 11. Evening meditations and morning reflections, buffalo, badgers, antelopes, and accidents, an old bull in the wolves, mad tales, Henry floored, etc., etc. There is nothing that prepares one so well for the enjoyment of rest, both mental and physical, as a long protracted period of excitement and anxiety, followed up by bodily fatigue. Excitement alone banishes rest, but, united with severe physical exertion, it prepares for it. At least, courteous reader, this is our experience, and certainly this was the experience of our three hunters as they lay on their backs beneath the branches of a willow bush, and gazed serenely up the twinkling stars two days after their escape from the Indian village. They spoke little, they were too tired for that, also they were too comfortable. Their respective suppers of fresh antelope steak, shot that day, had just been disposed of. Their feet were directed towards the small fire on which the said steaks had been cooked, and which still threw a warm, ruddy glow over the encampment. Their blankets were wrapped comfortably around them, and tucked in only as hunters and mothers know how to tuck them in. Their respective pipes delivered forth at stated intervals three richly yellow puffs of smoke, as if a three-gun battery were playing upon the sky from that particular spot of earth. The horses were picketed and hobbled in a rich grassy bottom close by, from which the quiet munch of their equine jowls sounded pleasantly, for it told of healthy appetites, and promised speed on the morrow. The fear of being overtaken during the night was now passed, and the faithful crusoe, by virtue of sight, hearing, and smell, guaranteed them against sudden attack during the hours of slumber. A perfume of wildflowers mingled with the loved odors of the weed, and the tinkle of a tiny rivulet fell sweetly on their ears. In short, the pale faces were supremely happy and disposed to be thankful for their recent deliverance and the present comforts. I wonder what the stars are, said Dick, languidly taking the pipe out of his mouth. It's a fire, suggested Joe. I think they are worlds, muttered Henry, and have people as in them. I hear men say that. A long silence followed, during which, no doubt, the stargazers were working out various theories in their own mind. Wonder, said Dick again, how far off they may be. A mile or two, maybe, said Joe. Henry was about to laugh sarcastically at this, but, on further consideration, he thought it would be more comfortable not to, so he lay still. In another minute, he said, Joe Blunt, you is very ignorant. Don't you know that the books say the stars be hundreds, thousands, oh, millions of miles away to here, and that day is more bigger than this world? Joe snored lightly. His pipe fell out of his mouth at this point, so the conversation dropped. Presently, Dick asked in a low tone, I say, Henry, are you asleep? We, replied Henry faintly, don't speak, or you will weaken me. Ah, Crusoe, you're not asleep, are you, pup? No need to ask that question, the instantaneous wag of that speaking tail and the glance of that wakeful eye as the dog lifted his head and lay his chin on Dick's arm showed that he had been listening to every word that was spoken. We cannot say whether he understood it, but beyond all doubt he heard it. Crusoe never presumed to think of going to sleep until his master was as sound as a top. Then he ventured to indulge in that light species of slumber, which is familiarly known as sleeping with one eye open. But comparatively, as well as figuratively speaking, Crusoe slept usually with one eye and a half open, and the other half was never very tightly shut. Gradually, Dick's pipe fell out of his mouth, an event which the dog, with an exercise of instinct almost, if not quite, amounting to reason, regarded as a signal for him to go off. The campfire went slowly out, the stars twinkle down at their reflections in the brook, and a deep breathing of weary men was the only sound that rose in harmony with the purling stream. Before the sun rose next morning, and while many of the brighter stars were still struggling for existence with the approaching day, Joe was up and buckling on the saddlebags while he shouted to his unwilling companions to rise. If it depended on you, he said, the ponies wouldn't be long before they got our scouts. Jump, you dogs, and lend a hand, will you? A snore from Dick and a deep sigh from Henry was the answer to this pathetic appeal. It so happened, however, that Henry's pipe, and falling from his lips, had emptied the ashes just under his nose so that the sigh referred to drew a quantity thereof into his throat and almost choked him. Nothing could have been a more effective awakener. He was up in a moment, coughing vociferously. Most men have a tendency to vent ill-humor on someone, and they generally do it on one whom they deem to be worse than themselves. Henry therefore, instead of growling at Joe for rousing him, scolded Dick for not rising. Ha, mauve's dog, bad chin, will you dare to look at me? Curso did, with amiable placidity, as though to say, howl away, yo boy, I won't budge till Dick does. With a mighty effort, giant sleep was thrown off at last, and the hunters were once more on their journey, cantering lightly over the soft turf. Ho, let's have a run, cried Dick, unable to repress his feelings aroused by the exhilarating morning air. Have a care, boy, cried Joe as they stretched out at full gallop. Keep off the ridge, it's riddled with badger. Ha, I thought so. At that moment, Dick's horse put its foot into a badger hole and turned completely over, sending its rider through the air in a curve that an East Indian acrobat would have envied. For a few seconds, Dick lay flat on his back. Then he jumped up and laughed, while his comrades hurried up anxiously to his assistance. No bones broke, inquired Joe. Dick gave a hysterical gasp. I, I think not. Let's have a look. No, nothing to speak of, be good luck. You should never go slap through a badger country like that, boy. Always keepin' the bottoms, where the grass is short. Now then, up you go, that's it. Dick remounted, though not with quite so elastic a spring as usual, and they pushed forward at a more reasonable pace. Accidents of this kind are common occurrence in the prairies. Some horses, however, are so well trained that they look sharp out for these holes, which are generally found to be most numerous on the high and dry grounds. But in spite of all the caution both of man and horse, many ugly falls take place, and sometimes bones are broken. They had not gone far after this accident, when an antelope leaped from a clump of willows and made for a belt of woodland that lay along the margin of a stream, not half a mile off. Hooray! cried Dick, forgetting his recent fall. Come along, crew so! In a way they went again, full tilt, for the horse had not been injured by its somersault. The antelope, which Dick was thus wildly pursuing, was of the same species as the one he had shot sometime before, namely the prong-horned antelope. These graceful creatures have long, slender limbs, delicately formed heads, and large, beautiful eyes. The horns are black and rather short. They have no branches like the antlers of the red deer, but have a single projection on each horn near the head, and the extreme points of the horns curb suddenly inwards, forming the hook or prong from which the name of the animal is derived. Their color is dark yellowish-brown. They are so fleet that not one horse and a hundred can overtake them, and their sight and sense of smell are so acute that it would be next to impossible to kill them were it not for the inordinate curiosity which we have before referred to. The Indians managed to attract these simple little creatures by merely lying down on their backs and kicking their heels in the air, or by waving any white object on the point of an arrow, while the hunter keeps concealed by lying flat in the grass. By these means, a herd of antelopes may be induced to wheel around and round an object intimidated, but intense surprise, gradually approaching until they come near enough to enable the hunter to make sure of his mark. Thus, the animals, which of all others ought to be the most difficult to slay, are in consequence of their insatiable curiosity more easily shot than any other deer of the plains. May we not gently suggest to the reader, for his or her consideration, that they are human antelopes, so to speak, whose case bears a striking resemblance to the prong horn of the North American prairie? Dick's horse was no match for the antelope, neither was Crusoe, so they pulled up shortly and returned to their companions to be laughed at. It's no men I use to wind your horse-lad after such a game. They're not much worth, and if I mistake not, we'll be among buffalo soon. There's fresh tracks everywhere, and the herds are now scattered. You see, when they keep together in the bands of thousands, you don't so often fall in with them. But when they scatters about in twos and threes and sixes, you may shoot them every day as much as you please. Several groups of buffalo had already been seen on the horizon, but as a red deer had been shot in a belt of woodland the day before, they did not pursue them. The red deer is very much larger than the prong horned antelope, and is highly esteemed both for its flesh and its skin, which latter becomes almost like chamois leather when dressed. Notwithstanding this supply of food, the hunters could not resist the temptation to chase to a herd of about nine buffaloes that suddenly came into view as they overtopped an undulation in the plane. It's no use, cried Dick, I must go at them. Joe himself caught fire from the spirit of his young friend, so calling to Henry to come on and let the pack horse remain to feed, he dashed away in pursuit. The buffalo gave one stare of surprise and then fled as fast as possible. At first it seemed as if a huge unwieldy carcass could not run very fast, but in a few minutes they managed to get up a pace that put the horses to their metal. Indeed, at first it seemed as if the hunters did not gain an inch, but by degrees they closed with them, for buffaloes are not long-winded. On nearing the herd the three men diverged from each other and selected their animals. Henry, being short-sighted, naturally singled out the largest, and the largest, also naturally, was a tough old bull. Joe brought down a fat young cow at the first shot, and Dick was equally fortunate, but he well nigh shot Crusoe, who, just as he was about to fire, rushed in unexpectedly and sprang at the animal's throat, for which piece of recklessness he was ordered back to watch the pack horse. Meanwhile, Henry, by dents of yelling, throwing his arms wildly about and digging his heels into the side of his long-legged horse, succeeded in coming close up with the bull, which once or twice turned his clumsy body half-round and glared furiously at his pursuer with its small black eyes. Suddenly it stuck out its tail, stopped short, and turned full round. Henry stopped short also. Now the sticking out of a buffalo's tail has peculiar significance, which is well to point out. It serves, in a sense, the same purpose to the hunter that the compass does to the mariner. It points out where to go and what to do. When galloping away in ordinary flight, the buffalo carries his tail like ordinary cattle, which indicates that you may push on. When wounded, he lashes it from side to side, or carries it over his back, up in the air. This indicates, look out, haul off a bit. But when he carries it stiff and horizontal, with a slight curve in the middle of it, it says plainly, keep back or kill me as quick as you can, for that is what Indians call the mad lazy, and is a sign that mischievous brewing. Henry's bull displayed the mad tail just before turning, but he didn't observe it, and accordingly waited for the bull to move and show his shoulder for a favorable shot. But instead of doing this, he put his head down and foaming with rage, win at him full tilt. The big horse never stirred. It seemed to be petrified. Henry had just time to fire at the monster's neck, and the next moment was sprawling on his back with the horse rolling over four or five yards beyond him. It was a most effective tableau. Henry rubbing his shins and grinning with pain, the horse gazing in a fright as he rose trembling from the plane and the buffalo bull looking on