Wild Western Scenes Part 24

"It is a great pity that the deer are subject to such destruction,"

remarked Glenn.

"The wolves we saw are all on yonder island," said Boone, "and if you are disposed to have a hunt, I have no doubt we might kill some of them."

"We are entirely dependent upon the deer for animal food," said Roughgrove; "and if we could only surround that party of wolves as they did the deer, we might do the settlement much good service."

"I go in for it," said Sneak.

"I'd rather wait a day or two, till the Indians have gone clean off,"

said Joe.

"There is nothing to fear from them now," said Boone, "unless something they might steal should fall in their way. But it will not require an hour to rout the wolves on the little island."

"Then let us hasten and get our guns, and be upon them before they leave it," said Glenn.

They returned to the house, and were all soon equipped for the onslaught, except Joe, who made no preparation whatever.

"Get ready, Joe," said Glenn; "your redoubtable musket will do good service."

"I'd rather not," said Joe; "I'm hardly well enough to walk so far.

I'll take care of Miss Mary. I wonder what's become of her? Mr.

Roughgrove, Miss Mary hasn't come back yet!"

"Yes she has," replied the old ferryman; "I saw her bring this frozen flower up, while we were standing on the cliff, and she has only returned for the other pots, I hear her singing down the valley now,"

he added, after stepping to the gate and listening a moment.

"Have you any gum fetid?" asked Boone, addressing Glenn.

"I've got lots of it," interposed Joe, "that I brought along for the horses, because an old man at St. Louis told me they would never die so long as I kept a lump of it in the rack."

"What use do you make of it?" asked Glenn.

"The scent of it will at any time collect the wolves," said Boone, directing Joe to bring it along.

The party set out at a brisk pace, Joe with the rest, for it was necessary to station the men at as many points as possible. Boone, Roughgrove, and Glenn, when they reached the upper valley, descended to the river, while Sneak and Joe were directed to station themselves on the main-land opposite the upper and lower ends of the island. The party of three advanced towards the island on the ice, and Sneak and Joe pursued their way in a parallel direction through the narrow skirt of woods that bordered the range of bluffs.

Ere long the two on land descended from their high position and entered a densely-timbered bottom, the upper part of which (a half mile distant) was only separated from the island by a very narrow channel.

Here, for the first time that day, the thought that the island he was approaching was the haunted one of Glenn's dream occurred to Joe, and he paused suddenly.

"What are you stopping for?" asked Sneak.

"Because"--Joe hesitated, positively ashamed to tell the reason; and after a moment's reflection he was impressed with a thorough conviction that his apprehensions and scruples were ridiculous.

"Don't you hear me?" continued Sneak.

"I was thinking about going back for the dogs," said Joe.

"Yes, and they would be torn to bits in a little less than no time,"

said Sneak.

"Come on, then," said Joe, setting forward again, and dismissing all fears of the fire-wizard from his mind.

"Let me see how much asafoetida you've got," said Sneak, after they had walked a few moments in silence.

"Here it is," said Joe, unwrapping a paper containing several ounces; "but hang me, if that ain't rather too strong a joke of Mr. Boone's about its collecting the wolves. I can't believe that."

"Did you ever hear of Mr. Boone's telling a lie?" asked Sneak.

"No, I never did, and that's a fact," said Joe; "but I'm afraid he's got into a sc.r.a.pe this time--Jingo! look yonder!" he continued, throwing his musket up to his face, and pointing it at a very large black wolf that stood in the path before them.

"Don't shoot! I put two loads in your gun," cried Sneak, hastily.

"Confound your long-necked gourd-head, I say!" said Joe, throwing down the muzzle of his musket in an instant, and the next moment the wolf disappeared among the tall bushes. "Why, hang me, if you didn't tell a lie!" continued Joe, running down his ramrod.

"Don't I know it?" replied Sneak. "I jest said so to keep you from shooting; becaise if you had shot, you'd 'ave skeered all the other wolves away, and we wouldn't 'ave killed any."

"It's well you didn't put in another cartridge," said Joe, "for I wish I may be smashed if I stand this kicking business any longer."

