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LAST OF THE CHIEFS

BOOKS BY JOSEPH A. AL/TSHELER

THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR SERIES
The Hunters of the Hills The Shadow of the North
The Rulers of the Lakes The Masters of the Peaks
The Lords of the Wild The Sun of Quebec

THE YOUNG TRAILERS' SERIES
The Young Trailers The Free Rangers

The Forest Runners The Riflemen of the Ohio

The Keepers of the Trail The Scouts of the Valley
The Eyes of the Woods The Border Watch

THE TEXAN SERIES

The Texan Star
The Texan Scouts The Texan Triumph

THE CIVIL WAR SERIES

The Guns of Bull Run The Star of Gettysburg
The Guns of Shiloh The Rock of Chickamauga

The Scouts of Stonewall The Shades of the Wilderness
The Sword of Antietam The Tree of Appomattox

THE GREAT WEST SERIES
The Lost Hunters The Great Sioux Trail

THE WO RID WAR SERIES

The Guns of Europe
The Forest of Swords The Hosts of the Air

BOOKS' NOT IN SERIES

Apache Gold A Soldier of Manhattan

The Quest of the Four The Sun of Saratoga
The Last of the Chiefs A Herald of the West

In Circling Camps The Wilderness Road

The Last Rebel My Captive

The Candidate

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
New York London

'The huge gray leader leaped at the fallen boy."

[Page 155.]

The
LAST OF THE CHIEFS

A STORY OF THE GREAT SIOUX WAR

BY
JOSEPH A. ALTSHELER

AUTHOR OF "TELE YOUNG TBAILEBS."
"THE FOBEST BUNNEBS," ETC.

D. APPLETON-CENTURY COMPANY

INCORPORATED
NEW YORK LONDON

1937

COPYBIGHT, 1909, BY

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY

All rights reserved. This book, or parts
I thereof, must not be reproduced in any
Ifdrm without permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

CHAPTEK PAGE

I. — THE TRAIN . . 1

II. — KING BISON . .• • . . . ..,-- * •'.... . 18

III.— THE PASS . . . . . . . .' . 38

IV. — TREASURE-TROVE . . . • . . . . 56

V. — THE LOST VALLEY ... . . . 69

VI. — CASTLE HOWARD . ... . . . . 88

VII. — AN ANIMAL PROGRESSION . . . '. . . 99

VIII. — THE TRAP MAKERS 119

IX. — THE TIMBER WOLVES ....... 137

X. — DICK GOES SCOUTING 158

XI. — THE TERRIBLE PURSUIT 181

XII. — THE FIGHT WITH NATURE ..... . . .199

XIII.— ALBERT'S VICTORY ... . . . . . .213

XIV.— PRISONERS . 229

XV.— THE INDIAN VILLAGE . . . . ... .248

XVI. — THE GATHERING OF THE Sioux ..... 262

XVII.— THE GREAT SUN DANCE 285

XVIII. — THE CIRCLE OF DEATH ... . . . 303

XIX— -A HAPPY MEETING . . « . . . .315

XX. — BRIGHT SUN'S GOOD-BY 326

M23092

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

CHAPTER I

THE TRAIN"

THE boy in the third wagon was suffering frott
exhaustion. The days and days of walking
over the rolling prairie, under a brassy sun, the
hard food of the train, and the short hours of rest, had
put too severe a trial upon his delicate frame. Now, as
he lay against the sacks and boxes that had been drawn
up to form a sort of couch for him, his breath came in
short gasps, and his face was very pale. His brother,
older, and stronger by far, who walked at the wheel,
regarded him with a look in which affection and intense
anxiety were mingled. It was not a time and place in
which one could afford to be ill.

Richard and Albert Howard were bound together by
the strongest of brotherly ties. Richard had inherited
his father's bigness and powerful constitution, Albert
his mother's slenderness and fragility. But it was the
mother who lived the longer, although even she did not
attain middle age, and her last words to her older son
were: " Richard, take care of Albert." He had prom
ised, and now he was thinking how he could keep the
promise.

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

It was a terrible problem that confronted Richard
Howard. He felt no fear on his own account. A boy in
years, he was a man in the ability to care for himself,
wherever he might be. In a boyhood spent on an Illinois
farm, where the prairies slope up to the forest, he had
learned the ways of wood and field, and was full of
courage, strength, and resource.

But Albert was different. He had not thrived in the
moist air of the great valley. Tall enough he was, but
the width of chest and thickness of bone were lack
ing. Noticing this, the idea of going to California had
come to the older brother. The great gold days had
passed years since, but it was still a land of enchant
ment to the youth of the older states, and the long jour
ney in the high, dry air of the plains would be good for
Albert. There was nothing to keep them back. They
had no property save a little money — enough for their
equipment, and a few dollars over to live on in Cali
fornia until they could get work.

To decide was to start, and here they were in the
middle of the vast country that rolled away west of the
Missouri, known but little, and full of dangers. The
journey had been much harder than the older boy had
expected. The days stretched out, the weeks trailed
away, and still the plains rolled before them.

The summer had been of the hottest, and the heated
earth gave back the glare until the air quivered in
torrid waves. Richard had drawn back the cover of
the wagon that his brother might breathe the air, but he
replaced it now to protect him from the overpowering
beams. Once more he anxiously studied the country,

THE TRAIN

but it gave him little hope. The green of the grass was
gone, and most of the grass with it. The brown un
dulations swept away from horizon to horizon, treeless,
waterless, and bare. In all that vast desolation there
was nothing save the tired and dusty train at the very
center of it.

11 Anything in sight, Dick? " asked Albert, who had
followed his brother's questioning look.

Dick shook his head.

" Nothing, Al," he replied.

* ' I wish we 'd come to a grove, ' ' said the sick boy.

He longed, as do all those who are born in the hills,
for the sight of trees and clear, running water.

" I was thinking, Dick," he resumed in short, gasp
ing tones, " that it would be well for us, just as the
evening was coming on, to go over a swell and ride right
into a forest of big oaks and maples, with the finest little
creek that you ever saw running through the middle
of it. It would be pleasant and shady there. Leaves
would be lying about, the water would be cold, and
maybe we'd see elk coming down to drink."

" Perhaps we'll have such luck, Al," said Dick, al
though his tone showed no hope. But he added, assum
ing a cheerful manner: " This can't go on forever; we'll
be reaching the mountains soon, and then you'll get
well."

" How's that brother of yours? No better, I see,
and he's got to ride all the time now, making more load
for the animals."

It was Sam Conway, the leader of the train, who
spoke, a rough man of middle age, for whom both Dick

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

and Albert had acquired a deep dislike. Dick flushed
through his tan at the hard words.

"If he's sick he has the right to ride/' he replied
sharply. " We've paid our share for this trip and
maybe a little more. You know that."

Conway gave him an ugly look, but Dick stood up
straight and strong, and met him eye for eye. He was
aware of their rights and he meant to defend them.
Conway, confronted by a dauntless spirit, turned away,
muttering in surly fashion:

11 We didn't bargain to take corpses across the
plains."

Fortunately, the boy in the wagon did not hear him,
and, though his eyes flashed ominously, Dick said noth
ing. It was not a time for quarreling, but it was often
hard to restrain one's temper. He had realized, soon
after the start, when it was too late to withdraw, that
the train was not a good one. It was made up mostly
of men. There were no children, and the few women,
like the men, were coarse and rough. Turbulent scenes
had occurred, but Dick and Albert kept aloof, steadily
minding their own business.

" What did Conway say? " asked Albert, after the
man had gone.

1 ' Nothing of any importance. He was merely growl
ing as usual. He likes to make himself disagreeable.
I never saw another man who got as much enjoyment
out of that sort of thing. ' '

Albert said nothing more, but closed his eyes. The
canvas cover protected him from the glare of the sun,
but seemed to hold the heat within it. Drops of perepi-

THE TRAIN

ration stood on his face, and Dick longed for the moun
tains, for his brother's sake.

All the train fell into a sullen silence, and no sound
was heard but the unsteady rumble of the wheels, the
creak of an ungreased axle, and the occasional crack
of a whip. Clouds of dust arose and were whipped by
the stray winds into the faces of the travelers, the fine
particles burning like hot ashes. The train moved slow
ly and heavily, as if it dragged a wounded length over
the hard ground.

Dick Howard kept his position by the side of the
wagon in which his brother lay. He did not intend
that Albert should hear bitter words leveled at his weak-
ness, and he knew that his own presence was a deter
rent. The strong figure and dauntless port of the older
youth inspired respect. Moreover, he carried over his
shoulder a repeating rifle of the latest pattern, and
his belt was full of cartridges. He and Albert had
been particular about their arms. It was a neces
sity. The plains and the mountains were subject to
all the dangers of Indian warfare, and they had taken
a natural youthful pride in buying the finest of
weapons.

The hot dust burned Dick Howard's face and crept
into his eyes and throat. His tongue lay dry in his
mouth. He might have ridden in one of the wagons, too,
had he chosen. As he truly said, he and Albert had
paid their full share, and, in the labor of the trail, he
was more efficient than anybody else in the train. But
his pride had been touched by Conway's words. He
would not ride, nor would he show any signs of weak-

THE LAST OP THE CHIEFS

ness. He strode on by the side of the wagon, head erect,
his step firm and springy.

The sun crept slowly down the brassy arch of the
heavens, and the glare grew less blinding. The heat
abated, but Albert Howard, who had fallen asleep, slept
on. His brother drew a blanket over him, knowing that
he could not afford to catch cold, and breathed the cooler
air himself, with thankfulness. Conway came back
again, and was scarcely less gruff than before, although
he said nothing about Albert.

" Bright Sun says that in another day or two well
be seeing mountains, ' ' he vouchsafed ; ' ' and 1 11 be glad
of it, because then we 11 be coming to water and game. ' '

' ' I 'd like to be seeing them now, ' ' responded Dick ;
" but do you believe everything that Bright Sun says? "

" Of course I do. Hasn't he brought us along all
right ? "What are you driving at ? "

His voice rose to a challenging tone, in full accord
ance with the nature of the man, whenever anyone dis
agreed with him, but Dick Howard took not the least
fear.

" I don't altogether like Bright Sun," he replied.
" Just why, I can't say, but the fact remains that I don't
like him. It doesn't seem natural for an Indian to be
so fond of white people, and to prefer another race to
Jiis own."

Conway laughed harshly.

" That shows how much you know," he said.
" Bright Sun is smart, smarter than a steel trap. He
knows that the day of the red is passing, and he's going
to train with the white. What's the use of being on

THE TRAIN

the losing side? It's what I say, and it's what Bright
Sun thinks."

The man's manner was gross and materialistic, so
repellent that Dick would have turned away, but at that
moment Bright Sun himself approached. Dick re
garded him, as always, with the keenest interest and
curiosity mixed with some suspicion. Yet almost any
one would have been reassured by the appearance of
Bright Sun. He was a splendid specimen of the Indian,
•although in white garb, even to the soft felt hat shad
ing his face. But he could never have been taken for
a white man. His hair was thick, black, and coarse,
his skin of the red man's typical coppery tint, and his
cheek bones high and sharp. His lean but sinewy and
powerful figure rose two inches above six feet. There
was an air about him, too, that told of strength other
than that of the body. Guide he was, but leader he
looked.

" Say, Bright Sun," exclaimed Conway coarsely,
" Dick Howard here thinks you're too friendly with the
whites. It don't seem natural to him that one of your
color should consort so freely with us."

Dick's face flushed through the brown, and he shot
an angry glance at Conway, but Bright Sun did not
seem to be offended.

" Why not? " he asked in perfect English. " I was
educated in a mission school. I have been with white
people most of my life, I have read your books, I know
your civilization, and I like it."

" There now! " exclaimed Conway triumphantly.
" Ain't that an answer for you? I tell you what, Bright

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

Sun, I'm for you, I believe in you, and if anybody can
take us through all right to California, you're the
man."

" It is my task and I will accomplish it, ' ' said Bright
Sun in the precise English he had learned at the mis
sion school.

His eyes met Dick's for a moment, and the boy saw
there a flash that might mean many things— defiance,
primeval force, and the quality that plans and does.
But the flash was gone in an instant, like a dying spark,
and Bright Sun turned away. Conway also left, but
Dick's gaze followed the Indian.

He did not know Bright Sun's tribe. He had heard
that he was a Sioux, also that he was a Crow, and a
third report credited him with being a Cheyenne. As
he never painted his face, dressed like a white man, and
did not talk of himself and his people, the curious were
free to surmise as they chose. But Dick was sure of
one thing : Bright Sun was a man of power. It was not
a matter of surmise, he felt it instinctively.

The tall figure of the Indian was lost among the wag
ons, and Dick turned his attention to the trail. The
cooling waves continued to roll up, as the west red
dened into a brilliant sunset. Great bars of crimson,
then of gold, and the shades between, piled above one
another on the horizon. The plains lost their brown,
and gleamed in wonderful shimmering tints. The great
desolate world became beautiful.

The train stopped with a rumble, a creak, and a
lurch, and the men began to unharness the animals. Al
bert awoke with a start and sat up in the wagon.

THE TRAIN

" Night and the camp, Al," said Dick cheerfully;
" feel better, don't you? "

" Yes, I do," replied Albert, as a faint color came
into his face.

' ' Thought the rest and the coolness would brace you
up," continued Dick in the same cheerful tone.

Albert, a tall, emaciated boy with a face of great
refinement and delicacy, climbed out of the wagon and
looked about. Dick busied himself with the work of
making camp, letting Albert give what help he could.

But Dick always undertook to do enough for two—
his brother and himself — and he really did enough for
three. No other was so swift and skillful at taking the
gear off horse or mule, nor was there a stronger or read
ier arm at the wheel when it was necessary to complete
the circle of wagons that they nightly made. When this
was done, he went out on the prairie in search of buffalo
chips for the fire, which he was fortunate enough to
find without any trouble.

Before returning with his burden, Dick stood a few
moments looking back at the camp. The dusk had fully
come, but the fires were not yet lighted, and he saw only
the shadowy forms of the wagons and flitting figures
about them. But much talk reached his ears, most of it
coarse and rough, with a liberal sprinkling of oaths.
Dick sighed. His regret was keener than ever that
Albert and he were in such company. Then he looked
the other way out upon the fathomless plains, where the
night had gathered, and the wind was moaning among
the swells. The air was now chill enough t© make him
shiver, and he gazed with a certain awe into tne black

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

depths. The camp, even with all its coarseness and
roughness, was better, and he walked swiftly back with
his load of fuel.

They built a dozen fires within the circle of the
wagons, and again Dick was the most active and indus
trious of them all, doing his share, Albert's, and some
thing besides. When the fires were lighted they burned
rapidly and merrily, sending up great tongues of red or
yellow flame, which shed a flickering light over wagons,
animals, and men. A pleasant heat was suffused and
Dick began to cook supper for Albert and himself, bring
ing it from the wagon in which his brother and he had a
share. He fried bacon and strips of dried beef, boiled
coffee, and warmed slices of bread over the coals.

He saw with intense pleasure that Albert ate with a
better appetite than he had shown for days. As for
himself, he was as hungry as a horse — he always was
on this great journey— and since there was plenty, he
ate long, and was happy.

Dick went to the wagon, and returned with a heavy
cloak, which he threw over Albert's shoulders.

" The night's getting colder," he said, " and you
mustn't take any risks, Al. There's one trouble about
a camp fire in the open — your face can burn while your
back freezes."

Content fell over the camp. Even rough men of sav
age instincts are willing to lie quiet when they are
warm and well fed. Jokes, coarse but invariably in
good humor, were exchanged. The fires still burned
brightly, and the camp formed a core of light and
warmth in the dark, cold wilderness.

THE TRAIN

Albert, wrapped in the cloak, lay upon his side and
elbow gazing dreamily into the flames. Dick sat near
him, frying a piece of bacon on the end of a stick.
Neither heard the step behind them because it was
noiseless, but both saw the tall figure of Bright Sun, as
he came up to their fire.

" Have a piece of bacon, Bright Sun," said Dick
hospitably, holding out the slice to him, and at the same
time wondering whether the Indian would take it.

Bright Sun shook his head.

* ' I thank you, ' ' he replied, ' ' but I have eaten
enough. How is Mr. Albert Howard now? ''

Dick appreciated the inquiry, whether or not it was
prompted by sympathy.

" Good," he replied. " Al's picking up. Haven't
seen him eat as he did to-night for months. If he keeps
on this way, he'll devour a whole buffalo as soon as
he's able to kill one."

Bright Sun smiled, and sat down on the ground near
them. It seemed to the boy, a keen observer of his kind,
that he wished to talk. Dick was willing.

" Do you know," asked Bright Sun, " that reports
of gold in the region to the north, called by you the
Black Hills, have come to us? "

" I heard some one speak of it two or three days
ago,'' replied Dick, " but I paid no attention to it."

Bright Sun looked thoughtfully into the fire, the
glow of which fell full upon his face, revealing every
feature like carving. His nose was hooked slightly, and
to Dick it now looked like the beak of an eagle. The
somber eyes, too, expressed brooding and mastery alike.

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

Despite himself, Dick felt again that he was in the pres
ence of power, and he was oppressed by a sense of fore
boding.

11 It was worth attention," said Bright Sun in the
slow, precise tones of one who speaks a language not his
own, but who speaks it perfectly. " The white man's
gold is calling to him loudly. It calls all through the
day and night. Do these men with whom you travel
go to anything certain far over on the coast of the
"Western ocean ? No, they are leaves blown by the wind.
The wind now blows in the direction of the Black Hills,
where the gold is said to be, and to-morrow the wagon
train turns its head that way. ' '

Dick sat up straight, and Albert, wrapped in his
blanket, leaned forward to listen.

11 But the engagement with us all/' said Dick, " was
to go to the Pacific. Albert and I paid our share for
that purpose. Conway knows it."

The Indian looked at Dick. The boy thought he saw
a flickering smile of amusement in his eyes, but it was
faint, and gone in a moment.

" Conway does not care for that," said the Indian,
" Your contracts are nothing to him. This is the wiL
derness, and it stretches away for many hundreds ot
miles in every direction. The white man's law does not
come here. Moreover, nearly all wish him to turn to the
North and the gold. ' '

Albert suddenly spoke, and his tone, though thin
from physical weakness, was quick, intense, and eager.

" Why couldn't we go on with them, Dick? " he
said. " We have nothing definite on the Pacific coast.

THE TRAIN

We are merely taking chances, and if the Black Hills
are full of gold, we might get our share! "

Dick's eyes glistened. If one had to go, one might
make the best of it. The spirit of romance was alive
within him. He was only a boy.

' ' Of course we '11 go, Al, ' ' he said lightly, ' ' and you
and I will have a ton of gold inside a year. ' '

Bright Sun looked at the two boys, first one and
then the other, stalwart Dick and weak Albert. It
seemed to Dick that he saw a new expression in the
Indian's eyes, one that indicated the shadow of regret.
He resented it. Did Bright Sun think that Albert and
he were not equal to the task?

' ' I am strong, ' ' he said ; " I can lift and dig enough
for two; but Albert also will be strong, after we have
been a little while in the mountains. ' '

" You might have strength enough. I do not doubt
it," said Bright Sun softly, " but the Black Hills are
claimed by the Sioux. They do not wish the white men
to come there, and the Sioux are a great and powerful
tribe, or rather a nation of several allied and kindred
tribes, the most powerful Indian nation west of the
Mississippi. ' '

Bright Sun's voice rose a little toward the last, and
the slight upward tendency gave emphasis and signifi
cance to his words. The brooding eyes suddenly shot
forth a challenging light.

" Are you a Sioux? " asked Dick involuntarily.

Bright Sun bent upon him a look of gentle reproof.

" Since I have taken the ways of your race I have
no tribe," he replied. " But, as I have said, the Sioux

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

claim the Black Hills, and they have many thousands of
warriors, brave, warlike, and resolved to keep the
country. ' '

" The government will see that there is no war/'
said Dick.

1 1 Governments can do little in a wilderness, ' ' replied
Bright Sun.

Dick might have made a rejoinder, but at that mo
ment a burly figure came into the light of the fire. It
was Sam Conway, and he glanced suspiciously at the
Indian and the two boys.

" Are you telling 'em, Bright Sun, when we'll reach
California? " he asked.

Bright Sun gave him an oblique glance. The Indian
seldom looks the white man in the face, but it was ob
vious that Bright Sun was not afraid of the leader.
Conway, as well as the others, knew it.

" No," he replied briefly.

" It's just as well that you haven't," said Conway
bruskly, " 'cause we're not going to California at all —
at least not this year. It's the wish and general con
sensus of this here train that we turn to the North, go
into the Black Hills, and fill our wagons with gold. ' '

" So it's decided, then, is it? " asked Dick.

" Yes, it's decided," replied Conway, his tone now
becoming positively brutal, " and if you and your
brother don't like it, you know what you can do."

" Keep on alone for the coast, I suppose," said Dick,
looking him steadily in the face.

" If you put it that way."

" But we don't choose," said Dick, ' Al and I have

THE TRAIN

an interest in one wagon and team, and we're going
to hold on to it. Besides, we're quite willing to try our
luck in the Black Hills, too. We Ye going with you. ' '

Conway frowned, but Dick also was not afraid of
him, and knew that he could not turn the two boys out
on the prairie. They had a full right to go with the
train.

" That settles it," he said, turning away. " You
can do as you please, but what happens after we get
into the Black Hills is another thing. Likely, we'll
scatter."

The sound of his retreating footsteps quickly died
away in the darkness, and Bright Sun, too, slid among
the shadows. He was gone so quickly and quietly that
it gave Dick an uncanny feeling.

" What do you make of it, Al? " he asked his
brother. " What does Bright Sun mean by what he
said to us? "

The glow of the flame fell across Albert's pale face,
and, by the light of it, Dick saw that he was very
thoughtful. He seemed to be looking over and beyond
the fire and the dark prairie, into time rather than space.

" I think it was a warning, Dick," replied Albert
at last. " Maybe Bright Sun intended it for only you
and me. But I want to go up there in the Black Hills,
Dick."

11 And so do I. It'll be easier for you, Al, than the
trip across the continent. When you are up a mile and
a half or two miles above the sea, you 11 begin to take on
flesh like a bear in summer. Besides, the gold, Al!
think of the gold! "

TEE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

Albert smiled. He, too, was having happy thoughts.
The warm glow of the fire clothed him and he was
breathing easily and peacefully. By and by he sank
down in his blanket and fell into a sound sleep. Dick
himself did not yet have any thought of slumber. Wide
awake visions were pursuing one another through his
brain. He saw the mountains, dark and shaggy with
pine forests, the thin, healing air over them, and the
beds of gold in their bosom, with Albert and himself
discovering and triumphant.

The fire died down, and glowed a mass of red em
bers. The talk sank. Most of the men were asleep,
either in their blankets or in the wagons. The darkness
thickened and deepened and came close up to the fires,
a circling rim of blackness. But Dick was still wakeful,
dreaming with wide-open eyes his golden dreams.

As the visions followed one after another, a shadow
which was not a part of any of them seemed to Dick to
melt into the uttermost darkness beyond the fires. A
trace of something familiar in the figure impressed him,
and, rising, he followed swiftly.

The figure, still nebulous and noiseless, went on in
the darkness, and another like it seemed to rise from
the plain and join it, Then they were lost to the sight
of the pursuer, seeming to melt into and become a part
of the surrounding darkness. Dick, perplexed and un
easy, returned to the fire. The second shadow must
certainly have been that of a stranger. "What did it
mean?

He resumed his seat before the red glow, clasping his
arms around his knees, a splendid, resourceful youth

THE TRAIN

whom nature and a hardy life had combined to make
what he was. His brother still slept soundly and peace
fully, but the procession of golden visions did not pass
again through Dick's brain; instead, it was a long trail
of clouds, dark and threatening. He sought again and
again to conjure the clouds away and bring back the
golden dreams, but he could not.

The fire fell to nothing, the triumphant darkness
swept up and blotted out the last core of light, the
wind, edged with ice, blew in from the plains. Dick
shivered, drew a heavy blanket around his own shoul
ders, and moved a little, as he saw the dim figure of
Bright Sun passing at the far edge of the wagons, but
quickly relapsed into stillness.

Sleep at last pulled down his troubled lids. His fig
ure sank, and, head on arms, he slumbered soundly.

CHAPTER II

KING BISON

UP ! Up, everybody ! ' ' was the shout that reached
Dick 's sleeping ears. He sprang to his feet and
found that the gorgeous sun was flooding the
prairie with light. Already the high, brilliant skies of
the Great West were arching over him. Men were cook
ing breakfast. Teamsters were cracking their whips,
and the whole camp was alive with a gay and cheerful
spirit. Everybody seemed to know now that they were
going for the gold, and, like Dick, they had found it in
fancy already.

Breakfast over, the train took up its march, turning
at a right angle from its old course and now advancing
almost due north. But this start was made with un
common alacrity and zeal. There were no sluggards
now. They, too, had golden visions, and, as if to en
courage them, the aspect of the country soon began to
change, and rapidly to grow better. The clouds of dust
that they raised were thinner. The bunch grass grew
thicker. Off on the crest of a swell a moving figure was
seen now and then. " Antelope/' said the hunters.
Once they passed a slow creek. The water was muddy,
but it contained no alkali, and animals and men drank

KING BISON

eagerly. Cottonwoods, the first trees they had seen in
days, grew on either side of the stream, and they rested
there awhile in the shade, because the sun was now out
in full splendor, and the vast plains shimmered in the
heat.

Albert resumed his place in the wagon. Dick had a
horse which, on becoming foot-sore, had been allowed to
rest for a few days, and was now well. He mounted
it and galloped on ahead. The clouds were all gone
away and the golden visions had come back. He felt
so strong, so young, and the wonderful air of the plains
was such a tonic that he urged his horse to a gallop,
and it was hard for him to keep from shouting aloud in
joy. He looked eagerly into the north, striving already
for a sight of the dark mountains that men called the
Black Hills. The blue gave back nothing but its own
blue.

His horse seemed to share his spirits, and swung
along with swift and easy stride. Dick looked back
presently, and saw that the train which had been wind
ing like a serpent over the plains was lost to sight be
hind the swells. The surface of the earth had become
more rolling as they advanced northward, and he knew
that the train, though out of sight, was not far away.

He enjoyed for the moment the complete absence of
all human beings save himself. To be alone then meant
anything but loneliness. He galloped to the crest of a
higher swell than usual, and then stopped short. Far
off on the plain he saw tiny moving figures, a dozen or
so, and he was sure that they were antelope. They had
seen antelope before at a great distance, but had not

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

bothered about them. Now the instincts of the hunter
rose in Dick, and he resolved to make a trial of his
skill.

He found in one of the depressions between the
swells a stunted cottonwood, to which he hitched his
horse, knowing it would be well hidden there from the
observation of the herd. He then advanced on foot. He
had heard that the antelope was a slave to its own curi
osity, and through that weakness he intended to secure
his game.

"When he had gone about half the distance he sank
down on his hands and knees and began to crawl, a
laborious and sometimes painful operation, burdened as
he was with his rifle, and unused to such methods of loco
motion. Presently he noticed a flutter among the ante
lope, a raising of timid heads, an alarmed looking in his
direction. But Dick was prepared. He lay flat upon his
face, and dug the point of the long hunting knife that
he carried into the ground, while the wind blew out the
folds of the red handkerchief which he had tied to the
handle.

Mr. Big Buck Antelope, the chief of the herd and a
wary veteran, saw the waving red spot on the horizon,
and his interest was aroused, despite his caution. What
a singular thing ! It must be investigated ! It might be
some new kind of food very good for Mr. Big Buck's
palate and stomach, and no provident antelope could
afford to let such an opportunity pass.

He was trembling all over with curiosity, and per
haps his excitement kept him from seeing the dark shape
that blurred with the earth just beyond the red some-

KING BISON

thing, or he may have taken it for a shadow. At any
event, his curiosity kept him from paying heed to it, and
he began to approach. His steps were hesitating, and
now and then he drew away a little, but that singular
red object lured him on, and yard by yard he drew
nearer.

He suddenly saw the black shadow beyond the flut
tering red object detach itself from the ground, and
resolve into a terrible shape. His heart sprang up
in his bosom, and he was about to rush madly away,
but it was too late. A stream of fire shot forth from
the dark object and the buck fell, a bullet through
him.

Dick prepared the animal for dressing, thinking of
the tender, juicy steaks that Albert would enjoy, and
then throwing the body across the horse, behind him,
rode back to the train, proud of his success.

Conway frowned and said grudging words. He did
not like, he said, for anybody to leave the train with
out his permission, and it was foolish, anyhow, for a boy
to be galloping about as he pleased over the prairie ; he
might get lost, and there would be nobody to take care
of the other boy, the sick one. Dick made an easy
diplomatic reply. He knew that Conway merely wished
to be unpleasant, but Dick was of a very good nature,
and he was particularly averse just then to quarreling
with anybody. He was too full of the glory of living,
Instead, he offered some of the antelope steaks to Con-
way, who churlishly accepted them, and that night he
broiled others for Albert and himself, dividing the resfc
among the men.

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

Albert found antelope steak tender and juicy, and
he ate with an increasing appetite. Dick noted the in
crease with pleasure.

" I wish I could go out and kill antelope/' said Al
bert.

Dick laughed cheerfully.

1 ' Kill antelope, ' ' he said. * ' "Why, Al, in six months
you'll be taking a grizzly bear by the neck and choking
him to death with your two hands."

" "Wish I could believe it," said Albert.

But Dick went to sleep early that night, and slept
peacefully without dreams or visions, and the next morn
ing the train resumed its sanguine march. They were
still ascending, and the character of the country con
tinued to improve. Bunch grass steadily grew thicker
and buffalo chips were numerous. The heat in the mid
dle of the day was still great, but the air was so dry and
pure that it was not oppressive. Albert dismounted
from the wagon, and walked for several miles by the side
of his brother.

" Shouldn't be surprised if we saw buffalo," said
Dick. ' l Heard 'em talking about it in the train. Bright
Sun says these are favorite grazing grounds, and there's
still a lot of buffalo scattered about the plains. ' '

Albert showed excitement.

" A buffalo herd! " he exclaimed. " Do you think
it can really happen, Dick? I never thought I'd see
such a thing! I hope it 11 come true! Jf

It came true much sooner than Albert hoped.

Scarcely a half hour after he spoke, Bright Sun,
who was at the head of the column, stopped his pony

KING BISON

and pointed to indistinct tiny shadows just under the
horizon.

' l Buffalo / ' ' he said tersely, and after a moment 's
pause he added: " A great herd comes! "

Dick and Albert were on foot then, but they heard
his words and followed his pointing finger with the deep
est interest. The tiny black shadows seemed to come out
of the horizon as if they stepped from a wall. They
grew in size and number, and all the west was filled
with their forms.

The train resumed its march, bending off under the
guidance of Bright Sun a little toward the west, and
it was obvious that the herd would pass near. Dick and
Albert rejoiced, because they wished to see the buffaloes
at close quarters, and Dick was hoping also for a shot.
Others, too, in the train, although their minds were
set on gold, began to turn their attention now to the
herd. The sport and the fresh meat alike would be
welcome. It was Dick's impulse to mount his horse
and gallop away again, gun in hand, but he made
a supreme conquest over self and remained. He re
membered Albert's longing words about the antelope,
his wish that he, too, tireless, might be able to pursue
the game. Dick remained quietly by his brother's
side.

The whole train stopped presently at Conway 's order
on the crest of a swell, and drew itself up in a circle.
Many of the men were now mounted and armed for an
attack upon the herd, but at the suggestion of Bright
Sun they waited a little, until the opportunity should
become more convenient.

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

" It is a big herd/' said Bright Sun; " perhaps the
6iggest that one can ever see now. ' '

It certainly seemed immense to Dick and Albert.
The great animals came on in an endless stream from
the blue wall of the horizon. The vast procession stead
ily broadened and lengthened and it moved with unceas
ing step toward the south. The body of it was solid
black, with figures which at the distance blended into
one mass, but on the flanks hung stragglers, lawless old
bulls or weaklings, and outside there was a fringe of
hungry wolves, snapping and snarling, and waiting a
chance to drag down some failing straggler.

Far over the plain spread the herd, thousands and
tens of thousands, and the earth shook with their tread.
Confused bellowings and snortings arose, and the dust
hung thick.

Dick and Albert stared with intent eyes at the won
derful scene. The herd was drawing nearer and nearer.
It would pass only a few hundred yards from the crest
on which the train stood. Already the hunters were
shouting to one another and galloping away, but Dick
did not stir from Albert's side. Albert's eyes were ex
panded, and the new color in his face deepened. His
breath came in the short, quick fashion of one who is
excited. He suddenly turned to his brother.

" The men are off! Why aren't you with them,
Dick? " he exclaimed.

11 I thought I wouldn't go/' replied Dick evasively.
* ' There '11 be enough without me. ' '

Albert stared. Not hunt buffalo when one could?
It was unbelievable. Then he comprehended. But he

KING BISON

would not have it that way ! It was noble of Dick, but
it should not be so for a moment. He cried out, a note
of anxiety in his voice :

1 ' No, Dick, you shall not stay here with me ! My
time will come later on ! Jump on your horse, Dick, and
join 'em ! I won't forgive you if you don't ! "

Dick saw that Albert was in earnest, and he knew
that it would be better for them both now if he should go.

" All right, Al! " he cried, " I'll pick out a good fat
one." He jumped on his horse and in a moment was
galloping at full speed over the plain toward the great
herd which now rushed on, black and thundering.

Dick heard shots already from those who had pre
ceded him, and the exultant shouts of the men mingled
with the roar of mighty tramplings. But it was not all
triumph for the men, few of whom were experienced.
Two or three had been thrown by shying horses, and
with difficulty escaped being trodden to death under the
feet of the herd. The herd itself was so immense that it
did not notice these few wasps on a distant flank, and
thundered steadily on southward.

Dick's own horse, frightened by such a tremendous
sight, shied and jumped, but the boy had a sure seat
and brought him around again. Dick himself was
somewhat daunted by the aspect of the herd. If he and
his horse got in the way, they would go down forever,
as surely as if engulfed by an avalanche.

The horse shied again and made a mighty jump, as
a huge bull, red-eyed and puffing, charged by. Dick,
who was holding his rifle in one hand, slipped far over,
and with great difficulty regained his balance on the

THE LAST OP THE CHIEFS

horse's back. When he was secure again, he turned his
mount and galloped along for some distance on the
flank of the herd, seeking a suitable target for his bulled
The effect was dizzying. So many thousands were rush
ing beside him that the shifting panorama made him
wink his eyes rapidly. Vast clouds of dust floated
about, now and then enveloping him, and that made him
wink his eyes, too. But he continued, nevertheless, to
seek for his target a fat cow. Somehow he didn't seem
to see anything just then but old bulls. They were thick
on the flanks of the herd either as stragglers or protect
ors, and Dick was afraid to press in among them in his
search for the cow.

His opportunity came at last. A young cow, as fat
as one could wish, was thrown on the outside by some
movement of the herd, caught, as it were, like a piece
of driftwood in an eddy, and Dick instantly fired at her.
She staggered and went down, but at the same instant
a huge, shaggy bull careened against Dick and his horse.
It was not so much a charge as an accident, the chance
of Dick's getting in the bull's way, and the boy's escape
was exceedingly narrow.

His horse staggered and fell to his knees. The vio
lence of the shock wrested Dick's rifle from his hand,
and he was barely quick enough to grasp it as it was
sliding across the saddle. But he did save it, and the
horse, trembling and frightened, recovered his feet. By
that time the old bull and his comrades were gone.

Dick glanced around and was relieved to see that
nobody had noticed his plight. They were all too much
absorbed in their own efforts to pay any heed to him.

KING BISON

The boy took a deep, long breath. He had killed a buf
falo, despite his inexperience. There was the cow to
show for it.

The herd thundered off to the southward, the clouds
of dust and the fringe of wolves following it. About a
dozen of their number had fallen before the rifles, but
Dick had secured the fattest and tenderest. Albert, as
proud as Dick himself of his triumph, came down on the
plain and helped as much as he could in skinning and
cutting up the cow. Dick wished to preserve the robe,
and they spread it out on the wagon to dry.

The train made no further attempt to advance that
day, but devoted the afternoon to a great feast. Bright
Sun showed them how to cook the tenderest part of the
hump in the coals, and far into the night the fires
blazed.

" We will see no more buffaloes for a while, " said
Bright Sun. ' ' To-morrow we reach another little river
coming down from the hills, and the ground becomes
rough. ' '

Bright Sun told the truth. They reached the river
about noon of the next day, and, as it flowed between
steep banks, the crossing was difficult. It took many
hours to get on the other side, and two or three axles
were broken by the heavy jolts. Conway raged and
swore, calling them a clumsy lot, and some of the men
refused to take his abuse, replying to his hard words
with others equally as hard. Pistols were drawn and
there was promise of trouble, but it was finally stopped,
partly by the persuasion of others, and partly of its own
accord. The men were still feeling the desire for gold

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

too strongly to fight while on the way to it. Dick and
Albert kept aloof from these contentions, steadily mind
ing their own business, and they found, as others do,
that it paid.

They came presently into a better country, and the
way led for a day or two through a typical part of the
Great Plains, not a flat region, but one of low, monot
onous swells. Now and then they crossed a shallow lit
tle creek, and occasionally they came to pools, some
of which were tinged with alkali. There were numerous
small depressions, two or three feet deep, and Dick
knew that they were ' ' buffalo wallows. ' ' He and Albert
examined them with interest.

" This is buffalo country again, " said Dick.
" Everything proves it. The grass here is the best that
we have seen in a long time, and I imagine that it's just
the sort of place they would love."

The grass was, indeed, good, as Dick had said, not
merely clumps of it. but often wide, carpeted spaces.
It was somewhat dry, and turning brown, but so big and
strong an animal as the buffalo would not mind it. In
fact, they saw several small groups of buffaloes grazing
at a distance, usually on the crest of one of the low
swells. As they already had plenty of buffalo meat, the
men of the train did not trouble them, and the great
animals would continue to crop the grass undisturbed.

About a week after the buffalo hunt they camped in
a great plain somewhat flatter than any that they had
encountered hitherto, and drew up the wagons in a loose
circle.

The day had been very hot, but, as usual on the
28

KING BISON

plains, the night brought coolness. The fire which Dick
made of buffalo chips was not only useful, but it felt
pleasant, too, as they sat beside it, ate their supper, and
watched the great inclosing circle of darkness creep up
closer and closer to the camp. There was not much
noise about them. The men were tired, and as soon
as they ate their food they fell asleep in the wagons or
on the ground. The tethered horses and mules stirred
a little for a while, but they, too, soon rested in peace.

" You take the wagon, Al," said Dick, " but I think
111 sleep on the ground."

Albert said good night and disappeared in the wagon.
Dick stood up and looked over the camp. Only two or
three fires were yet burning, and not a dozen men were
awake. He saw dark figures here and there on the
ground, and knew that they were those of sleepers.
Three sentinels had been posted, but Dick was quite sure
from the general character of the train that later on
they would sleep like the others. All his instincts of
order and fitness rebelled against the management of
this camp.

Dick rolled himself in his blanket and lay down by
the little fire that he had built. The dry, clean earth
made a good bed, and with his left elbow under his
head he gazed into the fire, which, like all fires of buffalo
chips, was now rapidly dying, leaving little behind
but light ashes that the first breeze would scatter
through space.

He watched the last blaze sink and go out, he saw the
last coal die, then, when a few sparks flew upward,
there was blank darkness where the fire had been. All

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

the other fires were out, too, and only the dim figures
of the wagons showed. He felt, for a little while, as if
he were alone in the wilderness, but he was not afraid.
All was darkness below, and the wind was moaning, but
overhead was a blue sky filled with friendly stars.

Dick could not go to sleep for a long time. From
the point where he lay he could now see two of the sen
tinels walking back and forth, rifle on shoulder. He
did not believe that they would continue to do so many
hours, and he had a vague sort of desire to prove that
he was right. Having nothing else to do he watched
them.

The nearer sentinel grew lazier in his walk, and his
beat became shorter. At last he dropped his rifle to the
ground, leaned his folded arms on its muzzle, and gazed
toward the camp, where, so far as he could see, there was
nothing but darkness and sleep. The other presently
did the same. Then they began short walks back and
forth, but soon both sat down on the ground, with their
rifles between their knees, and after that they did not
stir. "Watching as closely as he could Dick could not
observe the slightest movement on the part of either,
and he knew that they were asleep. He laughed to him
self, pleased, in a way, to know that he had been right,
although it was only another evidence of the careless
ness and indifference general throughout the train.

He fell asleep himself in another half hour, but he
awoke about midnight, and he was conscious at once that
he had been awakened not by a troubled mind, but by
something external and unusual. He was lying with his
right ear to the ground, and it seemed to him that a

KING BISON

slight trembling motion ran through the solid earth. He
did not so much hear it as feel it, and tried to persuade
himself that it was mere fancy, but failed. He sat up,
and he no longer observed the trembling, but when he
put his ear to the ground again it was stronger.

It could not be fancy. It was something real and
extraordinary. He glanced at the sentinels, but they
were sound asleep. He felt a desire to rouse somebody,
but if it proved to be nothing they would laugh at him,
or more likely call him hard names. He tried ear to
earth once more. The trembling was still growing in
strength, and mixed with it was a low, groaning sound,
like the swell of the sea on the shore. The sound came
with the wind from the north.

Dick sprang to his feet. There, in the north, was a
faint light which grew with amazing rapidity. In a
minute almost it seemed to redden the whole northern
heavens, and the groaning sound became a roll, like that
of approaching thunder.

A shadow flitted by Dick.

" What is it, Bright Sun? What is it? " exclaimed
the boy.

" The dry grass burns, and a mighty buffalo herd
flees before it."

Then Bright Sun was gone, and the full sense of their
danger burst upon Dick in overwhelming tide. The
flames came on, as fast as a horse's gallop, and the buf
faloes, in thousands and tens of thousands, were their
vanguard. The camp lay directly in the path of fire and
buffalo. The awakened sentinels were on their feet now,
and half-clad men were springing from the wagons.

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

Dick stood perfectly still for perhaps a minute, while
the fire grew brighter and the thunder of a myriad hoofs
grew louder. Then he remembered what he had so often
read and heard, and the crisis stirred him to swift action.
While the whole camp was a scene of confusion, of
shouts, of oaths, and of running men, he sped to its
south side, to a point twenty or thirty yards from the
nearest wagon. There he knelt in the dry grass and
drew his box of matches from his pocket. It happened
that Conway saw.

' * "What are you doing, you boy ? ' ' he cried threaten
ingly.

But Dick did not care for Conway just then.

" Back fire! Back fire! " he shouted, and struck a
match. It went out, but he quickly struck another,
shielded it with one hand and touched the tiny flame
to the grass. A flame equally tiny answered, but in an
instant it leaped into the size and strength of a giant.
The blaze rose higher than Dick's head, ran swiftly to
right and left, and then roared away to the south, eating
up everything in its path.

" Well done," said a voice at Dick's elbow. " It is
the only thing that could save the train."

It was Bright Sun who spoke, and he had come so
silently that Dick did not see him until then.

Conway understood now, but without a word of ap
proval he turned away and began to give orders, mixed
with much swearing. He had a rough sort of efficiency,
and spurred by his tongue and their own dreadful neces
sity, the men worked fast. The horses and mules, except
three or four which had broken loose and were lost, were

KING BISON

hitched to the wagons in half the usual time. There
were no sluggards now.

Dick helped, and Albert, too, but to both it seemed
that the work would never be done. The back fire was
already a half mile away, gathering volume and speed
as it went, but the other was coming on at an equal pace.
Deer and antelope were darting past them, and the
horses and mules were rearing in terror.

" Into the burned ground/' shouted Conway, "an'
keep the wagons close together! "

No need to urge the animals. They galloped south
ward over earth which was still hot and smoking, but
they knew that something was behind them, far more
terrible than sparks and smoke.

Dick made Albert jump into their own wagon, while
he ran beside it. As he ran, he looked back, and saw a
sight that might well fill the bravest soul with dread.
A great black line, crested with tossing horns, was bear
ing down upon them. The thunder of hoofs was like
the roar of a hurricane, but behind the herd was a vast
wall of light, which seemed to reach from the earth to
the heavens and which gave forth sparks in myriads.
Dick knew that they had been just in time.

They did not stop until they had gone a full quarter
of a mile, and then the wagons were hastily drawn up in
a rude circle, with the animals facing the center, that
is, the inside, and still rearing and neighing in terror.
Then the men, rifle in hand, and sitting in the rear of
the wagons, faced the buffalo herd.

Dick was with the riflemen, and, like the others, he
began to fire as soon as the vanguard of the buffaloes

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

was near enough. The wagons were a solid obstacle
which not even King Bison could easily run over, but
Dick and Albert thought the herd would never split, al
though the bullets were poured into it at a central point
like a driven wedge.

But the falling buffaloes were an obstacle to those
behind them, and despite their mad panic, the living
became conscious of the danger in front. The herd split
at last, the cleft widened to right and left, and then the
tide, in two great streams, flowed past the wagon train.

Dick ceased firing and sat with Albert on the tail of
the wagon. The wall of fire, coming to the burned
ground, went out in the center, but the right and left
ends of it, swinging around, still roared to the south
ward, passing at a distance of a quarter of a mile on
either side.

Dick and Albert watched until all the herd was gone,
and when only smoke and sparks were left, helped to
get the camp into trim again. Conway knew that the
boy had saved them, but he gave him no thanks.

It took the ground a long time to cool, and they ad
vanced all the next day over a burned area. They trav
eled northward ten days, always ascending, and they
were coming now to a wooded country. They crossed
several creeks, flowing down from the higher mountains,
and along the beds of these they found cottonwood, ash,
box elder, elm, and birch. On the steeper slopes were
numerous cedar brakes and also groves of yellow pine.
There was very little undergrowth, but the grass grew
in abundance. Although it was now somewhat dry,
the horses and mules ate it eagerly. The buffaloes

KING BISON

did not appear here, but they saw many signs of
bear, mule deer, panther or mountain lion, and other
game.

They camped one night in a pine grove by the side
of a brook that came rushing and foaming down from
the mountains, and the next morning Albert, who walked
some distance from the water, saw a silver-tip bear lap
ping the water of the stream. The bear raised his head
and looked at Albert, and Albert stopped and looked at
the bear. The boy was unarmed, but he was not afraid.
The bear showed no hostility, only curiosity. He gazed
a few moments, stretched his nose as if he would sniff
the air, then turned and lumbered away among the
pines. Albert returned to the camp, but he said noth
ing of the bear to anybody except Dick.

" He was such a jolly, friendly looking fellow, Dick, "
he said, " that I didn't want any of these men to go
hunting him."

Dick laughed.

* ' Don 't you worry about that, Al, ' ' he said. ' ' They
are hunting gold, not bears. ' '

On the twelfth day they came out on a comparatively
level plateau, where antelope were grazing and prairie
chickens whirring. It looked like a fertile country, and
they were glad of easy traveling for the wagons. Just
at the edge of the pine woods that they were leaving
was a beautiful little lake of clear, blue water, by which
they stayed half a day, refreshing themselves, and catch
ing some excellent fish, the names of which they did
not know.

" How much longer, Bright Sun, will it take us to
35

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

reach the gold country? " asked Conway of the Indian,
in Dick 's hearing.

" About a week/' replied Bright Sun. " The way
presently will be very rough and steep, up ! up ! up ! and
we can go only a few miles a day, but the mountains are
already before us. See ! ' '

He pointed northward and upward, and there before
them was the misty blue loom that Dick knew was the
high mountains. In those dark ridges lay the gold that
they were going to seek, and his heart throbbed. Albert
and he could do such wonderful things with it.

They were so high already that the nights were crisp
with cold ; but at the edge of the forest, running down
to the little lake, fallen wood was abundant, and they
built that night a great fire of fallen boughs that crac
kled and roared merrily. Yet they hovered closely, be
cause the wind, sharp with ice, was whistling down from
the mountains, and the night air, even in the little val
ley, was heavy with frost. Dick's buffalo robe was dry
now, and he threw it around Albert, as he sat before the
fire. It enveloped the boy like a great blanket, but far
warmer, the soft, smooth fur caressing his cheeks, and,
as Albert drew it closer, he felt very snug indeed.

" We cross this valley to-morrow," said Dick, " and
then we begin a steeper climb."

" Then it will be mountains, only mountains," said
Bright Sun. * * We go into regions which no white men,
except the fur hunters, have ever trod."

Dick started. He had not known that the Indian was
near. Certainly he was not there a moment ago. There
was something uncanny in the way in which Bright Sun

KING BISON

would appear on noiseless footstep, like a wraith rising
from the earth.

" I shall be glad of it, Bright Sun," said Albert
"I'm tired of the plains, and they say that the moun
tains are good for many ills. ' '

Bright Sun's enigmatic glance rested upon Albert a
moment.

" Yes," he said, " the mountains will cure many
ills."

Dick glanced at him, and once more he received the
impression of thought and power. The Indian's nose
curved like an eagle's beak, and the firelight perhaps
exaggerated both the curre and its effect. The whole
impression of thought and force was heightened by the
wide brow and the strong chin.

Dick looked back into the fire, and when he glanced
around a few moments again, Bright Sun was not there.
He had gone as silently as he had come.

" That Indian gives me the shivers sometimes," he
said to Albert. ' i What do you make of him ? ' '

" I don't know," replied the boy. " Sometimes I
like him and sometimes I don 't. ' '

Albert was soon asleep, wrapped in the buffalo robe,
and Dick by and by followed him to the same pleasant
land. The wind, whistling as it blew down from the
mountains, grew stronger and colder, and its tone was
hostile, as if it resented the first presence of white men in
the little valley by the lake.

CHAPTER III

THE PASS

THEY resumed the journey early the next day,
Bright Sun telling Conway that they could reach
the range before sunset, and that they would find
there an easy pass leading a mile or two farther on to
a protected and warm glen.

" That's the place for our camp/' said Conway,
and he urged the train forward.

The traveling was smooth and easy, and they soon
left the little blue lake well behind, passing through a
pleasant country well wooded with elm, ash, birch, cot>
tonwood, and box elder, and the grass growing high
everywhere. They crossed more than one clear little
stream, a pleasant contrast to the sluggish, muddy creeki
of the prairies.

The range, toward which the head of the train was
pointing, now came nearer. The boys saw its slopes,
shaggy with dark pine, and they knew that beyond it lay
other and higher slopes, also dark with pine. The air
was of a wonderful clearness, showing in the east and
beyond the zenith a clear silver tint, while the west was
pure red gold with the setting sun.

Nearer and nearer came the range. The great pines,
38

THE PASS

blurred at first into an unbroken mass, now stood out
singly, showing their giant stems. Afar a flash of foamy
white appeared, where a brook fell in a foamy cascade.
Presently they were within a quarter of a mile of the
range, and its shadow fell over the train. In the west
the sun was low.

" The pass is there, straight ahead/' said Bright
Sun, pointing to the steep range.

11 I don't see any opening," said Conway.

"It is so narrow and the pines hide it," rejoined
Bright Sun, " but it is smooth and easy."

Albert was at the rear of the train. He had
chosen to walk in the later hours of the afternoon. He
had become very tired, but, unwilling to confess it even
to himself, he did not resume his place in the wagon.
His weariness made him lag behind.

Albert was deeply sensitive to the impressions of
time and place. The twilight seemed to him to fall sud
denly like a great black robe. The pines once more
blurred into a dark, unbroken mass. The low sun in the
west dipped behind the hills, and the rays of red and
gold that it left were chill and cold.

' * Your brother wishes to see you. He is at the foot
of the creek that we crossed fifteen minutes ago."

It was Bright Sun who spoke.

' ' Dick wants to see me at the crossing of the creek !
Why, I thought he was ahead of me with the train! "
exclaimed Albert.

" No, he is waiting for you. He said that it was
important," repeated Bright Sun.

Albert turned in the darkening twilight and went

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

back on the trail of the train toward the crossing of
the ereek. Bright Sun went to the head of the train,
and saw Dick walking there alone and looking at the
hiUs.

" Tour brother is behind at the creek/' said Bright
Sun. ' * He is ill and wishes you. Hurry ! I think it is
important! "

11 Albert at the creek, ill? " exclaimed Dick in sur
prise and alarm. ' * Why, I thought he was here with the
train! "

But Bright Sun was gone on ahead. Dick turned
back hastily, and ran along the trail through the twi
light that was now fast merging into night.

" Al, ill and left behind! " he exclaimed again and
again. " He must have overexerted himself! "

His alarm deepened when he saw how fast the dark
ness was increasing. The chill bars of red and gold were
gone from the west. When he looked back he could see
the train no more, and heard only the faint sound of the
cracking of whips. The train was fast disappearing in
the pass.

But Dick had become a good woodsman and plains
man. His sense of direction was rarely wrong, and he
went straight upon the trail for the creek. Night had
now come but it was not very dark, and presently he saw
the flash of water. It was the creek, and a few more
steps took him there. A figure rose out of the shadows.

