The Big Otter - Robert Michael Ballantyne (most difficult books to read TXT) 📗

is true," remarked Salamander.

"Hold yer noise!" said Bane. "Well, sur, Tougall went on, an' sure enough the very next step down he went up to the neck--"

"No, Tonald," interrupted Dougall, "it wass not up to the neck; it wass only to the waist. The nixt after that it wass up to the neck, but _then_ I wass soomin'."

"Ye would hey bin soomin' yet, Shames, if I had not pulled ye oot," said his friend.

"Oo ay, Tonald Pane. That iss true, but--"

"Well, Dougall," interrupted Lumley at this point, "it will be better to dry your garments than discuss the question just now. We will encamp here, so go to work, boys."

There was no need for more. During our long journey into these far-off wilds each man had fallen into his allotted place and work, and the force of habit had made us so like machines that I think if we had suddenly become a party of somnambulists we would have gone through the same actions each evening on landing.

Accordingly, Lumley and I gathered small branches and rekindled the Indians' fire, which had by that time almost gone out. Marcelle Dumont being professionally a forger of axes, and Henri Coppet, being an artificer in wood, went off to cut down trees for firewood; and Donald Bane with his friend set about cutting up and preparing the venison, while Blondin superintended and assisted Salamander and the others in landing the cargo, and hauling up the boat.

"Max," said Lumley to me that evening during an interval in our devotion to steaks and marrow-bones, "look around for a moment if you can tear your gross mind from the contemplation of food, and tell me what you see?"

He made a sweep with his arm to indicate the surrounding scenery, which was at the moment irradiated by the after-glow of the setting sun, as well as the brightening beams of the full moon.

"I see," said I, looking up, "a lovely lake, dotted with islets of varied shape and size, with the pale moon reflected almost unbroken in its glassy waters."

"What else do you see?" asked Lumley.

"I see around and beyond a prospect of boundless woodland, of plain, mound, hill, lake, and river, extending with a grand sweep that suggests ideas which can only be defined by the word Immensity. I see altogether a scene the like of which I never looked upon before--a scene of beauty, peacefulness, and grandeur which gladdens the eye to behold and fills the heart with gratitude to its Maker."

"You say well, Max," returned my friend, "and it seems to me that we may regard this Lake Wichikagan which we now look upon as our inheritance in the wilderness, and that the spot on which we now sit shall be, for some time at least, our future home."


CHAPTER NINE.


A BRIGHT APPARITION--FOLLOWED BY RUMOURS OF WAR.

While we were thus feasting and chatting on the green sward of the region which seemed destined to be our future home, an object suddenly appeared among the bushes, near the edge of the circle of light cast by our camp-fire.

This object was by no means a frightful one, yet it caused a sensation in the camp which could hardly have been intensified if we had suddenly discovered a buffalo with the nose of an elephant and the tail of a rattlesnake. For one moment we were all struck dumb; then we all sprang to our feet, but we did not seize our firearms--oh no!--for there, half concealed by the bushes, and gazing at us in timid wonder, stood a pretty young girl, with a skin much fairer than usually falls to the lot of Indian women, and with light brown hair as well as bright blue eyes. In all other respects--in costume, and humble bearing--she resembled the women of the soil.

I would not willingly inflict on the reader too much of my private feelings and opinions, but perhaps I may be excused for saying that I fell over head and ears in love with this creature at once! I make no apology for being thus candid. On the contrary, I am prepared rather to plume myself on the quick perception which enabled me not only to observe the beauty of the girl's countenance, but, what is of far more importance, the inherent goodness which welled from her loving eyes. Yes, reader, call me an ass if you will, but I unblushingly repeat that I fell--tumbled--plunged headlong in love with her. So did every other man in the camp! There is this to be said in excuse for us, that we had not seen any members of the fair sex for many months, and that the sight of this brilliant specimen naturally aroused many pleasant recollections of cousins, sisters, nieces, aunts, mothers, grandmothers--well, perhaps I am going too far; though, after all, the tender, loving-kindness in this girl's eyes might well have suggested grandmothers!

Before any of us could recover the use of our limbs, Big Otter had glided rapidly towards the girl. Grasping her by the hand, he led her towards Lumley, and introduced her as his sister's daughter, Waboose.

The red-man was evidently proud as well as fond of his fair niece, and equally clear did it become in a short time that the girl was as fond and proud of him.

"Your relative is very fair," said Lumley. "She might almost have been the daughter of a white man."

"She _is_ the daughter of a white man."

"Indeed!"