half stunned and evidently very much surprised at the result of his charge. Fortunately, before he could repeat the experiment, Dick galloped up and put a ball through his heart. Joe and his comrades felt a little ashamed of their exploit on this occasion, for there was no need to have killed three animals. They could not have carried with them more than a small portion of one, and they upgraded themselves several times during the operation of cutting out the tongues and other choice portions of the two victims. As for the bull, he was almost totally useless, so they left him as a gift to the wolves. Now that they had come upon the buffalo, wolves were often seen sneaking about and licking their hungry jaws, but although they approached pretty near to the camp at night, they did not give the hunters any concern. Even Crusoe became accustomed to them at last and ceased to notice them. These creatures are very dangerous sometimes, however, and when hard pressed by hunger will even attack man. The day after this hunt, the travelers came upon a wounded old buffalo, which had evidently escaped from the Indians. For a couple of arrows were sticking in its side, only to fall prey to his deadly enemies, the white wolves. These savage brutes hang on the skirts of the herds of buffaloes to attack and devour anyone that may chance from old age or from being wounded to linger behind the rest. The buffalo is tough and fierce, however, and fights so desperately that, although surrounded by fifty or a hundred wolves, he keeps up the unequal combat for several days before he finally succumbs. The old bull that our travelers discovered had evidently been long engaged with his ferocious adversaries. For his limbs and flesh were torn in shreds in many places and blood was streaming from his sides. Yet he had fought so gallantly that he had tossed and stamped to death dozens of the enemy. There could not have been fewer than fifty wolves around him, and they had just concluded another of many futile attacks when the hunters came up, for they were ranged in a circle around their huge adversary, some lying down, some sitting on their haunches to rest, and others sneaking about, lolling out their red tongues and licking their chops as if impatient to renew the combat. The poor buffalo was nearly spent, and it was clear that a few hours more would see him torn to shreds, and his bones picked clean. Ugg, de brutes, ejaculated Henry. They don't seem to mind us a bit, remarked Dick, as they rode up to within pistol shot. It'll be merciful to give the old fellow a shot, said Joe, the environments are sure to finish him at last. Joe raised his rifle as he spoke and fired. The old bull gave his last groan and fell, while the wolves, alarmed by the shot, fled in all directions, but they did not run far. They knew well that some portion, at least, of the carcass would fall to their share, so they sat down at various distances all around to wait as patiently as they might for the hunters to retire. Dick left the scene with a feeling of regret that the villainous wolves should have their feast so much sooner than they expected. Yet, after all, why should we call these wolves villainous? They did nothing wrong, nothing contrary to the laws of their peculiar nature. Nay, if we come to reason upon it, they rank higher in this matter than man. For while the wolf does no violence to the laws of its instincts, man often deliberately silences the voice of conscience and violates the laws of his own nature. But we will not insist on the term, good reader, if you object strongly to it. We are willing to admit that wolves are not villainous, but assuredly they are unlovable. In the course of the afternoon, the three horsemen reached a small creek, the banks of which were lined with a few stunted shrubs and trees. Having eaten nothing since the night before, they dismounted here to feed, as Joe expressed it. Curious thing, remarked Joe as he struck a light by means of flint, steel, and tenderbox. Curious thing that were made to knead such a lot of grub. If we could only get on like the serpents now, what can breakfast on a rabbit? Then wait a month or two for dinner. Ain't it curves? Dick admitted that it was and stooped to blow the fire into a blaze. Here Henry uttered a cry of consternation and stood speechless with his mouth open. What? What's the matter? What is it? cried Dick and Joe, seizing their rifles instinctively. Dick rubbed him, be forgot. There was a look of blank horror, and then a burst of laughter from Dick Varley. Whale whale, cried he. We've got lots of tea and sugar and some flour. We can get on with that till we shoot another buffalo or aha. Dick observed a wild turkey stalking among the willows as he spoke. It was fully a hundred yards off, and only its head was seen above the leaves. This was a matter of little moment, however, for by aiming a little lower, he knew that he must hit the body. But Dick had driven the nail too often to aim at its body. He aimed at the bird's eye and cut its head off. Fetch it, crew so. In three minutes it was at Dick's feet, and it is not too much to say that in five minutes more it was in the pot. As this unexpected supply made up for the loss of the meat which Henry had forgotten at their last halting place, their equanimity was restored. And while the meal was in preparation, Dick shouldered his rifle and went into the bush to try for another turkey. He did not get one, however, but he shot a couple of prairie hens, which are excellent eating. Moreover, he found a large quantity of wild grapes and plums. These were unfortunately not nearly ripe, but Dick resolved to try his hand at a new dish, so he stuffed the breast of his coat full of them. After the pot was emptied, Dick washed it out and put a little clean water in it. Then he poured some flour in and stirred it well. While this was heating, he squeezed the sour grapes and the plums into what Joe called a mush and mixed it with a spoonful of sugar and emptied it into the pot. He also skimmed a quantity of the fat from the remains of the turkey soup and added that to the mess, which he stirred with earnest diligence till it boiled down into a sort of thick porridge. Do you think it'll be good? asked Joe Gravely. I have me doubts of it. We'll see. Hold the ten dish, Henry. Take Calvary Fingers. Ha! It looks magnificent. So pub. The first spoonful produced an expression on Henry's face that needed not to be interpreted. It was as sour as vinegar. You'll have to eat it yourself, Dick, lad. cried Joe, throwing down a spoon and spitting out the unsavory mess. Nonsense! cried Dick, bolting two or three mouthfuls and trying to look as if he liked it. Try again. It's not so bad as you think. Ho! cried Henry after the second mouthful. Tears of vinegar! All the day's sugar and deepak would not make more sweeter one bite of it. Dick was obliged to confess the dish a failure, so it was thrown out after having been offered to Crusoe, who gave it one sniff and turned away in silence. Then they mounted and resumed their journey. At this place, mosquitoes and horseflies troubled our hunters and their steeds a good deal. The latter especially were very annoying to the poor horses. They bit them so much that the blood at last came trickling down their sides. They were troubled also, once or twice, by cockafers and locusts which annoyed them, not indeed by biting, but by flying blindly against their faces and often narrowly missed hitting them in the eyes. Once particularly, they were so bad that Henry and his wrath opened his lips to pronounce a malediction on the whole race when a cockafur flew straight into his mouth and, to use his own forcible expression, nearly knocked him off the horse. But these were minor evils and scarcely cost the hunters a thought. End of Chapter 11. Chapter 12 of A Dog Crusoe and His Master This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. This reading by Allison Hester of Athens, Georgia. The Dog Crusoe and His Master by R. M. Valentine. Chapter 12. Wanderings on the Prairie A war party chased by Indians A bold leap for life For many days the three hunters wandered over the trackless prairie in search of a village of the Sioux Indians but failed to find one for the Indians were in the habit of shifting their ground and following the buffalo. Several times they saw small isolated bands of Indians but these they carefully avoided, fearing they might turn out to be war parties and if they fell into their hands the white men could not expect civil treatment whatever nations the Indians might belong to. During the greater portion of this time they met with numerous herds of buffalo and deer and were well supplied with food. But they had to cook it during the day being afraid to light a fire at night while Indians were prowling about. One night they halted near the bed of a stream which was almost dry. They had traveled a day and a night without water and both men and horses were almost choking so that when they saw the trees on the horizon which indicated the presence of a stream they pushed forward with almost frantic haste. Hope it's not dry, said Joe anxiously as they galloped up to it. No, there's water lads! And they dashed forward to a pool that had not yet been dried up. They drank long and eagerly before they noticed that the pool was strongly impregnated with salt. Many streams in those parts of the prairies are quite salty but fortunately this one was not utterly undrinkable though it was very unpalatable. We'll make it better lads! Said Joe digging a deep hole in the sand with his hands a little below the pool. In a short time the water filtered through and though not rendered fresh it was nevertheless much improved. We may light a fire tonight, do you think? inquired Dick. We've not seed engines for some days. Perhaps it wouldn't be better not, said Joe. But I dare say we save enough. A fire therefore was lighted in a sheltered a spot as could be found and the three friends bivouacked as usual. Towards dawn they were aroused by an angry growl from Crusoe. It's a wolf likely said Dick but all three seized and cocked their rifles nevertheless. Again Crusoe growled more angrily than before and springing out of the camp snuffed the breeze anxiously. Up lads catch the nags there's something in the wind for the dog never did data for. In a few seconds the horses were saddled and the pack secured. Call in the dog whispered Joe Blunt. If he barks they'll find out our whereabouts. Hear Crusoe come. It was too late. The dog barked loudly and savagely at the moment and a troop of Indians came coursing over the plane. On hearing the unwanted sound they wheeled directly and made for the camp. It's war party lads fly nothing will save our scalps now but our horses heels cried Joe. In a moment they vaulted into the saddle and urged their steeds forward at the utmost speed. The savages observed them and with an exulting yell dashed after them. Feeling that there was now no need of concealment the three horsemen struck off into the open prairie intending to depend entirely on the speed and stamina of their horses. As we have before remarked they were good ones but the Indians soon proved that they were equally well if not better mounted. It'll be a hard run said Joe in a low muttering tone and then looked furtively over his shoulder. The firemen are mounted on wild horses least ways they were wild not long gone. Them chaps can throw the last sow and trip a Mustang as well as a Mexican. Mind the badger holes dick. Hold in a bit Henry you nag don't need a driving. A foot in a hole just now would cost us our scalps. Keep down by the creek lads. Ha how'd they yell said Henry in a savage tone looking back and shaking his rifle at them an act that caused them to yell more fiercely than ever. This old pock horse give me much trouble. The pace was now tremendous. Pursuers and pursued rose and sank on the prairie billows as they swept along till they came to what is termed a dividing ridge which is a cross wave as it were which cuts the other into thus forming a continuous level. Here they advanced more easily but the advantage was equally shared with their pursuers who continued the headlong pursuit with occasional yells which served to show the fugitives that they at least did not gain ground. A little to the right of the direction in which they were flying a blue line was seen on the horizon. This indicated the existence of trees to Joe's