“Thar; he apologized. He says he’s sorry. He kain’t say -no fairer then that, kin he? Shake hands, Jule. Durn me ef -I’m goin’ to hev a man with me thet holds a grudge like thet -thar. <em>Shake hands!</em>”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[47]</span></p> - -<p>“He needn’t aff he don’t vants to,” added Jan. “I -ain’t ’fraid of him anyway. Put I pe villing to make vrents.”</p> - -<p>Jules sullenly extended his hand.</p> - -<p>“I’d never do it if it was not for Ben,” he said. “He’s -been kind to me. But if you ever lay a hand on me again I -will kill you.”</p> - -<p>“No growlin’,” said Ben. “Durn it, kain’t a man know -enough to make up with a feller and hev no back talk? Come; -hyar’s lots of work. We’ve got to cut up these buffler. Use -yer knife on thet, not on a human.”</p> - -<p>“Shall we cut up the old one here?” said Jules, throwing -off the appearance of anger, although his cheeks glowed yet.</p> - -<p>“No. I reckon we won’t want any of him but the hump -and marrer-bones. It’s jest as Jan says. It’s his buffler anyhow.”</p> - -<p>“Mine!” ejaculated Jan.</p> - -<p>“Yes, yours. Didn’t ye bring him hyar yerself, say? Of -course he’s yer own. I’ll show ye how to git his hump. -Durn me ef ye don’t take up the business of takin’ the pelt -off a critter right handy.”</p> - -<p>“I vas a <em>putcher</em>,” said Jan.</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s the reason. Wal, ye jest take the hide off’n -this yer beast, an’ we’ll go out an’ ’tend to the others. When -ye git it off, holler to me, an’ I’ll show ye how to git the hump -an’ marrer-bones.”</p> - -<p>They left him and proceeded to the place where the other -animals had fallen. Soon they were busily engaged in stripping -the skins from the game, and cutting it up for the convenience -of carriage, as Ben well knew how. In the mean -time Jan worked away quietly, taking off the skin in a way -which none but a professional could do, and singing in a low -tone. As he stooped over, something fell at his feet. He -picked it up. It was an arrow, stained red on one side, and -the other scoured white as snow. Jan stood with the missile -in his hand, looking this way and that, not knowing whence -it had come. The shape was peculiar: the head was double, -and of polished steel, flattened as thin as a knife-blade, and -as flexible. Jan went to the edge of the woods and called -Ben. He started at the sight of the weapon, snatching it out -of the Dutchman’s hand and looking at it with an intentness -which the others could not understand.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[48]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.<br /> -<span class="fs60">THE MESSAGE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Jules</span> and Jan waited for the trapper to speak. They knew -by the expression of his face that the arrow meant something -more than any ordinary shaft.</p> - -<p>“What does it mean?” at length asked Jules.</p> - -<p>“Ye don’t understand Injun signs. Look at the color—one -half red, the other half white. That’s clear Injun. It -says ez plain ez a man could speak, ‘Git out of this an’ we -won’t hurt ye. Stay hyar an’ blood must flow.’”</p> - -<p>“How do you know that?” said Jan. “I don’t see nottings -like that on the arrow.”</p> - -<p>“Course ye don’t. Wal, <em>I does</em>. That red half of the arrer -means war. The white half sez thet they don’t car’ to -kill us, an’ ef we go away quietly it’ll be all right. But ef -we <em>stay</em>, they’ll kill us. Whar did ye stand when the arrer -fell, Jan?”</p> - -<p>“I vas skinning te puffalo.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, so ye was. Wal, thet’s all right, I guess. The chap -is hid som’ers about yer, an’ I’m gwine to hev him out. Scatter -an’ s’arch the woods.”</p> - -<p>Jan did not like the idea of going alone through the woods, -and he followed close on the heels of Ben.</p> - -<p>“Git away,” said Ben. “None of thet. I want ye to git -used to takin’ car’ of yerself an’ ye must do it. I said <em>scatter</em>!”</p> - -<p>Jan reluctantly went away and began to search. Ben glided -from tree to tree, bending forward like a hound on the trail. -He found at last a place where a moccasined foot had trod. -The footmark was small and delicate.</p> - -<p>“A gal or boy, by gracious!” said Ben. “Look sharp; -I’ve found him.”</p> - -<p>The others rushed to his side. The trapper stood at the -root of a tree which in some way had been torn up by the -roots, leaving a cavity below. Before this cavity Ben stooped<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[49]</span> -and looked in. A single glance showed him an Indian boy, -crouching in the darkest corner.</p> - -<p>“Come out hyar,” he said.</p> - -<p>The boy did not move, and Ben addressed him in the Indian -tongue, telling him to come out and fear nothing. The -lad obeyed, and stood before them, in his simple Indian garb, -a blanket thrown over his buckskin shirt. His moccasined -feet were small as a girl’s. For an Indian, he had a fine, -bold face, and his black eyes gleamed with a half-scornful -light.</p> - -<p>“What do you want here?” said Ben, in the Blackfoot -language.</p> - -<p>“The sons of the Blackfeet go where they will,” said the -boy, calmly, toying with the bow which he held in his hand. -“Who dares question them in their own land?”</p> - -<p>“The son of a chief stands before me,” said Ben. “I can -see that at once. No one questions the son of a chief as to -his <em>right</em>. But we are out upon the prairie and in danger. -The brave youth can see that.”</p> - -<p>“It is true,” said the boy. “My brother is in danger; it -is well that he sees it, for when we know that danger is nigh -we can avoid it, and pass away. My brother has seen the -arrow?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“His head is getting gray; he knows the custom of the -Blackfeet. They know that he is a just man, though he has -killed some of their people. Good—they give him a chance. -They let him go in peace when and where he will, so that he -trouble the hills no more with his traps and rifle.”</p> - -<p>“Listen,” said Ben, unconsciously adopting the language -of an Indian while speaking in that tongue. “I have been -a chief of the Crows for a long time; my head has grown -gray among them; they taught me not to fear what man can -do. Why should we fly from the face of the Blackfoot -braves?”</p> - -<p>“My father is <em>very</em> brave,” said the boy. “But what can -he do against so many? What nation is like the Blackfeet? -What chiefs are like theirs? They are many, they are strong. -Their horses speed like the wind. Their hearts are very -strong. There are three white men; they can fight well, but<span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[50]</span> -the braves will sweep them from the earth, when they come in -anger.”</p> - -<p>“We do not fear,” said Ben. “We have come to take -beaver and we must do it.”</p> - -<p>“The white men are wrong,” said the boy, stamping fiercely. -“They think to drive the Indians from the land their fathers -left them. I have heard of great tribes in the east, by the -big water, who have been driven out and have perished one -by one, until they have no longer a name or a place among -the people. But it shall not be so with the Blackfeet.”</p> - -<p>“They must do as they will,” said Ben. “We will not -go.”</p> - -<p>“Be warned. If you do not go, look for the blood-red -arrow.”</p> - -<p>“We shall expect it. Tell the chiefs that the Strong Buffalo -said so old a head as yours has no business on the shoulders -of a boy. Go. You will be a chief.”</p> - -<p>The boy straightened himself up proudly and turned away. -But Jules seized him by the arm.</p> - -<p>“He must not go,” he said.</p> - -<p>“What ye gwine to do about it?” said Ben. “Let go his -arm. The fust thing ye know ye’ll git us into some kind of -trouble with yer durned nonsense.”</p> - -<p>“He must not go, I say,” replied Jules, angrily. “Our -lives are in danger.”</p> - -<p>“Ye ain’t helpin’ us by techin’ the boy,” said Ben. “Let -him go.”</p> - -<p>“I will not,” was the reply.</p> - -<p>“Ye won’t, eh?” cried Ben, throwing up his rifle. “Then -I’ll bet my life I make daylight shine through yer karkidge -in about half a minute. Drop yer hold.”</p> - -<p>Jules obeyed sullenly, and the boy, turning a grateful look -at the trapper, darted across the prairie. Jules turned to the -trapper with a lowering brow.</p> - -<p>“You have had your way, it seems. We will see what will -come of it. But let me tell you one thing: do not point your -rifle at me again, or something may happen to you.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t git up on yer ear about it. I ain’t goin’ to hev no -bloodshed thet kin be helped, I ain’t. S’pose ye’d ’a’ killed -this boy—and a brave young feller he is too—what good<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[51]</span> -would ’a’ come of it? ’Twould ’a’ brought them down on us -all the sooner, thet’s all. So don’t say nothing to me.”</p> - -<p>They finished cutting up the buffalo and returned to camp, -walking by their horses’ sides, with the skins containing the -choicest portions of the meat slung over their saddles. They -found the camp as they had left it, and at once built a -fire.</p> - -<p>“I don’t reckon it will do much good to be very careful -now, sence the Injuns knows whar we ar’. But, ther’s one -thing we kin do: we kin make our hut stronger, an’ ef they -git our sculps they’ll hev to fight for ’em. We’ve got a strong -party, an’ we don’t go back fer no man; no, we don’t.”</p> - -<p>“If we were alone we might do well,” said Jules. “But, -this ignorant Dutchman—”</p> - -<p>“Vat sort of a Doochman?” roared Jan. “You say dat -again unt I valls on you unt smash you all mit little bieces -so pig ash my thumb.”</p> - -<p>“Do be silent, Jan,” said Millicent. “Do I understand -that you have a fear of danger, Ben?”</p> - -<p>“’Tain’t nothin’ new. It’s allers dangerous on the prairie,” -said Ben. “Never you mind, little ’un. We’ll take keer of -ye.”</p> - -<p>“I am not afraid, but, I should like to know what the -danger is.”</p> - -<p>“Blackfeet,” said Ben. “We met one while huntin’ buffler.”</p> - -<p>“Off you have anyt’ing to say to me, Shule Damant,” said -Jan, breaking in on the conversation at this point, “I shall pe -glad to have you do it. Put, ton’t sit dere unt look ash if -you would like to eat me. I wouldn’t sit goot on your stomach.”</p> - -<p>“I do not forget that you insulted me by placing your foot -upon my breast this morning. You had better be silent.”</p> - -<p>“Am I frait mit you, Shule? No. I ish not, I dells you -blain. Off you like to pe frents mit me dat ish goot. Off -you ton’t like it, vat do I care? Take your own vay.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll give one of you a back-handed wipe in a minnit!” -roared Ben. “Shet up, both of you. Jan, we have got to go -and skin the bear you shot yesterday.”</p> - -<p>“Who kilt ter pear, Penn Miffin?” cried Jan. “Vas it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[52]</span> -Shule? Vas it you? or vas it a pig Doochman named Jan -Schneider, eh? Vell, I coes mit you off you like.”</p> - -<p>“I should like to see a bear before he is cut up,” said Millicent.</p> - -<p>“Would you? Then you shall take Jule’s hoss, and ride -with us. I’ll take mine, ’cause I like to ride, and Jan may -take his because I want it to bring home the meat. You two -stay and watch the camp.”</p> - -<p>The three rode out of the camp together. When out of -sight of the Frenchman, Ben beckoned Jan close to him.</p> - -<p>“Why did ye tumble Jules over this morning, Jan?”</p> - -<p>“Vell, he keeps sayin’, Doochmans, Doochmans, Doochmans, -till I vas tire of hear him. Sh’pose I t’rows him town -on his pack, den he knows ash I vill shtand no nonsense mit -him no more. I pees not a vool.”</p> - -<p>“I’m jubous you’ve made him yer innimy,” said Ben. “I -don’t like that. I don’t want no quarrelin’ in my camp. -When I take chaps out with me they must be the right kind -of men, and not too <em>hash</em> in their ways. Now I don’t reckon -it’ll hurt ye much to show him ye ain’t afraid of him.”</p> - -<p>“You are speaking of your companion,” said Millicent. -“Do you know that I am afraid of him? He has looked at -me in a way I do not understand. Did your friend quarrel -with him this morning?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. Now ther’s one thing more atween Jan and me. -It looks as ef we’d got to tramp the prairie together fer a -long time. Now any man thet travels alongside of old Trapping -Ben, must hev the right sort of pluck. Don’t ye see -thar’s always danger in the life of a free trapper?”</p> - -<p>“I nefer dinks dere vas so mooch, Penn. Off I dinks so, -I would not coom.”</p> - -<p>“All right. Hyar ye ar’ an’ hyar ye’ve got ter stay this -season. Now I’ve noticed thet when they b’ar ye right down -to it ye kin fight ez well ez the best man among ’em. But, -ye’r’ apt to shirk danger ef ye hev time to think an’ see it -comin’. Now, thet ain’t the way with a free trapper. They -don’t like to fight, nuther will they shirk danger, nor go a -step out of the way to git cl’ar of it.”</p> - -<p>“Yaw. Dat ish vat I dinks. You likes to vite. Now I -vould sooner <em>run</em> den fight, if I can.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[53]</span></p> - -<p>Millicent laughed at this <em>naive</em> confession on the part of the -Dutchman, whose face was the very picture of truth.</p> - -<p>“I’ll cure ye of that before I quit ye, my boy,” ejaculated -Ben. “Take my word for it. I ain’t goin’ to hev no cowardly -cuss in my camp. Now ef we meet an Injun, what ar’ -ye goin’ to do?”</p> - -<p>“I dinks I vould run avay so hard ash efer I can,” said -Jan, with refreshing candor. “I not likes Plackfeet no more -ash hogs.”</p> - -<p>Again the merry laughter of Millicent rung through the -pass. Old Ben looked at her with a fatherly smile.</p> - -<p>“You’d run away, would ye? Now, don’t ye ever go to -do it. Fer ef ye do, ez sure ez a gun you git it right through -the back. I won’t hev no skulkin’. It’s no wonder the gal -laughs at you. But hyar’s our b’ar.”</p> - -<p>The leaves had rattled down during the night, and drifted -so that the body of the animal was completely covered. Ben -brushed them away with his hand and exposed the huge body -to view. Millicent had never seen a grizzly bear, and it was -something so terrible that she could not repress a cry. The -wound which the roer had made was exposed to view. Indeed, -the top of the head was completely blown off.</p> - -<p>“Dere!” cried Jan, in high good humor. “I kills dat pear -mit mine roer.”</p> - -<p>“It was a bold thing to do.”</p> - -<p>“Vell, I dinks off I vas not kill dat pear, ter pear vould -kill me,” said Jan. “So I kills ter pear.”