"Now, I guess you'll believe there's something in the asafoetida, after all! and the wolves'll come all round you and won't go off for shooting at 'em, if you'll only rub it on the soles of your boots."

"I'll try it!" said Joe, suiting the action to the word, and then striding onward, and looking in every direction for the wolves.

"You'll have to tree, if they come too thick."

"Pshaw!" replied Joe, "you can't scare me in that way. I don't believe a hat full of it would make them stand and be shot at."

They were now opposite the island. Joe selected a position even with the upper end of it, and Sneak remained below. Boone, after stationing Roughgrove and Glenn to the best advantage, walked out to the main-land, and taking some of the gum fetid in Joe's possession, returned to the island; and, ere long, he, Roughgrove, and Glenn were heard discharging their guns with great rapidity, and the cries of the wolves attested that they were labouring with effect. But none of the beleaguered animals had yet retreated from the scene of destruction.

On the contrary, several were seen to run across from the main-land and join those on the island. Presently Sneak commenced a brisk fire.

There seemed to be a whole army of wolves congregated in the vicinity.

Joe at first laughed, and then became confused and puzzled. He anxiously desired to make the roar of his musket join the melee; but at times he thought the ravenous enemy rather too numerous for him to be in perfect safety. The firing on the island continued without abatement. Sneak's gun was likewise still heard at regular intervals, and what seemed an extraordinary matter to Joe was that Sneak should yell out something or other about the "asafoetida," and "moccasin tracks," after every discharge. Joe was not long idle. He soon saw a huge black wolf trotting along the little deer path he had just traversed, with its nose down to the ground. A moment after, another, and then a third, were seen pursuing the same course, some distance behind. Joe became uneasy. His first impulse was to scamper over to the island: but, when he thought of the jeers and jests that would ensue from Sneak, he resolved to stand his ground. When the foremost wolf had approached within thirty paces of him, he leveled his musket and fired. The wolf uttered a fierce howl and expired.

"Hang me, if I haven't floored you, any how," said he, exultingly, as he proceeded to reload his gun with as much expedition as possible.

But the other wolves, so far from being alarmed at the fate of their comrade, seemed to quicken their pace towards the position of Joe.

"Slash me, if there ain't too many of them!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Joe, as he perceived several others, and all advancing upon him. "I'll settle your hash, by jing!" he continued, firing at the foremost one, which was not twenty paces distant. The leaden contents of the musket entered its breast, and it fell dead without a growl. Still the others advanced. Joe had no time to charge his gun again.

"I'll make tracks!" said he, starting toward the frozen channel that separated him from the island. But he had not gone ten paces before he discovered two enormous wolves approaching from _that_ direction.

"I'll cut dirt back again!" he continued, whirling suddenly around, and rus.h.i.+ng back to his stand, where he stood not a moment, but sprang up in a tree, and after attaining a large limb that put out from the trunk, some fifteen feet above the snow, paused, and pantingly surveyed his a.s.sailants. There were now no less than twenty wolves in sight, and several were at the root of the tree yelping at him! "I'll be hanged if I half like this," said he. "Snap me, if I don't begin to believe that the asafoetida does charm them, after all. Confound Sneak! he's always getting me into some hobble or other! Now, if it wasn't for this tree, I'd be in a nice fix. Hang it! all the wolves in the world are broke loose to-day, surely--where the mischief could they all have come from? Just hear the men, how they are shooting! And they are killing the wild black dogs every crack--but still they won't back out! I'll blaze away at 'em again!" Saying this, he reloaded his musket as quickly as his peculiar position would allow, and, for the purpose of ridding himself as soon as possible of his disagreeable visitors, he poured in an additional charge of buckshot. "Now," he continued, "what if the gun should fly out of my hands? I'd be in a pretty condition then! I wouldn't mind the kick at all, if I was only on dry land--but if the gun should kick me over here, I'd tumble right down into their mouths! I wish I'd thought of that before I rammed down the wadding. I haven't got my screw along, or I might draw out the load again. I'll not shoot at all. I'll just watch till somebody comes and scares them away. Ugh! you black rascal! what're you staring up here for?" he continued, looking down at the largest wolf, which was standing upright against the tree, and tearing the bark away furiously with his long teeth. The number of Joe's enemies continued to increase. There were now perhaps twenty under the tree. And still the firing on the island was kept up, though not so incessantly as at first, which inspired Joe with a hope that they would either kill all the wolves in their vicinity very soon or force them to join his flock under the tree, when the men would surely come to his relief. Sneak's fire abated somewhat, likewise, and Joe's reliance upon having their aid in a very short time caused his fears to subside in a great measure.

