The Boy Scouts on the Yukon Part 5

As they bade him good night the Major said that the jurisdiction of his post extended over the territory to which they were going, and that some time during their stay there one of his patrols would call on them.

At an early hour the next morning, Swift.w.a.ter and the boys went down to the boats, aboard which the Indian crews had pa.s.sed the night, and were there joined by Skook.u.m Joe, who was to go with them as far as the mouth of the confluent upon which Colonel Snow's land was located, at which point he was to join a steamer running on down the Yukon River to Dawson.

They floated out upon the swift current of the Lewes River, which many miles further away is joined by the Pelly to make the Yukon, the Behring Sea, some eighteen hundred miles away.

The pa.s.sage down the Lewes was comparatively easy except for the rapids through which the Indian boatmen guided the flat-bottomed craft by long steering oars, one at each end and one at the side. Swift.w.a.ter had placed himself and Jack, Don and Gerald in one boat, and a.s.signed Skook.u.m Joe and Rand, Pepper and d.i.c.k to the other.

The run through the small canyons and the rapids was an exciting one to the boys, who were unused to such rough waters, where it seemed almost impossible at times to avoid the dangerous rocks that reared their heads above the current. By Swift.w.a.ter's direction the boys were allowed to take a hand at the oars at times, beside the Indian oarsman, to accustom them somewhat to the ticklish navigation of the rivers. While they found the navigation something new, their previous experience in canoe work had taught them sufficiently "the feel of the water" to make them fairly useful.

Pepper, who always threw a good deal of enthusiasm into anything he attempted to do, was barely saved from going overboard several times, and when once left alone with the side oar, succeeded in dipping the blade under a piece of hidden rock and was thrown by the swift motion of the boat high in the air, alighting somewhat breathless on the ma.s.s of tarpaulined freight in front of him, luckily without serious injury. The oar, however, went by the board and was lost.

"Wh-wh-what was that?" gasped Pepper, as he got his wind again and began to caress his ribs where the oar handle had struck him.

"I've only got one guess," laughed d.i.c.k, "but I should say it was the bottom of the river," while Rand sarcastically suggested that it wasn't part of the business of this expedition to try and clear the channel of the Lewes.

It was eight o'clock in the evening, and the sun in that high lat.i.tude was still visible when the boats reached the mouth of the stream known as Gold Creek, which entered the Lewes from the southeast. It was some miles up this confluent that Colonel Snow's land lay, and by direction of Swift.w.a.ter the Indian boatmen skilfully rounded the batteaus out of the current of the Lewes into the Creek and into a little backwater formed by a projecting sandy point between the two streams. Here the water was fairly deep, and as no trees came down to the water's edge two of the Indians held the boat up to the bank, while the third sprang ash.o.r.e with coils of rope and two long iron stakes which he drove deep into the gravel and sand, and tied the stern and bow of the boat to the bank. The other boat was fastened the same way, and Swift.w.a.ter, springing ash.o.r.e and stretching his long legs, cried: "All ash.o.r.e; we'll make camp here, tonight."

CHAPTER VI.

THE BIGGEST BEAR IN THE WORLD.

As soon as the Boy Scouts had set foot on land Swift.w.a.ter drew the boys about him and a.s.signed certain of the camp duties to each, directing the Indians, however, to the heaviest tasks of "making camp." A large number of stones were gathered at the highest point of the sand and gravel, and a rough fireplace constructed. Two of the Indians, under the direction of Rand were sent across a short strip of meadow, which intervened between the point and the adjacent forest, for a supply of firewood. Rand took his rifle along under Swift.w.a.ter's direction, for protection, and with the suggestion that he might see something worth shooting, although he was enjoined not to meddle with moose or caribou.

"Not that I think ye'll see any," said Swift.w.a.ter, "for they're mighty scarce here, but it's a poor time of year for the meat. Still, there's a few cats and other varmints in this section of the country that don't like strangers, and they make it lively for you."

"Do the cats belong to the Indians?" innocently inquired Jack, remembering the aborigines' fondness for dogs.

Swift.w.a.ter laughed.

"I never seen an Injun that cared to keep one of 'em longer'n he could let go of it," said the miner. "I'm talkin' of lynxes and the lou'g'rou (loup garou), the Injun Devil, that is still pretty thick in this country."

The Indians who had come with the expedition were no exception to fondness for dogs, and had brought two s.h.a.ggy, short-eared, long-nosed brutes with them that had never barked or uttered a sound except to snarl at any stranger who came near them and absolutely refused to make friends with anyone. One of these accompanied Rand and the two Indians into the woods and began nosing around in the bush and underbrush, while the two men were engaged in cutting light wood into short lengths and tying it together in bundles.

They acc.u.mulated nearly two hundred pounds apiece; loads that Rand doubted their ability to lift, much less carry to camp. They were about ready to start back when there came from a thicket forty yards distant a shrill scream that sounded like a child in distress. At the same moment the yelp of a dog was followed by a succession of snarls and screams so nearly human that Rand started toward the thicket crying:

"Quick, the dog is worrying a child."

"Na, cat; killum malamute," and with his axe in his hand the Indian rushed ahead of Rand into the thicket.

As Rand entered the brush the sounds of the struggles and the snarls and screams were intermixed with the loud commands of the Indian to the dog.

