With Axe and Rifle Part 17

"But by going on alone you may obtain a.s.sistance, and in reality serve us more than by remaining behind," I replied. Still I could not persuade the Dominie to desert us, and we trudged on as before.

Mr Tidey had called Dio to his side and they were some way before me, when I saw them both stop. Dio pointed ahead, while Mr Tidey leaned eagerly forward. Presently a large animal came out of a hollow in which it had previously been concealed. Moving on I saw to my satisfaction that it was one of a herd of tame cattle feeding at the bottom of the hollow. Instead of running away when we approached, they came lowing up, as if well accustomed to the sight of white men.

"Hurrah! the fort cannot be far off unless the herd has strayed away from it," exclaimed Mr Tidey; "at all events it is some encouragement to move forward, and perhaps before long we shall find ourselves among friends."

"It is not likely that we should be able to distinguish the fort at any great distance, but I see a hill rising up against the sky, and perhaps we shall find it in that direction," I observed.

While I was speaking, Mr Tidey's horse made a bolt down the slope, and presently, as the cattle moved aside, I saw a pool of water which, though muddy from the animals having trod in it, afforded a refres.h.i.+ng draught to his poor steed. Mine was too weak even to drink, and I feared that if it once got into the pool it would not have strength to get out again. We now advanced in somewhat better spirits than before.

The condition of my horse, however, delayed me; but, in the hopes of obtaining some remedies to save its life, I still led it on. We had not got far when Mr Tidey, who, as usual, was looking about in every direction, exclaimed--

"I see a party of hors.e.m.e.n in the distance. If they are Indians and come near us, we must stop and drive them off. I can count but six; two a-piece, and we each of us must settle one of those as soon as they come within range of our bullets. In the meantime we will keep on as we are going, and if the fort is at hand, it may be that they will think it wise to keep at a distance."

Looking steadily in the direction the Dominie pointed, I could but just discern some figures appearing against the sky above the horizon, but whether Indians or white men I was unable to determine. I kept watching them anxiously. In a short time Dio cried out--

"Dey come dis way! dey come dis way!"

"Never mind, if they come nearer than we like, we must send them to the right-about," observed Mr Tidey calmly.

I could, however, see that the strangers were approaching at a rapid rate, and it would soon be necessary for us to get ready to receive them.

Mr Tidey frequently turned his head over his left shoulder, but still rode on.

"Had we not better stop?" I asked, "they will be down upon us presently."

The Dominie pulled up, and attentively regarded the approaching strangers. "All right!" he exclaimed, "they are friends; I see their uniforms, we shall not have to fight for our lives this time."

In a few minutes the strangers were up to us. They proved to be a scouting party led by a sergeant, and had come out from the fort on learning that a band of Indians on the war-path had been seen in the neighbourhood, but on discovering us they had ridden up to ascertain who we were. The sergeant gave us the satisfactory intelligence that the fort was not half a mile ahead. "You cannot miss it," he observed, "if you keep straight on as you are going, but we must ride round and drive in some cattle which have strayed away, or we shall have them carried off by those thieves of redskins."

We followed the advice of the sergeant; still, though according to our calculation we had gone the distance he had mentioned, we could not in the gloom distinguish the fort. Presently, however, a shot whistled past Mr Tidey's ears, which made him suddenly bob his head, and a voice was heard crying out in an Irish accent--

"Who goes there?"

"Friends, who would be obliged to you to challenge first and shoot if they prove to be enemies," answered the Dominie.

The next instant we found ourselves in front of a stockade above which appeared the roofs of some low buildings, while in front we could distinguish some mounds only a few feet above the level of the plain.

On reaching a gate between the mounds, guarded by two stone towers of little more elevation than the stockades, it was opened, and on entering we found several soldiers.

One of them took Mr Tidey's horse, and another was about to take the rein of mine, when he exclaimed--

"What creature have we here? never saw an animal with such a face as this!"

I was explaining what had happened, when a sergeant appeared from the guard-room.

"We will get the doctor to have a look at him, and see if anything can be done for the poor brute," he said in a compa.s.sionate tone.

I thanked him. Mr Tidey gave the message from my father, entreating that a.s.sistance might be sent to the relief of our train.

"You had better see the commandant, who will judge what is best to be done," was the answer; and leaving our sorry steeds in charge of the soldiers, we accompanied the sergeant. The commanding officer received us kindly, and told us that if the report of Indians being in the neighbourhood should prove true, it was too probable that our train would be attacked.

"I will, however, at dawn to-morrow, send out a party to their a.s.sistance," he added, "and I hope that they may arrive in time to drive off the redskins, should any have fallen in with your friends."

We both urged that they might be sent off at once, but the commandant replied that it would be impossible to do so until the party we had met returned with the cattle, as he could not weaken the garrison, already scarcely sufficient for the defence of the place.

With this promise we were obliged to be content, he offering also to supply Dio and me with horses that we might accompany the party, which I hoped to be able to do after some rest, though just then, overcome by hunger and fatigue, I was scarcely able to move. I felt much revived by the supper which the commandant ordered at once to be placed on the table. He afterwards accompanied us out to see how it fared with my poor horse. I found that the doctor had been fomenting its wounded lip with a strong infusion of tobacco, and afterwards poulticing it with the chopped leaves of the same plant. He had also given the animal half a pint of whisky slightly diluted, and half an ounce of ammonia.

