Harry Castlemon

“ Brave ran on ahead of his master, beating about through the bushes, but not a rabbit or squirrel showed himself. But Frank kept on, taking good care to remember the points of the compass, determined that he would not go back to the camp empty-handed. At length Brave’s well-known bark caused him to start forward at a more rapid pace, and the next moment he heard some heavy animal crashing through the underbrush, just in advance of him, at a tremendous rate. The woods were so thick that Frank could not see the game, but the angry yelping of the dog told him that it was being closely pursued. ”

“ By this time all the inmates of the cabin were aroused, and there was a hurried reaching for guns, and a putting on of fresh caps.
“Lend me your rifle, Dick,” said Frank, “and I’ll shoot him. I have never killed a panther.”
“Wal, don’t be keerless, like you generally are,” said the trapper, handing him the weapon. “Be keerful to shoot right between his eyes. Hist—I’ll be shot if the varmint ain’t a pitchin’ into the white buck—he are, that’s sartin!”
As Dick spoke there was a violent rustling in the bushes, and a sound as of a heavy body falling on the snow. ”

“ The least cry from one of those clumsy little fellows would have brought upon him an enemy that the bravest hunter would not care to encounter.
But Frank had great confidence in himself, and worked away industriously, now and then pausing to look down into the cave and listen. He had cut away most of the bushes before the opening, and as soon as he could get a good view of the interior, threw himself flat upon the snow and looked in. ”

“ Brave was upon him in an instant, but the bear, easily eluding him, raised on his haunches, and seized the dog in his paws. One smothered howl came from Brave’s throat, and Frank, clubbing his gun, was rushing forward to the rescue of the Newfoundlander, whose death now seemed inevitable, when another charge of buck-shot, from Harry’s gun, rattled into the bear’s head, and again brought him to the ground. Brave was released from his dangerous situation, and the moment he regained his feet he attacked the bear with redoubled fury ”

“ Nine wolves were lying dead on the snow, which was saturated with blood, and a tenth was endeavoring to crawl away on two legs. Brave immediately commenced a battle with him, but the wolf had plenty of fight left in him, and was killed only after a hard struggle.
“Now,” said Frank, “let’s follow up that white buck. I would give almost any thing to catch him alive. He is pretty well tired out, and can’t run far.”
“Lead on, then,” said Harry; “but, if Dick was here, he would say it was no use. You know hunters are inclined to be superstitious about such things.” ”

“ A few moments’ walk brought them to the place at which they had set their first trap, in a hollow stump, where they had noticed a multitude of “mink signs,” as the trapper would have called them, and as Harry bent down and looked into the stump, Frank exclaimed:
“Look at these tracks; somebody besides ourselves has been here.”
“Yes, some other hunters, I suppose,” answered Harry, peering into the stump. “I hope they were gentlemen enough not to interfere with our arrangements here. ”

“ The skins of the panther and bear must be prepared for stuffing, which would require his close attention; the cubs, also, must be taken care of and watched, for they would escape, if left to themselves. If he was at home, they could be shut up in the cabin while he was off hunting, and he could have his cousin’s assistance in curing the skins. So, after resting an hour, he pulled on his overcoat again, stowing the cubs away in his pockets, folded up his blanket, strapped it fast to his belt, shouldered his gun, and set out. ”

“ I looked up, and saw a man, dressed in the garb of a hunter, standing on the bank above me, leaning on his rifle.
“‘I am going to Bennington,’ I replied.
“‘Are you? That’s lucky. I am traveling in the same direction. Would you have any objections to good company?’
“‘No sir,’ I replied. ‘Come on.’
“The hunter came down the bank; depositing his rifle and knapsack carefully in the bow of the canoe, he took up one of the paddles, and we pulled from the shore. As soon as we got out into the current, I turned, with some casual remark, to take a nearer look at my passenger. Merciful Heaven! ”

“ Frank made no reply, but taking the cubs from the pockets of his overcoat, allowed them to run about the cabin—a proceeding which the dogs, especially Brave, regarded with suspicion, and which they could not be persuaded to permit, until they had received several hearty kicks and cuffs from their masters.
“You can’t blame the critters,” said the trapper, puffing away at his pipe. ”

“ I tell you, youngsters, the sound o’ that same war-whoop war no new thing to me. I’ve heered it often—sometimes in the dead o’ night, when I didn’t know that there war any danger about, an’ it has rung in my ears when I’ve been runnin’ for my life, with a dozen o’ the yellin’ varlets clost to my heels; but I never before, nor since, felt my courage give way as it did on that night. Scarcely a man in the hull wagon-train, exceptin’ me an ole Bill, had ever drawed a bead on an Injun, an’ I war a’most sartin that I should have a runnin’ fight with the rascals afore mornin’. ”