" Al! " he cried. " Have you broken down? Why
didn't you get into the wagon? "

" Dick," replied Albert in a puzzled tone, " there's
nothing the matter with me, except that I'm tired.

THE PASS

Bright Sun told me that you were here waiting for me,
and that you had something important to tell me. I
couldn't find you, and now you come running/'

Dick stopped in amazement.

" Bright Sun said I was waiting here for you, and
had something important to tell you? " exclaimed Dick,
" Why, he told me that you were ill, and had been left
unnoticed at the crossing ! ' '

The two boys stared at each other.

" "What does it mean? " they exclaimed together.

From the dark pass before them came a sound which
in the distance resembled the report of a firecracker,
followed quickly by two or three other sounds, and then
by many, as if the whole pack had been ignited at once.
But both boys knew it was not firecrackers. It was
something far more deadly and terrible— a hail of rifle
bullets. They looked toward the pass and saw there pink
and red flashes appearing and reappearing. Shouts, and
mingled with them a continuous long, whining cry, a
dreadful overnote, came to their ears.

11 The train has been attacked! " cried Dick. " It
has marched straight into an ambush! "

" Indians? " exclaimed Albert, who was trembling
violently from sheer physical and mental excitement.

" It couldn't be anything else! >5< replied Dick,
" This is their country! And they must be in great
force, too ! Listen how the fight grows ! "

The volume of the firing increased rapidly, but above
it always rose that terrible whining note. The red and
pink flashes in the pass danced and multiplied, and the
wind brought the faint odor of smoke.

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

" We must help! " exclaimed Dick. " One can't
stand here and see them all cut down ! ' '

He forgot in his generous heart, at that moment, that
*ie disliked Conway and all his men, and that he and
Albert had scarcely a friend in the train. He thought
only of doing what he could to beat back the Indian
attack, and Albert felt the same impulse. Both had
their rifles— fine, breech-loading, repeating weapons,
and with these the two might do much. No one
ever parted with his arms after entering the Indian
country.

" Come on, Albert! " exclaimed Dick, and the two
ran toward the pass. But before they had gone a hun
dred yards they stopped as if by the same impulse.
That terrible whining note was now rising higher and
higher. It was not merely a war whoop, it had become
also a song of triumph. There was a certain silvery
quality in the flight air, a quality that made for illu
mination, and Dick thought he saw dusky forms flitting
here and there in the mouth of the pass behind the
train. It was only fancy, because he was too far away
for such perception, but in this case fancy and truth
were the same.

" Hurry, Dick! Let's hurry! " exclaimed the im
pulsive and generous Albert. ' ' If we don 't, we '11 be too
late to do anything ! ' '

They started again, running as fast as they could
toward that space in the dark well where the flashes of
red and blue came and went. Dick was so intent that
he did not hear the short, quick gasps of Albert, but he
did hear a sudden fall beside him and stopped short,

THE PASS

Albert was lying on his back unconscious. A faint tinge
of abnormal red showed on his lips.

11 Oh, I forgot! I forgot! " groaned Dick.

Such sudden and violent exertion, allied with the
excitement of the terrible moment, had overpowered the
weak boy. Dick bent down in grief. At first he thought
his brother was dead, but the breath still came.

Dick did not know what to do. In the pass, under
the shadow of night, the pines, and the mountain wall,
the battle still flared and crackled, but its volume was
dying. Louder rose the fierce, whining yell, and its note
was full of ferocity and triumph, while the hoarser csies
of the white men became fewer and lower. Now Dick
really saw dusky figures leaping about between him and
the train. Something uttering a shrill, unearthly cry of
pain crashed heavily through the bushes near him and
quickly passed on. It was a wounded horse, running
away.

Dick shuddered. Then he lifted Albert in his arms,
and he had the forethought, even in that moment of ex
citement and danger, to pick up Albert's rifle also.
Strong as he naturally was, he had then the strength
of four, and, turning off at a sharp angle, he ran
with Albert toward a dense thicket which clustered at
the foot of the mountain wall.

He went a full three hundred yards before he was
conscious of weariness, and he was then at the edge of
the thicket, which spread over a wide space. He laid
Albert down on some of last year's old leaves, and then
his quick eyes caught the sight of a little pool among
some rocks. He dipped up the water in his felt hat, and

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

after carefully wiping the red stain from his brother's
lips, poured the cold fluid upon his face.

Albert revived, sat up, and tried to speak, but Dick
pressed his hand upon his mouth.

" Nothing above a whisper, Al," he said softly.
" The fight is not yet wholly over, and the Sioux are all
about."

" I fainted, " said Albert in a whisper. " 0 Dick,
what a miserable, useless fellow I am! But it was the
excitement and the run ! ' '

" It was doubtless a lucky thing that you fainted,"
Dick whispered back. " If you hadn't, both of us would
probably be dead now."

"It's not all over yet," said Albert.

' * No, but it soon will be. Thank God, we Ve got our
rifles. Do you feel strong enough to walk now, Al ? The
deeper we get into the thicket the better it will be
for us."

Albert rose slowly to his feet, rocked a little, and
then stood straight.

Only a few flashes were appearing now in the pass.
Dick knew too well who had been victorious. The battle
over, the Sioux would presently be ranging for strag
glers and for plunder. He put one arm under Albert,
while he carried both of the rifles himself. They walked
on through the thicket and the night gradually dark
ened. The silvery quality was gone from the air, and
the two boys were glad. It would not be easy to find
them now. In the pass both the firing and the long,
whining whoop ceased entirely. The flashes of red or
blue appeared no more. Silence reigned there and in

THE PASS

the valley. Dick shivered despite himself. For the mo
ment the silence was more terrible than the noise of bat
tle had been. Black, ominous shadows seemed to float
down from the mountains, clothing all the valley. A
chill wind came up, moaning among the pines. The val
ley, so warm and beautiful in the day, now inspired Dick
with a sudden and violent repulsion. It was a hateful
place, the abode of horror and dread. He wished to
escape from it.

They crossed the thicket and came up against the
mountain wall. But it was not quite so steep as it had
/coked in the distance, and in the faint light Dick saw the
trace of a trail leading up the slope among the pines,
it was not the trail of human beings, merely a faint path
indicating that wild animals, perhaps cougars, had
passed that way.

' ' How are you feeling, Al ? " he asked, repeating his
anxious query.

" Better. My strength has come back/* replied his
brother.

" Then we'll go up the mountain. "We must get as
far away as we can from those fiends, the Sioux. Thank
God, Al, we're spared together! "

Each boy felt a moment of devout thankfulness.
They had not fallen, and they were there together ! Each
also thought of the singular message that Bright Sun
had given to them, but neither spoke of it.

They climbed for more than half an hour in silence,
save for an occasional whisper. The bushes helped Al
bert greatly. He pulled himself along by means of
them, and now and then the two boys stopped that he

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

might rest. He was still excited under the influence of
the night, the distant battle, and their peril, and he
breathed in short gasps, but did not faint again. Dick
thrust his arm at intervals under his brother's and
helped him in the ascent.

After climbing a quarter of an hour, they stopped
longer than usual and looked down at the pass, which
Dick reckoned should now be almost beneath them.
They heard the faint sound of a shot, saw a tiny beam
of red appear, then disappear, and after that there was
only silence and blank darkness.

" It's all over now/' whispered Albert, and it was a
whisper not of caution, but of awe.

" Yes, it's all over," Dick said in the same tone.
" It's likely, Al, that you and I alone out of all that
train are alive. Con way and all the others are gone."

" Except Bright Sun," said Albert.

The two boys looked at each other again, but said
nothing. They then resumed their climbing, finding it
easier this time. They reached a height at which the
undergrowth ceased, but the pines, growing almost in
ordered rows, stretched onward and upward. Dick sent
occasional glances toward the pass, but the darkness
there remained unbroken. Every time he turned his
eyes that way he seemed to be looking into a black wefl
•of terror.

;

Both Dick and Albert, after the first hour of ascent,
had a feeling of complete safety. The Sioux, occupied
with their great ambush and victory, would not know
there had been two stragglers behind the train, and even
had they known, to search for them among the dense

THE PASS

forests of distant mountain slopes would be a futile task.
Dick's mind turned instead to the needs of their situa
tion, and he began to appreciate the full danger and
hardship of it.

Albert and he were right in feeling thankful that
they were spared together, although they were alone in
the wilderness in every sense of the word. It was hun
dreds of miles north, east, south, and west to the habi
tations of white men. Before them, fold on fold, lay
unknown mountains, over which only hostile savages
roamed. Both he and Albert had good rifles and belts
full of cartridges, but that was all. It was a situation
to daunt the most fearless heart, and the shiver that sud
denly ran over Dick did not come from the cold of the
night.

They took a long rest in a little clump of high pines
and saw a cold, clear moon come out in the pale sky.
They felt the awful sense of desolation and loneliness, for
it seemed to them that the moon was looking down on an
uninhabited world in which only they were left. They
heard presently little rustlings in the grass, and thought
at first it was another ambush, though they knew upon
second thought that it was wild creatures moving on the
mountain side.

" Come, Al," said Dick. " Another half hour will
put us on top of the ridge, and then I think it will be safe
for us to stop."

" I hope they'll be keeping a good room for us at the
hotel up there," said Albert wanly.

Dick tried to laugh, but it was a poor imitation and
he gave it up.

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

" We may find some sort of a sheltered nook/' he
said hopefully.

Dick had become conscious that it was cold, since
the fever in his blood was dying down. Whenever they
stopped and their bodies relaxed, they suffered from
chill. He was deeply worried about Albert, who was
in no condition to endure exposure on a bleak mountain,
and wished now for the buffalo robe they had regarded
as such a fine trophy.

They reached the crest of the ridge in a half hour,
as Dick had expected, and looking northward in the
moonlight saw the dim outlines of other ridges and
peaks in a vast, intricate maze. A narrow, wooded val
ley seemed to occupy the space between the ridge on
which they stood and the next one parallel to it to the
northward.

' ' It ought to be a good place down there to hide and
rest/' said Albert.

" I think you're right, " said Dick, " and we'll go
down the slope part of the way before we camp for the
night. "

They found the descent easy. It was still open forest,
mostly pine with a sprinkling of ash and oak, and it was
warmer on the northerr side, the winds having but lit
tle sweep there.

The moon became brighter, but it remained cold and
pitiless, recking nothing of the tragedy in the pass. It
gave Dick a chill to look at it. But he spent most of the
time watching among the trees for some sheltered spot
that Nature had made. It was over an hour before he
found it, a hollow among rocks, with dwarf pines clus-

THE PASS

tering thickly at the sides and in front. It was so well
hidden that he would have missed it had he not been
looking for just such a happy alcove, and at first he was
quite sure that some wild animal must be using it as
a den.

He poked in the barrel of his rifle, but nothing flew
out, and then, pulling back the pine boughs, he saw no
signs of a previous occupation.

" It's just waiting for us, Al, old fellow," he said
gayly, ' ' but nothing of this kind is so good that it can 't
be made better. Look at all those dead leaves over there
under the oaks. Been drying ever since last year and
fuU of warmth/*

They raked the dead leaves into the nook, covering
the floor of it thickly, and piling them up on the sides
as high as they would stay, and then they lay down in
side, letting the pine boughs in front fall back into place.
It was really warm and cozy in there for two boys who
had been living out of doors for weeks, and Dick drew a
deep, long breath of content.

" Suppose a panther should come snooping along,"
said Albert, " and think this the proper place for his
bed and board? "

" He'd never come in, don't you fear. He'd smell
us long before he got here, and then strike out in the
other direction."

Albert was silent quite a while, and as he made no
noise, Dick thought he was asleep. But Albert spoke at
last, though he spoke low and his tone was very solemn,

" Dick," he said, " we've really got a lot to be
thankful for. You know that."

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

** I certainly do," said Dick with emphasis. " Now
you go to sleep, Al."

Albert was silent again, and presently his breath
ing became very steady and regular. Dick touched
him and saw that he was fast asleep. Then the older
boy took off his coat and carefully spread it on the
younger, after which he raked a great lot of the dry
leaves over himself, and soon he, too, was sound
asleep.

Dick awoke far in the night and stirred in his bed
of leaves. But the movement caused him a little pain,
and he wondered dimly, because he had not yet fully
come through the gates of sleep, and he did not remem
ber where he was or what had happened. A tiny shaft
of pale light fell on his forehead, and he looked up
through pine branches. It was the moon that sent the
beam down upon him, but he could see nothing else.
He stirred again and the little pain returned. Then all
of it came back to him.

Dick reached out his hand and touched Albert. His
brother was sleeping soundly, and he was still warm, the
coat having protected him. But Dick was cold, despite
the pines, the rocks, and the leaves. It was the cold
that had caused the slight pain in his joints when he
moved, but he rose softly lest he wake Albert, and
slipped outside, standing in a clear space between the
pines.

The late moon was of uncommon brilliancy. It
seemed a molten mass of burnished silver, and its light
fell over forest and valley, range and peak. The trees
on the slopes stood out like lacework, but far down in

THE PASS

the valley the light seemed to shimmer like waves on a
sea of silver mist. It was all inexpressibly cold, and of a
loneliness that was uncanny. Nothing stirred, not a
twig, not a blade of grass. It seemed to Dick that
if even a leaf fell on the far side of the mountain he
could hear it. It was a great, primeval world, voice
less and unpeopled, brooding in a dread and mystic
silence.

Dick shivered. He had shivered often that night,
but now the chill went to the marrow. It was the chill
the first man must have felt when he was driven from
the garden and faced the globe-girdling forest. He came
back to the rock covert and leaned over until he could
hear his brother breathing beneath the pine boughs.
Then he felt the surge of relief, of companionship — after
all, he was not alone in the wilderness! — and returned
to the clear space between the pines. There he walked
up and down briskly, swinging his arms, exercising all
his limbs, until the circulation was fully restored and he
was warm again.

Dick felt the immensity of the problem that lay be
fore him — one that he alone must solve if it were to be
solved at all. He and Albert had escaped the massacre,
but how were they to live in that wilderness of moun
tains? It was not alone the question of food. How
were they to save themselves from death by exposure?
Those twinges in his knees had been warning signs.
Oddly enough, his mind now fastened upon one thing.
He was longing for the lost buffalo robe, his first great
prize. It had been so large and so warm, and the fur
was so soft. It would cover both Albert and himself,

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

and keep them warm on the coldest night. If they only
had it now! He thought more of that robe just then
than he did of the food that they would need in the
morning. Cast forth upon a primeval world, this
first want occupied his mind to the exclusion of all
others.

He returned to the rocky alcove presently, and lay
down again. He was too young and too healthy to re^
main awake long, despite the full measure of their situ
ation, and soon he slept soundly once more. He was
first to awake in the morning, and the beam that struck
upon his forehead was golden instead of silver. It was
warm, too, and cheerful, and as Dick parted the
branches and looked out, he saw that the sun was riding
high. It had been daylight a full three hours at least,
but it did not matter. Time was perhaps the only com
modity of which he and Albert now had enough and
to spare.

He took his coat off Albert and put it on himself, lest
Albert might suspect, and then began to sing purposely,
with loudness and levity, an old farm rhyme that had
been familiar to the boys of his vicinity :

"Wake up, Jake, the day is breaking,
The old cow died, her tail shaking."

Albert sat up, rubbed his eyes, and stared at Dick
and the wilderness.

" Now look at him! " cried Dick. " He thinks he's
been called too early. He thinks he 'd like to sleep eight
or ten hours longer! Get up, little boy! Yes, it's

THE PASS

Christmas morning ! Come and see what good old Santa
has put in your stocking ! ' '

Albert yawned again and laughed. Really, Dick was
such a cheerful, funny fellow that he always kept one
in good spirits. Good old Dick !

" Old Santa filled our stockings, all right," contin
ued Dick, "but he was so busy cramming 'em full of
great forests and magnificent scenery that he forgot
to leave any breakfast for us, and I'm afraid we'll
have to hustle for it."

They started down the mountain slope, and presently
they came to a swift little brook, in which they bathed
their faces, removing, at the same time, fragments of
twigs and dried leaves from their hair.

" That was fine and refreshing," said Dick, " but
it doesn't fill my stomach. Al, I could bite a tenpenny
nail in half and digest both pieces, too."

" I don't care for nails," said Albert, " but I think
I could gnaw down a good-sized sapling. Hold me, Dick,
or I'll be devouring a pine tree."

Both laughed, and put as good a face on it as they
could, but they were frightfully hungry, nevertheless.
But they had grown up on farms, and they knew
that the woods must contain food of some kind or
Jther. They began a search, and after a while they
found wild plums, now ripe, which they ate freely.
Then they felt stronger and better, but, after all, it
was a light diet and they must obtain food of more
sustenance.

" There are deer, of course, in this valley, "said Dick,
fingering his rifle, ' ' and sooner or later we '11 ge£ -a shot

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

at one of them, but it may be days, and — Al — I've got
another plan."

" What is it? "

" You know, Al, that I can travel pretty fast any
where. Now those Sioux, after cutting down the train
and wiping out all the people, would naturally go away.
They'd load themselves up with spoil and scoot. But
a lot, scattered here and there, would be left behind.
Some of the teams would run away in all the shooting
and shouting. And, Al, you and I need those things!
"We must have them if we are going to live, and we both
want to live ! ' '

" Do you mean, Dick, that you're going back down
there in that awful pass ? ' '

" That's just about what I had on my mind," re
plied Dick cheerily; " and now that I've got it off, I
feel better."

11 But you can never get back alive, Dick! " ex
claimed Albert, his eyes widening in horror at the mem
ory of what they had seen and heard the night before.

' ' Get back alive ? Why, of course I will, ' ' responded
Dick. ' ' And I '11 do more than that, too. You 11 see me
come galloping up the mountain, bearing hogsheads and
barrels of provisions. But, seriously, Al, it must be
done. If I don 't go, we '11 starve to death. ' '

" Then I'm going, too."

" No, Al, old boy, you're not strong enough just yet,
though you will be soon. There are certainly no Sioux
in this little valley, and it would be well if you were to
go back up the slope and stay in the pine shelter. It's
likely that I '11 be gone nearly all day, but don 't be wor-

THE PASS

ried. You'll have one of the rifles with you, and you
know how to use it."

Albert had a clear and penetrating mind, and he saw
the truth of Dick's words. They went back up the slope,
where he crept within the pine shelter and lay down on
the leaves, while Dick went alone on his mission.

CHAPTER IV

TBEASURE-TROVfi

WHEN Dick passed the crest of the ridge and
began the descent toward the fatal pass, his
heart beat heavily. The terror and shock of
the night before, those distant shots and shouts, returned
to him, and it was many minutes before he could shake
off a dread that was almost superstitious in its nature.
But youth, health, and the sunlight conquered. The
day was uncommonly brilliant. The mountains rolled
back, green on the slopes, blue at the crests, and below
him, like a brown robe, lay the wavering plain across
which they had come.

Dick could see no sign of human life down there.
No rejoicing Sioux warrior galloped over the swells, no
echo of a triumphant war whoop came to his ear. Over
mountain and plain alike the silence of the desert
brooded. But high above the pass great black birds
wheeled on lazy pinions.

Dick believed more strongly than ever that the Sioux
had gone away. Savage tribes do not linger over a bat
tlefield that is finished; yet as he reached the bottom
of the slope his heart began to beat heavily again, and
he was loath to leave the protecting shadow of the pines.

TREASURE-TROVE

He fingered his rifle, passing his hand gently over the
barrel and the trigger. It was a fine weapon, a beautiful
weapon, and just at this moment it was a wonderful
weapon. He felt in its full force, for the first time in
his life, what the rifle meant to the pioneer.

The boy, after much hesitation and a great searching
of eye and ear, entered the pass. At once the sunlight
dimmed. Walls as straight as the side of a house rose
above him three or four hundred feet, while the distance
between was not more than thirty feet. Dwarf pines
grew here and there in the crannies of the cliffs, but
mostly the black rock showed. Dwarf pines also grew
at the bottom of the pass close to either cliff, and Dick
kept among them, bending far down and advancing very
slowly.

Fifty yards were passed, and still there was no sound
save a slight moaning through the pass, which Dick knew
•was the sigh of the wind drawn into the narrow cleft.
It made him shudder, and had he not been of uncom
mon courage he would have turned back.

He looked up. The great black birds, wheeling on
Jazy pinions, seemed to have sunk lower. That made
him shudder, too, but it was another confirmation of his
belief that all the Sioux had gone. He went eight or ten
yards farther and then stopped short. Before him lay
two dead horses and an overturned wagon. Both horses
had been shot, and were still in their gear attached to the
wagon.

Dick examined the wagon carefully, and as he yet
heard and saw no signs of a human being save himself,
his courage grew. It was a big wagon of the kind used

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

for crossing the plains, with boxes around the inside like
lockers. Almost everything of value had been taken by
the Sioux, but in one of the lockers Dick was lucky
enough to find a large, heavy, gray blanket. He rolled
it up at once, and with a strap cut from the horse 's gear
tied it on his back, after the fashion of a soldier on the
march.

" The first great treasure! " he murmured exult
antly. ' ' Now for the next ! ' '

He found in the same wagon, jammed under the
driver's seat and hidden from hasty view, about the half
of a side of bacon— ten pounds, perhaps. Dick fair^
laughed when he got his hands upon it, and he clasped
it lovingly, as if it were a ten-pound nugget of pure gold.
But it was far better than gold just then. He wrapped
it in a piece of canvas which he cut from the cover of
the wagon, and tied it on his back above the blanket.

Finding nothing more of value in the wagon, he re
sumed his progress up the pass. It was well for Dick
that he was stout-hearted, and well for him, too, that he
was driven by great need, else he would surely have
gone back.

He was now come into the thick of it. Around him
everywhere lay the fallen, and the deeds done in Indian
warfare were not lacking. Sam Conway lay upon his
side, and brutal as the man had been, Dick felt grief
when he saw him. Here were others, too, that he knew,
and he counted the bodies of the few women who had
been with the train. They had died probably in the
battle like the rest. They, like the men, had been hard
ened, rough, and coarse of speech and act, but Dick felt

TREASURE-TROVE

grief, too, when he saw them. Nearly all the animals
had been slain also in the fury of the attack, and they
were scattered far up the pass.

Dick resolutely turned his face away from the dead
and began to glean among the wagons for what the Sioux
might have left. All these wagons were built like the
first that he had searched, and he was confident that he
would find much of value. Nor was he disappointed.
He found three more blankets, and in their own wagon
the buffalo robe that he had lamented. Doubtless, its
presence there was accounted for by the fact that the
Sioux did not consider a buffalo robe a trophy of their
victory over white men.

Other treasures were several boxes of crackers,
about twenty boxes of sardines, three flasks of brandy,
suitable for illness, a heavy riding cloak, a Virginia
ham, two boxes of matches, a small iron skillet, and an
empty tin canteen. He might have searched further,
but he realized that time was passing, and that Albert
must be on the verge of starvation. He had forgotten
his own hunger in the excitement of seek and find, but
it came back now and gnawed at him fiercely. Yet he
would not touch any of the food. No matter how great
the temptation he would not take a single bite until
Albert had the same chance.

He now made all his treasures into one great package,
except the buffalo robe. That was too heavy to add to
the others, and he tied it among the boughs of a pine,
where the wolves could not reach it. Then, with the
big pack on his back, he began the return. It was more
weight than he would have liked to carry at an ordinary

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

time, but now in his elation he scarcely felt it. He went
rapidly up the slope and by the middle of the afternoon
was going down the other side.

As he approached the pine alcove he whistled a fam
iliar tune, popular at the time — " Silver Threads Among
the Gold/' He knew that Albert, if he were there —
and surely he must be there — would recognize his whistle
Said come forth. He stopped, and his heart hammered
for a moment, but Albert's whistle took up the second
line of the air and Albert himself came forth jauntily.

' * We win, Al, old boy ! ' ' called Dick. * ' Just look at
this pack! "

" I can't look at anything else," replied Albert in
the same joyful tones. " It's so big that I don't see you
under it. Dick, have you robbed a treasure ship ? ' '

" No, Al," replied Dick, very soberly, " I haven't
robbed a treasure ship, but I've been prowling with suc
cess over a lost battlefield — a ghoul I believe they call
such a person, but it had to be done. I've enough food
here to last a week at least, and we may find more."

He put down his pack and took out the bacon. As
Albert looked at it he began unconsciously to clinch
and unclinch his teeth. Dick saw his face, and, knowing
that the same eager look was in his own, he laughed a
little.

" Al," he said, " you and I know now how wolves
often feel, but we're not going to behave like wolves.
"We're going to light a fire and cook this bacon. We'll
take the risk of the flame or the smoke being seen by
Sioux. In so vast a country the chances are all in our
favor."

TREASURE-TROVE

They gathered up pine cones and other fallen wood,
and with the help of the matches soon had a fire. Then
they cut strips of bacon and fried them on the ends of
sharpened sticks, the sputter making the finest music in
their ears.

Never before had either tasted food so delicious, and
they ate strip after strip. Dick noticed with pleasure
how the color came into Albert's cheeks, and how his
eyes began to sparkle. Sleeping under the pines seemed
to have benefited instead of injuring him, and certainly
there was a wonderful healing balm in the air of that
pine-clad mountain slope. Dick could feel it himself.
How strong he was after eating! He shook his big
shoulders.

' * What are you bristling up about ? ' ' asked Albert.

' ' Merely getting ready to start again, ' ' replied Dick.
" You know the old saying, Al, ' youVe got to hit while
the iron's hot.' More treasure is down there in the pass,
but if we wait it won't stay there. Everything that we
get now is worth more to us than diamonds."

" It's so," said Albert, and then he sighed sadly as
he added, ' ' How I wish I were strong enough to go with
you and help ! ' '

11 Just you wait," said Dick. " You'll be as strong
as a horse in a month, and then you'll have to do all
the work and bring me my breakfast in the morning
as I lie in bed. Besides, you'd have to stay here and
guard the treasure that we already have. Better get into
the pine den. Bears and wolves may be drawn by the
scent of the food, and they might think of attacking

yon."

THE LAST OP THE CHIEFS

They put out the fire, and while Albert withdrew
into the pine shelter, Dick started again over the moun
tain. The sun was setting blood red in the west, and in
the east the shadows of twilight were advancing. It
required a new kind of courage to enter the pass in the
night, and Dick's shudders returned. At certain times
there is something in the dark that frightens the bravest
and those most used to it.

Dick hurried. He knew the way down the mountain
now, and after the food and rest he was completely re
freshed. But fast as he went the shadows of twilight
came faster, and when he reached the bottom of the
mountain it was quite dark. The plain before him was
invisible, and the forest on the slope behind him was a
solid robe of black.

Dick set foot in the pass and then stopped. It was
not dread but awe that thrilled him in every vein. He
saw nothing before him but the well of darkness that was
the great slash in the mountains. The wind, caught be
tween the walls, moaned as in the day, and he knew per
fectly well what it was, but it had all the nature of a
dirge, nevertheless. Overhead a few dim stars wavered
in a dusky sky.

Dick forced himself to go on. It required now moral,
as well as physical, courage to approach that lost battle
field lying under its pall of night. Never was the boy
a greater hero than at that moment. He advanced
slowly. A bush caught him by the coat and held him
an instant. He felt as if he had been seized in a
man's grasp. He reached the first wagon, and it seemed
to him, broken and rifled, an emblem of desolation. As

TREASURE-TROVE

he passed it a strange, low, whining cry made his back
bone turn to ice. But he recovered and forced an uneasy
little laugh at himself. It was only a wolf, the mean
eoyote of the prairies !

He came now into the space where the mass of the
wagons and the fallen lay. Dark figures, low and skulk
ing, darted away. More wolves! But one, a huge tim
ber wolf, with a powerful body and long fangs, stood
up boldly and stared at him with red eyes. Dick 's own
eyes were used to the darkness now, and he stared back
at the wolf, which seemed to be giving him a challenge.
He half raised his rifle, but the monster did not move.
It was a stranger to guns, and this wilderness was its
own,

It was Dick's first impulse to fire at the space be
tween the red eyes, but he restrained it. He had not
come there to fight with wolves, nor to send the report
of a shot through the mountains. He picked up a stone
and threw it at the wolf, striking him on the flank. The
monster turned and stalked sullenly away, showing but
little sign of fear. Dick pursued his task, and as he ad
vanced something rose and, flapping heavily, sailed
away. The shiver came again, but his will stopped it.

He was now in the center of the wreckage, which
in the darkness looked as if it had all happened long ago.
Nearly every wagon had been turned over, and now and
then dark forms lay between the wheels. The wind
moaned incessantly down the pass and over the ruin.

Overcoming his repulsion, Dick went to work. The
moxm was now coming out and he could see well enough
for his task. There was still much gleaning left by the

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

quick raiders, and everything would be of use to Albert
and himself, even to the very gear on the fallen animals.
He cut off a great quantity of this at once and put it in a
heap at the foot of the cliff. Then he invaded the wagons
and again brought forth treasures better than gold.

He found in one side box some bottles of medicine,
the simple remedies of the border, which he packed very
carefully, and in another he discovered half a sack of
flour— fifty pounds, perhaps. A third rewarded him
with a canister of tea and a twenty-pound bag of ground
coffee. He clutched these treasures eagerly. They
would be invaluable to Albert.

Continuing his search, he was rewarded with two
pairs of heavy shoes, an ax, a hatchet, some packages of
pins, needles, and thread, and a number of cooking uten
sils—pots, kettles, pans, and skillets. Just as he was
about to quit for the purpose of making up his pack,
he noticed in one of the wagons a long, narrow locker
made into the side and fastened with a stout padlock.
The wagon had been plundered, but evidently the Sioux
had balked at the time this stout box would take for
opening, and had passed on. Dick, feeling sure that it
must contain something of value, broke the padlock with
the head of the ax. When he looked in he uttered a
cry of delight at his reward.

He brought forth from the box a beautiful double-
barreled breech-loading shotgun, and the bounty of
chance did not stop with the gun, for in the locker were
over a thousand cartridges to fit it. Dick foresaw at once
that it would be invaluable to Albert and himself in the
pursuit of wild ducks, wild geese, and other feathered

TREASURE-TROVE

game. He removed some of the articles from his pack,
which was already heavy enough, and put the shotgun
and cartridges in their place. Then he set forth on the
return journey.

As he left the wagons and went toward the mouth of
the pass, he heard soft, padding sounds behind him, and
knew that the wolves were returning, almost on his heels.
He looked back once, and saw a pair of fiery red eyes
which he felt must belong to the monster, the timber
wolf, but Dick was no longer under the uncanny spell
of the night and the place; he was rejoicing too much
in his new treasures, like a miser who has just added
a great sum to his hoard, to feel further awe of the
wolves, the darkness, and a new battlefield.

Dick's second pack was heavier than his first, but as
before, he trod lightly. He took a different path when
he left the pass, and here in the moonlight, which was
now much brighter, he saw the trace of wheels on the
earth. The trace ran off irregularly through the short
bushes and veered violently to and fro like the path of
a drunken man. Dick inferred at once that it had been
made, not by a wagon entering the pass, but by one leav
ing it, and in great haste. No doubt the horses or mules
had been running away in fright at the firing.

Dick's curiosity was excited. He wished to see what
had become of that wagon. The trail continued to lead
through the short bushes that covered the plain just
before entering the pass, and then turned off sharply to
the right, where it led to an abrupt little canyon or
gully about ten feet deep. The gully also was lined with
bushes, and at first Dick could see nothing else, but

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

presently he made out a wagon lying on its side. No
horses or mules were there ; undoubtedly, they had torn
themselves loose from the gear in time to escape the fall.

Dick laid down his pack and descended to the wagon.
He believed that in such a place it had escaped the plun
dering hands of the hasty Sioux, and his belief was cor
rect. The wagon, a large one, was loaded with all the
articles necessary for the passage of the plains. Al
though much tossed about by the fall, nothing was hurt.

Here was a treasure-trove, indeed! Dick's sudden
sense of wealth was so overpowering that he felt a great
embarrassment. How was he to take care of such riches ?
He longed at that moment for the strength of twenty
men, that he might take it all at once and go over the
mountain to Albert.

It was quite a quarter of an hour before he was able
to compose himself thoroughly. Then he made a hasty
examination of the wagon, so far as its position allowed.
He found in it a rifle of the same pattern as that used
by Albert and himself, a sixteen-shot repeater, the most
advanced weapon of the time, and a great quantity of
cartridges to fit. There was also two of the new revol
vers, with sufficient cartridges, another ax, hatchets, saws,
hammers, chisels, and a lot of mining tools. The remain
ing space in the wagon was occupied by clothing, bed
ding, provisions, and medicines.

Dick judged that the wolves could not get at the
wagon as it lay, and leaving it he began his third ascent
of the slope. He found Albert sound asleep in the pine
alcove with his rifle beside him. He looked so peaceful
that Dick was careful not to awaken him. He stnred the

TREASURE-TROVE

second load of treasure in the alcove, and, wrapping
one of the heavy blankets around himself, slept heavily.

He told Albert the next day of the wagon in the
gully, and nothing could keep him from returning in the
morning for salvage. He worked there two or three
days, carrying heavy loads up the mountain, and finally,
when it was all in their den, he and Albert felt equipped
for anything. Nor had the buffalo robe been neglected.
It was spread over much of the treasure. Albert, mean
while, had assumed the functions of cook, and he dis
charged them with considerable ability. His strength
was quite sufficient to permit of his collecting firewood,
and he could fry bacon and make coffee and tea beauti
fully. But they were very sparing of the coffee and
tea, as they also were of the flour, although their supplies
of all three of these were greatly increased by the wagon
in the gully. In fact, the very last thing that Dick had
brought over the mountain was a hundred-pound sack
of flour, and after accomplishing this feat he had rested
a long time.

Both boys felt that they had been remarkably for
tunate while this work was going on. One circumstance,
apparently simple in itself, had been a piece of great
luck, and that was the absence of rain. It was not a
particularly rainy country, but a shower could have
made them thoroughly miserable, and, moreover, would
have been extremely dangerous for Albert. But nights
and days alike remained dry and cool, and as Albert
breathed the marvelous balsamic air he could almost feel
himself transfused with its healing property.
while, the color in his cheeks was steadily deepening.

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

'• "We've certainly had good for tune, " said Dick.

" Aided by your courage and strength/' said Albert,
" It took a lot of nerve to go down there in that pass
and hunt for what the Sioux might have left behind.'*

Dick disclaimed any superior merit, but he said noth
ing of the many tremors that he felt while performing
the great task.

An hour or two later, Albert, who was hunting
through their belongings, uttered a cry of joy on finding
a little package of fishhooks. String they had among
their stores, and it was easy enough to cut a slim rod for
a pole.

" Now I can be useful for something besides cook
ing/' he said. " It doesn't require any great strength
to be a fisherman, and I'm much mistaken if I don't
soon have our table supplied with trout."

There was a swift creek farther down the slope, and,
angling with much patience, Albert succeeded in catch
ing several mountain trout and a larger number of fish
of an unknown species, but which, like the trout, were
very good to eat.

Albert's exploit caused him intense satisfaction, and
Dick rejoiced with him, not alone because of the fish, but
also because of his brother's triumph.

CHAPTER V

THE LOST VALLEY

THEY spent a week on the slope, sleeping securely
and warmly under their blankets in the pine al
cove, and fortune favored them throughout that
time. It did not rain once, and there was not a sign of
the Sioux. Dick did not revisit the pass after the first
three days, and he knew that the wolves and buzzards
had been busy there. But he stripped quite clean the
wagon which had fallen in the gully, even carrying
away the canvas cover, which was rainproof. Albert
wondered that the Sioux had not returned, but Dhk
had a very plausible theory to account for it.

" The Sioux are making war upon our people/' he
said, " and why should they stay around here? They
have cut off what is doubtless the first party entering
this region in a long time, and now they have gone east
ward to meet our troops. Besides, the Sioux are mostly
plains Indians, and they won't bother much about these
mountains. Other Indians, through fear of the Sioux,
will not come and live here, which accounts fof this
region being uninhabited. ' '

" Still, a wandering band of Sioux might come
through at any time and see TIS," said Albert.

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

" That's so, and for other reasons, too, we must move.
It's mighty fine, Al, sleeping out in the open \7hen the
weather's dry and not too cold, but I've read that the
winter in the northwestern mountains is something ter
rible, and we've got to prepare for it."

It was Dick's idea to go deeper into the mountains.
He knew very well that the chance of their getting out
before spring was too slender to be considered, and he
believed that they could find better shelter and a more
secure hiding place farther in. So he resolved upon a
journey of exploration, and though Albert was now
stronger, he must go alone. It was his brother's duty to
remain and guard their precious stores. Already bears
and mountain lions, drawn by the odors of the food, had
come snuffing about the alcove, but they always retreated
from the presence of either o£ the brothers. One huge
silver tip had come rather alarmingly close, but when
Dick shouted at him he, too, turned and lumbered off
among the pines.

" What you want to guard against, Al," said Dick,
" is thieves rather than robbers. Look out for the
sneaks. "We'll fill the canteen and all our iron vessels
with water so that you won't have to go even to the
brook. Then you stay right here by the fire in the day
time, and in the den at night. You can keep a bed of
coals before the den when you're asleep, and no wil<?
animal will ever come past it."

" All right, Dick," said Albert courageously; " but
don't you get lost over there among those ranges and
peaks."

" I couldn't do it if I tried," replied Dick in the
70

THE LOST VALLEY

same cheerful tone. " You don't know what a woods
man and mountaineer I've become, Al, old boy! n

Albert smiled. Yet each boy felt the full gravity of
the occasion when the time for Dick's departure came,
at dawn of a cool morning, gleams of silver frost show
ing here and there on the slopes. Both knew the neces
sity of the journey, however, and hid their feelings.

" Be back to-morrow night, Al/' said Dick.

* ' Be ready for you, Dick, ' ' said Albert.

Then they waved their hands to each other, and Dick
strode away toward the higher mountains. He was well
armed, carrying his repeating rifle and the large hunting
knife which was useful for so many purposes. He had
also thrust one of the revolvers into his belt.

Flushed with youth and strength, and equipped with
such good weapons, he felt able to take care of himself
in any company into which he might be thrown.

He reached the bottom of the slope, and looking back,
saw Albert standing on a fallen log. His brother was
watching him and waved his hand. Dick waved his in
reply, and then, crossing the creek, began the ascent of
the farther slope. There the pines and the distance ren
dered the brothers invisible to each other, and Dick
pressed on with vigor. His recent trips over the lower
slopes for supplies had greatly increased his skill in
mountain climbing, and he did not suffer from weari
ness. Up, up, he went, and the pines grew shorter and
scrubbier. But the thin, crisp air was a sheer delight,
and he felt an extraordinary pleasure in mere living.

Dick looked back once from the heights toward the
spot where their camp lay and saw lying against the

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

blue a thin gray thread that only the keenest eye would
notice. He knew it to be the smoke from Albert's fire
and felt sure that all was well.

While the slope which he was ascending was fairly
steep, it was easy enough to find a good trail among
the pines. There was little undergrowth and the ascent
was not rocky. "When Dick stood at last on the crest of
the ridge he uttered a cry of delight and amazement.

The slope on which he stood was merely a sort of gate
to the higher mountains, or rather it was a curtain hid
ing the view.

Before him, range on range and peak on peak, lay
mighty mountains, some of them shooting up almost
three miles above the sea, their crests and heads hid in
eternal snow. Far away to northward and westward
stretched the tremendous maze, and it seemed to Dick to
have no end. A cold, dazzling sunlight poured in floods
over the snowy summits, and he felt a great sense of
awe. It was all so grand, so silent, and so near to the
Infinite. He saw the full majesty of the world and of
the Power that had created it. For a little while his
mission and all human passions and emotions floated
away from him; he was content merely to stand there,
without thinking, but to feel the immensity and majesty
of it all.

Dick presently recovered himself and with a little
laugh came back to earth. But he was glad to have had
those moments. He began the descent, which was
rougher and rockier than the ascent had been, but the
prospect was encouraging. The valley between the ridge
on the slope of which he stood and the higher one beyond

THE LOST VALLEY

it seemed narrow, but he believed that he would find in
it the shelter and hiding that he and Albert wished.

As he went down the slope became steeper, but once
more the pines, sheltered from the snows and cruel
winds, grew to a great size. There was also so much
outcropping of rock that Dick was hopeful of finding
another alcove deep enough to be converted into a house.

When nearly down, he caught a gleam among the
trees that he knew was water, and again he was encour
aged. Here was a certainty of one thing that was an
absolute necessity. Soon he was in the valley, which he
found exceedingly narrow and almost choked with a
growth of pine, ash, and aspen, a tiny brook flowing
down its center. He was tired and warm from the long
descent and knelt down and drank from the brook. Its
waters were as cold as ice, flowing down from the crest
of one of the great peaks clad, winter and summer, in
snow.

Dick followed the brook for fully a mile, seeking
everywhere a suitable place in which he and his brother
might make a home, but he found none. The valley re
sembled in most of its aspects a great canyon, and all
the fertile earth on either side of the brook was set
closely with pine, ash, and aspen. These would form
a shelter from winds, but they would not protect from
rain and the great colds and snows of the high Rockies.

Dick noticed many footprints of animals at the mar
gin of the stream, some of great size, which he had no
doubt were made by grizzlies or silver tips. He also
believed that the beaver might be found farther down
along this cold and secluded water, but he was not in-

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

terested greatly just then in animals; he was seeking
for that most necessary of all things — something that
must be had — a home.

It seemed to him at the end of his estimated mile
that the brook was going to flow directly into the moun
tain which rose before him many hundreds of feet; but
when he came to the rocky wall he found that the valley
turned off at a sharp angle to the left, and the stream,
of course, followed it, although it now descended more
rapidly, breaking three times into little foamy falls five
or six feet in height. Then another brook came from
a deep cleft between the mountains on the eastern side
and swelled with its volume the main stream, which now
became a creek.

The new valley widened out to a width of perhaps a
quarter of a mile, although the rocky walls on either
side rose to a great height and were almost precipitous.
Springs flowed from these walls and joined the creek.
Some of them came down the face of the cliffs in little
cascades of foam and vapor, but others spouted from the
base of the rock. Dick knelt down to drink from one
of the latter, but as his face approached the water he
jumped away. He dipped up a little of it in his soft
hat and tasted it. It was brackish and almost boiling
hot.

Dick was rather pleased at the discovery. A bitter
and hot spring might be very useful. He had imbibed
— like many others— from the teaching of his childhood
that any bitter liquid was good for you. As he advanced
farther the valley continued to spread out It was now
perhaps a half mile in width, and well \vt>oded. The

THE LOST VALLEY

creek became less turbulent, flowing with a depth of
several feet in a narrow channel.

The whole aspect of the valley so far had been that
of a wilderness uninhabited and unvisited. A mule deer
looked curiously at Dick, then walked away a few paces
and stood there. When Dick glanced back his deership
was still curious and gazing. A bear crashed through a
thicket, stared at the boy with red eyes, then rolled lan
guidly away. Dick was quick to interpret these signs.
They were unfamiliar with human presence, and he was
cheered by the evidence. Yet at the end of another hun
dred yards of progress he sank down suddenly among
some bushes and remained perfectly silent, but intently
watchful.

He had seen a column of smoke rising above the pines
and aspens. Smoke meant fire, fire meant human beings,
and human beings, in that region, meant enemies. He
had no doubt that Sioux were at the foot of that column
of smoke. It was a tragic discovery. He was looking
for a home for Albert and himself somewhere in this
valley, but there could be no home anywhere near the
Sioux. He and his brother must turn in another direc
tion, and with painful effort lug their stores over the
ridges.

But Dick was resolved to see. There were great
springs of courage and tenacity in his nature, and he
wished, moreover, to prove his new craft as a woodsman
and mountaineer. He remained awhile in the bushes,
watching the spire, and presently, to his amazement, it
thinned quickly and then was gone. It had disappeared
swiftly, while the smoke from a fire usually dies down.

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

It was Dick's surmise that the Sioux had put out their
fire by artificial means and then had moved on. Such
an act would indicate a fear of observation, and his
curiosity increased greatly.

But Dick did not forget his caution. He crouched
in the bushes for quite a while yet, watching the place
inhere the smoke had been, but the sky remained clear
and undefiled. He heard nothing and saw nothing but
the lonely valley. At last he crept forward slowly, and
with the greatest care, keeping among the bushes and
treading very softly. He advanced in this manner three
or four hundred yards, to the very point which must
have been the base of the spire of smoke — he had marked
it so well that he could not be mistaken — and from his
leafy covert saw a large open space entirely destitute of
vegetation. He expected to see there also the remains of
a camp fire, but none was visible, not a single charred
stick, nor a coal.

Dick was astonished. A new and smoking camp fire
must leave some trace. One could not wipe it away
Absolutely. He remained a comparatively long time,
watching in the edge of the bushes beside the wide and
open space.

He still saw and heard nothing. Never before had a
camp fire vanished so mysteriously and completely, and
#ith it those who had built it. At last, his curiosity
overcoming his caution, he advanced into the open space,
and now saw that it fell away toward the center. Ad
vancing more boldly, he found himself near the edge of
a deep pit.

The pit was almost perfectly round and had a diam-
76

THE LOST VALLEY

eter of about ten feet. So far as Dick could judge, it
was about forty feet deep and entirely empty. It looked
like a huge well dug by the hand of man.

While Dick was gazing at the pit, an extraordinary
and terrifying thing happened. The earth under his feet
began to shake. At first he could not believe it, but
when he steadied himself and watched closely, the oscil
lating motion was undoubtedly there. It was accom
panied, too, by a rumble, dull and low, but which stead
ily grew louder. It seemed to Dick that the round pit
was the center of this sound.

Despite the quaking of the earth, he ventured again
into the open space and saw that the pit had filled with
water. Moreover, this water was boiling, as he could
see it seething and bubbling. As he looked, clouds of
steam shot up to a height of two or three hundred feet,
and Dick, in alarm, ran back to the bushes. He knew
that this was the column of vapor he had first seen from
a distance, but he was not prepared for what followed.

There was an explosion so loud that it made Dick
jump. Then a great column of water shot up from the
boiling pit to a height of perhaps fifty feet, and re
mained there rising and falling. From the apex of this
column several great jets rose, perhaps, three times as
high.

The column of hot water glittered and shimmered in
the sun, and Dick gazed in wonder and delight. He had
read enough to recognize the phenomenon that he now
saw. It was a geyser, a column of hot water shooting up,
at regular intervals and with great force, from the un
known deeps of the earth.

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

As he gazed, the column gradually sank, the boiling
water in the pit sank, too, and there was no longer any
rumble or quaking of the earth. Dick cautiously ap
proached the pit again. It was as empty as a dry well,
but he knew that in due time the phenomenon would be
repeated. He was vastly interested, but he did not wait
to see the recurrence of the marvel, continuing his way
-down the valley over heaps of crinkly black slag and
stone, which were age-old lava, although he did not know
it, and through groves of pine and ash, aspen, and cedar.
He saw other round pits and watched a second
geyser in eruption. He saw, too, numerous hot springs,
and much steamy vapor floating about. There were also
mineral springs and springs of the clearest and purest
cold water. It seemed to Dick that every minute of his
wanderings revealed to him some new and interesting
sight, while on all sides of the little valley rose the
mighty mountains, their summits in eternal snow.

A great relief was mingled with the intense interest
that Dick felt. He had been sure at first that he saw the
camp fires of the Sioux, but after the revulsion it seemed
as if it were a place never visited by man, either savage
or civilized. As he continued down the valley, he noticed
narrow clefts in the mountains opening into them from
either side, but he felt sure from the nature of the coun
try that they could not go back far. The clefts were
four in number, and down two of them came consider
able streams of clear, cold water emptying into the main
creek.

The valley now narrowed again and Dick heard ahead
a slight humming sound which presently grew into a

THE LOST VALLEY

roar. He was puzzled at first, but soon divined the cause.
The creek, or rather little river, much increased in vol
ume by the tributary brooks, made a great increase of
speed in its current. Dick saw before him a rising col
umn of vapor and foam, and in another minute or two
stood beside a fine fall, where the little river took a
sheer drop of forty feet, then rushed foaming and boil
ing through a narrow chasm, to empty about a mile far
ther on into a beautiful blue lake.

Dick, standing on a high rock beside the fall, could
see the lake easily. Its blue was of a deep, splendid tint,
and on every side pines and cedars thickly clothed the
narrow belt of ground between it and the mountains.
The far end seemed to back up abruptly against a
mighty range crowned with snow, but Dick felt sure that
an outlet must be there through some cleft in the range.
The lake itself was of an almost perfect crescent shape,
and Dick reckoned its length at seven miles, with a great
est breadth, that is, at the center, of about two miles.
He judged, too, from its color and its position in a
fissure that its depth must be very great.

The surface of the lake lay two or three hundred feet
lower than the rock on which Dick was standing, and he
could see its entire expanse, rippling gently under the
wind and telling only of peace and rest. Flocks of wild
fowl flew here and there, showing white or black against
the blue of its waters, and at the nearer shore Dick
thought he saw an animal like a deer drinking, but the
distance was too great to tell certainly.

He left the rock and pursued his way through dwarf
pines and cedars along the edge of the chasm in which

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

the torrent boiled and foamed, intending to go down to
the lake. Halfway he stopped, startled by a long, shrill,
whistling sound that bore some resemblance to the shriek
of a distant locomotive. The wilderness had been so
silent before that the sound seemed to fill all the valley,
-the ridges taking it up and giving it back in one echo
after another until it died away among the peaks. In a
minute or so the whistling shriek was repeated and then
two or three times more.

Dick was not apprehensive. It was merely a new
wonder in that valley of wonders, and none of these
wonders seemed to have anything to do with man. The
sound apparently came from a point two or three hun
dred yards to his left at the base of the mountain, and
turning, Dick went toward it, walking very slowly and
carefully through the undergrowth. He had gone al
most the whole distance seeing nothing but the moun
tain and the forest, when the whistling shriek was sud
denly repeated so close to him that he jumped. He
sank down behind a dwarf pine, and then he saw not
thirty feet away the cause of the sound.

A gigantic deer, a great grayish animal, stood in a
little op'en space, and at intervals emitted that tremen
dous whistle. It stood as high as a horse, and Dick esti
mated its weight at more than a thousand pounds. He
was looking at a magnificent specimen of the Rocky
Mountain elk, by far the largest member of the deer
tribe that he had ever seen. The animal, the wind blow
ing from him toward Dick, was entirely unsuspicious of
danger, and the boy could easily have put a bullet into
his heart, but he had no desire to do so. Whether the

THE LOST VALLEY

elk was whistling to his mate or sending a challenge to
a rival bull he did not know, and after watching and
admiring him for a little while he crept away.

But Dick was not wholly swayed by sentiment. He
said to himself as he went away among the pines:
* ' Don 't you feel too safe, Mr. Elk, we '11 have to take you
or some of your brethren later on. I've heard that elk
meat is good."

He resumed his journey and was soon at the edge of
the lake, which at this point had a narrow sandy mar
gin. Its waters wei-e fresh and cold, and wold duck,
fearless of Dick, swam within a few yards of him. The
view here was not less majestic and beautiful than it had
been from the rock, and Dick, sensitive to nature, was
steeped in all its wonder and charm. He was glad to be
there, he was glad that chance or Providence had led
him to this lovely valley. He felt no loneliness, no fear
for the future, he was content merely to breathe and feel
the glory of it permeate his being.

He picked up a pebble presently and threw it into
the lake. It sank with the sullen plunk that told unmis
takably to the boy's ears of great depths below. Once
or twice he saw a fish leap up, and it occurred to him
that here was another food supply.

He suddenly pulled himself together with a jerk.
He could not sit there all day dreaming. He had come
to find a winter home for Albert and himself, and he
had not yet found it. But he had a plan from which
he had been turned aside for a while by the sight of the
lake, and now he went back to carry it out.

There were two clefts opening into the mountains
81

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

from his side of the river, and he went into the first on
the return path. It was choked with pine and cedars
and quickly ended against a mountain wall, proving to
be nothing but a very short canyon. There was much
outcropping of rock here, but nothing that would help
toward a shelter, and Dick went on to the second cleft.

This cleft, wider than the other, was the one down
which the considerable brook flowed, and the few yards
or so of fertile ground on either side of the stream pro
duced a rank growth of trees. They were so thick that
the boy could see only a little distance ahead, but he
believed that this slip of a tributary valley ran far back
in the mountains, perhaps a dozen miles.

He picked his way about a mile and then came sud
denly upon a house. It stood in an alcove protected by
rocks and trees, but safe from snow slide. It was only
a log hut of one room, with the roof broken in and the
door fallen from its hinges, but Dick knew well enough
the handiwork of the white man. As he approached,
some wild animal darted out of the open door and
crashed away among the undergrowth, but Dick knew
that white men had once lived there. It was equally evi
dent that they had long been gone.

