The Dog Crusoe and His Master: A Story of Adventure in the Western Prairies, - [books for new readers .TXT] 📗

march,
Dick Varley rode up to Cameron and said in a somewhat
anxious tone,--

"D'ye obsarve, sir, that one o' the Redskins has gone
off ahead o' his comrades?"

"I see that, Master Dick; and it was a mistake of
mine not to have stopped him, but he was gone too far
before I observed it, and I thought it better to appear
unconcerned. We must push on, though, and give him
as short time as possible to talk with his comrades in
the camp."

The trappers pressed forward accordingly at a gallop,
and were soon in front of the clump of trees amongst
which the Peigans were encamped. Their approach
had evidently spread great alarm among them, for there
was a good deal of bustle and running to and fro; but
by the time the trappers had dismounted and advanced
in a body on foot, the savages had resumed their usual
quiet dignity of appearance, and were seated calmly
round their fires with their bows and arrows beside
them. There were no tents, no women or children, and
the general aspect of the men showed Cameron conclusively
that his surmise about their being a war party
was correct.

A council was immediately called. The trappers ranged
themselves on one side of the council fire and the Indians
on the other. Meanwhile, our friend Crusoe had been
displaying considerable irritability against the Indians,
and he would certainly have attacked the whole two
hundred single-handed if he had not been ordered by
his master to lie still; but never in his life before had
Crusoe obeyed with such a bad grace. He bristled and
whined in a low tremulous tone, and looked imploringly
at Dick as if for permission to fly at them.

"The Pale-face traders are glad to meet with the
Peigans," began Cameron, who determined to make no
allusion to his knowledge that they were a war party,
"for they wish to be friends with all the children of the
woods and prairies. They wish to trade with them--to
exchange blankets, and guns, and beads, and other goods
which the Peigans require, for furs of animals which the
Pale-faces require."

"Ho! ho!" exclaimed the Indians, which expression
might be translated, "Hear! hear!"

"But," continued Cameron, "we wish to have no war.
We wish to see the hatchet buried, and to see all the
red men and the white men smoking the pipe of peace,
and hunting like brothers."

The "Ho--ho--ing" at this was very emphatic.

"Now," resumed the trader, "the Peigans have got two prisoners--two
Pale-faces--in their camp, and as we cannot be on good terms while our
brothers are detained, we have come to ask for them, and to present
some
gifts to the Peigans."

To this there was no "Ho" at all, but a prolonged
silence, which was at length interrupted by a tall chief
stepping forward to address the trappers.

"What the Pale-face chief has said is good," began
the Indian. "His words are wise, and his heart is not
double. The Red-men are willing to smoke the pipe of
peace, and to hunt with all men as brothers, but they
cannot do it while many of their scalps are hanging in
the lodges of their enemies and fringing the robes of the
warriors. The Peigans must have vengeance; then they
will make peace."

After a short pause he continued,--

"The chief is wrong when he says there are Pale-faces
in the Peigan camp. The Peigans are not
at war with the Pale-faces; neither have they seen
any on their march. The camp is open. Let the
Pale-faces look round and see that what we say is
true."

The chief waved his hand towards his warriors as he
concluded, as if to say, "Search amongst them. There
are no Pale-faces there."

Cameron now spoke to Dick in a low tone. "They
speak confidently," he said, "and I fear greatly that
your poor comrades have either been killed or conveyed
away from the camp and hidden among the mountains,
in which case, even though they should not be far off,
it would be next to impossible to find them, especially
when such a band of rascals is near, compelling us to
keep together. But I'll try what a little tempting them
with goods will do. At any rate, we shan't give in
without a scuffle."

It now, for the first time, flashed across Dick Varley
that there was something more than he imagined in
Crusoe's restless anxiety, which had not in the least
abated, and the idea of making use of him now occurred
to his mind.

"I've a notion that I'll settle this matter in a shorter
time than you think," he said hurriedly, "if you'll agree
to try what threatening will do."

The trader looked grave and undecided. "I never
resort to that except as a last hope," he answered; "but
I've a good deal of confidence in your prudence. What
would you advise?"

Dick and the trader whispered a few minutes together,
while some of the men, in order to show the Indians how
perfectly unconcerned they were, and how ready for
anything, took out their pipes and began to smoke.
Both parties were seated on the ground, and during this
interval the Indians also held eager discussion.

At length Cameron stood up, and said to his men in
a quiet tone, "Be ready, lads, for instant action. When
I give the word 'Up,' spring to your feet and cock your
guns; but don't fire a shot till you get the word." He
then stepped forward and said,--

"The Peigan warriors are double-tongued; they know
that they have hid the Pale-face prisoners. We do not
wish to quarrel, but if they are not delivered up at once
the Pale-faces and the Peigans will not be friends."

Upon this the Indian chief again stood forward and
said, "The Peigans are not double-tongued. They have
not seen Pale-faces till to-day. They can say no
more."

Without moving hand or foot, Cameron then said in
a firm tone, "The first Peigan that moves shall die!
Up, lads, and ready!"

In the twinkling of an eye the trappers sprang to
their feet, and cocking their rifles stood perfectly motionless,
scowling at the savages, who were completely taken
by surprise at the unusual suddenness and informality
of such a declaration of war. Not a man moved, for,
unlike white men, they seldom risk their lives in open
fight; and as they looked at the formidable row of
muzzles that waited but a word to send instant death
into their midst, they felt that discretion was at that
time the better part of valour.

"Now," said Cameron, while Dick Varley and Crusoe
stepped up beside him, "my young warrior will search
for the Pale-face prisoners. If they are found, we will
take them and go away. If they are not found, we
will ask the Peigans to forgive us, and will give them
gifts. But in the meantime, if a Peigan moves from
the spot where he sits, or lifts a bow, my young men
shall fire, and the Peigans know that the rifle of the
Pale-face always kills."