practiced eyes and feeling that if the horses broke down they could better make a last manful stand in the wood than on the plains. He urged his steed towards it. The savages noticed the movement at once and uttered a yell of exultation for they regarded it as an evidence that the fugitives doubted the strength of their horses. You haven't got us yet, Mother Joe, with a sardonic grin. If they get near us, Dick, keep your eyes open and look out for your neck. Else they'll drop a noose over it. They will fall you note or near and haul you off like a sack. Dick nodded in reply but did not speak for at that moment his eye was fixed on a small creek ahead which they must necessarily leap or dash across. It was lined with clumps of scattered shrubbery and he glanced rapidly for the most suitable place to pass. Joe and Henry did the same and having diverged the little to the different points chosen they dashed through the shrubbery and were hid from each other's view. On approaching the edge of the stream Dick found to his consternation that the bank was 20 feet high opposite him and too wide for any horse to clear. Wheeling aside without checking speed at the risk of throwing his steed he rode along the margin of the stream for a few hundred yards until he found a ford. At least such a spot as might be cleared by a bold leap. The temporary check however had enabled an Indian to gain so close upon his heels that his exulting yell sounded close in his ear. With a vigorous bound his gallant little horse went over. Crusoe could not take it but he rushed down the one bank and up the other so that he only lost a few yards. These few yards however were sufficient to bring the Indian close upon him as he cleared the stream at full gallop. The savage whirled his lasso swiftly round for a second and in another moment Crusoe uttered a tremendous roar as he was tripped up violently on the plane. Dick heard the cry of his faithful dog and turned quickly round just in time to see him spring at the horse's throat and bring both steed and rider down upon him. Dick's heart leaped to his throat. Had a thousand savages been rushing on him he would have flown to the rescue of his favorite. But an unexpected obstacle came in the way. His fiery little steed excited by the headlong race and howls of the Indians had taken the bit in his teeth and was now unmanageable. He tore at the reins like a maniac and in the height of his frenzy even raised the butt of his rifle with the intent to strike the poor horse to the earth. But his better nature prevailed. He checked the uplifted hand and with a groan dropped the reins and sank almost helplessly forward on the saddle. For several of the Indians had left the main body and were pursuing him alone so that there would have now been no chance of his reaching the place where Crusoe fell even if he could have turned his horse. Spiritless and utterly indifferent to what his fate might be Dick Barley rode along with his head drooping and keeping his seat almost mechanically while the meddlesome little steed flew on over wave and hollow. Gradually he awakened from the state of despair to a sense of danger. Glancing round he observed that the Indians were now far behind him though still pursuing. He also observed that his companions were galloping miles away on the horizon to the left and that he had foolishly allowed the savages to get between him and them. The only chance that remained for him was to outright his pursuers and circle round towards his comrades. And as he hoped to accomplish for his little horse had now proved itself to be superior to those of the Indians and there was good running in him still. Urging him forward therefore he soon left the savages still further behind and feeling confident that they could not now overtake him he reigned up and dismounted. The pursuers quickly drew near but short though it was the rest did the horse good. Vaulting into the saddle he again stretched out and now skirted along the margin of a wood which seemed to mark the position of a river of considerable size. At this moment his horse put his foot into a badger hole and both of them came heavily to the ground. In an instant Dick Rose picked up his gun and leaped unhurt into the saddle but on urging his poor horse forward he found that its shoulder was badly sprained. There was no room for mercy however life and death were in the balance so he plied the lash vigorously and the noble steed warmed into something like a run. When again it stumbled and fell with a crash on the ground while the blood burst from its mouth and nostrils. Dick could hear the shout of triumph uttered by his pursuers. My poor poor horse he exclaimed in a tone of the deepest commiseration while he stopped and stroked its foam studded neck. The dying steed raised his head for a moment it almost seemed as if to acknowledge the tones of affection then it sank down with a gurgling groan. Dick sprang up for the Indians were now upon him and bounded like an antelope into the thickest of the shrubbery which was nowhere thick enough however to prevent the Indians following. Still it sufficiently retarded them to render the chase a more equal one than could have been expected and a few minutes Dick gained a strip of open ground beyond and found himself on the bank of a broad river whose evidently deep waters rushed impetuously along their unobstructed channel. The bank at the spot where he reached it was a sheer precipice of between 30 and 40 feet high. Glancing up and down the river he retreated a few paces turned round and shook his clenched fists at the savages accompanying the action with a shout of defiance and then running to the edge of the bank sprang far out into the boiling flood and sank. The Indians pulled up on reaching the spot there was no possibility of galloping down the wood encumbered banks after the fugitive but quickest thought each red man leaped to the ground and fitting an arrow to his bow awaited Dick's reappearance with eager gaze. Young though he was and unskilled in such warfare Dick knew well enough what sort of reception he would meet with on coming to the surface so he kept under the water as long as he could and struck out as vigorously as the care of his rifle would permit. At last he rose for a few seconds and immediately half a dozen arrows whizzed through the air but most of them fell short. Only one passed close to his cheek and went with a whip into the river. He immediately sank again and the next time he rose to breathe he was far beyond the reach of his Indian enemies. End of chapter 12 Chapter 13 of A Dog Crusoe and His Master This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org This reading by Allison Hester of Athens, Georgia The Dog Crusoe and His Master by R.M. Valentine Chapter 13 Escape from the Indians A Discovery Alone in the Desert Dick Varley had spent so much of his boyhood and sporting about among the waters of the rivers and lakes near which he had been reared and especially during the last two years had spent so much of his leisure time enrolling and diving with his dog Crusoe in the lake of Mustang Valley that he had become almost as expert in the water as a South Sea Islander. So that when he found himself whirling down the rapid river as already described he was more impressed with a feeling of gratitude to God for his escape from the Indians than anxiety about getting ashore. He was not altogether blind or indifferent to the danger into which he might be hurled if the channel of the river should be found lower down to be broken with rocks or should a waterfall unexpectedly appear. After floating down a sufficient distance to render pursuit out of the question he struck it into the bank opposite to that from which he had plunged and clambering up to the green swat above stripped off the greater part of his clothing and hung it on the branches of a bush to dry. Then he sat down on the trunk of a fallen tree to consider what course he had best pursue in his present circumstances. These circumstances were by no means calculated to inspire him with hope or comfort. He was in the midst of an unknown wilderness hundreds of miles from any white man settlement surrounded by savages without food or blanket. His companions gone, he knew not wither perhaps taken and killed by the Indians. His horse dead and his dog the most trusty and loving of all his friends lost to him probably forever. A more veteran heart might have quailed in the midst of such accumulated evils but Dick Varley possessed a strong young and buoyant constitution which united with a hopefulness of disposition that almost nothing could overcome enabled him very quickly to cast aside the gloomy view of his case and turn to its brighter aspects. He still grasped his good rifle and that was some comfort and as his eye fell upon it he turned with anxiety to examine the condition of his powder horn and the few things that he had been fortunate enough to carry away with him about his person. The horn in which western hunters carry about their powder is usually that of an ox. It is closed up at the large end with a piece of hardwood fitted tightly into it and the small end is closed with a wooden peg or stopper. It is therefore completely watertight and may be for hours immersed without the powder getting wet unless the stopper should chance to be knocked out. Dick found to his great satisfaction that the stopper was fast and the powder perfectly dry. Moreover, he had by good fortune filled it full two days before from the package that contained the general stock of ammunition so that there were only two or three charges out of it. His percussion caps however were completely destroyed and even though they had not been it would have mattered little for he did not possess more than half a dozen but this was not so great a misfortune as it first might seem for he had the spare flint locks and the little screwdriver necessary for fixing and unfixing them stowed away in his shock pouch. To examine his supply of bullets was his next care and slowly he counted them out one by one to the number of thirty. This was a pretty fair supply and with careful economy would last him many days Having relieved his mind on these all important points he carefully examined every pouch and corner of his dress to ascertain the exact amount and value of his wealth. Besides the leather leggings moccasins, deerskin, hunting shirt, cap and belt which composed his costume he had a short heavy hunting knife a piece of tender a little tin panicin which he had been in the habit of carrying at his belt and a large cake of maple sugar. This last is a species of sugar which is procured by the Indians from the maple tree. Several cakes of it had been carried off from the Pawnee village and Dick usually carried one in the breast of his coat. Besides these things he found that the little bible for which his mother had made a small inside breast pocket was safe. Dick's heart smoked him when he took it out and undid the clasp for he had not looked at it until that day. It was firmly bound with a brass clasp so that although the binding and edges of the leaves were soaked the inside was quite dry. On opening the book to see if it had been damaged a small paper fell out. Picking it up quickly he unfolded it and read in his mother's handwriting Call upon me in the time of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me my son give me thine heart. Dick's eyes filled with tears while the sound, as it were, of his mother's voice thus reached him unexpectedly in that lonely wilderness. Like too many whose hearts are young and gay Dick had regarded religion if not as a gloomy at least as not a cheerful thing but he felt the comfort of these words at that moment and he resolved seriously to pursue his mother's parting gift in time to come. The sun was hot and a warm breeze gently shook the leaves so that Dick's garments were soon dry. A few minutes served to change the locks of his rifle draw the wet charges dry out the barrels and reload. Then, throwing it across his shoulder he entered the wood and walked lightly away. And, well he might, poor fellow, for at that moment he felt light enough in person if not in heart. His worldly goods were not such as to oppress him but the little note had turned his thoughts towards home and he felt comforted. Traversing the belt of his woodland that marked the course of the river Dick soon emerged on the wide prairie beyond and