</p> - -<p>“That showed great discretion on your part,” laughed Millicent. -“But, what is the sound that seems to come from -below?”</p> - -<p>Ben stopped pulling at the body of the bear and listened. -There was a pattering sound, like drops of falling rain, and -then the pass below them was filled with a moving mass, and -that mass was a pack of prairie-wolves, coming on at</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Their long gallop, which can tire</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The hounds’ deep hate or the hunter’s fire.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>A pack of wolves, mad with hunger. There is nothing -more fearful to a trapper. They know too well the vindictive -fury with which the black brutes pursue and drag down their -prey.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[54]</span></p> - -<p>“Togs?” queried Jan.</p> - -<p>“Wolves!” shouted Ben. “Heel it, Jan! Git up a tree -as lively as you kin. I wouldn’t give a beaver-pelt fer yer -life ef ye don’t, and ez fer the b’ar—umph! Run for it. -Turn the hosses loose.”</p> - -<p>Snatching Millicent from the horse, he put her into the -branches of a low pine and ordered her to clamber higher. -She obeyed without a word, and he took another tree close at -hand. The horses ran toward the camp.</p> - -<p>Jan needed no second bidding, but ran away, with a face -which betokened his earnest hate of the animal in question. -Wolves! He had heard their ominous howl near his house -on the borders of the Black Forest many a time. The ferocity -of the animal is wonderful. Jan knew that well. He -recognized the lolling tongue, the white teeth. He had heard -his father tell of peasants taken in the forest, far from home -and dragged down, screaming in vain for aid. Next day their -friends would find their bones whitening in the sun’s rays.</p> - -<p>The pack uttered fierce yells at the sight of the man, and -rushed at him. But Jan got to a tree in season, taking his -gun with him. Down came the pack, snarling, snapping at -each other, and scattering the leaves on either side. In a moment -they surrounded the trees in which the trappers had -taken shelter, leaping up against them, gnashing their white -teeth and clawing at the bark. Millicent uttered a cry of -terror.</p> - -<p>“I dinks I puilds a ’ouse in a dree,” said Jan, despairingly. -“I has peen drove to a dree more ash dree times sence I -cooms here. I dinks dat it vas von coonthry vere dey lifs in -der drees.”</p> - -<p>“Ye oughter be glad ye’ve <em>got</em> a tree so nigh,” said Ben. -“The durned animiles would ’a’ tore ye to pieces in half a minnit -more. Thar! They’ve found yer b’ar. Don’t holler, -gal. They kain’t get at ye.”</p> - -<p>A dozen fierce jaws were tearing at the rough hide of the -grizzly, and others struggling to get a taste of the coveted -flesh. Jan was in a rage. His “pear,” the trophy of his -valor, the beast he had killed with his own hand, to be devoured -before his eyes by a pack of hungry wolves! He -was in a towering passion.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[55]</span></p> - -<p>“I dinks dat pymepye I gets down unt kills auvery volf in -dat flock. Look! See how dey shpile my pear! I kills dat -pear myself.”</p> - -<p>“I’m satisfied thet ’tain’t our hide the’r’ a-tearin’,” said Ben. -“Thet’s all right. Let ’em eat. Then mebbe they won’t be -so hungry for us. I guess we may ez well drop a few of them -while we’ve got the light.”</p> - -<p>He raised his rifle and was about to fire, but a second -thought caused him to lower it. “No, ’twon’t do to make -them any madder then they ar’, or the obstinate brutes will -stay hyar a week but they’ll hev us. Durn a wolf, anyhow. -What do they want to chase us for jest now?”</p> - -<p>“Shpose I shoots my cun at dem vunce,” said Jan. “I -shoots fiviff or sax mit one dime. Look; I shoots dat vun over -dere.”</p> - -<p>Jan leaned forward and fired.</p> - -<p>The charge flew among the wolves about the body of the -bear, wounding several of them more or less. At the same -time the branch upon which the Dutchman was sitting broke, -and he fell to the ground. The wolves fell back at first, but, -seeing only one man, rushed at him on every side.</p> - -<p>The German then showed that he was brave enough, if -need be. The heavy gun was swung above his head, and -the iron-bound butt descended on his foes with mighty force. -The first brute fell with a crushed skull. Ben Miffin was not -the man to see a comrade in danger and not come to his aid. -He sprung down, scattering the cowardly creatures right and -left.</p> - -<p>The diversion enabled Jan to get back to the tree. Ben -made a last rush at the wolves and then climbed to his perch -again, leaving a portion of the flap of his hunting-shirt in -the jaws of the foremost brute.</p> - -<p>“Git a stronger limb this time,” said Ben. “Don’t fall -ag’in; ef ye do, durned ef <em>I’ll</em> help ye.”</p> - -<p>The pack now recommenced the struggle for the possession -of the bear. Here and there an old or weak wolf was being -throttled and torn in pieces by his comrades.</p> - -<p>“A hungry lot,” muttered Ben. “I wish they’d clear out. -I don’t want to stay up hyar all night, an’ I ain’t goin’ to. -Come sassies, git done yer meal an’ clear out.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[56]</span></p> - -<p>“Penn,” said Jan in a slightly tremulous voice, “can volfs -climb drees?”</p> - -<p>“Climb trees, ye durned fool! <em>Of</em> course they kin. If they -was in any hurry for ye they’d ’a’ been up thet thar tree -half an hour ago. Oh, I reckon yer cat’s-meat <em>now</em>. Say yer -prayers, ef ye’ve got any. I think ye’d better, anyhow. It’s -the last chaince ye’ll hev.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t talk dat vay, Penn,” said Jan. “Vy you likes to -scare a poor Doochman all to bieces? I dells you I don’t like -volfs. Dey ish got long teeth like nails. I dinks dey pe very -hoongry. Vell, shpose I gits to St. Louis once more, I -goes pack to Yarmany mit a backet. I not shtays -here.”</p> - -<p>“I judge ye won’t git back to St. Louis,” said Ben. -“Them chaps don’t look much ez ef they meant to let ye, do -they? I judge not. Anyway, I’ve got my opinion, and -I’ll back it, thet they begin to gnaw ye in just ten minnits -by the sun. They make short work of a Dutchman.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t I know you, Penn Miffin? Don’t I know you so -vell ash never vas? Dey can’t climb no more as a pig. -You’s a liar, unt you knows you pe a liar. I never sees -a vorse vun.”</p> - -<p>“Jest wait a bit, my lad,” said Ben. “I’ll come to you by -and by.”</p> - -<p>“I’d rather pe licked py a man dan swallowed py a -volfs,” whimpered Jan. “I fights dem, anyway. I pees -not afraid of dem no more ash you. Coom; vy you no -shoots?”</p> - -<p>“Shet up!” said Ben. “Somebody is coming. Hark!”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[57]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.<br /> -<span class="fs60">INDIANS!</span></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">As</span> he spoke, the wolves scattered right and left, and ran in -terror up the gullies at the sides of the pass. The men in the -trees remained still as death, one from terror, the other from -caution.</p> - -<p>There was good reason for the hasty fight of the wolves -and the silence of the men hidden in the trees. A band of -savages were coming down the mountain pass, admirably -mounted, dressed in the gaudy style of the Indian warrior, -with flaming feathers and beaded garments. Each poised in -his right hand a long buffalo-lance, which they managed to -carry gracefully, without appearing to incumber them. Some -of them bore a small shield of buffalo-hide, but most of them -rather depended upon their own activity than this slight defense. -In front of the band rode a tall chief in a rich costume, -with a belt of worked wampum thrown over his shoulder -and buckled about his waist. He eschewed the lance, -and carried instead a beautiful rifle. His figure was commanding, -and he had a noble head, a nose cut like Cæsar’s, -and a firm mouth. His eye was black and piercing. His -hair long and dropping on his shoulders. By his side, armed -in every respect like the elder, rode the boy who had been -taken prisoner by the trapper on the prairie and threatened -by Jules.</p> - -<p>The party might have contained a hundred in all, and a -single glance convinced the trapper that they were Blackfeet. -They pulled up at the skeleton of the bear, uttering cries -of surprise, for, of all animals, they think the grizzly bear -the fiercest, and most to be feared. They dismounted and -examined the body. The head had been untouched by the -wolves, and the gaping wound was revealed.</p> - -<p>They crowded together about the body, chattering loudly, -putting their hands into the wound, and evidently wondering -what weapon could have inflicted it. Even the chief descended -and looked at the body.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[58]</span></p> - -<p>“They have great guns at the big wigwam which make a -hole like this,” said he gravely. “This is a white man’s -work. It is not a rifle.”</p> - -<p>“Can a white man carry a great gun on his back?” said -another Indian, in the dress of a chief. “I can not understand. -Some medicine-man has taken the life of the big bear -of the hills. It is no common gun.”</p> - -<p>“Wah-be-o-win says well. All the white men are great -medicine. My race pass away before them like trees before -their axes. But Whirling Breeze will not live long enough -to see the work done. While he is alive, there will be war -between his people and the white men.”</p> - -<p>“Why should we not make peace?” said a chief who had -not spoken before. “Why should we fight against those who -are stronger? I have been to the forts and I have been to -the towns by the big water. They have talking-houses which -make them flour, and guns and powder. They took me into -these talking-houses, and showed me what was done. Why -not be friends with them, since they be stronger than -we?”</p> - -<p>“Peace, Red Arm,” said Whirling Breeze, angrily. “The -Blackfeet shall never bow the knee to the white men. They -will die one by one, but they will never yield to the destroyer.”</p> - -<p>“Let us find those who have done this,” said the chief, -Wah-be-o-win. “We will take their scalps as a beginning.”</p> - -<p>Whirling Breeze gave a signal, and all the braves bounded -into the saddle and rode away down the pass.</p> - -<p>Ben stretched out his head and watched them anxiously. -There were two passes through the hills, and if the Indians -would only take the wrong one it would give the whites a -chance to run down and apprise their comrades of the danger. -A moment of breathless suspense, and the party turned into -the pass leading to the hunter’s camp.</p> - -<p>“It’s all up,” said Ben. “Poor Jule is done fer, an’ that -young chap Bentley. Come down, Jan. We must get out of -the way as soon as possible. The durned thieves won’t be -long gutting the concern.”</p> - -<p>The old trapper helped Millicent from the tree. Jan came -down in great haste and followed Ben’s lead. He turned into<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[59]</span> -the second pass before mentioned, and hurried down it half a -mile. No concealment of the trail was attempted; but at -last they reached a place where there was a break in the -rocky sides of the cañon, and up this went the men, with their -guns at a “right shoulder shift,” using one hand to assist them -in climbing. Ben looked back once at Jan. All traces of -fear had left his face, and his compressed lips told of a steadfast -determination. Ben nodded, and muttered to himself. -Millicent followed them bravely, pale, but evidently not from -fear.</p> - -<p>“He’ll do; I’ll cure him,” muttered Ben, “an’ the gal is -good grit, too.”</p> - -<p>The pass grew steeper. They slung the guns over their -shoulders by the straps, and used both hands in dragging -themselves up the ascent. They had to stop now and then to -assist Millicent. Jan was puffing like a grampus. Millicent -could hardly see why Ben had taken this course. From the -spot where they stood they had a complete view of the valley -and its occupants. It was already crowded by the Indian -band, who were running about at will, peeping into the cabin, -overturning camp-utensils and snapping the springs of some -spare traps which had been left in the cabin. Ben looked in -vain for the Frenchman. He had hidden somewhere on the -first approach of the savages, and a number of them were -scattered up and down, searching for him. It was clear they -knew all about the camp, and the number of its occupants. -Bentley was nowhere in sight, and Millicent began to -hope.</p> - -<p>“They don’t seem to t’ar things much, as <em>yit</em>,” said Ben. -“I expect to see the dry bones rattle pretty soon. They kain’t -help but burn us out. It’s in the’r natur’s, the condemned -critters. I wisht I hed about a hundred Crows here, I’d make -the feathers fly in thet thar company, I would. Durn a Blackfoot!”</p> - -<p>“Vare pe Shule gone, Penn?” said Jan. “I not see ’im -noveres. Unt vere ish Pentley?”</p> - -<p>“No more I don’t know, Dutchy. They’ve got into kiver -som’ers. But they’ll nose them out, ye see ef they don’t. A -Blackfoot is wuss then a hound on a cold scent. Lordy! -they ain’t got no chaince! An’ fer my part, I don’t see whar<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[60]</span> -they kin hev hid themselves. Thar ain’t no hole thet I -know on.”</p> - -<p>“Vat ish de Injun doin’ mit de hoss?” demanded Jan. -“Shpose dey <em>shteal</em> ’im?”</p> - -<p>“Steal him! They’d steal the cents off’n a dead Dutchman’s -eyes. Ye don’t know Blackfeet. I <em>do</em>. They ain’t -wuth a cuss. I wouldn’t take the offer to buy out the hull -tribe, ef I c’u’d git ’em for a beaver-skin. Not the hull tribe. -The’r’ in a state of gineral cussidness thet is alarmin’. I -kain’t go a cent on ’em. An’ ef they take that hoss, I’ll extarminate -the hull tribe. Don’t look skeered, miss. I reckon -the young man is safe hid.”</p> - -<p>“I dinks it would pe petter to keep avay,” said Jan. “I -don’t dink it vould pe right to fite mit a dribe. I dinks dey -vip us.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t ye believe it! I consider myself capable of cleanin’ -out the entire tribe. I kin do it every time. I kin do it jest -ez <em>easy</em>. What’s a little tribe of Injuns to a white human of -my mental and moral caliber. I’m ez good ez a dozen missionaries, -<em>I</em> am. A missionary talks to ’em a while, an’ they -listen tell they git tired, an’ then take his sculp. They’d take -it before, only they kain’t understand a word he sez, an’ it -don’t hurt ’em. Now I cum of a strong family, an’ that -kind of moral suasion ain’t my best holt. I don’t reason with -’em thet way.”