CHAPTER IV. THE DEMON AT THE CAMP-FIRE.

Teddy gave up; he believed it was all over with him. Lying flat on his face, he committed himself to heaven, and waited for the beast to devour him.

Ugh! what a galvanic shudder shook him, as he heard its smothered bark repeated, and felt its hideous nose glide along his body! He felt it thrust beneath his breast, and then the beast gave a lunge, like a hog when rooting, as if seeking to turn him over on his back.

“No; be the powers, you don’t,” muttered Teddy. “I’m not the chap that’s goin’ to turn over and see mesilf ate up.”

So, instead of turning, he remained flat upon his face, sliding a few inches over the ground.

With a low growl of rage the monster repeated the attempt, and his victim resisted him as before.

Teddy O’Doherty was brave, almost to fearlessness, but this was too much even for him; and, at that point, he swooned away into unconsciousness.

He probably remained in that condition but a short time. When his senses came back to him, he was lying on his back, with his face upturned to the moon. For a few moments, he was naturally enough bewildered, and he lay motionless until it all came back to him. Then he half whispered.

“_I’m dead and ate up!_ how qu’ar it saams! I never knew it felt this way. Yis, Teddy, you’re ate up!”

Gradually a doubt began to filter through his mind, and he moved his hands about his person to see whether he was all there. His load of provisions were shoved from his back, and lay to one side, while he soon discovered that he was all there and had suffered no physical harm!

Yes; the consciousness finally came to the terrified Irishman that he was still in the land of the living. There was not a wound or scratch upon his person, nor had the food been disturbed, except by the mere act of displacement.

“Begorrah, Teddy O’Doherty, but it’s your own mither’s son that ye be,” he soliloquized, not a little delighted; “but it’s so different that ye feel, that ye’ll have to have somebody to inthrodooce ye to yersilf. I wonder ef that ould craythur is watching fur me.”

The Celt cautiously raised his head and looked about him. There was nothing to be seen of the dreaded beast, look in whatever direction he chose.

“Ef it wasn’t me that wasn’t me, but the baast, then it’s mesilf that would be afther ating Teddy O’Doherty, and be the same towken that I haven’t, I’m sartin the baast isn’t human,” concluded Teddy, as he slowly clambered to his feet and furtively glanced about him.

“Thank the good Lord, and the Vargin, that I’m alive!” he exclaimed, gratefully, as he began picking up his provisions again. “I s’pose the craythur wasn’t hungry, and whin he was pokin’ his nose about me, it’s likely that he was thrying to pick me pockets.”

Filled with wonder at his unaccountable escape from the monster, the Celt begun his walk homeward again. He reached and passed up and over the ridge without discovering any thing of his dreaded enemy. Turning aside, he found his horse quietly grazing where he had left him, and, deeming him as safe there as any where else, he permitted him to remain.

He was now within a short distance of the camp of his friends, and was proceeding in his quiet manner, when a cold thrill ran through him at the sound of that appalling bark.

Turning his head, he saw the beast on a full gallop, coming down the ridge, and scarcely a hundred feet distant.

It was like the explosion of a bombshell behind Teddy, and he broke into a wild run, bounding through the timber and up to the camp-fire with the exclamations that have been recorded.

A horde of mounted Blackfeet, or a dozen grizzly bears, could not have created greater consternation. Old Stebbins and Black Tom, as will be remembered, had been conversing about the mysterious creature, and their minds were full of it.

Instantly they leaped to their feet, and stared out in the gloom.

“Whar is he?” demanded Black Tom.

“Close behint me,” replied the terrified Irishman, running around to the opposite side of the camp-fire.

“I don’t see him--b’ars and bufflers! thar he comes!”

Unconsciously the two trappers took their position side by side. They had stood by each other in many fearful and dangerous scenes, and neither would desert the other at this time.

As Tom spoke, both he and his companion caught sight of the hideous brute, coming through the bushes straight toward them. It was walking quite slowly, and at intervals gave forth that peculiar bark, which had a strange, cavernous sound.

Viewed from the front, its appearance was appalling in the extreme. Its head was of vast size, its mouth in latitude resembled that of the alligator. As it advanced, the firelight shone full in its face, and curiously enough neither of the hunters could discern any thing that resembled eyes, although of course it was sentient.

