VIII
ANDY'S BEAR HUNT
"Wolves!" said Indian Jake, resuming his cooking with unconcern. "Theymust be the other side of the little river, or they'd smell our smoke.The wind's blowin' up from that way."
"Are they like t' trouble us?" asked Andy anxiously.
"They'll keep clear of _us_, never fear," declared David stoutly. "I'dlike t' get a shot at un once."
"They're likely under cover o' th' woods," said Indian Jake. "But youmight have a look and see."
David took his rifle and went cautiously out of the door, butpresently returned to report that the wolves, which were still crying,were, as Indian Jake had supposed, hidden in the woods on the oppositeside of the river.
"They won't bother us," said Indian Jake. "Wolves are mostly too muchafraid of the man smell to be troublesome. We might go after 'em, butthey're hard t' get at, and we wouldn't stand much chance of seein''em."
"Will they be like t' come at us on th' trails?" asked Andy.
"Not much fear of that," reiterated Indian Jake. "Mostly they followsthe caribou, and keeps clear of men. Slice some pork, Davy; and Andy,you put the tea over. The water's boilin'."
"I'm wonderin', now, how many of un there is," said Andy as he madethe tea.
"Two was all that sounded," explained Indian Jake. "One was a goodpiece off, and called lonesome, like he wanted company, and the otherthat answered was handy by. They'll likely be gettin' together."
When dinner was eaten, Indian Jake lighted his pipe with a shavingwhich he whittled and ignited at the vent in the stove door, and whileDavid and Andy washed the dishes, busied himself with an examinationof the stretching boards which Thomas had used the previous year.These were of different sizes, and properly shaped to fit the pelts ofmartens, foxes and other animals hunted along the trails.
Hunters remove the skins from the animals whole and draw them tightlyover the board with the fleshy side of the pelt on the outside. It isthen scraped with a knife until all adhesions of flesh and fat areremoved, and the board, with the skin still upon it, is hung from theceiling until the pelt is thoroughly dried. When properly cured and incondition for packing, it is removed from the board and placed withother pelts, as they accumulate, in a clean bag, which is usuallysuspended from a rafter, where neither moisture nor animals can attackit.
Pelts dry quickly, and therefore comparatively few boards, assorted tosuit the size and form of the various animals, are sufficient for thehunter's purpose.
It was discovered that Thomas had left in the tilt an ample supply forhis own use, but now both Indian Jake and David must be equipped.
"We'll be needin' a few more," said Indian Jake, "and we better make'em while we has time. I'll cut two or three dry butts, and split 'em,and whenever we have time we can work 'em down."
"I'll go along and help," David volunteered, for he and Andy hadfinished their dish-washing, "but there'll be no need o' your comin',Andy. You can 'bide here in th' tilt and rest up."
"I'm rested," declared Andy, resenting the imputation that he was ingreater need of rest than David. "I'll take my gun and see if there'sany pa'tridges around. They'll go fine for supper, now, an' I findsany."
"They will that," assented Indian Jake. "And see, now, that you bringsome back."
"I'll do my best," said Andy, proudly taking down his gun, andslinging his ammunition bag over his shoulder. "We'll have pa'tridgesfor supper, _what_ever."
Andy had hunted partridges and rabbits, and such small game as couldbe found in the woods near The Jug, since he was nine years old andstrong enough to hold a gun to his shoulder. His father gave him anold trade gun--a muzzle-loading piece--when he was ten years of age.It was a gun which had been cut down because of a defect near themuzzle, and with its shortened barrel was quite light enough for himto aim with ease. Later on Thomas had permitted him to use the riflewhich he now carried, and he had become an excellent rifle shot. Thelads of The Labrador begin early to learn their trade, and to love it,too.
It was no new experience, therefore, for Andy to be alone in thewoods, and as he stole quietly through the trees he felt a deal ofconfidence in his ability as a hunter and that he should make good hisboast to bag enough partridges for supper.
A little distance from the tilt he turned down to the lake shore,lined here by scrubby willow brush, in the hope of finding willowptarmigans, white grouse of the North, feeding upon the tender ends ofthe willows. But unrewarded he finally turned back again into thedeeper spruce woods, and had gone but a little way when a small flockof spruce grouse rose from the ground and, unconscious of danger andquite fearless, took refuge in a tree. At easy range Andy had nodifficulty in clipping the heads from five of the birds with his riflebullets before the remaining ones took flight.
"I knew I'd get un!" exclaimed Andy exultantly, gathering up thegame. "Now we'll have a fine supper."
He drew a stout buckskin thong from his pocket, and at intervals ofabout two inches made five slip nooses. Through each of these hepassed the legs of a bird, and drawing tight the ends of the thong,made them secure. Tying the thong firmly around his waist, his gamethus carried made no burden, and left his hands free.
"Now," said he, "I'll see what Seal Lake looks like."
A little to the right of where Andy had killed the partridges rose anaked, rocky hill, and turning toward it he quickly began ascending. Ahundred feet up its side he passed the last scrubby spruce tree. Onthe central plateau of Labrador the tree line seldom rises far abovethe base of the hills. It was a steep, rocky climb, but Andy wasaccustomed to scrambling over rocks, and in a few minutes he hadgained the summit.