</p> - -<p>“How you do it, Penn?”</p> - -<p>“I put a ball right through the’r karkidges, an’ then I kin -reason with ’em to great advantage. They understand what -I mean.”</p> - -<p>“Vat ef he pe deat, Penn?”</p> - -<p>“That’s the beauty of my style. He kain’t resist the line -of argyment I hev adopted. He appreciates its force, I allow. -Don’t ye see?”</p> - -<p>“Yaw. Kill him unt den talks mit him. Dat ish goot -vay! I does him myself, pymepye, ven I kills an Injun.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon ye’ll hev a chaince, one of these days. What -ar’ they prowlin’ roun’ thet beaver-dam fur? The’r’ after my -traps, the sneakin’ varmints. It’ll bother ’em some to git ’em, -anyhow; I’m ruther good at hidin’ traps. But I’ll mark every<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">[61]</span> -Injun in the party, an’ one of these yer days we’ll hev a settlement. -Keep out of sight. Ef they see us, they’ll never -rest tell they git us. Lay low!”</p> - -<p>“All right, Penn. I dakes care. I no likes to fight -mit dem unless I have to; put vat I dinks ish dis: Aff’n’ -man ash vas vant to lif so long vat he can, vill not vite vor -his life, ven he <em>haf</em> to do it, den he vas vun pig vool. I not -like to vite. I pees not a vitin’ character. Put off dey -cooms, I kills all of dem vat I <em>can</em>. Dat ish drue vat I dells -you.”</p> - -<p>“Thet’s the right kind of talk, old man,” said Ben. “I -like thet. It sounds like a man. Don’t rush into danger, -but don’t <em>dodge</em> it. Thet’s the way to talk it. Thet’s the way -to be sensible. Kin ye see any thing of Jule yit?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see him noveres,” replied Jan.</p> - -<p>“I kain’t think whar he’s hid, or what them buggers ar’ -pokin’ round thet dam fer. He kain’t be thar, kin he? Ain’t -one of them Injuns goin’ into the water?”</p> - -<p>“More ash vun of ’em,” said Jan. “More ash a tozen, I -dinks.”</p> - -<p>It was true. A number of the Indians had gone into the -shallow stream, and were wading toward the dam, approaching -the beaver-hut nearest the shore. One of them approached -the opening and climbed up on the dam. Another -followed, and they commenced taking off the top of the hut. -Beavers do their work well, and it was the work of some -moments. At last the top was removed, and they stooped together -and dragged something out. Was it a beaver? No; -but Jules Damand, who had ensconced himself in the hut as -a hiding-place.</p> - -<p>They passed on to the next hut, and in like manner dragged -out Bentley Morris, who had taken refuge there. It was -with the deepest sorrow that the party on the mountain saw -their ill-fated companions dragged from their places of refuge, -amid the exultant yells of the savages, and conducted to the -shore. They made no struggle; indeed, any resistance would -have been useless against such a force.</p> - -<p>“They are taken. Oh, gracious heaven, they are taken. -What will be their fate?” cried Millicent.</p> - -<p>“I kain’t tell,” said Ben. “They may kill ’em, but I don’t<span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[62]</span> -think it. Jule has got the wust chance, fer he tried to kill -the boy.”</p> - -<p>“Poor Shule,” said Jan. “I pees sorry I gits mat mit him -unt wrastle him town on his pack.”</p> - -<p>“The least they kin hope fer is to be pris’ners of the Blackfeet -fer years. Poor lads. I’d give anything to set ’em free. -But, what kin I do; <em>what</em> kin I do?”</p> - -<p>The prisoners were dragged out into the open space and -questioned angrily. Whirling Breeze stood in front of them -for a while, and then, taking Jules by the shoulder, he led him -into the cabin.</p> - -<p>“He’s tryin’ to git him to tell whar we ar’ hid,” said Ben, -chuckling hugely. “He’ll make a good deal out’n Jule, I -reckon. Take keer not to show yerself, gal, it won’t do. Ef -they catch sight of a woman, they’ll foller her till doom’sday -but they’ll ketch her. But we’ve got things our own way. -Ef Jule <em>knew</em> he wouldn’t tell, and as he don’t know whar -we ar’, he <em>kain’t</em> tell. So we ar’ safe two ways, don’t ye see?”</p> - -<p>Shortly after, Jules and Whirling Breeze came out of the -cabin, the Indian excited and gesticulating violently. The -sound of his voice even reached the rock on which the watchers -stood. But, they could not distinguish his words. At -last they bound the prisoners, and placed them on horses. -This done, the entire band trooped away.</p> - -<p>In a few moments all was still, and nothing remained to -show that a visit had been made but the two broken beaver-huts, -a few scattered beads, with here and there a broken -shaft, a feather, or a worn moccasin. To the surprise of the -trapper, his horse, which had run back to the camp when the -wolves attacked them, was left at liberty as well as the Dutchman’s. -Millicent had sunk down upon her knees, her face -buried in her hands. The man who had saved her from -deadly peril, who had placed his own life in jeopardy to save -hers, who had kept up his courage and hers in starvation and -fatigue, and had taken deep wounds in her behalf, was a prisoner -in the hands of a bloodthirsty enemy!</p> - -<p>She never knew her love till now.</p> - -<p>“It’s hard, gal,” said Ben, sadly. “I agree to that. But -it happens often out hyar on the plains. I’m sorry. But we -couldn’t help it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[63]</span></p> - -<p>“He was a brave man,” she said, sobbing. “He saved my -life twice, and now he is gone.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you give it up. Thar ain’t no use of <em>thet</em>. Pshaw! -He may git away. He’s a bright young chap, and he may -get cl’ar. Let’s hope so. Blame it, he hez got a good -chaince. Let’s go back to camp. Ar’ you goin’ with me, or -will you stay hyar, Jan?”</p> - -<p>“I coes mit you, Penn.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right. Stick by me. You scratch my back an’ I’ll -scratch your back. I know what they’ll do with Jule. He -will hev a four-ounce ring in his nose, and be painted red, -yaller and green. I wouldn’t mind <em>thet</em> ef they won’t kill -him. I’ve wore the chief’s paint myself, and it ain’t so bad -to be chief in a tribe, and I judge he’ll be a chief ef he don’t -make ’em too mad at him.”</p> - -<p>They began to descend into the camp from the spot where -they stood. It was difficult, more so than on the other side, -and needed a quick eye and hand to accomplish the descent -without the greatest danger. A fall would have been certain -death. They took Millicent between them, and aided her -down the perilous path, the strength and skill of Ben standing -them both in good stead in a hundred ways before they -accomplished the distance. The loose slate slipped under -their feet, and it was with a feeling of heartfelt satisfaction -that he saw his two companions safe on the solid earth below.</p> - -<p>“Well done, miss; well done, old boy; I knew ye hed the -right sort of stuff in ye. This climbin’ about among the rocks -is my best holt, an’ ye kept even with me. Thar ain’t many -could do it, an’ I may safely say no woman’s foot ever trod -what yours did to-day, miss. It’s somethin’ to be proud of, -an’ I’m raally proud of comin’ down thar. Now then, put -yer best foot foremost, an’ let’s see what damage the brutes -hev done in the camp.”</p> - -<p>“You objected to my calling you <em>sir</em> the other day,” said -Millicent. “I must quarrel with you now, father Ben. My -name is Milly.”</p> - -<p>“Psho, now!” responded Ben, with a delighted look. “Ye -don’t mean to call the old man by <em>that</em> name, do ye?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; all my hope is in you now; you must call me -Milly.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[64]</span></p> - -<p>“Yer a sweet gal, Milly; the man thet couldn’t fight fer -ye don’t desarve the name of man nohow. Now look yer: -I’m goin’ ter save yer young man—you see ef I don’t! I’ll -save him or lay my bones by the Powder river; thet’s ez good -ez swore to.”</p> - -<p>“If you could save him, father Ben, I should love you always, -dearly.”</p> - -<p>“You would? And ye called me father Ben? All right. -We’ll see ef thar ain’t suthin’ yit in old Ben Miffin.”</p> - -<p>They hurried to the hut and entered; every thing was in -confusion, and it was some time before they could collect the -scattered articles sufficiently to see that not one had been removed. -Every thing remained intact, to the utter surprise of -Ben, who knew that Blackfeet are born thieves. In all his experience, -he had never known them to enter a camp and leave -any thing which could possibly be taken away; and there -were many little articles, such as traps, blankets, knives, -hatchets, and the like, much coveted by the Indians, lying -about in every direction, untouched. Ben looked about him -in amazement.</p> - -<p>“I’ve seen a good many things in my time, strange things -too, but this beats all natur’,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Vat beats?” said Jan.</p> - -<p>“They ain’t stole a <em>thing</em>; they’ve even left our hosses.”</p> - -<p>“I dinks dese pe coot Injuns,” said Jan, with a grin.</p> - -<p>“Good! Git out! Don’t be pokin’ fun at a chap in yer -old age. The world is comin’ to an end; don’t say it ain’t; -I know better. I went down to Selkirk last summer, an’ thar -was a chap thar preachin’ thet the accounts of the world would -be brung to a close jest about this time; an’ the durned critter -was right—a Millerite, they called him.”</p> - -<p>“I know vat dey pe; dey sits on a stone in der mill, mit -dere little chisels, unt go chip, chip, chip on der stones; dat -ish vat a Mill’rite pe.”</p> - -<p>“Ye git out! ’tain’t no sech thing; this hyar critter was a -<em>preacher</em>. He was a long-haired, lanky chap, with jaws ez -long ez my knife. I didn’t believe him then; I do now. -Blame me ef I ever hern tell of sech a thing. Come hyar, -Diamond.”</p> - -<p>The white horse, which had been straying at will about the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[65]</span> -cañon, came at his call, and rubbed his beautiful head against -the trapper’s shoulder. The old man returned the caress by -gently stroking the silken mane and putting it back from the -ears of the noble animal.</p> - -<p>“I kin forgive ’em a good deal, seein’ they left ye to me,” -said Ben. “Ef they’d taken ye away, old hoss, I’d ’a’ gone -for ’em in a way thet would hev set ’em back sev’ral files, the -durned critters.”</p> - -<p>“Penn,” said Jan, “somepoty’s a-coomin’.”</p> - -<p>“Whar?” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“Listen, unt you hear ’em. A horse is valking dis vay.”</p> - -<p>“Git to kiver then. Into the hut; it’s the only place. -Blame my cats ef they ain’t comin’ back.”</p> - -<p>They plunged hastily into the cabin and barred the door. -This done, they went to the side looking toward the entrance -to the cañon and watched. They could hear the hoofs of the -coming horse, and make out that he was advancing slowly. -At last the head of the horse appeared in view, then the rider, -and they saw who it was. Jules Damand! His hands and -feet were tied, and he could urge his horse forward only very -slowly. Both the men started out eagerly to meet him, followed -by Millicent. They cut his bonds and assisted him to -alight.</p> - -<p>“Ve t’ought you vas teat,” said Jan.</p> - -<p>“I thought you war gobbled,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“So I was,” said Jules, coolly, with a sidelong look at the -face of Millicent. “But you see I have escaped.”</p> - -<p>His manner was constrained, and he tried to avoid the eyes -of his companions. To their questioning he made answer -that the Indians had ridden out upon the prairie, and soon -after entered a defile in the hills—a dark and narrow pass. -In this pass he managed to make his escape, leaving Bentley -in the hands of the enemy.</p> - -<p>“Couldn’t you ’a’ managed to cut his bonds loose, or least -ways to give him a wink somehow?”</p> - -<p>“No, I couldn’t,” said he, rather sulkily. “You don’t seem -over glad I got away.”</p> - -<p>“And glad we ar’ to see ye, though ye didn’t bring the -young man with ye. It does my heart good to see ye. I -gave ye up fer a goner. Lordy! when Whirling Breeze gits<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[66]</span> -his claw on a white man, he ain’t got much chaince, unless -the Injuns take a shine to him ez the Crows did to me. Did -ye hear why they didn’t take our traps?”</p> - -<p>“Something which the boy said; he is a son of Whirling -Breeze.”</p> - -<p>“I thought so; they ar’ alike ez picters. I’m glad I did -the boy a good turn. I kain’t git it through me how Whirling -Breeze ever let them traps alone. And the hosses! Who -ever hern tell of an Injun leavin’ a hoss he could steal jest ez -well ez not?”</p> - -<p>“Never mind the boy; I will remember him to his cost,” -said Jules.</p> - -<p>“Where did you leave them?”</p> - -<p>“About five miles to the east.”</p> - -<p>“Then the pass they went into lies south of the big hills, -don’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Then I know whar they mean to camp,” said Ben, “and -thar’s goin’ to be the only place whar I stand a chaince of -gettin’ that boy out’n the hands of the durned Blackfeet. It’s -got to be did, if old Ben Miffin kin cipher it down. I don’t -know thet I’d do it fer his sake, but fer the gal.”</p> - -<p>“You seem to take a great deal of interest in her, don’t -you?” said Jules, with a half-sneer which Ben did not at all -like.</p> - -<p>“To be sure; don’t you?”</p> - -<p>Jules Damand laughed in a strange way, which by no means -pleased Ben. Indeed, there was something in his conduct -lately different from the frank and open manner which had -won the sympathy of the old trapper, in St. Louis. Even the -stolid German observed the change.</p> - -<p>Millicent drew the Frenchman aside as soon as she could -do so.</p> - -<p>“Was Bentley down-hearted? Did he despair?” she -asked.</p> - -<p>“Who? Do you call him by his first name? What is he -that you should take so much interest in him?”</p> - -<p>“He is my very dear friend. You do not answer my question.” -She spoke in rather a haughty tone.</p> - -<p>“He was down-hearted indeed, and with good reason. He<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[67]</span> -is either going to a hopeless captivity or certain death, and he -lacks the spirit to escape, as I did.”</p> - -<p>“Sir!”</p> - -<p>“Well, what now?”</p> - -<p>“No man dare say to me that Bentley Morris fears to attempt -any thing a man may do. You shall not traduce him. -I believe that you hate him, though I can not imagine the -cause.”</p> - -<p>Damand slowly left her, with a savage gleam in his eyes.