XV
A Visit from Raften
"Sam, I must have another note-book. It's no good getting up a new'massacree' of Whites, 'cause there ain't any note-books there, butmaybe your father would get one the next time he drove to Downey'sDump. I suppose I'll have to go on a peace party to ask him."
Sam made no answer, but looked and listened out toward the trail, thensaid: "Talk of the er--Angels, here comes Da."
When the big man strode up Yan and Guy became very shy and held back.Sam, in full war-paint, prattled on in his usual style.
"Morning, Da; I'm yer kid. Bet ye'r in trouble an' want advice orsomething."
Raften rolled up his pendulous lips and displayed his huge front tusksin a vast purple-and-yellow grin that set the boys' hearts at ease.
"Kind o' thought you'd be sick av it before now."
"Will you let us stay here till we are?" chimed in Sam, then withoutawaiting the reply that he did not want, "Say, Da, how long is itsince there was any Deer around here?"
"Pretty near twenty years, I should say."
"Well, look at that now," whispered the Woodpecker.
Raften looked and got quite a thrill for the dummy, half hidden in thethicket, looked much like a real deer.
"Don't you want to try a shot?" ventured Yan.
Raften took the bow and arrow and made such a poor showing that hereturned them with the remark. "Sure a gun's good enough for me,"then, "Ole Caleb been around since?"
"Old Caleb? I should say so; why, he's our stiddy company."
"'Pears fonder o'you than he is of me."
"Say, Da, tell us about that. How do you know it was Caleb shot atyou?"
"Oh, I don't know it to prove it in a coort o' law, but we quarr'ledthat day in town after the Horse trade an' he swore he'd fix me an'left town. His own stepson, Dick Pogue, stood right by and heard himsay it; then at night when I came along the road by the green bush Iwas fired at, an' next day we found Caleb's tobacco pouch and someletters not far away. That's about all I know, an' all I want to know.Pogue served him a mean trick about the farm, but that's none o' mybusiness. I 'spect the old fellow will have to get out an' scratch forhimself pretty soon."
"He seems kind-hearted," said Yan.
"Ah, he's got an awful temper, an' when he gets drunk he'd doanything. Other times he's all right."
"Well, how is it about the farm?" Sam asked. "Doesn't he own it?"
"No, I guess not now. I don't r'aly know. I only hear them say. Avcoorse, Saryann ain't his own daughter. She's nowt o' kin, but he hasno one else, and Dick was my hired man--a purty slick feller with histongue; he could talk a bird off a bush; but he was a good worker. Hemarried Sary and persuaded the old man to deed them the place, him tolive in comfort with them to the end of his days. But once they gotthe place, 'twas aisy to see that Dick meant to get rid o' Caleb, an'the capsheaf was put last year, about his Dog, old Turk. They wouldn'thave him 'round. They said he was scaring the hens and chasing sheep,which is like enough, for I believe he killed wan ov my lambs, an' I'dgive ten dollars to have him killed--making sure 'twas him, av coorse.Rather than give up the Dog, Caleb moved out into the shanty on thecreek at the other end of the place. Things was better then, for Dickand Saryann let up for awhile an' sent him lots o' flour an' stuff,but folks say they're fixin' it to put the old man out o' that and getshet of him for good. But I dunno; it's none o' my business, though hedoes blame me for putting Dick up to it."
"How's the note-book?" as Raften's eye caught sight of the opensketch-book still in Yan's hand.
"Oh, that reminds me," was the reply. "But what is this?" He showedthe hoof-mark be had sketched. Raften examined it curiously.
"H-m, I dunno'; 'pears to me moighty loike a big Buck. But I guessnot; there ain't any left."
"Say, Da," Sam persisted, "wouldn't you be sore if you was an old manrobbed and turned out?"
"Av coorse; but I wouldn't lose in a game of swap-horse, an' then gogunnin' after the feller. If I had owt agin him I'd go an' lick him orbe licked, an' take it all good-natured. Now that's enough. We'll talkabout something else."
"Will you buy me another note-book next time you go to Downey's Dump?I don't know how much it will cost or I'd give you the money," saidYan, praying mentally that it be not more than the five or ten centswhich was all his capital.
"Shure; I'll charge it up. But ye needn't wait till next week.Thayer's one back at the White settlement ye can have for nothin'."
"Say, Mr. Raften," Guy broke in, "I kin lick them all atDeer-hunting."
Sam looked at Yan and Yan looked at Sam, then glanced at Guy, madesome perfectly diabolical signs, seized each a long knife and sprungtoward the Third War Chief, but he dodged behind Raften and commencedhis usual "Now you let me 'lone--"
Raften's eye twinkled. "Shure, I thought ye was all wan Tribe an'paceable."
"We've got to suppress crime," retorted his son.
"Make him let me 'lone," whimpered Sapwood.
"We'll let ye off this time if ye find that Woodchuck. It's near twodays since we've had a skirmish."
"All right," and he went. Within five minutes he came running back,beckoning. The boys got their bows and arrows, but fearing a trickthey held back. Guy dashed for his own weapons with unmistakable andreassuring zest; then all set out for the field. Raften followed,after asking if it would be safe for him to come along.
The grizzly old Woodchuck was there feeding in a bunch of clover. Theboys sneaked under the fence, crawling through the grass in true Injunfashion, till the Woodchuck stood up to look around, then they laystill; when he went down they crawled again, and all got within fortyyards. Now the old fellow seemed suspicious, so Sam said, "Next timehe feeds we all fire together." As soon, then, as the Woodchuck'sbreast was replaced by the gray back, the boys got partly up andfired. The arrows whizzed around Old Grizzly, but all missed, and hehad scrambled to his hole before they could send a second volley.
"Hallo, why didn't you hit him, Sappy?"
"I'll bet I do next time."
When they returned to Raften he received them with ridicule.
"But ye'r a poor lot o' hunters. Ye'd all starve if it wasn't for theWhite settlement nearby. Faith, if ye was rale Injun ye'd sit up allnight at that hole till he come out in the morning: then ye'd get him;an' when ye get through with that one I've got another in the highpasture ye kin work on."
So saying, he left them, and Sam called after him:
"Say, Da; where's that note-book for Yan? He's the Chief of the'coup-tally,' and I reckon he'll soon have a job an' need his book. Ifeel it in my bones."
"I'll lave it on yer bed." Which he did, and Yan and Sam had thepleasure of lifting it out of the window with a split stick.