"If that doesn't cure it, I don't know what will," he remarked.

I regretted that Dio's horse was too far off to receive a.s.sistance-- indeed, probably by that time the poor animal was dead. The commandant afterwards took us round the fort, remarking--

"Perhaps before the night is over we may be attacked, and it is as well that you should know the localities."

In the centre were the barracks with the officers' quarters' on one side, the stables on the other, and a barn for the stowage of hay and other stores. Behind us was a yard in which the horses could be turned loose.

From these buildings, four subterranean pa.s.sages, about three feet wide and five high, led each to a rifle-pit beyond the stockades, about twelve feet long and ten wide, roofed over with stone supported by wood-work.

Just on a level with the ground, below the roof, were loop-holes opening on all sides. In racks round the walls of these pits were placed a number of rifles, all loaded and ready for immediate use; so that, as the commandant explained, should a whole army of redskins approach, the garrison would be at once prepared to give them a warm reception.

The account he gave us of trains stopped and emigrants ma.s.sacred increased my eagerness to set out to the a.s.sistance of our friends. By his advice, therefore, we turned in to try and get some rest. I could not sleep, however, but lay awake listening for the return of the soldiers who had been sent to bring in the cattle; for as the distance was not great, I calculated that they ought to have arrived not long after us, and I began to fear that they must have encountered the Indians, and perhaps themselves have been cut off. Overcome, however, with fatigue, I at length dropped off into a troubled slumber.

CHAPTER NINE.

THE RELIEF PARTY SET OFF--ON THE PRAIRIE--INDIANS DISCOVERED ATTACKING THE TRAIN--OUR CHARGE--NO QUARTER ASKED NOR GIVEN--MY FATHER AND UNCLE WOUNDED--THE TRAIN DELAYED AT FORT HAMILTON--PROVISIONS RUN SHORT--A HUNTING-PARTY ARRANGED--A HERD OF WAPITI--DOG TOBY ON THE SICK-LIST-- CHASING THE DEER--A GAME AT FOLLOW MY LEADER--A FIGHT BETWEEN STAGS--THE MYSTERIOUS SHOT--THE SOLITARY HUNTER.

I was aroused by feeling a hand on my shoulder, and looking up, I saw Mr Tidey by the light of a lamp which burned on the table.

"It will soon be dawn," he said; "the troopers are preparing to set off.

But you are knocked up, Mike, and had better sleep on. I should have let you do so, but I did not like to set off without telling you that I was going. I hope, however, that we shall soon meet our friends, and find them all safe and sound."

"I must go!" I cried, jumping up; "the commandant will lend me a horse, as my own is not likely to be of much use, even if the poor brute is still alive."

Notwithstanding the Dominie's expostulations, I was quickly ready. The commandant was on foot. Sympathising with my anxiety, he at once ordered a horse to be saddled for me. The eight troopers who were to accompany us mounted, and directly afterwards a half-breed guide made his appearance.

"He will conduct your train, wherever you may fall in with it, to the nearest stream or water-hole," observed the commandant. "I cannot promise you that your friends have not been attacked, as the Indians are certainly in the neighbourhood, and have carried off some of our cattle; but I trust that, should such be the case, they will hold out until you arrive."

This remark increased my anxiety, and made me more eager than ever to be off. I was looking out for Dio, and was inquiring for him, when he appeared mounted on a little mustang, with a brace of pistols in his belt, a soldier's carbine slung over his back, and a sword by his side.

"Dey no want me to go," he said, "but I say I fight as well as dey."

I said I was very glad he had come, and inquired for my horse, which, to my satisfaction, he informed me was still alive, and that the doctor thought it would recover. I was thankful to have Dio with us, for he was as brave as man could be, and I could rely on him in any emergency.

We thus formed a party of twelve, and the troopers considered themselves capable of coping with any Indians we were likely to encounter. The sergeant in command of the party was a cautious man, and, afraid of knocking up the horses, would not move as fast as I in my impatience desired. We had, however, made good about four or five miles when day dawned. As we moved on, we kept a look-out for Indians on both sides, not knowing in what direction they might appear; but even should they have crossed our course, we could not in the darkness discover their trail. As the light increased, our guide searched diligently for it, but he declared that he could perceive no signs of Indians having recently pa.s.sed that way, though he observed the trail which we had made on the previous evening. At length I saw some way ahead the wings of several large birds flapping just above the ground. As we drew nearer, six or seven turkey buzzards rose into the air, and circling round flew to a short distance, where they remained watching us. They had been feeding on the body of Dio's horse, utterly indifferent to the venom with which the flesh was impregnated. We kept to windward of it, and directly we had pa.s.sed the foul birds flew back to their banquet. This showed us that the guide had led us aright, and that we could trust him.

Losing patience, I entreated the sergeant to move on faster, reminding him that even should our friends not be attacked by the Indians, they were certainly suffering from want of water. He inquired how far off I calculated we should find the train.

"From fourteen to twenty miles," I answered, "though, as I hope that they may have been able to move on, perhaps they may be still nearer."

He still hesitated, but Mr Tidey joining his entreaties to mine, he put his horse into a gallop, ordering his men to advance. We now moved forward at as fast a rate as I could desire, the guide keeping his eye on the ground. Mile after mile of the level prairie was quickly covered, we in the mean time looking out for the plumed heads of any redskins which might show themselves above the horizon. Noon was approaching. I saw the guide attentively examining the ground.