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.<br /> -<span class="fs60">SHOWING HIS COLORS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Next</span> morning Ben was on his feet early, and mounting -the white horse, he went away alone, leaving Millicent in the -care of the Dutchman and Jules. He whispered in the ear of -the young girl that he would either bring her lover back to -her, or leave his bones upon the prairie. She had the utmost -confidence in him, and felt a certain elation at heart as she -saw that the brave old man was determined on the enterprise. -Jan, who was fast learning to trust in him, wished to go too, -but the old trapper would not allow it, and resolutely ordered -the Dutchman to return, which he did, with several Dutch expletives, -not proper to enter in this book.</p> - -<p>Left with these rough men in camp, Millicent had not the -slightest fear. She knew that the Dutchman, in his rude -way, was her knight, ready to defend her from insult of any -kind.</p> - -<p>“I am afraid that father Ben will get into danger on my account,” -she said.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Penn ish not afrait,” said Jan, looking at her with a -broad smile, as she sat down upon a stump near him. “Penn -so prave ash nefer vas.”</p> - -<p>At this moment Jules, who had been leaning against the -doorpost of the cabin, apparently in deep thought, came up -and whispered in her ear.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[68]</span></p> - -<p>“What do you want?” she said, without turning her -head.</p> - -<p>“I wish to speak to you for a moment,” he replied, in the -same tone.</p> - -<p>She rose and followed him to the river side, where she sat -down on a fallen log and he took a position a few feet away, -regarding her earnestly.</p> - -<p>“You wonder what I can have to say to you,” he said. “In -the first place, give me your promise not to reveal it to a living -soul. It applies to this Bentley Morris.”</p> - -<p>Without thought, never dreaming that the purport of what -he had to say could in any way apply to her, she gave the required -promise.</p> - -<p>“You must know that I am a man whom the bad fortune -of life has pressed to the earth. Time was when my family -stood high in rank and wealth. That time has gone by, and -step by step I have been forced down, until I own not a foot -of land in all the world. What of that? I am Jules Damand -yet, and will carve out a way to fortune with my own -right arm.”</p> - -<p>“I am sorry for you,” she said. “Is this what you have to -say? I hope you may succeed.”</p> - -<p>“It is the prelude only,” he answered. “I wish to make -you understand that, though you find me a poor voyageur -and trapper, I am still equal in rank to yourself.”</p> - -<p>She was silent now. A woman of quick wit, she saw at -once toward what he tended, and knew no way to stop him. -She was not astonished when he went on:</p> - -<p>“I love you, and wish to make you my wife.”</p> - -<p>She was on her guard immediately.</p> - -<p>“You do me too much honor, Mr. Damand. It seems to -me that the few days we have been acquainted are hardly sufficient -to warrant you in taking this step. You will excuse -me.”</p> - -<p>“Not without an answer.”</p> - -<p>“It seems to me there is but one answer. I must decline -your proposal,” she answered, firmly.</p> - -<p>“I supposed as much. That is nothing. I am prepared -for any thing. What if I tell you I have a way of compelling -you to accede to my demand?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[69]</span></p> - -<p>“If you were to tell me so, I think I should say you told -a falsehood.”</p> - -<p>“Then I should feel called upon to prove my words true. -In the first place, then, you have a sort of feeling for the -young person known as Bentley Morris. What if I were -to tell you that his fate depends in a great measure upon -you?”</p> - -<p>“How can that be? He is in the hands of the Blackfeet.”</p> - -<p>“I am aware of it. Yet I am ready to attest upon oath -that I have the power of freeing him from captivity, or at -least of saving him from death. I am rather inclined -to the opinion that they will roast him. I should be sorry to -have that done, really, as I have nothing against the young -gentleman, except the penchant you have for him, which is -not <em>his</em> fault, poor fellow. Be merciful. Save him from this -dreadful fate.”</p> - -<p>“You are a wretch. I suspected you all along, and -now I am sure of it. You are in league with the Indians.”</p> - -<p>“Ah; you have great penetration.”</p> - -<p>“When father Ben returns I will inform him of this.”</p> - -<p>“You forget. You are pledged not to say a word. Remember -that.”</p> - -<p>“You entrapped me into a promise which I ought to break,” -she answered.</p> - -<p>“Yet you dare not. I tell you that the fate of your lover -hangs upon my life. I am not likely to give you up readily. -I repeat that I love you. A Frenchman loves in a moment, -and forever. Beware what you do, and above all, keep -silent.”</p> - -<p>She knew that she was in his power. He laughed lightly, -and laid his hand upon her shoulder. All the passion in her -nature was aroused, and she struck him in the face with the -flat of her hand. He stepped back a pace and put his hand -to a knife instinctively. A flush of blood rushed into his face. -Jan, from where he was sitting, saw the action, and rushing -forward, thrust his heavy body between them to shake his -ponderous fist under the nose of Jules, who recoiled at the -sight.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">[70]</span></p> - -<p>“She struck me,” he cried, angrily. “I will make you -repent that blow so bitterly that you will wish you had -never been born, rather than have raised your hand against -me.”</p> - -<p>“You drove me to do it,” she answered.</p> - -<p>“Vat you say mit her, Shules Tamant?” demanded Jan, -his fist vibrating to and fro in front of the Roman nose of -Damand. “Yoost you shpeaks now, vile I dalks mit you. I -vants to know yoost all apout it. Off you say a vord mit her -vat ish not goot, I vill preak you in so many ash vorty t’ousand -bieces.”</p> - -<p>“I will make daylight shine through your body in a moment -if you do not take care,” said Damand. “Get out of my -way.”</p> - -<p>“I von’t! I shtays here yoost so long ash I haf a mind -to. Now yoost you look here. You’s a vool, you is. I nefer -sees such a vool in all mine life. Auver a man knows any -t’ing he know petter ash to talk mit a vooman, unt put a hant -to a knife.”</p> - -<p>“Stand aside,” roared Jules, whipping out his knife. “It -will be better for you.”</p> - -<p>Jan instantly knocked him down in spite of his knife, and -tied his hands and feet. When he recovered from the blow -Jan had conveyed him into the cabin and shut the door. -He writhed about in his bonds.</p> - -<p>“Jan!” he bawled. No answer. “Jan Schneider!”</p> - -<p>A silence like the grave. After he had roared himself -hoarse Jan thrust his head in at the door and said -quietly:</p> - -<p>“Vas you callin’ <em>me</em>?”</p> - -<p>“Of course I was.”</p> - -<p>“Berhaps you ton’t know I’ve got a hantle to mine name, -Mister Shules Tamant? Beeples call me <em>Mynheer</em> Jan -Schneider.”</p> - -<p>“Come here. I want you to untie these straps.”</p> - -<p>“Hein?” cried Jan, in astonishment.</p> - -<p>“I want you to let me go.”</p> - -<p>“Geh zum tuyfel! Ven I lets you co, I vas a very pig -vool. Yon t’ink you coom rount here unt haf eferyt’ing your -own vay? I dells you goot ash you can nix do nottings<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">[71]</span> -like dat. Ven Penn coomes pack, mebbe ve t’row you in der -vasser.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, but this is more than a joke, Jan. Untie me. -This has gone far enough. I did not intend to use the -knife.”</p> - -<p>“No more den I intent to use mine vist. Unt I did intent -to use him <em>goot</em>. How your ear veel pout dis dime of ter day, -Shule?”</p> - -<p>“Will you, or will you not, release me from these -bonds?”</p> - -<p>“I vill not, unless you bromise to peg der bardon auver der -young lady.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll never do that.”</p> - -<p>“All right. Den shtay vere you pe until Penn coomes -pack.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll beg her pardon.”</p> - -<p>“Vell. Den you must yoost peg <em>my</em> bardon,” said Jan.</p> - -<p>“Yours. <em>Sacré!</em> I will never do that, at any rate,” roared -Jules.</p> - -<p>“Goot! Den shtay vere you pe. I don’t vant to let you co.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll do any thing you ask.”</p> - -<p>Jan went away and was gone for a few moments. Then -he came back and set the Frenchman at liberty. He at -once hurried to the place where he had left his arms. -They were nowhere to be found, and Jan, a perfect arsenal of -pistols and knives, was pacing up and down near by, talking -with Millicent.</p> - -<p>“Where are my arms?” roared Jules.</p> - -<p>“Arms? Vy, dere dey pe, py your sides, hanging vrom -your shoulters. Vere else vould dey pe?”</p> - -<p>“Where is my rifle, you scoundrel?”</p> - -<p>“Your rifle. Oh, vy didn’t you ask vor it? I pees ’vraid -he gets preak, so I puts him avay.”</p> - -<p>“You have my pistols and knife in your belt; give them -up directly.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Damand,” said Millicent, advancing, “we have decided -to retain your arms until the return of Ben.”</p> - -<p>“In other words, you mean to keep me sort of prisoner -in this place?”</p> - -<p>“Precisely.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">[72]</span></p> - -<p>“I will not endure it.”</p> - -<p>“You must; there is no other course open to you. Jan -will not hesitate to shoot you if you attempt to go away. I -am satisfied that you would throw obstacles in the way of -Ben’s rescue of Bentley. You must be quiet.”</p> - -<p>“I must, eh? The time will come when you shall repent -this. I loved you dearly; I wanted to make you my wife. -You scorned my love; you shall feel my hate.”</p> - -<p>“I fear you not.”</p> - -<p>“Look here, Shule: vas you vool enough to dalk love mit -der young lady? I vill preak you all in bieces. You’s der -vust vool I efer sees in all mine life. I dells you as I dinks -yoost so. Oh, mein cracious, vat a vool you must pe!”</p> - -<p>The Frenchman looked as if he would like to commit murder -if he had the weapons in his hands. But, fate was against -him.</p> - -<p>“You have every thing your own way now,” he said; “let -it pass; I will remain a prisoner.”</p> - -<p>“We are going this afternoon to the top of the hill to see -if father Ben is in sight.”</p> - -<p>“I will remain here.”</p> - -<p>“No, you will accompany us; we do not propose that you -shall have an opportunity to look for your arms, and turn the -tables on us.”</p> - -<p>Jules ground his teeth, but there was nothing for him but -obedience. Shaking his head, he went back into the cabin, -while Jan looked after the traps which were near at hand, -and took out the beaver which he found there. He did not -go far away, however. Late in the afternoon they mounted -the hill to look out upon the prairie. Jan forced his prisoner -to go in front, and they reached the summit, whence Millicent -cast a sweeping glance over the broad plain. As she did so, -she saw Bentley, mounted on the white horse of the trapper, -pushing him forward at his best speed toward the little stream -which ran through the prairie. The horse rose to the leap -with all his might and landed safely on the other side. Not -far behind him came Ben Miffin, at full speed, with two Indians -close at his heels.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">[73]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.<br /> -<span class="fs60">MIFFIN’S LEAP.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> trapper had not been long in finding the Indians. -They were merely a hunting party who had come out upon -the plains for buffalo, and who had turned aside for the purpose -of rooting out the men who had dared to invade their -hunting-grounds. The arrow had been sent, the warning -given, and there was nothing for them to do but to destroy -the insolent intruders.</p> - -<p>The trapper approached the Indian camp warily. It was -pitched upon the wooded prairie, not far from one of those -growths of timber which rise like oases in the desert, in the -prairie country. Ben tied his horse in a thick clump a quarter -of a mile away from the camp, and crept cautiously forward, -like a born scout as he was. Silent as death, not even -stirring a leaf, his moccasined feet passed on, until the woods -hid him from view. But for the fact that a high peak intervened -between the hill on which Millicent took her station to -watch, and the ground upon which the camp stood, she -might have seen the entire transaction.</p> - -<p>The moment he had entered the woods he felt safer. Pressing -forward to the extreme verge of the thicket, he climbed -a tree, from which he had a view of the encampment. It was -about noon, and the Indians were in great commotion. Nearly -every warrior was gathered about Whirling Breeze, who was -haranguing them in a loud voice. Some portions of the -speech Ben could comprehend.</p> - -<p>“Be not impatient, warriors of the Blackfeet. Have faith -in the chief. These white men shall be given into our hands. -There is a maiden among them fairer than snow; she shall -dwell in the lodges of my people. Warriors and chiefs, it is -well that some of the white men should come among us. -They have many arts, of which we know nothing, by the -power of which the Indians are fading away, as the snow -melts when the sun is high. He shall teach us these things. -When we know them, we can meet the white men with their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">[74]</span> -own weapons, and sweep them away. Let us wait the good -time.” Who the “he” here referred to, Ben could not for -his life comprehend.</p> - -<p>He looked about him for Bentley Morris. He was standing -near the center of the camp, bound to a small tree. Ben -began to despair. How was it possible, alone and unaided, -to free him from the hands of the enemy?</p> - -<p>Some time he sat in the tree. Indians passed and repassed. -Several of them stood for a few minutes beneath the tree, and -conversed in low tones. Ben was in doubt. Was it possible -that Jules Damand had turned traitor? His heart sunk at -the thought that he had left Millicent under such a guard. -No, impossible that Jules could play false. He had no motive -for treachery—he could gain nothing, but would lose -every thing, by desertion. So the honest old hunter disposed -of <em>that</em> suspicion.</p> - -<p>There were several young squaws in the camp, as is generally -the case with a hunting-party. Their not unmusical -voices could be heard calling to each other and singing -snatches of Indian songs.