Very naturally the two trappers had determined to send their messengers into his eyes, satisfied that, if there was nothing superhuman in its make, it could not prove invulnerable to such an attack; but they were unexpectedly deprived of this great advantage, seeing which Black Tom whispered to his companion:

“Aim under the throat, and maybe we’ll reach its heart.”

No more than a dozen feet separated men and beast, when the former simultaneously drew their guns to their shoulders, took a quick but sure aim and fired.

They might as well have buried their bullets in the solid oak beside them, for all the good that was accomplished. That peculiar bark of the brute may have been caused by the sound as well as by the bullet of the gun.

It stood a moment, as if looking steadily at the men, and then resumed its advance.

This was too much, and with a howl of terror the three men scattered and were up the nearest saplings in a twinkling. Here they felt a certain degree of safety, as it was hardly probable that such a constructed creature could “climb a tree.”

“But if he chooses,” replied Teddy, from his perch in reply to this remark, “he kin pull up the tree by its ruts, and crack our heads togither.”

Finding himself master of the situation, the mysterious brute took every thing very quietly. Teddy having fastened the meat to his back, had not removed it upon climbing the tree, so that there was nothing on the ground for it to devour; and the trappers were too veteran hunters to fail to carry their weapons with them.

The camp-fire had just been heaped up with fuel, and was now roaring and crackling furiously. The brute seemed to contemplate it a few minutes in quiet wonderment, and then he sat down upon his haunches like a bear, and looked fixedly at the blaze.

“Look at the spalpeen!” called out Teddy. “Did ye ever see sich impudence. He looks as if he owned the grove and us too.”

“That’s jest ’bout what he does own,” replied Black Tom, with grim humor.

“He reminds mesilf, whin I used to sit down in the pratie patch at home, in Tipperary, and think I owned the whole of it, and so I would, if it hadn’t been that anuther chap claimed it.”

During these few minutes, all three of the men had been reloading their guns, as best they could in their circumscribed position. When ready it was arranged that they should discharge their pieces together, at the head of the monster.

This was done, and incredible as it may seem, without result. Struck it undoubtedly was, for it gave a slight twitch with its head, as a dog will do, when pestered with a fly, but it certainly was no more harmed than it would have been by such an insect.

At so short a distance, with such a plain target, it would have been impossible for the bullets to miss their mark, so that no refuge from the difficulty could be taken in that supposition.

The brute sat motionless a moment, with his gaze upon the burning faggots, and then rising from his sitting position, walked around to the other side of the fire, and took his seat directly under the sapling which was the refuge of Teddy O’Doherty.

“Ye dirthy blaguard, ye needn’t come there,” he growled, as he looked down at him; “ye’re a dirthy dog, as me Bridget used to obsarve, affectionately, when she saw me comin’ in her shanty av Soonday avening.”

“He’s fell in love with you,” remarked Black Tom, who thought he could afford to jest a little, so long as the brute made no active demonstrations against him.

“I guess he’s turned watch-dog,” said Stebbins, “and is going to keep the other spooks away.”

It may be stated that the demonstration which the trappers had just received of the invulnerability of the mysterious creature was complete in every respect. They would have staked any thing and every thing that it could have stood without flinching before a battery of columbiads. Under these circumstances, therefore, they did not deem it wise to waste any more powder in firing upon it.

So they reserved their ammunition, and made themselves as comfortable as possible in their elevated position, waiting until it should take it into its head to depart.

“S’pose he stays here a week or two?” said Stebbins.

“Then we must do the same.”

“Why didn’t we think of the fire?” muttered Black Tom.

“What did yer want to think ’bout _that_?” asked old Stebbins.

“If he don’t care fur rifle-balls, it’s likely he’s afeard of that. If I had only slammed a lot of fire in his face, he’d left.”

“Better not try it,” returned the elder.

“Why not?”

“’Tain’t noways likely it would have hurt him, and he might have cotched you up and slammed you in the fire.”

This was a fearful supposition, and all three shuddered at the thought of the brute venting his spite in such a manner.

As it was certain that nothing could be done in the way of vanquishing the monster, the question now was as to how long he would remain. While he was present, no one could entertain any idea of descending, and if he should take it into his head to spend several days there, there certainly was reason to fear the most serious consequences.

An hour passed and still the brute sat as motionless as a statue. Being several yards from the camp-fire, its fitful light gave him a most terrible appearance. The trio kept up a pointless conversation for a long time, Teddy gradually withdrawing from it, until he became silent altogether.