“ Rapidly ran the terrified moose; but nearer and nearer came their dreadful pursuers, each moment increasing in numbers, and growing more bold. The moment was fast approaching when they would make the attack.
“Let us commence the fight, boys,” said Frank, in as firm a voice as he could command. “We must kill as many of them as we can, before they close on us. George, take Harry’s gun. Archie, [Pg 167] you and I will fire first. Remember now, no putting two charges into one wolf. Harry, keep on the ice. ”

“ The affair was soon explained, and Uncle Joe and the trapper rolled up their eyes in astonishment. At length the latter said:
“They stole your traps, did they, an’ shot the hound, an’ you follered ’em up an’ ketched ’em, did you?”
“Yes,” answered Archie, “and they mauled George and me with clubs; and we have brought them here to know what to do with them.”
“Wal, I never did see sich keerless fellers as you youngsters be,” said Dick. “You get wusser every day. Why didn’t you come arter me?”
“We should have lost too much time. Besides, we wanted to catch them ourselves.” ”

“ I have been in tight places since then, in fights with varmints an’ wild Injuns, an’ many a time a single chunk o’ lead has saved my scalp; but that war the best shot I ever made. It war a thing that many a Rocky Mountain trapper wouldn’t keer to undertake. I like to hunt now as well as I ever did, an’ expect to be in a good many rough-an’-tumble fights with Injuns an’ grizzly bars, but I’d rather be excused from crawlin’ down into a dark hole like that agin. But arter I had got out o’ the cave, I didn’t stop to think o’ the danger I had been in; the cubs war mine, an’ that’s all I keered for. ”

“ What have you got?” he continued, as one of the cubs, thinking that something unusual was going on, again set up a furious yelping.
“I’ve the skin of the panther that killed the white buck,” answered Frank, “and also a bearskin, and two young cubs.” As he spoke, he drew the cubs from his pocket.
“You keerless feller!” exclaimed Dick, who had not yet spoken; “I know’d you’d be in some scrape or other.”
“So did I,” chimed in Harry, “and that’s the reason why I wouldn’t go with him. It’s a wonder you ain’t all clawed to pieces.”
“Hain’t had any supper yet I reckon?” said the trapper. ”

“ But Sport was valiantly holding his own against their combined assaults, now and then seizing one of the dogs in his powerful jaws, and giving him a tremendous shaking, and then turning fiercely upon one of the Indians, who found it necessary to retreat, in order to save himself. ”

“ Beaver were plenty as black flies in summer, an’ the woods war chuck full o’ otter, an’ the mountains of grizzly bars an’ black-tails, so I had plenty to do.
“‘I had made my camp in the woods, about a mile back from the creek where I war trappin’, so as not to skeer away the game. Beaver is mighty skeery animals, an’ don’t like to have a feller trampin’ around them all the while; and when a man sets a trap, he musn’t go to it agin afore arly the next mornin’, for if he does, the game soon gets mighty shy, an’ the first thing the trapper knows, he’ll have to hunt somewhere else for beaver. ”

“ THE next morning, after breakfast, the trapper took down his long rifle, saying, as he did so:
“Now, youngsters, I’m goin’ off into the woods, about twenty mile or so, to camp out for a week, an’ see if I can’t find some otter. If you want good sport, you had better go, too. The game is gettin’ too scarce around here to suit me.” ”

“ Let’s start after the rascals; and if we catch them, we’ll make them give up those traps or fight.”
Harry shrugged his shoulders, and answered:
[Pg 241]
“If you are going in for a fight, just count me out, will you? One of those Indians must be a strapping big fellow, judging by the size of his feet; and the other, although he may be a smaller man, would probably prove a tough customer. If Dick was here, I wouldn’t mind it. Let us go after him.”
“O no,” answered the reckless Frank. “I guess we and our double-barrel shot-guns, with Brave’s assistance, can recover those traps. ”

“ Won’t you give a fellow some thing to eat?”
“In course,” said Dick; and he brought Frank some pieces of toast and a cup of coffee.
“I don’t like your style of doctoring a bit,” said Frank, as the trapper carefully removed the [Pg 67] blankets with which his patient was enveloped. “The remedies you use are worse than the disease. You’ve kept me wrapped up so tight that I am sore all over.”
“I shouldn’t wonder,” said the trapper, laughing heartily; “but that doesn’t come of bein’ wrapped up in the blankets. You war purty well chawed up when me an’ Useless diskivered you.” ”