"Yes; her father was a white hunter who left his people and came to dwell with us and married my sister. He was much loved and respected by us. He lived and hunted and went on the war-path with us for many years--then he was killed."

"In war?" I asked, beginning to feel sympathetic regard for the father of one who had stirred my heart to--but, I forget. It is not my intention to bore the reader with my personal feelings.

"No," answered the Indian. "He perished in attempting to save his wife from a dangerous rapid. He brought her to the bank close to the head of a great waterfall, and many hands were stretched out to grasp her. She was saved, but the strength of the brave pale-face was gone, and we knew it not. Before we could lay hold of his hand the current swept him away and carried him over the falls."

"How sad!" said Lumley. "What was the name of this white man?"

"He told us that his name was Weeum--but," said the Indian, turning abruptly to Waboose, whose countenance betrayed feelings which were obviously aroused by other matters than this reference to her lost father, "my child has news of some sort. Let her speak."

Thus permitted, Waboose opened her lips for the first time--disclosing a double row of bright little teeth in the act--and said that she had been sent by her mother in search of Maqua and his son, as she had reason to believe that the camp was in danger of being attacked by Dogrib Indians.

On hearing this, Maqua and Mozwa rose, picked up their weapons, and without a word of explanation entered the bushes swiftly and disappeared.

Big Otter looked after them for a moment or two in grave silence.

"You had better follow them," suggested Lumley. "If you should require help, send a swift messenger back and we will come to you."

The Indian received this with a quiet inclination of the head, but made no reply. Then, taking his niece by the hand, he led her into the bushes where his relatives had entered and, like them, disappeared.

"It seems like a dream," said I to Lumley, as we all sat down again to our steaks and marrow-bones.

"What seems like a dream, Max--the grub?"

"No, the girl."

"Truly, yes. And a very pleasant dream too. Almost as good as this bone."

"Oh! you unsentimental, unsympathetic monster. Does not the sight of a pretty young creature like that remind you of home, and all the sweet refining influences shed around it by woman?"

"I cannot say that it does--hand me another; no, not a little thing like that, a big one full of marrow, so--. You see, old boy, a band of beads round the head, a sky-blue cloth bodice, a skirt of green flannel reaching only to the knees, cloth leggings ornamented with porcupine quills and moccasined feet, do not naturally suggest my respected mother or sisters."

For the first time in our acquaintance I felt somewhat disgusted with my friend's levity, and made no rejoinder. He looked at me quickly, with slightly raised eyebrows, and gave a little laugh.

With a strong effort I crushed down my feelings, and said in a tone of forced gaiety:--

"Well, well, things strike people in strangely different lights. I thought not of the girl's costume but her countenance."

"Come, then, Max," returned my friend, with that considerate good nature which attracted men so powerfully to him, "I admit that the girl's face might well suggest the thought of dearer faces in distant lands--and especially her eyes, so different from the piercing black orbs of Indian squaws. Did you note the--the softness, I was going to say truthfulness, of her strangely blue eyes?"

Did I note them! The question seemed to me so ridiculous that I laughed, by way of reply.

I observed that Lumley cast on me for the second time a sharp inquiring glance, then he said:--

"But I say, Max, we must have our arms looked to, and be ready for a sudden call. You know that I don't love fighting. Especially at the commencement of our sojourn would I avoid mixing myself up with Indians' quarrels; but if our guide comes back saying that their camp is in danger, we must help him. It would never do, you know, to leave women and children to the mercy of ruthless savages."

"Leave woman and children!" I exclaimed vehemently, thinking of only one woman at the moment, "I should _think_ not!"

The tone of indignation in which I said this caused my friend to laugh outright.

"Well, well," he said, in a low tone, "it's a curious complaint, and not easily cured."

What he meant was at the time a mystery to me. I have since come to understand.

"I suppose you'll all agree with me, lads," said Lumley to the men who sat eating their supper on the opposite side of the fire, and raising his voice, for we had hitherto been conversing in a low tone, "if Big Otter's friends need help we'll be ready to give it?"

Of course a hearty assent was given, and several of the men, having finished supper, rose to examine their weapons.

The guns used by travellers in the Great Nor'-west in those days were long single-barrels with flint-locks, the powder in which was very apt to get wet through priming-pans and touch-holes, so that frequent inspection was absolutely necessary.

As our party consisted of twelve men, including ourselves, and each was armed--Lumley and myself with double-barrelled fowling-pieces--we were able, if need be, to fire a volley of fourteen shots. Besides this, my chief and I carried revolvers, which weapons had only just been introduced into that part of the country.