CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.
MORE FOOD FOR THE CAMP.
For it was nearly day, and Bart jumped up, astonished that he could haveslept so long--that is to say, nearly since sundown on the previousevening.
A good fire was burning, and buffalo steaks were sizzling and spurtingready for their repast, while the horses were all standing togetherbeneath a little bold bluff of land left sharp and clear by the actionof a stream that doubtless flowed swiftly enough in flood time, but wasnow merely a thread of water.
The party were settling down to their meal, for which, in spite of theprevious evening's performance, Bart felt quite ready, when the horsessuddenly began to snort and show a disposition to make a stampede, forthere was a rushing noise as of thunder somewhere on ahead, and as theIndians rushed to their horses' heads, and he made for Black Boy,thinking that there must be a flood rolling down from the hills, hecaught a glimpse of what was amiss.
For, as Bart stood up, he could see over the edge of the scarped bankbeneath which they had made their fire, that the plain was literallyalive with bison, which, in some mad insensate fit of dread, were inheadlong flight, and their course would bring them right over the spotwhere the party was encamped.
The Beaver saw it, and, prompt in action, he made his plans:--Signing toseveral to come to his side, while the rest held the horses, he leapedupon the edge of the stream bed just as the bison were within a hundredyards, and Bart and Joses followed him. Then altogether, as the hugeherd was about to sweep over them, they uttered a tremendous shout, andall fired together right in the centre of the charging herd.
Bart set his teeth, feeling sure that he would be run down and trampledto death; but the effect of the sudden and bold attack was to make theherd separate. It was but a mere trifle, for the bison were so packedtogether that their movements were to a great extent governed by thosebehind; but still they did deviate a little, those of the front rankswerving in two bodies to right and left, and that saved the littleparty.
Bart had a sort of confused idea of being almost crushed by shaggyquarters, of being in the midst of a sea of tossing horns and dark hair,with lurid eyes glaring at him; then the drove was sweeping on--someleaping down into the stream bed and climbing up the opposite side,others literally tumbling down headlong, to be trampled upon by thosewhich followed; and then the rushing noise began to die away, for theherd had swept on, and the traces they had left were the trampled groundand a couple of their number shot dead by the discharge of rifles, andlying in the river bed, while another had fallen a few hundred yardsfarther on in the track of the flight.
Fortunately the horses had been held so closely up to the bluff thatthey had escaped, though several of the bison had been forced by theircompanions to the edge, and had taken the leap, some ten feet, into theriver bed below.
It had been a hard task, though, to hold the horses--the poor creaturesshivering with dread, and fighting hard to get free. The worst part ofthe adventure revealed itself to Bart a few moments later when he turnedto look for Joses, whom he found rubbing his head woefully beside thetraces of their fire, over which the bison had gone in enormous numbers,with the result that the embers had been scattered, and every scrap ofthe delicious, freshly-roasted, well-browned meat trampled into thesand.
"Never mind, Joses," cried Bart, bursting out laughing; "there's plentymore meat cut up."
"Plenty more," growled Joses; "and that all so nicely done. Oh, thewilful, wasteful beasts! As if there wasn't room enough anywhere elseon the plain without their coming right over us!"
"What does the Beaver mean?" said Bart just then.
"Mean? Yes; I might have known as much. He thinks there's Injunsomewhere; that they have been hunting the buffler and made 'emstampede. We shall have to be off, my lad. No breakfast this morning."
It was as Joses said. The Beaver was of opinion that enemies must benear at hand, so he sent out scouts to feel for the danger, and no firecould be lighted lest it should betray their whereabouts to a watchfulfoe.
A long period of crouching down in the stream bed ensued, and as Bartwaited he could not help thinking that their hiding-place in the plainwas, as it were, a beginning of a canyon like that by the mountain, andmight, in the course of thousands of years, be cut down by the action offlowing water till it was as wide and deep.
At last first one and then another scout came in, unable to find a traceof enemies; and thus encouraged, a fire was once more made and meatcooked, while the three bison slain that morning were skinned and theirbetter portions cut away.
The sun was streaming down with all its might as they once more went offover the plain in search of the herd; and this search was soon rewarded,the party separating, leaving Bart, and Joses together to ride after asmaller herd about a mile to their left.
As they rode nearer, to Bart's great surprise, the herd did not takeflight, but huddled together, with a number of bulls facing outwards,presenting their horns to their enemies, tossing and shaking theirshaggy heads, and pawing up the ground.
"Why don't they rush off, Joses?" asked Bart.
"Got cows and calves inside there, my boy," replied the frontiersman."They can't go fast, so the bulls have stopped to take care of them."
"Then it would be a shame to shoot them," cried Bart. "Why, they arebraver than I thought for."
"Not they," laughed Joses. "Not much pluck in a bison, my lad, that Iever see. Why, you might walk straight up to them if you liked, andthey'd never charge you."
"I shouldn't like to try them," said Bart, laughing.
"Why not, my lad?"
"Why not? Do you suppose I want to be trampled down and tossed?"
"Look here, Master Bart. You'll trust me, won't you?"
"Yes, Joses."
"You know I wouldn't send you into danger, don't you?"
"Of course, Joses."
"Then look here, my lad. I'm going to give you a lesson, if you'lllearn it."
"A lesson in what?" asked Bart.
"In buffler, my lad."