here he paused in some uncertainty as how he should proceed. He was too good a backwoodsman albeit so young to feel perplexed as to the points of a compass. He knew pretty well what hour it was so that the sun showed him the general bearings of the country and he knew that when night came he could correct his course by the pole star. Dick's knowledge of astronomy was limited. He knew only one star by name and that one was an inestimable treasure of knowledge. His perplexity was owing to his uncertainty as the direction in which his companions and their pursuers had gone for he had made up his mind to follow their trail if possible and to render all the secure his arm might afford to desert them and make for the settlement he held would be a faithless and cowardly act. While they were together Joe Blunt had often talked to him about the route he meant to pursue to the Rocky Mountains so that if they had escaped the Indians he thought there might be some chance of finding them at last but to set against this there was the probability that they had been taken and carried away in a totally different direction or they might have taken to the river as he had done and gone further down without his observing them. Then again if they had escaped they would be sure to return and search the country round for him so that if he left the spot he might miss them. Oh for my dear pup cru so he exclaimed aloud in this dilemma but the fateful ear was shut now and the deep silence that followed his cry was so oppressive that the young hunters sprang forward at a run over the plain as if to fly from solitude. He soon became so absorbed however in his efforts to find the trail of his companions that he forgot all other considerations and ran straightforward for hours together with his eyes eagerly fixed on the ground. At last he felt so hungry having tasted no food since supper time the previous evening that he halted for the purpose of eating a morsel of maple sugar. A line of bushes in the distance indicated water so he sped on again and was soon seated beneath a willow drinking water from the cool stream. No game was to be found here but there were several kinds of berries among which wild grapes and plums grew in abundance. With these and some sugar he made a mill though not a good one for the berries were quite green and intensely sour. All that day Dick Varley followed up the trail of his companions which he discovered at a fort in the river. They had crossed therefore in safety though still pursued so he ran on at a regular trot and with a little more hope than he had felt during the day. Towards night however Dick's heart sank again for he came upon innumerable buffalo tracks among which those of the horses soon became mingled up so that he lost them all together. Hoping to find them again more easily by broad daylight he went to the nearest clump of willows he could find and encamped for the night. Remembering the use formally made of the tall willows he set to work to construct a covering to protect him from the dew. As he had no blanket or buffalo skin he used leaves and grass instead and found it a better shelter than he had expected especially when the fire was lighted and a panic in of hot sugar and water smoked at his feet. But as no game was to be found he was again compelled to sup off unright berries. Before lying down to rest he remembered his resolution and pulling out the little bible read a portion of it by the fitful blaze of the fire and felt great comfort in its blessed words. It seemed to him like a friend with whom he could converse in the midst of his loneliness. The plunge into the river having broken Dick's pipe and destroyed his tobacco he now felt the want of that luxury very severely and never having wanted it before he was greatly surprised to find how much he had become enslaved to the habit. It cost him more than an hour's rest that night the craving for his wanted pipe. The sagacious reader will doubtless not fail here to ask himself the question whether it is wise in man to create in himself an unnatural and totally unnecessary appetite which may and often does entail hours i sometimes months of exceeding discomfort but we would not for a moment presume to suggest such a question to him. We have a distinct objection to the ordinary method of what is called drawing a moral. It is much better to leave wise men to do this for themselves. Next morning Dick rose with the sun and started without breakfast preferring to take his chance of finding a bird or animal of some kind before long to feeding again on sour berries. He was disappointed however in finding the tracks of his companions. The ground here was hard and sandy so that little or no impression of a distinct kind was made on it and as Buffalo's had traversed it in all directions he was soon utterly bewildered. He thought it possible that by running out for several miles in a straight line and then taking a wide circuit round he might find the tracks emerging from the confusion made by the Buffalo's but he was again disappointed for the Buffalo tracks still continued and the ground became less capable of showing a footprint. Soon Dick began to feel so ill and weak from eating such poor fare that he gave up all hope of discovering the tracks and was compelled to push forward at his utmost speed in order to breach a less barren district where he might procure fresh meat. But the further he advanced the worse and more sandy did the district become. For several days he pushed on over this arid waste without seeing bird or beast and to add to his misery he failed at last to find water. For a day and a night he wandered about in a burning fever and his throat so parched that he was almost suffocated. Towards the close of the second day he saw a slight line of bushes away down in a hollow on his right with eager steps he staggered towards them and on drawing near beheld a blessed sight a stream of water glancing in the beams of the setting sun. Dick tried to shout for joy but his parched throat refused to give utterance to the voice. It mattered not exerting all his remaining strength he rushed down the bank dropped his rifle and plunged head foremost into the stream. The first mouthful sent a thrill of horror to his heart. It was as salt as brine. The poor youth's cup of bitterness was now full to overflowing. Crawling out of the stream he sank down on the bank in a species of lethargic torpor from which he awakened the next morning in a raging fever. Delirium soon rendered him insensible to his sufferings. The sun rose like a ball of fire and shone down with scorching power on the arid plain. What mattered it to Dick? He was far away in the shady groves of the Mustang Valley chasing the deer at times but more frequently cooling his limbs and sporting with Crusoe in the bright blue lake. Now he was in his mother's cottage telling her how he had thought of her when he was far away on the prairie and what a bright sweet world it was she had whispered in his ear so unexpectedly too. Anon he was scouring over the plains on horseback with the savages at his heels and at such times Dick would spring with almost supernatural strength from the ground and run madly over the burning plain but as if by a species of fascination he always returned to the Salt River and sank exhausted by its side or plunged helplessly into its waters. These sudden immersions usually restored him for a short time to reason and he would crawl up the bank and gnaw a morsel of the maple sugar but he could not eat much for it was in a tough compact cake which his jaws had not power to break. All that day in the next night he lay on the banks of the salt stream or rushed wildly over the plain. It was about noon of the second day after his attack that he crept slowly out of the water into which he had plunged a few seconds before. His mind was restored but he felt an indescribable sensation of weakness that seemed to him to be the approach of death. Creeping towards the place where his rifle lay he fell exhausted beside it and laid his cheek on the Bible which had fallen out of his pocket there. While his eyes were closed in a dreamy sort of half-waking slumber he felt the rough hairy coat of an animal brush against his forehead. The idea of being torn to pieces by wolves flashed instantly across his mind and with a shriek of terror he sprang up to be almost overwhelmed by the caresses of his fateful dog. Yes there he was bounding around his master barking and whining and giving vent to every possible expression joy. And a Chapter 13 Chapter 14 of the Dog Crusoe and His Master This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org This reading by Alison Hester of Athens, Georgia. The Dog Crusoe and His Master by R. M. Ballantine Chapter 14 Crusoe's return in his private adventures among the Indians. Dick at a very low ebb. Crusoe saves him. The means by which Crusoe managed to escape from his two-legged captors and rejoin his master requires separate and special notice. In the struggle with the fallen horse and Indian which Dick had seen begun but not concluded he was almost crushed to death. And the instant the Indian gained his feet he sent an arrow at his head with savage violence. Crusoe however had been so well used to dodging the blunt-headed arrows that were want to be shot at him by the boys of the Mustang Valley that he was quite prepared and eluded the shaft by an active found. Moreover he uttered one of his own peculiar roars flew at the Indian's throat and dragged him down. At the same moment the other Indians came up and one of them turned aside to rescue. This man happened to have an old gun of the cheap sort at the time exchanged for peltries by the fur traders. With the butt of this he struck Crusoe a blow on the head that sent him sprawling on the grass. The rest of the savages as we have seen continued in pursuit of Dick until he leaped into the river. Then they returned took the saddle and bridle off his dead horse and rejoined their comrades. Here they held a court martial on Crusoe who was now bound foot and muzzle with cords. Some were for killing him. Others who admired his noble appearance and meant size and courage thought it would be well to carry him to their village and keep him. There was a pretty violent dispute on the subject but at length it was agreed that they should spare his life in the meantime and perhaps have a dog dance round him when they got to their wigwams. This dance of which Crusoe was to be the chief though passive performer is peculiar to some of the tribes east of the Rocky Mountains and consists in killing a dog and cutting out its liver which is afterwards sliced and hung on a pole about the height of a man's head. A band of warriors then come and dance wildly round this pole and each one in succession goes up to the raw liver and bites a piece off it without however putting his hands near it. Such is the dog dance and to such was poor Crusoe destined by his fierce characters especially by the one whose throat still bore the very evident marks of his teeth. But Crusoe was much too clever a dog to be disposed of and so disgusting a manner. He had privately resolved in his own mind that he would escape but the hopelessness of his ever carrying that resolution into effect would have been apparent to anyone who could have seen the way in which his muzzle was secured and his four poles were tied together in a bunch as he hung suspended across the saddle of one of the savages. This particular party of Indians who had followed Dick Varley determined not to wait for the return of their comrades who were in pursuit of the other two hunters but to go straight home so for several days they galloped away over the prairie. At nights when they encamped Crusoe was thrown on the ground like a piece of old lumber and left to lie there with a mere scrap of food till morning when he was again thrown across the horse of his captor and carried on. When the village was reached he was thrown again on the ground and would certainly have been torn to pieces in five minutes by the Indian curse which came howling round him had not an old woman came to the rescue and driven them away with the help of her grandson a naked little creature just able to walk or rather to stagger she dragged him to her tent and undoing the line that fastened his mouth offered him a bone although lying in a position that was unfavorable for eating purposes Crusoe opened his jaws