</p> - -<p>A greater tumult arose. Looking to the east, Ben was conscious -that a dark mass was beginning to show itself upon the -prairie, miles away. This dark mass was no strange sight to -Ben Miffin. He had seen it a hundred times before on these -limitless prairies. A herd of buffalo, driven forward by the -scouts of the Indian band, who had been beating the prairie -for game.</p> - -<p>The greatest excitement immediately ensued in the Indian -camp. Half the warriors vaulted upon their horses’ backs -without orders; the rest, more orderly, waited the movements -of the chief. Whirling Breeze threw himself into the saddle -and led the way at a gallop. Not a warrior remained in the -camp, with the exception of the pair who guarded the prisoner. -Even these ran out of the camp, and followed the herd -with their eyes, burning to be among them. The women had -gone out after the warriors as fast as they could run, leaving -the camp deserted for a moment. This moment was not lost -by Ben Miffin. Slipping from his perch, he ran to the tree, -cut the bonds upon the arms of the prisoner, and they ran -together to the shelter of the trees. If they had gained them<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">[75]</span> -unseen, the escape might have been unnoticed for some time. -But, an old woman, who had remained in the camp, caught -sight of them as they ran, and raised a yell that might have -done credit to a good-sized panther. This cry accelerated the -fugitives’ speed, and they reached the place where the white -horse was tied.</p> - -<p>“Git up,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“What will you do?”</p> - -<p>Miffin never answered a word, but, throwing his rifle to the -“trail,” ran off at a speed which awakened the admiration of -the young man. As he hesitated, an arrow whizzed near -his head. Looking back, he saw his late guards coming up at -a run, while the man who had fired at him was fitting another -shaft to the bow. Bentley leaped into the saddle, and followed -Ben, who had by this time gained several hundred yards. -He laughed as he saw the guards were after them. He had -no fear of any thing they could do to him unless others came -to their aid.</p> - -<p>“Keep your hoss at a trot, boy. Not too fast; keep alongside. -You ain’t got no weepons. Hyar’s a pistol. ’Tain’t a -bad thing fer clust quarters, but blame ’em when ye hev to -fire mor’n ten feet. They don’t work; you take my word fer -it, they don’t work. Them Injuns are good runners. The -head one’s the best. We’ve got to cross the stream. Kin ye -do it?”</p> - -<p>“The horse can swim it.”</p> - -<p>“Better jump it. Turn his head down-stream and go yer -best now. Never mind me. I’m game enough to take keer -of myself. You bet on that. Ride hard. ’Bout half-a-dozen -rods below thar’s a narrer place. I ain’t got time to -turn.”</p> - -<p>It was at this moment that Millicent arrived at the crest of -the mountain and saw them on the plain. She saw that the -only danger was to the brave old man, who had given up -his horse to save his young friend. One of the savages had -turned off in chase of Bentley. The other followed close on -the heels of Ben, whirling his hatchet in the air. Half a -mile in the rear, coming up at the utmost speed of their fast -horses, the girl saw at least a dozen savages, riding to the aid -of the guards.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">[76]</span></p> - -<p>Ben was running directly for the little stream which meandered -through the prairie. Millicent thought him doomed. -His rifle was not loaded. Would he turn upon the bank of -the stream and meet the Indians? The pace at which they -were going was tremendous. The Indians knew him well, -and those in the rear redoubled their efforts to come up with -him. A wild yell of triumph broke from every throat as -they saw him approach the stream. He comprehended his -desperate situation now and had made up his mind as to his -course. In times like these men do things which in their -calmer moments seem impossible. He never slackened his -speed as he approached the deep watercourse, and gathering -all his powers for the effort, and grasping the rifle which had -served him faithfully in many a bloody fray, he bounded into -the air, and landed safe and sure upon the other bank! The -place where he leaped was in the midst of a growth of -prairie-timber, and by the side of a tree. As he turned, rifle -in hand, his headmost pursuer, who had not been able to check -his headlong speed, appeared upon the other bank, his countenance -expressing the utmost surprise, as he gazed upon the -wide space over which Ben had leaped. Throwing up his -hands in astonishment, he shouted in the best English he could -muster:</p> - -<p>“<em>Good</em> jump! Big Buffalo make very big jump!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, durn yer dirty face. Now <em>git</em> afore I bore a hole in -ye! I don’t keer to hurt ye, but ef ye ain’t out’n this afore -I load this yer rifle, good-by.”</p> - -<p>The Indian saw his danger. The dreaded rifle was not yet -loaded, and turning, he plied his heels in a way which did -credit to his powers of locomotion. Millicent, from her station -on the hill, could hardly refrain from laughing aloud as -she saw the Indian run. Jan was in ecstasies. While Ben -was on the other side of the stream he kept up a running fire -of pitying phrases and encouraging words. When the trapper -leaped the stream he performed a war-dance with great -spirit upon the mountain top.</p> - -<p>“Yoost look at dat, you Vrenchmans. Dat’s mine vrent, -Penn. <em>See</em> him shump! Shumps like a vrog, same vat you -eats. Ach! Ho, ho, ha! See dat Injun run. Hein? -Trouble coom after you soon, Mister Injun. Oh, Shules, how<span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">[77]</span> -could you pe so pad ash to durn against such a mans ash -Penn?”</p> - -<p>“Who said I turned against him? It is got up between -you and this woman. I’ll ask the old man when he comes -in if I am to be insulted by every one and make no return. -You old bully, I’ll cut your heart out.”</p> - -<p>“You shut oop. I ain’t a vool. Vat you dakes der knife -to me vor? Vat vor you dries to make love to der vooman? -Vat you vant mit a gun ven I let you co? No, Shules, you -pad egg.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll let you know, for one, whether I am to be insulted -or not. Ben will set it right. He wrongs no man.”</p> - -<p>“That is true,” said Millicent. “Be content to let the matter -rest. Or stay. They are now coming up the mountain -and the Indians will not dare to follow them into the pass. -They know that they are desperate men. If I promise to -say nothing to them of your conduct, will you promise to refrain -from the like in future?”</p> - -<p>“The Dutchman would tell.”</p> - -<p>“Not if I ask him not,” said Millicent, smiling on the German.</p> - -<p>“No, py der saints! I nefer says nottings, put I keep oop -a good deal of t’inking all de dimes.”</p> - -<p>“Do you promise, Mr. Damand?”</p> - -<p>“I must. I can’t afford to have Ben against me.”</p> - -<p>“Then it is a bargain. See that you keep your part, Jan,” -said Millicent.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I keeps my pargains,” said Jan. “Off it’s a pad one, -I can nix help it. I makes pad pargains sometimes, ven I -can not help him. Let us co down to Penn. I very sorry -to keep any t’ing vrom Penn. He goot chap. You no dells -der young feller?”</p> - -<p>Millicent flushed crimson. The acute German had found -out that she loved Bentley Morris.</p> - -<p>“Why should I tell him, Jan?”</p> - -<p>“Vy? I don’t know. Only ven you pe his vrow, pimepye, -pooty soon, den you dells him eferyt’ings. Yaw.”</p> - -<p>Jan chuckled hugely at her confusion, and walked behind -the rest all the way down the mountain, that he might enjoy -a laugh by himself. They came to the level plain just at the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">[78]</span> -point where the pass entered the valley, and there waited for -the coming of the others. As they waited, they heard the -crack of a rifle in the ravine below, followed by a shout from -Ben.</p> - -<p>“Run to their aid,” cried Millicent. “Why do you hesitate?”</p> - -<p>They hurried on to the assistance of the trapper, and -found him standing in the mouth of the pass, rifle in hand, -disputing the further advance of the party of Indians, who -had by this time crossed the stream, and were parleying with -him.</p> - -<p>“My brother will let his red friends come. They wish to -smoke a pipe with him,” said the leading Indian.</p> - -<p>“I am not in a smoking mood to-day,” said Ben. “You -clear out. I’ve made a camp hyar, an’ hyar I mean to -stay.”</p> - -<p>“My brother is welcome to the home of the Blackfeet. -But, why has he come among us, and stolen our prisoners?”</p> - -<p>“None of your puisiness,” roared Jan, taking a position by -the side of Ben so suddenly, that even the iron-nerved trapper -started. “Vat you vant here?”</p> - -<p>“Ah-ha! Ar’ you thar, old Bologna?” laughed the trapper. -“I’m teachin’ ye how to do it, then. Ha, Jule, you here too? -Whar is the little ’un? Whar is she?”</p> - -<p>“Here,” said Millicent, in her clear, sweet voice, stepping -to the front. “I could not keep away, while you were all -in danger. And I brought Bentley his rifle. He needs a -weapon.”</p> - -<p>Something in her manner as she gave the weapon into the -owner’s hand, told Jules that this indeed was her lover. He -turned pallid as a corpse, and ground his teeth fiercely, but -said not a word. That was useless now. He hoped that his -day of triumph was not far off.</p> - -<p>“Now, sons of the Blackfeet,” said Ben, raising his voice, -“ye kin see what kind of a chaince ye’ve got ag’in’ us, with -them bows, arrers and spears. I reckon ye mout ez well give -it up.”</p> - -<p>The Indians drew together and held a conference. This -over, they turned their horses’ heads and galloped away to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">[79]</span> -the east. One by one the horses splashed through the river, -and they were gone across the broad prairie, toward their camp.</p> - -<p>“Penn,” said Jan Schneider, extending his hand, “I’m -glad you shumps dat rifer. I pees afrait you gone dere.”</p> - -<p>“So was I, Jan, when I see how wide it was. Let’s go an’ -measure it. I’m proud of that jump.”</p> - -<p>They went back to the stream and measured the distance, -and found it to be just twenty-three feet. And the river was -nearly as deep.</p> - -<p>“Swanzey-dree feet!” roared Jan. “Dere! Some of you -peat dat!”</p> - -<p>“I can’t,” said Bentley. “What did that Indian say when -you jumped? I heard him roar something after you.”</p> - -<p>“He said, ‘Good jump; Big Buffalo’—that’s me—‘make -very big jump,’” said Ben. “By thunder, he made me laugh -so I couldn’t have shot at him. An’ didn’t he light out when -I begun to load?”</p> - -<p>“’Twas a great jump,” said Bentley. “You ought to be -proud of it. What shall we do now?”</p> - -<p>“Better git back to camp. I don’t allow no Injun to drive -me out until I git ready.”</p> - -<p>The party went back over the rocky way, and Damand -saw, with silent rage, that it was upon the arm of Bentley -the maid leaned, and <em>his</em> words which pleased her most. But -he waited his time, satisfied that his turn must come. They -set to work and collected the scattered articles, which in the -late trouble had got into confusion. The traps were in a bad -way, and many of them needed resetting. The four men -went the rounds that day and got every thing in order, and -brought in a number of fine skins.</p> - -<p>“These are valuable skins,” said Bentley. “I have been -in the fur trade myself, and I never saw better beaver.”</p> - -<p>“They ain’t been thinned out much,” replied Ben. “All -the old uns ar’ hyar yit. It makes a big difference.”</p> - -<p>“I know it does. What a pity we must be driven away -so soon.”</p> - -<p>“Ef it wa’n’t for the gal, we’d stay hyar and brass it out. -But, while we’ve got weak ’uns like that with us, it makes a -man cowardly. So we must git back ez soon ez we kin. -Onc’t she is safe to the forts, I’m comin’ back, fer one.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">[80]</span></p> - -<p>“I would not, if I were you,” said Jules. “It is dangerous.”</p> - -<p>“Who keers for a little danger? Any man kin git into -danger ef he wants to. It’s the spice of life, danger is. Go -out fer that trap, Jules, I’m a little stiff after my run. I ain’t -ez strong ez I used to be.”</p> - -<p>“You can run faster than any man in the party now,” said -Bentley. “And who among us is able to jump twenty-three -feet?”</p> - -<p>“The old man ain’t dead yit,” replied Ben, grinning. -“He’ll do a power of work afore he goes under. Yes, he -will; you bet on it. An’ as for the durned Injuns, they may -drive us away now, but we’ll come back. And to-morrer -we’ve got to build a raft. ’Twon’t do to be taken unawares. -Hurry up!”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.<br /> -<span class="fs60">THE SUCK.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> river upon which these scenes are laid, was a narrow -stream, sometimes flowing smoothly over a sandy bottom, and -at others leaping downward with all the force of a mountain-torrent. -The water, dropping over a beaver dam, fell upon a -sloping bed and rushed downward with impetuous fury. The -currents drew together in the center after leaving the falls, -forming what is known in the Far West as a “Suck.” The -current was full of rocks at this point, against which the water -rushed in ungovernable rage, with a strength hardly to be resisted. -On the morning succeeding the escape of Ben and -young Morris, they began to build a raft.</p> - -<p>The events of the past few days satisfied Ben that they -might be attacked at any time, and he wished to provide a -way of escape. Just at the foot of the waterfall was a growth -of light pine suitable for his purpose. Calling on the others -for assistance, all set to work upon the float. The logs were -slightly squared, and bound together with tough green withes -after a manner much in vogue among the trappers. It was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">[81]</span> -the work of half a day, and as they had little else to do, they -gave much care to it. The raft finally was finished and fastened -to the shore by a lariat. Ben looked at the structure in -some pride.</p> - -<p>“Did anybody ever go down the river here, father Ben?” -said Millicent.</p> - -<p>“Not often, little gal,” said Ben. “It’s an awful perilous -undertakin’, an’ we won’t do it unless we’re driv’ so close we -kain’t help it. It’s best to be prepared allers. Leastways I -think so.”</p> - -<p>“Will that raft hold us all?” asked Millicent.