It was a cabin of stout build, its thick logs fitted
nicely together, and the boards of the roof had been
strong and well laid. Many years must have passed to
have caused so much decay. Dick entered and was sa
luted by a strong, catlike odor. Doubtless a mountain
lion had been sleeping there, and this was the tenant
that he had heard crashing away among the under
growth. On one side was a window closed by a sagging

THE LOST VALLEY

oaken shutter, which. Dick threw open. The open door
and window established a draught, and as the dean,
sweet air blew through the cabin the odor of the cat be
gan to disappear.

Dick examined everything with the greatest interest
and curiosity. There was a floor of puncheons fairly
smooth, a stone fireplace, a chimney of mud and sticks,
dusty wooden hooks, and rests nailed into the wall, a
rude table overturned in a corner, and something that
looked like a trap. It was the last that told the tale
to Dick. "When he examined it more critically, he had
no doubt that it was a beaver trap.

Nor did he have any doubt but that this hut had
been built by beaver trappers long ago, either by inde
pendent hunters, or by those belonging to one of the
great fur companies. The beaver, he believed, had been
found on this very brook, and when they were all taken
the trappers had gone away, leaving the cabin forever,
as they had left many another one. It might be at least
forty years old.

Dick laughed aloud in his pleasure at this good luck.
The cabin was dusty, dirty, disreputable, and odorous,
but that draught would take away all the odors and his
stout arm could soon repair the holes in the roof, put the
door back on its hinges, and straighten the sagging win
dow shutter. Here was their home, a house built by
white men as a home, and now about to be used as such
again. Dick did not feel like a tenant moving in, but
like an owner. It would be a long, hard task to bring
their supplies over the range, but Albert and he had all
the time in the world. It was one of the effects of their

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

isolation to make Dick feel that there was no such thing
as time.

He took another survey of the cabin. It was really
a splendid place, a palace in its contrast with the
surrounding wilderness, and he laughed with pure de
light. When it was swept and cleaned, and a fire was
blazing on the flat stone that served for a hearth, while
the cold winds roared without, it would be the snuggest
home west of the Missouri. He was so pleased that he
undertook at once some primary steps in the process of
purification. He cut a number of small, straight boughs,
tied them together with a piece of bark, the leaves at the
head thus forming a kind of broom, and went to work.

He raised a great dust, which the draught blew into
his eyes, ears, and nose, and he retreated from the place,
willing to let the wind take it away. He would finish the
task some other day. Then the clear waters of the brook
tempted him. Just above the cabin was a deep pool
which may have been the home of the beaver in an
older time. Now it was undisturbed, and the waters
were so pure that he could see the sand and rock on
the bottom.

Still tingling from the dust, he took off his clothes
and dived head foremost into the pool. He came up
shivering and sputtering. It was certainly the coldest
water into which he had ever leaped ! After such a dash
oae might lie on a slab of ice to warm. Dick forgot that
every drop in the brook had come from melting snows
far up on the peaks, but, once in, he resolved to fight
the element. He dived again, jumped up and down, and
kicked and thrashed those waters as no beaver had ever

THE LOST VALLEY

done. Gradually he grew warm, and a wonderful exhil
aration shot through every vein. Then he swam around
and around and across and across the pool, disporting
like a young white water god.

Dick was thoroughly enjoying himself, but when he
began to feel cold again in seven or eight minutes he
sprang out, ran up and down the bank, and rubbed him
self with bunches of leaves until he was dry. After he
had dressed, he felt that he had actually grown in size
and strength in the last half hour.

He was now ravenously hungry. His absorption in
his explorations and discoveries had kept him from
thinking of such a thing as food until this moment, but
when Nature finally got in her claim she made it strong
and urgent. He had brought cold supplies with him,
upon which he feasted, sitting in the doorway of the
cabin. Then he noticed the lateness of the hour. Shad
ows were falling across the snow on the western peaks
and ridges. The golden light of the sun was turning
red, and in the valley the air was growing misty witn
the coming twilight.

He resolved to pass the night in the cabin. He se
cured the window shutter again, tied up the fallen door
on rude bark hinges, and fastened it on the inside with
a stick— hasps for the bar were there yet— but before
retiring he took a long look in the direction in which
Albert and their camp lay.

A great range of mountains lay between, but Dick
felt that he could almost see his brother, his camp fire,
and the pine alcove. He was Albert 's protector, and thi«
would be the first entire night in the mountains in which

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

the weaker boy had been left alone, but Dick was not
apprehensive about him. He believed that their good
fortune would still endure, and secure in that belief he
rolled himself up in the blanket which he had brought
in a little pack on his back, and laid himself down in
the corner of the cabin.

The place was not yet free from dust and odor, but
Dick's hardy life was teaching him to take as trifles
things that civilization usually regarded as onerous, and
he felt quite comfortable where he lay. He knew that it
was growing cold in the gorge, and the shelter of the
cabin was acceptable. He saw a little strip of wan twi
light through a crack in the window, but it soon faded
and pitchy darkness filled the narrow valley.

Dick fell into a sound sleep, from which he awoke
only once in the night, and then it was a noise of some
thing as of claws scratching at the door that stirred
him. The scratch was repeated only once or twice, and
with it came the sound of heavy, gasping puffs, like a
big animal breathing. Then the creature went away,
and Dick, half asleep, murmured : ' - I've put you out
of your house, my fine friend, bear or panther, which
ever you may be." In another minute he was wholly
asleep again and did not waken until an edge of glit
tering sunlight, like a sword blade, came through the
crack in the window and struck him across the eyes.

He bathed a second time in the pool, ate what was
left of the food, and started on the return journey, mov
ing at a brisk pace. He made many calculations on the
way. It would take a week to move all their goods over
the range to the cabin, but, once there, he believed that

THE LOST VALLEY

they would be safe for a long time ; indeed, they might
spend years in the valley, if they wished, and never see
a stranger.

It was afternoon when he approached the pine alcove,
but the familiar spire of smoke against the blue had as
sured him already that Albert was there and safe. In
fact, Albert saw him first. He had just returned from
the creek, and, standing on a rock, a fish in his hand,
hailed his brother, who was coming up the slope.

" Halloo, Dick! " he shouted. " Decided to come
home, have you? Hope you've had a pleasant visit. "

11 Fine trip, Al, old man," Dick replied. " Great
place over there. Think we'd better move to it."

' ' That so ? TeU us about it. ' '

Dick, ever sensitive to Albert's manner and appear
ance, noticed that the boy's voice was fuller, and he
believed that the dry, piny air of the mountains was
still at its healing work. He joined Albert, who was
waiting for him, and who, after giving his hand a hearty
grasp, told him what he had found.

CHAPTER VI

CASTLE HOWARD)

ALBERT agreed with Dick that they should begin
to move at once, and his imagination was greatly
stirred by Dick's narrative. " Why, it's an en
chanted valley ! ' ' he exclaimed. ' ' And a house is there
waiting for us, too ! Dick, I want to see it right away ! ' '

Dick smiled.

" Sorry, but you'll have to wait a little, Al, old
man, ' ' he said. 1 1 You 're not strong enough yet to carry
stores over the big range, though you will be very soon,
and we can't leave our precious things here unguarded.
So you'll have to stay and act as quartermaster while I
make myself pack mule. "When we have all the things
over there, we can fasten them up in our house, where
bears, panthers, and wolves can 't get at them. ' '

Albert made a wry face, but he knew that he must
yield to necessity. Dick began the task the next morn
ing, and it was long, tedious, and most wearing. More
than once he felt like abandoning some of their goods,
but he hardened his resolution with the reflection that
all were precious, and not a single thing was abandoned.

It was more than a week before it was all done, and
it was not until the last trip that Albert went with him,

CASTLE HOWARD

carrying besides his gun a small pack. The weather was
still propitious. Once there had been a light shower in
the night, but Albert was protected from it by the tar
paulin which they had made of the wagon cover, and
nothing occurred to check his progress. He ate with,
an appetite that he had never known before, and he
breathed by night as well as by day the crisp air of the
mountains tingling with the balsam of the pines. It oc
curred to Dick that to be marooned in these mountains
was perhaps the best of all things that could have hap
pened to Albert.

They went slowly over the range toward the en
chanted valley, stopping now and then because Albert,
despite his improvement, was not yet equal to the task of
strenuous climbing, but all things continued auspicious.
There was a touch of autumn on the foliage, and shades
of red and yellow were appearing on the leaves of all
the trees except the evergreens, but everything told of
vigorous life. As they passed the crest of the range and
began the descent of the slope toward the enchanted val
ley, a mule deer crashed from the covert and fled away
with great bounds. Flocks of birds rose with whirrings
from the bushes. From some point far away came the
long, whistling sound that made Albert cry out in won
der. But Dick laughed.

"It's the elk," he said. " I saw one when I first
came into the valley. I think they are thick hereabout,
and I suspect that they will furnish us with some good
winter food."

Albert found the valley all that Dick had represented
it to be, and more. He watched the regular eruptions

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

of the geysers with amazement and delight; he insisted
on sampling the mineral springs, and intended to learn
in time their various properties. The lake, in all its
shimmering aspects, appealed to his love of the grand
and beautiful, and he promptly named it ' ' The Howard
Sea, " ' 1 after its discoverer, you know, ' ' he said to Dick.
Finally, the cabin itself filled him with delight, because
he foresaw even more thoroughly than Dick how suitable
it would be for a home in the long winter months. He
installed himself as housekeeper and set to work at once.

The little cabin was almost choked with their sup
plies, which Dick had been afraid to leave outside for
fear that the provisions would be eaten and the other
things injured by the wild animals, and now they began
the task of assorting and putting them into place.

The full equipment of the wagon that Dick had found
in the gully, particularly the tools, proved to be a god
send. They made more racks on the walls— boring holes
with the augers and then driving in pegs— on which they
laid their axes and extra rifles. In the same manner
they made high shelves, on which their food would be
safe from prowling wild beasts, even should they suc
ceed in breaking in the door. But Dick soon made the
latter impossible by putting the door on strong hinges
of leather which he made from the gear that he had cut
from the horses. He also split a new bar from one of
the young ash trees and strengthened the hasps on the
inside. He felt now that when the bar was in place not
even the heaviest grizzly could force the door.

The task of mending the roof was more difficult. He
knew how to split rude boards with his ax, but he had

CASTLE HOWARD

only a few nails with which to hold them in place. He
solved the problem by boring auger holes, into which
he drove pegs made from strong twigs. The roof looked
water-tight, and he intended to reenforce it later on with
the skins of wild animals that he expected to kill —
there had been no time yet for hunting.

Throughout these operations, which took about a
week, they slept in the open in a rude tent which they
made of the wagon cover and set beside the cabin, for
two reasons: because Dick believed the open air at all
times to be good for Albert, and because he was averse
to using the cabin as a dormitory until it was thoroughly
cleansed and aired.

Albert made himself extremely useful in the task of
refurbishing the cabin. He brushed out all the dust,
brought water from the brook and scrubbed the floor,
and to dry the latter built their first fire on the hearth
with pine cones and other fallen wood. As he touched
the match to it, he did not conceal his anxiety.

" The big thing to us," he said, " is whether or not
this chimney will draw. That's vital, I tell you, Dick,
to a housekeeper. If it puffs out smoke and fills the
cabin with it, we 're to have a hard time and be miserable.
If it draws like a porous plaster and takes all the smoke
up it, then we're to have an easy time of it and be
happy."

Both watched anxiously as Albert touched the match
to some pine shavings which were to form the kindling
wood. The shavings caught, a light blaze leaped up,
there came a warning crackle, and smoke, too, arose.
Which way would it go? The little column wavered a

THE LAST OP THE CHIEFS

moment and then shot straight up the chimney. It grew
larger, but still shot straight up the chimney. The
flames roared and were drawn in the same direction.

Albert laughed and clapped his hands.

" It's to be an easy time and a happy life ! " he ex
claimed. " Those old beaver hunters knew what they
were about when they built this chimney! "

1 ' You can cook in here, Al, ' ' said Dick ; ' l but I sug
gest that we sleep in the tent until the weather grows
bad."

Dick had more than one thing in mind in making
this suggestion about the tent and sleeping. The air
of the cabin could be close at night even with the window
open, but in the tent with the flap thrown back— they
never closed it— they breathed only a fresh balsamic
odor, crisp with the coolness of autumn. He had watched
Albert all the time. Now and then when he had exerted
himself more than usual, the younger boy would cough,
and at times he was very tired, but Dick, however
sharply he watched, did not see again the crimson stain
on the lips that he had noticed the night of the flight
from the massacre.

But the older brother, two years older only, in fact,
but ten years older, at least, in feeling, did notice a great
change in Albert, mental as well as physical. The
younger boy ceased to have periods of despondency.
While he could not do the things that Dick did, he was
improving, and he never lamented his lack of strength.
It seemed to him a matter of course, so far as Dick could
judge, that in due time he should be the equal of the
older and bigger boy in muscle and skill.

CASTLE HOWARD

Albert, moreover, had no regrets for the world with-
out. Their life with the wagon train had been far from
pleasant, and he had only Dick, and Dick had only him.
Now the life in the enchanted valley, which was a real
valley of enchantments, was sufficient for him. Each day
brought forth some new wonder, some fresh and interest
ing detail. He was a capable fisherman, and he caught
trout in both the brook and the river, while the lake
yielded to his line other and larger fish, the names of
which neither boy knew, but which proved to be of deli
cate flavor when broiled over the coals. Just above
them was a boiling hot spring, and Albert used the water
from this for cooking purposes. " Hot and cold water
whenever you please/' he said to Dick. " Nothing to
do but to turn the tap."

Dick smiled ; he, too, was happy. He enjoyed life in
the enchanted valley, where everything seemed to have
conspired in their favor. When they had been there
about a week, and their home was ready for any emer
gency, Dick took his gun and went forth, the hunting
spirit strong within him. They had heard the elk whis
tling on the mountain side nearly every day, and he
believed that elk meat would prove tender and good.
Anyway he would see.

Dick did not feel much concern about their food sup
ply. He believed that vast quantities of big game would
come into this valley in the winter to seek protection
from the mighty snows of the northern Rockies, but it
was just as well to begin the task of filling the larder.

He came out into the main valley and turned toward
the lake. Autumn was now well advanced, but in the

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

cool sunshine the lake seemed more beautiful than e^er.
Its waters were golden to-day, but with a silver tint at
the edges where the pine-clad banks overhung it. Dick
did not linger, however. He turned away toward the
slopes, whence the whistling call had come the oftenest,
and was soon among the pines and cedars. He searched
here an hour or more, and at last he found two feeding,
a male and a female.

Dick had the instinct of the hunter, and already ho
had acquired great skill. Creeping through the under
growth, he came within easy shot of the animals, and he
looked at them a little before shooting. The bull was
magnificent, and he, if any, seemed a fit subject for the
bullet, but Dick chose the cow, knowing that she would
be the tenderer. Only a single shot was needed, and
then he had a great task to carry the hide and the body
in sections to the cabin. They ate elk steaks and then
hung the rest in the trees for drying and jerking. Dick,
according to his previous plan, used the skin to cover
the newly mended places in the roof, fastening it down
tightly with small wooden pegs. His forethought was
vindicated two days later when a great storm came.
Both he and Albert had noticed throughout the after
noon an unusual warmth in the air. It affected Albert
particularly, as it made his respiration difficult. Over
the mountains in the west they saw small dark clouds
which soon began to grow and unite. Dick thought he
knew what it portended, and he and his brother quickly
taking down the tent, carried it and all its equipment
inside the cabin. Then making fast the door and leaving
the window open, they waited.

CASTLE HOWARD

The heat endured, but all the clouds became one that
overspread the entire heavens. Despite the lateness of
the season, the thunder, inexpressibly solemn and majes
tic, rumbled among the gorges, and there was a quiver
of lightning. It was as dark as twilight.

The rain came, roaring down the clefts and driving
against the cabin with such force that they were com
pelled to close the window. How thankful Dick was now
for Albert's sake that they had such a secure shelter!
Nor did he despise it for his own.

The rain, driven by a west wind, poured heavily, and
the air rapidly grew colder. Albert piled dry firewood
on the hearth and lighted it. The flames leaped up, and
warmth, dryness, and cheer filled all the little cabin.
Dick had been anxiously regarding the roof, but the new
boards and the elk skin were water-tight. Not a drop
came through. Higher leaped the flames and the rosy
shadows fell upon the floor.

" It's well we took the tent down and came in here/'
said Albert. ' ' Listen to that ! "

The steady, driving sweep changed to a rattle and a
crackle. The rain had turned to hail, and it was like the
patter of rifle fire on the stout little cabin.

" It may rain or hail or snow, or do whatever it
pleases, but it can 't get at us, ' ' said Albert exultingly.

" No, it can't," said Dick. " I wonder, Al, what
Bright Sun is doing now? '}

" A peculiar Indian," said Albert thoughtfully,
" but it's safe to say that wherever he is he's planning
and acting."

* ' At any rate, ' ' said Dick, ' ' we 're not likely to know
95

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

it, whatever It is, for a long time, and we won't bother
trying to guess about it."

It hailed for an hour and then changed to rain again,
pouring down in great steadiness and volume. Dick
opened the window a little way once, but the night was
far advanced, and it was pitchy black outside. They
let the coals die down to a glowing bed, and then, wrap
ping themselves in their blankets, they slept soundly
all through the night and the driving rain, their little
cabin as precious to them as any palace was ever to a
king.

Albert, contrary to custom, was the first to awake the
next morning. A few coals from the fire were yet alive
on the hearth, and the atmosphere of the room, breathed
over and over again throughout the night, was close and
heavy. He threw back the window shutter, and the
great rush of pure cold air into the opening made his
body thrill with delight. This was a physical pleasure,
but the sight outside gave him a mental rapture even
greater. Nothing was falling now, but the rain had
turned back to hail before it ceased, and all the earth
was in glittering white. The trees in the valley, clothed
in ice, were like lace work, and above them towered the
shining white mountains.

Albert looked back at Dick. His brother, wrapped
in his blanket, still slept, with his arm under his head
and his face toward the hearth. He looked so strong,
so enduring, as h.e lay there sleeping soundly, and Albert
knew that he was both. But a curious feeling was in
the younger boy 's mind that morning. He was glad that
he had awakened first. Hitherto he had always opened

CASTLE HOWARD

his eyes to find Dick up and doing. It was Dick who
had done everything. It was Dick who had saved him
from the Sioux; it was Dick who had practically car
ried him over the first range ; Dick had found their shel
ter in the pine alcove ; Dick had labored day and night,
day after day, and night after night, bringing the stores
over the mountain from the lost train, then he had found
their new home in the enchanted valley, which Albert
persisted in calling it, and he had done nearly all the
hard work of repairing and furnishing the cabin.

It should not always be so. Albert's heart was full
of gratitude to this brother of his who was so brave and
resourceful, but he wanted to do his share. The feeling
was based partly on pride and partly on a new increase
of physical strength. He took a deep inhalation of the
cold mountain air and held it long in his lungs. Then
he emitted it slowly. There was no pain, no feeling of
soreness, and it was the first time he could remember
that it had been so. A new thrill of pleasure, keener and
more powerful than any other, shook him for a moment.
It was a belief, nay, a certainty, or at least a conviction,
that he was going to be whole and sound. The moun
tains were doing their kindly healing. He could have
shouted aloud with pleasure, but instead he restrained
himself and went outside, softly shutting the door be
hind him.

Autumn had gone and winter had come in a night.
The trees were stripped of every leaf and in their place
was the sheathing of ice. The brook roared past, swollen
for the time to a little river. The air, though very
cold, was dry despite the heavy rain of the night before.

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

Albert shivered more than once, but it was not the shiver
of weakness. It did not bite to the very marrow of him.
Instead, when he exercised legs and arms vigorously,
warmth came back. He was not a crushed and shriv
eled thing. Now he laughed aloud in sheer delight. He
had subjected himself to another test, and he had passed
it in triumph.

He built up the fire, and when Dick awoke, the pleas
ant aroma of cooking filled the room.

" Why, what's this, All " exclaimed the big youth,
rubbing his eyes.

" Oh, I've been up pretty nearly an hour/* replied
Albert airily. ' ' Saw that you were having a fine sleep,
so I thought I wouldn't disturb you."

Dick looked inquiringly at him. He thought he de
tected a new note in his brother 's voice, a note, too, that
he liked.

' ' I see, ' ' he said ; ' ' and you Ve been at work some
time. Do you feel fully equal to the task? "

Albert turned and faced his brother squarely.

" IVe been thinking a lot, and feeling a lot more this
morning," he replied. " I've been trying myself out,
as they say, and if I'm not well I'm traveling fast in
that direction. Hereafter I share the work as well as the
rewards. ' '

Albert spoke almost defiantly, but Dick liked his tone
and manner better than ever. He would not, on any
account, have said anything in opposition at this mo
ment.

" All right, Al, old fellow. That's agreed," he said.

CHAPTER Vli

AN ANIMAL PROGRESSION

THE thin sheath of ice did not last long. On the
second day the sun came out and melted it in an
hour. Then a warm wind blew and in a few more
hours the earth was dry. On the third day Albert took
his repeating rifle from the hooks on the wall and calmly
announced that he was going hunting.

" All right/' said Dick; " and as I feel lazy 111 keep
house until you come back. Don't get chewed up by a
grizzly bear."

Dick sat down in the doorway of the cabin and
watched his brother striding off down the valley, gun on
shoulder, figure very erect. Dick smiled; but it was
a smile of pride, not derision.

" Good old Al ! He'll do ! " he murmured.

Albert followed the brook into the larger valley and
then went down by the side of the lake. Though a skill
ful shot, he was not yet a good hunter, but he knew that
one must make a beginning and he wanted to learn
through his own mistakes.

He had an idea that game could be found most easily
in the forest that ran down the mountain side to the lake,
and he was thinking most particularly just then of elk.

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

He had become familiar with the loud, whistling sound,
and be listened for it now but did not hear it.

He passed the spot at which Dick had killed the big
cow elk and continued northward among the trees that
eovered the slopes and flat land between the mountain
and the lake. This area broadened as he proceeded, and,
although the forest was leafless now, it was so dense and
there was such a large proportion of evergreens, cedars,
and pines that Albert could not see very far ahead. He
crossed several brooks pouring down from the peaks.
All were in flood, and once or twice it was all that he
could do with a flying leap to clear them, but he went
on, undiscouraged, keeping a sharp watch for that which
he was hunting.

Albert did not know much about big game, but he
remembered hearing Dick say that elk and mule deer
would be likely to come into the valley for shelter at the
approach of winter, and he was hopeful that he might
have the luck to encounter a whole herd of the big elk.
Then, indeed, he would prove that he was an equal part
ner with Dick in the work as well as the reward. He
wished to give the proof at once.

He had not been so far up the north end of the valley
before, and he noticed that here was quite an expanse of
flat country on either side of the lake. But the moun
tains all around the valley were so high that it seemed
to Albert that deer and other wild animals might find
food as well as shelter throughout the winter. Hence
he was quite confident, despite his poor luck so far, that
he should find big game soon, and his hunting fever
increased. He had never shot anything bigger than a

100

AN ANIMAL PROGRESSION; :

rabbit, but Albert was an impressionable boy, and his im
agination at once leaped over the gulf from a rabbit
to a grizzly bear.

He had the lake, an immense and beautiful blue mir
ror, on his right and the mountains on his left, but the
space between was now nearly two miles in width, sown
thickly in spots with pine and cedar, ash and aspen, and
in other places quite open. In the latter the grass was
green despite the lateness of the season, and Albert sur
mised that good grazing could be found there all through
the winter, even under the snow. Game must be plenti
ful there, too.

The way dropped down a little into a sheltered de
pression, and Albert heard a grunt and a great puffing
breath. A huge dark animal that had been lying among
some dwarf pines shuffled to its feet, and Albert's heart
slipped right up into his throat. Here was his grizzly,
and he certainly was a monster ! Every nerve in Albert
was tingling, and instinct bade him run. Will had a
hard time of it for a few moments, struggling with in
stinct, but will conquered, and, standing his ground,
Albert fired a bullet from his repeater at the great
dark mass.

The animal emitted his puffing roar again and
rushed, head down, but blindly. Then Albert saw that
he had roused not a grizzly bear but an enormous bull
buffalo, a shaggy, fierce old fellow who would not eat
him, but who might gore or trample him to death. His
aspect was so terrible that will again came near going
down before instinct, but Albert did not run. Instead,
he leaped aside, and, as the buffalo rushed past, he fired

101

, THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

another bullet from his repeater into his body just back
of the fore legs.

The animal staggered, and Albert staggered, too,
from excitement and nervousness, but he remembered to
take aim and fire again and again with his heavy re
peater. In his heat and haste he did not hear a shout
behind him, but he did see the great bull stagger, then
reel and fall on his side, after which he lay quite still.

Albert stood, rifle in hand, trembling and incredu
lous. Could it be he who had slain the mightiest buffalo
that ever trod the earth? The bull seemed to his dis
tended eyes and flushed brain to weigh ten tons at least,
and to dwarf the biggest elephant. He raised his hand
to his forehead and then sat down beside his trophy,
overcome with weakness.

" Well, now, you have done it, young one! I
thought I'd get a finger in this pie, but I came up too
late ! Say, young fellow, what's your name? Is it Daniel
Boone or Davy Crockett? "

It was Dick who had followed in an apparently cas
ual manner. He had rushed to his brother 's rescue when
he saw the bull charging, but he had arrived too late —
and he was glad of it ; the triumph was wholly Albert 's.

Albert, recovering from his weakness, looked at Dick,
looked at the buffalo, and then looked back at Dick. All
three looks were as full of triumph, glory, and pride as
any boy's look could be.

" He's as big as a mountain, isn't he, Dick? " he
said.

" Well, not quite that," replied Dick gravely. " A
good-sized hill would be a better comparison."

102

AN ANIMAL PROGRESSION

The buffalo certainly was a monster, and the two
boys examined him critically. Dick was of the opinion
that he belonged to the species known as the wood bison,
which is not numerous among the mountains, but which
is larger than the ordinary buffalo of the plains. The
divergence of type, however, is very slight.

" He must have been an outlaw/' said Dick; " a
vicious old bull compelled to wander alone because of
his bad manners. Still, it 's likely that he 's not the only
buffalo in our valley/'

" Can we eat him? " asked Albert.

" That's a question. He's sure to be tough, but I
remember how we used to make steak tender at home by
beating it before it was cooked. We might serve a thou
sand pounds or two of this bull in that manner. Be
sides, we want that robe. ' '

The robe was magnificent, and both boys felt that it
would prove useful. Dick had gained some experience
from his own buffalo hunt on the plains, and they began
work at once with their sharp hunting knives. It was
no light task to take the skin, and the beast was so heavy
that they could not get it entirely free until they partly
chopped up the body with an ax that Dick brought from
the cabin. Then it made a roll of great weight, but
Dick spread it on the roof of their home to cure. They
also cut out great sections of the buffalo, which they put
in the same place for drying and jerking.

While they were engaged at this task, Albert saw
a pair of fiery eyes regarding them from the under
growth.

" See, Dick," he said, " what is that? "
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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

Dick saw the eyes, the lean ugly body behind it, and
he shuddered. He knew. It Y/as the timber wolf, largest
and fiercest of the species, brother to him whom he had
seen prowling about the ruined wagon train. The brute
called up painful memories, and, seizing his rifle, he
fired at a spot midway between the red eyes. The wolf
uttered a howl, leaped high in the air, and fell dead,
lying without motion, stretched on his side.

" I didn't like the way he looked at us," explained
Dick.

A horrible growling and snapping came from the
bushes presently.

" What's that? " asked Albert.

" It's only Mr. Timber Wolf's brethren eating up
Mr. Timber Wolf, now that he is no longer of any use to
himself."

Albert shuddered, too.

It was nightfall when they took away the last of the
buffalo for which they cared, and as they departed they
heard in the twilight the patter of light feet.

" It's the timber wolves rushing for what we've
left, ' ' said Dick. ' t Those are big and fierce brutes, and
you and I, Al, must never go out without a rifle or a
revolver. You can't tell what they'll try, especially in
the winter. ' '

The entire roof of the cabin was covered the next day
with the buffalo robe and the drying meat, and birds of
prey began to hover above it. Albert constituted himself
watchman, and, armed with a long stick, took his place
on the roof, where he spent the day.

Dick shouldered one of the shotguns and went down
104

AN ANIMAL- PROGRESSION

to the lake. There he shot several fine teal, and in one
of the grassy glades near it he roused up prairie hen.
Being a fine shot, he secured four of these, and returned
to the cabin with his acceptable spoil.

They had now such a great supply of stores and
equipment that their place was crowded and they
scarcely had room for sleeping on the floor.

11 What we need/' said Dick, " is an annex, a place
that can be used for a storehouse only, and this valley,
which has been so kind to us, ought to continue being
kind and furnish it."

The valley did furnish the annex, and it was Albert
who found it. He discovered a little farther up the cleft
an enormous oak, old and decayed. The tree was at
least seven feet through, and the hollow itself was fully
five feet in diameter, with a height of perhaps fourteen
feet. It was very rough inside with sharp projections
in every direction which had kept any large animal from
making his den there, but Albert knew at once that the
needed place had been found. Full of enthusiasm he
ran for Dick, who came instantly to see.

" Fine," said Dick approvingly. " Well call it the
4 Annex, ' sure enough, and we '11 get to work right away
with our axes."

They cut out all the splinters and other projections,
smoothing off the round walls and the floor, and they
also extended the hollow overhead somewhat.

" This is to be a two-story annex," said Dick. " We
need lots of room."

High up they ran small poles across, fixing them
firmly in the tree on either side, and lower down they

105

THE LAST OF THE CHlEFJs

planted many wooden pegs and hooks on which they
might hang various articles.

" Everything will keep dry in here," said Albert.
" I would not mind sleeping in the Annex, but when
the door is closed there won 't be a particle of air. ' '

It was the " door " that gave them the greatest
trouble. The opening by which they entered the hollow
was about four feet high and a foot and a half across,
and both boys looked at it a long time before they could
see a way to solve the puzzle.

11 That door has to be strong enough to keep every
thing out, ' ' said Dick. l ' We mean to keep most of our
meat supply in there, and that, of course, will draw wild
animals, little and big; it's the big ones we've got to
guard against/'

After strenuous thinking, they smoothed off all the
sides of the opening in order that a flat surface might
fit perfectly against them. Then Dick cut down a small
oak, and split out several boards—not a difficult task for
him, as he had often helped to make boards in Illinois.
The boards were laid together the width of the opening
and were held in place by cross pieces fastened with
wooden pegs. Among their stores were two augers and
two gimlets, and they were veritable godsends; they
enabled the boys to make use of pegs and to save the
few nails that they had for other and greater emer-
' gencies.

The door was made, and now came the task to
" hang "it. " Hang " was merely a metaphorical
word, as they fitted it into place instead. The wood all
around the opening was about a foot thick, and they cut

106

AN ANIMAL PROGRESSION

it out somewhat after the fashion of the lintels of a door
way. Then they fitted in the door, which rested securely
in its grooves, but they knew that the claws of a grizzly
bear or mountain lion might scratch it out, and they in
tended to make it secure against any such mischance.

With the aid of hatchet and auger they put three
wooden hooks on either side of the doorway, exactly
like those that defend the door of a frontier cabin,
and into these they dropped three stout bars. It was
true that the bars were on the outside, but no wild ani
mal would have intelligence enough to pry up those
three bars and scratch the door out of place. Moreover,
it could not happen by accident. It took them three la
borious days to make and fit this door, but when the task
was done they contemplated it with just pride.

" I call that about the finest piece of carpenter's
work ever done in these mountains/' said Albert in
tones suffused with satisfaction.

" Of course/' said Dick. " Why shouldn't it be,
when the best carpenters in the world did the job ? "

The two laughed, but their pride was real and no
jest. It was late in the afternoon when they finished
this task, and on the way to the cabin Albert suddenly
turned white and reeled. Dick caught him, but he re
mained faint for sometime. He had overtasked himself,
and when they reached the cabin Dick made him lie
down on the great buffalo robe while he cooked supper.
But, contrary to his former habit, Albert revived rap
idly. The color returned to his face and he sprang up
presently, saying that he was hungry enough to eat a
whole elk. Dick felt a mighty sense of relief. Albert

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

in his zeal had merely overexerted himself. It was not
any relapse. ' * Here 's the elk steak and you can eat ten
pounds of it if you want it, ' ' he said.

They began early the next morning to move supplies
to the Annex. High up in the hollow they hung great
quantities of the dried meat of buffalo, elk, and mule
deer. They also stored there several elk and mule deer
skins, two wolf skins, and other supplies that they
thought they would not need for a while. But in the
main it was what they called a smokehouse, as it was
universally known in the Mississippi Valley, their
former home— that is, a place for keeping meat cured or
to be cured.

This task filled the entire day, and when the door
was securely fastened in place they returned to the
cabin. After supper Dick opened the window, from
which they could see the Annex, as they had cut away a
quantity of the intervening bushes. Albert meanwhile
put out the last coals of the fire. Then he joined Dick
at the window. Both had an idea that they were going
to see something interesting.

The valley filled with darkness, but the moon came
out, and, growing used to the darkness, they could see
the Annex fairly well.

Dick wet his finger and held it up.

" The wind is blowing from the Annex toward us,"
he said.

" That's good," said Albert, nodding.

They watched for a long time, hearing only the dry
rustling of the light wind among the bare boughs, but
at last Dick softly pushed his shoulder against Albert's.

108

AN ANIMAL PROGRESSION

Albert nodded again, with comprehension. A small
dark animal came into the open space around the Annex.
The boys had difficulty in tracing his outlines at first,
but once they had them fixed, they followed his move
ments with ease. He advanced furtively, stopping at
intervals evidently both to listen and look. Some other
of his kind, or not of his kind, might be on the same
quest and it was his business to know.

" Is it a fox? " whispered Albert.

" I think not," replied Dick in the same tone. " It
must be a wolverine. He scents the good things in the
Annex and he wants, oh, how he wants, the taste of
them!"

The little dark animal, after delicate maneuvering,
came close up to the tree, and they saw him push his
nose against the cold bark.

" I know just how he feels," whispered Albert with
some sympathy. " It's all there, but he must know the
quest is hopeless."

The little animal went all around the tree nosing the
eold bark, and then stopped again at the side of the
door.

" No use, sir," whispered Albert. " That door wont
open just because you're hungry."

The little animal suddenly cocked up his head and
darted swiftly away into the shadows. But another and
somewhat larger beast came creeping into the open, ad
vancing with caution toward the Annex.

" Aha! " whispered Dick. " Little fellow displaced
by a bigger one. That must be a wild cat."

The wild cat went through the same performance,
109

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

He nosed eagerly at the door, circled the tree two or
three times, but always came back to the place where
that tempting, well-nigh irresistible odor assailed him.
The boys heard a low growl and the scratching of sharp
claws on the door.

11 Now he's swearing and fighting/' whispered Al
bert, " but it will do him no good. Save your throat
and your claws, old fellow."

' ' Look, he 's gone ! ' ' whispered Dick.

The wild cat suddenly tucked his tail between his legs
and fled from the opening so swiftly that they could
scarcely see him go.

" And here comes his successor, " whispered Albert.
" I suppose, Dick, we might call this an arithmetical or
geometrical progression."

An enormous timber wolf stalked into the clear space.
He bore no resemblance to the mean, sneaking little
coyote of the prairie. As he stood upright his white
teeth could be seen, and there was the slaver of hunger
on his lips. He, too, was restive, watchful, and suspi
cious, but it did not seem to either Dick or Albert that
his movements betokened fear. There was strength in
his long, lean body, and ferocity in his little red eyes.

" What a hideous brute! " whispered Albert, shud
dering.

11 And as wicked as he is ugly," replied Dick. " I
hate the sight of these timber wolves. I don't wonder
that the wild cat made himself scarce so quickly."

" And he's surely hungry! " said Albert. " See
how he stretches out his head toward our Annex, as if
he would devour everything inside it ! "

110

AN ANIMAL PROGRESSION

Albert was right. The big wolf was hungry, hungry
through and through, and the odor that came from the
tree was exquisite and permeating; it was a mingled
odor of many things and everything was good. He had
never before known a tree to give forth such a delight
ful aroma and he thrilled in every wolfish fiber as it
tickled his nostrils.

He approached the tree with all the caution of his
cautious and crafty race, and, as he laid his nose upon
the bark, that mingled aroma of many things good grew
so keen and powerful that he came as near as a big
wolf can to fainting with delight. He pushed at the
places where the door fitted into the tree, but nothing
yielded. Those keen and powerful odors that penetrated
delightfully to every marrow of him were still there,
but he could not reach their source. A certain disap
pointment, a vague fear of failure mingled with his
anticipation, and as the wolverine and the wild cat had
done, he moved uneasily around the tree, scratching at
the bark, and now and then biting it with teeth that
were very long and cruel.

His troubled circuit brought him back to the door,
where the aroma was finest and strongest. There he
tore at the lowest bar with tooth and claw, but it did
not more. He had the aroma and nothing more, and
no big, strong wolf can live on odors only. The vague
disappointment grew into a positive rage. He felt in
stinctively that he could not reach the good things that
the wonderful tree held within itself, but he persisted.
He bent his back, uttered a growl of wrath just as a man
swears, and fell to again with tooth and claw.

Ill

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

" If I didn't know that door was so very strong, I'd
be afraid he 'd get in, ' ' whispered Albert.

* ' Never fear, ' ' Dick whispered back with confidence.

The big wolf suddenly paused in his effort. Tooth
and claw were still, and he crouched hard against the
tree, as if he would have his body to blend with its
shadow. A new odor had come to his nostrils. It did
not come from the tree. Nor was it pleasant. Instead,
it told him of something hostile and powerful. He was
big and strong himself, but this that came was bigger
and stronger. The growl that had risen in his throat
stopped at his teeth. A chill ran down his backbone and
the hair upon it stood up. The great wolf was afraid,
and he knew he was afraid.

" Look! " whispered Albert in rising excitement.
' t The wolf, too, is stealing away ! He is scared by some
thing! "

"And good cause he has to be scared," said Dick.
" See what 'scorning! "

A great tawny beast stood for a moment at the edge
of the clearing. He was crouched low against the
ground, but his body was long and powerful, with mas
sive shoulders and fore arms. His eyes were yellow im
the moonlight, and they stared straight at the Annex.
The big wolf took one hasty frightened look and then
fled silently in the other direction. He knew now that
the treasures of the Annex were not for him.

" It's a cougar/' whispered Dick, " and it must be
the king of them all. Did you ever see such a whop
per? "

The cougar came farther into the clearing. He was
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AN ANIMAL PROGRESSION

of great size, but he was a cat— a huge cat, but a cat,
nevertheless— and like a cat he acted. He dragged his
body along the earth, and his eyes, now yellow, now
green, in the moonlight, were swung suspiciously from
side to side. He felt all that the wolf had felt, but he
was even more cunning and his approach was slower.
It was his habit to spring when close enough, but he
saw nothing to spring at except a tree trunk, and so he
still crept forward on noiseless pads.

' ' Now, what will Mr. Cougar do ? " asked Albert.

" Just what the others have done/' replied Dick.
" He will scratch and bite harder because he is bigger
and stronger, but we've fixed our Annex for just such
attacks. It will keep him out. ' '

Dick was right. The cougar or mountain lion be
haved exactly as the others had done. He tore at the
door, then he circled the tree two or three times, hunting
in vain for an opening. Every vein in him was swollen
with rage, and the yellowish-green eyes flared anger.

" He'd be an ugly creature to meet just now," whis
pered Dick. " He's so mad that I believe he'd attack
an elephant."

" He's certainly in no good humor," replied Dick.
" But look, Al! See his tail drop between his legs!
Now what under the moon is about to happen ? ' !

Albert, surcharged with interest and excitement,
stared as Dick was staring. The mighty cat seemed
suddenly to crumple up. His frame shrank, his head
was drawn in, he sank lower to the earth, as if he would
burrow into it, but he uttered no sound whatever. He
was to both the boys a symbol of fear.

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

' ' What a change ! "What does it mean ? ' 9 whispered
Albert.

" It must mean/' replied Dick, " that he, too, has a
master and that the master is coming. ' '

The cougar suddenly bunched himself up and there
Was a flash of tawny fur as he shot through the air. A
second leap and the trees closed over his frightened
figure. Albert believed that he would not stop running
for an hour.

Into the opening, mighty and fearless, shambled a
monstrous beast. He had a square head, a long, immense
body, and the claws of his great feet were hooked, many
inches in length, and as sharp and hard as if made of
steel. The figure of the beast stood for power and un
bounded strength, and his movements indicated over
whelming confidence. There was nothing for him to
fear. He had never seen any living creature that could
do him harm. It was a gigantic grizzly bear.

Albert, despite himself, as he looked at the terrible
brute, felt fear. It was there, unconfined, and a single
blow of its paw could sweep the strongest man out of
existence.

"I'm glad I'm in this cabin, and that this cabin is
strong," he whispered tremulously.

" So am I," said Dick, and his own whisper was a
little shaky. " It's one thing to see a grizzly in a cage,
and another to see him out here in the dark in these wild
mountains. And that fellow must weigh at least a
thousand pounds."

King Bruin shambled boldly across the opening to
the Annex. Why should he be careful? There might

114

AN ANIMAL PROGRESSION

be other animals among the bushes and trees watching
him, but they were weak, timid things, and they would
run from his shadow. In the wan moonlight, which
distorted and exaggerated, his huge bulk seemed to the
two boys to grow to twice its size. When he reached the
tree he reared up against it, growled in a manner that
made the blood of the boys run cold, and began to tear
with teeth and claws of hooked steel. The bark and
splinters flew, and, for a moment, Dick was fearful lest
he should force the door to their treasure. But it was
only for a moment; not even a grizzly could break or
tear his way through such a thickness of oak.

" Nothing can displace him," whispered Albert.
" He's the real king. "

' ' He 's not the king, ' ' replied Dick, ' ' and something
can displace him."

" What do you mean? " asked Albert with mere*
dulity.

' ' No beast is king. It 's man, and man is here. I 'm
going to have a shot at that monster who is trying to
rob us. We can reach him from here with a bullet. You
take aim, too, Al."

They opened the window a little wider, being careful
to make no noise, and aimed their rifles at the bear, who
was still tearing at the tree in his rage.

" Try to hit him in the heart, Al," whispered Dick,
" and I'll try to do the same. I'll count three in a
whisper, and at the ' three ' we'll fire together."

The hands of both boys as they leveled their weapons
were trembling, not with fear, but from sheer nervous
ness. The bear, meanwhile, had taken no notice and

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

was still striving to reach the hidden treasures. Like
others, he had made the circuit of the Annex more than
once, but now he was reared up again at the door, pull
ing at it with mighty tooth and claw. It seemed to both
as they looked down the barrels of their rifles and chose
the vulnerable spot that, monstrous and misshapen, he
was constantly growing in size, so powerful was the
effect of the moonlight and their imagination. But itf
was terrible fact to them.

They could see him with great distinctness, and so
silent was the valley otherwise that they could hear the
sound of his claws ripping across the bark. He was like
some gigantic survival of another age. Dick waited
until both his brother and himself grew steadier.

' ' Now don 't miss, Albert, ' ' he said.

He counted " One, two, three/7 slowly, and at the
* ' three ! ' ' the report of the two rifles came as one.
They saw the great bear drop down from the tree, they
heard an indescribable roar of pain and rage, and then
they saw his huge bulk rushing down upon them. Dick
fired three times and Albert twice, but the bear still
came, and then Dick slammed the window shut and
fastened it just as the full weight of the bear was
hurled against the cabin.

Neither boy ever concealed from himself the fact
that he was in a panic for a few moments. Their bullets
seemed to have had no effect upon the huge grizzly, who
was growling ferociously and tearing at the logs of the
cabin. Glad they were that those lo^r were so stout
and thick, and they stood there a little \, .-.ie in the dark
ness, their blood chilling at the sounds outside. Pres-

116

AN ANIMAL PROGRESSION

ently the roaring and tearing ceased and there was the
sound of a fall. It was so dark in the cabin that the
brothers could not see the faces of each other, but Dick
whispered :

" Albert, I believe we've kiUed him, after all."
Albert said nothing and they waited a full ten
minutes. No sound whatever came to their ears. Then
Dick opened the window an inch or two and peeped out.
The great bear lay upon his side quite still, and Dick
uttered a cry of joy.

I i We 've killed him, Al ! we 've killed him ! ' ' he cried.
1 ' Are you sure ? ' ' asked Albert.

II Quite sure. He does not stir in the slightest."
They opened the door and went out. The great

grizzly was really dead. Their bullets had gone true,
but his vitality was so enormous that he had been able
to rush upon the cabin and tear at it in his rage until
he fell dead. Both boys looked at him with admiration
and awe ; even dead, he was terrifying in every respect.

" I don't wonder that the cougar, big and strong
as he was, slunk away in terror when he saw old Eph-
raim coming," said Dick.

1 ' "We must have his skin to put with our two buffalo
robes, ' ' said Albert.

' ' And we must take it to-night, ' ' said Dick, ' l or the
wolves will be here while we sleep."

They had acquired some skill in the art of removing
furs and pelts, but it took them hours to strip the coat
from the big grizzly. Then, as in the case of the buffalo,
they cut away some portions of the meat that they
thought might prove tender. They put the hide upon

117

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

the roof to dry, and, their work over, they went to sleep
behind a door securely fastened.

Dick was awakened once by what he thought was a
sound of growling and fighting outside, but he was so
sleepy that it made no impression upon him. They did
not awake fully until nearly noon, and when they went
forth they found that nothing was left of the great
bear but his skeleton.

" The timber wolves have been busy/' said Dick.

CHAPTER VIII

THE TRAP MAKERS

THE hide of the bear, which they cured in good
style, was a magnificent trophy; the fur was
soft and long, and when spread out came near
covering the floor of their cabin. It was a fit match for
the robe of the buffalo. They did not know much about
grizzlies, but they believed that no larger bear would
ever be killed in the Eocky Mountains.

A few days later Dick shot another buffalo in one
of the defiles, but this was a young cow and her flesh
was tender. They lived on a portion of it from day to
day and the rest they cured and put in the Annex.
They added the robe to their store of furs.

''I'm thinking, " said Dick, " that you and I, Al,
might turn fur hunters. This seems to be an isolated
corner of the mountains. It may have been trapped
out long ago, but when man goes away the game comes
back. We've got a comfortable house, and, with this
as a basis, we might do better hunting furs here than
if we were hunting gold in California, where the chances
are always against you.

The idea appealed to Albert, but for the present
they contented themselves with improving their house

119

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

and surroundings. Other bears, cougars, and wolves
came at night and prowled around the Annex, but it
was secure against them all, and Dick and Albert never
troubled themselves again to keep awake and watch for
such intruders.

Winter now advanced and it was very £old, but,
to Dick's great relief, no snow came. It was on Albert's
account that he wished air and earth to remain dry,
and it seemed as if Nature were doing her best to help
the boy's recovery. The cough did not come again,
he had no more spells of great exhaustion, the physical
uplift became mental also, and his spirits, because of
the rebound, fairly bubbled. He was full of ideas,
continually making experiments, and had great plans
in regard to the valley and Castle Howard, as he some
times playfully called their cabin.

One of the things that pleased Albert most was his
diversion of water from a hot spring about fifty yards
from the cabin and higher up the ravine. He dug a
trench all the way from the pool to the house, and the
hot water came bubbling down to their very door. It
cooled, of course, a little on the way, but it was still
warm enough for cooking purposes, and Albert was
hugely delighted.

" Hot water! Cold water! Whatever you wish,
Dick, " he said ; " just turn on the tap. If my inventive
faculty keeps on growing, I'll soon have a shower bath,
hot and cold, rigged up here."

" It won't grow enough for that," said Dick; " but
I want to tell you, Al, that the big game in the valley
is increasing at a remarkable rate. Although cold, it's

120

THE TRAP MAKERS

been a very open winter so far, but I suppose the
instinct of these animals warns them to seek a sheltered
place in time.'*

" Instinct or the habit of endless generations, " said
Albert.

" Which may be the same thing," rejoined Dick.

" Just what increase have you seen lately? " asked
Albert.

" There's a whole herd of elk beyond the far end
of the lake, I've noticed on the cliffs what I take to be
mountain sheep, and thirty or forty buffaloes at least
must be ranging about in here. ' '

"Then," said Albert, "let's have a try at the
buffaloes. Their robes will be worth a lot when we
go back to civilization, and there is more room left in
the Annex."

They took their repeaters and soon proved Dick's
words to be true. In a sheltered meadow three or more
miles up the valley they found about twenty buffaloes
grazing. Each shot down a fat cow, and they could
have secured more had not the minds of both boys
rebelled at the idea of slaughter.

" It's true we'd like to have the robes," said Dick,
" but we'd have to leave most of the carcasses rotting
here. Even with the wonderful appetites that we've
developed, we couldn't eat a whole buffalo herd in one
winter."

But after they had eaten the tongue, brisket, and
tenderloin of the two cows, while fresh, these being the
tenderest and best parts of the buffalo, they added the
rest of the meat to their stores in the Annex. As they

121

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

had done already in several cases, they jerked it, a
most useful operation that observant Dick had learned
when they were with the wagon train.

It took a lot of labor and time to jerk the buffaloes,
but neither boy had a lazy bone in him, and time seemed
to stretch away into eternity before them. They cut
the flesh into long, thin strips, taking it all from the
bones. Then all these pieces were thoroughly mixed
with salt— fortunately, they could obtain an unlimited
Supply of salt by boiling out the water from the numer
ous salt springs in the valley— chiefly by pounding
and rubbing. They let these strips remain inside the
hides about three hours, then all was ready for the main
process of jerking.

Albert had been doing the salting and Dick mean
while had been getting ready the frame for the jerking,
He drove four forked poles into the ground, in the form
of a square and about seven feet apart. The forks were
between four and five feet above the ground. On op
posite sides of the square, from fork to fork, he laid
two stout young poles of fresh, green wood. Then from
pole to pole he laid many other and smaller poles, gen
erally about an inch apart. They laid the strips of
buffalo meat, taken from their salt bath, upon the net
work of small poles, and beneath they built a good fire
of birch, ash, and oak.

" Why, it makes me think of a smokehouse at home/1
said Albert.

" Same principle, " said Dick, " but if you let that
fire under there go out, Al, IH take on*? of those fcirca
rods and give you the biggest whaling you ever had in

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THE TRAP MAKERS

your life. You're strong enough now to stand a good
licking."

Albert laughed. He thought his big brother Dick
about the greatest fellow on earth. But he paid assidu
ous attention to the fire, and Dick did so, too. They kept
it chiefly a great bed of coals, never allowing the flames
to rise as high as the buffalo meat, and they watched
over it twenty-four hours. In order to keep this watch,
they deserted the cabin for a night, sleeping by turns
before the fire under the frame of poles, which was no
hardship to them.

The fierce timber wolves came again in the night, at
tracted by the savory odor of buffalo meat; and once
they crept near and were so threatening that Albert,
whose turn it was at the watch, became alarmed. He
awakened Dick, and, in order to teach these dangerous
marauders a lesson, they shot two of them. Then the
shrewd animals, perceiving that the two-legged beasts by
the fire carried something very deadly with which they
slew at a distance, kept for a while to the forest and out
of sight.

After the twenty-four hours of fire drying, the buf
falo meat was greatly reduced in weight and bulk,
though it was packed as full as ever with sustenance. It
was now cured, that is, jerked, and would keep any
length of time. While the frame was ready they jerked
an elk, two mule deer, a big silver-tip bear that Dick shot
on the mountain side, and many fish that they caught
in the lake and the little river. They would scale the
fish, cut them open down the back, and then remove the
bone. After that the flesh was jerked on the scaffold

123

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

in the same way that the meat of the buffalo and deer
was treated.

Before these operations were finished, the big timber
wolves began to be troublesome again. Neither boy
dared to be anywhere near the jerking stage without a
rifle or revolver, and Dick finally invented a spring pole
upon which they could put the fresh meat that was wait
ing its turn to be prepared — they did not want to carry
the heavy weight to the house for safety, and then have
to bring it back again.

While Dick's spring pole was his own invention, as
far as he was concerned, it was the same as that used by
thousands of other trappers and hunters. He chose a
big strong sapling which Albert and he with a great
effort bent down. Then he cut off a number of the
boughs high up, and in each crotch fastened a big piece
of meat. The sapling was then allowed to spring back
into place and the meat was beyond the reach of wolf.

But the wolves tried for it, nevertheless. Dick awak
ened Albert the first night after this invention was tried
and asked him if he wished to see a ghost dance. Albert,
wrapped to his eyes in the great buffalo robe, promptly
sat up and looked.

They had filled four neighboring saplings with meat,
and at least twenty wolves were gathered under them,
looking skyward, but not at the sky — it was the flesh
of elk and buffalo that they gazed at so longingly, and
delicious odors that they knew assailed their nostrils.