Turning toward the lake he discovered its far-reaching watersextending a full half-hundred miles to the westward. Its extreme endwas hidden in the boundless forest which, punctured by rocky,snow-clad hills, rolled away as far as his eye could reach. For aconsiderable distance to the northward he could trace, like a silverthread, the sparkling waters of the Nascaupee. To the southeast laypiled in massive grandeur an array of great white mountains. On thesides of some of them high mica cliffs reflected the sun like disksof burnished silver.
Near by, to the south, a curl of smoke rose above the forest green,and this he knew to be the tilt. Eastward from the tilt splotches ofwater could be discerned, where the little river ran down to join SealLake.
Andy was used to wild nature, but this provided an element of romancenew to him. Here at his feet, in all its silent and magnificentgrandeur, stretched the great primordial wilderness which had been thescene of his father's exploits. This, too, was the scene of strange,weird tales of stirring adventures to which he had listened so often.Here men had fought wild beasts. Here men had starved, and here hadbeen enacted heroic deeds, the narrative of which never failed tothrill him. Was he destined to take part in like adventures, and likedeeds of heroism?
He was awed by the immensity of the solitudes. A lump came into histhroat and tears into his eyes, as he looked away over the vastsilence to the horizon. This was God's land, just as God had made it.No man lived here, or had ever lived here. There was no humanhabitation within the limitless boundaries of these rolling miles offorest and mountain, save the little tilt from which the curl of smokewas rising, and no other human beings than himself and David andIndian Jake.
Then there came upon Andy a realization of his own smallness andinsignificance, and a wave of fear swept over his heart. Here in thisboundless wilderness he was to face the rigors of a long, sub-arcticwinter, with all its privations and hardships, cut off from allcommunication with the greater world outside. For many, many months hewould have no word from his father or Margaret or Jamie or Doctor Joe,or know how they fared, or whether the mist in Jamie's eyes wasthickening or no. It was not strange then if Andy experienced a suddenlonging for home and a touch of homesickness.
But Andy was brave and full of courage, and presently throwing backhis head, he laughed, to drive away the fear and the loneliness.
"Huh!" he said, "there's nothin' to
be scared of. Pop says th' Lard'lltake care of us, and we does our best t' take care of ourselves.There's fur here, and Davy and I must get un, t' cure Jamie's eyes,and we _will_ get un, _what_ever. I'll have plenty o' grit, and astout heart like a man's, and 'twon't be so long when we goes homeagain."
With this he set out down the hill. His descent was on the oppositeside from that which he had ascended, and he came upon steep, rockycliffs that he must needs circumvent; and so he was picking his way,looking only to his steps and giving too little heed to other matters,when suddenly, as he rounded the last high ledge above the timberline, he was startled by a savage growl. And there, in the edge of thewoods, and so near that Andy barely escaped colliding with it, was agreat black bear. The animal, no less surprised at Andy's suddenappearance around the ledge than was Andy at meeting the bear, roseupon its haunches, assuming a distinctly belligerent attitude.
Instinctively Andy sprang aside, and under cover of the trees. Thebear, content to be unmolested, made no attempt to follow. Black bearsattack only when protecting their young, when wounded, or when drivento bay. Under other conditions they are overwilling to seek safety inretreat.
This bear was no exception to the rule. He had, as yet, no quarrelwith Andy. His sole object in displaying teeth and claws wasself-protection. So long as Andy evinced no intention of injuring him,he was well content to let Andy go his way, while he went his own.
Perceiving that the bear was not following him, Andy quickly turnedabout to discover that it had also turned about, and was slowly, andwith dignity, retreating.
Then it occurred to Andy that he could never return to the tilt andtell David and Indian Jake that he had encountered a bear andpermitted it to escape without ever firing a shot. Indian Jake wouldgibe him and David would think him a coward, and he _would_ be acoward! He would never be able to face the world again without aninner sense of shame at his cowardice, if he permitted fear toovercome his duty as a hunter! But he was not afraid! He had simplybeen surprised and startled! At this season the bear would be in primecondition. Its meat was good to eat and its skin was valuable, and novaluable skin must escape.
These thoughts flashed through Andy's mind in the instant that herealized that the bear had turned about and was passing out of range,and without further hesitation he raised his rifle and fired.
The bullet, not well directed, struck the animal in the flank. With agrowl it swung around and began biting at the wound. A second bulletgrazed its ear, and Andy, in excitement, permitted the third to gowide of its mark.
The bear, now thoroughly aroused and angered, charged directly atAndy. There were two cartridges remaining in the rifle, and Andy wasimmediately aware that those two cartridges must be effectivelyplaced. He must kill the bear, or the bear would kill him, for thereis no middle ground of compromise with a wounded bear.
There was small time for planning his course of action, and Andy madeno plans, but permitted instinct to guide him. He sprang behind aconvenient tree, and with the assistance of the tree to steady hisaim, sent another bullet at the approaching animal. The shot tookeffect, but served to retard the bear's advance for only a moment.Then Andy fired the remaining cartridge. It went wild, and the bear,bellowing with rage, rushed at its enemy and tormentor.