No notice was taken of this fact for some time, until suddenly Black Tom became suspicious and called his name. Receiving no response, he exclaimed, to old Stebbins:

“Bufflers and Blackfeet! he’s goin’ to sleep!”

“If he does he’s gone, sure. Wake him up!”

“Teddy! Teddy!” called Tom, “wake up, or you never will.”

“Aoogh! what--”

Too late. The Irishman, in his bewilderment, did not comprehend his perilous position, and making an uneasy movement, lost his hold and fell!

And fell in such a manner that he struck full length upon the back of the frightful brute!

A shudder of horror shook the trappers, as they looked down upon what they regarded the certain death of their comrade, who gave a shriek of terror as he rolled like a log helpless to the ground.

The brute started, uttered his sharp, bark-like cry, and then bolted away and vanished in the darkness, without offering to harm the man who lay helpless at his feet.

“Begorra! but he’s a gintleman, as Micky Dunn obsarved of the man that cracked his crown. That’s the sicind time he’s give me the go-by, and the nixt time he does it we’ll shake hands and swear we’re friends.”

“It beats thunder!” exclaimed old Stebbins, who was now prepared to believe Teddy’s account of his extraordinary meeting with this animal.

“It can’t be that he don’t eat men,” said Black Tom, “for Stumpy Sam said he see’d it chaw up one of their men.”

“I guess he don’t like Irishmen.”

“It’s meself that thinks he does,” retorted Teddy, “for he’s tr’ated me like a gintleman all the way through.”

“Ain’t yer going to climb up ag’in?” asked Tom.

“What’s the use, when it’s more comfortable here, as Micky McFee remarked when he was axed to come out of the gutter.”

The Irishman made no attempt to re-climb the tree, although he looked carefully about in every direction in quest of the dreaded creature.

Some fifteen minutes passed and nothing was seen or heard of their dreaded foe, when the hunters, who were excessively hungry, cautiously descended to the ground again.

The first thing done was to replenish the fire, and they determined that if the brute should reappear, they would try the effect of dashing some of the brands in his face.

The next proceeding was to attack the provisions which Teddy had brought back with him, and with such ravenous appetites, they were not long in “throwing themselves outside” of an immense quantity of food.

By this time night was well advanced, but there was no thought of sleep upon the part of any one, excepting Teddy O’Doherty. He had acted as sentinel the night before, and soon became drowsy and stupid.

As he was entitled to rest, he was permitted to stretch out near the fire, with his blanket gathered about him, when he speedily sunk off into utter unconsciousness.

There was some apprehension regarding the horses, and after a while Tom stole away from the fire into the grove to see whether they had been disturbed. Having cropped their full of the rich herbage they were found asleep, as free from alarm as was the sleeping Teddy O’Doherty.

Added to the terror inspired by the very appearance of the dreaded creature, was that of amazement at the unaccountable manner in which it had acted toward the Irishman. Twice it had had him completely in its power, and yet had not harmed a hair of his head.

Why was this? Was it possible that it had really formed a sort of partiality toward Teddy? Such things have been known among wild animals, but it was hardly possible in this case. What, then, could be the explanation?

These were conundrums which the trappers asked themselves repeatedly, and which as repeatedly they were compelled to “give up.”

The night wore gradually away, but nothing more was seen of the terrible monster. The camp-fire was kept burning brightly, and the hunters listened attentively for sounds that might betray his approach.

Once or twice a faint rustling of the leaves caused them to start and look affrightedly out in the gloom, but they caught no glimpse of the frightful beast. Accustomed as the hunters were to all manner of exposure and deprivation of sleep and rest, they found no difficulty in keeping their senses about them, even when their bodies were not in motion.

It was a relief to them when the gray mist of morning began stealing through the wood, and they saw the light of another day illuminating wood and prairie.

They seemed to feel scarcely any desire for sleep, and Tom aroused Teddy by giving him a vigorous kick.

“Come, git up! that beast is looking for you!”

“Let him look!” replied Teddy, as he roused himself. “As long as he behaves himself so well I’ll be glad to see him.”

There remained enough of the provisions brought by Teddy to make a substantial breakfast, after which the horses were brought up and saddled, and in a short time the trappers were on their way toward the north-west.

They had still a short distance to travel before reaching their destination, and while they are thus engaged we will take occasion to refer to a few matters necessary to a full understanding of the incidents that follow.