But the wolf is an enterprising animal. He does not
merely sit and look at what he wants, expecting it to
come to him. Every wolf in the band knew that no

124

THE TRAP MAKERS

matter how hard and long he might look that splendid
food in the tree would not drop down into his waiting
mouth. So they began to jump for it, and it was this
midnight and wilderness ballet that Albert opened his
eyes to watch.

One wolf, the biggest of the lot, leaped. It was a
fine leap, and might have won him a championship
among his kind, but he did not reach the prize. His
teeth snapped together, touching only one another, and
he fell. Albert imagined that he could hear a disap
pointed growl. Another wolf leaped, the chief leaped
again, a third, a fourth, and a fifth leaped, and then all
began to leap together.

The air was full of flying wolfish forms, going up or
coming down. They went up, hearts full of hope, and
came down, mouths empty of everything but disap
pointed foam. Teeth savagely hit teeth, and growls of
wrath were abundant. Albert felt a ridiculous inclina
tion to laugh. The whole affair presented its ludicrous
aspect to him.

" Did you ever see so much jumping for so little re
ward? " he whispered to Dick.

" No, not unless they're taking exercise to keep
themselves thin, although I never heard of a fat wolf."

But a wolf does not give up easily. They continued to
leap faster and faster, and now and then a little higher
than before, although empty tooth still struck empty
tooth. Now and then a wolf more prone to complaint
than the others lifted up his voice and howled his rago
and chagrin to the moon. It was a genuine moan, a
long, whining cry that echoed far through the fores*

125

THE LAST OP THE CHIEFS

and along the slopes, and whenever Albert heard it he
felt more strongly than ever the inclination to laugh.

11 I suppose that a wolf's woes are as real as our
own/' he whispered, " but they do look funny and act
funny. ' '

" Strikes me the same way," replied Dick with a
grin. " But they're robbers, or would be if they could.
That meat's ours, and they're trying to get it."

It was in truth a hard case for the wolves. They were
very big and very strong. Doubtless, the selfsame wolf
that had been driven away from the Annex by the moun
tain lion was among them, and all of them were atro
ciously hungry. It was not merely an odor now, they
could also see the splendid food hanging just above their
heads. Never before had they leaped so persistently, so
ardently, and so high, but there was no reward, abso
lutely none. Not a tooth felt the touch of flesh. The-
wolves looked around at one another jealously, but the
record was as clean as their teeth. There had been no
surreptitious captures.

" "Will they keep it up all night? " whispered Albert.

" Can't say," replied Dick. " We'll just watch."

All the wolves presently stopped leaping and
crouched on the earth, staring straight up at the prizes
which hung, as ever, most tantalizingly out of reach.
The moonlight fell full upon them, a score or more, and
Albert fancied that he could see their hungry, disap
pointed eyes. The spectacle was at once weird and lu
dicrous. Albert felt again that temptation to laugh, but
he restrained it.

Suddenly the wolves, as if it were a preconcerted
126

THE TRAP MAKERS

matter, uttered one long, simultaneous howl, full, alike
in its rising and falling note, of pain, anguish, and de
spair, then they were gone in such swiftness and silence
that it was like the instant melting of ghosts into thin
air. It took a little effort of the will to persuade Albert
that they had really been there.

' l They 've given it up, ' ' he said. * ' The demon danc
ers have gone/'

61 ' Demon dancers ' fits them," said Dick. " It's a
good name. Yes, they've gone, and I don't think they'll
come back. Wolves are smart, they know when they're
wasting time."

When they finished jerking their buffalo meat and
venison, Dick took the fine double-barreled shotgun
which they had used but little hitherto, and went down
to the lake in search of succulent waterfowl. The far
shore of the lake was generally very high, but on the side
of the cabin there were low places, little shallow bays,
the bottoms covered with grass, which were much fre
quented by wild geese and wild ducks, many of which,
owing to the open character of the winter, had not yet
gone southward. The ducks, in particular, muscovy,
mallard, teal, widgeon, and other kinds, the names of
which Dick did not know, were numerous. They had
been molested so little that they were quite tame, and
it was so easy to kill them in quantities that the element
of sport was entirely lacking.

Dick did not fancy shooting at a range of a dozen
yards or so into a dense flock of wild ducks that would
not go away, and he wished also to save as many as he
could of their shot cartridges, for he had an idea that

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THE LAST OP THE CHIEFS

he and his brother would remain in the valley a long
time. But both he and Albert wanted good supplies of
duck and geese, which were certainly toothsome and
succulent, and they were taking a pride, too, in filling
the Annex with the best things that the mountains could
afford. Hence Dick did some deep thinking and finally
evolved a plan, being aided in his thoughts by earlier
experience in Illinois marshes.

He would trap the ducks and geese instead of
shooting them, and he and Albert at once set about the
task of making the trap. This idea was not original
with Dick. As so many others have been, he was, in
part, an unconscious imitator. He planted in the shal
low water a series of hoops, graded in height, the largest
being in the deepest water, while they diminished stead
ily in size as they came nearer to the land. They made
the hoops of split saplings, and planted them about four
feet apart.

Then they covered all these hoops with a netting, the
total length of which was about twenty-five feet. They
also faced each hoop with a netting, leaving an aperture
large enough for the ducks to enter. It was long and
tedious work to make the netting, as this was done by
cutting the hide of an elk and the hide of a mule deer
into strips and plaiting the strips on the hoops. They
then had a network tunnel, at the smaller end of which
they constructed an inclosure five or six feet square by
means of stout poles which they thrust into the mud, and
the same network covering which they used on the
tunnel.

" It's like going in at the big end of a horn and
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THE TRAP MAKERS

coming out at the little one into a cell/* said Albert.
" Will it work?"

" Work? " replied Dick. " Of course it will. You
just wait and you'll see/'

Albert looked out upon the lake, where many ducks
were swimming about placidly, and he raised his hand.

" Oh, foolish birds! " he apostrophized. " Here is
your enemy, man, making before your very eyes the
snare that will lead you to destruction, and you go on
taking no notice, thinking that the sunshine will last
forever for you."

" Shut up, Al," said Dick, " you'll make me feel
sorry for those ducks. Besides, you're not much of a
poet, anyway."

When the trap was finished they put around the
mouth and all along the tunnel quantities of the grass
and herbs that the ducks seemed to like, and then Dick
announced that the enterprise was finished.

11 We have nothing further to do about it," he said,
" but to take out our ducks."

It was toward twilight when they finished the trap,
and both had been in the cold water up to their knees.
Dick had long since become hardened to such things, but
he looked at Albert rather anxiously. The younger boy,
however, did not begin to cough. He merely hurried
back to the fire, took off his wet leggings, and toasted
his feet and legs. Then he ate voraciously and slept like
a log the night through. But both he and Dick went
down to the lake the next morning with much eagerness,
to see what the trap contained, if anything.

It was a fresh winter morning, not cold enough to
129

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

freeze the surface of the lake, but extremely crisp. The
air contained the extraordinary exhilarating quality
which Dick had noticed when they first came into the
mountains, but which he had never breathed anywhere
else. It seemed to him to make everything sparkle, even
his blood, and suddenly he leaped up, cracked his heels
together, and shouted.

11 Why, Dick," exclaimed Albert, " what on earth is
the matter with you ? ' '

" Nothing is the matter with me. Instead, all's
right. I 'm so glad I 'm alive, Al, old man, that I wanted
to shout out the fact to all creation. ' '

" Feel that way myself," said Albert, " and since
you've given such a good example, think I'll do as you
did."

He leaped up, cracked his heels together, and let out
a yell that the mountains sent back in twenty echoes.
Then both boys laughed with sheer pleasure in life, the
golden morning, and their happy valley. So engrossed
were they in the many things that they were doing that
they did not yet find time to miss human faces.

As they approached the trap, they heard a great
squawking and cackling and found that the cell, as
Albert called the square inclosure, contained ten ducks
and two geese swimming about in a great state of trep
idation. They had come down the winding tunnel and
through the apertures in the hoops, but they did not
have sense enough to go back the same way. Instead
they merely swam around the square and squawked.

" Now, aren't they silly? " exclaimed Albert.
" With the door to freedom open, they won't take it."

130

THE TRAP MAKERS

" I wonder/' said Dick philosophically, " if we hu
man beings are not just the same. Perhaps there are
easy paths out of our troubles lying right before us and
superior creatures up in the air somewhere are always
wondering why we are such fools that we don't see
them."

11 Shut up, Dick," said Albert, " you're getting too
deep. I've no doubt that in our net are some ducks that
are rated as uncommonly intelligent ducks as ducks go. ' '

They forgot all about philosophy a few moments later
when they began to dispose of their capture. They took
them out, one by one, through a hole that they made
in the cell and cut off their heads. The net was soon full
again, and they caught all the ducks and geese they
wanted with such ridiculous ease that at the end of a
week they took it down and stored it in the cabin.

They jerked the ducks and geese that they did not
need for immediate use, and used the feathers to stuff
beds and pillows for themselves. The coverings of these
beds were furs which they stitched together with the
tendons of the deer.

They began to be annoyed about this time by the
depredations of mountain lions, which, attracted by the
pleasant odors, came down from the slopes to the number
of at least half a dozen, Dick surmised, and prowled in
cessantly about the cabin and Annex, taking the place
of the timber wolves, and proving more troublesome and
dangerous alike. One of them managed at night to
seize the edge of an elk skin that hung on the roof of
the cabin, and the next morning the skin was half
chewed up and wholly ruined.

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

Both boys were full of rage, and they watched for
the lions, but failed to get a shot at them. But Dick,
out of the stores of his memory, either some suggestion
from reading, or trappers' and hunters' tales, devised
a gun trap. He put a large piece of fresh deer meat in
the woods about a quarter of a mile from the cabin.
It was gone the next morning, and the tracks about
showed that the lions had been present.

Then Dick drove two stout forked sticks into the
ground, the forks being about a yard above the earth.
"Upon these he lashed one of their rifles. Then he cut a
two-foot section of a very small sapling, one end of
which he inserted carefully between the ground and the
trigger of the rifle. The other end was supported upon
a small fork somewhat higher than those supporting the
rifle. Then he procured another slender but long sec
tion of sapling that reached from the end of the short
piece in the crotch some distance beyond the muzzle of
the rifle. The end beyond the muzzle had the stub of a
bough on it, but the end in the crotch was tied there
with a strip of hide. Now, if anything should pull on
the end of this stick, it would cause the shorter stick to
spring the trigger of the rifle and discharge it. Dick
tested everything, saw that all was firmly and properly
in place, and the next thing to do was to bait the trap.

He selected a piece of most tempting deer meat and
fastened it tightly on the hooked end of the long stick.
It was obvious that any animal pulling at this bait
would cause the short stick tied at the other end
of it to press against the trigger of the rifle, and the
~(fle would be fired as certainly as if the trigger had been

132

THE TRAP MAKERS

pulled by the hand of man. Moreover, the barrel of the
'rifle was parallel with the long stick, and the bullet
would certainly be discharged into the animal pulling at
the bait.

After the bait had been put on Dick put the car
tridge in the rifle. He was careful to do this last, as
he did not wish to take any chances with the trap while
he was testing it. But he and Albert ran a little wall
of brush off on either side in order that the cougar, if
cougar it were, should be induced to approach the muz
zle directly in front. "When all the work was finished,
the two boys inspected it critically.

" I believe that our timber wolves would be too smart
to come up to that trap/' said Albert.

" Perhaps," said Dick; " but the wolf has a fine in
tellect, and I've never heard that the cougar or puma
was particularly noted for brain power. Anyhow, I
know that traps are built for him in this manner, and
we shall see whether it will work."

' ' Are we going to hide somewhere near by and watch
during the night? "

" There's no need to make ourselves uncomfortable.
If the gun gets him, it'll get him whether we are or are
not here."

" That's so," said Albert. " Well, I'm willing
enough to take to the cabin. These nights are growing
pretty cold, I can tell you."

Taking a last look at the gun trap and assuring them
selves that it was all right, they hurried away to Castle
Howard. The night was coming on much colder than
any that they had yet had, and both were glad to get

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

inside. Albert stirred the coals from beneath the ashes,
put on fresh wood, and soon they had a fine blaze. The
light flickered over a cabin greatly improved in appear
ance and wonderfully snug.

The floor, except directly in front of the hearth,
-where sparks and coals would pop out, was covered with
the well-tanned skins of buffalo, elk, mule deer, bear, and
wolf. The walls also were thickly hung with furs, while
their extra weapons, tools, and clothing hung there on
hooks. It was warm, homelike, and showed all the tokens
of prosperity. Dick looked around at it with an approv
ing eye. It was not only a house, and a good house at
that, but it was a place that one might make a base for a
plan that he had in mind. Yes, circumstances had cer
tainly favored them. Their own courage, skill, and
energy had done the rest.

Albert soon fell asleep after supper, but Dick was
more wakeful, although he did not wish to be so. It
was the gun trap that kept his eyes open. He took a
pride in doing things well, and he wanted the trap to
work right. A fear that it might not do so worried him,
but in turn he fell into a sound sleep from which he was
awakened by a report. He thought at first that some
thing had struck the house, but when his confused senses
Were gathered into a focus he knew that it was a rifle
shot.

" Up, Al, up ! " he cried, " I think a cougar has been
fooling with our trap ! ' '

Albert jumped up. They threw on their coats and
went out into a dark and bitterly cold night. If they
had not been so eager to see what had happened, they

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THE TRAP MAKERS

would have fled back to the refuge of the warm cabin,
but they hurried on toward the snug little hollow in
which the gun trap had been placed. At fifty yards they
stopped and went much more slowly, as a terrific growl
ing and snarling smote their ears.

11 It's the cougar, and we've got him," said Dick.
" He's hit bad or he wouldn't be making such a terrible
fuss."

They approached cautiously and saw on the ground,
almost in front of the gun, a large yellowish animal
writhing about and tearing at the earth. His snarls and
rage increased as he scented the two boys drawing near.

" I think his shoulder is broken and his backbone
injured," said Dick. " That's probably the reason he
can't get away. I don't like to see him suffer and I'll
finish him now."

He sent a bullet through the cougar's head and that
was the end of him. In order to save it from the wolves,
they took his hide from him where he lay, and spread it
the next day on the roof of the cabin.

The gun trap was so successful that they baited it
again and again, securing three more cougars, until the
animals became too wary to try for the bait. The fourth
cougar did not sustain a severe wound and fled up the
mountain side, but Dick tracked him by the trail of
blood that he left, overtook him far up the slope, and
slew him with a single shot. All these skins were added
to their collection, and when the last was spread out to
dry, Dick spoke of the plan that he had in mind.

11 Al," he said, " these mountains, or at least this
corner of them, seem to be left to us. The Sioux, I sup-

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pose, are on the warpath elsewhere, and they don't like
mountains much, anyhow. Our wonderful valley, the
slopes, and all the ravines and canyons are full of game.
The beaver must be abundant farther in, and I propose
that we use our opportunity and turn fur hunters.
There's wealth around us for the taking, and we were
never sure of it in California, We've got enough amu-
nition to last us two years if we want to stay that long.
Besides, Al, old boy, the valley has been the remaking
of you. You know that/'

Albert laughed from sheer delight.

' ' Dick, ' ' he said, ' ' you won 't have to get a gun and
threaten me with death unless I stay. I '11 be glad to be
a fur hunter, and, Dick, I tell you, I 'm in love with this
valley. As you say, it's made me over again, and oh,
it's fine to be well and strong, to do what you please,
and not always to be thinking, ' how can I stand this?
Will it hurt me ? ' "

" Then," said Dick, " it's settled. We'll not think
for a long time of getting back to civilization, but devote
ourselves to gathering up furs and skins."

CHAPTER IX

THE TIMBER WOLVES

THE cold increased, although snow fell but little,
which Dick considered good luck, chiefly on Al
bert's account. He wanted the hardening proc
ess to continue and not to be checked by thaws and
permeating dampness. Meanwhile, they plunged with
all the energy and fire of youth into the task of fur
hunting. They had already done much in that respect,
but now it was undertaken as a vocation. They became
less scrupulous about sparing the buffaloes, and they shot
more than twenty in the denies of the mountains, gath
ering a fine lot of robes. Several more skins of the bear,
grizzly, and silver tip were added to their collection, and
the elk also furnished an additional store. Many wolver
ines were taken in dead falls and snares, and their skins
were added to the rapidly growing heap.

They baited the trap gun once more, hoping that a
fifth cougar might prove rash enough to dare it. No
cougar came, but on the third night a scornful grizzly
swallowed the deer meat as a tidbit, and got a bullet in
the neck for his carelessness. In his rage he tore the
trap to pieces and tossed the rifle to one side, but, for
tunately, he did not injure the valuable weapon, his

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

attention turning instantly to something else. Later on
the boys dispatched him as he lay wounded upon the
ground.

Their old clothing was now about worn out and it
also became necessary to provide garments of another
kind in order to guard against the great cold. Here
their furs became invaluable ; they made moccasins, leg
gings, caps, and coats alike of them, often crude in con
struction, bat always warm.

They found the beaver farther in the mountains, as
Dick had surmised, and trapped them in great abun
dance. This was by far their most valuable discovery,
and they soon had a pack of sixty skins, which Dick said
would be worth more than a thousand dollars in any
good market. They also made destructive inroads upon
the timber wolves, the hides of which were more valu
able than those of any other wolf. In fact, they made
such havoc that the shrewd timber wolf deserted the
valley almost entirely.

As the boys now made their fur hunting a business,
they attended to every detail with the greatest care.
They always removed the skin immediately after the
death of the animal, or, if taken in a trap, as soon after
as possible. Every particle of fat or flesh was removed
from the inside of the skin, and they were careful at the
same time never to cut into the skin itself, as they knew
that the piercing of a fur with a knife would injure its
value greatly. Then the skin was put to dry in a cold,
airy place, free alike from the rays of the sun or the
heat of a fire. They built near the cabin a high scaffold
for such purposes, too high and strong for any wild

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THE TIMBER WOLVES

beast to tear down or to reach the furs upon it. Then
they built above this on additional poles a strongly
thatched bark roof that would protect the skins from
rain, and there they cured them in security.

" I've heard/ ' said Dick, " that some trappers put
preparations or compounds on the skins in order to cure
them, but since we don't have any preparations or com
pounds we won't use them. Besides, our furs seem to
cure up well enough without them."

Dick was right. The cold, dry air of the mountains
cured them admirably. Two or three times they thought
to help along the process by rubbing salt upon the inner
sides. They could always get plenty of salt by boiling
out water from the salt springs, but as they seemed to
do as well without it, they ceased to take the trouble.

The boys were so absorbed now in their interesting
and profitable tasks that they lost all count of the days.
They knew they were far advanced into a splendid open
winter, but it is probable that they could not have
guessed within a week of the exact day. However, that
was a question of which they thought little. Albert's
health and strength continued to improve, and with the
mental stimulus added to the physical, the tide of life
was flowing very high for both.

They now undertook a new work in order to facili
tate their trapping operations. The beaver stream, and
another that they found a little later, ran far back into
the mountains, and the best trapping place was about
ten miles away. After a day's work around the beaver
pond, they had to choose between a long journey in the
night to the cabin or sleeping in the open, the latter not

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

a pleasant thing since the nights had become so cold.
Hence, they began the erection of a bark shanty in a
well-sheltered cove near the most important of the beaver
localities. This was a work of much labor, but, as in all
other cases, they persisted until the result was achieved
triumphantly.

They drove two stout, forked poles deep into the
ground, leaving a projection of about eight feet above
the earth. The poles themselves were about eight feet
apart. From fork to fork they placed a strong ridge
pole. Then they rested against the ridgepole from
either side other and smaller poles at an angle of forty
or fifty degrees. The sloping poles were about a foot
and a half apart. These poles were like the scantling
or inside framework of a wooden house and they covered
it all with spruce and birch bark, beginning at the bot
tom and allowing each piece to overlap the one beneath
it, after the fashion of a shingled roof. They secured
these pieces partly with wooden pegs and partly with
other and heavier wooden poles leaned against them.
One end of the shelter was closed up with bark wholly,
secured with wooden pegs, and the other end was left
open in order that its tenants might face the fire which
would be built three or four feet in front of it. They
packed the floor with dead leaves, and put on the top
of the leaves a layer of thick bark with the smooth side
upward.

The bark shanty was within a clump of trees, and its
open side was not fifteen feet from the face of an abrupt
cliff. Hence there was never any wind to drive the
smoke from the fire back into their faces, and, wrapped

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THE TIMBER WOLVES

in their furs, they slept as snugly in the shanty as if
they had been in the cabin itself. But they were too
wise to leave anything there in their absence, knowing
that it was not sufficient protection against the larger
wild animals. In fact, a big grizzly, one night when they
were at the cabin, thrust his nose into the shanty and,
lumbering about in an awkward and perhaps frightened
manner, knocked off half of one of the bark sides. It
took nearly a day's work to repair the damage, and it
put Dick in an ill humor.

" I 'd like to get a shot at that bear ! ' ' he exclaimed.
" He had no business trying to come into a house when
he was not invited."

" But he is an older settler than we are/' said Al
bert, in a whimsical tone.

Dick did get a shot at a bear a few days later, and
it was a grizzly, at that. The wound was not fatal, and
the animal came on with great courage and ferocity. A
second shot from Dick did not stop him and the boy
was in great danger. But Albert, who was near, sent
two heavy bullets, one after the other, into the beast,
and he toppled over, dying. It was characteristic of the
hardy life they were leading and its tendency toward
the repression of words and emotion that Dick merely
uttered a brief, " Thanks, Al, you were just in time,"
and Albert nodded in reply.

The skin of old Ephraim went to join that of his
brother who had been taken sometime before, and Dick
himself shot a little later a third, which contributed a
fine skin.

The boys did not know how hard they were really
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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

working, but their appetites would have been a fine
gauge. Toiling incessantly in a crisp, cold air, as pure
as any that the world affords, they were nearly always
hungry. Fortunately, the happy valley, their own skill
and courage, and the supplies that Dick had brought
from the last wagon train furnished them an unlimited
larder. Game of great variety was their staple, but
they had both flour and meal, from which, though they
were sparing of their use, they made cakes now and then.
They had several ways of preparing the Indian meal
that Dick had taken from the wagon. They would boil
it for about an hour, then, after it cooled, would mix it
with the fat of game and fry it, after which the com
pound was eaten in slices. They also made mealcakes,
johnny cakes, and hoecakes.

Albert was fond of fish, especially of the fine trout
that they caught in the little river, and soon he invented
or discovered a way of cooking them that provided an
uncommon delicacy for their table. He would slit the
trout open, clean it, and then season it with salt and also
with pepper, which they had among their stores. Then
he would lay the fish in the hot ashes of a fire that
had burned down to embers, cover it up thoroughly with
the hot ashes and embers, and let it cook thirty or
forty minutes — thirty minutes for the little fellows and
forty minutes for the big ones. When he thought the
fish was done to the proper turn, he would take it from
the ashes, clean it, and then remove the skin, which
flrould almost peel off of its own accord.

The fish was then ready for the eating, and neither
Oiek nor Albert could ever bear to wait. The flesh

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THE TIMBER WOLVES

looked so tempting and the odor was so savory that
hunger instantly became acute.

" They are so good," said Albert, " because my
method of cooking preserves all the juices and flavors of
the fish. Nothing escapes. ' '

" Thanks, professor," said Dick. " You must be
right, so kindly pass me another of those trout, and be
quick about it."

It is a truth that both boys became epicures. Their
valley furnished so much, and they had a seasoning of
hard work and open mountain air that was beyond com
pare. They even imitated Indian and trapper ways of
cooking geese, ducks, quail, sage hens, and other wild
fowl that the region afforded. They could cook these in
the ashes as they did the trout, and they also had other
methods. Albert would take a duck, cut it open and
clean it, but leave the feathers on. Then he would put
it in water, until the feathers were soaked thoroughly,
after which he would cover it up with ashes, and put
hot coals on top of the ashes. "When the bird was prop
erly cooked and drawn from the ashes, the skin could be
pulled off easily, taking the feathers, of course, with it.
Then a duck, sweet, tender, and delicate, such as no res
taurant could furnish, was ready for the hardy young
sters. At rare intervals they improved on this by stuff
ing the duck with seasoning and Indian meal. Now and
then they served a fat goose the same way and found it
equally good.

They cooked the smaller birds in a simpler manner,
especially when they were at the bark shanty, which,
they nicknamed the " Suburban Villa." The bird was

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

plucked of its feathers, drawn and washed, and then
they cut it down the back in order to spread it out.
Nothing was left but to put the bird on the end of a
sharp stick, hold it over the coals, and turn it around
until it was thoroughly broiled or roasted. They also
roasted slices of big game in the same way.

As Albert was cooking a partridge in this manner
one evening at the Suburban Villa, Dick, who was sit
ting on his buffalo-robe blanket in the doorway, watched
him and began to make comparisons. He recalled the
boy who had left Omaha with the wagon train six or
eight months before, a thin, spiritless fellow with a
slender, weak neck, hollow, white cheeks, pale lips, and
listless eyes. That boy drew coughs incessantly from a
hollow chest, and the backs of his hands were ridged
where the flesh had gone away, leaving the bones stand
ing up. This boy whom Dick contemplated was quite
a different being. His face was no longer white, it was
instead a mixture of red and brown, and both tints were
vivid. Across one cheek were some brier scratches
which he had acquired the day before, but which he had
never noticed. The red-brown cheeks were filled out with
the effects of large quantities of good food digested well.
As he bent over the fire, a chest of good width seemed
to puff out with muscle and wind expansion. Despite
the extreme cold, his sleeves were rolled up to the elbow,
and the red wrists and hands were well covered with
tough, seasoned flesh. The eyes that watched the roast
ing bird were intent, alert, keenly interested in that par
ticular task, and, in due course, in any other that might
present itself.

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THE TIMBER WOLVES

Dick drew a long breath of satisfaction. Providence
had treated them well. Then he called loudly for his
share of the bird, saying that he was starving, and in
a few moments both fell to work.

Their fur operations continued to extend. They had
really found a pocket, an isolated corner in the high
Rockies where the fur-bearing animals, not only abun
dant, were also increasing. It was, too, the dead of win
ter, the very best time for trapping, and so, as far as
their own goings and comings were concerned, they were
favored further by the lucky and unusual absence of
snow. They increased the number of their traps— dead
falls, box traps, snares, and other kinds, and most of
them were successful.

They knew instinctively the quality of the furs that
they obtained. They could tell at a glance whether they
were prime, that is, thick and full, and as they cured
them and baled them, they classified them.

Constant application bred new ideas. In their pur
suit of furs, they found that they were not quite so spar
ing of the game as they had been at first. Some of their
scruples melted away. Albert now recalled a device
of trappers of which he had read. This was the use of
the substance generally called barkstone, which they
found to be of great help to them in the capture of
that animal.

The barkstone or castoreum, as it is commercially
known, was obtained principally from the beaver him
self. The basis of it was an acrid secretion with a
musky odor of great power, found in two glands just
under the root of the beaver's tail. Each gland was

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from one and one half to two inches in length. The
boys cut out these glands and squeezed the contents into
an empty tin can. This at first was of a yellowish-red
color, but after a while, when it dried, it became a light
brown.

This substance formed the main ingredient of bark-
stone, and in their medicine chest they found a part of
the remainder. The secretion was transferred to a bot
tle and they mixed with it essence of peppermint and
ground cinnamon. As Albert remembered it, ground
nutmeg also was needed, but as they had no nutmeg they
were compelled to take their chances without it. Then
they poured whisky on the compound until it looked like
a paste.

Then the bottle was stopped up with the greatest
care, and in about a week, when they stole a sniff or two
at it, they found that the odor had increased ten or
a dozen times in power.

They put eight or ten drops of the barkstone upon
the bait for the beaver, or somewhere near the trap, and,
despite some defects in the composition, it proved an
extraordinary success. The wariest beaver of all would
be drawn by it, and their beaver bales grew faster than
any other.

Dick calculated one day that they had at least five
thousand dollars worth of furs, which seemed a great
sum to both boys. It certainly meant, at that time and
in that region, a competence, and it could be increased
greatly.

11 Of course, " said Dick, " well have to think some
day of the way in which we must get these furs out, and

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THE TIMBER WOLVES

for that we will need horses or mules, but we won't
bother our heads about it yet. ' '

After the long period of clear, open weather, the
delayed snow came. It began to fall one evening at twi
light, when both boys were snug in the cabin, and it came
in a very gentle, soothing way, as if it meant no harm
whatever. Big, soft flakes fell as softly as the touch of
down, but every time the boys looked out they were
still coming in the same gentle but persistent way. The
next morning the big flakes still came down and all that
day and all the next night. When the snow stopped it
lay five feet deep on the level, and uncounted feet deep
in the gullies and canyons.

" We're snowed in," said Albert in some dismay,
" and we can't go to our traps. Why, this is likely to
last a month ! ' '

' ' We can 't walk through it, ' ' said Dick meditatively,
" but we can walk on it. We've got to make snowshoes.
They're what we need."

" Good! " said Albert with enthusiasm. " Let's get
to work at once. ' '

Deep snows fall in Illinois, and both, in their earlier
boyhood, had experimented for the sake of sport with a
crude form of snowshoe. Now they were to build upon
this slender knowledge, for the sake of an immediate
necessity, and it was the hardest task that they had yet
set for themselves. Nevertheless, it was achieved, like
the others.

They made a framework of elastic strips of ash bent
in the well-known shape of the snowshoe, which bears
Some resemblance to the shape of the ordinary shoe, only

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

many times larger and sharply pointed at the rear end.
Its length was between five and six feet, and the ends
were tightly wound with strips of hide. This frame was
bent into the shoe shape after it had been soaked in
boiling water.

Then they put two very strong strips of hide across
the front part of the framework, and in addition passed
at least a half dozen stout bands of hide from strip to
strip.

Then came the hard task of attaching the shoe to
the foot of the boy who was to wear it. The ball of the
foot was set on the second crosspiece and the foot was
then tied there with a broad strip of hide which passed
over the instep and was secured behind the ankle. It
required a good deal of practice to fasten the foot so it
would not slip up and down, and also in such a manner
that the weight of the shoe would be proportioned to it
properly.

They had to exercise infinite patience before two
pairs of snowshoes were finished. There was much hunt
ing in deep snow for proper wood, many strips and
some good hide were spoiled, but the shoes were made
and then another task equally as great confronted the
two boys— to learn how to use them.

Each boy put on his pair at the same time and went
forth on the snow, which was now packed and hard.
Albert promptly caught one of his shoes on the other,
toppled over, and went down through the crust of the
snow, head first. Dick, althovgh in an extremely awk
ward situation himself, managed to pull his brother out
and put him in the proper position, with his head point-

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THE TIMBER WOLVES

ing toward the sky instead of the earth. Albert brushed
the snow out of his eyes and ears, and laughed.

" Good start, bad ending," he said. " This is cer
tainly the biggest pair of shoes that I ever had on, Dick.
They feel at least a mile long to me."

" I know that mine are a mile long," said Dick, as
he, too, brought the toe of one shoe down upon the heel
of the other, staggered, fell over sideways, but managed
to right himself in time.

" It seems to me," said Albert, " that the proper
thing to do is to step very high and very far, so you
won't tangle up one shoe with the other."

" That seems reasonable," said Dick, " and we'll
try it."

They practiced this step for an hour, making their
ankles ache badly. After a good rest they tried it for
another hour, and then they began to make progress.
They found that they got along over the snow at a fair
rate of speed, although it remained an awkward and
tiring gait. Nevertheless, one could travel an indefi
nite distance, when it was impossible to break one 's way
far through five or six feet of packed snow, and the
shoes met a need.

" They'll do," said Albert; " but it will never be
like walking on the solid earth in common shoes."

Albert was right. Their chief use for these objects,
so laboriously constructed, was for the purpose of visit
ing their traps, some of which were set at least a dozen
miles away. They wished also to go back to the shanty
and see that it was all right. They found a number of
valuable furs in the traps, but the bark shanty had been

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

almost crushed in by the weight of snow, and they spent
sometime strengthening and repairing it.

In the course of these excursions their skill with the
snowshoes increased and they were also able to improve
upon the construction, correcting little errors in meas
urement and balance. The snow showed no signs of
melting, but they made good progress, nevertheless, with
their trapping, and all the furs taken were of the highest
quality.

It would have been easy for them to kill enough game
to feed a small army, as the valley now fairly swarmed
with it, although nearly all of it was of large species,
chiefly buffalo, elk, and bear. There was one immense
herd of elk congregated in a great sheltered space at
the northern end of the valley, where they fed chiefly
upon twigs and lichens.

Hanging always upon the flanks of this herd was a
band of timber wolves of great size and ferocity, which
never neglected an opportunity to pull down a cripple
or a stray yearling.

" I thought we had killed off all these timber
wolves/' said Albert when he first caught sight of the
band.

" "We did kill off most of those that were here when
we came," said Dick, " but others, I suppose, have fol
lowed the game from the mountains into the valley. ' '

Albert went alone a few days later to one of their
traps up the valley, walking at a good pace on his snow-
shoes. A small colony of beavers had been discovered
on a stream that came down between two high cliffs, and
the trap contained a beaver of unusually fine fur. Al-

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THE TIMBER WOLVES

bert removed the skin, put it on his shoulder, and,
tightening his snowshoes, started back to Castle Howard.

The snow had melted a little recently, and in many
places among the trees it was not deep, but Albert and
Dick had made it a point to wear their snowshoes when-
2ver they could, for the sake of the skill resulting from
practice.

Albert was in a very happy frame of mind. He
felt always now a physical elation, which, of course, be
came mental also. It is likely, too, that the rebound
from long and despairing ill health still made itself
felt. None so well as those who have been ill and are
cured! He drew great draughts of the frosty air into
his strong, sound lungs, and then emitted it slowly and
with ease. It was a fine mechanism, complex, but work
ing beautifully. Moreover, he had an uncommonly large
and rich beaver fur over his shoulder. Such a skin as
that would bring twenty-five dollars in any decent
market.

Albert kept to the deep snow on account of his shoes,
and was making pretty good time, when he heard a long
howl, varied by a kind of snappy, growling bark.

" One of those timber wolves/' said Albert to him
self, * ' and he has scented the blood of the beaver. ' '

He thought no more about the wolf until two or three
minutes later when he heard another howl and then
two or three more. Moreover, they were much nearer.

" Now, I wonder what they're after? " thought
Albert.

But he went on, maintaining his good pace, and then
he heard behind him a cry that was a long, ferocious

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

whine rather than a howl. Albert looked back and saw
under the trees, where the snow was lighter, a dozen
leaping forms. He recognized at once the old pests,
the timber wolves.

" Now, I wonder what they're after? " he repeated,
and then as the whole pack suddenly gave tongue in a
fierce, murderous howl, he saw that it was himself. Al
bert, armed though he was — neither boy ever went forth
without gun or revolver — felt the blood grow cold in
every vein. These were not the common wolves of the
prairie, nor yet the ordinary wolf of the East and Mid
dle West, but the great timber wolf of the Northwest,
the largest and fiercest of the dog tribe. He had grown
used to the presence of timber wolves hovering some
where near, but now they presented themselves in a new
aspect, bearing down straight upon him, and pushed by
hunger. He understood why they were about to attack
him. They had been able to secure but little of the large
game in the valley, and they were drawn on by star
vation.

He looked again and looked fearfully. They seemed
to him monstrous in size for wolves, and their long, yel
lowish-gray bodies were instinct with power. Teeth and
eyes alike were gleaming. Albert scarcely knew what to
do first. Should he run, taking to the deepest snow,
where the wolves might sink to their bodies and thus
fail to overtake him? But in his own haste he might
trip himself with the long, ungainly snowshoes, and then
everything would quickly be over. Yet it must be tried.
He could see no other way.

Albert, almost unconsciously prayed for coolness and
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THE TIMBER WOLVES

judgment, and it was well for him that his life in recent
months had taught him hardihood and resource. He
turned at once into the open space, away from the trees,
where the snow lay several feet deep, and he took long,
flying leaps on his snowshoes. Behind him came the
pack of great, fierce brutes, snapping and snarling, howl
ing and whining, a horrible chorus that made shivers
chase one another up and down the boy's spine. But
as he had reckoned, the deep snow made them flounder,
and checked their speed.

Before him the open ground and the deep snow
stretched straight away beside the lake until it reached
the opening between the mountains in which stood Castle
Howard. As Albert saw the good track lie before him,
his hopes rose, but presently, when he looked back again,
they fell with cruel speed. The wolves, despite the
depth of the snow, had gained upon him. Sometimes,
perhaps, it proved hard enough to sustain the weight of
their bodies, and then they more than made up lost
ground.

Albert noted a wolf which he took at once to be the
leader, not only because he led all the others, but because
also of his monstrous size. Even in that moment of
danger he wondered that a wolf could grow so large,
and that he should have such long teeth. But the boy,
despite his great danger, retained his presence of mind.
If the wolves were gaining, then he must inflict a check
upon them. He whirled about, steadied himself a mo
ment on his snowshoes, and fired directly at the huge
leader. The wolf had swung aside when he saw the
barrel of the rifle raised, but the bullet struck down

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

another just behind him. Instantly, some of the rest fell
upon the wounded brute and began to devour him,
while the remainder, after a little hesitation, continued
to pursue Albert.

But the boy had gained, and he felt that the repeat
ing rifle would be for a while like a circle of steel to him.
He could hold them back for a time with bullet after
bullet, although it would not suffice to stop the final rush
when it came, if it came.

Albert looked longingly ahead. He saw a feather
of blue smoke against the dazzling white and silver of
the sky, and he knew that it came from their cabin. If
he were only there behind those stout log walls! A
hundred wolves, bigger than the big leader, might tear
at them in vain ! And perhaps Dick, too, would come !
He felt that the two together would have little to fear.

The wolves set up their fierce, whining howl again,
and once more it showed that they had gained upon the
fleeing boy. He turned and fired once, twice, three
times, four times, as fast as he could pull the trigger,
directly into the mass of the pack. He could not tell
what he had slain and what he had wounded, but there
was a hideous snapping and snarling, and the sight of
wolf teeth flashing into wolf flesh.

Albert ran on and that feather of blue smoke was
larger and nearer. But was it near enough f He could
hear the wolves behind him again. All these diversions
were only temporary. No matter how many of their
number were slain or wounded, no matter how many
paused to devour the dead and hurt, enough were always
left to follow him. The pursuit, too, had brought reen-

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THE TIMBER WOLVES

forcements from the lurking coverts of the woods and
bushes.

Albert saw that none of his bullets had struck the
leader. The yellowish-gray monster still hung close
upon him, and he was to Albert like a demon wolf, one
that could not be slain. He would try again. He
wheeled and fired. The leader, as before, swerved to
one side and a less fortunate wolf behind him received
the bullet. Albert fired two more bullets, and then he
turned to continue his flight. But the long run, the
excitement, and his weakened nerves caused the fatal
misstep. The toe of one snowshoe caught on the heel
of the other, and as a shout pierced the air, he went
down.

The huge gray leader leaped at the fallen boy, and
as his body paused a fleeting moment in midair before
it began the descent, a rifle cracked, a bullet struck him
in the throat, cutting the jugular vein and coming out
behind. His body fell lifeless on the snow, and he who
had fired the shot came on swiftly, shouting and firing
again.

It was well that Dick, sometime after Albert's de
parture, had concluded to go forth for a little hunt, and
it was well also that in addition to his rifle he had taken
the double-barreled shotgun thinking that he might find
some winter wild fowl flying over the snow and ice-cov
ered surface of the lake. His first shot slew the master
wolf, his second struck down another, his third was as
fortunate, his fourth likewise, and then, still running
forward, he bethought himself of the shotgun that was
strapped over his shoulder. He leveled it in an instant

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

and fairly sprayed the pack of wolves with stinging
shot. Before that it had been each bullet for a wolf and
the rest untouched, but now there was a perfect shower
of those hot little pellets. It was more than they could
stand, big, fierce, and hungry timber wolves though they
were. They turned and fled with beaten howls into the
woods.

Albert was painfully righting himself, when Dick
gave him his hand and sped the task. Albert had thought
himself lost, and it was yet hard to realize that he had
not disappeared down the throat of the master wolf.
His nerves were overtaxed, and he was near collapse.

" Thank you, Dick, old boy," he said. " If you
hadn 't come when you did, I shouldn 't be here. ' '

' ' No, you wouldn 't, ' ' replied Dick grimly. ' ' Those
wolves eat fast. But look, Al, what a monster this fel
low is ! Did you ever see such a wolf ? ' '

The great leader lay on his side upon the snow, and
a full seven feet he stretched from the tip of his nose
to the root of his stumpy tail. No such wolf as he had
ever been put inside a cage, and it was rare, indeed, to
find one so large, even in the mountains south of the
very Far North.

" That's a skin that will be worth something," said
Dick, ' ' and here are more, but before we begin the work
of taking them off, you 11 hava to be braced up, Al.
You need a stimulant."

He hurried back to Castle Howard and brought one
of the bottles of whisky, a little store that they had never
touched except in the compounding of the barkstone for
the capture of beaver. He gave Albert a good stiff

156

THE TIMBER WOLVES

drink of it, after which the boy felt better, well enough,
in fact, to help Dick skin the monster wolf.

" It gives me pleasure to do this/' said Albert, as
he wielded the knife. " You thought, Mr. Wolf, that
I was going to adorn your inside ; instead, your outside
will be used as an adornment trodden on by the foot of
my kind."

They secured four other fine and unimpaired skins
among the slain, and after dressing and curing, they
\rer«> sent to join the stores in the Annex.

CHAPTER X

DICK GOES SCOUTING

DICK did not believe that the timber wolves, aftef
suffering so much in the pursuit of Albert,
would venture again to attack either his brother
or himself. He knew that the wolf was one of the
shrewdest of all animals, and that, unless the circum
stances were very unusual indeed, the sight of a gun
would be sufficient to warn them off. Nevertheless, he
decided to begin a campaign against them, though he had
to wait a day or two until Albert's shaken nerves were
restored.

They wished to save their ammunition as much as
possible, and they built three large dead falls, in which
they caught six or seven great wolves, despite their cun
ning. In addition they hunted them with rifles with
great patience and care, never risking a shot until they
felt quite sure that it would find a vital spot. In this
manner they slew about fifteen more, and by that time
the wolves were thoroughly terrified. The scent of the
beings carrying sticks which poured forth death and de
struction at almost any distance, was sufficient to send the
boldest band of timber wolves scurrying into the shad
ows of the deepest forest in search of hiding and safety,

158

DICK GOES SCOUTING

The snow melted and poured in a thousand streams
from the mountains. The river and all the creeks and
brooks roared in torrents, the earth soaked in water, and
the two boys spent much of the time indoors making new
clothing, repairing traps and nets, and fashioning all
kinds of little implements that were of use in their daily
life. They could realize, only because they now had
to make them, how numerous such implements were.
Yet they made toasting sticks of hard wood, carved out
wooden platters, constructed a rude but serviceable din
ing table, added to their supply of traps of various
kinds, and finally made two large baskets of split willow.
This last task was not as difficult as some others, as both
had seen and taken a part in basket making in Illinois.
The cabin was now crowded to inconvenience. Over
their beds, from side to side, and up under the sloping
roof, they had fastened poles, and from all of these
hung furs and skins, buffalo, deer, wolf, wild cat,
beaver, wolverine, and others, and also stores of jerked
game. The Annex was in the same crowded condition.
The boys had carried the hollow somewhat higher up
with their axes, but the extension gave them far less
room than they needed.

"It's just this, Dick," said Albert, " we're getting
so rich that we don't know what to do with all our
property. I used to think it a joke that the rich were
unhappy, but now I see where their trouble comes in."

" I know that the trappers cache their furs, that is,
bury them or hide them until they can take them away,"
said Dick, " but we don't know how to bury furs so
they'll keep all right. Still, we've got to find a new

159

THE LAST OP THE CHIEFS

place of some kind. Besides, it would be better to have
them hidden where only you and I could find them, Al.
Maybe we can find such a place, ' '

Albert agreed, and they began a search along the
cliffs. Dick knew that extensive rocky formations must
mean a cave or an opening of some kind, if they only
looked long enough for it, and at last they found in the
side of a slope a place that he thought could be made to
suit. It was a rocky hollow running back about fifteen
feet, and with a height and width of perhaps ten feet.
It was approached by an opening about four feet in
height and two feet in width. Dick wondered at first
that it had not been used as a den by some wild animal,
but surmised that the steepness of the ascent and the
extreme roughness of the rocky floor had kept them out.
But these very qualities recommended the hollow to
the boys for the use that they intended it. Its position
in the side of the cliff made it a hard place to find, and
the solid rock of its floor, walls, and roof insured the
dryness that was necessary for the storage of their furs.
61 We'll call this the Cliff House/' said Albert, " and
we'll take possession at once."

They broke off the sharper of the stone projections
with their ax heads, and then began the transfer of the
furs. It was no light task to carry them up the steep
slope to the Cliff House, but, forced to do all things for
themselves, they had learned perseverance, and they car
ried all their stock of beaver furs and all the buffalo
robes and bearskins, except those in actual use, together
with a goodly portion of the wolfskins, elk hides, and
others.

160

DICK GOES SCOUTING

Dick made a rude but heavy door which fitted well
enough into the opening to keep out any wild animal,
no matter how small, and in front of it, in a little patch
of soft soil, they set out two transplanted pine bushes
which seemed to take root, and which Dick was sure
would grow in the spring.

When the boys looked up from the bottom of the
slope, they saw no trace of the Cliff House, only an ex
panse of rock, save a little patch of earth where two tiny
pines were growing.

' ' Nobody but ourselves will ever find our furs ! ' ' ex
claimed Dick exultingly. " The most cunning Indian
Would not dream that anything was hidden up there
behind those little pines, and the furs will keep as well
inside as if they were in the best storehouse ever built."

The discovery and use of the rock cache was a great
relief to both. Their cabin had become so crowded with
furs and stores, that the air was often thick and heavy,,
and they did not have what Dick called elbow room.
Now they used the cabin almost exclusively for living
purposes. Most of the stores were in the Annex, while
the dry and solid Cliff House held the furs.

" Have you thought, Dick, what you and I are? "
asked Albert.

" I don't catch your meaning."

" "We're aristocrats of the first water, Mr. Richard
Howard and Mr. Albert Howard, the Mountain Kings.
We can't get along with less than four residences. We
live in Castle Howard, the main mansion, superior to
anything of its kind in a vast region : then we have the
Annex, a tower used chiefly as a supply room and treas-

161

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

lire chest; then the Suburban Villa, a light, airy place
of graceful architecture, very suitable as a summer resi
dence, and now we have the Cliff House, in a lofty and
commanding position noted for its wonderful view. We
are really a fortunate pair, Dick."

" Fve been thinking that for sometime," replied
Dick rather gravely.

Hitherto they had confined their operations chiefly
to their own side of the lake, but as they ranged farther
and farther in search of furs they began to prowl among
the canyons and narrow valleys in the mountains on the
other side. They made, rather far up the northern side,
some valuable catches of beaver, but in order to return
with them, they were compelled to come around either
the northern or southern end of the lake, and the round
trip was tremendously long and tiring.

" It's part of a man's business to economize time
and strength," said Dick, " and we must do it. You
and I, Al, are going to make a canoe."

"How? "

" I don't know just yet, but I'm studying it out.
The idea will jump out of my head in two or three
days."

It was four days before it jumped, but when it did,
it jumped to some purpose.

" First, well make a dugout," he said. " We've
got the tools— axes, knives, saws, and augers— and we'd
better start with that. ' '

They cut down a big and perfectly straight pine and
chose a length of about twelve feet from the largest part
of the trunk. Both boys had seen dugouts, and they

162

DICK GOES SCOUTING

knew, in a general way, how to proceed. Their native
intelligence supplied the rest.

They cut off one side of the log until it was flat, thus
making the bottom for the future canoe. They cut the
opposite side away in the well-known curve that a boat
makes, low in the middle and high at each end. This
part of the work was done with great caution, but Dick
had an artistic eye, and they made a fairly good curve.
Next, they began the tedious and laborious work of dig
ging out, using axes, hatchets, and chisel.

This was a genuine test of Albert 's new strength,
but he stood it nobly. They chipped away for a long
time, until the wood on the sides and bottom was thin
but strong enough to stand any pressure. Then they
made the proper angle and curve of bow and stern, cut
and made two stout broad paddles, and their dugout
was ready — a long canoe with a fairly good width, as
the original log had been more than two feet in diameter.
It was both light and strong, and, raising it on their
shoulders, they carried it down to the lake where they
put it in the water.

Albert, full of enthusiasm, sprang into the canoe and
made a mighty sweep with his paddle. The light dugout
shot away, tipped on one side, and as Albert made an
other sweep with his paddle to right it, it turned over,
bottom side up, casting the rash young paddler into
ten feet of pure cold water. Albert came up with a
mighty splash and sputter. He was a good swimmer,
and he had also retained hold of the paddle uncon
sciously, perhaps. Dick regarded him contemplatively
from the land. He had no idea of jumping in. One wet

163

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

and cold boy was enough. Besides, rashness deserved
its punishment.

" Get the canoe before it floats farther away/' he
called out, ' ' and tow it to land. It has cost us too much
work to be lost out on the lake."

Albert swam to the canoe, which was now a dozen
yards away, and quickly towed it and the paddle to
land. There, shivering, the water running from him in
streams, he stepped upon the solid earth.

" Run to the cabin as fast as you can," said Dick.
" Take off those wet things, rub yourself down before
the fire; then put on dry clothes and come back here
and help me."

Albert needed no urging, but it seemed to him that
he would freeze before he reached the cabin, short as the
distance was. Fortunately, there was a good fire on the
hearth, and, after he had rubbed down and put on his
dry, warm suit of deerskin, he never felt finer in his
life. He returned to the lake, but he felt sheepish on
the way. That had been a rash movement of his, over-
enthusiastic, but he had been properly punished. His
chagrin was increased when he saw Dick a considerable
distance out on the lake in the canoe, driving it about
in graceful curves with long sweeps of his paddle.

" This is the way it ought to be done," called out
Dick cheerily. ' ' Behold me, Richard Howard, the king
of canoe men! >f

" You've been practicing while I was gone! " ex
claimed Albert.

" No doubt of it, my young friend, and that is why
you see me showing such skill, grace, and knowledge. I

164

DICE. GOES SCOUTING

give you the same recipe without charge: Look before
you leap, especially if you're going to leap into a canoe.
Now we'll try it together. "

He brought the canoe back to the land, Albert got
in cautiously, and for the rest of the day they practiced
paddling, both together and alone. Albert got another
ducking, and Dick, in a moment of overconfidence, got
one, too, somewhat to Albert's pleasure and relief, as
it has been truly said that misery loves company, but
in two or three days they learned to use the canoe with
ease. Then, either together or alone, they would pad
dle boldly the full length of the lake, and soon acquired
dexterity enough to use it for freight, too ; that is, they
would bring back in it across the lake anything that
they had shot or trapped on the other side.

So completely had they lost count of time that Dick
had an idea spring was coming, but winter suddenly
shut down upon them again. It did not arrive with
wind and snow this time, but in the night a wave of
cold came down from the north so intense that the shel
tered valley even did not repel it.

Dick and Albert did not appreciate how really cold
it was until they went from the cabin into the clear
morning air, when they were warned by the numbing
sensation that assailed their ears and noses. They hur
ried into the house and thawed out their faces, which
stung greatly as they were exposed to the fire. Remem
bering the experiences of their early boyhood, they ap
plied cold water freely, which allayed the stinging.
After that they were very careful to wrap up fingers^
ears, and noses when they went forth.

165

THE LAST OP THE CHIEFS

Now, the channel that Albert had made from the
water of the hot spring proved of great use. The water
that came boiling from the earth cooled off rapidly, but
it was not yet frozen when it reached the side of Castle
Howard, and they could make use of it.

The very first morning they found their new boat, of
Which they were so proud, hard and fast with ten inches
of solid ice all around it. Albert suggested leaving it
there.

* * We have no need of it so long as the lake is covered
with ice/' he said, " and when the ice melts it will be
released. ' '

But Dick looked a little farther. The ice might press
in on it and crush it, and hence Albert and he cut it out
with axes, after which they put it in the lee of the cabin.
Meanwhile, when they wished to reach the traps on the
farther side of the lake, they crossed it on the ice, and,
presuming that the cold might last long, they easily
made a rude sledge which they used in place of the
canoe.

" If we can't go through the water, we can at least
go over it," said Albert.

While the great cold lasted, a period of about two
weeks, the boys went on no errands except to their traps.
The cold was so intense that often they could hear the
logs of Castle Howard contracting with a sound like
pistol shots. Then they would build the fire high and
sit comfortably before it. Fortunately, the valley af
forded plenty of fuel. Both boys wished now that they
had a few books, but books were out of the question, and
they sought always to keep themselves busy with the

166

DICK GOES SCOUTING

tasks that their life in the valley entailed upon them.
Both knew that this was best.