and took it an awful crash was followed by two crunches and it was gone and Crusoe looked up in the old squalls face with a look that said plainly another rub the same please and quick as possible the old woman gave him another and then a lump of meat which latter went down in a gulp but he coughed after it and it was well he didn't choke after this the squall left him Can Crusoe spent the remainder of that night gnawing the cords that bound him so diligent was he that he was free before morning and walks deliberately out of the tent then he shook himself and with a yell that one might have fancied was intended for defiance he bounded joyfully away and was soon out of sight to a dog with a good appetite which had been on short allowance for several days the mouthful given to him by the old squall was a mere nothing all that day he kept bounding over the plane from bluff to bluff and searched if something to eat but found nothing until dusk when he pounced suddenly and most unexpectedly on a prairie hand fast asleep in one moment its life was gone in less than a minute its body was gone too feathers and bones and all down Crusoe's ravenous throat on the identical spot Crusoe lay down and slept like a top for four hours at the end of that time he jumped up bolted a scrap of skin that had somehow been overlooked at supper and flew straight over the prairie to the spot where he had had the scuffle with the indian he came to the edge of the river took precisely the same leap that his master had done before him and came out on the other side a good deal higher up than Dick had done for the dog had no savages to dodge and was, as we have said before, a powerful swimmer it cost him a good deal of running about to find the trail and it was nearly dark before he resumed his journey then putting his keen nose to the ground he ran step by step over Dick's track and at last found him as we have shown on the banks of the salt creek it is quite impossible to describe the intense joy which filled Dick's heart on again beholding his favorite only those who have lost and found as such can know it Dick seized him around the neck and hugged him as well as he could poor fellow in his feeble arms then he wept then he laughed and then he fainted this was a consummation that took Crusoe quite a back never having seen his master in such a state before he seemed to think at first that he was playing some trick for he bounded around him and barked and wagged his tail but as Dick lay quite still and motionless he went forward with a look of alarm snuffed him once or twice and whined piteously then he raised his nose in the air and uttered a long melancholy well the cry seemed to revive Dick for he moved and with some difficulty sighed up to the dog's evident relief there is no doubt whatever that Crusoe learned an erroneous lesson that day and was firmly convinced then swore that the best cure for a fainting fit as a melancholy yell so easy it was for the wisest of dogs as well as the men to fall into gross error Crusoe said Dick in a feeble voice dear good pup come here he crawled as he spoke down to the water's edge where there was a level patch of dry sand dig said Dick pointing to the sand Crusoe looked at him in surprise as well he might for he had never heard the word dig in all his life before Dick pondered a minute and then a thought struck him he turned up a little of the sand with his fingers and pointing to the hole he cried seek him out pup ha Crusoe understood that many and many a time he had unhoused rabbits and squirrels and other creatures at that word of command so without a moment's delay he commenced to dig down into the sand every now and then stopping for a moment and shoving in his nose and snuffing interrogatively as if he fully expected to find a buffalo at the bottom of it then he would resume again one paw after another so fast you could scare see them going hand over hand as sailors would have called it while the sand flew out between his hind legs and a continuous shower when the sand accumulated so much behind him as to impede his motions he scraped it out of his way and set to work again with tenfold earnestness after a good while he paused and looked up at dick with an it won't do I fear there's nothing here expression on his face seek him out pup repeated dick oh very good mutely answered the dog and went at it again tooth and nail harder than ever in the course of a quarter of an hour there was a deep yawning hole in the sand into which dick peered with intense anxiety the bottom appeared slightly damp hope now reanimated dick varly and by various devices he succeeded in getting the dog to scrape away a sort of tunnel from the hole into which he might roll himself and put down his lips to drink when the water should rise high enough impatiently and anxiously he lay watching the moisture slowly accumulate in the bottom of the hole drop by drop and while he gazed he fell into a troubled restless slumber and dreamed that cruzo's return was a dream and that he was alone again perishing for want of water when he awakened the hole was full of clear water and cruzo was laughing it greedily back pup he shouted as he crept down to the hole and put his trembling lips to the water it was brackish but drinkable and as dick drank deeply of it he esteemed it at that moment better than nectar here he lay for half an hour alternately drinking and gazing in surprise at his own emaciated visage as reflected in the pool that same afternoon cruzo and a private hunting excursion of his own discovered and caught a prairie hen which he quietly proceeded to devour on the spot when dick who saw what had occurred whistled to him obedience was ingrained in every fiber of cruzo's mental being he did not merely answer at once to the call he sprang to it leaving the prairie hen untasted fetch it pup cried dick eagerly as the dog came up in a few moments the hen was at his feet dick circumstances could not brook the delay of the cookery he gashed the bird with his knife and drank the blood and then gave the flesh to the dog while he crept to the pool again for another draft ah think not reader that although we have treated the subject in a slight vein of pleasantry because it ended well that therefore our tale is pure fiction not only are indians glad to satisfy the urgent cravings of hunger with raw flesh but many civilized men and delicately nurtured have done the same I and doubtless will do the same again as long as enterprising and fearless men shall go forth to dare the dangers of flood and field in the wild places of our wonderful world Crusoe had finished his share of the feast before dick returned from the pool then master and dog lay down together side by side and fell into a long deep peaceful slumber end of chapter 14 chapter 15 of the dog Crusoe and his master this is the LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org this reading by Allison Hester of Athens, Georgia the dog Crusoe and his master by R. M. Valentine chapter 15 health and happiness return incidents of the journey a buffalo shot a wild horse creased dick's battle with a Mustang dick Varley's fears and troubles in the meantime were ended on the day following he awoke refreshed and happy so happy and light at heart as he felt the glow of returning help coursing through his veins that he fancied he must have dreamed at all in fact he was so certain that his muscles were strong that he endeavored to leap up but was powerfully convinced of his true condition by the miserable stagger that resulted from the effort however he knew he was recovering so he rose and thanking God for his recovery and for the new hope that was raised in his heart he went down to the pool and drank deeply of its water then he returned and sitting down beside his dog opened the Bible and read long and for the first time earnestly the story of Christ's love for sinful man he at last fell asleep over the book and when he awakened he felt so much refreshed in body and mind that he determined to attempt to pursue his journey he had not proceeded far when he came upon a colony of prairie dogs upon this occasion he was little inclined to take a humorous view of the vagaries of these little curious creatures but he shot one and as before ate part of it raw these creatures are so active that they are difficult to shoot and even when killed generally fall into their holes and disappear Crusoe however soon unearthed the dead animal on this occasion that night the travelers came to a stream of fresh water and it killed a turkey so that he determined to spend a couple of days there to recruit at the end of that time he set out again but was only able to advance five miles when he broke down in fact it became evident to him that he must have a longer period of absolute repose ere he could hope to continue his journey but to do so without food was impossible fortunately there was plenty of water as his course lay along the margin of a small stream and as the arid piece of prairie was now behind him he hoped to fall in with birds or perhaps deer soon while he was plotting heavily and weirdly along pondering these things he came to the brow of a wave from which he beheld a most magnificent view of green grassy plains decked with flowers and rolling out onto the horizon when a stream meandering through it and clumps of trees scattered everywhere far and wide it was a glorious sight but the most glorious object in it to dick at that time was a fat buffalo which stood grazing not a hundred yards off the wind was blowing towards him so that the animal did not send him and as he came up very slowly and it was turned away it did not see him Crusoe would have sprang for it in an instant but his master's finger imposed silence and caution trembling with eagerness Dick St. flat down in the grass cocked both barrels of his piece and resting it on his left hand with his left elbow on the ground he waited until the animal should present its sight in a few seconds it moved Dick's eye glanced along the barrel but it trembled his wanted steadiness of aim was gone he fired and the buffalo sprang off in terror with a groan of despair he fired again almost recklessly and the buffalo fell it rose once or twice and stumbled forward a few paces and then it fell again meanwhile Dick reloaded with trembling hand and advanced to give it another shot but it was not needful the buffalo was already dead now Crusoe said Dick sitting down on the buffalo's shoulder and patting his favorite on the head we're all right at last you and I shall have a jolly time old pup from this time forward Dick paused for breath and Crusoe wagged his tail and looked as if to say as if we tell you what it is reader it's of no use at all to go on writing as if when we tell you what Crusoe said if there is any language in eyes whatsoever if there is language in a tail in a cocked ear in a mobile eyebrow in the point of a canine nose there is language in any terrestrial thing at all apart from that which flows from the tongue think Crusoe spoke do we not speak at this moment to you and if so then tell me wherein lies the difference between a written letter and a given sign yes Crusoe spoke he said to Dick as plain as the dog could say it slowly and emphatically that's my opinion precisely dick you're the dearest most beloved jolliest fellow that ever walked on two legs you are and whatever's your opinion is mine no matter how absurd it may be Dick evidently understood him perfectly for he laughed as he looked at him and patted him on the head and called him a funny dog then he continued his discourse yes pup we'll make our camp here for a long bed old dog in this beautiful plain we'll make a willow wigwam to sleep in just you and me just in yawn clump of trees not a stone's throw to our right where we'll have a run of pure water beside us and be near our buffalo at the same time for you see we'll need to watch him lest the wolves take a notion to eat him that'll be your duty pup then I'll skin him when I get strong enough which will be in a day or two I hope and we'll put one half of the skin below us and the other half us into camp and sleep and eat and take it easy for a week or two won't we pup hurray shouted Crusoe with a jovial wag of his tail that no human arm with hatter kappa kerchief ever equaled poor Dick Varley he smiled to think how earnestly he had been talking to the dog but he did not cease to do it for although he entered into