CHAPTER VII.
THE HUNTERS OF OZARK.
I must tell you how it was that Deerfoot the Shawanoe came to bring theimportant letter of George Linden to his son Frederick.
It has already been stated that it was the custom of a party of huntersand trappers to leave the settlement of Greville in the autumn of eachyear and spend most of the cold weather among the streams at the foot ofa certain part of the Ozark Mountains. At that period, the fur bearinganimals abounded in the section, as they were found in hundreds of otherportions of the vast area known under the general name of the LouisianaTerritory. You must bear in mind that there were thousands of squaremiles that had not been trodden by a white man, and so sparse were theIndian villages that large portions of the country remained to bevisited even by them.
Beaver, otter, foxes, bears, and buffaloes were the chief animals thatwere afterward driven west by the advancing tide of civilization, untilthe agents of the Missouri and Western Fur Companies were forced to domost of their work in the far west and north-west, where they came incollision with that vast monopoly known as the Hudson Bay Company,which, until recent years, not only trapped and hunted throughoutOregon, but along the Pacific coast as far south as California.
George Linden, Rufus Hardin and James Bowlby composed the party who, inthe autumn of the year of which I am writing, rode each a horse ahundred miles to the south of the frontier settlement of Greville, andpitched their tent at the foot of the Ozark range. Beside the animalsridden, each hunter took a pack-horse to help bring back the peltriesthat were to be gathered during the cold weather. As a matter of course,they were provided with guns and plenty of munitions, and indeed withevery necessity for their limited wants. They had spent several wintersthere and knew what was before them. They had hunted and trapped foryears in other parts of the great west, and more than once had made thelong journey to the post of St. Louis to dispose of their furs, anecessity that, as I have explained, was removed by the annual visit ofthe agents with their long train of pack-horses to gather up thepeltries.
And so, without giving any of the interesting particulars of the ridesouthward from Greville, let us take a look at the little party gatheredat their primitive camp in the wild Ozark region.
The six horses had been relieved of their burdens on reaching the place,and were turned loose to crop the grass that was plentiful in manyplaces. Although there was snow now and then through the winter, therewas hardly enough to cause any suffering on the part of the animals.When the storms, however, were violent or prolonged, the hardy beastswere provided with some of the stores of dried grass that was kept instock, as may be said. In case that gave out they could make shift withthe cottonwood and other trees, whose bark was not lacking in succulentqualities.
Although a tolerable shelter could have been found in any one of thenumerous caves within reach, the hunters preferred to erect a roughcabin, that was almost strong enough to withstand a cyclone. The keenaxes enabled them to trim off the interfering limbs, and they werejoined at the corners so well that very little, if any, rain or snowcould force its way through. Other logs and branches were laid acrossthe top and ends fastened to the logs beneath by means of withes, sothat the roof was not likely to be carried away unless the cabin itselfwent with it.
On the top of the roof was a thick layer of branches and leaves, packedso closely that little moisture could find its way through. There wereno windows, for none was needed. The single door in front was largeenough to allow free egress and ingress. At night, when there was apossibility that some curious wild animal might come snuffing around,the door was closed by means of a framework of thick limbs, alsofastened together with withes, swinging on leathern hinges, and madesecure by a brace leaning against it from the inside.
Within this structure were stored their supplies, and the blankets onwhich they slept were spread upon the bare ground. Their slumber wassweeter, too, than it would have been had they stretched themselves on"downy beds of ease," for health and weariness are two soporifics whichart can never supplant.
The traps and appurtenances used in their toil were never taken awayfrom the place, for there was no call to do so. Such repairs as wereneeded from time to time were made in the cabin or on the spot, as thenecessity arose. The rifles, of course, furnished the food needed, whilean abundance of fish could be taken at any time from the streams in theneighborhood.
A diet solely of flesh and fish is not acceptable to any one. Therefore,among the supplies annually brought to the cabin, were a quantity ofcoarse flour, meal, sugar, coffee, salt and tea. It may be said, that inone respect they were like modern campers out, except that they took thewrong season of the year for what so many boys consider the acme ofenjoyment.