"If you're so crazy after asafoetida," said he, looking down at the fiercely staring animals again, "I'll give you a taste, just to see what you'll do." He took a small portion of the gum which he had retained, and rubbed it over a piece of paper that he found in his pocket. He then dropped the paper in their midst. They sprang upon it simultaneously, and in an instant it vanished, Joe knew not whither.

"Hang me, if I couldn't pepper a half-dozen at a shot when they all rush up together so close, if I wasn't afraid of being kicked down.

I'll be teetotally smashed if I don't fix and try it, any how!" said he, pulling out a strong leather string from his pocket, one end of which he attached firmly to a small limb of the tree, and the other he tied as tightly round the wrist of his left arm. He then pulled out his bandanna, and likewise made his musket fast to a bough. "Now, my snapping beauties," he continued, "I'm mistaken if I don't give you a dose of blue pills that'll do your business in short order." Saying this, he tore off another piece of paper, and rubbing on the gum, dropped it down as near as possible to the spot where he wished the wolves to cl.u.s.ter together. No sooner did it fall than the whole gang sprang upon it, and he fired with precision in their midst. Joe did not look to see what execution was done. He was dangling in the air and whirling round and round at a rapid rate, like a malefactor suspended from the gallows, with the exception that his neck did not suffer, and he cried out most l.u.s.tily for a.s.sistance. When the cloud of smoke that enveloped him cleared away a little, and he became better acquainted with his critical situation, his yells increased in rapidity and violence. His condition was truly perilous. The small bough to which he had attached himself had not sufficient strength to bear him up when his feet slipped from the larger one below, and it was now bent down a considerable distance, and that too in a divergent direction from his recent foothold, and unfortunately there was no limb of the tree of any strength within his reach. His legs hung within six feet of the surface of the snow. The discharge had killed four or five of the wolves, but, undismayed, the remainder a.s.sailed him the more furiously. The most active of them could easily spring as far up as his feet! Never was terror more strongly depicted in the human face than it was displayed in Joe's when he saw the whole pack rus.h.i.+ng towards him! They sprang up with fearful snarls and yells. Joe yelled likewise, and doubled his knees up to his chin. They missed his feet by several inches, and were borne out fifteen or twenty feet to one side by the impetus of the leap. It was by a mighty effort that he thus avoided them, and no sooner had they pa.s.sed under him than his legs again dangled downward. In a moment they whirled round and were again rus.h.i.+ng at their victim. Once more Joe screamed, and drew up his legs while they pa.s.sed under him. "Help! help! for G.o.d's sake!" cried he, when they whirled round again. His cry was heard. Several sharp reports resounded from the river bank, a few paces on the east. Three or four of the wolves howled and fell. The rest hesitated, their eyes glistening, and fixed on Joe's suspended boots. "Come quick! for Heaven's sake! I can't pull up my legs any more!" cried Joe. This was true, for his strength was fast failing. The guns were again discharged with deadly effect, and all but one of the largest of the wolves precipitately ran off, and disappeared among the bushes.

"Jerk up your leg! that feller's a going to take one of your feet along with him, if he kin!" cried Sneak. Joe saw the wolf charging upon him, but he was altogether unable to avoid it in the manner he had done before. It was now only a few feet distant, its mouth open, displaying a frightful set of teeth, and springing towards him.

Finding it impossible to prevent a collision, Joe resolved to sell his foot as dearly as possible. As much as he was able, he bent up his knee-joints, and when his a.s.sailant came, he bestowed his heels upon his head with all his might. The wolf was stunned, and fell under the blow.

"Take that!" cried Sneak, running up and plunging his knife into the animal's side. The wolf groaned and died.