Rolf In The Woods - Ernest Thompson Seton (interesting books to read for teens .TXT) 📗

Foot In

One Of These Dangerous Pitfalls: Besides Which,  Each Chuck Den

Was The Hub Centre Of An Area Of Desolation Whenever Located,  As

Mostly It Was,  In The Cultivated Fields.  Undoubtedly The Damage

Was Greatly Exaggerated,  But The Farmers Generally Agreed That

The Woodchuck Was A Pest.

 

Whatever Resentment The Tiller Of The Soil Might Feel Against The

Indian's Hunting Quail On His Land,  He Always Welcomed Him As A

Killer Of Woodchucks.

 

And The Indian Looked On This Animal As Fair Game And Most

Excellent Eating.

 

Rolf Watched Eagerly When Quonab,  Taking His Bow And Arrows,  Said

They Were Going Out For A Meat Hunt. Although There Were Several

Fields With Woodchucks Resident,  They Passed Cautiously From One

To Another,  Scanning The Green Expanse For The Dark-Brown Spots

That Meant Woodchucks Out Foraging.  At Length They Found One,

With A Large And Two Small Moving Brown Things Among The Clover.

The Large One Stood Up On Its Hind Legs From Time To Time,  Ever

Alert For Danger.  It Was A Broad,  Open Field,  Without Cover; But

Close To The Cleared Place In Which,  Doubtless,  Was The Den,

There Was A Ridge That Quonab Judged Would Help Him To Approach.

 

Rolf Was Instructed To Stay In Hiding And Make Some Indian Signs

That The Hunter Could Follow When He Should Lose Sight Of The

Prey.  First,  "Come On" (Beckoning); And,  Second,  "Stop," (Hand

Raised,  Palm Forward); "All Right" (Hand Drawn Across Level And

Waist High); Forefinger Moved Forward,  Level,  Then Curved

Straight Down,  Meant "Gone In Hole." But Rolf Was Not To Sign

Anything Or Move,  Unless Quonab Asked Him By Making The Question

Sign (That Is Waving His Hand With Palm Forward And Spread

Fingers).

 

Quonab Went Back Into The Woods,  Then Behind The Stone Walls To

Get Around To The Side Next The Ridge,  And Crawling So Flat On

His Breast In The Clover That,  Although It Was But A Foot High,

He Was Quite Invisible To Any One Not Placed Much Above Him.

 

In This Way He Came To The Little Ridge Back Of The Woodchuck

Den,  Quite Unknown To Its Occupants.  But Now He Was In A

Difficulty.  He Could Not See Any Of Them.

 

They Were Certainly Beyond Range Of His Bow,  And It Was Difficult

To Make Them Seek The Den Without Their Rushing Into It.  But He

Was Equal To The Occasion.  He Raised One Hand And Made The Query

Sign,  And Watching Rolf He Got Answer,  "All Well; They Are There."

(A Level Sweep Of The Flat Hand And A Finger Pointing Steadily.)

Then He Waited A Few Seconds And Made Exactly The Same Sign,

Getting The Same Answer.

 

He Knew That The Movement Of The Distant Man Would Catch The Eye

Of The Old Woodchuck; She Would Sit Up High To See What It Was,

And When It Came A Second Time She Would,  Without Being Exactly

Alarmed,  Move Toward The Den And Call The Young Ones To Follow.

 

The Hunter Had Not Long To Wait.  He Heard Her Shrill,  Warning

Whistle,  Then The Big Chuck Trotted And Waddled Into Sight,

Stopping Occasionally To Nibble Or Look Around. Close Behind Her

Were The Two Fat Cubs.  Arrived Near The Den Their Confidence Was

Restored,  And Again They Began To Feed,  The Young Ones Close To

The Den.  Then Quonab Put A Blunt Bird Dart In His Bow And Laid

Two Others Ready.  Rising As Little As Possible,  He Drew The Bow.

'Tsip! The Blunt Arrow Hit The Young Chuck On The Nose And Turned

Him Over.  The Other Jumped In Surprise And Stood Up.  So Did The

Mother.  'Tsip! Another Bolt And The Second Chuck Was Kicking.