"Very well, go on; I'm listening. I want to learn all I can aboutthem," replied Bart, as he kept on closely watching the great, fierce,fiery-eyed bison bulls, as they stamped and snorted and pawed theground, and kept making feints of dashing at their approaching enemies,who rode towards them at a good pace.
"I don't want you to listen, my lad," said Joses; "I want you to getdown and walk right up to the buffler bulls there, and try and lay holdof their horns."
"Walk up to them?" cried Bart. "Why, I was just thinking that if wedon't turn and gallop off, they'll trample us down."
"Not they, my lad," replied Joses. "I know 'em better than that."
"Why, they rushed right over us at the camp."
"Yes, because they were on the stampede, and couldn't stop themselves.If they had seen us sooner they'd have gone off to the right, or left.As for those in front, if they charge, it will be away from where theycan see a man."
"But if I got down and walked towards them, the bulls would come at me,"cried Bart.
"Not they, I tell you, my lad; and I should like to see you show yourpluck by getting down and walking up to them. It would be about thebest lesson in buffler you ever had."
"But they might charge me, Joses," said Bart, uneasily.
"Did I tell you right about 'em before," said Joses, "or did I tell youwrong, my lad?"
"You told me right; but you might be wrong about them here."
"You let me alone for that," replied Joses, gruffly. "I know what I'msaying. Now, then, will you get down and walk up to 'em, or must I?"
"If you'll tell me that I may do such a thing, I'll go up to them," saidBart, slowly.
"Then I do tell you, my lad, and wouldn't send you if it wasn't safe.You ought to know that. Now, then, will you go?"
For answer Bart slipped off his horse and cocked his rifle.
"Don't shoot till they're turning round, my lad," said Joses; "and thengive it to that big young bull in the middle
there. He's a fine one,and we must have meat for the camp."
"But it seems a pity; he looks such a brave fellow," said Bart.
"Never mind; shoot him. All the other bulls will be precious glad, forhe's the tyrant of the herd, and leads them a pretty life. Now then, onyou go."
They were now some sixty yards from the herd, and no sooner did Barttake a step forward than Joses leaped lightly from his horse, and restedhis rifle over the saddle ready for a sure shot when he should see hischance.
Bart tried to put on a bold front, but he felt very nervous, and walkedcautiously towards the herd, where ten or a dozen bulls faced him, andnow seemed to be furious, snorting and stamping with rage.
But he walked on, gaining courage as he went, but ere he had gonehalf-a-dozen steps six of the bulls made a headlong charge at him, andBart stood still, ready to fire.
"How stupid I was," he said to himself. "They'll go right over me;" andwith his heart beating heavily he felt that he must turn and run.
"Go on, my lad, go on," shouted Joses, encouragingly; and in spite ofhimself, and as if bound to obey orders, the lad took a step forwardagain, when, to his utter amazement, the bison bulls, now not twentyyards away, stopped short, shook their heads at him, made some impotenttosses in the air, pawed up a little grass, and then turned altogether,and trotted back to take up their old position in front of the herd.
"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Joses, behind him. "What did I tell you? Go on,my lad. You've got more heart than a bison."
This emboldened Bart, who went steadily on, reducing the distancebetween him and the herd; and it was a curious sensation that which cameupon the lad as he walked nearer and nearer to the furious-lookingbeasts.
Then his heart gave a tremendous throb, and seemed to stand still, for,without warning, and moved as if by one impulse, the bison chargedagain, but this time not half the distance; and as Bart did not run fromthem, they evidently thought that some one ought to flee, so theygalloped back.
Bart was encouraged now, and began to feel plenty of contempt for themonsters, and walking more swiftly, the beasts charged twice more, thelast time only about the length of their bodies, and this was when Bartwas so near that he could almost feel their hot moist breath.
This was the last charge, for as they turned the leading bull evidentlycommunicated his opinion that the young visitor was a stupid kind ofbeing, whom it was impossible to frighten, and the whole herd set off ata lumbering gallop, but as they did so two rifle-shots rang out, and twobulls hung back a little, evidently wounded.
Joses led up Bart's horse as the lad reloaded, and put the rein in hishand.
"There, off after your own bull, my lad. It was bravely done. I'm offafter mine."
Then they separated, and after a short, gallop Bart reached his quarry,and better able now to manage his task, he rode up on its right side,and a well-placed bullet tumbled the monstrous creature over on theplain dead.
Joses had to give two shots before he disabled his own bison, but therun was very short; and when Bart and he looked round they were notabove a couple of hundred yards apart, and the Beaver and a couple ofIndians were cantering towards them.
That evening their messengers returned with a couple of the white menand two waggons, which were taken in triumph next morning to the camp,heavily laden with bison-meat; and as they came near the mountain, Bartdrew rein to stay and watch the curious sight before him, for, evidentlyin pursuance of the Doctor's idea to make the top of the mountain thestronghold of the silver adventurers, there was quite a crowd of thepeople toiling up the path up the mountain, all laden with packages andthe various stores that had been brought for the adventure.
"Been pretty busy since we've been gone, Master Bart," said Joses,grimly. "Won't they come scuffling down again when they know there'smeat ready for sharing out."
But Joses was wrong, for the meat was not shared out down in the plain,but a second relay of busy hands were set to work to carry the store offresh food right up the mountain-side to a tent that had already beenpitched on the level top, while as soon as the waggons were emptied theywere drawn up in rank along with the others close beneath the wall-likerock.