Rand raised his rifle as he burst through the brush after the guide, and saw the dog and a ma.s.s of gray fur mixed up in a writhing rolling combat that tore up the gra.s.s and raised a cloud of dust and mold and leaves.

Before he could get a chance at a shot the Indian had dashed in and with a single blow of his axe had ended the fight.

When the dog's owner succeeded in separating the dog from the dead animal, no small task, for the former was made furious by the wounds he had received, Rand saw the prey to be a short, heavy creature with stumpy tail and ta.s.sled ears.

"Wild cat," muttered the Indian, turning the dead animal over with his moca.s.sin, so that its formidable claws could be seen, "easy killum dog."

Examining the wounds of the dog, which were not serious, he pointed to the cat and administered several severe kicks to the dog, which ran snarling toward the camp, while the guide picked up the body and returned to where his companion stood fastening his bundle, having apparently taken no interest in the contest. There was a short exchange of gutterals and then each of the Indians stooping down placed a band of strong cloth around his forehead, slipped it under the cord around the wood, and, with the aid of his companion, easily raised it to his back and walked off to camp as if it was a burden of no moment.

"Well, I see ye met up with a cat," said Swift.w.a.ter, as Rand and the Indians returned, "and at that ye only got the smallest of the tribe."

"If the others can fight any harder than this specimen, I don't believe I want to meet any of them. I thought there was a child in the thicket."

"Lots of these cat varmints have voices jest like a human. Ye can't tell a panther from a squallin' child sometimes."

Bacon, canned beef, potatoes and coffee had already been brought from the boats and the Indians soon had a rousing fire which soon heated the stones to red heat. Three of these had been joined together to make a sort of three corner oven and into this the potatoes were placed, while over another portion of the fire the bacon was fried and the coffee boiled.

A large tarpaulin had been brought ash.o.r.e and spread upon the sands, and upon this, or upon stones placed thereon, the party seated themselves and ate their repast from tin or thin wooden plates. A day of excitement and vigorous exercise had furnished them with strong appet.i.tes and the rather coa.r.s.e food of the camp was greatly relished.

Arrangements for the night had been made by raising a large tarpaulin over one of the boats upon several of the crossed bars, forming a sort of shelter under which were spread several of the light mattresses that were part of the equipment; and Swift.w.a.ter directed that the Scouts should all "turn in" to this improvised barracks together, while he and Skook.u.m Joe retired to the other boat. The Indians were given several small canvas coverings known in the army as "dog tents," and were to sleep around the fire, which one of them was delegated to replenish during the night.

The attraction of the big campfire and the beautiful clear sky overhead filled the boys with aspirations to "camp out," and they were rather inclined to grumble at Swift.w.a.ter's orders compelling them to sleep on the boat.

With the growing soldier spirit of the Scouts, they resented being coddled, as Gerald chose to express it, and he voiced the sentiment of the patrol when he said:

"Why can't we sleep by the fire, Swift.w.a.ter? I feel as if I was being sung to and then tucked in same as I used to be at home."

"Ye'll have camping out enough before ye're through with the woods; and I'm not going to take any chances with all that tundra over there, and that swamp back beyond of starting the season with six fine cases of malaria on my hands. Until ye're a little better acclimated and a little more hardened, it's better for ye to sleep with a board or two under you."

The good sense of the old scout's argument as well as a fine appreciation of the miner's thoughtfulness for their welfare led the boys to at once acquiesce, and Rand voiced their appreciation.

Although it was early in the season, and the insect world had hardly awakened to life, there were a sufficient number of mosquitos about to remind the boys of Colonel's Snow's injunction regarding the supply of nettings, and Jack, after several vigorous slaps, murmured sleepily:

"Gee, that certainly sounded like a voice from home."

"They've got the good old Jersey accent," replied Jack.

"Straight from the Hackensack meadows," said Rand, referring to the once most favored habitat of the mosquito in the East.

"I hae ma doots," said Don, "if that is a mosquito I killed just noo. I think it was some new kind of night bird."

How long he had been asleep Jack did not know, when he was aroused by the growling of the two dogs on the sh.o.r.e, and crawled out from under the tarpaulin. The night was clear, and there was a fine starlight. In the East there was the faintest glimmer of dawn. The fire on sh.o.r.e had died down, but the embers still shone. The Indian who had been on watch had risen from his seat and followed the dogs, which had run growling up the strip of sand toward the meadow which lay between the water and the woods.

Evidently there was some game in sight, and Jack crawled back under the tarpaulin and grasped his rifle, a Remington repeater. He did not arouse any of the others as he had really seen nothing, and was a little sensitive to possible ridicule.

He ran up the gangplank and stepped ash.o.r.e. The other Indians were still asleep and Jack took the trail of the sentinel, whom he could dimly see in the distance.

The latter turned as he heard Jack's footsteps on the gravel, and waited for him.

"What is it?" asked Jack.

"No know," replied the Indian, "maybe bear, dogs no fight, only growl."

Dimly through the dawn Jack could make out a black ma.s.s lumbering slowly down through the meadow toward them. The dogs ran around it in circles, merely growling and offering no attack. At a word from the Indian, however, they ran in snarling on the animal, which stopped, and with a loud "woof" reared up on its haunches, showing an enormous height.