</p> - -<p>“You git on’t, Jan, an’ try.”</p> - -<p>Jan stepped carefully on the float. Ben stood close to the -shore, watching the effect of his weight upon the structure. -Jules stood just behind the trapper. Millicent was nearer the -river. Bentley had gone into the hut for something they -needed.</p> - -<p>“Jump up an’ down on it,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>Jan did as he was requested. The next moment there was -a loud crack, as of a hawser parting under a heavy strain, and -the craft was whirling down the current, out of reach of the -men on the shore. Ben darted into the water and made an -ineffectual attempt to grasp it, but it was already beyond the -utmost stretch of his arm. To their horror they saw their -comrade drifting hopelessly down the stream. They looked -downward; as far as the eye could reach, the river was hopelessly -churned into foam, and gray rocks reared their heads -above the water, threatening death to any unfortunate wretch -thrown upon them. The bluffs stood out bold and high on -either side, and buried the river in from mortal view. In every -eddy by the side of these bluffs, the cunning beavers had -made their lodges, satisfied that they were safe from their inveterate -enemies, the trappers. The Dutchman saw nothing -of this; he only saw the foaming river, the brown ledges, and -the ragged rocks.</p> - -<p>From the spot where the raft started, the eddy swept him -directly across the stream in the direction of a serrated ledge, -which threatened instant destruction. Seated on the narrow -craft, grasping it with both hands and ever looking toward the -other shore, the unfortunate man set up a cry for help, which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">[82]</span> -pierced brave old Ben to the very heart. He began to throw -off his hunting-shirt. Just as he stood, half naked, on the -bank, the raft struck the ledge against which it was drifting. -Such was the momentum which it had acquired, that it sent -Jan flying from the logs, striking the water many feet away.</p> - -<p>“Alas, alas!” cried Millicent, “he is gone!”</p> - -<p>“Not yit,” said Ben; “I’m hyar.”</p> - -<p>The current swept Jan further down, and he struck the -rocks again; but this time he grasped a jutting ledge, found -a place for his feet, and shouted for help at the top of his voice.</p> - -<p>“I’m comin’, ole chap,” responded Ben in return. “Look -out! Foller me, Jule.”</p> - -<p>He plunged into the stream, while Jules remained standing -on the bank. The trapper sunk from view in a moment. -Taking advantage of the undertow, he swam toward the other -shore. He had learned from the Indians the trick of swimming -under water, and did it well. For a few moments nothing -was heard but the splash of the water and the shouts -of poor Jan, who imagined himself forsaken in the bleak -world. All at once he beheld the water separate close by his -side, and from the swift current Ben Miffin sprung into view, -dashing the water from his eyes with one hand as he laid -the other on the rocks to keep himself from floating downward.</p> - -<p>“How ar’ ye?” he said, coolly. “Rayther a cold berth, -this.”</p> - -<p>“Ve never gets out of dis no more, Penn,” said Jan, despairingly. -“I pees very mooch ’vraid ve gone dis dimes. -Vy den you pring me to dis miser’ble coonthry?”</p> - -<p>“It’s good enough fer the natyves,” said Ben. “Shet up yer -meat-trap. Let <em>me</em> do the talkin’; I’ll hev enough of it, I -reckon.”</p> - -<p>“Dalking’s no use,” replied the poor fellow. “Vat I vants -ish to pe sure I can get out from dis. An’ dis ish vat I dinks: -ve vill never get out from dis no more vile ve lifs, so help me -ash I pelieve dis ish drue. Dere ish no more hope vor poor -Jan Schneider. He ish deat unt drownded mit vasser. Ach! -Mein Gott! Phew!”</p> - -<p>“Jest you open yer mouth ag’in, an’ I’ll give ye a smash -right squar’ in the meat-trap. Now mind what I tell ye: I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">[83]</span> -ain’t goin’ to hev two head bosses in this yer business—you -bet I ain’t. Now listen to me, an’ hold yer row. Kin ye -swim?”</p> - -<p>“Like a hoondred pounts off iron,” said Jan. “Gootness -cracious!”</p> - -<p>“Thet’s bad. I never did see a Dutchman thet knowed -any thing. Ye durned anatomy! Well, ef I let ye git on -my shoulders, will ye promise not to ketch me round the -neck?”</p> - -<p>“Yaw; I bromise anyt’ings, so ash I does not pe drownded -mit vasser.”</p> - -<p>“Very good. Then when I give ye the word, lay yer hands -on my shoulders an’ kick out with both feet. Kin ye do it?”</p> - -<p>“I kicks like ter duyvel.”</p> - -<p>Ben loosened his hold on the rock, and let himself float -down to the speaker. When all was ready, Jan laid his -brawny hands upon the shoulders of the trapper, and he -pushed out from the shelving bank. Jan immediately began -to flourish his heels like the paddles of an ocean steamer, -leaving a broad trail of foam behind him. Indeed, so vehement -were his efforts, that he buried the head of the swimmer -under the water, and Ben was compelled to call on him to desist. -But when he fell a dead weight upon the shoulders of -the trapper, the drag became fearful even for his iron strength -to sustain.</p> - -<p>They were by this time in the midst of the powerful current, -where the “suck” formed a vortex so strong that when -within twenty feet of the shore it seized them and hurried -them away from the safety so nearly gained. In vain the -trapper struggled against it and called to Jules for help. -But the Frenchman seemed to have lost all control of himself. -Instead of following the trapper he remained on the -bank, running wildly up and down, making no effort to assist -either of them. But Bentley was coming down from the hut -at full speed. “Help! help!” cried Ben, in a sinking voice. -He had got out of the suck by this time, but faced it again -bravely. The current had been gradually sweeping them -downward. They reached a place where a pine had fallen -to the ground and was lying in the water. Ben, striking out -desperately, felt the sunken branches strike his leg.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">[84]</span></p> - -<p>“Kick, Jan, kick!” he shouted, with all the power of his -lungs. “Kick fer yer life.”</p> - -<p>Jan lashed out desperately, and though the head and shoulders -of the trapper were buried by the effort, he managed to -grasp the limb of the fallen tree.</p> - -<p>“Easy, Jan; keep cool,” he said.</p> - -<p>Jan ceased plunging, and Ben slowly hauled away on the -slender limb, going up it hand over hand, as sailors do. If -it should break! He looked below and saw the jagged rocks -and the high walls of stone on both sides of the cañon. To -drift lower down was certain death.</p> - -<p>He felt the limb bend in his grasp, but it held firmly, and -at last he laid his strong hand on a stouter one. As he did -so, he allowed the shout of joy which had been pent up in -his breast so long to escape in an exultant cry. Jan took it -up and made the rocks fairly ring.</p> - -<p>It was easy work now. In a moment more their feet trod -the unyielding soil of the bottom of the stream, and they -clambered to the shore. Ben ran to the place where his -clothes lay, and got into them without delay.</p> - -<p>“There! I feel better,” he said, as the last garment was -donned. “I kain’t say I like the other style of costume in -the winter. ’Tain’t voluminous enuff. Fer summer, now, a -light an’ airy rig like thet ar’ would be jest the thing; but it -won’t do fer the Black Hills; oh no.”</p> - -<p>“I dinks ve petter haf a vire,” said Jan, with rattling teeth. -“It ish very cold here.”</p> - -<p>“Yer mighty right,” rejoined Ben. “Say, Jule, kain’t ye -do thet much fer us?”</p> - -<p>Jules walked away slowly and began to gather the materials -for a fire; but he walked lazily, and Jan turned in to help -him, dripping as he was. Ben looked at the Frenchman in -considerable astonishment. A change seemed to have come -over him since his capture by the Indian band. His eye had -a sullen light; his looks were downcast, and his whole appearance -that of a man who was wholly actuated by some -bad passion.</p> - -<p>“Blowed ef I kin make out what’s the matter with Jule,” -muttered Ben. “He’s got trouble on his mind, somehow.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">[85]</span></p> - -<p>“Come here, father Ben,” said Millicent at this moment. -“I have something to show you.”</p> - -<p>He turned, and walked to the place where she stood, near -where the raft had been lying. The broken withe by which -it had been tied still hung to the trunk of the pine. Millicent -lifted this and showed it to him.</p> - -<p>“Do you see nothing strange in this?” she said. A glance -at it was sufficient to show that it had not been broken in -any ordinary way. It was <em>cut</em> clean through by some sharp -instrument. He looked about him. Jules was still lazily -working at the fire.</p> - -<p>“Mebbe thar’s somethin’ on the tree or the rocks that did -it,” he whispered.</p> - -<p>“If there is we can find it,” said Millicent; “you had better -try.”</p> - -<p>He searched the trunk of the tree and the rocks near at -hand, to find any thing which could by any possibility have -cut the rope. He looked in vain. The trunk was wonderfully -smooth and the rocks out of reach. There was but one -supposition then. Some one had cut the withe.</p> - -<p>“Ye don’t mean to tell me that Jules c’u’d hev the heart to -do that?” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“I do not like to suspect anybody, but I believe from my -heart that it was he. I have good reason to fear him, and so -have you.”</p> - -<p>Ben turned toward the Frenchman. He had at last collected -material for a fire, and Jan had kindled them into a -blaze, over which he was crouching, while Jules stood watching -him with a sullen and dissatisfied air.</p> - -<p>“Come here, Jules,” said Ben. “I have something to tell ye.”</p> - -<p>Jules looked as if he would like to refuse.</p> - -<p>“What do you want?” he said, moving slowly and sullenly -toward the trapper.</p> - -<p>Millicent had left the old man, and was talking with Bentley -by the river side.</p> - -<p>“Come hyar,” repeated Ben, in an authoritative tone of voice.</p> - -<p>Jules paused irresolutely and looked the speaker over from -head to foot.</p> - -<p>“Come hyar, I say,” repeated Ben. “Hev a man got to -w’ar his tongue out a-tellin’ of ye to move?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">[86]</span></p> - -<p>Jules followed him reluctantly aside, and they stood together -near the wall of the hut, not far from Jan, who was -intently engaged in drying his clothing. The Frenchman did -not like the expression of the old trapper’s face. It showed a -determination to understand the matter.</p> - -<p>“Ye hang back like a twelve-year-old gal, ye do,” said the -old trapper. “What’s the matter with ye, anyhow? I want -ter ask ye a question or two. I asked ye to foller me -when Jan got adrift. Why didn’t ye?”</p> - -<p>“Where would you have been if the tree-top had not lain in -the water? Battered to pieces on the rocks below the fall. -I wasn’t going to try it, you’d better believe. I warned you -to come back.”</p> - -<p>“<em>That’s</em> all right,” said Ben. “I ain’t hard-hearted enough -to force a man to do any thing he’s <em>afraid</em> of. But look yer. -Do you see this withe? Who cut it?”</p> - -<p>He held up to view the severed strand, showing where it -had been cut. So sudden was the question, and so unexpected, -that the Frenchman stammered and turned deadly pale. There -could be no doubt as to his guilt.</p> - -<p>“I never touched—”</p> - -<p>“Take keer! Don’t lie to me! I ask ye as a friend to -keep a straight tongue. I expect ye to try it on, but it’s no -use. So don’t lie. Don’t I know ye? Didn’t ye stand behind -me when ye cut the withe? Wasn’t it cut through and -through? I ain’t quite a fool, nuther be you. So shut up. -You cut it yerself, jist to git rid of the Dutchman, I s’pose, -because of yer old grudge ag’in’ him.”</p> - -<p>Jules covered his confusion by a laugh. He thought best -to turn it off in that way.</p> - -<p>“Well, Ben, I did cut the withe; but it was a joke, just to -give that Dutchman a big scare. I had no idea the raft would -get away.”</p> - -<p>“A joke. I cum pooty nigh makin’ it the dearest jest you -ever hearn of.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t suppose I meant any thing in earnest,” said -Jules, cringingly.</p> - -<p>“It don’t matter so much what I think,” said Ben. “I -believe Jan has a v’ice in the matter, an’ I reckon he’d say if -it wa’n’t in earnest it was the roughest joke on him ever<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">[87]</span> -hern of. Anyhow, I’ve got my opinion, and I’ll back it for -ten mills, U. S. currency, that he licks you out of your boots -when he hears about this nice little joke. Ef he don’t lick -ye, he’s a fool.”</p> - -<p>“He dare not lay the weight of a finger upon me in anger,” -said Jules, fiercely. “He has done it more than once. Let -him beware of the next time.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve had a hint before to-day thet all ain’t right. I begin -to suspect ye grevious. I won’t say anything about that now. -About Jan first; he ain’t a bit afraid of you, Jan ain’t. Now -let me give you a piece of advice. I don’t want to hev any -words with you. Jest let the Dutchman alone. He’s clumsy, -mebbe, but he’s got the makin’ of a man in him, and he’s -good-hearted, an’ I won’t hev him abused. Thet’s about the -way the thing stands now, nigh as I kin git at it.”</p> - -<p>“You seem to have taken to him all at once,” muttered Jules.</p> - -<p>“He’s <em>honest</em>; thet’s one reason; I like honesty in any one. -An’ I give ye fa’r warnin’, next time ye dar’ to do a mean -thing to him, I’ll walk into ye like chalk. D’ye h’ar what I -say? Understand me, too. I won’t hev no man in my -company that won’t give the others a fair show. And ye’ve -been hard on thet poor feller ever sense he cum hyar with us. -Now stop it.”</p> - -<p>“Is it any thing to you?”</p> - -<p>“Ye bet it is. Ef it ain’t I’ll make it so mind thet.”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.<br /> -<span class="fs60">THE QUICKSAND.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">They</span> set to work at once and built another raft. After it -was done, Jules mounted and rode away to the east. At any -other time, Ben would have questioned him with regard to his -absence. But Millicent gave him a sign which he understood, -and he let him go without a word. The moment he was -gone she came to the old trapper and revealed to him enough -to excite Ben’s anger and scorn of the treacherous rascal.