discourses the drift of which Crusoe's limited education did not permit him to follow he found comfort in hearing the sound of his own voice and in knowing that it fell pleasantly on another ear in that lonely wilderness our hero now set about his preparations as vigorously as he could he cut the buffalo's tongue out a matter of great difficulty to one in his weak state and carried it to a pleasant spot near to the stream where the turf was level and green and decked with wildflowers here he resolved to make his camp his first care was to select a bush whose branches were long enough to form a canopy over his head when bent and the ends thrust into the ground the completing of this exhausted him greatly but after a rest he resumed his labors the next thing was to light a fire a comfort which he had not enjoyed for many weary days not that he required it for warmth for the weather was extremely warm but he required it to cook with and the mere sight of a blaze in a dark place is a most heart-hearing thing as everyone knows when the fire was lighted he filled his panicking at the brook and put it on to boil and cutting several slices of buffalo tongue he thrust short steaks through them and set them up before the fire to roast by this time the water was boiling so he took it off with difficulty nearly burning his fingers and cinching the tail of his coat in so doing into the panicking he put a lump of maple sugar and stirred it about with a stick and tasted it it seemed to him even better than tea or coffee it was absolutely delicious really one has no notion what he can do if he makes believe very hard the human mind is a nicely balanced and extremely complex machine and when thrown a little off balance can be made to believe almost anything as we see in the case of some poor monomaniacs who have fancied that they were made of all sorts of things glass and porcelain and such like no wonder then that poor Dick Varley after so much suffering and hardship came to regard that panicking of hot syrup as the most delicious beverage he ever drank during all these operations Crusoe sat on his haunches beside him and looked and you haven't no you haven't got the most distant notion of the way in which that dog maneuvered with his head and face he opened his eyes wide and cocked his ears and turned his head first a little to one side and then a little to the other after that he turned it a good deal to one side and then a good deal more to the other then he brought it straight and raised one eyebrow a little and then the other a little and then both together very much then when Dick Paul's to rest and did nothing Crusoe looked mild for a moment and yawned vociferously presently Dick moved up went the ears again and Crusoe came in military parlance to the position of attention at last supper was ready and they began Dick had purposely kept the dog supper back from him in order that they might eat it in company and between every bite and suck that Dick took he gave a bite but not a suck to Crusoe thus lovingly they ate together and when Dick lay that night under the willow branches looking up through them at the stars with his feet to the fire and Crusoe close along his side he thought it was the best and sweetest supper he ever ate and the happiest evening he ever spent so wonderfully do circumstances modify our notions of felicity two weeks after this Richard was himself again the muscles were springy and the blood coarsed fast and free as was its want only a slight and perhaps solutary feeling of weakness remained to remind him that young muscles might again become more helpless than those of an aged man or child Dick had left his encampment a week ago and was now advancing by rapid stages toward the Rocky Mountains closely following the trail of his lost comrades which he had no difficulty in finding and keeping now that Crusoe was with him the skin of the buffalo that he had killed was now strapped to his shoulders and the skin of another animal that he had shot a few days after was cut up into a long line and slung in a coil around his neck Crusoe was also laden he had a little bundle of meat slung on each side of him for some time past numerous herds of Mustangs or wild horses had crossed their path and Dick was now on the lookout for a chance to crease one of these magnificent creatures on one occasion a band of Mustangs galloped close up to him before they were aware of his presence and stopped short with a wild snort of surprise on beholding him then wheeling around they dashed away at full gallop their long tails and mains flying wildly in the air and their hooves thundering on the plane Dick did not attempt to crease one upon this occasion fearing that his recent illness might have rendered his hand too unsteady for so extremely delicate an operation in order to crease a wild horse the hunter requires to be a perfect shot and it is not every man of the west who carries a rifle that can do it successfully creasing consists of sending a bullet through the gristle of the Mustangs neck just above the bone so as to stun the animal if the ball enters a hair's breadth too low the horse falls dead instantly if it hits the exact spot the horse falls as instantaneously and dead to all appearance but in reality he is only stunned and if left for a few minutes will rise and gallop away nearly as well as ever when hunters crease the horse successfully they put a rope or halter around his under jaw and hobbles around his feet so that when he rises he is secured and after considerable trouble reduced to obedience the Mustangs which roam and wild freedom on the prairies of the far west are descended from the noble Spanish steeds that were brought over by the wealthy Cavaliers who accompanied Fernando Cortez the conqueror of Mexico in his expedition to the world in 1518 these bold and we may add lawless Cavaliers were mounted on the finest horses that could be procured from the Barbary and the deserts of the old world the poor Indians of the new world were struck with amazement and terror at these awful beings for never having seen horses before they believed that horse and rider were one animal during the wars that followed many of the Spaniards were killed in their steeds bounded into the wilds of the new country to enjoy a life of unrestrained freedom these were the forefathers of the present race of magnificent creatures which are found in immense droves all over the western wilderness from the Gulf of Mexico to the confines of the snowy regions of the far north at first the Indians beheld these horses with awe and terror but gradually they became accustomed to them and finally succeeded in capturing great numbers and reducing them to a state of servitude not however to the service of the cultivated field but to the service of the chase in war the savages soon acquired the method of capturing wild horses by means of the lasso as the noose at that end of a long line of rawhide is termed which they adroitly threw over the heads of the animals and secured them having previously run them down at the present day many of the savage tribes of the west almost live upon horseback and without these useful creatures they could scarcely subsist as they are almost indispensable in the chase of the buffalo Mustangs are regularly taken by the Indians to the settlement of the white men portrayed but very poor specimens are these of the breed of wild horses this arises from two causes first the Indian cannot overtake the finest of a drove of wild mustangs because his own steed is inferior to the best among the wild ones besides being weighted with a rider so that only the weak and inferior animals are captured and secondly when the Indian does succeed in lassoing a first-rate horse he keeps it for his own use thus those who have not visited the far off prairies and seen the Mustang in all the glory of untrammeled freedom can form no adequate idea of its beauty, fleetness and strength the horse however was not the only creature imported by Cortez there were priests in his army who rode upon asses and although we cannot imagine that the fathers charged with the cavaliers and were unhorsed or rather unassed in a battle yet somehow the asses got rid of their riders and joined the Spanish chargers in their joyous bound into a new life of freedom hence wild asses are also found in the western prairies but think not reader of those poor miserable wretches we see at home which seem little better than rough door mats sewed up and stuffed with head, tail and legs attached and just enough of life infused to make the move no the wild ass of the prairie is a large powerful swift creature he has the same long ears it is true and the same hideous exasperating bray in the same tendency to flourish his heels but for all that he is a very fine animal and often wages successful warfare with the wild horse but to return the next drove of mustangs that Dick and Crusoe saw were feeding quietly and unsuspectingly in a rich green hollow in the plain Dick's heart leaped up as his eyes suddenly fell on them for he had almost discovered himself before he was aware of their presence damn pup he whispered as he sank and disappeared among the grass which was just long enough to cover him when lying quite flat Crusoe crouched immediately and his master made his observations of the drove and the dispositions of the ground that might favor his approach for they were not within rifle range having done so he crept slowly back until the undulation of the prairie hid him from view then he sprang to his feet and ran a considerable distance along the bottom until he gained the extreme end of a belt of low bushes which would effectively conceal him while he approached to within 100 yards or less of the truth here he made his arrangements throwing down his buffalo robe he took the coil of line and cut off a piece about three yards in length on this he made a running noose the longer line he also prepared with a running noose these he threw in a coil over his arm he also made a pair of hobbles and placed them in the breast of his coat and then taking up his rifle advanced cautiously through the bushes Crusoe following close behind him in a few minutes he was gazing in admiration at the mustangs which were now within easy shot and utterly ignorant of the presence of man for Dick had taken care to approach in such a way that the wind did not carry the scent of him in their direction and well might he admire them the wild horse of these regions is not very large but it is exceedingly powerful with prominent eye sharp nose distended nostril small feet and a delicate leg their beautiful mains hung at great length down their arched necks and their thick tails swept the ground one magnificent fellow in particular attracted Dick's attention it was of a rich dark brown color with black mane and tail and seemed to be the leader of the drope although not the nearest to him he resolved to crease this horse it is said that creasing generally destroys or damages the spirit of the horse so Dick determined to try whether his powers of close shooting would not serve him on the occasion going down on one knee he aimed at the creature's neck just a hair breath above the spot where he had been told that hunters usually hit them and fired the effect upon the group was absolutely tremendous with wild cries and snorting terror they tossed their proud heads in the air uncertain for one moment in which direction to fly then there was a rush as if a hurricane swept over the place and they were gone but the brown horse was down Dick did not wait until the others had fled he dropped his rifle and with the speed of a deer sprang towards the fallen horse and affixed the hobbles to its leg his aim had been true although scarcely half a minute elapsed between the shop and the fixing of the hobbles the animal recovered and with a frantic exertion rose on his haunches just as Dick had fastened the noose of the short line in his under jaw but this was not enough if the horse had gained his feet before the longer line was placed around his neck he would have escaped as the Mustang made the second violent plunge that placed it on its legs Dick flung the noose hastily it caught on one ear and would have fallen off had the horse not suddenly shaken its head and unwittingly sealed its own fate by bringing the noose around its neck and now the struggle began Dick knew well enough from hearsay the method of breaking down a