The cold was so great that even the wild animals
suffered from it. The timber wolves, despite their terri
ble lessons, were driven by it down the valley, and at
night a stray one now and then would howl mournfully
near the cabin.

11 He's a robber and would like to be a murderer,"
Albert would say, " but he probably smells this jerked
buffalo meat that I'm cooking and I'm sorry for him."

But the wolves were careful to keep out of rifle shot.

Dick made one trip up the valley and found about
fifty buffaloes sheltered in a deep ravine and clustering
close together for warmth. They were quite thin, as the
grass, although it had been protected by the snow, was
very scanty at that period of the year. Dick could have
obtained a number of good robes, but he spared them.

" Maybe I won't be so soft-hearted when the spring
comes and you are fatter, ' ' he said.

The two, about this time, took stock of their ammuni
tion, which was the most vital of all things to them.
For sometime they had used both the shot and ball car
tridges only in cases of necessity, and they were relying
more and more on traps, continually devising new kinds,
their skill and ingenuity increasing with practice.

Dick had brought a great store of cartridges from the
last train, especially from the unrifled wagon in the
gully, and both boys were surprised to see how manj"
they had left. They had enough to last a long time, ac
cording to their present mode of life.

" If you are willing, that settles it," said Dick-
167

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

" If I am willing for what? " asked Albert.

" Willing to stay over another year. You see, Al,
we've wandered into a happy hunting ground. There
are more furs, by the hundreds, for the taking, and it
seems that this is a lost valley. Nobody else comes here.
Besides, you are doing wonderfully. All that old trouble
is gone, and we want it to stay gone. If we stay here
another year, and you continue to eat the way you do
and grow the way you do, you '11 be able to take a buff aic
by the horns and wring its neck. ' '

Albert grinned pleasantly at his brother.

" You don't have to beg me to stay," he said. " I
like this valley. It has given me life and what is to be1
our fortune, our furs. "Why not do ail we can while we
can ? I 'm in favor of the extra year, Dick. ' '

" Then no more need be said about it. The Cliff
House isn't half full of furs yet, but in another year we
can fill it."

The great cold began to break up, the ice on the lake
grew thinner and thinner and then disappeared, much
of the big game left the valley, the winds from the north
ceased to blow, and in their stead came breezes from
the south, tipped with warmth. Dick knew that spring
was near. It was no guess, he could feel it in every bone
of him, and he rejoiced. He had had enough of winter,
and it gave him the keenest pleasure when he saw tiny
blades of new grass peeping up in sheltered places here
and there.

Dick, although he was not conscious of it, had
changed almost as much as Albert in the last eight or
nine months. He had had no weak chest and throat to

168

DICK GOES SCOUTING

cure, but his vigorous young frame had responded nobly
to the stimulus of self-reliant life. The physical expe
rience, as well as the mental, of those eight or nine
months, had been equal to five times their number spent
under ordinary conditions, and he had grown greatly in
every respect. Few men were as strong, as agile, and as
alert as he.

He and Albert, throughout that long winter, had
been sufficient unto each other. They had a great sense
of ownership, the valley and all its manifold treasures
belonged to them— a feeling that was true, as no one
else came to claim it— and they believed that in their
furs they were acquiring an ample provision for a start
in life.

"When the first tender shades of green began to ap
pear in the valley and on the slopes, Dick decided upon
a journey.

" Do you know, Al, how long we have been in this
valley? " he asked.

" Eight or ten months, I suppose," replied Albert.

" It must be something like that, and we've been
entirely away from our race. If we had anybody to
think about us— although we haven't— they'd be sure
that we are dead. We're just as ignorant of what is
happening in the world, and I want to go on a skirmish
ing trip over the mountains. You keep house while I 'm
gone. ' '

Albert offered mild objections, which he soon with
drew, as at heart he thought his brother right, and the
next day, early in the morning, Dick started on his jour-
Bey. He carried jerked buffalo meat in a deerskin pouch

J69

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

that he had made for himself, his customary repeating
rifle, revolver, and a serviceable hatchet.

" Look after things closely, Al," said Dick, " and
don't bother about setting the traps. Furs are not good
in the spring. "

" All right/' responded Albert. " How long do you
think you '11 be gone ? ' '

" Can't say, precisely. Three or four days, I pre
sume, but don't you worry unless it's a full week."

It was characteristic of the strength and self-re
straint acquired by the two that they parted with these
words and a hand clasp only, yet both had deep feeling.
Dick looked back from the mouth of the cleft toward
Castle Howard and saw a boy in front of it waving a cap.
He waved his own in reply and then went forward more
swiftly down the valley.

It did not take him long to reach the first slope, and,
when he had ascended a little, he paused for rest and
inspection. Soring had really made considerable prog
ress. All the trees except the evergreens had put forth
young leaves and, as he looked toward the north, the
mountains unrolled like a vast green blanket that swept
away in ascending folds until it ended, and then the
peaks and ridges, white with snow, began.

Dick climbed farther, and their valley was wholly
lost to sight. It was not so wonderful after all that no
body came to it. Trappers who knew of it long ago
never returned, believing that the beaver were all gone
forever, and it was too near to the warlike Sioux of the
plains for mountain Indians to make a home there.

Dick did not stop long for the look backward — he
170

DICK GOES SCOUTING

was too intent upon his mission — but resumed the ascent
with light foot and light heart. He remembered very
well the way in which he and Albert had come, and he
followed it on the return. At night, with his buffalo robe
about him, he slept in the pine alcove that had been the
temporary home of Albert and himself. He could see no
change in it in all the months, except traces to show
that some wild animal had slept there.

* ' Maybe you 11 come to-night, Mr. Bear or Mr. Moun
tain Lion, to sleep in your little bed," said Dick as he
lay down in his buffalo robe, " but you 11 find me here
before you. ' '

He was wise enough to know that neither bear nor
mountain lion would ever molest him, and he slept
soundly. He descended the last slopes and came in
sight of the plains on the afternoon of the next day.
Everything seemed familiar. The events of that fatal
time had made too deep an impression upon him and
Albert ever to be forgotten. He knew the very rocks
and trees and so went straight to the valley in which he
had found the wagon filled with supplies. It lay there
yet, crumpled somewhat by time and the weight of snow
that had fallen upon it during the winter, but a strong
man with good tools might put it in shape for future
service.

" Now, if Al and I only had horses, we might get it
out and take away our furs in it," said Dick, " but I
suppose I might as well wish for a railroad as for
horses."

He descended into the gully and found the tracks of
wolves and other wild beasts about the wagon. In their

171

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

hunger, they had chewed up every fragment of leather
or cloth, and had clawed and scratched among the lock
ers. Dick had searched these pretty well before, but
now he looked for gleanings. He found little of value
until he discovered, jammed down in a corner, an old
history and geography of the United States combined
in one volume with many maps and illustrations. It
was a big octavo book, and Dick seized it with the same
delight with which a miner snatches up his nugget of
gold. He opened it, took a rapid look through flying
pages, murmured, " Just the thing/7 closed it again,
and buttoned it securely inside his deerskin coat. He
had not expected anything ; nevertheless, he had gleaned
to some purpose.

Dick left the wagon and went into the pass where
the massacre had occurred. Time had not dimmed the
horror of the place for him and he shuddered as he
approached the scene of ambush, but he forced himself
to go on.

The wagons were scattered about, but little changed,
although, as in the case of the one in the gully, all the
remaining cloth and leather had been chewed by wild
animals. Here and there were the skeletons of the
fallen, and Dick knew that the wild beasts had not been
content with leather and cloth alone. He went through
the wagons one by one, but found nothing of value left
except a paper of needles, some spools of thread, and
a large pair of scissors, all of which he put in the pack
age with the history.

It was nightfall when he finished the task, and retir
ing to the slope, he made his bed among some pines. He

172

DICK GOES SCOUTING

heard wolves howling twice in the night, but he merely
settled himself more easily in his warm buffalo rob«
and went to sleep again. Replenishing his canteen with
water the next morning, he started out upon the plains,
intending to make some explorations.

Dick had thought at first that they were in the Black
Hills, but he concluded later that they were much far
ther west. The mountains about them were altogether
too high for the Black Hills, and he wished to gain some
idea of their position upon the map. The thought re
minded him that he had a book with maps in his pocket,
and he took out the precious volume.

He found a map of the Rocky Mountain territory,
but most of the space upon it was vague, often blank,
and he could not exactly locate himself and Albert, al
though he knew that they were very far west of any
settled county.

" I can learn from that book all about the world
except ourselves," he said, as he put it back in his
pocket. But he was not sulky over it. His was a bold
and adventurous spirit and he was not afraid, nor was
his present trip merely to satisfy curiosity. He and
Albert must leave the valley some day, and it was well
to know the best way in which it could be done.

He started across the plain in a general southwesterly
direction, intending to travel for about a day perhaps,
camp for the night, and return on the following day to
his mountains. He walked along \vith a bold, swinging
step and did not look back for an hour, but when he
turned at last he felt as if he had ventured upon the
open ocean in a treacherous canoe. There were the

173

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

mountains, high, sheltered, and friendly, while off to the
south and west the plains rolled away in swell after
swell as long and desolate as an untraveled sea, and as
hopeless.

Dick saw toward noon some antelope grazing on the
horizon, but he was not a hunter now, and he did not
trouble himself to seek a shot. An hour or two later
he saw a considerable herd of buffaloes scattered about
over the plain, nibbling the short bunch grass that had
lived under the snow. They were rather an inspiring
sight, and Dick felt as if, in a sense, they were furnishing
him company. They drove away the desolation and lone
liness of the plains, and his inclinations toward thrsm
were those of genuine friendliness. They were in danger
of no bullet from him.

While he was looking at them, he saw new figures
coming over the distant swell. At first he thought they
were antelope, but when they reached the crest of the
swell and their figures were thrown into relief against
the brilliant sky, he saw that they were horsemen.

They came on with such regularity and precision,
that, for a moment or two, Dick believed them to be a
troop of cavalry, but he learned better when they scat
tered with a shout and began to chase the buffaloes.
Then he knew that they were a band of Sioux Indians,
hunting.

The full extent of his danger dawned upon him
instantly. He was alone and on foot. The hunt might
bring them down upon him in five minutes. He was
about to run, but his figure would certainly be exposed
upon the crest of one of the swells, as theirs had been,,

174

DICK GOES SCOUTING

and he dropped instead into one of & number of little
gullies that intersected the plain.

It was an abrupt little gully, and Dick was well hid
den from any eyes not within ten yards of him. He lay
at first so he could not see, but soon he began to hear
shots and the trampling of mighty hoofs. He knew
now that the Sioux were in among the buffaloes, dealing
out death, and he began to have a fear of being trodden
upon either by horsemen or huge hoofs. He could not
bear to lie there and be warned only by sound, so lie
turned a little farther on one side and peeped over the
edge of the gully.

The hunters and the hunted were not as near as he
thought ; he had been deceived by sound, the earth beiao^
such a good conductor. Yet they were near enough for
him to see that he was in great danger and should re
main well hidden. He could observe, however, that the
hunt was attended with great success. Over a dozen
buffaloes had fallen and the others were running aboU£
singly or in little groups, closely pursued by the exultant
Sioux. Some were on one side of him and some on tba
other. There was no chance for him, no matter n»?w
careful he might be, to rise from the gully and sneaK
away over the plain. Instead, he crouched more closes v
and contracted himself into the narrowest possible space.
while the hunt wheeled and thundered about him.

It is not to be denied that Dick felt many tremors,
He had seen what the Sioux could do. He knew that
they were the most merciless of all the northwestern
Indians, and he expected only torture and death if "he
fell into their hands, and there was his brother alone

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

now in the valley. Once the hunt swung away to the
westward and the sounds of it grew faint. Dick hoped
it would continue in that direction, but by and by it
came back again and he crouched down anew in his nar
row quarters. He felt that every bone in him was stif
fening with cramp and needlelike pains shot through
his nerves. Yet he dared not move. And upon top of
his painful position came the knowledge that the Sioux
would stay there to cut up the slain buffaloes. He was
tempted more than once to jump up, run for it and take
his chances.

He noticed presently a gray quality in the air, and
as he glanced off toward the west, he saw that the red
sun was burning very low. Dick's heart sprang up in
gladness; it was the twilight, and the blessed darkness
would bring the chance of escape. Seldom has anyone
watched the coming of night with keener pleasure. The
sun dropped down behind the swells, the gray twilight
passed over all the sky, and after it came the night, on
black wings.

Fires sprang up on the plain, fires of buffalo chips
lighted by the Sioux, who were now busy skinning and
cutting up the slain buffaloes. Dick saw the fires all
about him, but none was nearer than a hundred yards,
and, despite them, he decided that now was his best time
to attempt escape before the moon should come out and
lighten up the night.

He pulled himself painfully from the kind gully.
He had lain there hours, and he tested every joint as he
crept a few feet on the plain. They creaked for a while,
but presently the circulation was restored, and, rising

176

DICK GOES SCOUTING

to a stooping position, with his rifle ready, he slipped off
toward the westward.

Dick knew that great caution was necessary, but he
had confidence in the veiling darkness. Off to the east
ward he could see one fire, around which a half dozen
warriors were gathered, busy with a slain buffalo, work
ing and feasting. He fancied that he could trace their
savage features against the red firelight, but he himself
was in the darkness.

Another fire rose up, and this was straight before
him. Like the others, warriors were around it, and Dick
turned off abruptly to the south. There he heard ponies
stamping and he shifted his course again. "When he
had gone about a dozen yards he lay down flat upon the
plain and listened. He was hardy and bold, but, for a
little while, he was almost in despair. It seemed to him
that he was ringed around by a circle of savage warriors
and that he could not break through it.

His courage returned, and, rising to his knees, he re
sumed his slow progress. His course was now south
westerly, and soon he heard again the stamping of hoofs.
It was then that a daring idea came into Dick's head.

That stamping of hoofs was obviously made by the
ponies of the Sioux. Either the ponies were tethered to
short sticks, or they had only a small guard, perhaps
a single man. Busy as they were with the buffaloes, and
unsuspecting of a strange presence, they would not de
tail more than one man to watch their horses. It was
wisdom for him to slip away one of the horses, mount
it when at a safe distance, and then gallop toward the
mountains.

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

Dick sank down a little lower and crept very slowly
toward the point from which the stamping of hoofs pro
ceeded. When he had gone about a dozen yards he
heard another stamping of hoofs to his right and then
a faint whinny. This encouraged him. It showed him
that the ponies were tethered in groups, and the group
toward which he was going might be without a guard.
He continued his progress another dozen yards, and
then lay flat upon the plain. He had seen two vague
forms in the darkness, and he wished to make himself
a blur with the earth. They were warriors passing from
one camp fire to another, and Dick saw them plainly, tall
men with blankets folded about them like togas, long
hair in which eagle feathers were braided after the Sioux
style, and strong aquiline features. They looked like
chiefs, men of courage, dignity, and mind, and Dick
contrasted them with the ruffians of the wagon train.
The contrast was not favorable to the white faces that
he remembered so well.

But the boy saw nothing of mercy or pity in these
red countenances. Bold and able they might be, but it
Was no part of theirs to spare their enemies. He fairly
crowded himself against the earth, but they went on,
absorbed in their own talk, and he was not seen. He
raised up again and began to crawl. The group of
ponies came into view, and he saw with delight that
they had no watchman. A half dozen in number and
well hobbled, they cropped the buffalo grass. They
were bare of back, but they wore their Indian bridles,
Which hung from their heads.

Dick knew a good deal about horses, and he was
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DICK GOES SCOUTING

aware that the approach would be critical. The Indian
ponies might take alarm or they might not, but the ven
ture must be made. He did not believe that he could get
beyond the ring of Sioux fires without being discovered,
and only a dash was left.

Dick marked the pony nearest to him. It seemed a
strong animal, somewhat larger than the others, and,
pulling up a handful of the bunch grass, he approached
it, whistling very softly. He held the grass in his left
hand and his hunting knife in the right, his rifle being
fastened to his back. The pony raised his head, looked
at him in a friendly manner, then seemed to change his
mind and backed away. But Dick came on, still holding
out the grass and emitting that soft, almost inaudible
whistle. The pony stopped and wavered between belief
and suspicion. Dick was not more than a dozen feet
away now, and he began to calculate when he might
make a leap and seize the bridle.

The boy and the pony were intently watching the
eyes of each other. Dick, in that extreme moment, was
gifted with preternatural acuteness of mind and vision,
and he saw that the pony still wavered. He took another
step forward, and the eyes of the pony inclined dis
tinctly from belief to suspicion ; another short and cau
tious step, and they were all suspicion. But it was too
late for the pony. The agile youth sprang, and, drop
ping the grass, seized him with his left hand by the
bridle. A sweep or two of the hunting knife and the
hobbles were cut through.

The pony reared and gave forth an alarmed neigh,
but Dick, quickly replacing the knife in his belt, now

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

held the bridle with both hands, and those two hands
were very strong. He pulled the pony back to its four
feet and sprang, with one bound, upon his back. Then
kicking him vigorously in the side, he dashed away, with
rifle shots spattering behind him.

CHAPTER XI

THE TERRIBLE PURSUIT

DICK knew enough to bend low down on the neck
of the flying mustang, and he was untouched,
although he heard the bullets whistling about
him. The neigh of the pony had betrayed him, but he
was aided by his quickness and the friendly darkness,
and he felt a surge of exultation that he could not con
trol, boy that he was. The Sioux, jumping upon their
ponies, sent forth a savage war whoop that the desolate
prairie returned in moaning echoes, and Dick could not
refrain from a reply. He uttered one shout, swung his
rifle defiantly over his head, then bending down again,
urged his pony to increased speed.

Dick heard the hoofs of his pursuers thundering be
hind him, and more rifle shots came, but they ceased
quickly. He knew that the Sioux would not fire again
joon, because of the distance and the uncertain darkness.
It was his object to increase that distance, trusting that
the darkness would continue free from moonlight. He
took one swift look backward and saw the Sioux, a dozen
or more, following steadily after. He knew that they
would hang on as long as any chance of capturing him
remained, and he resolved to make use of the next sweli.

181

THE LAST OP THE CHIEFS

that he crossed. He would swerve when he passed the
crest, and while it was yet between him and his pur
suers, perhaps he could find some friendly covert, that
would hide him. Meanwhile he clung tightly to his
rifle, something that one always needed in this wild and
dangerous region.

He crossed a swell, but there was no friendly in
crease of the darkness and he was afraid to swerve,
knowing that the Sioux would thereby gain upon him,
since he would make himself the curve of the bow, while
they remained the string.

In fact, the hasty glance back showed that the Sioux
had gained, and Dick felt tremors. He was tempted for
a moment to fire upon his pursuers, but it would cer
tainly cause a loss of speed, and he did not believe that
he could hit anything under such circumstances. No,
he would save his bullets for a last stand, if they ran
him to earth.

The Sioux raised their war whoop again and fired
three or four shots. Dick felt a slight jarring movement
run through his pony, and then the animal swerved. He
was afraid that he had trodden in a prairie-dog hole
or perhaps a little gully, but in an instant or two he was
running steadily again, and Dick forgot the incident in
the excitement of the flight.

He was in constant fear lest the coming out of the
moon should lighten up the prairie and make him a good
target for the Sioux bullets, but he noted instead, and
with great joy, that it was growing darker. Heavy
clouds drifted across the sky, and a cold wind arose and
began to whistle out of the northwest. It was a friendly

182

THE TERRIBLE PURSUIT

black robe that was settling down over the earth. It had
never before seemed to him that thick night could be so
welcome.

Dick's pony rose again on a swell higher than the
others, and was poised there for the fraction of a second
a dark silhouette against the darker sky. Several of the
Sioux fired. Dick felt once more that momentary jar of
his horse's mechanism, but it disappeared quickly and
his hopes rose, because he saw that the darkness lay
thickly between this swell and the next, and he believed
that he now could lose his pursuers.

He urged his horse vigorously. He had made no
mistake when he chose this pony as strong and true. The
response was instant and emphatic. He flew down the
slope, but instead of ascending the next swell he turned
at an angle and went down the depression that lay be
tween them. There the darkness was thickest, and the
burst of speed by the pony was so great that the shapes
of his pursuers became vague and then were lost. Never
theless, he heard the thudding of their hoofs and knew
that they could also hear the beat of his. That would
guide them for a while yet. He thought he might turn
again and cross the next swell, thus throwing them en
tirely off his track, but he was afraid that he would be
cast into relief again when he reached the crest, and
so continued down the depression.

He heard shouts behind him, and it seemed to him
that they were not now the shouts of triumph, but the
shouts of chagrin. Clearly, he was gaining, because af
ter the cries ceased, the sound of hoof beats came but
faintly. He urged his horse to the last ounce of his

183

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

wpeed, and soon the sound of the pursuing hoofs ceased
entirely.

The depression ended and he was on the flat plain.
It was still cloudy, with no moon, but his eyes were used
enough to the dark to tell him that the appearance of
the country had changed. It now lay before him almost
as smooth as the surface of a table, and, never relaxing
the swift gallop, he turned at another angle.

He was confident now that the Sioux could not over
take or find him. A lone object in the vast darkness,
there was not a chance in a hundred for them to blunder
upon him. But the farther away the better, and he went
on for an hour. He would not have stopped then, but
the good pony suddenly began to quiver, and then
halted so abruptly that Dick, rifle and all, shot over his
shoulder. He felt a stunning blow, a beautiful set of
stars flashed before his eyes, and he was gone, for the
time, to another land.

"When Dick awoke he felt very cold and his head
ached. He was lying flat upon his back, and, with in
voluntary motion, he put his hand to his head. He felt
a bump there and the hand came back damp and stained.
He could see that the fingers were red— there was light
enough for that ominous sight, although the night had
not yet passed.

Then the flight, the danger, and his fall all came back
in a rush to Dick. He leaped to his feet, and the act
gave him pain, but not enough to show that any bone
was broken. His rifle, the plainsman's staff and de
fense, lay at his feet. He quickly picked it up and
found that it, too, was unbroken. In fact, it was not

184

THE TERRIBLE PURSUIT

bent in the slightest, and here his luck had stood him
well. But ten feet away lay a horse, the pony that had
been a good friend to him in need.

Dick walked over to the pony. It was dead and cold.
It must have been dead two or three hours at least, and
he had lain that long unconscious. There was a bullet
hole in its side and Dick understood now the cause of
those two shivers, like the momentary stopping of a
clock's mechanism. The gallant horse had galloped on
until he was stopped only by death. Dick felt sadness
and pity.

'' I hope you've gone to the horse heaven, " he mur
mured.

Then he turned to thoughts of his own position.
Alone and afoot upon the prairie, with hostile and
mounted Sioux somewhere about, he was still in bad
case. He longed now for his mountains, the lost valley,
the warm cabin, and his brother.

It was quite dark and a wind, sharp with cold, was
blowing. It came over vast wastes, and as it swept across
the swells kept up a bitter moaning sound. Dick shiv
ered and fastened his deerskin tunic a little tighter. He
looked up at the sky. Not a star was there, and sullen
black clouds rolled very near to the earth. The cold had
a raw damp in it, and Dick feared those clouds.

Had it been day he could have seen his mountains
and he would have made for them at once, but now his
eyes did not reach a hundred yards, and that bitter,
moaning wind told him nothing save that he must fight
hard against many things if he would keep the life that
was in him. He had lost all idea of direction. North

185

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

and south, east and west were the same to him, but one
must go even if one went wrong.

He tried all his limbs again and found that they
were sound. The wound on his head had ceased to bleed
and the ache was easier. He put his rifle on his shoul
der, waved, almost unconsciously, a farewell to the horse,
as one leaves the grave of a friend, and walked swiftly
away, in what course he knew not.

He felt much better with motion. The blood began
to circulate more warmly, and hope sprang up. If only
that bitter, moaning wind would cease. It was inexpress
ibly weird and dismal. It seemed to Dick a song of
desolation, it seemed to tell him at times that it was not
worth while to try, that, struggle as he would, his doom
was only waiting.

Dick looked up. The black clouds had sunk lower
and they must open before long. If only day were near
at hand, then he might choose the right course. Hark!
Did he not hear hoof beats? He paused in doubt, and
then lay down with his ear to the earth. Then he dis
tinctly heard the sound, the regular tread of a horse,
urged forward in a straight course, and he knew that
it could be made only by the Sioux. But the sound indi
cated only one horse, or not more than two or three at
the most.

Dick's courage sprang up. Here was a real danger
and not the mysterious chill that the moaning of the
wind brought to him. If the Sioux had found him, they
had divided, and it was only a few of their number that
lie would have to face. He hugged his repeating rifle.
It was a fine weapon, and just then he was in love with

186

THE TERRIBLE PURSUIT

it. There was no ferocity in Dick's nature, but the
Sioux were seeking the life that he wished to keep.

He rose from the earth and walked slowly on in his
original course. He had no doubt that the Sioux, guided
by some demon instinct, would overtake him. He looked
around for a good place of defense, but saw none. Just
the same low swells, just the same bare earth, and not
even a gully like that in which he had lain while the
hunt of the buffalo wheeled about him.

He heard the hoof beats distinctly now, and he be
came quite sure that they were made by only a single
horseman. His own senses had become preternaturally
acute, and, with the conviction that he was followed by
but one, came a rush of shame. Why should he, strong
and armed, seek to evade a lone pursuer? He stopped,
holding his rifle ready, and waited, a vague, shadowy
figure, black on the black prairie.

Dick saw the phantom horseman rise on a swell, the
faint figure of an Indian and his pony, and there was no
other. He was glad now that he had waited. The horse,
trained for such work as this, gave the Sioux warrior a
great advantage, but he would fight it out with him.

Dick sank down on one knee in order to offer a
smaller target, and thrust his rifle forward for an in-
stant shot. But the Sioux had stopped and was looking
intently at the boy. For fully two minutes neither he
nor his horse moved, and Dick almost began to believe
that he was the victim of an illusion, the creation of the
desolate plains, the night, the floating black vapors, his
tense nerves, and heated imagination. He was tempted
to try a shot to see if it were real, but the distance and

187

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

the darkness were too great. He strengthened his will
and remained crouched and still, his finger ready for
the trigger of his rifle.

The Sioux and his horse moved at last, but they did
not come forward; they rode slowly toward the right,
curving in a circle about the kneeling boy, but coming
no nearer. They were still vague and indistinct, but
they seemed blended into one, and the supernatural as
pect of the misty form of horse and rider was increased.
The horse trod lightly now, and Dick no longer heard
the sound of footsteps, only the bitter moaning of the
wind over the vast dark spaces.

The rider rode silently on in his circle about the boy,
and Dick turned slowly with him, always facing the eyes
that faced him. He could dimly make out the shape of
a rifle at the saddlebow, but the Sioux did not raise it,
he merely rode on in that ceaseless treadmill tramp, and
Dick wondered what he meant to do. Was he waiting
for the others to come up ?

Time passed and there was no sign of a second horse
man. The single warrior still rode around him, and
Dick still turned with him. He might be coming nearer
in his ceaseless curves, but Dick could not tell. Although
he was the hub of the circle, he began to have a dizzy
sensation, as if the world were swimming about him.
He became benumbed, as if his head were that of a
whirling dervish.

Dick became quite sure now that the warrior and his
horse were unreal, a creation of the vapors and the mists,
and that he himself was dreaming. He saw, too, at last
that they were coming nearer, and he felt horror, as if

188

THE TERRIBLE PURSUIT

something demoniac were about to seize him and drag
him down. He had crouched so long that he felt pain in
his knees, and all things were becoming a blur before
his eyes. Yet there had not been a sound but that of
the bitter, moaning wind.

There was a flash, a shot, the sigh of a bullet rush
ing past, and Dick came out of his dream. The Sioux
had raised the rifle from his saddlebow and fired. But
he had been too soon. The shifting and deceptive qual
ity of the darkness caused him to miss. Dick promptly
raised his own rifle and fired in return. He also missed,
but a second bullet from the warrior cut a lock from his
temple.

Dick was now alert in every nerve. He had not
wanted the life of this savage, but the savage wanted
his; it seemed also that everything was in favor of the
savage getting it, but his own spirit rose to meet the
emergency; he, too, became the hunter.

He sank a little lower and saved his fire until the
warrior galloped nearer. Then he sent a bullet so close
that he saw one of the long eagle feathers drop from
the hair of the warrior. The sight gave him a savage
exultation that he would have believed a few hours be
fore impossible to him. The next bullet might not
merely clip a feather !

The Sioux, contrary to the custom of the Indian, did
not utter a sound, nor did Dick say a word. The combat,
save for the reports of the rifle shots, went on in absolute
silence. It had lasted a full ten minutes, when the In
dian urged his horse to a gallop, threw himself behind
the body and began firing under the neck. A bullet

189

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

struck Dick in the left arm and wounded him slightly;
but it did not take any of his strength and spirit.

Dick sought in vain for a sight of the face of his
fleeting foe. He could catch only a glimpse of long,
trailing hair beneath the horse's mane, and then would
come the flash of a rifle shot. Another bullet clipped his
side, but only cut the skin. Nevertheless, it stung, and
while it stung the body it stung Dick's wits also into
keener action. He knew that the Sioux warrior was
steadily coming closer and closer in his deadly circle,
and in time one of his bullets must strike a vital spot,
despite the clouds and darkness.

Dick steadied himself, calming every nerve and mus
cle. Then he lay down on his stomach on the plain,
resting slightly on his elbow, and took careful aim at the
flying pony. He felt some regret as he looked down the
sights. This horse might be as faithful and true as
the one that had carried him to temporary safety, but
he must do the deed. He marked the brown patch of
hair that lay over the heart and pulled the trigger.

Dick's aim was true— the vapors and clouds had not
disturbed it— and when the rifle flashed, the pony
bounded into the air and fell dead. But the agile Sioux
leaped clear and darted away. Dick marked his brown
body, and then was his opportunity to send a mortal bul
let, but a feeling of which he was almost ashamed held
his hand. His foe was running, and he was no longer
hunted. The feeling lasted but a moment, and when it
passed, the Sioux was out of range. A moment later and
his misty form had become a part of the solid darkness.

Dick stood upright once more. He had been the vie-
190

THE TERRIBLE PURSUIT

tor in a combat that still had for him all the elements
of the ghostly. He had triumphed, but just in time.
His nerves were relaxed and unstrung, and his hands
were damp. He carefully reloaded all the empty cham
bers of his repeating rifle, and without looking at the
falling horse, which he felt had suffered for the wick
edness of another, strode away again over the plain,
abandoning the rifle of the fallen Sioux as a useless
burden.

It took Dick sometime after his fight with the phan
tom horseman to come back to real earth. Then he no
ticed that both the clouds and the dampness had in
creased, and presently something cold and wet settled
upon his face. It was a flake of snow, and a troop came
at its heels, gentle but insistent, creeping down the collar
of his buckskin coat, chilling his hands and gradually
whitening the earth, until it was a gleaming floor under
a pall of darkness.

Dick was in dismay. Here was a foe that he could
not fight with rifle balls. He knew that the heavy clouds
would continue to pour forth snow, and that the day,
which he thought was not far away, would disclose as
little as the night. The white pall would hide the moun
tains as well as the black pall had done, and he might
be going farther and farther from his valley.

He felt that he had been released from one danger
and then another, only to encounter a third. It seemed
to him, in his minute of despair, that Fate had resolved
to defeat all his efforts, but, the minute over, he renewed
his courage and trudged bravely on, he knew not
whither. It was fortunate for him that he wore a pair

191

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

of the heavy shoes saved from the wagon, and put on
for just such a journey as this. The wet from the snow
would have soon soaked through his moccasins, but, as
his thick deerskin leggings fitted well over his shoes, he
kept dry, and that was a comfort.

The snow came down without wind and fuss, but
more heavily than ever, persistent, unceasing, and sure
of victory. It was not particularly cold, and the walking
kept up a warm and pleasant circulation in Dick 's veins.
But he knew that he must not stop. Whether he was
going on in a straight line he had no way to determine.
He had often heard that men, lost on the plains, soon
begin to travel in a circle, and he watched awhile for
his own tracks ; but if they were there, they were covered
up by the snow too soon for him to see, and, after all,
what did it matter ?

He saw after a while a pallid yellowish light showing
dimly through the snow, and he knew that it was the
sunrise. But it illuminated nothing. The white gloom
began to replace the black one. It was soon full day,
but the snow was so thick that he could not see more
than two or three hundred yards in any direction. He
longed now for shelter, some kind of hollow, or perhaps
a lone tree. The incessant fall of the snow upon his
head and its incessant clogging under his feet were tir
ing him, but he only trod a plain, naked save for its
blanket of snow.

Dick had been careful to keep his rifle dry, putting
the barrel of it under his long deerskin coat. Once as
he shifted it, he felt a lump over his chest, and for an
instant or two did not know what caused it. Then he

192

THE TERRIBLE PURSUIT

remembered the history and geography of the United
States. He laughed with grim humor.

" I am lost to history," he murmured, " and the
geography will not tell me where I am."

He crossed a swell— he knew them now more by feel
ing than by sight— and before beginning the slight as
cent of the next one he stopped to eat. He had been
enough of a frontiersman, before starting upon such a
trip, to store jerked buffalo in the skin knapsack that
he had saved for himself. The jerked meat offered the
largest possible amount of sustenance in the smallest
possible space, and Dick ate eagerly. Then he felt a
great renewal of courage and strength. He also drank
of the snow water, that is, he dissolved the snow in his
mouth, but he did not like it much.

He stood there for a while resting, and resolved only
to walk enough to keep himself warm. Certainly, noth
ing was to be gained by exhausting himself, and the
snow which was now a foot deep showed no signs of abat
ing. The white gloom hung all about him and he could
not see the sky overhead.

Just as he took this resolution, Dick saw a shadow in
the circling white. The shadow was like that of a man,
but before he could see farther there was a little flash
of red, a sharp, stinging report, and a bullet clipped the
skin of his cheek, burning like fire. Dick was startled,
and for full cause— but he recognized the Sioux warrior
who had fought him on horseback. He had stared too
long at that man and at a time too deadly not to know
that head and face and the set of his figure. He had
followed Dick through all the hours and falling snow-

193

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

bent upon taking his life. A second shot, quickly fol
lowing the first, showed that he meant to miss no chance.

The second bullet, like the first, just grazed Dick, and
mild of temper though he habitually was, he was in
stantly seized with the fiercest rage. He could not un
derstand such hatred, such ferocity, such an eagerness to
take human life. And this was the man whom he had
spared, whom he could easily have slain when he was
running! The Sioux was raising his rifle for a third
bullet, when Dick shot him through the chest. There
Was no doubt about his aim now. It was not disturbed
by the whitish mist and the falling snow.

The Sioux fell full length, without noise and without
struggle, and his gun flew from his hand. His body lay
half buried in the snow, some of the long eagle feathers
in his hair thrusting up like the wing of a slain bird.
Dick looked at him with shuddering horror. All the
anger was gone from him now, and it is true that in his
heart he felt pity for this man, who had striven so hard
and without cause to take his life. He would have been
glad to go away now, but he forced himself to approach
and look down at the Indian.

The warrior lay partly on his side with one arm
beneath his body. The blood from the bullet hole in his
chest dyed the snow, and Dick believed that he had been
killed instantly. But Dick would not touch him. He
could not bring himself to do that. Nor would he take
any of his arms. Instead, he turned away, after the
single look, and, bending his head a little to the snow,
walked rapidly toward the yellowish glare that told
where the sun was rising. He did not know just why he

194

THE TERRIBLE PURSUIT

went in that direction, but it seemed to him the proper
thing to walk toward the morning.

Two hours, perhaps, passed and the fall of snow be
gan to lighten. The flakes still came down steadily, but
not in such a torrent. The area of vision widened. He
saw dimly, as through a mist, three or four hundred
yards, perhaps, but beyond was only the white blur, and
there was nothing yet to tell him whether he was going
toward the mountains or away from them.

He rested and ate again. Then he recovered some
what, mentally as well as physically. Part of the horror
of the Indian, his deadly pursuit, and the deadly ending
passed. He ached with weariness and his nerves were
quite unstrung, but the snow would cease, the skies
would clear, and then he could tell which way lay the
mountains and his brother.

He rested here longer than usual and studied the
plain as far as he could see it. He concluded that its
character had changed somewhat, that the swells were
higher than they had been, and he was hopeful that he
might find shelter soon, a deep gully, perhaps, or a shal
low prairie stream with sheltering cottonwoods along its
course.

Another hour passed, but he did not make mucb
progress. The snow was now up to his knees, and it
became an effort to walk. The area of vision had wid
ened, but no mountains yet showed through the white
mist. He was becoming tired with a tiredness that was
scarcely to be borne. If he stood still long enough to
rest he became cold, a deadly chill that he knew to be
the precursor of death's benumbing sleep would creep

195

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

over him, and then he would force himself to resume the
monotonous, aching walk.

Dick's strength waned. His eyesight, affected by the
glare of the snow, became short and unsteady, and he
felt a dizziness of the brain. Things seemed to dance
about, but his will was so strong that he could still
reason clearly, and he knew that he was in desperate
case. It was his will that resisted the impulse of his
flesh to throw his rifle away as a useless burden, but
he laughed aloud when he thought of the map of the
United States in the inside pocket of his coat.

" They'll find me, if they ever find me, with that
upon me," he said aloud, " and they, too, will laugh."

He stumbled against something and doubled his fist
angrily as if he would strike a man who had mali
ciously got in his way. It was the solid bark of a big
cottonwood that had stopped him, and his anger van
ished in joy. Where one cottonwood was, others were
likely to be, and their presence betokened a stream, a
valley, and a shelter of some kind.

He was still dazed, suffering partially from snow
blindness, but now he saw a line of sturdy cottonwoods
and beyond it another line. The stream, he knew, flowed
between. He went down the line a few hundred yards
and came, as he had hoped, into more broken ground.

The creek ran between banks six or seven feet
high, with a margin between stream and bank, and the
cottonwoods on these banks were reinforced by some
thick clumps of willows. Betweeen the largest clump
and the line of cottonwoods, with the bank as a shelter
for the third side, was a comparatively clear space. The

196

THE TERRIBLE PURSUIT

snow was only a few inches deep there, and Dick be
lieved that he could make a shelter. He had, of course^
brought his blanket with him in a tight roll on his back,
-and he was hopeful enough to have some thought of
building a fire.

He stepped into the sheltered space and looked for a
point at which to begin work. He believed that by
prowling in the snow under the cottonwoods he could
find fallen and old boughs, which, with desperate efforts,
he might kindle into a flame.

He stooped down to feel in the snow at a likely spot,
and the act saved his life. A bullet, intended for his
head, was buried in the snow beyond him, and a body
falling down the bank lay quite still at his feet. It was
the lone Sioux. Wounded mortally, he had followed
Dick, nevertheless, with mortal intent, crawling, perhaps
most of the time, and with his last breath he had fired
what he intended to be the fatal shot.

He was quite dead now, his power for evil gone for
ever. There could be no doubt about it. Dick at length
forced himself to touch the face. It had grown cold and
the pulse in the wrist was still. It yet gave him a feel
ing of horror to touch the Sioux, but his own struggle
for life would be bitter and he could spare nothing. The
dead warrior wore a good blanket, which Dick now took,
together with his rifle and ammunition, but he left all
the rest. Then he dragged the warrior from the shel
tered space to a deep snow bank, where he sank him out
of sight. He even took the trouble to heap more snow
upon him in a form of burial, and he felt a great relief
when he could no longer see the savage brown features.

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

He went back to his sheltered space, and, upon the
single unprotected side threw up a high wall of snow,
so high that it would serve as a wind-break. Then he
began to search for fallen brushwood. Meanwhile, it ,
was turning colder, and a bitter wind began to moan
across the plain0

CHAPTER XII

THE FIGHT WITH NATURE

DICK realized suddenly that he was very cold.
The terrible pursuit was over, ending mortally
for the pursuer, but he was menaced by a new
danger. Sheltered though his little valley was, he could,
nevertheless, freeze to death in it with great ease. In
fact, he had begun already to shiver, and he noticed
that while his feet were dry, the snow at last had soaked
through his deerskin leggings and he was wet from knee
to ankle. The snow had ceased, although a white mist
hovered in a great circle and the chill of the wind was
increasing steadily. He must have a fire or die.

He resumed his search, plunging into the snow banks
under the cottonwoods and other trees, and at last he
brought out dead boughs, which he broke into short
pieces and piled in a heap in the center of the open
space. The wood was damp on the outside, of course,
but he expected nothing better and was not discouraged.
Selecting a large, well-seasoned piece, he carefully cut
away all the wet outside with his strong hunting knife.
Then he whittled off large quantities of dry shavings,
put them under the heap of boughs, and took from his
inside pocket a small package of lucifer matches.

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

Dick struck one of the matches across the heel of his
shoe. No spark leaped up. Instead, his heart sank
down, sank further, perhaps, than it had ever done be
fore in his life. The match was wet. He took another
from the pocket; it, too, was wet, and the next and the
next and all. The damp from the snow, melted by the
heat of his body, had penetrated his buckskin coat, al
though in the excitement of pursuit and combat he had
not noticed it.

Dick was in despair. He turned to the snow a face
no less white. Had he escaped all the dangers of the
Sioux for this? To freeze to death merely because he
did not have a dry lucifer match? The wind was still
rising and it cut to his very marrow. Reality and imagi
nation were allied, and Dick was almost overpowered.
He angrily thrust the wet little package of matches back
into the inside pocket of his coat — his border training in
economy had become so strong that even in the moment
of despair he would throw away nothing — and his hand
in the pocket came into contact with something else,
small, hard, and polished. Dick instantly felt a violent
revulsion from despair to hope.

The small object was a sunglass. That wagon train
was well equipped. Dick had made salvage of two sun
glasses, and in a moment of forethought had given one
to Albert, keeping the other for himself, each agreeing
then and there to carry his always for the moment of
need that might come.

Dick drew out the sunglass and fingered it as one
would a diamond of great size. Then he looked up. A
brilliant sun was shining beyond white, misty clouds,

200

THE FIGHT WITH NATURE

but its rays came through them dim and weak. The
mists or, rather, cloudy vapor might lift or thin, and in
that chance lay the result of his fight for life. While he
waited a little, he stamped up and down violently, and
threw his arms about with energy. It did not have much
effect. The wet cold, the raw kind that goes through,
was in him and, despite all the power of his will, he
shivered almost continually. But he persisted for a half
hour and then became conscious of an increasing bright
ness about him. The white mist was not gone, but it
was thinning greatly, and the rays of the sun fell on the
snow brilliant and strong.

Dick took the dry stick again and scraped off par
ticles of the wood so fine that they were almost a pow
der. He did not stop until he had a little heap more
than an inch high. Meanwhile, the sun's rays, pour
ing through the whitish mist, continued to grow fuller
and stronger.

Dick carefully polished the glass and held it at the
right angle between the touchwood, that is, the scrap
ings, and the sun. The rays passing through the glass
increased many times in power and struck directly upon
the touchwood. Dick crouched over the wood in order
to protect it from the wind, and watched, his breath
constricted, while his life waited on the chance.

A minute, two minutes, three minutes, five passed
and then a spark appeared in the touchwood, and fol
lowing it came a tiny flame. Dick shouted with joy
and shifted his body a little to put shavings on the
touchwood. An ill wind struck the feeble blaze, which
was not yet strong enough to stand fanning into

201

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

greater life, and it went out, leaving a little black ash
to mark where the touchwood had been.

Dick's nerves were so much overwrought that he
cried aloud again, and now it was a cry of despair, not
of joy. He looked at the little black ash as if his last
chance were gone, but his despair did not last long.
He seized the dry stick again and scraped off another
little pile of touchwood. Once more the sunglass and
once more the dreadful waiting, now longer than five
minutes and nearer ten, while Dick waited in terrible
fear, lest the sun itself should fail him, and go behind
impenetrable clouds.

But the second spark came and after it, as before,
followed the little flame. No turning aside now to al
low a cruel chance to an ill wind. Instead, he bent down
his body more closely than ever to protect the vital
blaze, and, reaching out one cautious arm, fed it first
with the smallest of the splinters, and then with the
larger in an ascending scale.

Up leaped the flames, red and strong. Dick's body
could not wholly protect them now, but they fought for
themselves. When the wind shrieked and whipped
against them, they waved back defiance, and the more the
wind whipped them, the higher and stronger they grew.

The victory was with the flames, and Dick fed them
with wood, almost with his body and soul, and all the
time as the wind bent them over they crackled and ate
deeper and deeper into the wood. He could put on
damp wood now. The flames merely leaped out, licked
up the melted snow with a hiss and a splutter, and en
veloped the stick in a mass of glowing red

302

THE FIGHT WITH NATURE

Dick fed his fire a full half hour, hunting continu
ally in the snow under the trees for brushwood and
finding much of it, enough to start a second fire at the
far end of the sheltered place, with more left in reserve.
He spent another half hour heaping up the snow as a
bulwark about his den, and then sat down between the
two fires to dry and warm, almost to roast himself.

It was the first time that Dick understood how much
pleasure could be drawn from a fire alone. What beau
tiful red and yellow flames ! What magnificent glowing
coals! What a glorious thing to be there, while the
wind above was howling over the snowy and forlorn
plain! His clothes dried rapidly. He no longer shiv
ered. The grateful warmth penetrated every fiber of
him and it seemed strange now that he should have been
in despair only an hour ago. Life was a wonderful and
brilliant thing. There was no ache in his bones, and
the first tingling of his hands, ears, and nose he had re
lieved with the application of wet snow. Now he felt
only comfort.

After a while Dick ate again of his jerked buffalo
meat, and with the food, warmth, and rest, he began to
feel sleepy. He plunged into the snow, hunted out more
wood to add to his reserve, and then, with the two blank
ets, the Indian's and his own, wrapped about him, sat
down where the heat of the two fires could reach him
from either side, and with a heap of the wood as a rest
for his back.

Dick did not really intend to go to sleep, but he had
been through great labors and dangers and had been
awake long. He drew up one of the blankets until it

203

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

covered all of his head and most of his face, and began
to gaze into the coals of the larger fire. The wind —
and it was now so cold that the surface of the snow was
freezing— still whistled over him, but the blanket pro
tected his head from its touch. The whistle instead in
creased his comfort like the patter of rain on a roof to
him who is dry inside.

The fires had now burned down considerably and the
beds of coals were large and beautiful. They enveloped
Dick in their warmth and cheer and began to paint
splendid words of hope for him. He could read what
they said in glowing letters, but the singular feeling of
peace and rest deepened all the while. He wondered
vaguely that one could be so happy.

The white snow became less white, the red fire less
red, and a great gray mist came floating down over
Dick's eyes. Up rose a shadowy world in which all
things were vague and wavering. Then the tired lids
dropped down, the gray mist gave way to a soft black
ness, and Dick sank peacefully into the valley of sleep.

The boy slept heavily hour after hour, with his hood
ed head sunk upon his knees, and his rifle lying across
his lap, while over him shrieked the coldest wind of the
great northwestern plains. The surface of the frozen
ground presented a gleaming sheet like ice, over which
the wind acquired new strength and a sharper edge, but
the boy in his alcove remained safe and warm. Now
and then a drift of fine snowy particles that would
have stung like small shot was blown over the barrier,
but they only struck upon the thick folds of the blankets
and the boy slept on. The white mist dissolved. The

204

THE FIGHT WITH NATURE

sun poured down beams brilliantly cold and hard, and
over them was the loom of the mountains, but the boy
knew nothing of them, nor cared.

The fires ceased to flame and became great masses
of glowing coals that would endure long. The alcove
was filled with the grateful warmth, and when the sun
was in the zenith, Dick still slept, drawing long, regular
breaths from a deep, strong chest. The afternoon grew
and waned, twilight came over the desolate snow fields,
the loom of the mountains was gone, and the twilight
gave way to an icy night.

When Dick awoke it was quite dark, save for the
heaps of coals which still glowed and threw out warmth.
He felt at first a little wonderment that he had slept so
long, but he was not alarmed. His forethought and
energy had provided plenty of wood and he threw on
fresh billets. Once more the flames leaped up to brighten
and to cheer, and Dick, walking to the edge of his snow
bank, looked over. The wind had piled up the snow
there somewhat higher before the surface froze, and
across the barrier he gazed upon some such scene as
one might behold near the North Pole. He seemed to be
looking over ice fields that stretched away to infinity,
and the wind certainly had a voice that was a compound
of chill and desolation.

It was so solemn and weird that Dick was glad to
duck down again into his den, and resume the seat
where he had slept so long. He ate a little and then
tried to slumber again, but he had already slept so much
that he remained wide awake. He opened his eyes and
let them stay open, after several vain efforts.

205

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

The moonlight now came out with uncommon bril
liancy and the plain glittered. But it was the coldest
moon that Dick had ever seen. He began to feel deso
late and lonely again, and, since he could not sleep, he
longed for something to do. Then the knowledge came
to him. He put on fresh wood, and between firelight
and moonlight he could see everything clearly.

Satisfied with his light, Dick took from his pocket
the History of the United States that was accompanying
him so strangely in his adventures, and began to study
it. He looked once more at the map of the Rocky Moun
tain territories, and judged that he was in Southern
Montana. Although his curiosity as to the exact spot
in which he lay haunted him, there was no way to tell,
and turning the leaves away from the map, he began to
read.

It was chance, perhaps, that made him open at the
story that never grows old to American youth — Valley
Forge. It was not a great history, it had no brilliant
and vivid style, but the simple facts were enough for
Dick. He read once more of the last hope of the great
man, never greater than then, praying in the snow, and
his own soul leaped at the sting of example. He was
only a boy, obscure, unknown, and the fate of but two
rested with him, yet he, too, would persevere, and in the
end his triumph also would be complete. He read no
further, but closed the book and returned it carefully
to his pocket. Then he stared into the fire, which he
built up higher that the cheerful light might shine be
fore him.

Dick did not hide from himself even now the dangers
206

THE FIGHT WITH NATURE

of his position. He was warm and sheltered for the
present, he had enough of the jerked buffalo to last sev
eral days, but sooner or later he must leave his den and
invade the snowy plain with its top crust of ice. This
snow might last two or three weeks or a month. He
had come down from the mountains too soon. It was
true that spring had come, but it was equally true, as
iso often happens in the great Northwest, that spring
had refused to stay.

Dick tried now to see the mountains. The night was
full of brilliant moonlight, but the horizon was too lim
ited; it ended everywhere, a black wall against the
snow, and, still speculating and pondering, Dick at last
fell asleep again.

When the boy awoke it was another clear, cold day,
with the wind still blowing, and there in the northwest
he joyously saw the white line of the mountains. He
believed that he could recognize the shape of certain
peaks and ridges, and he fixed on a spot in the blue sky
which he was sure overhung Castle Howard.

Dick saw now that he had been going away from
the mountains. He was certainly farther than he had
been when he first met the Sioux, and it was probable
that he had been wandering then in an irregular course,
with its general drift toward the southwest. The moun
tains in the thin, high air looked near, but his experi
ence of the West told him that they were far, forty
miles perhaps, and the tramp that lay before him was
a mighty undertaking. He prepared for it at once.

He cut a stout stick that would serve as a cane,
looked carefully to the security of his precious sun-

207

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

glass, and, bidding his little den, which already had be-
gun to wear some of the aspects of a home, a regretful
farewell, started through the deep snow.

He had wrapped his head in the Indian 's blanket,
covering everything but eyes, nose, and mouth, and he
did not suffer greatly from the bitter wind. But it
was weary work breaking the way through the snow,
rendered all the more difficult by the icy crust on top.
The snow rose to his waist and he broke it at first with
his body, but by and by he used the stick, and thus he
plodded on, not making much more than a mile an hour.

Dick longed now for the shelter of the warm den.
The cold wind, despite the protection of the blanket,
began to seek out the crannies in it and sting his face.
He knew that he was wet again from ankle to knee, but
he struggled resolutely on, alike for the sake of keeping
warm and for the sake of shortening the distance. Yet
there were other difficulties than those of the snow.
The ground became rough. Now and then he would go
suddenly through the treacherous snow into an old buf
falo wallow or a deep gully, and no agility could keep
him from falling on his face or side. This not only
made him weary and sore, but it was a great trial to his
temper also, and the climax came when he went through
the snow into a prairie brook and came out with his
shoes full of water.

Dick shivered, stamped his feet violently, and went
on painfully breaking his way through the snow. He
began to have that dull stupor of mind and body again.
He could see nothing on the surface of the white plain
save himself. The world was entirely desolate. But

208

THE FIGHT WITH NATURE

if the Sioux were coming a second time he did not care.
He was amused at the thought of the Sioux coming.
They were hidden away somewhere in some snug val
ley, and were too sensible to venture upon the plain.

Late in the afternoon the wind became so fierce, and
Dick was so tired, that he dug a hole in the deepest
snow bank he could find, wrapped the blankets tightly
around him, and crouched there for warmth and shelter.
Then, when the muscles were at rest, he began to feel
the cold all through his wet feet and legs. He took off
his shoes and leggings inside the shelter of his blankets,
and chafed feet and legs with vigorous hands. This
restored warmth and circulation, but he was compelled
after a while to put on his wet garments again. He
had gained a rest, however, and as he did not fear the
damp so much while he was moving, he resumed the
painful march.