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">[88]</span></p> - -<p>“Don’t say a word to him. I gave my promise to remain -silent about it while he remained quiet. He has broken his -pledge, but do not let him know that we suspect him.”</p> - -<p>“The gal is right,” said Ben. “Don’t let him know. But -we kin watch the devil clust; an’ when he gives us a chaince, -down with him.”</p> - -<p>“You will do nothing rashly, I hope. Remember, much -depends on that.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t keep my hands off him,” responded Bentley.</p> - -<p>They had just prepared dinner when Jules returned, coming, -not up the river, but out of the pass to the east.</p> - -<p>Ben looked at his face as he came in and saw that it was -moody. He said nothing, but made a place for him at the -fire so that he might have the benefit of the warmth. Jules -did not immediately take advantage of this, but busied himself -in removing the blanket from his horse, and turning him -loose. When this was done, he came slowly toward the fire -and sat down.</p> - -<p>“Whar have ye been?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p>“Up the east pass. I thought, this morning, that I sighted -a moose-herd, and I’ve been out scouting round, thinking -I might possibly find some of the critters. I struck their -tracks at the bottom of the second cañon, and not long after -came upon the herd. There was only three of them in all, -and pretty well south they have got, too. But if we can kill -one, it will give us good fodder for a week to come.”</p> - -<p>“Moose down hyar? That’s mighty uncommon, I tell ye. -Their grounds is at least five hundred miles to the north of -this. I’d like to go with ye, but I don’t think I kin, I’ve got -so much to do. S’pose ye go out with Jan? Mebbe ye’ll -git one of them.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” said Jules, eagerly. “What do you say, Jan? -Will you go?”</p> - -<p>“I coes mit you,” said Jan. “I likes to shoot von vat you -call him—moose.”</p> - -<p>They started out directly after eating their dinner, leaving -the rest at the camp. Jan carried the tremendous weapon -which already had done such fearful execution. Jules had -his rifle. They kept their horses until they had reached the -mouth of the pass down which Jan, Ben and Millicent had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">[89]</span> -turned to get upon the mountain, on the day when the Indians -came to the camp. Here they picketed the animals and went -forward on foot, with great caution. As they emerged from -the pass they had a view of the small valley. It was like -their own camp, nearly circular in form, with the river in -front and the mountains on the other three sides. There -might have been sixty acres of flat land in the valley, and on -the other side, close down to the water’s edge, three moose -were feeding. Along the western base of the mountains ran -a long strip of timber, and into this the trappers at once -plunged, keeping the wind in their faces, for the keen-scented -animals would have detected them in a moment if they had -come up on the other side. The distance from the woods to -the game was not more than a hundred yards, and Jules prepared -to fire. As he dropped on one knee and laid his rifle -across a low limb, the leading moose raised his stately head -and looked about him, as if scenting danger. Jan had followed -the example of the Frenchman, and his roer was lying -across a branch, pointed at the second of the two animals. -As the moose looked up, both pieces exploded. To the utter -surprise of Jules, the one he fired at bounded away unhurt, -while Jan’s dropped upon the ground, staining it with his flowing -life-blood. Jan ran hastily toward the wounded beast, -while Jules watched him with a malevolent eye. He knew -the danger into which the honest Dutchman ran in approaching -a wounded moose, but did not warn him. A hundred -feet from the body of the game Jan’s feet suddenly sunk -beneath him, and he fell as if an iron hand had seized his -ankles and held him down.</p> - -<p>“Coom here, Shules,” he shouted. “I pe got in der mut. -Coom here unt help me out!”</p> - -<p>Jules walked slowly to the end of the quagmire, about ten -feet from the imprisoned Dutchman. All the evil in the -man’s heart showed itself at that moment. All that was bad, -all that was cruel, imprinted deep lines on his face, which -gleamed savagely in the sun-rays.</p> - -<p>“You are in trouble, friend Jan?” he said, coolly.</p> - -<p>“Help me out!” cried Jan.</p> - -<p>“Keep quiet,” said Jules. “Do you remember the day out -yonder on the prairie, when you threw me down and planted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">[90]</span> -your elephant foot upon my breast? Ah, I see you have not -forgotten. You remember it with pleasure. I have not forgotten -it either, and I swore, sooner or later, to have my revenge. -You aided that girl against me, and for <em>that</em> I’ll be -doubly revenged.”</p> - -<p>“I’m sinkin’ deeper all de dimes!” cried Jan. “Coom, -Shules, pe a goot veller unt help me out. Vat’s de use of -voolin’? I bunch your heat ven I does get out, off ye leave -me here any more.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you don’t know where you are?” said Jules. -“Then I will tell you. There are places in these hills which -we call quicksands. A man falls into one and from that moment, -unless help is near, he is doomed. Even his struggles -tell against him. Deeper and deeper he sinks in the slimy -sand. The iron hands upon his ankles drag him down every -moment. He sinks to his knees in the slime. He throws -himself down. That is useless and will hasten his death. -He struggles up again. He sinks to his thighs.”</p> - -<p>“Mein Cott!” moaned Jan.</p> - -<p>“You begin to comprehend. You see now what my revenge -will be. You have sunk to your knees. The efforts -you make to pull up one leg sink the other deeper. Your -ponderous weight sinks you very fast. By-and-by you will -be up to your neck; then your mouth will be covered; and -when you begin to choke, I will sit by and laugh.”</p> - -<p>Jan was sinking slowly, his face turned toward his executioner, -who sat grimly down by the side of the quicksand, -and waited for the end. The Dutchman made no effort to -break down his stubborn resolve. A single glance at his set -face was enough to show that all entreaties would be useless. -In that hour when the true spirit of man comes to the surface, -it was plain that Jan’s fears were rather the result of a life -fraught with little danger, than cowardice; and if he failed -to look danger bravely in the face at first, it was because it -came to him in a new form. But now, his face was steady, -and though his lips moved, it was in saying the prayers he -had heard in faderland, and which he had learned at his old -mother’s knee. The cold quicksand had risen above his -thighs, and yet Jan seemed unmoved. Such calmness exasperated -his enemy. He had expected to hear the Dutchman<span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">[91]</span> -cry aloud for mercy; to beg him to help him; to humble -himself for pity; but Jan did not think of that. His face -was pale, but there was a kind of smile upon it.</p> - -<p>“Cry for mercy!” shouted Jules, tauntingly. “Beg for your -life!”</p> - -<p>“No, Shules; off you have any pity in your heart, unt -care enough for me to forget vat I did, unt save me, I vould -pe glad. Put I don’t ask any t’ings from you.”</p> - -<p>“You will die like a dog.”</p> - -<p>“Never,” replied Jan. “Like a man whose fader died in -battle vor te sake of his dear faderland. Sit py unt see me -tie. It vill pe a <em>man’s</em> deat!”</p> - -<p>Jules assailed him with a storm of vituperation, to which -Jan made no answer.</p> - -<p>At this moment there came a great shout of surprise and -anger, and they saw Ben Miffin running toward them at full -speed with a hatchet in his hand. Jules caught up his rifle -and began to load it hastily, but Ben was too quick for him, -and he clubbed the weapon and stood upon his guard. But -his defense was vain against the wiry old trapper, who broke -down his guard and prostrated him by a blow on the head. -Before a minute had passed, his arms were buckled behind -him by means of a belt, and his legs served in the same -way.</p> - -<p>“Quick, Penn, quick!” shouted Jan.</p> - -<p>“Keep cool, my boy! I’ll save ye yit,” cried Ben. “Keep -yer arms clear of the mud.”</p> - -<p>He whistled for his horse, which he had tied in the pass. -A loud neigh answered him, and directly they heard the sound -of hoofs. Diamond had broken his lariat and was coming at -full speed. Catching sight of his master, he bounded to his -side. Ben took the broken lariat from the saddle-bow and -formed a slip-noose, which he threw to Jan.</p> - -<p>“Put that under yer arms an’ draw it taut,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>Jan obeyed. By this time Jules had recovered from the -effects of the blow, and lay watching their movements anxiously. -When the noose was under Jan’s arms, Ben instructed -him how to pass a stick through it, so that it would not -draw too tightly around his body. The loose end of the -lariat he fastened to the saddle-bow. The horse stood quietly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">[92]</span> -waiting, as if he comprehended fully what was expected of -him.</p> - -<p>“Be ready, Jan,” said the trapper, “an’ if the strain is too -much, sing out. Now then, Diamond, pull!”</p> - -<p>The horse did not jerk, but pulled steadily. Jan set his -teeth, for the strain was fearful. For a moment he was stationary, -then he felt his body rise a little from the clinging -sand.</p> - -<p>“That started ye,” said Ben, joyfully. “Whoa, Diamond. -Can ye stand it?”</p> - -<p>“Yaw, yaw, pull away,” cried Jan, in an eager tone. “I -shtands any t’ings so dat I gits out vrom dis blace.”</p> - -<p>“Pull, Diamond,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>The horse drew away on the lariat, and to the intense joy -of both, the body of the Dutchman was pulled high up on -the hard ground. For a moment Jan lay panting, and the -next he sprung up and grasped the trapper by both hands.</p> - -<p>“T’ank you, Penn. I don’t say much, but I dinks a great -deal. I nefer forgets vile I lifs.”</p> - -<p>“Pshaw,” said Ben. “Thank the hoss; he did the -work.”</p> - -<p>The intelligent animal turned his head to look at them, as -if conscious that they were talking of him, and bent forward -that he might receive the caresses which Jan showered upon -him. For awhile they thought nothing of the man who lay -at their feet, until Jan’s eye fell upon him as he lay there, his -black eyes twinkling with rage and apprehension.</p> - -<p>“Dere he lies, dat villains!” said Jan. “He gets me in -der mut, unt den he von’t help me out.”</p> - -<p>“I was jubous he’d do something of the kind,” said Ben. -“I wa’n’t fur away. Thet’s what I let him go with ye fur, -<em>jest to try him</em>. I’m sorry I did it now. Ain’t he a sweet -specimen for a human?”</p> - -<p>He stooped and loosened the strap on the legs of the -Frenchman.</p> - -<p>“Git up!” he said.</p> - -<p>Jules Damand rose slowly, with his eyes continually fixed -upon the earth.</p> - -<p>“<em>Nice</em> kind of man, ain’t ye?” said Ben. “What ye got to -say fer yerself?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">[93]</span></p> - -<p>“Nothing,” replied Jules.</p> - -<p>“Nothing?”</p> - -<p>“Not a word. Do with me as you choose. If you had -staid away ten minutes longer, the work would have been -complete.”</p> - -<p>“Ye cold-blooded scoundrel! I’m sorry I ever broke -bread with the like of ye. A mean-sperited skunk! I’d -sarve ye right ef I sent a bullet through yer skull. Wouldn’t -I now?”</p> - -<p>“Do it, then.”</p> - -<p>“I leave it with Jan. Ef he says kill ye, why, yer no better -then a dead man. Ye owe yer life to him, an’ ef he choses -to take it, thar’s no law among free trappers to save ye. Anyway, -I won’t help ye. Jan!”</p> - -<p>“Vell?”</p> - -<p>“Hyar’s a pistol. It’s loaded with a ball. This skunk -ain’t fit to live. Trapper law will bar ye out in shootin’ him -through the head. He is in yer hands.”</p> - -<p>Jan took the pistol, cocked it, and placed it close to the -head of the Frenchman. A deathlike stillness reigned in the -place. The face of Jules was utterly colorless, but he did -not speak a word. He knew that his life was forfeited by the -stern laws of the trappers, and that nothing could save him, -if the man whose life he had placed in such deadly peril -chose to claim that forfeit. But his proud spirit would not -permit him to speak a word. He looked straight into the -muzzle of the threatening weapon, his lips white as ashes.</p> - -<p>“Fire!” he whispered at length.</p> - -<p>Jan dropped his hand.</p> - -<p>“Remember that this is the second time he has nearly -killed ye,” said Ben. “He cut the raft loose the other day.”</p> - -<p>“Vat?” cried Jan.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied Damand. “I did that. Fire away.”</p> - -<p>Again Jan raised the weapon and again that deathlike -silence fell upon the scene. But Jan could not do it. Such -an act was not in his nature. He uncocked the weapon and -handed it back to Ben.</p> - -<p>“I can’t do it,” he said. “He nearly kills me, deux, swi -dimes, put I nefer kills a man mit his hands tied. Let him -go.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">[94]</span></p> - -<p>“Walk before us,” said Ben, sternly. “Don’t try to escape.”</p> - -<p>Jules obeyed sullenly, although glad of any respite.</p> - -<p>“Holt on,” said Jan. “Dere ish my moose vat I kills.”</p> - -<p>“We ain’t got time to ’tend to him now. Lead my hoss. -I want to watch this beauty.”</p> - -<p>They went back to the horses. Jules was put upon his -own and his feet bound with a lariat. Jan rode in front. -Ben brought up the rear, with his pistol ready, in case the -fellow tried to get away. He made no such attempt. In -this order they reached the camp. Here Ben tied the horse -of the Frenchman to a tree and opened the cache. The beaver -skins they had taken were bound up in bundles of twenty -each. Ben laid them out in three equal piles. When this -was done he untied Jules and made him dismount. Millicent -and Bentley looked on in silence.</p> - -<p>“Ar’ them divided <em>fa’r</em>?” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Jules.</p> - -<p>“Then take either pile ye like and <em>git</em>.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want them,” said Jules. “Give me my horse and -gun and let me go.”</p> - -<p>“Do just ez ye chose. Thar they ar’. Ef ye don’t -want ’em, it’s all right. We kin find a use for ’em.”</p> - -<p>“I won’t take the skins.”</p> - -<p>“All right. Thar’s yer hoss an’ thar’s yer gun. Take -them an’ <em>git</em>, and mind, ef ye turn up against us yer a dead -man. I lets ye go now because none here wants yer life or -yer company, but yer a dead man ef ye ever crosses my track. -I have spoken—so be off with you!”