The Young Trail Hunters Part 9

CHAPTER VII.

On the evening of the second day after the incidents narrated in the previous chapter, we encamped on the banks of the San Pedro, with wood, water, and gra.s.s in abundance; in fact, using the words of Hal: "Everything to make us comfortable, but fresh meat; and meat we must have. Let's go out and get some. We shall be sure to find a deer or antelope in this beautiful bottom."

"What say you, Jerry, shall we try it?" inquired I.

"I reckon so. We've got plenty of time before night, and I 'spect I may as well go and show you how ter hunt 'em; 'cause yer won't git none unless I go 'long with yer, that's sartin."

"Well, we'll see what we get if you do go along," responded Hal; "so come on."

Mounting our horses, Jerry, Hal, Ned, and myself set out in pursuit of antelope, whose tracks could be seen in all directions about us.

We had ridden two or three miles without starting game of any kind, when Jerry, who was a short distance in advance of us, suddenly dismounted, and began studying the ground attentively.

"Hilloa!" exclaimed Ned, "Jerry's struck something."

As we rode up to him, he said,--

"Wal, boys, here's game, sartin sure."

"What is it, Jerry?" inquired Hal.

"What is it? Why, a fresh Comanche trail; and 'tain't no war party, neither, for they've got their lodges with 'em."

"How do you know that?" inquired Ned."

"How do you know you're settin' on that horse?" asked Jerry. "Why, I know one just ez well ez you know t'other. Can't you see whar the ends of the poles dragged in the dirt behind 'em. Anybody could see that, I should think."

"How old is the trail, Jerry?" inquired I.

"That trail waz made afore eight o'clock this mornin'," was the answer.

"Before eight o'clock," sneered Hal. "Why don't you say that the Comanches pa.s.sed this spot at precisely seventeen minutes past six o'clock this morning? You might just as well be particular, Jerry."

"Come, Jerry, tell us how you know when the Indians pa.s.sed?" said I.

"Sartin I will," he good-humoredly replied. "Yer see we hed a purty hevy dew last night, but the sun waz up so high that the gra.s.s waz all dry at eight o'clock. Wall, now, if you'll look you'll see, that where the gra.s.s was pressed down by the horses' feet into the earth, a little of the sand stuck to it, (coz it waz damp), that has dried on since. Now if the trail bed been made after eight o'clock, when the gra.s.s was dry, why, it wouldn't stick eny more than it does now."

"A very satisfactory explanation," said I.

"Now what I propose is," continued Jerry, "thet we just foller the trail, and we'll strike something afore many hours, ez sure's my name's Jerry Vance."

"But we may get into trouble," urged I.

"Ther ain't no danger. It's a party of squaws and pappooses, I reckon, coz yer see ther ain't more'n four horses with 'em."

"I'm agreed," said I, and away we galloped over the beautiful green prairie; but, before we had gone a mile, a fine large herd of antelope appeared, quietly grazing upon a knoll at a little distance, who, when they saw us, stood for an instant curiously regarding us, and then trotted leisurely away.

"They're kinder wild, I reckon," said Jerry. "These Injuns must hev bin huntin' 'em, and we might chase 'em all day without gittin' a shot. So we'll just tie our horses in thet chaparral down there, out of sight, and then we'll call 'em up."

We dismounted, and securing our horses, followed Jerry. He removed the ramrod from his rifle, and tied to one end of it an old-fas.h.i.+oned, red bandana handkerchief. This done, he planted the other end firmly in the ground, leaving the flag to flutter in the breeze.

"Now, boys, you just lie down here, in the tall gra.s.s, so thet the critters won't see yer, and wait awhile."

Following Jerry's instructions, we placed ourselves in the tall gra.s.s, and lying still awaited the result of the experiment.

"Yer see," continued he, talking in a low tone of voice, "antelope's the most curious critters in the world, 'ceptin' women. Jist ez soon ez they see thet red flag, they'll want to know what it means, and they won't rest easy till they find out, either."

And, sure enough, in a few moments we saw the graceful creatures, one after another, turn and attentively look at the signal. Then they slowly walked towards it. Then came a pause and a nibble of gra.s.s, and again, as though they could not resist the desire to ascertain what this singular thing fluttering in the breeze was, they hesitatingly came still nearer, as though they feared some hidden danger. In this way they soon approached within easy range, and we shot five with our revolvers.

"There," said Jerry, as the remainder of the herd finally galloped away over the plain, "you boys see what curiosity does. Yer kin allers fetch 'em with a red hankercher, and gin'rally by jist layin' down on yer back, and holdin' up yer feet. They're awful curious critters, them antelopes is. I reckon we'd better quit this trail, and git them air carca.s.ses inter camp. What d'yer say, youngsters?"

"I declare, I forgot to fire at all!" exclaimed Ned. "I never once thought of my pistol."

"Ha! ha! ha!" roared Jerry. "You've got the 'buck-fever' my boy. I might a knowed you wouldn't a fired; no, nor you, neither," continued he, turning towards Hal.

"But I did fire twice, though," said Hal.

"Le'me see yer pistol, youngster," said Jerry; after examining it, he again burst into a loud laugh.

"Jest as I 'spected! Every barr'l loaded. Yer see you was so 'cited that yer forgot all about firin'. You thought yer did, I s'pose; but don't be too sartin next time, 'cause the fever allers takes what little sense a feller's got, when it strikes him."

The antelope were soon dressed; but Hal's chagrin was so great at the thought of being so cleverly detected by Jerry's shrewdness, that I attempted to comfort him by promising to relate my own misfortunes upon experiencing my first attack. After supper, and while we were smoking our pipes, the boys claimed the fulfilment of my promise.

I only hope that the narrative may prove as interesting to my young readers, as it did to Hal and Ned, who heard the story with roars of laughter at my blunders.

Well, boys, I was once pa.s.sing through the Sacramento range of mountains in New Mexico, in company with an old trapper and hunter, named Nat Beal.

Nat was a jovial, pleasant companion; and, in truth one of the best shots I ever saw.

While riding through one of the numerous little valleys with which that range abounds, we saw at a little distance, a magnificent specimen of a black-tailed deer.

Now I had always wanted to kill a black-tailed deer, and this was the first time I had ever seen one, so I begged Nat to let me shoot it.

He said, with a laugh, "Shoot away!" and I took deliberate aim and fired.

"Ha! ha! ha!" roared he, as the fellow bounded away unharmed, "it's as clear a case of 'buck-fever' as ever I saw."

"Not at all. I aimed too high; that was the only trouble."

"Jest so," replied Nat; "a man with the 'fever' always aims too high."

"I'll bet I won't miss the next one," said I, angry at the imputation.

"I'll bet you will, two to one on it," said Nat. "But it's too late to get another shot to-night, so we'll wait until to-morrow evening; and, in the mean time, I'll give you a few idees 'bout deer."

"As soon as the sun had sunk to his rest the next evening, I borrowed Nat's 'call' and started out."

"What's a 'call'?" inquired Ned.