But The Old One Dashed Like A Flash Into The Underground Safety

Of Her Den.  Quonab Knew That She Had Seen Nothing Of Him And

Would Likely Come Forth Very Soon.  He Waited For Some Time; Then

The Gray-Brown Muzzle Of The Fat Old Clover-Stealer Came Partly

To View; But It Was Not Enough For A Shot,  And She Seemed To Have

No Idea Of Coming Farther.  The Indian Waited What Seemed Like A

Long Time,  Then Played An Ancient Trick.  He Began To Whistle A

Soft,  Low Air.  Whether The Chuck Thinks It Is Another Woodchuck

Calling,  Or Merely A Pleasant Sound,  Is Not Known,  But She Soon

Did As Her Kind Always Does,  Came Out Of The Hole Slowly And Ever

Higher,  Till She Was Half Out And Sitting Up,  Peering About.

 

This Was Quonab's Chance.  He Now Drew A Barbed Hunting Arrow To

The Head And Aimed It Behind Her Shoulders. 'Tsip! And The Chuck

Was Transfixed By A Shaft That Ended Her Life A Minute Later,  And

Immediately Pre- Vented That Instinctive Scramble Into The Hole,

By Which So Many Chucks Elude The Hunter,  Even When Mortally

Wounded.

 

Now Quonab Stood Up Without Further Concealment,  And Beckoned To

Rolf,  Who Came Running.  Three Fat Woodchucks Meant Abundance Of

The Finest Fresh Meat For A Week; And Those Who Have Not Tried It

Have No Idea What A Delicacy Is A Young,  Fat,  Clover-Fed

Woodchuck,  Pan-Roasted,  With Potatoes,  And Served At A Blazing

Campfire To A Hunter Who Is Young,  Strong,  And Exceedingly Hungry.

 

Chapter 13 (The Fight With The Demon Of The Deep)

One Morning,  As They Passed The Trail That Skirts The Pond,

Quonab Pointed To The Near Water. There Was Someting Afloat Like

A Small,  Round Leaf,  With Two Beads Well Apart,  On It.  Then Rolf

Noticed,  Two Feet Away,  A Larger Floating Leaf,  And Now He Knew

That The First Was The Head And Eyes,  The Last The Back,  Of A

Huge Snapping Turtle.  A Moment More And It Quickly Sank From

View.  Turtles Of Three Different Kinds Were Common,  And Snappers

Were Well Known To Rolf; But Never Before Had He Seen Such A Huge

And Sinister-Looking Monster Of The Deep.

 

"That Is Bosikado.  I Know Him; He Knows Me," Said The Red Man.

"There Has Long Been War Between Us; Some Day We Will Settle It.

I Saw Him Here First Three Years Ago.  I Had Shot A Duck; It

Floated On The Water.  Before I Could Get To It Something Pulled

It Under,  And That Was The Last Of It.  Then A Summer Duck Came

With Young Ones. One By One He Took Them,  And At Last Got Her.

He Drives All Ducks Away,  So I Set Many Night Lines For Him.  I

Got Some Little Snappers,  Eight And Ten Pounds Each.  They Were

Good To Eat,  And Three Times Already I Took Bosikado On The

Hooks,  But Each Time When I Pulled Him Up To The Canoe,  He Broke

My Biggest Line And Went Down.  He Was As Broad As The Canoe; His

Claws Broke Through The Canoe Skin; He Made It Bulge And Tremble.

He Looked Like The Devil Of The Lake.  I Was Afraid!

 

"But My Father Taught Me There Is Only One Thing That Can Shame A

Man -- That Is To Be Afraid,  And I Said I Will Never Let Fear Be

My Guide.  I Will Seek A Fair Fight With Bosikado.  He Is My

Enemy.  He Made Me Afraid Once; I Will Make Him Much Afraid.  For

Three Years We Have Been Watching Each Other.  For Three Years He

Has Kept All Summer Ducks Away,  And Robbed My Fish-Lines,  My

Nets,  And My Muskrat Traps.  Not Often Do I See Him -- Mostly

Like Today.

 

"Before Skookum I Had A Little Dog,  Nindai.  He Was A Good Little

Dog.  He Could Tree A Coon,  Catch A Rabbit,  Or Bring Out A Duck,

Although He Was Very Small.  We Were Very Good Friends.  One Time

I Shot A Duck; It Fell Into The Lake; I Called Nindai.  He Jumped

Into The Water And Swam To The Duck.  Then That Duck That I

Thought Dead Got Up And Flew Away,  So I Called Nindai.  He Came

Across The Water To Me.  By And By,  Over That Deep Place,  He

Howled And Splashed.  Then He Yelled,  Like He Wanted Me. I Ran

For The Canoe And Paddled Quick; I Saw My Little Dog Nindai Go

Down.  Then I Knew It Was That Bosikado Again.  I Worked A Long

Time With A Pole,  But Found Nothing; Only Five Days Later One Of

Nindai's Paws Floated Down The Stream.  Some Day I Will Tear Open

That Bosikado!