The mountains seemed as far away as ever, but Dick
knew that he had come five or six miles. He could look
back and see his own path through the deep snow, wind
ing and zigzagging toward the northwest. It would
wind and zigzag no matter how hard he tried to go in
a straight line, and finally he refused to look back any
more at the disclosure of his weakness.

He sought more trees before the sun went down, as
his glass could no longer be of use without them, but
found none. There could be no fire for him that night,
and digging another deep hole in the snow he slept the
darkness through, nevertheless, warmly and comforta
bly, like an Eskimo i*i his ice hut. He did not suffer as
much as he had tnought he would from his wet shoes

209

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

and leggings, and in the night, wrapped within the
blankets, they dried upon him.

Dick spent the second day in alternate tramps of
an hour and rests of half an hour. He was conscious
that he was growing weaker from this prodigious exer
tion, hut he was not willing to acknowledge it. In the
afternoon he came upon a grove of cottonwoods and
some undergrowth and he tried to kindle a fire, but the
sun was not strong enough for his glass, and, after an
hour's wasted effort, he gave it up, discouraged greatly.
Before night the wind, which had been from the north
west, shifted to the southwest and became much warmer.
By and by it snowed again heavily and Dick, who could
no longer see his mountains, being afraid that he would
wander in the wrong direction, dug another burrow and
went to sleep.

He was awakened by the patter of something warm
upon his face, and found that the day and rain had
come together. Dick once more was struck to the heart
with dismay. How could he stand this and the snow to
gether? The plain would now run rivers of water and
he must trudge through a terrible mire, worse even
than the snow.

He imagined that he could see his mountains through
the rain sheets, and he resumed his march, making no
effort now to keep anything but his rifle and ammuni
tion dry. He crossed more than one brook, either per
manent or made by the rain and the melting snow, and
sloshed through the water, ankle deep, but paid no at
tention to it. He walked with intervals of rest all
through the day and the night, and the warm rain never

210

THE FIGHT WITH NATURE

ceased. The snow melted at a prodigious rate, and Dick
thought several times in the night that he heard the
sound of plunging waters. These must be cataracts
from the snow and the rain, and he was convinced that
he was near the mountains.

The day came again, the rain ceased, the sun sprang
out, the warm winds blew, and there were the moun
tains. Perhaps the snow had not been so heavy on them
as on the plain, but most of it was gone from the peaks
and slopes and they stood up, sheltering and beautiful,
with a shade of green that the snow had not been able
to take away.

The sight put fresh courage in Dick's heart, but he
was very weak. He staggered as he plowed through the
mixed snow and mud, and plains and mountains alike
were rocking about in a most uncertain fashion.

In a ravine at the foot of the mountains he saw a
herd of about twenty buffaloes which had probably
taken refuge there from the snowstorm, but he did not
molest them. Instead, he shook his rifle at them and
called out:

" I'm too glad to escape with my own life to take
any of yours."

Dick's brain was in a feverish state and he was not
wholly responsible for what he said or did, but he be
gan the ascent with a fairly good supply of strength
and toiled on all the day. He never knew where he
slept that night, but he thinks it was in a clump of pines,
and the next morning when he continued, he felt that he
had made a wonderful improvement. His feet were light
and so was his head, but he had never before seen slopes

211

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

and peaks and pines and ash doing a daylight dance.
They whirled about in the most eccentric manner, yet
it was all exhilarating, in thorough accord with his own
spirits, and Dick laughed aloud in glee. What a merry,
funny world it was! Feet and head both grew lighter.
He shouted aloud and began to sing. Then he felt so
strong and exuberant that he ran down one of the slopes,
waving his cap. An elk sprang out of a pine thicket,
stared a moment or two with startled eyes at the boy,
and then dashed away over the mountain.

Dick continued to sing, and waved his fur cap at
the fleeing elk. It was the funniest thing he had ever
seen in his life. The whirling dance of mountain and
forest became bewildering in its speed and violence.
He wa* unable to keep his feet, and plunged forward
into the arms of his brother Albert. Then everything
sank away from him.

CHAPTER XIII

WHEN Dick opened his eyes again he raised his
hand once more to wave it at the fleeing elk
and then he stopped in astonishment. The
hand was singularly weak. He had made a great effort,
but it did not go up very far. Nor did his eyes, which
had opened slowly and heavily, see any elk. They saw
instead rows and rows of furs and then other rows hang
ing above one another. His eyes traveled downward
and they saw log walls almost covered with furs and
skins, but with rifles, axes, and other weapons and imple
ments on hooks between. A heavy oaken window shut
ter was thrown back and a glorious golden sunlight
poured into the room.

\ The sunlight happened to fall upon Dick's own
hand, and that was the next object at which he looked.
His amazement increased. Could such a thin white
hand as that belong to him who had lately owned such
a big red one ? He surveyed it critically, iii particular
the bones showing so prominently in the back of it, and
then he was interrupted by a full, cheerful voice wbiok
called out:

" Enough of that stargazing and hand examina-
213

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

tion! Here, drink this soup, and while you're doing it,
I '11 tell you how glad I am to see you back in your right
mind! I tell you you've been whooping out some tall
yarns about an Indian following you for a year or two
through snow a mile or so deep ! How you fought him
for a month without stopping! And how you then
waded for another year through snow two or three times
as deep as the first ! ' '

It was his brother Albert, and he lay en his own
bed of furs and skins in their own cabin, commonly
called by them Castle Howard, snugly situated in the
lost or enchanted valley. And here was Albert, healthy,
strong, and dictatorial, while he, stretched weakly upon
a bed, held out a hand through which the sun could al
most shine. Truly, there had been great changes!

He raised his head as commanded by Albert— the
thin, pallid, drooping Albert of last summer, the lusty,
red-faced Albert of to-day — and drank the soup, which
tasted very good indeed. He felt stronger and held up
the thin, white hand to see if it had not grown fatter
and redder in the last ten seconds. Albert laughed, and
it seemed to Dick such a full, loud laugh, as if it were
drawn up from a deep, iron-walled chest, inclosing lungs
made of leather, with an uncommon expansion. It
jarred upon Dick. It seemed too loud for so small a
room.

" I see you enjoyed that soup, Dick, old fellow,"
continued Albert in the same thundering tones. ' ' Well,
you ought to like it. It was chicken soup, and it was
made by an artist — myself. I shot a fat and tender
prairie hen down the valley, and here she is in soup.

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ALBERT'S VICTORY

It's only a step from grass to pot and I did it all my^
self. Have another. "

" Think I will, "said Dick.

He drank a second tin plate of the soup, and he
could feel life and strength flowing into every vein.

" How did I get here, Alt " he asked.

" That's a pretty hard question to answer,'7 replied
Albert, smiling and still filling the room with his big
voice. " You were partly brought, partly led, partly
pushed, you partly walked, partly jumped, and partly
crawled, and there were even little stretches of the
march when you were carried on somebody's shoulder,
big and heavy as you are. Dick, I don't know any
name for such a mixed gait. Words fail me."

Dick smiled, too.

" Well, no matter how I got here, it's certain that
I'm here," he said, looking around contentedly.

" Absolutely sure, and it's equally as sure that
you've been here five days. I, the nurse, I, the doctor,
and I, the spectator, can vouch for that. There were
times when I had to hold you in your bed, there were
times when you were so hot with fever that I expected
to see you burst into a mass of red and yellow flames,
and most all the while you talked with a vividness and
imagination that I've never known before outside of
the Arabian Nights. Dick, where did you get that idea
about a Sioux Indian following you all the way from
the Atlantic to the Pacific, with stops every half hour
for you and him to fight ? ' '

" It's true," said Dick, and then he told the eager
boy the story of his escape from the Sioux band, the

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

terrible pursuit, the storm, and his dreadful wan
dering.

" It was wonderful luck that I met you, Al, old f el-
low/ ' he said devoutly.

" Not luck exactly," said Albert. " You were com
ing back to the valley on our old trail, and, as I had
grown very anxious about you, I was out on the same
path to see if I could see any sign of you. It was
natural that we should meet, but I think that, after all,
Dick, Providence had the biggest hand in it."

" No doubt," said Dick, and after a moment's pause
he added, * ' Did it snow much up here ? ' '

" But lightly. The clouds seem to have avoided
these mountains. It was only from your delirium that
I gathered the news of the great storm on the plains.
Now, I think you've talked enough for an invalid. Drop
your head back on that buffalo robe and go to sleep
again. ' '

It seemed so amazing to Dick ever to receive orders
from Albert that he obeyed promptly, closed his eyes,
and in five minutes was in sound slumber.

Albert hovered about the room, until he saw that
Dick was asleep and breathing strongly and regularly.
Then he put his hand upon Dick's brow, and when he
felt the temperature his own eyes were lighted up b^
a fine smile. That forehead, hot so long, was cool now,
and it would be only a matter of a few days until Dick
was his old, strong and buoyant self again. Albert never
told his brother how he had gone two days and nights
without sleep, watching every moment by the delirious
bedside, how, taking the chances, he had dosed him with

216

ALBERT'S VICTORY

quinine from their medical stores, and how, later, he
had cooked for him the tenderest and most delicate food.
Nor did he speak of those awful hours— so many of
them— when Dick's life might go at any time.

Albert knew now that the great crisis was oyer,
and rejoicing, he went forth from Castle Howard. It
was his intention to kill another prairie chicken and
make more of the soup that Dick liked so much. As
he walked, his manner was expansive, indicating a deep
satisfaction. Dick had saved his life and he had saved
Dick's. But Dick was still an invalid and it was his
duty, meanwhile, to carry on the business of the valley.
He was sole workman, watchman, and defender, and his
spirit rose to meet the responsibility. He would cer
tainly look after his brother as well as anyone could
doit.

Albert whistled as he went along, and swung his
gun in debonair fashion. It would not take him, an
expert borderer and woodsman, long to get that prairie
chicken, and after that, as he had said before, it was
only a step from grass to pot.

It was perhaps the greatest hour of Albert Howard's
life. He, the helped, was now the helper; he, the de
fended, was now the defender. His chest could scarcely
contain the mighty surge of exultation that heart and
lungs together accomplished. He was far from having
any rejoicings over Dick's prostration; he rejoiced in
stead that he was able, since the prostration had come,
to care for both. He had had the forethought and
courage to go forth and seek for Dick, and the strength
to save him when found

217

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

Albert broke into a rollicking whistle and he still
swung his shotgun somewhat carelessly for a hunter
and marksman. He passed by one of the geysers just
as it was sending up its high column of hot water and
its higher column of steam. " That's the way I feel,
old fellow/ * he said. " I could erupt with just as much
force/'

He resumed his caution farther on and shot two fine,
fat prairie hens, returning with them to Castle Howard
before Dick awoke. When Dick did awake, the second
installment of the soup was ready for him and he ate
it hungrily. He was naturally so strong and vigorous
and had lived such a wholesome life that he recovered,
now that the crisis was passed, with astonishing rapid
ity. But Albert played the benevolent tyrant for a few
days yet, insisting that Dick should sleep a great num
ber of hours out of every twenty-four, and making
him eat four times a day of the tenderest and most suc
culent things. He allowed him to walk but a little at
first, and, though the walks were extended from day
to day, made him keep inside when the weather was
bad.

Dick took it all, this alternate spoiling and over-
lordship, with amazing mildness. He had some dim
perception of the true state of affairs, and was willing
that his brother should enjoy his triumph to the full.
But in a week he was entirely well again, thin and pale
yet, but with a pulsing tide in his veins as strong as
ever. Then he and Albert took counsel with each other.
All trace of snow was gone, even far up on the highest
slope, and the valley was a wonderful symphony in

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ALBERT'S VICTORY

green and gold, gold on the lake and green on the new
grass and the new leaves of the trees.

''It's quite settled/' said Albert, " that we're to
stay another year in the valley."

11 Oh, yes," said Dick, " we had already resolved
on that, and my excursion on the plains shows that we
were wise in doing so. But you know, Al, we can't do
fur hunting in the spring and summer. Furs are not
in good condition now."

" No," said Albert, " but we can get ready for the
fall and winter, and I propose that we undertake right
away a birchbark canoe. The dugout is a little bit
heavy and awkward, hard to control in a high wind,
and we '11 really need the birch bark. ' '

11 Good enough," said Dick. " We'll do it."

With the habits of promptness and precision they had
learned from old Mother Necessity, they went to work
at once, planning and toiling on equal terms, a full
half-and-half partnership. Both were in great spirits.

In this task they fell back partly on talk that they
had heard from some of the men with whom they had
started across the plains, and partly on old reading, and
it took quite a lot of time. They looked first for large
specimens of the white birch, and finally found several
on one of the lower slopes. This was the first and, in
fact, the absolutely vital requisite. Without it they
could do nothing, but, having located their bark supply,
they left the trees and began at the lake edge the upper
framework of their canoe, consisting of four strips of
cedar, two for either side of the boat, every one of the
four having a length of about fifteen feet. These strips

219

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

had a width of about an inch, with a thickness a third
as great.

The strips were tied together in pairs at the ends,
and the two pairs were joined together at the same
place after the general fashion in use for the construc
tion of such canoes.

The frame being ready, they went to their white
birch trees for the bark. They marked off the utmost
possible length on the largest and finest tree, made a
straight cut through the bark at either end, and tri
umphantly peeled off a splendid piece, large enough for
the entire canoe. Then they laid it on the ground in a
nice smooth place and marked off a distance two feet
less than their framework or gunwales. They drove in
to the ground at each end of this space two tall stakes,
three inches apart. The bark was then laid upon the
ground inside up and folded evenly throughout its en
tire length. After that it was lifted and set between
the stakes with the edges up. The foot of bark project
ing beyond each stake was covered in each case with
another piece of bark folded firmly over it and sewed
to the sides by means of an awl and deer tendon.

This sewing done, they put a large stone under each
end of the bark construction, causing it to sag from the
middle in either direction into the curve suitable for
a canoe. The gunwale which they had constructed pre
viously was now fitted into the bark, and the bark was
stitched tightly to it, both at top and bottom, with a
further use of awl and tendon, the winding stitch being
used.

They now had the outside of the canoe, but they had
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ALBERT'S VICTORY

drawn many a long breath and perspired many a big
drop before it was done. They felt, however, that the
most serious part of the task was over, and after a short
rest they began on the inside, which they lined with
long strips of cedar running the full length of the boat.
The pieces were about an inch and a half in width and
about a third of an inch in thickness and were fitted
very closely together. Over these they put the ribs of
tough ash, which was very abundant in the valley and
on the slopes. Strips two inches wide and a half inch
thick were bent crosswise across the interior of the
curve, close together, and were firmly fastened under
the gunwales with a loop stitch of the strong tendon
through the bark.

To make their canoe firm and steady, they securely
lashed three string pieces across it and then smeared
deeply all the seams with pitch, which they were for
tunate enough to secure from one of the many strange
springs and exudations in the valley. They now had
a strong, light canoe, fifteen feet long and a little over
two feet wide at the center. They had been compelled to
exercise great patience and endurance in this task, par
ticularly in the work with the awl and tendons. Skillful
as they had become with their hands, they acquired sev
eral sore fingers in the task, but their pride was great
when it was done. They launched the canoe, tried it
several times near the shore in order to detect invisible
seams, and then, when all such were stopped up tightly
with pitch, they paddled boldly out into deep and far
waters.

The practice they had acquired already with the
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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

dugout helped them greatly with the birch bark, and
after one or two duckings they handled it with great
ease. As amateurs sometimes do, they had achieved
either by plan or accident a perfect design and found
that they had a splendid canoe. This was demonstrated
when the two boys rowed a race, after Dick had recov
ered his full strength — Dick in the dugout and Albert
in the birch bark. The race was the full length of the
lake, and the younger and smaller boy won an easy
triumph.

11 Well paddled, Al! " said Dick.

" It wasn't the paddling, Dick," replied Albert,
" it was light bark against heavy wood that did it."

They were very proud of their two canoes and made
a little landing for them in a convenient cove. Here,
tied to trees with skin lariats, they were safe from
wind and wave.

An evening or two after the landing was made se
cure, Dick, who had been out alone, came home in the
dark and found Albert reading a book by the firelight.

" What's this?"" he exclaimed.

" I took it out of the inside pocket of your coat,
when I helped you here in the snow," replied Albert.
u I put it on a shelf and in the strain of your illness
forgot all about it until to-day."

" That's my History and Map of the United States,"
said Dick, smiling. " I took it from the wagon which
yielded up so much to us. It wouldn't tell me where
I was in the storm; but, do you know, Al, it helped me
when I read in there about that greatest of all men
praying in the snow."

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ALBERT'S VICTORY

" I know who it is whom you mean," said Albert
earnestly, " and I intend to read about him and all the
others. It's likely, Dick, before another year is past,
that you and I will become about the finest historians
of our country to be found anywhere between the At
lantic and Pacific. Maybe this is the greatest treasure
of all that the wagon has yielded up to us. ' '

Albert was right. A single volume, where no other
could be obtained, was a precious treasure to them, and
it made many an evening pass pleasantly that would
otherwise have been dull. They liked especially to
linger over the hardships of the borderers and of their
countrymen in war, because they found so many paral
lels to their own case, and the reading always brought
them new courage and energy.

They spent the next month after the completion of
the canoe in making all kinds of traps, including some
huge dead falls for grizzly bear and silver tip.

They intended as soon as the autumn opened to begin
their fur operations on a much larger scale than those
of the year before. Numerous excursions into the sur
rounding mountains showed abundant signs of game
and no signs of an invader, and they calculated that
if all went well they would have stored safely by next
spring at least twenty thousand dollars' worth of furs.

The summer passed pleasantly for both, being filled
with work in which they took a great interest, and hence
a great pleasure. They found another rock cavity,
which they fitted up like the first in anticipation of an
auspicious trapping season.

" They say, ' don't put all your eggs in one
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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

basket,' " said Albert, " and so we won't put all our
furs in one cave. The Sioux may come sometime or
other, and even if they should get our three residences,
Castle Howard, the Annex, and the Suburban Villa,
and all that is in them, they are pretty sure to miss our
caves and our furs."

" Of course some Indians must know of this valley,"
said Dick, " and most likely it's the Sioux. Perhaps
none ever wander in here now, because they're at war
with our people and are using all their forces on the
plains."

Albert thought it likely, and both Dick and he had
moments when they wondered greatly what was occur
ring in the world without. But, on the whole, they were
not troubled much by the affairs of the rest of the
universe.

Traps, house building, and curing food occupied
them throughout the summer. Often the days were
very hot in the valley, which served as a focus for the
rays of the sun, but it was invariably cool, often cold, at
night. They slept usually under a tent, or sometimes,
on their longer expeditions in that direction, at the bark
hut. Dick made a point of this, as he resolved that
Albert should have no relapse. He could not see any
danger of such a catastrophe, but he felt that another
year of absolutely fresh and pure mountain air, breathed
both night and day, would put his brother beyond all
possible danger.

The life that both led even in the summer was thor
oughly hardening. They bathed every morning, if in
the tent by Castle Howard, in the torrent, the waters

224

ALBERT'S VICTORY

of which were always icy, flowing as they did from melt
ing snows on the highest peaks. They swam often in
the lake, which was also cold always, and at one of the
hot springs they hollowed out a pool, where they could
take a hot bath whenever they needed it.

The game increased in the valley as usual toward
autumn, and they replenished their stores of jerked
meat. They had spared their ammunition entirely
throughout the summer and now they used it only on
buffalo, elk, and mule deer. They were fortunate enough
to catch several big bears in their huge dead falls, and,
with very little expenditure of cartridges, they felt that
they could open their second winter as well equipped
with food as they had been when they began the first.
They also put a new bark thatching on the roof of Castle
Howard, and then felt ready for anything that might
come.

" Rain, hail, sleet, snow, and ice, it's all the same
to us," said Dick.

They did not resume their trapping until October
came, as they knew that the furs would not be in good
condition until then. They merely made a good guess
that it was October. They had long since lost all count
of days and months, and took their reckoning from the
«hange of the foliage into beautiful reds and yellows
and the increasing coldness of the air.

It proved to be a cold but not rainy autumn, a cir
cumstance that favored greatly their trapping opera
tions. They had learned much in the preceding winter
from observation and experience, and now they put it
to practice. They knew many of the runways or paths

225

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

frequented by the animals, and now they would place
their traps in these, concealing them as carefully as
possible, and, acting on an idea of Albert's, they made
buckskin gloves for themselves, with which they handled
the traps, in order to leave, if possible, no human odor
to warn the wary game. Such devices as this and the
more skillful making of their traps caused the second
season to be a greater success than the first, good as the
latter had been. They shot an additional number of
buffaloes and elk, but what they sought in particular
was the beaver, and they were lucky enough to find two
or three new and secluded little streams, on which he
had built his dams.

The valuable furs now accumulated rapidly, and it
was wise forethought that had made them fit up the sec
ond cave or hollow. They were glad to have two places
for them, in case one was discovered by an enemy
stronger than themselves.

Autumn turned into winter, with snow, slush, and
ice-cold rain. The preceding winter had been mild, but
this bade fair to break some records for severe and
variegated weather. Now came the true test for Al
bert. To trudge all day long in snow, icy rain or deep
slush, to paddle across the lake in a nipping wind, with
the chilly spray all over him, to go for hours soaking
wet on every inch of his skin — these were the things
that would have surely tried the dwellers in the houses
of men, even those with healthy bodies.

Albert coughed a little after his first big soaking,
but after a hot bath, a big supper, and a long night's
sleep, it left, not to return. He became so thoroughly

226

ALBERT'S VICTORY

inured now to exposure that nothing seemed to affect
him. Late in December — so they reckoned the time —
when, going farther than usual into a long crevice of
the mountains, they were overtaken by a heavy snow
storm. They might have reached the Suburban Villa
by night, or they might not, but in any event the going
would have been full of danger, and they decided to
camp in the broadest part of the canyon in which they
now were, not far from the little brook that flowed
down it.

They had matches with them — they were always care
ful to keep them dry now — and after securing their dry
shavings they lighted a good fire. Then they ate their
food, and looked up without fear at the dark mountains
and the thick, driving snow. They were partially shel
tered by the bank and some great ash trees, and, for
further protection, they wrapped about themselves the
blankets, without which they never went on any long
journey.

Having each other for company, the adventure was
like a picnic to both. It was no such desperate affair as
that of Dick's when he was alone on the plain. They
further increased their shelter from the snow by an
artful contrivance of brush and fallen boughs, and al
though enough still fell upon them to make miserable
the house-bred, they did not care. Both fell asleep after
a while, with flurries of snow still striking upon their
faces, and were awakened far in the night by the roar
of an avalanche farther up the canyon; but they soon
went to sleep again and arose the next day without
injury.

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THE LAST OP THE CHIEFS

Thus the winter passed, one of storm and cold, but
the trapping was wonderful, and each boy grew in a
remarkable manner in strength, endurance, and skill.
When signs of spring appeared again, they decided that
it was time for them to go. Had it not been for Dick's
misadventure on the plain, and their belief that a great
war was now in progress between the Sioux and the
white people, one might have gone out to return with
horses or mules for furs, while the other remained be
hind to guard them. But in view of all the dangers,
they resolved to keep together. The furs would be se
creted and the rest of their property must take its chance,

So they made ready.

CHAPTER XIV

PRISONERS

IT gave both Dick and Albert a severe wrench to leave
their beautiful valley. They had lived in it now
nearly two years, and it had brought strength and
abounding life to Albert, infinite variety, content, and
gratitude to Dick, and what seemed a fortune — their
furs — to both. It was a beautiful valley, in which Na
ture had done for them many strange and wonderful
things, and they loved it, the splendid lake, the grassy
levels, the rushing streams, the noble groves, and the
great mountains all about.

"I'd like to live here, Dick," said Albert, "for
some years, anyway. After we take out our furs and
sell 'em, we can come back and use it as a base for more
trapping. ' '

" If the Indians will let us," said Dick.

" Do you think we'll meet 'em? "

" I don't know, but I believe the plains are alive
with hostile Sioux."

But Albert could not foresee any trouble. He was
too young, to sanguine, too full now of the joy of life
to think of difficulties.

They chose their weapons for the march with great
229

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

care, each taking a repeating rifle, a revolver, a hunting
knife, and a hatchet, the latter chiefly for camping pur
poses. They also divided equally among themselves what
was left of the ball cartridges, and each took his sun
glass and half of the remaining matches. The extra
weapons, including the shotguns and shot cartridges,
they hid with their furs. They also put in the caves
many more of their most valuable possessions, especially
the tools and remnants of medical supplies. They left
everything else in their houses, just as they were when
they were using them, except the bark hut, from which
they took away all furnishings, as it was too light to
resist the invasion of a large wild beast like a grizzly
bear. But they fastened up Castle Howard and the
Annex so securely that no wandering beast could pos
sibly break in. They sunk their canoes in shallow wa
ter among reeds, and then, when each had provided
himself with a large supply of jerked buffalo and deer
meat and a skin water bag, they were ready to depart.

" We may find our houses and what is in them all
right when we come back, or we may not, ' ' said Dick.

" But we take the chance," said Albert cheerfully.

Early on a spring morning they started down the
valley by the same way in which they had first entered
it. They walked along in silence for some minutes, and
then, as if by the same impulse, the two turned and
looked back. There was their house, which had shel
tered them so snugly and so safely for so long, almost
hidden now in the foliage of the new spring. There
was a bit of moisture in the eyes of Albert, the younger
and more sentimental.

230

PRISONERS

" Good-by," he said, waving his hand. " I've found
life here."

Dick said nothing, and they turned into the main
valley. They walked with long and springy steps, left
the valley behind them, and began to climb the slopes.
Presently the valley itself became invisible, the moun
tains seeming to close in and blot it out.

" A stranger would have to blunder on it to find it,"
said Dick.

" I hope no one will make any such blunder, " said
Albert.

The passage over the mountains was easy, the weather
continuing favorable, and on another sunshiny morning
they reached the plains, which flowed out boundlessly
before them. These, too, were touched with green, but
the boys were perplexed. The space was so vast, and it
was all so much alike, that it did not look as if they
could ever arrive anywhere.

" I think we'd better make for Cheyenne in Wyo
ming Territory/' said Dick.

' ' But we don 't know how far away it is, nor in what
direction," said Albert.

" No; but if we keep on going we're bound to get
somewhere. "We've got lots of time before us, and we'll
take it easy."

They had filled their skin water bags, made in the
winter, at the last spring, and they set out at a moderate
pace over the plain. Dick had thought once of visiting
again the scene of the train's destruction in the pass,
but Albert opposed it.

" No," he said, " I don't want to see that place."
231

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

This journey, they knew not whither, continued easy
and pleasant throughout the day. The grass was grow
ing fast on the plains, and all the little streams that
wound now and then between the swells were full of
water, and, although they still carried the filled water
bags, Dick inferred that they were not likely to suffer
from thirst. Late in the afternoon they saw a small
herd of antelope and a lone buffalo grazing at a con
siderable distance, and Dick drew the second and com
forting inference that game would prove to be abundant.
He was so pleased with these inferences that he stated
them to Albert, who promptly drew a third.

" Wouldn't the presence of buffalo and antelope in
dicate that there are not many Indians hereabouts ? " he
asked.

" It looks likely, " replied Dick.

They continued southward until twilight came, when
they built in a hollow a fire of buffalo chips, which were
abundant all over the plain, and watched their friendly
mountains sink away in the dark.

" Gives me a sort of homesick feeling," said Albert.
" They've been good mountains to us. Shelter and home
are there, but out here I feel as if I were stripped to
the wind."

" That describes it," said Dick.

They did not keep any watch, but put out their fire
and slept snugly in their blankets. They were awakened
in the morning by the whine of a coyote that did not
dare to come too near, and resumed their leisurely march,
to continue in this manner for several days, meeting no
human being either white or red.

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PRISONERS

They saw the mountains sink behind the sky line and
then they felt entirely without a rudder. There was
nothing to go by now except the sun, but they kept to
their southern course. They were not greatly troubled.
They found plenty of game, as Dick had surmised, and
killed an antelope and a fat young buffalo cow.

" We may travel a long journey, Al," said Dick with
some satisfaction, " but it's not hard on us. It's more
like loafing along on an easy holiday. "

On the fifth day they ran into a large buffalo herd,
but did not molest any of its members, as they did not
need fresh meat.

" Seems to me," said Dick, " that Sioux would be
after this herd if they weren't busy elsewhere. It looks
like more proof that the Sioux are on the warpath and
are to the eastward of us, fighting our own people."

" The Sioux are a great and warlike tribe, are they
not? " asked Albert.

The greatest and most warlike west of the Missis
sippi," replied Dick. " I understand that they are
really a group of closely related tribes and can put
thousands of warriors in the field."

" Bright Sun, I suppose, is with them? "

" Yes, I suppose so. He is an Indian, a Sioux, no
matter if he was at white schools and for years with
white people. He must feel for his own, just as you and
I, Al, feel for our own race."

They wandered three or four more days across the
plains, and were still without sign of white man or red.
They experienced no hardship. Water was plentiful.
Game was to be had for the stalking, and life, had they

233

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

been hunting or exploring, would have been pleasant;
but both felt a sense of disappointment — they never
came to anything. The expanse of plains was bound
less, the loneliness became overpowering. They had
not the remotest idea whether they were traveling
toward any white settlement. Human life seemed to
shun them.

" Dick," said Albert one day, " do you remember
the story of the Flying Dutchman, how he kept trying
for years to round the Cape of Storms, and couldn't
do it? I wonder if some such penalty is put on us, and
if so, what for? "

The thought lodged in the minds of both. Oppressed
by long and fruitless wanderings, they began to have a
superstition that they were to continue them forever.
'They knew that it was unreasonable, but it clung, never
theless. There were the rolling plains, the high, brassy
sky, and the clear line of the horizon on all sides, with
nothing that savored of human life between.

They had hoped for an emigrant train, or a wander
ing band of hunters, or possibly a troop of cavalry, but
the days passed and they met none. Still the same high,
brassy sky, still the same unbroken horizons. The plains
increased in beauty. There was a fine, delicate shade
of green on the buffalo grass, and wonderful little flowers
peeped shy heads just above the earth, but Dick and
Albert took little notice of either. They had sunk into
an uncommon depression. The terrible superstition that
they were to wander forever was strengthening its hold
upon them, despite every effort of will and reason. In
the hope of better success they changed their course

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two or three times, continuing in each case several daya
in that direction before the next change was made.

' ' We 've traveled around so much now, ' ' said Albert
despondently, " that we couldn't go back to our moun
tains if we wanted to do it. We don't know any longer
in what direction they lie."

" That's so," said Dick, with equal despondency
showing in his tone.

His comment was brief, because they talked but little
now, and every day were talking less. Their spirits were
affected too much to permit any excess of words. But
they came finally to rougher, much more broken coun
try, and they saw a line of trees on the crest of hills
just under the sunset horizon. The sight, the break in
the monotony, the cheerful trees made them lift up their
drooping heads.

" Well, at any rate, here's something new," said
Dick. " Let's consider it an omen of good luck, Al."

They reached the slope, a long one, with many de
pressions and hollows, containing thick groves of large
trees, the heights beyond being crowned with trees of
much taller growth. They would have gone to the sum
mit, but they were tired with a long day's tramp and
they had not yet fully aroused themselves from the
lethargy that had overtaken them in their weary wan
derings.

" Night's coming," said Albert, " so let's take to
that hollow over there with the scrub ash in it."

" All right," said Dick. " Suits me."

It was a cozy little hollow, deeply shaded by the ash
trees, but too rocky to be damp, and they did not take

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

the trouble to light a fire. They had been living foir
sometime on fresh buffalo and antelope, and had saved
their jerked meat, on which they now drew for supper.

It was now quite dark, and each, throwing his blanket
lightly around his shoulders, propped himself in a com
fortable position. Then, for the first time in days, they
began to talk in the easy, idle fashion of those who feel
some degree of contentment, a change made merely by
difference in scene, the presence of hills, trees, and rocks
after the monotonous world of the plains.

" We'll explore that country to-morrow, " said Dick,
nodding his head toward the crest of the hills. " Must
be something over there, a river, a lake, and maybe
trappers. ' '

11 Hope it won't make me homesick again for our
valley," said Albert sleepily. " I've been thinking too
much of it, anyway, in the last few days. Dick, wasn't
that the most beautiful lake of ours that you ever saw?
Did you ever see another house as snug as Castle How
ard ? And how about the Annex and the Suburban Villa 1
And all those beautiful streams that came jumping down
between the mountains! "

" If you don't shut up, Al," said Dick, "111 thrash
you with this good handy stick that I've found here."

"All right," replied Albert, laughing; "I didn't
mean to harrow up your feelings any more than I did
my own."

Albert was tired, and the measure of content that
he now felt was soothing. Hence, his drowsiness in
creased, and in ten minutes he went comfortably to
sleep. Dick's eyes were yet open, and he felt within

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himself such new supplies of energy and strength that
he resolved to explore a little. The task that had seemed
so hard two or three hours before was quite easy now.
Albert would remain sleeping safely where he was, and,
acting promptly, Dick left the hollow, rifle on shoulder.

It was an easy slope, but a long one. As he ascended,
the trees grew more thickly and near the ascent were
comparatively free from undergrowth. Just over the
hill shone a magnificent full moon, touching the crest
with a line of molten silver.

Dick soon reached the summit and looked down the
far slope into a valley three or four hundred yards deep.
The moon shed its full glory into the valley and filled
it with rays of light.

The valley was at least two miles wide, and down
its center flowed a fine young river, which Dick could
see here and there in stretches, while the rest was hid
den by forest. In fact, the whole valley seemed to be
well clothed with mountain forest, except in one wide
space where Dick's gaze remained after it had alighted
once.

Here was human life, and plenty of it. He looked
down upon a circle of at least two hundred lodges, tent^
shaped structures of saplings covered with bark, and he
had heard quite enough about such things to know thes*
were the whiter homes of the Sioux. The moonlight
was so clear and his position so good that he was able
to see figures moving about among the lodges.

The sight thrilled Dick. Here he had truly come
upon human life, but not the kind he wished to see.
But it was vastly interesting, and he sought a closer

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

look. His daring told him to go down the slope toward
them, and he obeyed. The descent was not difficult,
and there was cover in abundance — pines, ash, and
oak.

As he was very careful, taking time not to break a
twig or set a stone rolling, and stopping at intervals to
look and listen, he was a half hour in reaching the val
ley, where, through the trees, he saw the Indian village.
He felt that he was rash, but wishing to see, he crept
closer, the cover still holding good. He was, in a way,
fascinated by what he saw. It had the quality of a
dream, and its very unreality made him think less of
the danger. But he really did not know how expert
he had become as a woodsman and trailer through his
long training as a trapper, where delicacy of movement
and craft were required.

He believed that the Indians, in such a secure loca
tion, would not be stirring beyond the village at this
late hour, and he had little fear of anything except the
sharp-nosed dogs that are always prowling about an
Indian village. He was within three hundred yards of
the lodges when he heard the faint sound of voices and
footsteps. He instantly lay down among the bushes,
but raised himself a little on his elbow in order to see.

Three Indians were walking slowly along a wood
land path toward the village, and the presence of the
path indicated that the village had been here for many
months, perhaps was permanent. The Indians were
talking very earnestly and they made gestures. One
raised his voice a little and turned toward one of his
companions, as if he would emphasize his words. Then

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Dick saw his face clearly, and drew a long breath of
surprise.

It was Bright Sun, but a Bright Sun greatly changed.
He was wholly in native attire — moccasins, leggings, and
a beautiful blue blanket draped about his shoulders. A
row of eagle feathers adorned his long black hair, but
it was the look and manner of the man that had so much
significance. He towered above the other Indians, who
were men of no mean height; but it was not his height
either, it was his face, the fire of his eyes, the proud
eagle beak which the Sioux had not less than the Roman,
and the swift glance of command that could not be
denied. Here was a great chief, a leader of men, and
Dick was ready to admit it.

He could easily have shot Bright Sun dead as he
passed, but he did not dream of doing such a thing.
Yet Bright Sun, while seeming to play the part of a
friend, had deliberately led the wagon train into a fatal
ambush — of that Dick had no doubt. He felt, more
over, that Bright Sun was destined to cause great woe
to the white people, his own people, but he could not
fire ; nor would he have fired even if the deed had been
without danger to himself.

Dick, instead, gave Bright Sun a reluctant admira
tion. He looked well enough as the guide in white
men's clothes, but in his own native dress he looked like
one to be served, not to serve. The three paused for a
full two minutes exactly opposite Dick, and he could
have reached out and touched them with the barrel of
his rifle; but they were thinking little of the presence
of an enemy. Dick judged by the emphasis of their

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

talk that it was on a matter of some great moment, and
he saw all three of them point at times toward the east.

" It's surely war/' he thought, " and our army is
somewhere off there in the east."

Dick saw that Bright Sun remained the dominating
figure throughout the discussion. Its whole effect was
that of Bright Sun talking and the others listening. He
seemed to communicate his fire and enthusiasm to his
comrades, and soon they nodded a vigorous assent. Then
the three walked silently away toward the village.

Dick rose from his covert, cast a single glance at
the direction in which the three chiefs had disappeared,
and then began to retrace his own steps. It was his
purpose to arouse Albert and flee at once to a less dan
gerous region. But the fate of Dick and his brother
rested at that moment with a mean, mangy mongrel cur,
such as have always been a part of Indian villages, a
cur that had wandered farther from the village than
usual that night upon some unknown errand.

Dick had gone about thirty yards when he became
conscious of a light, almost faint, pattering sound be
hind him. He stepped swiftly into the heaviest shadow
of the trees and sought to see what pursued. He thought
at first it was some base-born wolf of the humblest tribe,
but, when he looked longer, he knew that it was one of
the meanest of mean curs, a hideous, little yellowish
animal, sneaking in his movements, a dog that one would
gladly kick out of his way.

Dick felt considerable contempt for himself because
he had been alarmed over such a miserable little beast,
and resumed his swift walk. Thirty yards farther he

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PRISONERS

threw a glance over his shoulder, and there was the
wretched cur still following. Dick did not like it, con
sidering it an insult to himself to be trailed by any
thing so ugly and insignificant. He picked up a stone,
but hesitated a moment, and then put it down again.
If he threw the stone the dog might bark or howl, and
that was the last thing that he wanted. Already the
cur, mean and miserable as he looked, had won a victory
over him.

Dick turned into a course that he would not have
taken otherwise, thinking to shake off his pursuer, but
at the next open space he saw him still following, his
malignant red eyes fixed upon the boy. The cur would
not have weighed twenty cowardly pounds, but he be
came a horrible obsession to Dick. He picked up a
stone again, put it down again, and for a mad in
stant seriously considered the question of shooting
him.

The cur seemed to become alarmed at the second
threat, and broke suddenly into a sharp, snarling, yap
ping bark, much like that of a coyote. It was terribly
loud in the still night, and cold dread assailed Dick in
every nerve. He picked up the stone that he had
dropped, and this time he threw it.

' * You brute ! M he exclaimed, as the stone whizzed
by the cur's ear.

The cur returned the compliment of names with in
terest compounded many times over. His snarling bark
became almost continuous, and although he did not come
any nearer, he showed sharp white teeth. Dick paused
in doubt, but when, from a point nearer the village, he

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

heard a bark in reply, then another, and then a dozen,
he ran with all speed up the slope. He knew without
looking back that the cur was following, and it made
him feel cold again.

Certainly Dick had good cause to run. All the world
was up and listening now, and most of it was making
a noise, too. He heard a tumult of barking, growling,
and snapping toward the village, and then above it a
long, mournful cry that ended in an ominous note. Dick
knew that it was a Sioux war whoop, and that the mean,
miserable little cur had done his work. The village
would be at his heels. Seized with an unreasoning pas
sion, he whirled about and shot the cur dead. It was
a mad act, and he instantly repented it. Never had
there been another rifle shot so loud. It crashed like
the report of a cannon. Mountain and valley gave it
back in a multitude of echoes, and on the last dying
echo came, not a single war whoop, but the shout of
many, the fierce, insistent, falsetto yell that has sounded
the doom of many a borderer.

Dick shuddered. He had been pursued once before
by a single man, but he was not afraid of a lone war
rior. Now a score would be at his heels. He might
shake them off in the dark, but the dogs would keep
the scent, and his chief object was to go fast. He ran
up the slope at his utmost speed for a hundred yards
or more, and then remembering in tune to nurse his
strength, he slackened his footsteps.

He had thought of turning the pursuit away from
the hollow in which Albert lay, but now that the alarm
was out they would find him, anyway, and it was best

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for the two to stand or fall together. Hence, he went
straight for the hollow.

It was bitter work running up a slope, but his two
years of life in the open were a great help to him now.
The strong heart and the powerful lungs responded
nobly to the call. He ran lightly, holding his rifle in
the hollow of his arm, ready for use if need be, and
he watched warily lest he make an incautious footstep
and fall. The moonlight was still full and clear, but
when he took an occasional hurried glance backward
he could not yet see his pursuers. He heard, now and
then, however, the barking of a dog or the cry -of a
warrior.

Dick reached the crest of the hill, and there for an
instant or two his figure stood, under the pines, a black
silhouette against the moonlight. Four or five shots
were fired at the living target. One bullet whizzed so
near that it seemed to Dick to scorch his face.

He had gathered fresh strength, and that hot bullet
gave a new impetus also. He ran down the slope at great
speed now, and he had calculated craftily. He could
descend nearly twice as fast as they could ascend, and
while they were reaching the crest he would put a wide
gap between them.

He kept well in the shadow now as he made with
long leaps straight toward the hollow, and he hoped
with every heart beat that Albert, aroused by the shots,
would be awake and ready. ' ' Albert ! " he cried, when
he was within twenty feet of their camp, and his hope
was rewarded. Albert was up, rifle in hand, crying:
11 What is it, Dick? "

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THE liAST OF THE CHIEFS

" The Sioux! " exclaimed Dick. " They're not far
away! You heard the shots! Come! "

He turned off at an angle and ran in a parallel line
along the slope, Albert by his side. He wished to keep
to the forests and thickets, knowing they would have
little chance of escape on the plain. As they ran he
told Albert, in short, choppy sentences, what had hap
pened.

" I don't hear anything," said Albert, after ten
minutes. " Maybe they've lost us."

" No such good luck! Those curs of theirs would
lead them. No, Al, we've got to keep straight on as
long as we can! "

Albert stumbled on a rock, but, quickly recovering
himself, put greater speed in every jump, when he heard
the Indian shout behind them.

' ' We 've got to shoot their dogs, ' ' said Dick. ' ' We '11
have no other chance to shake them off."

" If we get a chance," replied Albert.

But they did not see any chance just yet. They
heard the occasional howl of a cur, but both curs and
Indians remained invisible. Yet Dick felt that the pur
suers were gaining. They were numerous, and they
could spread. Every time he and Albert diverged from
a straight line — and they could not help doing so now
and then — some portion of the pursuing body came
nearer. It was the advantage that the many had over
the few.

Dick prayed for darkness, a shading of the moon,
but it did not come, and five minutes later he saw the
yellow form of a cur emerge into an open space. Ha

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PRISONERS

took a shot at it and heard a howl. He did not know
whether he had killed the dog or not, but he hoped he
had succeeded. The shot brought forth a cry to their
right, and then another to the left. It was obvious that
the Sioux, besides being behind them, were also on
either side of them. They were gasping, too, from
their long run, and knew they could not continue much
farther.

" We can't shake them off, Al," said Dick, " and
we'll have to fight. This is as good a place as any
other."

They dropped down into a rocky hollow, a depres
sion not more than a foot deep, and lay on their faces,
gasping for breath. Despite the deadly danger Dick
felt a certain relief that he did not have to run any
more — there comes a time when a moment's physical
rest will overweigh any amount of mortal peril.

' ' If they 've surrounded us, they 're very quiet about
?t," said Albert, when the fresh air had flowed back
into his lungs. " I don't see or hear anything at
all."

" At least we don't hear those confounded dogs any
nore," said Dick. " Maybe there was only one pursu
ing us, and that shot of mine got him. The howls of
the cur upset my nerves more than the shouts of the
Sioux."

" Maybe so," said Albert.

Then they were both quite still. The moonlight was
silvery clear, and they could see pines, oaks, and cedars
waving in a gentle wind, but they saw nothing else. Yet
Dick was well aware that the Sioux had not abandoned

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

the chase ; they knew well where the boys lay, and
all about them in the woods.

" Keep close, Albert," he said. " Indians are sly,
and the Sioux are the slyest of them all. They're only
waiting until one of us pops up his head, thinking
they're gone."

Albert took Dick's advice, but so long a time passed
without sign from the Sioux that he began to believe
that, in some mysterious manner, they had evaded the
savages. The belief had grown almost into a certainty,
when there was a flash and a report from a point higher
up the slope. Albert felt something hot and stinging
in his face. But it was only a tiny fragment of rock
chipped off by the bullet as it passed.

Both Dick and Albert lay closer, as if they would
press themselves into the earth, and soon two or three
more shots were fired. All came from points higher up
the slope, and none hit a living target, though they
struck unpleasantly close.

" I wish I could see something," exclaimed Albert
impatiently. " It's not pleasant to be shot at and to
get no shot in return."

Dick did not answer. He was watching a point
among some scrub pines higher up the slope, where the
boughs seemed to him to be waving too much for the
slight wind. Looking intently, he thought he saw a
patch of brown through the evergreen, and he fired at
it. A faint cry followed the shot, and Dick felt a
strange satisfaction; they were hunting him — well, he
had given a blow in return.

Silence settled down again after Dick's shot. The
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PRISONERS

boys lay perfectly still, although they could hear each
other 's breathing. The silvery moonlight seemed to grow
fuller and clearer all the time. It flooded the whole
slope. Boughs and twigs were sheathed in it. Appar
ently, the moon looked down upon a scene that was all
peace and without the presence of a human being.

" Do you think they'll rush us? " whispered Albert.

" No," replied Dick. " I've always heard that the
Indian takes as little risk as he possibly can."

They waited a little longer, and then came a flare
of rifle shots from a point farther up the slope. Brown
forms appeared faintly, and Dick and Albert, intent
and eager, began to fire in reply. Bullets sang by their
ears and clipped the stones around them, but their blood
rose the higher and they fired faster and faster.

" We'll drive 'em back! " exclaimed Dick.

They did not hear the rapid patter of soft, light
footsteps coming from another direction, until a half
dozen Sioux were upon them. Then the firing in front
ceased abruptly, and Dick and Albert whirled to meet
their new foes.

It was too late. Dick saw Albert struggling in the
grasp of two big warriors, and then saw and heard noth
ing more. He had received a heavy blow on the head
from the butt of a rifle and became unconscious.

CHAPTER XV

THE INDIAN VILLAGE

WHEN Dick awoke from his second period of
unconsciousness it was to awake, as he did
from the first, under a roof, but not, as in
the case of the first, under his own roof. He saw above
him an immense sloping thatch of bark on poles, and
his eyes, wandering lower, saw walls of bark, also fas
tened to poles. He himself was lying on a large rush
mat, and beside the door of the great tepee sat two Sioux
warriors cleaning their rifles.

Dick's gaze rested upon the warriors. Curiously, he
felt at that time neither hostility nor apprehension. He
rather admired them. They were fine, tall men, and
their bare arms and legs were sinewy and powerful.
Then he thought of Albert. He was nowhere to be seen,
but from the shadow of the wall on his right came a tall
figure, full of dignity and majesty. It was Bright Sun,
who looked down at Dick with a gaze that expressed
inquiry rather than anger.

" Why have you come here? " he asked.

Although Dick's head ached and he was a captive,
the question made a faint appeal to his sense of humor.

" I didn't come," he replied; " I was brought."
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THE INDIAN VILLAGE

Bright Sun smiled.

" That is true," he said, speaking the precise Eng
lish of the schools, with every word enunciated dis
tinctly. " You were brought, and by my warriors; but
why were you upon these hills? "

" I give you the best answer I can, Bright Sun."
replied Dick frankly; " I don't know. My brother and
I were lost upon the plains, and we wandered here.
Nor have I the remotest idea now where I am."

" You are in a village of the tribe of the Mende-
wahkanton Sioux, of the clan Queyata-oto-we, " replied
Bright Sun gravely, " the clan and tribe to which I
belong. The Mendewahkantons are one of the first
tribes of the Seven Fireplaces, or the Great Sioux Na
tion. But all are great — Mendewahkanton, Wahpeton,
Sisseton, Yankton, Teton, Ogalala, and Hunkpapa— -
down to the last clan of every tribe."

He had begun with gravity and an 3ven Intonation,
but his voice rose with pride at the last. Nothing of
the white man's training was left to him but the slow,
precise English. It was the Indian, the pride of his
Indian race, that spoke. Dick recognized it and re
spected it.

' ' And this ? ' ' said Dick, looking around at the great
house of bark and poles in which he lay.

" This," replied Bright Sun, pride again showing
in his tone, " is the house of the Akitcita, our soldiers
and policemen, the men between twenty and forty, the
warriors of the first rank, who live here in common, and
into whose house women and children may not enter.
I have read in the books at your schools how the Spar-

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

tan young men lived together as soldiers in a common
house, eating rough food and doing the severest duty,
and the whole world has long applauded. The Sioux,
who never heard of the Spartans, have been doing the
same far back into the shadowy time. We, too, are a
race of warriors. "

Dick looked with renewed interest at the extraordi
nary man before him, and an amazing new suggestion
found lodgment in his mind. Perhaps the Sioux chief
thought himself not merely as good as the white man,
but better, better than any other man except those of
his own race. It was so surprising that Dick forgot
for a moment the question that he was eagerly awaiting
a chance to ask — where was his brother Albert?

" I've always heard that the Sioux were brave/'
said Dick vaguely, " and I know they are powerful."

" We are the Seven Fireplaces. What the Six Na
tions once were in the East, we now are in the West,
save that we are far more numerous and powerful, and
we will not be divided. We have leaders who see the
truth and who know what to do."

The pride in his tone was tinged now with defiance,
and Dick could but look at him in wonder. But his
mind now came back to the anxious question:

" Where is my brother Albert, who was taken with
me? You have not killed him? "

" He has not been hurt, although we are at war with
your people," replied Bright Sun. " He is here in the
village, and he, like you, is safe for the present. Some
of the warriors wished to kill both you and him, but I
have learned wisdom in these matters from your peo-

250

THE INDIAN VILLAGE

pie. Why throw away pawns that we hold? I keep
your brother and you as hostages."

Dick, who had raised himself up in his eagerness,
sank back again, relieved. He could feel that Bright
Sun told the truth, and he had faith, too, in the man's
power as well as his word. Yet there was another ques
tion that he wished to ask.

" Bright Sun," he said, " it was you, our guide, who
led the train into the pass that all might be killed ? ' '

Bright Sun shrugged his shoulders, but a spark
leaped from his eyes.

" What would you ask of me? " he replied. " In
your code it was cunning, but the few and small must
fight with cunning. The little man, to confront the big
man, needs the advantage of weapons. The Sioux make
the last stand for the Indian race, and we strike when
and where we can."

The conscience of the chief was clear, so far as Dick
could see, and there was nothing that he could say in
reply. It was Bright Sun Mmself who resumed:

" But I spared you and your brother. I did that
which caused you to be absent when the others were
slain."

" Why? "

" Because you were different. You were not like
the others. It may be that I pitied you, and it may be
also that I liked you — a little — and — you were young."

The man's face bore no more expression than carven
oak, but Dick was grateful.

" I thank you, Bright Sun," he said, " and I know
that Albert thanks you, too."

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

Bright Sun nodded, and then fixed an intent gaz*
upon Dick.

" You and your brother escaped," he said. " That
was nearly two years ago, and you have not gone back
to your people. Where have you been? "

Dick saw a deep curiosity lurking behind the intent
gaze, but whatever he might owe to Bright Sun, he had
no intention of gratifying it.

1 ' Would you tell me where you have been in the last
two years and all that you have done ? ' ' the chief asked.

" I cannot answer; but you see that we have lived,
Albert and I," Dick replied.

* ' And that you have learned the virtues of silence, ' '
said Bright Sun. " I ask you no more about it to-day.
Give me your word for the present that you will not
try to escape, and your life and that of your brother
will be the easier. It would be useless, anyhow, for you
to make such an attempt. When you feel that you have
a chance, you can withdraw your promise/'

Dick laughed, and the laugh was one of genuine
good humor.

" That's certainly fair," he said. " Since I can't
escape, I might as well give my promise not to try it
for the time being. Well, I give it."

Bright Sun nodded gravely.

" Your brother will come in soon," he said. " He
has already given his promise, that is, a conditional one,
good until he can confer with you."

"I'll confirm it," said Dick.

Bright Sun saluted and left the great lodge. Some
warriors near the door moved aside with the greatest

252

THE INDIAN VILLAGE

deference to let him pass. Dick lay on his rush mat,
gazing after him, and deeply impressed.