wild horse he knew that the Indians choked them with the noose around the neck until they fall down exhausted and covered with foam when they creep up fix the hobbles and the line in the lower jaw and then loosen the lasso to let the horse breathe and resume its plunging till it is almost subdued when they gradually draw near and breathe into its nostrils but the violence and strength of this animal rendered this an apparently hopeless task we have already seen that the hobbles and noose in the lower jaw had been fixed so that Dick had nothing now to do but to choke his captive and tire him out while Crusoe remained a quiet though excited spectator of the scene but there seemed to be no possibility of choking this horse either the muscles of his neck were too strong or there was something wrong with the noose which prevented it from acting for the furious creature dashed and bounded backwards and sideways in its terror for nearly an hour dragging Dick after it till he was almost exhausted and yet at the end of that time although flecked with foam and panting with terror it seemed as strong as ever Dick held both lines for the short one attached to its lower jaw gave him great power over it at last he thought of seeking assistance from his dog Crusoe he cried lay hold pup the dog seized the long line in his teeth and pulled with all his might at the same moment Dick let go the short line and threw all his weight upon the long one the noose tightened suddenly under this strain and the Mustang with a gasp fell choking to the ground Dick had often heard of the manner in which the Mexicans break their horses so he determined to abandon the method which had already almost worn him out and adopt the other as far as the means and his power rendered it possible instead therefore of loosening the lasso and recommencing the struggle he tore a branch from the neighboring bush cut the hobbles strode with his legs across the fallen steed seize the end of the short line or bridle and then ordering Crusoe to quit his hold he loosened the noose which compressed the horse's neck and had already well nigh terminated its existence one or two deep sobs restored it and in a moment it leaped to its feet with Dick firmly on its back to say that the animal leaked and kicked in its frantic efforts to throw this intolerable burden would be a tame manner of expressing what took place words cannot adequately describe the scene it reared, plunged, shrieked vaulted into the air stood straight up on its hind legs and then almost as straight upon its forearms that its rider held on like a burr then the Mustang raced wildly forwards a few paces then as wildly back and then stood still and trembled violently but this was only a brief lull in the storm so Dick saw that the time was now come to assert the superiority of his race stay back Crusoe and watch my rifle pup he cried and raising his heavy switch he brought it down with a sharp cut across the horse's flank at the same time loosening the rain which hitherto he had held tight the wild horse uttered a passionate cry and sprang forward like the bolt from a crossbow and now commenced a race which, if not as prolonged was at least as furious as that of the far famed Mazepa Dick was a splendid rider however at least as far as sticking on goes he might not have come up to the precise pitch desiderated by a riding master in regard to carriage etc but he rode that wild horse of the prairie with as much ease as he had formally ridden his own good steed whose bones had been picked by the wolves not long ago the pace was tremendous for the youth's weight was nothing to that muscular frame which bounded with cat-like agility from wave to wave of the undulating plane in ungovernable terror in a few minutes the clump of willows where Crusoe and his rifle lay were out of sight behind but it mattered not for Dick had looked up at the sky and noted the position of the sun at the moment of the starting away they went on the wings of the wind mile after mile over the ocean-like waste curving slightly aside now and then to avoid the bluffs that occasionally appeared on the scene for a few minutes and then swept out of sight behind them then they came to a little rivulet it was a mere brook of a few feet wide in two or three yards perhaps from bank to bank over this they flew so easily that the spring was scarcely felt and continued the headlong course and now a more barren country was around them sandy ridges and scrubby grass appeared everywhere reminding Dick of the place where he had been so ill rocks too were scattered about and at one place the horse dashed with clattering hoops between a couple of rocky sandheels which for a few seconds hid the prairie from view here the Mustang suddenly shied with such violence that his rider was nearly thrown while a rattlesnake darted from the path soon they emerged from this path and again the plains became green and verdant presently a distant line of trees showed that they were approaching water and in a few minutes they were close on it for the first time Dick felt alarm he sought to check his deed but no force he could exert had the smallest influence on it trees and bushes flew past in bewildering confusion the river was before him what width he could not tell but he was reckless now like his charger which he struck with the willow rod with all his force as they came up one tremendous bound and they were across but Dick had to lie flat on the Mustang's back as it crashed through the bushes to avoid being scraped by the trees again they were on the open plain and the wild horse began to show signs of exhaustion now was its rider's opportunity to assert his dominion he plied the willow rod and urged the panting horse on until it was wiped with foam and labored a little in its gait then Dick gently drew the halter and it broke into a trot still tighter and it walked and in another minute stood still trembling in every limb Dick now quietly rubbed its neck and spoke to it in soothing tones then he wheeled it gently round and urged it forward it was quite subdued and docile in a little time they came to the river and forwarded it after which they went through the belt of woodland at a walk by the time they reached the open prairie the Mustang was recovered sufficiently to fill its spirit returning so Dick gave it a gentle touch with the switch and away they went on their return journey but it amazed Dick not a little to find how long that journey was very different was the pace too from the previous mad gallop and often would the poor horse have stopped had Dick allowed him but this might not be the shades of night were approaching and the camp lay a long way ahead at last it was reached and Crusoe came out with great demonstrations of joy but was sent back lest he should alarm the horse then Dick jumped off his back stroked his head put his cheek close to his mouth and whispered softly to him after which he fastened him to a tree and rubbed him down slightly with a bunch of grass having done this he left him to graze as far as his tether would permit and after stopping with Crusoe lay down to rest not a little elated with his success in this first attempt at creasing and breaking a Mustang and of Chapter 15 Chapter 16 of The Dog Crusoe and His Master this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org this reading by Allison Hester of Athens, Georgia The Dog Crusoe and His Master by R. M. Valentine Chapter 16 Dick becomes a horse tamer resumes his journey Charlie's doing misfortunes which lead to but do not terminate in the Rocky Mountains a grizzly bear there is a proverb or saying or at least somebody or book has told us that some Irishman once said be easy if you can't be easy be easy as you can now we count that as good advice and strongly recommend it to all in sundry had we been at the side of Dick Varley on the night after his taming of the wild horse we would have strongly urged that advice upon him whether he would have listened or not is quite another question we rather think not reader if you wish to know why go and do what he did and if you feel no curious sensations about the region of the loins after it we will tell you why Dick Varley wouldn't have listened to that advice can a man feel as if his joints were wrenched out of their sockets and listened to advice be that advice good or bad can he feel as though these joints were trying to reset and redislocate themselves perpetually and listened to advice can he feel as if he were sitting down on red hot iron when he's not sitting down at all and listened to advice can he but no why pursue the subject poor Dick spent that night in misery and the greater part of the following day in sleep to make up for it when he got up to breakfast in the afternoon he felt much better but shaky now pup he said stretching himself will go see our horse ours pup yours in mine didn't you help catch him hey pup Crusoe acknowledged the fact with a wag and a playful bow wow wow wow and followed his master to the place where the horse had been picketed it was standing there quiet quiet but looking a little timid Dick went boldly up to it and padded its head and stroked its nose for nothing is so likely to alarm either a tame or a wild horse as any appearance of timidity or hesitation on the part of those who approach him after treating it thus for a short time he stroked down its neck and then its shoulders the horse eyeing him all the time nervously gradually he stroked its back and limbs gently and walked quietly round and round it once or twice sometimes approaching and sometimes going away but never either hesitating or doing anything abruptly this done he went down to the stream and filled his cap with water and carried it to the horse which snuffed suspiciously and backed a little so he laid the cap down and went up and padded him again presently he took up the cap and carried it to his nose the poor creature was almost choking with thirst so that the moment he understood what was in the cap he buried his lips in it and sucked it up this was a great point gained he had accepted a benefit at the hands of his new master he had become a debtor to man and no doubt he felt the obligation dick filled the cap and the horse emptied it again and again and again until its burning thirst was slacked then dick went up to his shoulder padded him undid the line that fastened him and vaulted lightly on his back we say lightly for it was so but it wasn't easily as dick could have told you however he was determined not to forego the training of his steed on account of what he would have called a little bit pain at this unexpected act the horse plunged and reared a good deal and seemed inclined to go through the performance of the day before over and over again but dick padded and stroked him into quiescence and having done so urged him into a gallop over the planes causing the dog to gamble all around in order that he might get accustomed to him this tried his nerves a great deal and no wonder for if he took Caruso for a wolf which no doubt he did he must have thought him a very giant of the pack by degrees they broke into a furious gallop and after breathing him well dick returned and tied him to the tree then he rubbed him down again and gave him another drink this time the horse melt his new master all over and dick felt that he had conquered him by kindness no doubt the tremendous run of the day before could scarcely be called kindness but without this subduing run he never could have brought the offices of kindness to bear on so wild a steed during all these operations Cruso sat looking on with demure sagacity drinking in wisdom and taking notes we know not whether any notes made by the canine race have ever been given to the world but certain are we that if the notes and observations made by Cruso on that journey were published they would to say the least surprise us next day dick gave the wild horse his second lesson and his name he called him Charlie after a much loved companion in the Mustang Valley and long and heartily did Dick Varley laugh as he told the horse's future designation in the presence of Cruso for it struck him as somewhat ludicrous that a Mustang which two days ago pawled the earth in all the pride of independent freedom should suddenly come down so low as to carry a hunter on his back and be named Charlie the next piece of instruction began by Cruso being led up under Charlie's nose while dick patted