 

"Once I Saw Him On The Bank.  He Rolled Down Like A Big Stone To

The Water.  He Looked At Me Before He Dived,  And As We Looked In

Each Other's Eyes I Knew He Was A Manito; But He Is Evil,  And My

Father Said,  'When An Evil Manito Comes To Trouble You,  You Must

Kill Him.'

 

"One Day,  When I Swam After A Dead Duck,  He Took Me By The Toe,

But I Reached Shallow Water And Escaped Him; And Once I Drove My

Fish-Spear In His Back,  But It Was Not Strong Enough To Hold Him.

Once He Caught Skookum's Tail,  But The Hair Came Out; The Dog Has

Not Since Swum Across The Pond.

 

"Twice I Have Seen Him Like Today And Might Have Killed Him With

The Gun,  But I Want To Meet Him Fighting. Many A Time I Have Sat

On The Bank And Sung To Him The 'Coward's Song,' And Dared Him To

Come And Fight In The Shallow Water Where We Are Equals.  He

Hears Me.  He Does Not Come.

 

"I Know He Made Me Sick Last Winter; Even Now He Is Making

Trouble With His Evil Magic.  But My Magic Must Prevail,  And Some

Day We Shall Meet.  He Made Me Afraid Once.  I Uill Make Him Much

Afraid,  And Will Meet Him In The Water."

 

Not Many Days Were To Pass Before The Meeting.  Rolf Had Gone For

Water At The Well,  Which Was A Hole Dug Ten Feet From The Shore

Of The Lake.  He Had Learned The Hunter's Cautious Trick Of Going

Silently And Peering About,  Before He Left Cover.  On A Mud Bank

In A Shallow Bay,  Some Fifty Yards Off,  He Described A Peculiar

Gray And Greenish Form That He Slowly Made Out To Be A Huge

Turtle,  Sunning Itself.  The More He Looked And Gauged It With

Things About,  The Bigger It Seemed.  So He Slunk Back Quickly And

Silently To Quonab.  "He Is Out Sunning Himself -- Bosikado -- On

The Bank!"

 

The Indian Rose Quickly,  Took His Tomahawk And A Strong Line.

Rolf Reached For The Gun,  But Quonab Shook His Head.  They Went

To The Lake.  Yes!  There Was The Great,  Goggle-Eyed Monster,

Like A Mud-Coloured Log.  The Bank Behind Him Was Without Cover.

It Would Be Impossible To Approach The Watchful Creature Within

Striking Distance Before He Could Dive.  Quonab Would Not Use The

Gun; In This Case He Felt He Must Atone By Making An Equal Fight.

He Quickly Formed A Plan; He Fastened The Tomahawk And The Coiled

Rope To His Belt,  Then Boldly And Silently Slipped Into The Lake,

To Approach The Snapper From The Water Side -- Quite The Easiest

In This Case,  Not Only Because The Snapper Would Naturally Watch

On The Land Side,  But Because There Was A Thick Clump Of Rushes

Behind Which The Swimmer Could Approach.

 

Then,  As Instructed,  Rolf Went Back Into The Woods,  And Came

Silently To A Place Whence He Could Watch The Snapper From A

Distance Of Twenty Yards.

 

The Boy's Heart Beat Fast As He Watched The Bold Swimmer And The

Savage Reptile.  There Could Be Little Doubt That The Creature

Weighed A Hundred Pounds.  It Is The Strongest For Its Size And

The Fiercest Of All Reptiles.  Its Jaws,  Though Toothless,  Have

Cutting Edges,  A Sharp Beak,  And Power To The Crushing Of Bones.

Its Armour Makes It Invulnerable To Birds And Beasts Of Prey.

Like A Log It Lay On The Beach,  With Its Long Alligator Tail

Stretched Up The Bank And Its Serpentine Head And Tiny Wicked

Eyes Vigilantly Watching The Shore.  Its Shell,  Broad And

Ancient,  Was Fringed With Green Moss,  And Its Scaly Armpits

Exposed,  Were Decked With Leeches,  At Which A Couple Of Peetweets

Pecked With Eager Interest,  Apparently To The Monster's

Satisfaction.  Its Huge Limbs And Claws Were In Marked Contrast

To The Small,