When Bright Sun was gone he examined the lodge
again. It was obvious that it was a great common hall
or barracks for warriors, and Bright Sun's simile of the
Spartans was correct. More warriors came in, all splen
did, athletic young men of a high and confident bear
ing. A few were dressed in the white man's costume,
but most of them were in blankets, leggings, and moc
casins, and had magnificent rows of feathers in their
hair. Every man carried a carbine, and most of them
had revolvers also. Such were the Akitcita or chosen
band, and in this village of about two hundred lodges
they numbered sixty men. Dick did not know then that
in times of peace all guests, whether white or red, were
entertained in the lodge of the Akitcita.

Impressed as he had been by Bright Sun, he was
impressed also by these warriors. Not one of them spoke
to him or annoyed him in any manner. They went about
their tasks, cleaning and polishing their weapons, or
sitting on rough wooden benches, smoking pipes with a
certain dignity that belonged to men of strength and
courage. All around the lodge were rush mats, on which
they slept, and near the door was a carved totem pole.

A form darkened the doorway, and Albert came in.
He rushed to Dick when he saw that he was conscious
again, and shook his hand with great fervor. The war
riors went on with their tasks or their smoking, and still
took no notice.

" This is a most wonderful place, Dick," exclaimed
the impressionable Albert, ' ' and Bright Sun has treated

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

us well. We can go about the village if we give a
promise, for the time, that we'll not try to escape."

" He's been here," said Dick, " and I've given it."

" Then, if you feel strong enough, let's go on and
take a look."

" Wait until I see if this head of mine swims
around," said Dick.

He rose slowly to his feet, and his bandaged head
was dizzy at first, but as he steadied himself it became
normal. Albert thrust out his hand to support him. It
delighted him that he could be again of help to his older
and bigger brother, and Dick, divining Albert's feel
ing, let it lie for a minute. Then they went to the door,
Dick walking quite easily, as his strength came back fast.

The warriors of the Akitcita, of whom fully a dozen
were now present in the great lodge, still paid no atten
tion to the two youths, and Dick surmised that it was
by the orders of Bright Sun. But this absolute ignor
ing of their existence was uncanny, nevertheless. Dick
studied some of the faces as he passed. Bold and fear
less they were, and not without a certain nobility, but
there was little touch of gentleness or pity, it was rather
the strength of the wild animal, the flesh-eater, that
seeks its prey. Sioux they were, and Sioux they would
remain in heart, no matter what happened, wild war
riors of the northwest. Dick perceived this fact in a
lightning flash, but it was the lightning flash of con
viction.

Outside the fresh air saluted Dick, mouth and nos
trils, and the ache in his head went quite away. He
had seen the valley by moonlight, when it was beautiful,

254

THE INDIAN VILLAGE

but not as beautiful as their own valley, the one of
which they would not tell to anybody. But it was full
of interest. The village life, the life of the wild, was
in progress all about him, and in the sunshine, amidst
such picturesque surroundings, it had much that was
attractive to the strong and brave.

Dick judged correctly that the village contained
about two hundred winter lodges of bark and poles, and
could therefore furnish about four hundred warriors.
It was evident, toox that it was the scene of prosperity.
The flesh of buffalo, elk, and deer was drying in the sun,
hanging from the trees or on little platforms of poles.
Children played with the dogs or practiced with small
bows and arrows. In the shadow of a tepee six old
women sat gambling, and the two boys stopped to watch
them.

The Indians are more inveterate gamblers than the
whites, and the old women, wrinkled, hideous hags of
vast age, played their game with an intent, almost
breathless, interest.

They were playing Woskate Tanpan, or the game of
dice, as it is known to the Sioux. Three women were on
each side, and they played it with tanpan (the basket),
kansu (the dice), and canyiwawa (the counting sticks).
The tanpan, made of willow twigs, was a tiny basket,
about three inches in diameter at the bottom, but broader
at the top, and about two inches deep. Into this one
woman would put the kansu or dice, a set of six plum
stones, some carved and some not carved. She would
put her hand over the tanpan, shake the kansu just as
the white dice player does, and then throw them. out.

255

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

The value of the throw would be according to the kind
and number of carvings that were turned up when the
kansu fell.

The opposing sides, three each, sat facing each other,
and the stakes for which they played — canyiwawa (the
counting sticks) — lay between them. These were little
round sticks about the thickness of a lead pencil, and
the size of each heap went up or down, as fortune shifted
back or forth. They could make the counting sticks
represent whatever value they chose, this being agreed
upon beforehand, and old Sioux women had been known
to play Woskate Tanpan two days and nights without
ever rising from their seats.

11 What old harpies they are! " said Dick. " Did
7011 ever see anybody so eager over anything? "

" They are no worse than the men," replied Albert.
" A lot of warriors are gambling, too."

A group of the men were gathered on a little green
farther on, and the brothers joined them, beginning to
share at once the interest that the spectators showed in
several warriors who were playing Woskate Painyan-
kapi, or the game of the Wands and the Hoop.

The warriors used in this sport canyleska (the hoop)
and cansakala (the wands). The hoops were of ash, two
of three feet in diameter, the ash itself being about an
inch in diameter. Every hoop was carefully marked oftf
into spaces, something like the face of a watch.

Cansakala (the wands) were of chokecherry, fou*
feet long and three fourths of an inch in diameter. One
end of every wand was squared for a distance of about
a foot. The wands were in pairs, the two being fas-

256

THE INDIAN VILLAGE

tened together with buckskin thongs about nine inches
in length, and fastened at a point about one third of
the length of the wands from the rounded ends.

A warrior would roll the hoop, and he was required
to roll it straight and correctly. If he did not do so,
the umpire made him roll it over, as in the white man's
game of baseball the pitcher cannot get a strike until
he pitches the ball right.

When the hoop was rolled correctly, the opposing
player dropped his pair of wands somewhere in front
of it. It was his object so to calculate the speed and
course of the hoop that when it fell it would lie upon
his wands. If he succeeded, he secured his points ac
cording to the spaces on each wand within which the
hoop lay — an exceedingly difficult game, requiring great
skill of hand and judgment of eye. That it was absorb
ing was shown by the great interest with which the spec
tators followed it and by their eager betting.

" I don't believe I could learn to do that in ten
years," said Albert; " you've got to combine too many
things, and to combine them fast."

" They must begin on it while they're young," said
Dick; " but the Indian has a mind, and don't you for
get it."

" But they're not as we are," rejoined Albert.
lt Nothing can ever make them so."

Here, as in the house of the Akitcita, nobody paid
any attention to the two boys, but Dick began to have
a feeling that he was watched, not watched openly as
man watches man, but in the furtive, dangerous way of
the great wild beasts, the man-eaters. The feeling grew

257

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

into a conviction that, despite what they were doing,
everybody in the camp — warrior, squaw, and child — was
watching Albert and him. He knew that half of this
was fancy, but he was sure that the other half was real.

11 Albert," he said, " I wouldn't make any break
for liberty now, even if I hadn 't given my promise. ' '

" Nor I," said Albert. " By the time we had gone
ten feet the whole village would be on top of us. Dick,
while I'm here I'm going to make the best of it I can."

In pursuance of this worthy intention Albert pressed
forward and almost took the cansakala from the hands
of a stalwart warrior. The man, amazed at first, yielded
up the pair of wands with a grin. Albert signaled im
periously to the warrior with the hoop, and he, too,
grinning, sent canyleska whirling.

Albert cast the wands, and the hoop fell many feet
from them. A shout of laughter arose. The white
youth was showing himself a poor match for the Sioux,
and the women and children came running to see this
proof of the superiority of their race.

The warrior from whom he had taken them gravely
picked up cansakala and handed them back to Albert,
the other warrior again sent canyleska rolling, and again
Albert threw the wands with the same ill fortune. A
third and a fourth time he tried, with but slight improve
ment, and the crowd, well pleased to see him fail, thick
ened all the time, until nearly the whole village was
present.

" It's just as hard as we thought it was, Dick, and
harder," said Albert ruefully. " Here, you take it and
see what you can do."

258

THE INDIAN VILLAGE

He handed cansakala to Dick, who also tried in vain,
while the crowd enjoyed the sport, laughing and chat
tering to one another, as they will in their own vil
lages. Dick made a little more progress than Albert
had achieved, but not enough to score any points worth
mentioning, and he, too, retired discomfited, while the
Sioux, especially the women, continued to laugh.

" I don't like to be beaten that way," said Albert
in a nettled tone.

" Never mind, Al, old fellow," said Dick soothingly.
" Remember it's their game, not ours, and as it makes
them feel good, it's all the better for us. Since they've
beaten us, they're apt to like us and treat us better."

It was hard for Albert to take the more philosoph
ical view, which was also the truthful one, but he did
his best to reconcile himself, and he and Dick moved
on to other sights.

Dick noticed that the village had been located with
great judgment. On one side was the river, narrow but
swift and deep ; on the other, a broad open space that
would not permit an enemy to approach through am
bush, and beyond that the forest.

The tepees stood in a great circle, and, although Dick
did not know it, their camps were always pitched ac
cording to rule, each gens or clan having its regular
place in the circle. The tribe of the Mendewahkantons
— a leading one of the Seven Fireplaces or Council Fires
of the great Sioux nation— was subdivided into seven
gentes or clans; the Kiyukas, or Breakers, so called
because they disregarded the general marriage law and
married outside their own clan; the Que-mini-tea, or

259

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

Mountain Wood and Water people; the Kap'oja, or
Light Travelers; the Maxa-yuta-eui, the People who
Eat no Grease; the Queyata-oto-we, or the People of
the Village Back from the River; the Oyata Citca, the
Bad Nation, and the Tita-otowe, the People of the Vil
lage on the Prairie.

Every clan was composed of related families, and all
this great tribe, as the boys learned later, had once
dwelled around Spirit Lake, Minnesota, their name
meaning Mysterious Lake Dwellers, but had been pushed
westward years before by the advancing wave of white
settlement. This was now a composite village, including
parts of every gens of the Mendewahkantons, but there
were other villages of the same tribe scattered over a
large area.

When Dick and Albert reached the northern end of
the village they saw a great number of Indian ponies,
six or seven hundred perhaps, grazing in a wide grassy
space and guarded by half -grown Indian boys.

" Dick," said Albert, "if we only had a dozen of
those we could go back and get our furs."

11 Yes," said Dick, "if we had the ponies, if we
knew where we are now, if we were free of the Sioux
village, and if we could find the way to our valley, we
might do what you say."

11 Yes, it does take a pile of ' ifs,' " said Albert,
laughing, " and so I won't expect it. I'll try to be re
signed."

So free were they from any immediate restriction
that it almost seemed to them that they could walk away
as they chose, up the valley and over the hills and across

260

THE INDIAN VILLAGE

the plains. How were the Sioux to know that these two
would keep their promised word 1 But both became con
scious again of those watchful eyes, ferocious, like the
eyes of man-eating wild beasts, and both shivered a little
as they turned back into the great circle of bark tepees.

CHAPTER XVI

THE GATHERING OP THE SIOUX

DICK and Albert abode nearly two weeks in the
great lodge of the Akitcita, that is, as guests^
although they were prisoners, whose lives might
be taken at any time, and they had splendid opportuni
ties for observing what a genuine Spartan band the
Akitcita were. Everyone had his appointed place for
arms and his rush or fur mat for sleeping. There was
no quarreling, no unseemly chatter, always a grave and
dignified order and the sense of stern discipline. Not
all the Akitcita were ever present in the daytime, but
some always were. All the tribal business was trans
acted here. The women had to bring wood and water
to it daily, and the entire village supplied it every day
with regular rations of tobacco, almost the only luxury
of the Akitcita.

Both Dick and Albert were keenly observant, and
they did not hesitate also to ask questions of Bright Sun
whenever they had the chance. They learned from him
that the different tribes of the Sioux had general coun
cils at irregular intervals, that there was no hereditary
rank among the chiefs, it being usually a question of
energy and merit, although the rank was sometimes ob-

262

THE GATHERING OF THE SIOUX

tained by gifts, an ambitious man giving away all that
he had for the prize. There were no women chiefs, and
women were not admitted to the great council.

The boys perceived, too, that much in the life of the
Sioux was governed by ancient ritual; nearly every
thing had its religious meaning, and both boys having
an inherent respect for religion of any kind, were in
constant fear lest they should violate unwillingly some
honored law.

The two made friendly advances to the members of
the Akitcita, but they were received with a grave cour
tesy that did not invite a continuance. They felt daily
a deepening sense of racial difference. They appre
ciated the humane treatment they had received, but they
and the Sioux did not seem to come into touch any
where. And this difference was accentuated in the case
of Bright Sun. The very fact that he had been edu
cated in their schools, that he spoke their language so
well, and that he knew their customs seemed to widen
the gulf between them into a sea. They felt that he had
tasted of their life, and liked it not.

The two, although they could not like Bright Sun,
began to have a certain deference for him. The old
sense of power he had created in their minds increased
greatly, and now it was not merely a matter of mind
and manner; all the outward signs, the obvious respect
in which he was held by everybody and the way in
which the eyes of warriors, as well as those of women
and children, followed him, showed that he was a leader.

After ten days or so in the great lodge of the Akit
cita, Diek and Albert were removed to a small bark

263

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

tepee of their own, to which they were content to go.
They had no arms, not even a knife, but they were
already used to their captivity, and however great their
ultimate danger might be, it was too far away for them
to think much about it.

They observed, soon after their removal, that the life ,
of the village changed greatly. The old women were
not often to be found in the shadow of the lodges play-
ing Woskate Tanpan, the men gave up wholly Woskate
Painyankapi, and throughout the village, no matter how
stoical the Sioux might be, there was a perceptible air
of excitement and suspense. Often at night the boys
heard the rolling of the Sioux war drums, and the medi
cine men made medicine incessantly inside their tepees.
Dick chafed greatly.

" Big things are afoot," he would say to Albert.
" We know that the Sioux and our people are at war,
but you and I, Al, don't know a single thing that has
occurred. I wish we could get away from here. Our
people are our own people, and I'd like to tell them
to look out."

" I feel just as you do, Dick," Albert would reply;
" but we might recall our promise to Bright Sun. Be
sides, we wouldn't have the ghost of a chance to escape.
I feel that a hundred eyes are looking at me all the
time."

" I feel that two hundred are looking at me," said
Dick, with a grim little laugh. " No, Al, you're right.
We haven't a chance on earth to escape."

Five days after their removal to the small lodge
there was a sudden and great increase in the excitement

264

THE GATHERING OF THE SIOUX

in the village. In truth, it burst into a wild elation,
and all the women and children, running toward the
northern side of the village, began to shout cries of
welcome. The warriors followed more sedately, and
Dick and Albert, no one detaining them, joined in the
throng.

" Somebody's coming, Al, that's sure," said Dick.

" Yes, and that somebody's a lot of men," said Al
bert. "Look!"

Three or four hundred warriors, a long line of them,
were coming down the valley, tall, strong, silent men,
with brilliant headdresses of feathers and bright blan
kets. Everyone carried a carbine or rifle, and they
looked what they were— a truly formidable band, re
solved upon some great attempt.

Dick and Albert inferred the character of the arri
vals from the shouts that they heard the squaws and
children utter: " Sisseton! " " Wahpeton! " " Oga-
lala!" "Yankton!" "Teton!" "Hunkpapa!"

The arriving warriors, many of whom were undoubt
edly chiefs, gravely nodded to their welcome, and came
silently on as the admiring crowd opened to receive them.

" It's my opinion," said Dick, " that the Seven
Fireplaces are about to hold a grand council in the lodge
of the Akitcita."

" I don't think there's any doubt of it," replied
Albert.

They also heard, amidst the names of the tribes, the
names of great warriors or medicine men, names which
they were destined to hear many times again, both in
Indian and English — Sitting Bull, Rain-in-the-Face, Lit-

265

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

tie Big Man, and others. Then they meant nothing to
either Dick or Albert.

All the chiefs, led by Bright Sun, went directly to
the lodge of the Akitcita, and the other warriors were
taken into the lodges of their friends, the Mendewah-
kantons. Then the women ran to the lodges and re
turned with the best food that the village could furnish.
It was given to the guests, and also many pounds of
choice tobacco.

Dick and Albert had made no mistake in their sur
mise. The great council of the Seven Fireplaces of the
Sioux was in session. All that day the chiefs remained
in the lodge of the Akitcita, and when night was far
advanced they were still there.

Dick and Albert shared the excitement of the vil
lage, although knowing far less of its nature, but they
knew that a grand council of the Seven Fireplaces would
not be held without great cause, and they feared much
for their people. It was a warm, close night, with a
thin moon and flashes of heat lightning on the hilly
horizon. Through the heavy air came the monotonous
rolling of a war drum, and the chant of a medicine man
making medicine in a tepee near by went on without
ceasing.

The boys did not try to sleep, and, unable to stifle
curiosity, they came from the little bark lodge. One or
two Sioux warriors glanced at them, but none spoke.
The Sioux knew that the village was guarded so closely
by a ring of sentinels that a cat could not have crept
through without being seen. The boys walked on un
disturbed until they came near the great council lodge,

266

THE GATHERING OF THE SIOUX

where they stopped to look at the armed warriors stand
ing by the door.

The dim light and the excited imaginations of the
boys made the lodge grow in size and assume fantastic
shapes. So many great chiefs had come together for a
mighty purpose, and Dick was sure that Bright Sun,
sitting in the ring of his equals, urged on the project,
whatever it might be, and would be the dominating fig
ure through all.

Although they saw nothing, they were fascinated by
what they wished to see. The great lodge held them
with a spell that they did not seek to break. Although
it was past midnight, they stayed there, staring at the
blank walls. "Warriors passed and gave them sharp
glances, but nothing was said to them. The air re
mained close and heavy. Heat lightning continued to
flare on the distant hills, but no rain fell.

The chiefs finally came forth from the great coun
cil. There was no light for them save the cloudy skies
and one smoking torch that a warrior held aloft, but
the active imaginations of the two boys were again im
pressed. Every chief seemed to show in his face and
manner his pride of race and the savage strength that
well became such a time and place. Some bore them
selves more haughtily and were more brilliantly adorned
than Bright Sun, but he was still the magnet from which
power and influence streamed. Dick and Albert did not
know why they knew it, but they knew it.

The chiefs did not go away to friendly lodges, but
after they came forth remained in a group, talking.
Dick surmised that they had come to an agreement upon

267

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

whatever question they debated; now they were outside
for fresh air, and soon would return to the lodge of the
Akitcita, which, according to custom, would shelter them
as guests.

Bright Sun noticed the brothers standing in the
shadow of the lodge, and, leaving the group, he walked
over to them. His manner did not express hostility,
but he made upon both boys that old impression of
power and confidence, tinged now with a certain ex
ultation.

" You would know what we have been doing? " he
said, speaking directly to Dick, the older.

" We don't ask," replied Dick, " but I will say this,
Bright Sun: we believe that the thing done was tho
thing you wished."

Bright Sun permitted himself a little smile.

11 You have learned to flatter," he said.

" It was not meant as flattery," said Dick; " but
there is something more I have to say. We wish to
withdraw our pledge not to attempt to escape. You
remember it was in the agreement we could withdraw
whenever we chose."

" That is true," said Bright Sun, giving Dick a
penetrating look. " And so you think it is time for
you to go? "

" We will go, if we can," said Dick boldly.

Bright Sun, who had permitted himself a smile a
little while ago, now permitted himself a soft laugh.

" You put it well," he said in his precise English,
" * if we can.' But the understanding is clear. The
agreement is at an end. However, you will not escape.

268

THE GATHERING OP> THE SIOUA

We need you as hostages, and I will tell you, too, that
we leave this village and valley to-morrow. We begin
a great march."

" I am not surprised," said Dick.

Bright Sun rejoined the other chiefs, and all of
them went back into the lodge of the Akitcita, while
Dick and Albert returned to their own little tepee.
There, as each lay on his rush mat, they talked in
whispers.

" What meaning do you give to it, Dick? " asked
Albert.

" That all the Sioux tribes are going to make a
mighty effort against our people, and they're going to
make it soon. Why else are they holding this great
council of the Seven Fireplaces? I tell you, Al, big
things are afoot. Oh, if we could only find a chance
to get away! "

Albert rolled over to the door of the lodge and
peeped out. Several warriors were pacing up and down
in front of the rows of tepees. He rolled back to his
rush mat.

' ' They 've got inside as well as outside guards now, ' '
he whispered.

" I thought it likely," Dick whispered back. " Al,
the best thing that you and I can do now is to go to
sleep."

They finally achieved slumber, but they were up
early the next morning and saw Bright Sun's words
come true. The village was dismantled with extraor
dinary rapidity. Most of the lighter lodges were taken
down, but how much of the place was left, and what

269

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

people were left with it, the boys did not know, because
they departed with the warriors, each riding a bridle-
less pony. Although mounted, their chance of escape
was not increased. Warriors were all about them, they
were unarmed, and their ponies, uncontrolled by bridles,
could not be made to leave their comrades.

Dick and Albert, nevertheless, found an interest in
this journey, wondering to what mysterious destination
it would lead them. They heard behind them the chant
of the old women driving the ponies that drew the bag*
gage on poles, but the warriors around them were silent.
Bright Sun was not visible. Dick surmised that he was
at the head of the column.

The clouds of the preceding night had gone away,
and the day was cooler, although it was now summer,
and both Dick and Albert found a certain pleasure in
the journey. In their present state of suspense any
change was welcome.

They rode straight up the valley, a long and for
midable procession, and as they went northward the de
pression became both shallower and narrower. Finally,
they crossed the river at a rather deep ford and rode
directly ahead. Soon the hills and the forest that
clothed them sank out of sight, and Dick and Albert
were once again in the midst of the rolling immensity
of the plains. They could judge the point of the com
pass by the sun, but they knew nothing else of the coun
try over which they traveled. They tried two or three
times to open conversation with the warriors about them,
trusting that the latter knew English, but they received
no reply and gave up the attempt.

270

THE GATHERING OP THE SIOUX

" At any rate, I can talk to you, Al," said Dick
after the last futile attempt.

" Yes, but you can't get any information out of
me," replied Albert with a laugh.

The procession moved on, straight as an arrow, over
the swells, turning aside for nothing. Some buffaloes
were seen on the horizon, but they were permitted to
crop the bunch grass undisturbed. No Indian hunter
left the ranks.

They camped that night on the open prairie, Dick
and Albert sleeping in their blankets in the center of
the savage group. It might have seemed to the ordi
nary observer that there was looseness and disorder
about the camp, but Dick was experienced enough to
know that all the Mendewahkantons were posted in the
circle according to their clans, and that the delegates
were distributed with them in places of honor.

Dick noticed, also, that no fires were built, and that
the warriors had scrutinized the entire circle of the
horizon with uncommon care. It could signify but one
thing to him — white people, and perhaps white troops,
were near. If so, he prayed that they were in sufficient
force. He was awakened in the night by voices, and
raising himself on his elbow he saw a group of men, at
least a hundred in number, riding into the camp.

The latest arrivals were Sioux warriors, but of what
tribe he could not tell. Yet it was always the Sioux
who were coming, and it would have been obvious to
the least observant that Dick's foreboding about a
mighty movement was right. They were joined the next
day by another detachment coming from the southwest,

271

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

and rode on, full seven hundred warriors, every man
armed with the white man's weapons, carbine or rifle
and revolver.

" I pity any poor emigrants whom they may meet/'
thought Dick; but, fortunately, they met none. The
swelling host continued its march a second day, a third,
and a fourth through sunshiny weather, increasing in
warmth, and over country that changed but little. Dick
and Albert saw Bright Sun only once or twice, but he
had nothing to say to them. The others, too, maintained
their impenetrable silence, although they never offered
any ill treatment.

They were joined every day by bands of warriors,
sometimes not more than two or three at a time, and
again as many as twenty. They came from all points
of the compass, but, so far as Dick and Albert could
see, little was said on their arrival. Everything was
understood. They came as if in answer to a call, took
their places without ado in the savage army, and rods
silently on. Dick saw a great will at work, and with
it a great discipline. A master mind had provided for
all things.

" Al," he said to his brother, " you and I are not in
the plan at all. We've been out of the world two years,
and we're just that many years behind."

" I know it's 1876," said Albert, with some confi
dence, but he added in confession : ' ' I 've no idea what
month it is, although it must be somewhere near sum
mer."

" About the beginning of June, I should think, "
said Dick.

272

THE GATHERING OF THE SIOUX

An hour after this little talk the country became
more hilly, and presently they saw trees and high bluffs
to their right. Both boys understood the signs. They
were approaching a river, and possibly their destination.

"I've a feeling,'* said Dick, " that we're going to
stop now. The warriors look as if they were getting
ready for a rest."

He was quickly confirmed in his opinion by the ap
pearance of mounted Indians galloping to meet them.
These warriors showed no signs of fatigue or a long
march, and it was now obvious that a village was near.

The new band greeted the force of Bright Sun with
joy, and the stern silence was relaxed. There was much
chattering and laughing, much asking and answering of
questions, and soon Indian women and Indian boys,
with little bows and arrows, came over the bluffs, and
joining the great mounted force, followed on its flanks.

Dick and Albert were on ponies near the head of
the column, and their troubles and dangers were for
gotten in their eager interest in what they were about
to see. The feeling that a first step in a great plan was
accomplished was in the air. They could see it in the
cessation of the Sioux reserve and in the joyous man
ner of the warriors, as well as the women. Even the
ponies pricked up their heads, as if they, too, saw rest.

The procession wound round the base of a hill, and
then each boy uttered a little gasp. Before them lay a
valley, about a mile wide, down the center of which
flowed a shallow yellow river fringed with trees and
also with undergrowth, very dense in places. But it
was neither river nor trees that had drawn the little

273

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

gasps from the two boys, it was an Indian village, or
rather a great town, extending as far as they could see
— and they saw far — on either side of the stream. There
were hundreds and hundreds of lodges, and a vast scene
of animated and varied life. Warriors, squaws, chil
dren, and dogs moved about; smoke rose from scores
and scores of fires, and on grassy meadows grazed ponies,
thousands in number.

" Why, I didn't think there was so big an Indian
town in all the West! " exclaimed Albert.

" Nor did I," said Dick gravely, " and I'm think
ing, Al, that it's gathered here for a purpose. It must
be made up of all the Sioux tribes."

Albert nodded. He knew the thought in Dick's
mind, and he believed it to be correct.

Chance so had it that Bright Sun at this moment
rode near them and heard their words. Dick of late
had surmised shrewdly that Bright Sun treated them
well, not alone for the sake of their value as hostages,
but for a reason personal to himself. He had been asso
ciated long with white people in their schools, but he
was at heart and in fact a great Sioux chief; he had
felt the white man's assumption of racial superiority,
and he would have these two with the white faces wit
ness some great triumph that he intended to achieve
over these same white people. This belief was growing
on Dick, and it received more confirmation when Bright
Sun said:

" You see that the Sioux nation has many warriors
and is mighty."

"I see that it is so, Bright Sun," replied Dick
274

THE GATHERING OF THE SIOUX

frankly. " I did not know you were so numerous and
so powerful; but bear in mind, Bright Sun, that no
matter how many the Sioux may be, the white men are
like the leaves of the trees — thousands, tens of thou
sands may fall, and yet only their own kin miss them/'

But Bright Sun shook his head.

" What you say is true," he said, " because I have
seen and I know; but they are not here. The moun
tains, the plains, the wilderness keep them back."

Dick forebore a retort, because he felt that he owed
Bright Sun something, and the chief seemed to take it
for granted that he was silenced by logic.

" This is the Little Big Horn River," Bright Sun
said, " and you behold now in this village, which ex
tends five miles on either side of it, the Seven Fireplaces
of the Sioux. All the tribes are gathered here."

' ' And it is you who have gathered them, ' ' said Dick.
He was looking straight into Bright Sun's eyes as he
spoke, and he saw the pupils of the Sioux expand, in
fact dilate, with a sudden overwhelming sense of power
and triumph. Dick knew he had guessed aright, but
the Sioux replied with restraint:

" If I have had some small part in the doing of it,
I feel proud."

With that he left them, and Dick and Albert rode
on into the valley of the river, in whatsoever direction
their bridleless horses might carry them, although that
direction was bound to be the one in which rode the
group surrounding them.

Some of the squaws and boys, who caught sight of
Dick and Albert among the warriors, began to shout

275

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

and jeer, but a chief sternly bade them be silent, and
they slunk away, to the great relief of the two lads,
who had little relish for such attentions.

They were full in the valley now, and on one side
of them was thick undergrowth that spread to the edge
of the river. A few hundred yards farther the under
growth ceased, sand taking its place. All the warriors
turned their ponies abruptly away from one particular
stretch of sand, and Dick understood.

" It's a quicksand, Al," he said; " it would suck
up pony, rider, and all."

They left the quicksand behind and entered the vil
lage, passing among the groups of lodges. Here they
realized more fully than on the hills the great extent of
the Indian town. Its inhabitants seemed a myriad to
Dick and Albert, so long us*ed to silence and the lack of
numbers.

" How many warriors do you suppose this place
could turn out, Dick? " asked Albert.

11 Five thousand, but that's only a guess. It doesn't
look much like our own valley, does it, Al ? ' '

" No, it doesn't," replied Albert with emphasis;
" and I can tell you, Dick, I wish I was back there
right now. I believe that's the finest valley the sun ever
shone on."

" But we had to leave sometime or other," said
Dick, " and how could we tell that we were going to
run into anything like this ? But it's surely a big change
for us."

" The biggest in the world."

The group in which they rode continued along the
276

THE GATHERING OF THE SIOUX

river about two miles, and then stopped at a point where
both valley and village were widest. A young warrior,
speaking crude English, roughly bade them dismount,
and gladly they sprang from the ponies. Albert fell
over when he struck the ground, his legs were cramped
so much by the long ride, but the circulation was soon
restored, and he and Dick went without resistance to the
lodge that was pointed out to them as their temporary
home and prison.

It was a small lodge of poles leaning toward a com
mon center at the top, there lashed together firmly with
rawhide, and the whole covered with skins. It contained
only two rude mats, two bowls of Sioux pottery, and a
drinking gourd, but it was welcome to Dick and Albert,
who wanted rest and at the same time security from the
fierce old squaws and the equally fierce young boys.
They were glad enough to lie a while on the rush mats
and rub their tired limbs. When they were fully rested
they became very hungry.

" I wonder if they mean to starve us to death? "
said Albert.

A negative answer was given in about ten minutes
by two old squaws who appeared, bearing food, some
venison, and more particularly wa-nsa, a favorite dish
with the Sioux, a compound made of buffalo meat and
wild cherries, which, after being dried, are pounded
separately until they are very fine; then the two are
pounded together for quite a while, after which the
whole is stored in bladders, somewhat after the fashion
of the white man's sausage.

" This isn't bad at all," said Albert when he bit
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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

into his portion. ' ' Now, if we only had something good
to drink. "

Neither of the old squaws understood his words,
but one of them answered his wish, nevertheless. She
brought cherry-bark tea in abundance, which both found
greatly to their liking, and they ate and drank with deep
content. A mental cheer was added also to their phys
ical good feeling.

" Thanks, madam/' said Albert, when one of the
old squaws refilled the little earthen bowl from which
he drank the cherry-bark tea. " You are indeed kind.
I did not expect to meet with such hospitality. "

The Indian woman did not understand his words,
but anybody could understand the boy's ingratiating
smile. She smiled back at him.

" Be careful, Al, old man," said Dick with the ut
most gravity. " These old Indian women adopt chil
dren sometimes, or perhaps she will want to marry you.
In fact, I think the latter is more likely, and you can't
help yourself."

" Don't, Dick, don't!" said Albert imploringly.
"I'm willing to pay a high price for hospitality, but
not that."

The women withdrew, and after a while, when the
boys felt fully rested, they stepped outside the lodge,
to find two tall young Sioux warriors on guard. Dick
looked at them inquiringly, and one of them said in
fair English:

" I am Lone Wolf, and this is Tall Pine. You can
go in the village, but we go with you. Bright Sun has
said so, and we obey."

278

THE GATHERING OF THE SIOUX

" All right, Mr. Lone Wolf," said Dick cheerfully.
'' Four are company, two are none. We couldn't es
cape if we tried; but if Bright Sun says that you and
your friend Mr. Pine Tree are to be our comrades on
our travels, well and good. I don't know any other
couple in this camp that I 'd choose before you two. ' '

Lone Wolf and Pine Tree were young, and maybe
their youth caused them to smile slightly at Dick's
pleasantry. Nor did they annoy the boys with exces
sive vigilance, and they answered many questions. It
was, indeed, they said, the greatest village in the West
that was now gathered on the banks of the Little Big
Horn. Sioux from all the tribes had come including those
on reservations. All the clans of the Mendewahkantons,
for instance, were represented on the reservations, but
all of them were represented here, too.

It was a great war that was now going on, they said,
and they had taken many white scalps, but they inti
mated that those they had taken were few in comparison
with the number they would take. Dick asked them of
their present purpose, but here they grew wary. The
white soldiers might be near or they might be far, but
the god of the Sioux was Wakantaka, the good spirit,
and the god of the white man was Wakansica, the bad
spirit.

Dick did not consider it worth while to argue with
them. Indeed, he was in no position to do so. The his-
tory of the world in the last two years was a blank to
him and Albert. But he observed throughout the vast
encampment the same air of expectancy and excitement
that had been noticeable in the smaller Tillage. He also

279

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

saw a group of warriors arrive, their ponies loaded with
repeating rifles, carbines, and revolvers. He surmised
that they had been obtained from French-Canadian
traders, and he knew well for what they were meant.
Once again he made his silent prayer that if the white
soldiers came they could come in great force.

Dick observed in the huge village all the signs of an
abundant and easy life, according to Sioux standards.
Throughout its confines kettles gave forth the odors
pleasing to an Indian 's nostrils. Boys broiled strips of
venison on twigs before the fires. Squaws were jerking
buffalo and deer meat in a hundred places, and strings
of fish ready for the cooking hung before the lodges.
Plenty showed everywhere.

Dick understood that if one were really a wild man,
with all the instincts of a wild man inherited through
untold centuries of wild life, he could find no more
pleasing sight than this great encampment abounding
in the good things for wild men that the plains, hills,
and water furnished. He saw it readily from the point
of view of the Sioux and could appreciate their con
fidence.

Albert, who was a little ahead of Dick, peered be
tween two lodges, and suddenly turned away with a
ghastly face.

" What's the trouble, Al? " asked Dick.

" I saw a warrior passing on the other side of those
lodges," replied Albert, " and he had something at his
belt— the yellow hair of a white man, and there was
blood on it."

" We have taken many scalps already," interrupted
280

THE GATHERING OF THE SIOUX

the young Sioux, Lone Wolf, some pride showing in hie
tone.

Both Dick and Albert shuddered and were silent.
The gulf between these men and themselves widened
again into a sea. Their thoughts could not touch those
of the Sioux at any point.

" I think we'd better go back to our own lodge,"
said Dick.

"No," said Lone Wolf. " The great chief, Bright
Sun, has commanded us when we return to bring you
into his presence, and it is time for us to go to him. ; '

" What does he want with us? " asked Albert.

" He knows, but I do not/' replied Lone Wolf sen-
tentiously.

" Lead on," said Dick lightly. " Here, we go wheF-
ever we are invited."

They walked back a full mile, and Lone Wolf and
Pine Tree led the way to a great lodge, evidently one
used by the Akitcita, although Dick judged that in so
great a village as this, which was certainly a fusion of
many villages, there must be at least a dozen lodges of
the Akitcita.

Lone Wolf and Pine Tree showed Dick and Albert
into the door, but they themselves remained outside.
The two boys paused just inside the door until their
eyes became used to the half gloom of the place. Before
them stood a dozen men, all great chiefs, and in the
center was Bright Sun, the dominating presence.

Despite their natural courage and hardihood and the
wild life to which they had grown used, Dick and Al
bert were somewhat awed by the appearance of these

281

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

men, every one of whom was of stern presence, looking
every inch a warrior. They had discarded the last parti
cle of the white man's attire, keeping only the white
man's deadly weapons, the repeating rifle and revolver.
Every one wore, more or less loosely folded about him,
a robe of the buffalo, and in all cases the inner side of
this robe was painted throughout in the most vivid
manner with scenes from the hunt or warpath, chiefly
those that had occurred in the life of the wearer. Many
colors were used in these paintings, but mostly those of
cardinal dyes, red and blue being favorites.

" These," said Bright Sun, speaking more directly
to Dick, " are mighty chiefs of the Sioux Nation. This
is Ta Sun Ke Ka-Kipapi-Hok'silan ( Young-Man- Afraid-
of-His-Horses)."

He nodded toward a tall warrior, who made a slight
and grave inclination.

" I'd cut out at least half of that name," said Dick
under his breath.

" And this," continued Bright Sun in his meas
ured, precise English, " is Ite-Moga'Ju (Rain-in-the-
Face), and this Kun-Sun'ka (Crow Dog), and this
Pizi (Gall), and this Peji (Grass)."

Thus he continued introducing them, giving to every
one his long Indian appellation, until all were named.
The famous Sitting Bull (Tatanka Yotanka) was not
present. Dick learned afterwards that he was at that
very moment in his own tepee making medicine.

" What we wish to know," said Bright Sun—" and
we have ways to make you tell us— is whether you saw
the white troops before we took you? "

282

THE GATHERING OP THE SIOUX

Dick shivered a little. He knew what Bright Sun
meant by the phrase * ' we have ways to make you tell, ' '
and he knew also that Bright Sun would be merciless
if mercy stood in the way of getting what he wished.
No shred of the white man's training was now left
about the Indian chief save the white man's speech.

' ' I have not seen a white man in two years, ' ' replied
Dick, " nor has my brother. We told you the truth
when you took us."

Bright Sun was silent for a space, regarding him
with black eyes seeking to read every throb of his heart.
Dick was conscious, too, that the similar gaze of all the
others was upon him. But he did not flinch. Why
should he ? He had told the truth.

" Then I ask you again," said Bright Sun, " where
have you been all this time? "

" I cannot tell you," replied Dick. " It is a place
that we wish to keep secret. It is hidden far from here.
But it is one to which no one else goes. I can say that
much."

Rain-in-the-Face made an impatient movement, and
said some words in the Sioux tongue. Dick feared it
was a suggestion that he be put to the torture, and he
was glad when Bright Sun shook his head.

" There are such places," said Bright Sun, " be
cause the mountains are high and vast and but few
people travel among them. It may be that he tells the
truth."

' ' It is the truth. I swear it ! " said Dick earnestly.

" Then why do you refuse to tell of this place! "
asked Bright Sun.

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

" Because we wish to keep it for ourselves/' replied
Dick frankly.

The faintest trace of a smile was visible in Bright
Sun's eyes.

" Wherever it may be it belongs to us," said the
chief; " but I believe that you are telling the truth.
Nor do I hesitate to tell you that we have asked these
questions because we wish to learn all that we can. The
soldiers of your people are advancing under the yellow-
haired general, Ouster, Terry, Gibbon, and others. They
come in great force, but the Sioux, in greater force and
more cunning, will destroy them."

Dick was silent. He knew too little to make any
reply to the statements of Bright Sun. Rain-in-the-Face
and Crazy Horse spoke to Bright Sun, and they seemed
to be urging something. But the chief again shook his
head, and they, too, became silent. It was obvious to
both the boys that his influence was enormous.

' ' You can go, ' ' he said to Dick and Albert, and they
gladly left the lodge. Outside, Lone Wolf and Pine
Tree fell in on either side of them and escorted them to
their own tepee, in front of which they stood guard
while the boys slept that night.

CHAPTER XVII

THE GREAT SUN DANCE

DICK and Albert remained in their tepee through*
out the next morning, but in the afternoon
they were allowed to go in the village a second
time. Lone Wolf and Pine Tree, who had slept in the
morning, were again their guards. Both saw at once
that some great event was at hand. The excitement in
the village had increased visibly, and a multitude was
pouring toward a certain point, a wide, grassy plain
beside the Little Big Horn. Lone Wolf and Pine Tree
willingly took the captives with the crowd, and the two
boys looked upon a sight which few white men have
beheld in all its savage convulsions.

The wide, grassy space before them had been care
fully chosen by the great medicine men of the nation,
Sitting Bull at their head. Then the squaws had put
up a great circular awning, like a circus tent, with part
of the top cut out. This awning was over one hundred
and fifty feet in diameter. After this, the medicine
men had selected a small tree, which was cut down by a
young, unmarried squaw. Then the tree, after it had
been trimmed of all its branches and consecrated and
prayed over by the medicine men, was erected in the

285

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

center of the inclosed space, rising from the ground to
a height of about twenty feet.

To the top of the pole were fastened many long
thongs of rawhide reaching nearly to the ground, and
as Dick and Albert looked a swarm of young men in
strange array, or rather lack of array, came forth from
among the lodges and entered the inclosed space. Dick
had some dim perception of what was about to occur,
but Lone Wolf informed him definitely.

11 The sun dance/' he said. " Many youths are
about to become great warriors."

The greatest of sun dances, a sun dance of the mighty
allied Sioux tribes, was about to begin. Forward went
the neophytes, every one clad only in a breechclout
ornamented with beads, colored horsehair and eagle
feathers, and with horse tails attached to it, falling to
the ground. But every square inch of the neophyte 's
skin was painted in vivid and fantastic colors. Even
the nails on his fingers and toes were painted. More
over, everyone had pushed two small sticks of tough
wood under the skin on each side of the breast, and to
these two sticks was fastened a rawhide cord, making a
loop about ten inches long.

" "What under the sun are those sticks and cords
for? " asked Albert, shuddering.

" "Wait and we'll see," replied Dick, who guessed
too well their purpose, although he could not help but
look.

The neophytes advanced, and every one tied one of
the long rawhide thongs depending from the top of the
pole to the loop of cord that hung from his breast.

286

THE GREAT SUN DANCE

When all were ready they formed a great circle, some
what after the fashion of the dancers around a May
pole, and outside of these formed another and greater
circle of those already initiated.

A medicine man began to blow a small whistle made
from the wing bone of an eagle, the sacred bird of the
Sioux, and he never stopped blowing it for an instant.
It gave forth a shrill, penetrating sound, tha>t began
after a while to work upon the nerves in a way that
was almost unendurable to Dick and Albert.

At the first sound of the whistle the warriors began
to dance around the pole, keeping time to the weird
music. It was a hideous and frightful dance, like
some cruel rite of a far-off time. The object was to tear
the peg from the body, breaking by violence through
the skin and flesh that held it, and this proved that the
neophyte by his endurance of excessive pain was fit to
become a great warrior.

But the pegs held fast for a long time, while the
terrible, wailing cry of the whistle went on and on.
Dick and Albert wanted to turn away— in fact, they
had a violent impulse more than once to run from it —
but the eyes of the Sioux were upon them, and they
knew that they would consider them cowards if they
could not bear to look upon that which others no older
than themselves endured. There was also the incessant,
terrible wailing of the whistle, which seemed to charm
them and hold them.

The youths by and by began to pull loose from the
thongs, and in some cases where it was evident that
they would not be able to do so a medicine man wottld

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

seize them by the shoulders and help pull. In no case
did a dancer give up, although they often fell in a faint
when loosed. Then they were carried away to be re
vived, but for three days and three nights not a single
neophyte could touch food, water, or any other kind of
drink. They were also compelled, as soon as they re
covered a measurable degree of strength, to join the
larger group and dance three days and nights around
the neophytes, who successively took their places.

The whole sight, with the wailing of the whistle, the
ghouts of the dancers, the beat of their feet, and the
hard, excited breathing of the thousands about them,
became weird and uncanny. Dick felt as if some
strange, deadly odor had mounted to his brain, and
while he struggled between going and staying a new
shout arose.

A fresh group of neophytes sprang into the inclosed
place. Every one of these had the little sticks thrust
through the upper point of the shoulder blade instead
of the breast, while from the loop dangled a buffalo
head. They danced violently until the weight of the
head pulled the sticks loose, and then, like their breth
ren of the pole, joined the great ring of outside dancers
when they were able.

The crowd of neophytes increased, as they gave way
in turn to one another, and the throng about them
thickened. Hundreds and hundreds of dancers whirled
and jumped to the shrill, incessant blowing of the eagle-
bone whistle. It seemed at times to the excited imag
inations of Dick and Albert that the earth rocked to
the mighty tread of the greatest of all sun dances.

288

THE GREAT SUN DANCE

Indian stoicism was gone, perspiration streamed from
dark faces, eyes became bloodshot as their owners
danced with feverish vigor, savage shouts burst forth,
and the demon dance grew wilder and wilder.

The tread of thousands of feet caused a fine, impal
pable dust to rise from the earth beneath the grass and
to permeate all the air, filling the eyes and nostrils of
the dancers, heating their brains and causing them to
see through a red mist. Some fell exhausted. If they
were in the way, they were dragged to one side; if
not, they lay where they fell, but in either case others
took their places and the whirling multitude always in
creased in numbers.

As far as Dick and Albert could see the Sioux were
dancing. There was a sea of tossing heads and a multi
tude of brown bodies shining with perspiration. Never
for a moment did the shrill, monotonous, unceasing
rhythm of the whistle cease to dominate the dance. It
always rose above the beat of the dancers, it penetrated
everything, ruled everything— this single, shrill note,
like the chant of the snake charmer. It even showed its
power over Dick and Albert. They felt their nerves
throbbing to it in an unwilling response, and the dust
and the vivid electric excitement of the dancers began
to heat their own brains.

" Don't forget that we're white, Al! Don't forget
it! " cried Dick.

* 1 I 'm trying not to forget it ! ' ' gasped Albert.

The sun, a lurid, red sun, went down behind the
hills, and a twilight that seemed to Dick and Albert
phantasmagorial and shot with red crept over the earth.

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

But the dance did not abate in either vigor or excite
ment ; rather it increased. In the twilight and the dark
ness that followed it assumed new aspects of the weird
and uncanny. Despite the torches that flared up, the
darkness was mainly in control. Now the dancers,
whirling about the pole and straining on the cords, were
seen plainly, and now they were only shadows, phan
toms in the dusk.

Dick and Albert had moved but little for a long
time; the wailing of the demon whistle held them, and
they felt that there was a singular attraction, too, in
this sight, which was barbarism and superstition pure
and simple, yet not without its power. They were still
standing there when the moon came out, throwing a
veil of silver gauze over the dancers, the lodges, the
surface of the river, and the hills, but it took nothing
away from the ferocious aspect of the dance ; it was still
savagery, the custom of a remote, fierce, old world.
Dick and Albert at last recovered somewhat ; they threw
off the power of the flute and the excited air that they
breathed and began to assume again the position of
mere spectators.

It was then that Bright Sun came upon them, and
they noticed with astonishment that he, the product of
the white schools and of years of white civilization, had
been dancing, too. There was perspiration on his face,
his breath was short and quick, and his eyes were red
with excitement. He marked their surprise, and said :

" You think it strange that I, too, dance. Yom think
all this barbarism and superstition, but it is not. It is
the custom of my people, a custom that has the sanction

290

THE GREAT SUN DANCE

of many centuries, and that is bred into our bone and
blood. Therefore it is of use to us, and it is more fit
than anything else to arouse us for the great crisis that
we are to meet."

Neither Dick nor Albert made any reply. Both saw
that the great deep of the Sioux chief's stoicism was for
the moment broken up. He might never be so stirred
again, but there was no doubt of it now, and they could
see his side of it, too. It was his people and their cus
toms against the white man, the stranger. The blood
of a thousand years was speaking in him.

When he saw that they had no answer for him,
Bright Sun left them and became engrossed once more
with the dance, continually urging it forward, bringing
on more neophytes, and increasing the excitement. Dick
and Albert remained a while longer, looking on. Their
guards, Lone Wolf and Pine Tree, still stood beside
them. The two young warriors, true to their orders,
had made no effort to join the dancers, but their nos
trils were twitching and their eyes bloodshot. The
revel called to them incessantly, but they could not go.

Dick felt at last that he had seen enough of so wild
a scene. One could not longer endure the surcharged
air, the wailing of the whistle, the shouts, the chants,
and the beat of thousands of feet.

" Al," he said, " let's go back to our lodge, if onr
guards will let us, and try to sleep."

" The sooner the better," said Albert.

Lone Wolf and Pine Tree were willing enough, and
Dick suspected that they would join the dance later.
After Albert had gone in, he stood a moment at the

291

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

door of the lodge and looked again npon this, the wild
est and most extraordinary scene that he had yet beheld.
It was late in the night and the center of the sun dance
was some distance from the lodge, but the shrill wailing
of the whistle still reached him and the heavy tread of
the dancers came in a monotonous rhythm. " It's the
greatest of all nightmares, ' ' he said to himself.

It was a long time before either Dick or Albert could
sleep, and when Dick awoke at some vague hour be
tween midnight and morning he was troubled by a
shrill, wailing note that pierced the drum of his ear.
Then he remembered. The whistle ! And after it came
the rhythmic, monotonous beat of many feet, as steady
and persistent as ever. The sun dance had never ceased
for a moment, and he fell asleep again with the sounds
of it still in his ear.

The dance, which was begun at the ripening of the
wild sage, continued three days and nights without the
stop of an instant. No food and no drink passed the
lips of the neophytes, who danced throughout that time
— if they fell they rose to dance again. Then at the
appointed hour it all ceased, although every warrior 's
brain was at white heat and he was ready to go forth at
once against a myriad enemies. It was as if everyone
had drunk of some powerful and exciting Eastern drug.

The dance ended, they began to eat, and neither
Dick nor Albert had ever before seen such eating. The
cooking fires of the squaws rose throughout the entire
five miles of the village. They had buffalo, deer, bear,
antelope, and smaller game in abundance, and the war
riors ate until they fell upon the ground, where they

292

THE GREAT SUN DANCE

lay in a long stupor. The boys thought that many of
them would surely die, but they came from their stupor
unharmed and were ready for instant battle. There
were many new warriors, too, because none had failed
at the test, and all were eager to show their valor.

' ' It 's like baiting a wild beast, ' ' said Dick. ' ' There
are five thousand ravening savages here, ready to fight
anything, and to-night I'm going to try to escape. "

" If you try, I try, too," said Albert.

' ' Of course, ' ' said Dick.

The village was resting from its emotional orgy, and
the guard upon the two boys was relaxed somewhat. In
fact, it seemed wholly unnecessary, as they were rimmed
around by the vigilance of many thousand eyes. But,
spurred by the cruel need, Dick resolved that they
should try. Fortunately, the very next night was quite
dark, and only a single Indian, Pine Tree, was on guard.

" It's to-night or never," whispered Dick to Al
bert within the shelter of the lodge. " They've never
taken the trouble to bind us, and that gives us at least
a fighting chance. ' '

" When shall we slip out? "

" Not before about three in the morning. That is
the most nearly silent hour, and if the heathenish curs
\et us alone we may get away."

Fortune seemed to favor the two. The moon did not
eome out, and the promise of a dark night was fulfilled.
An unusual stillness was over the village. It seemed
that everybody slept. Dick and Albert waited through
long, long hours. Dick had nothing by which to reckon
time, but he believed that he could calculate fairly well

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

by guess, and once, when he thought it was fully mid
night, he peeped out at the door of the lodge. Pine
Tree was there, leaning against a sapling, hut his atti
tude showed laziness and a lack of vigilance. It might
be that, feeling little need of watching, he slept on his
feet. Dick devoutly hoped so. He waited at least two
hours longer, and again peeped out. The attitude of
Pine Tree had not changed. It must certainly be sleep
that held him, and Dick and Albert prepared to go
forth. They had no arms, and could trust only to
silence and speed.

Dick was the first outside, and stood in the shadow
of the lodge until Albert joined him. There they paused
to choose a way among the lodges and to make a further
inspection of sleeping Pine Tree.

The quiet of the village was not broken. The lodges
stretched away in dusky rows and then were lost in
darkness. This promised well, and their eyes came
back to Pine Tree, who was still sleeping. Then Dick
became conscious of a beam of light, or rather two
beams. These beams shot straight from the open eyes
of Pine Tree, who was not asleep at all. The next in
stant Pine Tree opened his mouth, uttered a yell that
was amazingly loud and piercing, and leaped straight
for the two boys.

As neither Dick nor Albert had arms, they could
do nothing but run, and they fled between the lodges
at great speed, Pine Tree hot upon their heels. It
amazed Dick to find that the whole population of a
big town could awake so quickly. Warriors, squaws,
and children swarmed from the lodges and fell upon

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THE GREAT SUN DANCE

him and Albert in a mass. He could only see in the
darkness that Albert had been seized and dragged
away, but he knew that two uncommonly strong old
squaws had him by the hair, three half-grown boys
were clinging to his legs, and a powerful warrior laid
hold of his right shoulder. He deemed it wisest in such
a position to yield as quickly and gracefully as he
could, in the hope that the two wiry old women would
be detached speedily from his hair. This object was
achieved as soon as the Sioux saw that he did not re
sist, and the vigilant Pine Tree stood before him, watch
ing, with an expression that Dick feared could be called
a grin.