the dog with his right hand he patted the horse with his left it backed a good deal at first and snorted but Cruso walked slowly and quietly in front of him several times each time coming nearer until again he stood under his nose then the horse smelled him nervously and gave a sigh of relief when he found that Cruso paid no attention to him whatever dick then ordered the dog to lie down at Charlie's feet and went to the camp to fetch his rifle and buffalo robe and pack of meat these and all the other things belonging to him were presented for inspection one by one to the horse who arched his neck and put forward his ears and eyed them at first but smelt them all over and seemed to feel more easy in his mind next the buffalo robe was rubbed over his nose then over his eyes and head then down his neck and shoulder and lastly was placed on his back then it was taken off and flung on after that it was strapped on and the various little items of the camp were attached to it this done dick took up his rifle and let him smell it then he put his hand on Charlie's shoulder vaulted on to his back and rode away Charlie's education was completed and now our hero's journey began again in earnest and with some prospect of its speedy termination in the course of training through which dick put his wild horse he had been at much greater pains and had taken far longer time than is usually the case among Indians who will catch and break and ride a wild horse into camp in less than three hours but dick wanted to do the thing well which the Indians are not careful to do besides it must be born in remembrance that this was his first attempt and that his horse was one of the best and most high spirited while those caught by the Indians as we have said are generally the poorest of a drove dick now followed the trail of his lost companions at a rapid pace yet not so rapidly as he might have done being averse to exhausting his good dog and his new companion each night he encamped under the shade of a tree or bush when he could find one or in the open prairie when there were none and picketing his horse to a short stake or pen which he carried with him for purpose lit his fire had supper and lay down to rest in a few days Charlie became so tame and accustomed to his master's voice that he seemed quite reconciled to his new life there can be no doubt whatever that he had a great dislike to solitude for on one occasion when dick and Crusoe went off a mile or so from the camp where Charlie was tied and disappeared from his view he was heard to nay so loudly that dick ran back thinking the wolves must have attacked him he was all right however and exhibited evident tokens of satisfaction when they returned on another occasion his fear of being left alone was more clearly demonstrated dick had been unable to find wood or water that day so he was obliged to encamp upon the open plain the want of water was not seriously felt however for he had prepared a bladder in which he always carried enough to give him one panikin of hot syrup and leave a mouthful for Crusoe and Charlie dried buffalo dung formed a substitute for fuel spreading his buffalo rope he lit his fire put on his panikin to boil and stuck up a piece of meat to roast to the great delight of Crusoe who sat looking on with much interest suddenly Charlie who was picketed a few hundred yards off in a grassy spot broke his halter close by the headpiece and with a snort of delight bounded away prancing and kicking up his heels dick heaved a deep sigh for he felt sure that his horse was gone however in a little Charlie stopped and raised his nose high in the air as if to look for his old equine companions but they were gone no answering nay replied to his and he felt probably for the first time that he was really alone in the world having no power of smell whereby he might have traced them out as a dog would have done he looked in a bewildered and excited state all around the horizon then his eye fell on dick and Crusoe sitting by their little fire Charlie looked hard at them and then again at the horizon and then coming to the conclusion no doubt that the matter was quite beyond his comprehension he quietly took to feeding dick availed himself of the chance and tried to catch him but he spent an hour with Crusoe in the vain attempt and at last they gave it up and discussed and returned to the fire where they finished their supper and went to bed next morning they saw Charlie feeding close at hand so they took breakfast and tried to catch him again but it was of no use he was evidently coqueting with them and dodged about and defied their utmost efforts for there was only a few inches of line hanging to his head at last it occurred to dick that he would try the experiment of forsaking him so he packed up his things rolled up the buffalo robe threw it and the rifle on his shoulder and walked deliberately away come along Crusoe he called after walking a few paces but Crusoe stood by the fire with his head up and an expression on his face that said hello man what's wrong you forgot Charlie hold on are you mad come here Crusoe cried his master in a decided tone Crusoe obeyed at once whatever mistake there might be there was evidently none in that command so he lowered his head and tail humbly and tried it on with his master but he perpetually turned his head as he went first on this side and then on that to look and wonder at Charlie when they were far away on the plane Charlie suddenly became aware that something was wrong he trotted to the brow of a slope with his head and tail very high up indeed and looked after them and then he looked at the fire and made then he trotted quickly up to it and seeing that everything was gone he began to knave violently and at last started off at full speed and overtook his friends passing within a few feet of them and wheeling round a few yards off stood trembling like an aspen leaf Dick called him by his name and advanced while Charlie met him halfway and allowed himself to be saddled bridled and mounted forthwith after this Dick had no further trouble with his wild horse at his next camping place which was in the midst of a cluster of bushes close beside a creek Dick came unexpectedly upon a little wooden cross which marked the head of a grave there was no inscription on it but the Christian symbol told that it was a grave of a white man it is impossible to describe the rush of mingled feelings that filled the soul of the young hunter as he leaned on the muzzle of his rifle and looked at this solitary resting place of one who doubtless like himself had been a roving hunter had he been younger old when he fell had he a mother in the distant settlement who watched and longed and waited for the sun that was never more to gliden her eyes had he been murdered or had he died there and been buried by a sorrowing comrades these and a thousand questions passed rapidly through his mind as he gazed at the little cross suddenly he started could it be the grave of Joe or Henry for an instant the idea sent a chill to his heart but it passed quickly for a second glance showed that the grave was old and that the wooden cross had stood over it for years Dick turned away with a saddened heart and that night as he poured over the pages of his bible his mind was filled with many thoughts about eternity and the world to come he too must come to the grave one day and quit the beautiful prairies and his loved rifle it was a sad thought but while he meditated he thought upon his mother after all he murmured there must be happiness without the rifle and youth and health and the prairie my mother's happy yet she don't shoot or ride like wildfire over the plains then that word which had been sent so sweetly to him through her hand came up again to his mind my son give me thine heart and as he read God's book he met with the word delight thyself in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart the desires of thine heart Dick repeated this and pondered it till he fell asleep a misfortune soon after this befell Dick Varley which well nigh caused him to give way to despair for some time past he had been approaching the eastern slopes of the rocky mountains those jagged mighty hills which run through the whole continent from north to south in a continuous chain in form as it were the backbone of America one morning as he threw the buffalo robe off his shoulders and sat up he was horrified to find the whole earth covered with a mantle of snow we say he was horrified for this rendered it absolutely impossible any further to trace his companions either by sight or scent for some time he sat musing bitterly on his sad fate while his dog came and laid his head sympathizingly on his arm aw pup he said I know you'd help me if you could but it's all up now there's no chance of finding them none to this Crusoe replied by a low whine he knew full well that something distressed his master but he hadn't yet ascertained what it was as something had to be done Dick put the buffalo robe on his steed and mounting said as he was in the habit of doing each morning lead on pup Crusoe put his nose to the ground and ran forward a few paces then he returned and ran about snuffing and scraping up the snow at last he looked up and uttered a low melancholy howl aw I knowed it said Dick pushing forward come on pup you'll have to follow now anyway we must go on the snow that had fallen was not deep enough to offer the slightest obstruction to their advance it was indeed only one of those occasional showers common to that part of the country in late autumn which season had now crept upon Dick almost before he was aware of it and he fully expected that it would melt away in a few days in this hope he kept steadily advancing until he found himself in the midst of those rocky fastnesses which divided the waters that flow into the Atlantic from those that flow into the pacific ocean still the slight crust of snow lay on the ground and he had no means of knowing whether he was going in the right direction or not game was abundant and there was no lack of wood now so that his night bieberwack was not so cold or dreary as might have been expected traveling however had become difficult and even dangerous owing to the rugged nature of the ground over which he proceeded the scenery had completely changed in its character Dick no longer coursed over the free open plains but he passed through beautiful valleys filled with luxuriant trees and hemmed in by stupendous mountains whose rugged size rose upward until the snow clad peaks pierced the clouds there was something awful in these dark solitudes quite overwhelming to a youth of Dick's temperament his heart began to sink lower and lower every day and the utter impossibility of making up his mind what to do became at length agonizing to have turned and gone back the hundreds of miles over which he had traveled would have caused him some anxiety under any circumstances but to do so while Joe and Henry were either wandering about there or in the power of the savages was he felt out of the question yet in which way should he go whatever course he took might lead him further and further away from them in this dilemma he came to the determination of remaining where he was at least until the snow should lead the ground he felt great relief even when this hopeless course was decided upon and set about making himself an encampment with some degree of cheerfulness when he had completed this task he took his rifle and leaving Charlie picketed in the center of Adele where the long rich grass roads high above the snow went off to hunt on turning a rocky point his heart suddenly bounded into his throat for there not 30 yards distant stood a huge grizzly bear yes there he was at last the monster to meet which the young hunter had so often longed the terrible size and fierceness of which he had heard so often spoken about by the old hunters there it stood at last but little did Dick Varley think that the first time he should meet with this foe should be when he was alone in the dark recesses of the Rocky Mountains and with none to secure him in the event of a battle going against him yes there was one the faithful Crusoe stood by his side with his hair bristling all his formidable teeth exposed and his eyes glaring in their sockets alas for poor Crusoe had he gone into that combat alone one stroke of that monster's paw would have hurled him dead upon the ground end of chapter 16