</p> - -<p>Jules obeyed. Without a word he rode away and the -hills soon hid him from their sight.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.<br /> -<span class="fs60">THROUGH THE SNARE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> three men began to complete their raft, working with all -their power. In a few hours the work was done, and they -were ready to go down the river at a moment’s warning. -Then Ben set to work upon another cache for his skins,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">[95]</span> -which it would be impossible to take with him. He chose -a place within the cañon through which the river ran, and -here he laid the skins. His brow was sad. The old man -had been deceived in regard to a comrade, and he was -grieved.</p> - -<p>“Do not grieve for a bad man,” said the girl, observing his -sadness. “He is not worth a single pang.”</p> - -<p>“True enough, gal. An’ yit, I thought the lad a true one. -I did indeed. But, let him go; the time will come when he’ll -be sorry in his heart fer what he’s done.”</p> - -<p>When all was ready, they pushed the raft down to the very -mouth of the cañon and there embarked. The horses were -abandoned. Ben took his station in front of the raft. Bentley -and Jan took the sides, each armed with a long pole. Millicent -crouched in the center, beside the pile of provisions -which the forethought of the trapper had induced him to -bring.</p> - -<p>A perilous path lay before them. The stream ran dark -and swift between huge bowlders of gray rock, rearing their -heads in the air. Without the skill of Trapper Ben their -lives were not worth a moment’s purchase. At first they -were in the power of the “suck,” which drew them rapidly -toward the other bank, and threatened to dash them on the -place where the other raft was beaten to pieces. But the -quick eye of Ben saw the peril and averted it. As the raft -dashed down upon the wall a skillful push of the long -pole sent it whirling down the stream, while the other men -stood aghast, and Millicent also covered her face with her -hands.</p> - -<p>When she looked up, the present peril was over and they -were dashing down the dark channel at a breakneck speed. -There was a wild, triumphant look in the eyes of the old -hunter, as he guided the raft on its course.</p> - -<p>“Hurray, boys; now we <em>ar’</em> goin’,” he shouted, “Don’t -be skeered, little gal. I’ll take ye safe through, or bu’st things -a-trying. Durn a Frenchman. Does he think he kin overreach -me? Hey! look out fer that rock, Bentley. That’s -right. You’d make a good raftsman in time. Look sharp, -Jan. Thar’s a rock loomin’ up on your side. Give it a sly -tap. That’s it. Well done. Ef we onc’t git on the level, it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">[96]</span> -will be all right. I’ve got an idee. Stand steady, boys. -The wust time is comin’. You kain’t help me much. Bentley, -go astern and when that brown rock is just abeam of us, -sock that pole ag’inst it, and push ez hard ez you kin. Now -mind you do it.”</p> - -<p>“Ay, ay,” said Bentley, going to the stern. “Give me -the word.”</p> - -<p>They were now approaching a place where a fall in the -bed of the stream made a rapid, in which the water was -churned into dazzling foam—a terrible sight to the eyes of -those not accustomed to the terrors of the western plains. -Naturally brave, Millicent could not help a shudder as she -saw the danger upon which they were rushing headlong. But -a glance at that old man standing upright in the bow of the -raft, stern and calm, grimly confident in himself, restored her -courage.</p> - -<p>Down into that wild waste of wreathing foam rushed the -raft. A rock was on the right hand, one on the left, and she -seemed rushing directly upon destruction in front. But, all -at once, the head of the raft swung round, and showed clear -water in front, perhaps ten feet in width, into which they -rushed. The spray flew high overhead and for a moment -blinded them. The next moment they passed out of their -danger, and lay rising and falling in the more tranquil water -just above another beaver-dam, in the midst of the -cañon.</p> - -<p>“Aha,” said Ben. “Hyar we be. It’ll trouble Injuns to -nose us out hyar. They’ll git round lively ef they do.”</p> - -<p>The raft floated on, and struck against the little dam. -Using his pole, Ben pushed it along close to the edge of the -dam and gained the shore, where he helped Millicent from -the raft, and secured it.</p> - -<p>“Dat ish goot,” said Jan. “More ash petter ash goot. De -ret Blackfeet nefer finds us here. Von’t tey pe mat!” and -the Dutchman laughed loudly. “Vat you do now, Penn?”</p> - -<p>“Do? I’m going fur help. I kin git it too. I seen Crow -signs when I were out on the prairie after you, Bentley, and I -think an old friend of mine, Falling Oak they call him, is out -on the plains. Ef I kin find him, I’ll make ye safe, ef ye dar’ -to stay.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">[97]</span></p> - -<p>“I am willing,” said Millicent.</p> - -<p>“And I,” said Bentley.</p> - -<p>“I’d rudder go mit Penn, put if he say shtay here, I does -it,” cried Jan.</p> - -<p>“Then I say stay hyar. They may need ye. Ef the wust -comes, push out yer raft an’ make fer the plains. Ye mout -git off thet way. Ef so be I’m above ground, I won’t be two -days gone. I’ve left ye meat enough to last a week, ef ye -don’t go too heavy on it. Good-by, gal. Ef I don’t come -back and ye git away, remember the old man sometimes, -won’t ye?”</p> - -<p>Millicent threw her arms about his neck, and kissed him -as she might have kissed her father. The face of the old -man worked for a moment, and then the undaunted one was -sniveling.</p> - -<p>“Thar, git away. Ye’ve made a baby of me at last. I -knew ye would. Now let me go. Good-by, boys. Whatever -happens, take keer of the little gal. Be sure of that.”</p> - -<p>He sprung upon the dam and crossed to the other side. -They saw him clamber up the distant side of the mountain, -and turn to wave his hand in token of farewell. Then he -passed over the crest and was lost to sight.</p> - -<p>A strange feeling fell upon them then. A feeling of loneliness, -a sense of insecurity, and all felt how much they had -learned to love and trust Trapper Ben. Jan felt his loss most -of all, and went aside, where he cast himself down on the -ground and put his arm before his eyes.</p> - -<p>The others did not care to stay the tide of the honest Dutchman’s -sorrow, and a half-hour passed in unbroken silence, -when suddenly Millicent cried:</p> - -<p>“Look there, look there!”</p> - -<p>Above them, on a ledge of rocks, stood the strange creature -which had haunted them since their entrance into the hills. -Jan ran for his roer, but Bentley seized him and would not let -him fire. But, at the sight of the gun, the monster sprung -away and concealed himself behind a rock, from which he -peeped out at them, dodging back when the gun was presented.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you dare to fire,” said Bentley. “You do not -know what danger you may bring down upon us by the act.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">[98]</span></p> - -<p>Jan yielded reluctantly, and laid aside the gun. The moment -he did so the creature, with its fierce laugh, sprung up -the cliff and disappeared.</p> - -<p>“Thank heaven he is gone,” said Millicent. “That monster -gives me more uneasiness than the Indians and Jules Damand -to boot. Something within tells me that the villain will yet -give us trouble. Oh, if he should get me, by any means, in his -power!” And she visibly shuddered.</p> - -<p>“One of us must stand guard,” said Bentley. “We have -more dangers than this to fear.”</p> - -<p>“So you have,” yelled a voice on the cliff above. “Beware!”</p> - -<p>They looked up, long enough to see the malicious face of -Jules Damand looking down upon them. It was only a passing -glimpse, for he disappeared immediately.</p> - -<p>“Just as I feared,” said Millicent with a sigh. “That villain -will not let us rest.”</p> - -<p>“He knew that we would take to the river, and followed -along the crest until he saw us land. There goes his rifle; he -is firing at something.”</p> - -<p>The report of the rifle was followed by the cry of the -Mountain Devil. Then they heard the sound of feet upon the -ledge above, and shortly after Jules Damand appeared upon the -ridge, closely pursued by the wild thing. The Frenchman had -a knife in his hand, and as he reached the level rock overhanging -the stream, and saw that he could run no further, he -turned at bay, and was ready to fight for his life. The Mountain -Devil held in his hand the barrel of the rifle which he -had wrenched from the hand of Jules, and the stock of which -he had shattered on the rocks.</p> - -<p>“Shall we help him, Jan?”</p> - -<p>“Yaw,” said Jan. “Den we tie him oop.”</p> - -<p>They began to clamber up the rocks, while Millicent stood, -with bated breath, watching the combat on the ledge. The -monster was raining a storm of blows upon the head of the -Frenchman; but he had closed and grasped it by the shaggy -hair upon its breast, so that the blows were not at the full -sweep of the arm. Already the keen knife had been plunged -thrice to the hilt in the body of the monster, when it threw -down the rifle barrel, and caught Jules Damand in its long arms.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">[99]</span></p> - -<p>Millicent uttered a scream which rung through the hills, for -she saw that the man was doomed. The monster had got his -death-wound, but still the strength he possessed was too much -for Jules Damand, even though fighting with the energy of -despair. He saw the heads of Bentley and Jan appear above -the ledge, and knew that they would be too late, for the monster -had forced him back to the extreme edge of the chasm, -two hundred feet above the torrent below.</p> - -<p>As the feet of Bentley reached the rock he caught a glimpse -of the agonized face of Damand, whose paleness was terrible. -He gasped for breath and made one struggle. It was his last; -for the next moment, with a demoniac laugh, the huge body of -the Mountain Devil shot out into the air, bearing in its arms -the form of Damand. Millicent saw them strike the water, -and ran to the spot. A crimson stain told where they had -gone down, and a white hand and arm could be seen struggling -faintly in the flood. She seized it, and with a strength -which was unnatural dragged Jules Damand out of the water. -He had only time to gasp out a prayer for forgiveness, and -die.</p> - -<p>They buried him that day under the shadow of the ledge. -The body of the Mountain Devil was also raised, and they -laid it on the shore. Then they saw that it was in the form -of a man of gigantic size, whose uncouth aspect might have -been gained by companionship with beasts. They buried -him too, and waited for Ben.</p> - -<p>He came back next day, triumphant, but would tell them -nothing. “Come along,” he said, and they followed with -implicit faith up the ledge. The day was nearly spent when -they reached their old camp, but Ben caught the horses and -made his companions mount. Jules had left his horse, which -had found its way back to the camp. Bentley took it. Ben -gave up his own good beast to Millicent, and walked by its -side. They reached the mouth of the pass, and Ben called -them to a halt, and pointed out upon the prairie. There they -saw the band of Whirling Breeze encamped, apparently in -the greatest security.</p> - -<p>“Load yer weepons, boys,” said Ben. “Leave the gal -hyar. I’m goin’ to fire my rifle. When I do, watch the spur -of the mountain yonder, an’ then foller me.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">[100]</span></p> - -<p>They obeyed him. Ben raised his rifle and fired in the -air. Obedient to the signal, two hundred warriors, armed to -the teeth, emerged from their covert and charged the astonished -Blackfeet. Ben sprung into his saddle and rode forward -to aid his friends. He came too late. The band of -Whirling Breeze was scattered, and he only escaped by the -speed of his horse. Ben arrived in time to sequestrate two -fine mustangs, and compliment the Crow chief upon the neatness -and dispatch of the action.</p> - -<p>The party proposed to return to the forts. The chief and -fifty chosen warriors rode with them. Among the prisoners -Ben found the son of Whirling Breeze, and asked the chief -for him. The request was granted, and the young warrior -was set at liberty and returned to his friends.</p> - -<p>“Chief,” said Ben, when he had heard the story of the -death of the Mountain Devil, “do ye know what that was?”</p> - -<p>“Half-breed,” said the chief. “Mad. Lived in the Black -Hills many years. Glad he dead. Kill many warriors.”</p> - -<p>“It was a madman, then,” said Bentley. “I thought so.”</p> - -<p>A few miles from the first fort the Indians left them. They -reached the fort in safety. Here the old man and Jan bade -them good-by, but not until he had seen Bentley and Millicent -married by the fort chaplain. The parting was painful, -and the young bride was deeply affected. But it was over at -last, and Millicent, hand in hand with her husband, watched -their retiring forms as they passed over the prairie, toward the -distant hills.</p> - -<p>When Bentley Morris was older, and children were growing -up about his knees, in the strong young State of which -he was a leading man, he often told the tale of those perilous -times, with Trapper Ben and Jan Schneider, in the camp in -the Black Hills.</p> - -<p>And once a year a letter, strange in orthography and composition, -comes from the two trappers. Jan is still with Ben, -and will be to the last.</p> - -<p class="pfs80 bold p2">THE END.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<div class="transnote"> -<p class="center bold">Transcriber’s Notes</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>The Table of Contents at the beginning of the book was created by<br /> -the transcriber.</p> - -<p>Minor punctuation and spelling errors have been silently corrected -and, except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the -text, especially in dialogue, and inconsistent or archaic usage, -have been retained.</p> -</div> - -<ol> -<li><a href="#tn9">Page 9</a>: “the Hudson Bay was at its hight” changed to “the Hudson Bay was at its height”.</li> - -<li><a href="#tn43">Page 43</a>: “headed by a giant bull, whose patriarchial” changed to “headed by a giant bull, whose patriarchal”.</li> -</ol> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEN, THE TRAPPER ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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