11 The honors are yours, " said Dick as politely as
he could, ' ' but tell me what has become of my brother. ' '

" He is being taken to the other side of the river/1
said the voice of Bright Sun over Pine Tree's shoulder,
" and he and you will be kept apart until we decide
what to do with you. It was foolish in you to attempt
to escape. I had warned you."

" I admit it," said Dick, " but you in my place
would have done the same. One can only try. ' '

He tried to speak with philosophy, but he was sorely
troubled over being separated from his brother. Their
comradeship in captivity had been a support to each
other.

There was no sympathy in the voice of Bright Sun.
He spoke coldly, sternly, like a great war chief. Dick
understood, and was too proud to make any appeal.
Bright Sun said a few words to the warriors, and
walked away.

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

Dick was taken to another and larger lodge, in
which several warriors slept. There, after his arms
were securely bound, he was allowed to lie down on a
rush mat, with warriors on rush mats on either side -of
him. Dick was not certain whether the warriors slept,
but he knew that he did not close his eyes again that
night.

Although strong and courageous, Dick Howard suf
fered much mental torture. Bright Sun was a Sioux,
wholly an Indian (he had seen that at the sun dance),
and if Albert and he were no longer of any possible
use as hostages, Bright Sun would not trouble himself
to protect them. He deeply regretted their wild at
tempt at escape, which he had felt from the first was
almost hopeless. Yet he believed, on second thought,
that they had been justified in making the trial. The
great sun dance, the immense gathering of warriors
keyed for battle, showed the imminent need of warning
to the white commanders, who would not dream that the
Sioux were in such mighty force. Between this anxiety
and that other one for Albert, thinking little of himself
meanwhile, Dick writhed in his bonds. But he could do
nothing else.

The warriors rose from their rush mats at dawn and
ate flesh of the buffalo and deer and their favorite
wa-nsa. Dick's arms were unbound, and he, too, was
allowed to eat; but he had little appetite, and when the
warriors saw that he had finished they bound him
again.

cc What are you poms to do to me? " asked Dick
in a kind of vague curiosity.

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THE GREAT SUN DANCE

No one gave any answer. They did not seem to
hear him. Dick fancied that some of them understood
English, but chose to leave him in ignorance. He re
solved to imitate their own stoicism and wait. When
they bound his arms again, and his feet also, he made
no resistance, but lay down quietly on the rush mat and
gazed with an air of indifference at the skin wall of the
lodge. All the warriors went out, except one, who sat
in the doorway with his rifle on his knee.

" They flatter me," thought Dick. " They must
think me of some importance or that I'm dangerous,
since they bind and guard me so well. ' '

His thongs of soft deerskin, while secure, were not
galling. They neither chafed nor prevented the circu
lation, and when he grew tired of lying in one position
he could turn into another. But it was terribly hard
waiting. He did not know what was before him. Tor
ture or death? Both, most likely. He tried to be re
signed, but how could one be resigned when one was so
young and so strong? The hum of the village life came
to him, the sound of voices, the tread of feet, the twang
of a boyish bowstring, but the guard in the doorway
never stirred. It seemed to Dick that the Sioux, who
wore very little clothing, was carved out of reddish-
brown stone. Dick wondered if he would ever move,
and lying on his back he managed to raise his head a
little on the doubled corner of the rush mat, and
watched that he might see.

Bound, helpless, and shut off from the rest of tne
world, this question suddenly became vital to him:
Would that Indian ever move, or would he not? He

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must have been sitting in that position at least two
hours. Always he stared straight before him, the mus
cles on his bare arms never quivered in the slightest,
and the rifle lay immovable across knees which also were
bare. How could he do it? How could he have such
control over his nerves and body? Dick's mind slowly
filled with wonder, and then he began to have a suspi
cion that the Sioux was not real, merely some phantom
of the fancy, or that he himself was dreaming. It made
him angry — angry at himself, angry at the Sioux, angry
at everything. He closed his eyes, held them tightly
shut for five minutes, and then opened them again.
The Sioux was still there. Dick was about to break
through his assumed stoicism and shout at the warrior,
but he checked himself, and with a great effort took
control again of his wandering nerves.

He knew now that the warrior was real, and that
he must have moved some time or other, but he did not
find rest of spirit. A shaft of sunshine by and by en
tered the narrow door of the lodge and fell across Dick
himself. He knew that it must be a fair day, but he
was sorry for it. The sun ought not to shine when he
was at such a pass.

Another interminable period passed, and an old
squaw entered with a bowl of wa-nsa, and behind her
came Lone Wolf, who unbound Dick.

" What's up now, Mr. Lone Wolf? " asked Dick
with an attempt at levity. " Is it a fight or a foot
race? "

" Eat/' replied Lone Wolf sententiously, pointing
of the bowl of wa-nsa. " You will need your strength. "

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THE GREAT SUN DANCE

Dick's heart fell at these words despite all his self-
command. " My time's come," he thought. He tried
to eat — in fact, he forced himself to eat — that Lone
Wolf might not think that he quailed, and when he had
eaten as much as his honor seemed to demand he
stretched his muscles and said to Lone Wolf, with a
good attempt at indifference:

11 Lead on, my wolfish friend. I don't know what
kind of a welcome mine is going to be, but I suppose it
is just as well to find out now."

The face of Lone Wolf did not relax. He seemed to
have a full appreciation of what was to come and no
time for idle jests. He merely pointed to the doorway,
and Dick stepped out into the sunshine. Lying so long
in the dusky lodge, he was dazzled at first by the
brilliancy of the day, but when his sight grew stronger
he beheld a multitude about him. The women and
children began to chatter, but the warriors were silent.
Dick saw that he was the center of interest, and was
quite sure that he was looking upon his last sun. " 0
Lord, let me die bravely ! ' ' was his silent prayer.

He resolved to imitate as nearly as he could the
bearing of an Indian warrior in his position, and made
no resistance as Lone Wolf led him on, with the great
throng following. He glanced around once for Bright
Sun, but did not see him. The fierce chief whom they
called Ite-Moga' Ju (Rain-in-the-Faee) seemed to be in
charge of Dick's fate, and he directed the proceedings.

But stoicism could not prevail entirely, and Dick
looked about him again. He saw the yellow waters of
the river with the sunlight playing upon them; the

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great village stretching away on either shore until it
was hidden by the trees and undergrowth; the pleasant
hills and all the pleasant world, so hard to leave. His
eyes dwelt particularly upon the hill, a high one, over
looking the whole valley of the Little Big Horn, and the
light was so clear that he could see every bush and
shrub waving there.

His eyes came back from the hill to the throng about
him. He had felt at times a sympathy for the Sioux
because the white man was pressing upon them, driving
them from their ancient hunting grounds that they
loved; but they were now wholly savage and cruel-
men, women, and children alike. He hated them all.

Dick was taken to the summit of one of the lower
hills, on which he could be seen by everybody and from
which he could see in a vast circle. He was tied in a
peculiar manner. His hands remained bound behind
him, but his feet were free. One end of a stout rawhide
was secured around his waist and the other around a
sapling, leaving him a play of about a half yard. He
could not divine the purpose of this, but he was soon to
learn.

Six half-grown boys, with bows and arrows, then
seldom used by grown Sioux, formed in a line at a little
distance from him, and at a word from Rain-in-the-
Face leveled their bows and fitted arrow to the string.
Dick thought at first they were going to slay him at
once, but he remembered that the Indian did not do
things that way. He knew it was some kind of torture,
and although he shivered he steadied his mind to face it.

Kain-in-the-Face spoke again, and six bowstrings
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THE GREAT SUN DANCE

twanged. Six arrows whizzed by Dick, three on one
side and three on the other, but all so close that, despite
every effort of the will, he shrank back against the sap
ling. A roar of laughter came from the crowd, and
Pick flushed through all the tan of two years in the
open air. Now he understood why the rawhide allowed
him so much play. It was a torture of the nerves and
of the mind. They would shoot their arrows by him,
graze him perhaps if he stood steady, but if he sought
to evade through fear, if he sprang either to one side or
the other, they might strike in a vital spot.

He summoned up the last ounce of his courage, put
his back against the sapling and resolved that he would
not move, even if an arrow carried some of his skin with
it. The bowstrings twanged again, and again six ar
rows whistled by. Dick quivered, but he did not move,
and some applause came from the crowd. Although it
was the applause of enemies, of barbarians, who wished
to see him suffer, it encouraged Dick. He would endure
everything and he would not look at these cruel faces;
so he fixed his eyes on the high hill and did not look
away when the bowstrings twanged a third time. As
before, he heard the arrows whistle by him, and the
shiver came into his blood, but his will did not let it
extend to his body. He kept his eyes fixed upon the
hill, and suddenly a speck appeared before them. No,
it was not a speck, and, incredible as it seemed, Dick
was sure that he saw a horseman come around the base
of the hill and stop there, gazing into the valley upon
the great village and the people thronging about the
bound boy.

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

A second and a third horseman appeared, and Dick
could doubt no longer. They were white cavalrymen
in the army uniform, scouts or the vanguard, he knew
not what. Dick held his breath, and again that shiver
came into his blood. Then he heard and saw an ex
traordinary thing. A singular deep, long-drawn cry
came from the multitude in unison, a note of surprise
and mingled threat. Then all whirled about at the same
moment and gazed at the horsemen at the base of the
hill.

The cavalrymen quickly turned back, rode around
the hill and out of sight. Dozens of warriors rushed
forward, hundreds ran to the lodges for more weapons
and ammunition, the women poured in a stream down
toward the river and away, the boys with the bows and
arrows disappeared, and in a few minutes Dick was left
alone.

Unnoticed, but bound and helpless, the boy stood
there on the little hill, while the feverish life, bursting
now into a turbulent stream, whirled and eddied around
him.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE CIRCLE OF DEATH

THE quiver in Dick's blood did not cease now.
He forgot for the time being that he was bound,
and stood there staring at the hill where three
horsemen had been for a few vivid moments. These
men must be proof that a white army was near; but
would this army know what an immense Sioux force was
waiting for it in the valley of the Little Big Horn ?

He tried to take his eyes away from the hill, but he
could not. He seemed to know every tree and shrub on
it. There at the base, in that slight depression, the
three horsemen had stood, but none came to take their
place. In the Indian village an immense activity was
going on, both on Dick's side of the river and the
other. A multitude of warriors plunged into the under
growth on the far bank of the stream, where they lay
hidden, while another multitude was gathering on this
side in front of the lodges. The gullies and ravines
were lined with hordes. The time was about two in the
afternoon.

A chief appeared on the slope not far from Dick. It
was Bright Sun in all the glory of battle array, and he
glanced at the tethered youth. Dick's glance met his.

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and he saw the shadow of a faint, superior smile on the
face of the chief. Bright Sun started to say something
to a warrior, but checked himself. He seemed to think
that Dick was secured well enough, and he did not look
at him again. Instead, he gazed at the base of the hill
where the horsemen had been, and while he stood there
he was joined by the chiefs Rain-in-the-Face and Young-
Man- Afraid-of-His-Horses.

Dick never knew how long a time passed while they
all waited. The rattle of arms, the shouts, and the
tread of feet in the village ceased. There was an in
tense, ominous silence broken only, whether in fact or
fancy Dick could not tell, by the heavy breathing of
thousands. The sun came out more brightly and poured
its light over the town and the river, but it did not
reveal the army of the Sioux swallowed up in the un
dergrowth on the far bank. So well were they hidden
that their arms gave back no gleam.

Dick forgot where he was, forgot that he was bound,
so tense were the moments and so eagerly did he watch
the base of the hill. When a long time— at least, Dick
thought it so— had passed, a murmur came from the vil
lage below. The men were but scouts and had gone
away, and no white army was near. That was Dick's
own thought, too.

As the murmur sank, Dick suddenly straightened
up. The black speck appeared again before his eyes.
New horsemen stood where the three had been, and be
hind them was a moving mass, black in the sun. The
white army had come !

Bright Sun suddenly turned upon Dick a glance
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THE CIRCLE OF DEATH

so full of malignant triumph that the boy shuddered
Then, clear and full over the valley rose the battle cry
of the trumpets, a joyous, inspiring sound calling men
on to glory or death. Out from the hill came the
moving mass of white horsemen, rank after rank, and
Dick saw one in front, a man with long yellow hair,
_natch off his hat, wave it around his head, and come on
at a gallop. Behind him thundered the whole army,
stirrup to stirrup.

Bright Sun, Rain-in-the-Face, and Young-Man-
Afraid-of-His-Horses darted away, and then Dick
thought of the freedom that he wanted so much. They
were his people coming so gallantly down the valley,
and he should be there. He pulled at the rawhide, but
it would not break; he tried to slip his wrists loose,
but they would not come ; and, although unnoticed now,
he was compelled to stand there, still a prisoner, and
merely see.

The horsemen came on swiftly, a splendid force rid
ing well— trained soldiers, compact of body and ready
of hand. The slope thundered with their hoofbeats as
they came straight toward the river. Dick drew one
long, deep breath of admiration, and then a terrible fear
Assailed him. Did these men who rode so well know
"mto what they were riding?

The stillness prevailed yet a little longer in the
Indian village. The women and children were again
running up the river, but they were too far away for
Dick to hear them, and he was watching his own army.
Straight on toward the river rode the horsemen, with
the yellow-haired general at their head, still waving bia

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

hat. Strong and mellow, the song of the trumpet again
sang over the valley, but the terrible fear at Dick's
heart grew.

It was obvious to the boy that the army of Ouster
intended to cross the river, here not more than two
feet deep, but on their flank was the deadly quicksand
and on the opposite shore facing them the hidden war
riors lay in hundreds. Dick pulled again at his bonds
and began to shout : ' ' Not there ! Not there ! Turn
away! " But his voice was lost in the pealing of the
trumpets and the hoof beats of many horses.

They were nearing the river and the warriors were
swarming on their flank, still held in leash by Bright
Sun, while the great medicine man, Sitting Bull, the
sweat pouring from his face, was making the most pow
erful medicine of his life. Nearer and nearer they rode,
the undergrowth still waving gently and harmlessly in
the light wind.

Dick stopped shouting. All at once he was con
scious of its futility. Nobody heard him. Nobody
heeded him. He was only an unnoticed spectator of a
great event. He stood still now, back to the tree, gazing
toward the river and the advancing force. Something
wet dropped into his eye and he winked it away. It
was the sweat from his own brow.

The mellow notes of the trumpet sang once more,
echoing far over the valley, and the hoofs beat with
rhythmic tread. The splendid array of blue-clad men
was still unbroken. They still rode heel to heel and toe
to toe, and across the river the dense undergrowth
moved a little in the gentle wind, but disclosed nothing.

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THE CIRCLE OF DEATH

A few yards more and they would be at the water.
Then Dick saw a long line of flame burst from the
bushes, so vivid, so intense that it was like a blazing
bar of lightning, and a thousand rifles seemed to crash
as one. Hard on the echo of the great volley came the
ierce war cry of the ambushed Sioux, taken up in turn
Dy the larger force on the flank and swelled by the mul
titude of women and children farther back. It was to
Dick like the howl of wolves about to leap on their prey,
but many times stronger and fiercer.

The white army shivered under the impact of the
blow, when a thousand unexpected bullets were sent
into its ranks. All the front line was blown away, the
men were shot from their saddles, and many of the
horses went down with them. Others, riderless, gal
loped about screaming with pain and fright.

Although the little army shivered and reeled for a
moment, it closed up again and went on toward the
water. Once more the deadly rifle fire burst from the
undergrowth, not a single volley now, but continuous,
rising and falling a little perhaps, but always heavy,
filling the air with singing metal and littering the
ground with the wounded and the dead. The far side
of the river was a sheet of fire, and in the red blaze the
Sioux could be seen plainly springing about in the
undergrowth.

The cavalrymen began to fire also, sending their bul
lets across the river as fast as they could pull trigger,
but they were attacked on the flank, too, by the vast
horde of warriors, directed by the bravest of the Sioux
chiefs, the famous Pizi (Gall), one of the most skillful

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

and daring fighters the red race ever produced, a man
of uncommon appearance, of great height, and with the
legendary head of a Caesar. He now led on the horde
with voice and gesture, and hurled it against Custer's
force, which was reeling again under the deadly fire
from the other shore of the Little Big Horn.

The shouting of the warriors and of the thousands
of women and children who watched the battle was soon
lost to Dick in the steady crash of the rifle fire which
filled the whole valley — sharp, incessant, like the drum
of thunder in the «,ar. A great cloud of smoke arose
and drifted over the combatants, white and red, but this
smoke was pierced by innumerable flashes of fire as the
red swarms pressed closer and the white replied.

Some flaw in the wind lifted the smoke and sent it
high over the heads of all. Dick saw Custer, the gen
eral with the yellow hair, still on horseback and appar
ently unwounded, but the little army had stopped. It
had been riddled already by the rifle fire from the un
dergrowth and could not cross the river. The dead
and wounded on the ground had increased greatly in
numbers, and the riderless horses galloped everywhere.
Some of them rushed blindly into the Indian ranks,
where they were seized.

Three or four troopers had fallen or plunged into
the terrible quicksand on the other flank, and as Dick
looked they were slowly swallowed up. He shut his
eyes, unable to bear the sight, and when he opened them
he did not see the men any more.

The smoke flowed in again and then was driven
away once more. Dick saw that all of Custer's front

308

THE CIRCLE OF DEATH

ranks were now dismounted, and were replying to the
fire from the other side of the river. Undaunted by the
terrible trap into which they had ridden they came so
near to the bank that many of them were slain there,
and their bodies fell into the water, where they floated.

Dick saw the yellow-haired leader wave his hat
again, and the front troopers turned back from the
bank. The whole force turned with them. All who
yet lived or could ride now sprang from their horses,
firing at the same time into the horde about them.
Their ranks were terribly thinned, but they still formed
a compact body, despite the rearing and kicking of the
horses, many of which were wounded also.

Dick was soldier enough to know what they wished
to do. They were trying to reach the higher ground,
the hills, where they could make a better defense, and
he prayed mutely that they might do it.

The Sioux saw, too, what was intended, and they
gave forth a yell so full of ferocity and exultation that
Dick shuddered from head to foot. The yell was taken
up by the fierce squaws and boys who hovered in the
rear, until it echoed far up and down the banks of the
Little Big Horn.

The white force, still presenting a steady front and
firing fast, made way. The warriors between them
and the hill which they seemed to be seeking were
driven back, but the attack on their rear, and now on
both flanks, grew heavier and almost unbearable. The
outer rim of Custer's army was continually being cut
off, and when new men took the places of the other*
they, too, were shot down. His numbers and the space

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

on which they stood were reduced steadily, yet they did
not cease to go on, although the pace became slower. It
was like a wounded beast creeping along and fighting
with tooth and claw, while the hunters swarmed about
him in numbers always increasing.

Ouster bore diagonally to the left, going, in the
main, downstream, but a fresh force was now thrown
against him. The great body of warriors who had
been hidden in the undergrowth on the other side of
the Little Big Horn crossed the stream when he fell
back and flung themselves upon his flank and front. He
was compelled now to stop, although he had not gone
more than four hundred yards, and Dick, from his hill,
saw the actions of the troops.

They stood there for perhaps five minutes firing
into the Sioux, who were now on every side. They
formed a kind of hollow square with some of the men
in the center holding the horses, which were kicking
and struggling and adding to the terrible confusion.
The leader with the yellow hair was yet alive. Dick
saw him plainly, and knew by his gestures that he was
still cheering on his men,

A movement now took place. Dick saw the white
force divide. A portion of it deployed in a circular
manner to the left, and the remainder turned in similar
fashion to the right, although they did not lose touch.
The square was now turned into a rude circle with the
horses still in the center. They stood on a low hill, and
so far as Dick could see they would not try to go any
farther. The fire of the defenders had sunk somewhat,
but he saw the men rushing to the horses for the extra

310

THE CIRCLE OF DEATH

ammunition— that was why they hung to the horses—
and then the fire rose again in intensity and volume.

Confident in their numbers and the success that they
had already won, the Sioux pressed forward from every
side in overwhelming masses. All the great chiefs led
them — Gall, Crazy Horse, Young-Man- Afraid-of-His-
Horses, Grass, and the others. Bright Sun continually
passed like a flame, inciting the hordes to renewed at
tacks, while the redoubtable Sitting Bull never ceased
to make triumphant medicine. But it was Gall, of the
magnificent head and figure, the very model of a great
savage warrior, who led at the battle front. Reckless
of death, but always unwounded, he led the Sioux up
to the very muzzles of the white rifles, and when they
were driven back he would lead them up again. Dick
had heard all his life that Indians would not charge
white troops in the open field, but here they did it, not
one time, but many.

Dick believed that if he were to die that moment
the picture of that terrible scene would be found photo
graphed upon his eyeballs. It had now but little form
or feature for him. All he could see was the ring of
his own blue-clad people in the center and everywhere
around them the howling thousands, men mostly naked
to the breechclout, their bodies wet with the sweat of
their toiling, and their eyes filled with the fury of the
savage in victorious battle— details that he could not
see, although they were there. Alike over the small
circle and the vast one inclosing it the smoke drifted
in great clouds, but beneath it the field was lit up by
the continuous red flash of the rifles. Dick wondered

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

that anybody could live where so many bullets were
flying in the air; yet there was Ouster's force, cut down
much more, but the core of it still alive and fighting,
while the Sioux were so numerous that they did not miss
their own warriors who had fallen, although there were
many.

The unbroken crash of the rifle fire had gone on so
long now that Dick scarcely noticed it, nor did he heed
the great howling of the squaws farther up the stream.
He was held by what his eyes saw, and he did not take
them from the field for an instant. He saw one charge,
a second and third hurled back, and although he was
not conscious of it he shouted aloud in joy.

" They'll drive them off! They'll drive them off
for good ! " he exclaimed, although in his heart he never
believed it.

The wind after a while took another change, and the
dense clouds of smoke hung low over the field, hiding
for the time the little white army that yet fought. Al
though Dick could see nothing now, he still gazed into
the heart of the smoke bank. He did not know then that
a second battle was in progress on the other side of the
town. Ouster before advancing had divided his force,
giving a little more than half of it to Reno, who, uncon
scious of Ouster's deadly peril, was now being beaten
off. Dick had no thought for anything but Ouster, not
even of his own fate. Would they drive the Sioux
away? He ran his tongue over his parched lips and
tugged at the bonds that held his wrists.

The wind rose again and blew the smoke to one side.
The battlefield came back into the light, and Dick saw

312

THE CIKCLE OF DEATH

that the white force still fought. But many of the men
were on their knees now, using their revolvers, and Dick
feared the terrible event that really happened— their
ammunition was giving out, and the savage horde, rim
ming them on all sides, was very near.

He did not know how long the battle had lasted, but
it seemed many hours to him. The sun was far down in
the west, gilding the plains and hills with tawny gold,
but the fire and smoke of conflict filled the whole valley
of the Little Big Horn. ' ' Perhaps night will save those
who yet live," thought Dick. But the fire of the
savages rose. Fresh ammunition was brought to them,
and after every repulse they returned to the attack,
pressing closer at every renewal.

Dick saw the leader at the edge of the circle almost
facing his hiil. His hat was gone, and his long yellow
hair flew wildly, but he still made gestures to his men
and bade them fight on. Then Dick lost him in the tur
moil, but he saw some of the horses pull loose from the
detaining hands, burst through the circle, and plunge
among the Sioux.

Now came a pause in the firing, a sudden sinking,
as if by command, and the smoke thinned. The circle
which had been spouting flame on every side also grew
silent for a moment, whether because the enemy had
ceased or the cartridges were all gone Dick never knew
But it was the silence of only an instant. Dick saw the
tall figure of Gall upraise a hand. There was a tre
mendous shout, a burst of firing greater than any that
had gone before, and the whole Sioux horde poured
forward.

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

The warriors, charging in irresistible masses from
side to side, met in the center, and when the smoke
lifted from the last great struggle Dick saw only Sioux.

Of all the gallant little army that had charged into
the valley not a soul was now living, save a Crow Indian
scout, who, when all was lost, let down his hair after the
fashion of a Sioux, and escaped in the turmoil as one of
their own people.

CHAPTER XIX

A HAPPY MEETING

WHEN Dick Howard saw that the raging Sioux
covered the field and that the little army was
destroyed wholly he could bear the sight no
longer, and, reeling back against the tree, closed his eyes.
For a little while, even with eyes shut, he still beheld the
red ruin, and then darkness came over him.

He never knew whether he really fainted or whether
it was merely a kind of stupor brought on by so many
hours of battle and fierce excitement, but when he
opened his eyes again much time had passed. The sun
was far down in the west and the dusky shadows were
advancing. Over the low hill where Ouster had made
his last stand the Sioux swarmed, scalping until they
could scalp no more. Behind them came thousands of
women and boys, shouting from excitement and the
drunkenness of victory.

It was all incredible, unreal to Dick, some hideous
nightmare that would soon pass away when he awoke.
Such a thing as this could not be ! Yet it was real, it was
credible, he was awake and he had seen it— he had seen
it all from the moment that the first trooper appeared
in the valley until the last fell under the overwhelming

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

charge of the Sioux. He still heard, in the waning
afternoon, their joyous cries over their great victory,
and he saw their dusky forms as they rushed here and
there over the field in search of some new trophy.

Dick was not conscious of any physical feeling at all
— neither weariness, nor fear, nor thought of the future.
It seemed to him that the world had come to an end with
the ending of the day.

The shadows thickened and advanced. The west was
a sea of dusk. The distant lodges of the village passed
out of sight. The battlefield itself became dim and it
was only phantom figures that roamed over it. All the
while Dick was unnoticed, forgotten in the great event,
and as the night approached the desire for freedom
returned to him. He was again a physical being, feel
ing pain, and from habit rather than hope he pulled
once more at the rawhide cords that held his wrists —
he did not know that he had been tugging at them
nearly all the afternoon.

He wrenched hard and the unbelievable happened.
The rawhide, strained upon so long, parted, and his
hands fell to his side. Dick slowly raised his right wrist
to the level of his eyes and looked at it, as if it belonged
to another man. There was a red and bleeding ring
around it where the rawhide had cut deep, making a
scar that took a year in the fading, but his numbed
nerves still felt no pain.

He let the right wrist sink back and raised the left
one. It had the same red ring around it, and he looked
at it curiously, wonderingly. Then he let the left also
drop to his side, while he stood, back against the tree,

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A HAPPY MEETING

looking vaguely at the dim figures of the Sioux who
roamed about in the late twilight still in that hideous
search for trophies.

It was while he was looking at the Sioux that an
abrupt thought came to Dick. Those were his own
wrists at which he had been looking. His hands were
free! Why not escape in all this turmoil and excite
ment, with the friendly and covering night also at hand.
It was like the touch of electricity. He was instantly
alive, body and mind. He knew who he was and what
had happened, and he wanted to get away. Now was
the time!

The rawhide around Dick's waist was strong and it
had been secured with many knots. He picked at it
slowly and with great care, and all the time he was in
fear lest the Sioux should remember him. But the snn
was now quite down, the last bars of red and gold were
gone, and the east as well as the west was in darkness.
The field of battle was hidden and only voices came
up from it. Two warriors passed on the slope of the
hill and Dick, ceasing his work, shrank against the
trunk of the tree, but they went on, and when they
were out of sight he began again to pick at the knots.

One knot after another was unloosed, and at last
the rawhide fell from his waist. He was free, but he
staggered as he walked a little way down the slope of
the hill and his fingers were numb. Yet his mind was
wholly clear. It had recovered from the great paralytic
shock caused by the sight of the lost battle, and he in
tended to take every precaution needed for escape.

He sat down in a little clump of bushes, where he
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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

was quite lost to view, and rubbed his limbs long and
hard until the circulation was active. His wrists had
stopped bleeding, and he bound about them little strips
that he tore from his clothing. Then he threw away his
cap — the Sioux did not wear caps, and he meant to
look as much like a Sioux as he could. That was not
such a difficult matter, as he was dressed in tanned skins,
and wind and weather had made him almost as brown
as an Indian.

Midway of the slope he stopped and looked down.
The night had come, but the stars were not yet out.
He could see only the near lodges, but many torches
flared now over the battle field and in the village. He
started again, bearing away from the hill on which
Ouster had fallen, but pursuing a course that led chiefly
downstream. Often he saw dusky figures, but they
took no notice of him. Once a hideous old squaw, carry
ing some terrible trophy in her hand, passed near, and
Dick thought that he was lost. He was really more
afraid at this time of the sharp eyes of the old squaws
than of those of the warriors. But she passed on, and
Dick dropped down into a little ravine that ran from
the field. His feet touched a tiny stream that trickled
at the bottom of the ravine, and he leaped away in
shuddering horror. The soles of his mocassins were
now red.

But he made progress. He waa leaving the village
farther behind, and the hum of voices was not so loud.
One of his greatest wishes now was to find arms. He
did not intend to be recaptured, and if the Sioux came
upon him he wanted at least to make a fight.

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A HAPPY MEETING

A dark shape among some short bushes attracted
his attention. It looked like the form of a man, and
when he went closer he saw that it was the body of a
Sioux warrior, slain by a distant bullet from Ouster's
circle. His carbine lay beside him and he wore an am
munition belt full of cartridges. Dick, without hesita
tion, took both, and felt immensely strengthened. The
touch of the rifle gave him new courage. He was a man
now ready to meet men.

He reached another low hill and stood there a little
while, listening. He heard an occasional whoop, and
many lights flared here and there in the village, but
no warrior was near. He saw on one side of him the
high hill, at the base of which the first cavalrymen had
appeared, and around which the army had ridden a
little later to its fate. Dick was seized with a sudden
unreasoning hatred of the hill itself, standing there
black and lowering in the darkness. He shook his fist
at it, and then, ashamed of his own folly, hurried his
flight.

Everything was aiding him now. If any chance be
fell, that chance was in his favor. Swiftly he left
behind the field of battle, the great Indian village, and
all the sights and sounds of that fatal day, which would
remain stamped on his brain as long as he lived. He
did not stop until he was beyond the hills inclosing
the valley, and then he bent back again toward the Little
Big Horn. He intended to cross the river and return
toward the village on the other side, having some dim
idea that he might find and rescue Albert.

Dick was now in total silence. The moon and the
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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

stars were not yet out, but he had grown used to the
darkness and he could see the low hills, the straggling
trees, and the clumps of undergrowth. He was abso
lutely alone again, but when he closed his eyes he saw
once more with all the vividness of reality that terrible
battle field, the closing in of the circle of death, the last
great rush of the Sioux horde, and the blotting out of
the white force. He still heard the unbroken crash of
the rifle fire that had continued for hours, and the yell
ing of the Sioux that rose and fell.

But when he opened his eyes the silence became
painful, it was so heavy and oppressive. He felt lonely
and afraid, more afraid than he had ever been for him
self while the battle was in progress. It seemed to him
that he was pursued by the ghosts of the fallen, and he
longed for the company of his own race.

Dick was not conscious of hunger or fatigue. His
nerves were still keyed too high to remember such
things, and now he turned down to the Little Big Horn.
Remembering the terrible quicksand, he tried the bank
very gingerly before he stepped into the water. It was
sandy, but it held him, and then he waded in boldly,
holding his rifle and belt of cartridges above his head.
He knew that the river was not deep, but it came to
hia waist here, and once he stepped into a hole to his
armpits, but he kept the rifle and cartridges dry.
The waters were extremely cold, but Dick did not know
it, and when he reached the desired shore he shook him
self like a dog until the drops flew and then began the
perilous task of returning to the village on the side
farthest from Ouster's battle.

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A HAPPY MEETING

He went carefully along the low, wooded shores,
keeping well in the undergrowth, which was dense, and
for an hour he heard and saw nothing of the Sioux.
He knew why. They were still rejoicing over their
great victory, and although he knew little of Indian
customs he believed that the scalp dance must be in
progress.

The moon and stars came out. A dark-blue sky,
troubled by occasional light clouds, bent over him. He
began at last to feel the effects of the long strain, men
tal and physical. His clothes were nearly dry on him,
but for the first time he felt cold and weak. He went
on, nevertheless; he had no idea of stopping even if he
were forced to crawl.

He reached the crest of a low hill and looked down
again on the Indian village, but from a point far from
the hill on which he had stood during the battle. He
saw many lights, torches and camp fires, and now and
then dusky figures moving against the background of
the flames, and then a great despair overtook him. To
rescue Albert would be in itself difficult enough, but
how was he ever to find him in that huge village, five
miles long ?

He did not permit his despair to last long. He
would make the trial in some manner, how he did not
yet know, but he must make it. He descended the low
hill and entered a clump of bushes about fifty yards
from the banks of the Little Big Horn. Here he stopped
and quickly sank down. He had heard a rustling at the
far edge of the clump, and he was sure, too, that he had
seen a shadowy figure. The figure had disappeared in-

321

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

stantly, but Dick was confident that a Sioux warrior
was hidden in the bushes not ten yards away.

It was his first impulse to retreat as silently as he
could, but the impulse swiftly gave way to a fierce
anger. He remembered that he carried a rifle and
plenty of cartridges, and he was seized with a sudden
vague belief that he might strike a blow in revenge for
the terrible loss of the day. It could be but a little
blow, he could strike down only one, but he was resolved
to do it — he had been through what few boys are ever
compelled to see and endure, and his mind was not in
its normal state.

He turned himself now into an Indian, crawling and
creeping with deadly caution through the bushes, exer
cising an infinite patience that he might make no leaf
or twig rustle, and now and then looking carefully over
the tops of the bushes to see that his enemy had not fled.
As he advanced he held his rifle well forward, that he
might take instant aim and fire when the time came.

Dick was a full ten minutes in traveling ten yards,
and then he saw the dark figure of the warrior crouched
low in the bushes. The Sioux had not seen him and was
watching for his approach from some other point. The
figure was dim, but Dick slowly raised his rifle and took
careful aim at the head. His finger reached the trigger,
but when it got there it refused to obey his will. He
was not a savage ; he was white, with the civilized blood
of many generations, and he could not shoot down an
enemy whose back was turned to him. But he main
tained his aim, and using some old expression that he
had heard he cried, ' ' Throw up your hands ! ' '

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A HAPPY MEETING

The crouching figure sprang to its feet, and a remem
bered voice exclaimed in overwhelming surprise and de
light:

' ' Dick ! Dick ! Is that you, Dick ? ' '

Dick dropped the muzzle of his rifle and stared. He
could not take it in for the moment. It was Albert — a
ragged, dirty, pale, and tired Albert, but a real live
Albert just the same.

The brothers stared at each other by the same im
pulse, and then by the same impulse rushed forward,
grasped each other 's hands, wringing them and shout
ing aloud for joy.

" Is it you, Al? How on earth did you ever get
here? "

"Is it you, Dick? Where on earth did you come
from? "

They sat down in the bushes, both still trembling
with excitement and the relief from suspense, and Dick
told of the fatal day, how he had been bound to the
tree on the hill, and how he had seen all the battle, from
its beginning to the end, when no white soldier was left
alive.

" Do you mean that they were all killed, Dick? "
asked Albert in awed tones.

" Every one/' replied Dick. " There was a ring of
fire and steel around them through which no man could
break. But they were brave, Al, they were brave!
They beat off the thousands of that awful horde for
hours and hours."

" Who led them? "

" I don't know. I had no way of knowing, but it
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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

was a gallant man with long yellow hair. I saw him
with his hat off, waving it to encourage his men. Now
tell me, Al, how you got here. ' '

" When they seized us/' replied Albert, " they car
ried me, kicking and fighting as best I could, up the
river. I made up my mind that I'd never see you
again, Dick, as I was sure that they'd kill you right
away. I expected them to finish me up, too, soon, but
they didn't. I suppose it was because they were busy
with bigger things.

' f They pushed me along for at least two miles. Then
they crossed the river, shoved me into a bark lodge, and
fastened the door on me. They didn't take the trouble
to bind me, feeling sure, I suppose, that I couldn't get
out of the lodge and the village, too; and I certainly
wouldn't have had any chance to do it if a battle hadn't
begun after I had been there a long time in the darkness
of the lodge. I thought at first that it was the Sioux
firing at targets, but then it became too heavy and there
was too much shouting.

" The firing went on a long time, and I pulled and
kicked for an hour at the lodge door. Because no one
came, no matter how much noise I made, I knew that
something big was going on, and I worked all the
harder. When I looked out at last, I saw many warriors
running up and down and great clouds of smoke. I
sneaked out, got into a smoke bank just as a Sioux shot
at me, lay down in a little ravine, after a while jumped
up and ran again through the smoke, and reached the
bushes, where I lay hidden flat on my face until the
night came. While I was there I heard the firing die

324

A HAPPY MEETING

down and saw our men driven off after being cut up
badly/'

" It's awful! awful! " groaned Dick. " I didn't
know there were so many Sioux in the world, and maybe
our generals didn't, either. That must have been the
trouble."

" When the darkness set in good," resumed Albert.
" I started to run. I knew that no Sioux were bother
ing about me then, but I tell you I made tracks, Dick.
I had no arms, and I didn't know where I was going;
but I meant to leave those Sioux some good miles be
hind. After a while I got back part of my courage, and
then I came back here to look around for you, thinking
you might have just such a chance as I did."

" Brave old Al," said Dick.

" You came, too."

" I was armed and you were not."

" It comes to the same thing, and you did have the
chance. ' '

" Yes, and we're together again. We've been saved
once more, Al, when the others have fallen. Now the
thing for us to do is to get away from here as fast as we
can. Which way do you think those troops on your
side of the village retreated? "

Albert extended his finger toward a point on the
dusky horizon.

" Off there somewhere," he replied.

" Then we'll follow them. Come on."

The two left the bushes and entered the hill*.

CHAPTER XX

BRIGHT SUN'S GOOD-BY

DICK and Albert had not gone far before they
saw lights on the bluffs of the Little Big Horn.
Dick had uncommonly keen eyes, and when he
saw a figure pass between him and the firelight he was
confident that it was not that of a Sioux. The clothing
was too much like a trooper's.

" Stop, Al," he said, putting his hand on his broth
er's shoulder. " I believe some of our soldiers are
here."

The two crept as near as they dared and watched
until they saw another figure pause momentarily against
the background of the firelight.

"It's a trooper, sure," said Dick, " and we've
come to our own people at last. Come, Al, we'll join
them."

They started forward on a run. There was a flash
of flame, a report, and a bullet whistled between them.

"We're friends, not Sioux!" shouted Dick.
" We're escaping from the savages! Don't fire! '!

They ran forward again, coming boldly into the
light, and no more shots were fired at them. They ran
up the slope to the crest of the bluff, leaped over a fresh

326

BRIGHT SUN'S GOOD-BY

earthwork, and fell among a crowd of soldiers in blue.
Dick quickly raised himself to his feet, and saw soldiers
about him, many of them wounded, all of them weary
and drawn. Others were hard at work with pick and
spade, and from a distant point of the earthwork came
the sharp report of rifle shots.

These were the first white men that Dick and Albert
had seen in nearly two years, and their hearts rose in
their throats.

" Who are you? " asked a lieutenant, holding up a
lantern and looking curiously at the two bare-headed,
brown, and half-wild youths who stood before him
in their rough attire of tanned skins. They might
readily have passed in the darkness for young Sioux
warriors.

1(1 I am Dick Howard, " replied Dick, standing up as
straight as his weakness would let him, ' ' and this is my
brother Albert. We were with an emigrant train, all
the rest of which was massacred two years ago by the
Sioux. Since then we have been in the mountains, hunt
ing and trapping. "

The lieutenant looked at him suspiciously. Dick still
stood erect and returned his gaze, but Albert, overpow
ered by fatigue, was leaning against the earthwork. A
half dozen soldiers stood near, watching them curi
ously. From the woods toward the river came the
sound of more rifle shots.

" Where have you come from to-night? And
how? " asked the lieutenant sharply.

" We escaped from the Sioux village," replied Dick.
" I was in one part of it and my brother in another.

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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

We met by chance or luck in the night, but in the after
noon I saw all the battle in which the army was de
stroyed. ' '

" Army destroyed! What do you mean? " ex
claimed the officer. " We were repulsed, but we are
here. We are not destroyed/'

The suspicion in his look deepened, but Dick met
him with unwavering eye.

" It was on the other side of the town," he replied.
" Another army was there. It was surrounded by thou
sands of the Sioux, but it perished to the last man. I
saw them gallop into the valley, led by a general with
long yellow hair."

" Ouster! " exclaimed some one, and a deep groan
came from the men in the dusk.

" What nonsense is this! " exclaimed the officer.
" Do you dare tell me that Ouster and his entire com
mand have perished? "

Dink felt his resentment rising.

" I tell you only the truth/' he said. " There was
a great, battle, and our troops, led by a general with long
yellow hair, perished utterly. The last one of them is
dead. I saw it all with my own eyes. * '

Again that deep groan came from the men in the
dusk.

" I can't believe it! " exclaimed the lieutenant.
" Ouster and his whole force dead! Where were you?
How did you see all this? "

" The Sioux had tied me to a tree in order that the
Indian boys might amuse themselves by grazing me with
arrows— my brother and I had been captured when we

328

BRIGHT SUN'S GOOD-BY

were on the plains— but they were interrupted by the
appearance of troops in the valley. Then the battle be
gan. It lasted a long time, and I was forgotten. About
twilight I managed to break loose, and I escaped by
hiding in the undergrowth. My brother, who was on
the other side of the town, escaped in much the same
way."

" Sounds improbable, very improbable! " muttered
the lieutenant.

Suddenly an old sergeant, who had been standing
near, listening attentively, exclaimed:

11 Look at the boy's wrists, lieutenant! They've got
just the marks that an Indian rawhide would make ! ' }

Dick impulsively held up his wrists, from which the
bandages had fallen without his notice. A deep red
ring encircled each, and it was obvious from their faces
that others believed, even if the lieutenant did not. But
he, too, dropped at least a part of his disbelief.

" I cannot deny your story of being captives among
the Sioux," he said, " because you are white and the
look of your eyes is honest. But you must be mistaken
about Ouster. They cannot all have fallen ; it was your
excitement that made you think it."

Dick did not insist. He was the bearer of bad news,
but he would not seek to make others believe it if they
did not wish to do so. The dreadful confirmation would
come soon enough.

" Take them away, Williams," said the lieutenant
to the sergeant, " and give them food and drink. They
look as if they needed it."

The sergeant was kindly, and he asked Dick and Al-
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THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

bert many questions as lie led them to a point farther
back on the bluff beyond the rifle shots of the Sioux,
who were now firing heavily in the darkness upon
Reno's command, the troops driven off from the far side
of the town, and the commands of Benteen and McDou-
gall, which had formed a junction with Reno. It was
evident that he believed all Dick told him, and his eyes
became heavy with sorrow.

" Poor lads! " he murmured. " And so many of
them gone! "

He took them to a fire, and here both of them col
lapsed completely. But with stimulants, good food, and
water they recovered in an hour, and then Dick was
asked to tell again what he had seen to the chief officers.
They listened attentively, but Dick knew that they, too,
went away incredulous.

Throughout the talk Dick and Albert heard the
sound of pick and spade as the men continued to throw
up the earthworks, and there was an incessant patter
of rifle fire as the Sioux crept forward in the darkness,
firing from every tree, or rock, or hillock, and keeping
up a frightful yelling, half of menace and half of tri
umph. But their bullets whistled mostly overhead, and
once, when they made a great rush, they were quickly
driven back with great loss. Troops on a bluff behind
earthworks were a hard nut even for an overwhelming
force to crack.

Dick and Albert fell asleep on the ground from sheer
exhaustion, but Dick did not sleep long. He was awak
ened by a fresh burst of firing, and saw that it was
gtill dark. He did not sleep again that night, although

330

BRIGHT SUN'S GOOD-BY

Albert failed to awake, and, asking for a rifle, bore a
part in the defense.

The troops, having made a forced march with scant
supplies, suffered greatly from thirst, but volunteers,
taking buckets, slipped down to the river, at the immi
nent risk of torture and death, and brought them back
filled for their comrades. It was done more than a
dozen times, and Dick himself was one of the heroes,
which pleased Sergeant Williams greatly.

" You're the right stuff, my boy," he said, clapping
him on the shoulder, " though you ought to be asleep
and resting."

" I couldn't sleep long," replied Dick. " I think
my nerves have been upset so much that I won't feel
just right again for months."

Nevertheless he bore a valiant part in the defense,
besides risking his life to obtain the water, and won
high praise from many besides his stanch friend, Ser
geant Williams. It was well that the troops had thrown
up the earthwork, as the Sioux, flushed with their great
victory in the afternoon, hung on the flanks of the
bluffs and kept up a continuous rifle fire. There was
light enough for sharpshooting, and more than one sol
dier who incautiously raised his head above the earth
work was slain.

Toward morning the Sioux made another great rush.
There had been a lull in the firing just when the night
was darker than usual and many little black clouds
were floating up from the southwest. Dick was op
pressed by the silence. He remembered the phases of
the battle in the afternoon, and he felt that it portended

331

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

some great effort by the Sioux. He peeped carefully
over the earthwork and studied the trees, bushes, and
hillocks below. He saw nothing there, but it seemed to
him that he could actually feel tne presence of the
Sioux.

" Look out for 'em/' he said to Sergeant Williams.
" I think they're going to make a rush."

' ' I think it, too, ' ' replied the veteran. " I 've learnt
something of their cunnin' since I've been out here on
the plains. ' '

Five minutes later the Sioux sprang from their am
bush and rushed forward, hoping to surprise enemies
who had grown careless. But they were met by a with
ering fire that drove them headlong to cover again. Nev
ertheless they kept up the siege throughout all the fol
lowing day and night, firing incessantly from ambush,
and at times giving forth whoops full of taunt and
menace. Dick was able to sleep a little during the day,
and gradually his nerves became more steady. Albert
also took a part in the defense, and, like Dick, he won
many friends.

The day was a long and heavy one. The fortified
camp was filled with the gloomiest apprehensions. The
officers still refused to believe all of Dick's story, that
Ouster and every man of his command had perished at
the hands of the Sioux. They were yet hopeful that his
eyes had deceived him, a thing which could happen
amid so much fire, and smoke, and excitement, and that
only a part of Ouster's force had fallen. Yet neither
Ouster nor any of his men returned; there was no
sign of them anywhere, and below the bluffs the

332

BRIGHT SUN'S GOOD-BY

Sioux gave forth taunting shouts and flaunted terrible
trophies.

Dick and Albert sat together about twilight before
one of the camp fires, and Dick's face showed that he
shared the gloom of those around him.

11 What are you expecting, Dick? " asked Albert,
who read his countenance.

" Nothing in particular," replied Dick; " but I'm
hoping that help will come soon. I've heard from the
men that General Gibbon is out on the plain with a
strong force, and we need him bad. We're short of
both water and food, and we '11 soon be short of ammuni
tion. Ouster fell, I think, because his ammunition gave
out, and if ours gives out the same thing will happen
to us. It's no use trying to conceal it."

11 Then we'll pray for Gibbon," said Albert.

The second night passed like the first, to the accom
paniment of shouts and shots, the incessant sharpshoot-
ing of the Sioux, and an occasional rush that was always
driven back. But it was terribly exhausting. The men
were growing irritable and nervous under such a siege,
and the anxiety in the camp increased.

Dick, after a good sleep, was up early on the morn
ing of the second day, and, like others, he looked out
over the plain in the hope that he might see Gibbon
coming. He looked all around the circle of the horizon
1 and saw only distant lodges in the valley and Sioux
•warriors. But Dick had uncommonly good ears, trained
further by two years of wild life, and he heard some
thing, a new note in the common life of the morning.
He listened with the utmost attention, and heard it

333

THE LAST OF THE CHIEFS

again. He had heard the same sound on the ter
rible day when Ouster galloped into the valley — the
mellow, pealing note of a trumpet, but now very faint
and far.

" They're coming! " he said to Sergeant Williams
joyfully. " I hear the sound of a trumpet out on the
plain! "

" I don't," said the sergeant. u It's your hopes
that are deceivin' you. No, by Jove, I think I do hear it !
Yes, there it is! They're comin'! They're comin'! "

The whole camp burst into a joyous cheer, and al
though they did not hear the trumpet again for some
time, the belief that help was at hand became a cer
tainty when they saw hurried movements among the
Sioux in the valley and the sudden upspringing of
flames at many points.

11 They're goin' to retreat," said the veteran Ser
geant "Williams, "an' they're burnin' their village be
hind 'em."

A little later the army of Gibbon, with infantry and
artillery, showed over the plain, and was welcomed with
cheers that came from the heart. Uniting with the com
mands on the fortified bluff, Gibbon now had a powerful
force, and he advanced cautiously into the valley of the
Little Big Horn and directly upon the Indian village.
But the Sioux were gone northward, taking with them
their arms, ammunition, and all movable equipment, and
the lodges that they left behind were burning.

Dick led the force to the field of battle, and all his
terrible story was confirmed. There the hundreds of
brave men, Ouster and every one of his officers among

334

BRIGHT SUN'S GOOD-BY

them, lay, most of them mutilated, but all with their
backs to the earth.

The army spent the day burying the dead, and then
began the pursuit of the Sioux. Dick and Albert went
with them, fighting as scouts and skirmishers. They
Were willing, for the present, to let their furs remain
hidden in their lost valley until they could gain a more
definite idea of its location, and until the dangerous
Sioux were driven far to the northward.

As the armies grew larger the Sioux forces, despite
the skill and courage of their leaders, were continually
beaten. Their great victory on the Little Big Horn
availed them nothing. It became evident that the last
of the chiefs— and to Dick and Albert this was Bright
Sun— had made the last stand for his race, and had
failed.

" They were doomed the day the first white man
landed in America, ' ' said Dick to Albert, ' * and nothing
could save them/'

" I suppose it's so," said Albert; " but I feel sorry
for Bright Sun, all the same."

" So do I, "said Dick.

The Sioux were finally crowded against the Cana
dian line, and Sitting Bull and most of the warriors
fled across it for safety. But just before the crossing
Dick and Albert bore a gallant part in a severe skir
mish that began before daylight. A small Sioux band,
fighting in a forest with great courage and tenacity,
was gradually driven back by dismounted white troop
ers. Dick, a skirmisher on the right flank, became sepa
rated from his eomrades during the fighting. He was

335

THE LAST OP THE CHIEFS

aware that the Sioux had been defeated, but, like the
others, he followed in eager pursuit, wishing to drive the
blow home.

Dick lost sight of both troopers and Sioux, but he be
came aware of a figure in the undergrowth ahead of
him, and he stalked it. The warrior, for such he was sure
the man to be, was unable to continue his flight without
entering an open space where he would be exposed to
Dick's bullet, and he stayed to meet his antagonist.

There was much delicate maneuvering of the kind
that must occur when lives are known to be at stake, but
at last the two came within reach of each other. The
Sioux fired first and missed, and then Dick held his
enemy at the muzzle of his rifle. He was about to fire
in his turn, when he saw that it was Bright Sun.

The chief, worn and depressed, recognized Dick at
the same moment.

" Fire," he said. " I have lost, and I might as well
die by your hand as another."

Dick lowered his weapon.

" I can't do it, Bright Sun," he said. " My brother
and I owe you our lives, and I've got to give you yours.
Good-by."

" But I am an Indian," said Bright Sun. " I will
never surrender to your people."
" It is for you to say, ' ' replied Dick.

Bright Sun waved his hand in a grave and sad fare
well salute and went northward. Dick heard from a
trapper some time later of a small band of Sioux
Indians far up near the Great Slave Lake, led by a
chief of uncommon qualities. He was sure, from the

336

BRIGHT SUN'S GOOD-BY

description of this chief given by the trapper, that it
was Bright Sun.

Their part in the war ended, Dick and Albert took
for their pay a number of captured Indian ponies, and
turning southward found the old trail of the train that
had been slaughtered. Then, with the ponies, they en
tered their beloved valley again.

No one had come in their absence. Castle Howard,
the Annex, the Suburban Villa, the Cliff House, and all
their treasures were undisturbed. They carried their
furs to Helena, in Montana, where the entire lot was
sold for thirty- two thousand dollars— a great sum for
two youths.

" Now what shall we do? " said Albert when the
money was paid to them.

" I vote we buy United States Government bonds/'
replied Dick, " register 'em in our names, and go back
vO the valley to hunt and trap. Of course people will
find it after a while, but we may get another lot of fine
furs before anyone comes.'1

" Just what I'd have proposed myself," said Albert.

They started the next day on their ponies, with the
pack ponies following, and reached their destination in
due time. It was just about sunset when they descended
the last slope and once more beheld their valley, stretch
ing before them in all its beauty and splendor, still un
trodden by any human footsteps save their own.

* ' What a fine place ! ' ' exclaimed Albert.

" The finest in the world! " said Dick.

(17)
THE END

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY
BERKFJLEY

Return to desk from which borrowed.
This book is DUE on the last date stamped below.

24Jan'62lL|
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THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY

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