There was little in the appearance of the three men to call for specialdescription. All were in middle life, strong, rugged, and inured tohardship. Linden was rather tall, his face covered by a heavy beard inwhich not a gray hair had yet appeared. Hardin was fully as tall, withshoulders somewhat bent, and his scant, dark beard was plentifullysprinkled with gray. Bowlby was short and stocky in appearance. When inthe woods he allowed his black beard to grow all over his face, but athome he was always smooth-shaven. He was of a swarthy complexion,inclined to be silent, and often moody, but like his companions he wasbrave, industrious and patient, holding a strong dislike of all Indians,though not inclined to go to any unjustifiable length in his feelings.
The dress of the three men was similar to that of Fred and Terry, whichhas already been described. No one of them knew any thing about themodern overcoat or cloak. If there should come a spell of unusuallysevere weather, they had only to wrap a blanket or buffalo robe aboutthe shoulders when compelled to visit the traps or remain longoutdoors. Should it become necessary to kindle a fire within the cabinfor the sake of warmth, a broad, flat stone was removed from an openingin the roof directly over the blaze, and the smoke, if so inclined,found its way to the clear air outside. The cooking was done under theadjoining trees. Of course it was of the most primitive character, butit suited, and that is all that is necessary.
The hunters reached their cabin about the middle of the forenoon of anautumn day. They had eaten their regular morning meal, and they got towork without delay. The horses were unloaded and turned adrift, thestores safely housed, the blankets spread on the floor of simple earthin the cabin, and then the men scattered to look after their traps. Thiswas a large job, for the implements had to be examined and many of themslightly repaired, after which they must be carried long distances andset.
These traps were of the ordinary pattern, such as have been in generaluse for hundreds of years. The iron jaws was forced wide apart and keptin place by a catch, which was sprung by a slight pressure on the broad,flat portion in the middle. The trap being carefully hidden from sight,the unsuspecting animal had hardly time to rest one paw on this plate,when the fierce jaws, impelled by steel springs of prodigious strength,came together with the suddenness of lightning, and the animal, whateverhe be, was in a grip from which there was no escape.
You can understand the care required to set these traps so that theywould do their work. The beaver is highly intelligent, and quick todetect the signs of man's presence. Nothing can tempt him to venturewhere he sees that his worst enemy has been before him. The fox is thesynonym of cunning, and will often outwit the shrewdest trapper. He willwalk around the trap and stealthily secure the bait without harm tohimself. One of those animals has been known to reach forward and springthe implement, jerking back his paw quickly enough to escape the sharpteeth. A fox, too, when caught in a steel trap will sometimes gnaw offthe leg just above where it is imprisoned, and afterward go throughlife with little inconvenience on three legs. You may be sure that he isnever caught again in that fashion.
It was easy to see where the sagacious beavers were in the habit ofleaving the water and climbing the bank. The trap was carefully placedbelow the surface out of sight, and often it had no bait at all, for itwould seem that the bait
itself was liable to awaken the suspicion ofthe beavers. Occasionally, however, when it was desirable to attractthem to the spot, an oily odoriferous substance obtained from the animalitself was smeared over the ground near the bank.
The otters were scarcer than the beavers, but were hunted much in thesame manner. For foxes and fur-bearing animals that roamed the thewoods, the steel trap was baited with such food as they were fond of(which was about every thing), and they were so numerous through thatpart of the territory that the hunters had little difficulty in securingwhat was wanted.
At the end of the second day all the traps were in position, and thethree friends were grouped on the outside of the cabin smoking theirpipes and talking over the outlook for the winter, which all agreed wasfavorable.
The bison or buffaloes, of which mention has been made, were found inthe open spaces or prairies where there was plenty of grass. No suchmultitudinous herds were seen as have been gathered in later years onthe western prairies, but there were enough to make very lively huntingfor the trio, who had shot and skinned several while on their way to thebeaver runs.
Within a half hour's walk of the camp was a beaver dam fully half a milewide, built with astonishing skill and strength. The backwater floodedthe country for many square miles, and gave the remarkable animals justthe place they wanted for their curious huts, of which I shall havesomething to tell you further on.