Marching on Niagara: or, The Soldier Boys of the Old Frontier. Stratemeyer EdwardЧитать онлайн книгу.
for you," cried Dave, enthusiastically. "No use in talking, Henry, you were cut out for a hunter. You'll be as good as Sam Barringford if you keep on."
"Oh, you did about as well as I did, Dave," was the modest rejoinder. "But this is a prime haul, no use of talking. Mother will be tickled to death."
"I reckon we'll all be pleased – we haven't had deer meat for some time. But we're going to have some work getting these two carcasses home. No use of trying to get those other deer, is there?"
"Use? Not much! Why that old buck must be about two or three miles away by this time. Say, he was a big fellow, wasn't he? I should like to have had those horns, but I knew there was no use in fetching him down, – his meat would be too tough and strong."
"I fancy the best we can do is to make a drag for each deer and each pull his own load home," went on Dave. "If we leave one here the wolves and foxes will soon finish the meat."
"Yes, that's the only way. And we might as well hurry, for it is getting late and it will take us a good three hours to get back with such loads."
They were soon at work, Henry with his hunting knife and Dave with his pocket blade, cutting down some long, pliable brushwood which would make excellent drags for both loads. Their good luck put each in good humor, and as he worked Dave could not refrain from whistling, his favorite airs, being, as of old, "Lucy Locket Lost Her Pocket" and "The Pirate's Lady, O!"
The brushwood cut, they lost no time in binding their loads fast, and then Henry led the way along the watercourse, without crossing to the trail they had previously pursued.
"It's almost as near this way as the other," he said. "And I reckon it will be a bit easier pulling."
"Well, make it as easy as you can, Henry. It's no light load, I can tell you that. Sam Barringford was once telling me how he dragged three deer from Plum Valley to Risley's new place, over the snow. I don't see how he did it."
"Oh, it's easy when the crust of the snow is hard enough – the drag goes like a sled. But I admit Sam is a wonderfully powerful man."
"Indeed he is. Why, it was a sight to see – the way he fought when Red Fox and his followers attacked the trading post. He was a whole host in himself."
Inside of quarter of an hour they had reached a bend in the stream, and now Henry left the watercourse and pushed on over a low hill backed up by a series of rocks.
"It will be a slight pull up hill," he said. "But it will save us nearly half a mile. We can rest a few minutes when we get to the top. When we get up there I'll show you the spot where I saw those four bears three years ago."
"Don't know as I want to meet four bears just now."
"Oh, the spot isn't on this hill – it's on the hill to the left. Pow-wow Hill Sam Barringford called it. He said it used to be a great Indian resort when the Miamies were in this neighborhood. But the redskins from Shunrum came and drove 'em out."
The top of the rise gained, Dave was glad enough to rest, and both sat down on the trunk of a fallen monarch of the forest, the home now of some chipmunks that fled quickly at their approach.
"There is the spot where I saw the bears," said Henry, pointing with his hand to a clump of trees on the next hill, quite a distance away. "They were in a bunch under that – Hullo! What can that mean?" He broke off short. "Down behind the tree, Dave! Quick!"
The sudden note of alarm was not lost on Dave and in a twinkle both the young hunters were crouched behind the fallen tree. Dave caught his gun and placed his hand on the trigger, but Henry shoved the barrel of the piece downward.
"What did you see?" came from the younger of the youths.
"Indians!" was the short reply. Henry peeped carefully forth. "Yes, sir, Indians, just as sure as you are born. Look for yourself."
"By the king, but you're right!" exclaimed Dave, in excitement. "Two, three – I see four of them."
"I think I saw a fifth – behind that rock to the right. Yes, there he is."
"Can you make out what they are?"
"No, excepting that they are none of White Buffalo's tribe."
"If they don't belong in this neighborhood they are here for no good," said Dave, decidedly.
"I agree with you there, Dave. Possibly they are on a hunt. But why should they come here when there is better game further west?"
"If they are on a hunt it's not for wild animals," came from Dave, significantly. "Have they got their war paint on?"
"I can't see them clearly enough for that."
For several minutes both youths remained silent, watching the distant Indians as they moved around. They had evidently killed some wild animal, although what it was the watchers could not make out.
"If they shot anything it must have been before we reached this neighborhood," said Henry, presently. "I heard no reports."
"Nor I. But never mind that. What shall we do?"
"I don't know, excepting to go home with our game and report them. I don't care to let them see us, do you?"
"Not if they are enemies, and I reckon they are."
"Do you suppose they spotted us?"
"I think not – although you can never tell, they are that cute. They may have a spy working his way over here at this very minute."
"Then let us go on without delay."
It was easy to say this, but how to proceed without being noticed was a problem. Henry's deer lay behind the fallen tree, but Dave's was in front and the younger hunter did not wish to leave his game behind him.
"I'm going to risk it," said Dave, and crawling cautiously around the stump-end of the fallen tree he reached forth and caught one of the ends of the drag. But the task was a difficult one and as he pulled the deer slipped to the ground and the end of the tree branch was suddenly raised high in the air.
"Drop it," cried Henry, and Dave did so. "They must have seen that, Dave. See, two of them are looking this way. We had better clear out and be quick about it."
"I'm going to have that deer," returned the younger hunter, and catching the game by the hind legs he dragged it behind the tree. Then both boys hurried down the opposite side of the hill with all speed. Here they placed both deer on the single drag and continued on their way homeward with all possible speed.
CHAPTER III
DISCOVERY AND PURSUIT
It must be confessed that both youths were thoroughly alarmed, and with good reason. Since Braddock's defeat they had heard of the uprising of the Indians at Nancoke, Lusher's Run, Willowbury, and several other small settlements, and had heard of the murder of several German families twenty-five miles to the north of Will's Creek fort, and the murder of Lee Cass, and his wife and four children, thirty miles down the valley. The outbreaks had not resulted from any united efforts on the Indians part, but there was no telling how soon the different tribes would dig up the war hatchet and descend upon all the frontier settlements in force and simultaneously.
From the top of the hill Henry had expected to go straight home, but this course would necessitate the crossing of a clearing quarter of a mile in extent and such a path he now deemed unwise to take.
"If they are following us, it will be dead easy for them to spot us in the open," he said. "We had better stick to the forest. Of course they can follow the trail of the drag easily enough, but I hate to think of giving up so much meat, – after we had such a journey to bring it down."
"Don't let's give it up yet," pleaded Dave. The deer was the largest he had yet laid low, and he was correspondingly proud of the showing. "Perhaps they aren't after us at all."
On they went, traveling as fast as their somewhat tired limbs permitted. There was another rise to cross, beyond which was a watercourse leading down to the rear of their homestead.
"I think I know where there is a rough raft to be found," said Henry. "And if I can find it, we can place the deer on that and tow them