Without waiting for an answer, Dick immediately
said, "Seek 'em out, pup," and Crusoe bounded away.

For a few minutes he sprang hither and thither
through the camp, quite regardless of the Indians, and
snuffed the air several times, whining in an excited
tone, as if to relieve his feelings. Then he put his nose
to the ground and ran straight forward into the woods.

Dick immediately bounded after him like a deer, while
the trappers kept silent guard over the savages.

For some time Crusoe ran straight forward. Then he
came to a spot where there was a good deal of drifted
snow on the ground. Here he seemed to lose the trail
for a little, and ran about in all directions, whining in a
most piteous tone.

"Seek 'em out, pup," repeated Dick encouragingly,
while his own breast heaved with excitement and expectation.

In a few seconds the dog resumed its onward course,
and led the way into a wild, dark spot, which was so
overshadowed by trees and precipitous cliffs that the
light of the sun scarce found entrance. There were
many huge masses of rock scattered over the ground,
which had fallen from the cliffs. Behind one of these
lay a mound of dried leaves, towards which Crusoe
darted and commenced scraping violently.

Trembling with dread that he should find this to be
the grave of his murdered companions, Dick rushed
forward and hastily cleared away the leaves. The first
handful thrown off revealed part of the figure of a man.
Dick's heart beat audibly as he cleared the leaves from
the face, and he uttered a suppressed cry on beholding
the well-known features of Joe Blunt. But they were
not those of a dead man. Joe's eyes met his with a
scowl of anger, which instantly gave place to one of
intense surprise.

"Joe Blunt!" exclaimed Dick in a voice of intense
amazement, while Crusoe snuffed round the heap of
leaves and whined with excitement. But Joe did not
move, neither did he speak a word in reply--for the
very good reason that his mouth was tightly bound
with a band of leather, his hands and feet were tied,
and his whole body was secured in a rigid, immovable
position by being bound to a pole of about his own
length.

In a moment Dick's knife was out, bands and cords
were severed, and Joe Blunt was free.

"Thank God!" exclaimed Joe with a deep, earnest sigh,
the instant his lips were loosened, "and thanks to you,
lad!" he added, endeavouring to rise; but his limbs had
become so benumbed in consequence of the cords by
which they had been compressed that for some time he
could not move.

"I'll rub ye, Joe; I'll soon rub ye into a right state,"
said Dick, going down on his knees.

"No, no, lad, look sharp and dig up Henri. He's
just beside me here."

Dick immediately rose, and pushing aside the heap
of leaves, found Henri securely bound in the same
fashion. But he could scarce refrain from laughing at
the expression of that worthy's face. Hearing the voices
of Joe and Dick Varley in conversation, though unable
to see their persons, he was filled with such unbounded
amazement that his eyes, when uncovered, were found
to be at their largest possible stretch, and as for the
eyebrows they were gone, utterly lost among the roots
of his voluminous hair.

"Henri, friend, I knew I should find ye," said Dick,
cutting the thongs that bound him. "Get up if ye
can; we haven't much time to lose, an' mayhap we'll
have to fight afore we're done wi' the Redskins. Can
ye rise?"

Henri could do nothing but lie on his back and gasp,
"Eh! possible! mon frere! Oh, non, non, not possible.
Oui! my broder Deek!"

Here he attempted to rise, but being unable fell back
again, and the whole thing came so suddenly, and made
so deep an impression on his impulsive mind, that he
incontinently burst into tears; then he burst into a long
laugh. Suddenly he paused, and scrambling up to a
sitting posture, looked earnestly into Dick's face through
his tearful eyes.

"Oh, non, non!" he exclaimed, stretching himself
out at full length again, and closing his eyes; "it are
too goot to be true. I am dream. I vill wait till I am
wake."

Dick roused him out of this, resolute sleep, however,
somewhat roughly. Meanwhile Joe had rubbed and
kicked himself into a state of animation, exclaiming that
he felt as if he wos walkin' on a thousand needles and
pins, and in a few minutes they were ready to accompany
their overjoyed deliverer back to the Peigan camp.
Crusoe testified his delight in various elephantine gambols
round the persons of his old friends, who were not
slow to acknowledge his services.

"They haven't treated us overly well," remarked Joe
Blunt, as they strode through the underwood.

"Non, de rascale, vraiment, de am villains. Oui!
How de have talk, too, 'bout--oh-o-oo-ooo-wah!--roastin'
us alive, an' puttin' our scalp in de vigvam for de poo-poose
to play wid!"

"Well, niver mind, Henri, we'll be quits wi' them
now," said Joe, as they came in sight of the two bands,
who remained in precisely the same position in which
they had been left, except that one or two of the more
reckless of the trappers had lit their pipes and taken to
smoking, without, however, laying down their rifles or
taking their eyes off the savages.

A loud cheer greeted the arrival of the prisoners, and
looks of considerable discomfort began to be evinced by
the Indians.

"Glad to see you, friends," said Cameron, as they
came up.

"Ve is 'appy ov de same," replied Henri, swaggering
up in the joviality of his heart, and seizing the trader's
hand in his own enormous fist. "Shall ve go to vork
an' slay dem all at vonce, or von at a time?"

"We'll consider that afterwards, my lad. Meantime
go you to the rear and get a weapon of some sort."

"Oui. Ah! c'est charmant," he cried, going with an
immense flounder into the midst of the amused trappers,
and slapping those next to him on the back. "Give me
veapon, do, mes amis--gun, pistol, anyting--cannon, if
you have von."

Meanwhile Cameron and Joe spoke together for