CHAPTER XXVI

AMONG THE NEZ PERCES

"LOOK out, Dick, there are rattlesnakes all around here. I can see three of them right in front of you! Get back, Dick, get back, I tell you!"

Dick hastened to comply, for by that time he also had detected the presence of the venomous reptiles. They seemed to be of a small species, such as can be found on the plains of the entire West, but their stroke carries just as sure death as though the snakes were twice the size.

The boys had often come across them of late, mostly near the colonies of gophers, for the two seemed to be able to dwell together in harmony, though possibly the snakes made an occasional meal from some of the puppies.

Roger had already laid aside his gun, and picking up a long stick, he commenced to belabor some of the coiled snakes.

"Think you own the earth do you?" Roger was saying, as he plied his stick with vigor, and knocked first one snake and then another into a wriggling mass. "Well, I want to show you that others besides you have a right to breathe, and walk where they please. That makes the fifth one I've smashed, Dick. Did you ever see such a nest of the 'varmints,' as Jasper Williams would call them?"

Roger evidently meant to keep on just as long as there was a single one of the ugly, scaly creatures in sight. He certainly had more than his share of antipathy toward all reptiles, for he never let an opportunity to kill one escape him.

When he could no longer find anything to hit, Roger consented to drop the stick, secure his rifle, and prepare to leave the scrubby timber. They could find nothing in the way of water, though there must have been something of the sort underground to have allowed those ugly dwarf trees to grow in the first place.

"There goes the silly, little wolf scurrying off," said Roger as they mounted once more, Dick having brought his horse through the patch of woods. "He must think we set great store by his dingy hide, and would take after him. But I'm disappointed because we failed to get an antelope."

"Better luck next time, Roger," his comrade told him; for nothing seemed to crush the spirits of this sanguine lad.

The third day passed, and, as the blazing sun sank again beyond the glittering horizon, none of them, even by shading his eyes with his hands, could see any sign to proclaim that they were drawing near the end of the desert.

It was not a very cheerful party that sat around on blankets that night and exchanged ideas concerning their prospects of pulling through these difficulties. The horses were showing signs of the hard usage to which they had been put. Lack of forage made them hungry all the time, since the small amount of hay that could be carried was almost gone.

With the morning they were again on the way, the sun at their backs. Noon found them resting, though the journey was resumed later on. When once more the sun went down its glow showed them trees in the near distance, the presence of which they had not been able to detect before, on account of the shimmer of the sun's torrid rays on the shining sand.

It was the consensus of opinion among the men that they were now close to the western extremity of the desert, and they decided to keep on moving far into that night if necessary, in order to reach the timber that promised them water, and shelter from the terrible sun.

Before midnight they arrived at the trees and had hardly made their way among them when some of the weary men sank to the ground, unable to continue further. Camp was made on the spot, and the remainder of the night was spent in refreshing slumber.

While the desert had been left behind, they now had a new source of trouble. Water they could obtain as often as they needed it, but their food supplies had fallen very low, nor were the hunters able to find game, though they searched early and late for signs of deer or bear; anything, in fact, that could be eaten.

"If this sort of thing keeps on," Roger grumbled, when he and Dick were returning from an unsuccessful search for game, "there's only one resort left to us, and that is to feed on horse flesh. I'd hate to come to it; but, rather than starve to death, I believe I'd try it."

Dick laughed at hearing this confession.

"And yet, when we were among the Sioux," he remarked merrily, "you threw up your hands in horror at the thought of eating baked dog, which the Indians esteem a great delicacy, so that they seldom have it except when they want to make a great feast. How do you feel about that now, Roger?"

"To be honest with you, Dick, I've changed my mind somehow. Those were days when we always had plenty to eat; but now the rations have become so scanty that we feel half starved most of the time. Yes, I believe that if I was asked to sit down to a feast of baked dog, I'd accept, and with thanks."

"Well, there's nothing like hunger to serve as sauce at a meal," laughed Dick. "And, when I tell them at home how you were cured of some of your nice notions about the kind of food you long for, they will think it quite a joke."

"We're in a bad fix as it goes," resumed Roger; "with some of the men half sick from their sufferings on this long trip, little to eat in camp, and a slim prospect of getting anything from now on. Perhaps, after coming so far, none of us will live to see that wonderful ocean."

"Oh! yes we shall, never fear," Dick assured him. "But stop and look ahead. What have we run up against now, I wonder. It looks like an Indian family on the move."

"You are right, Dick," cried Roger. "They have a horse, and two poles fastened so that the other ends drag on the ground. On that they have hides, and I can see a squaw and a papoose. Suppose we try and see if we can make ourselves understood?"

"I mean to," replied the other, quickly. "The warrior may be able to direct us to the river we are seeking, down which we hope to float until we come to the sea itself."

They walked nearer the Indians, who by this time had discovered their presence, and were undoubtedly amazed to see people with white skins in that part of the country.

"We have never, up to now, come in contact with any Indians dressed as that fellow is," remarked Dick, as he held up his hand with the palm toward the woman, to indicate that their intentions were friendly; for that seems to be a sign universally understood among all the savage peoples of the world.

"It may be they belong to the Nez Perces tribe, and the man is a brave, because he wears the bear claws about his neck," (Note 8) suggested Roger; "I heard Captain Clark speaking about them only yesterday, and saying we must soon strike their hunting grounds, for he had learned about them from other tribes."

As the two boys joined the Indians they saw that the fat squaw had a small papoose in her arms. Dick instantly discovered that the child was suffering in some way, possibly from cramps in its little stomach. According to the native custom nothing would be done to relieve the pain, that is in the way of medicine. When they reached their village the old medicine man would doubtless be called in to conduct his eccentric dances around the writhing child, to rattle his hollow gourds that contained small stones, and to do everything in his power to frighten off the evil spirit that was believed to be tormenting the papoose.

Dick tried to begin a conversation with the brave. As he could depend only on gestures it was rather difficult; but, by this time, both boys were becoming more or less expert in this sort of thing. Presently he managed to convince the brave that he was a medicine man after a fashion, and would be glad to try to relieve the sufferings of the papoose.

When the squaw understood this from what her man told her, she looked dubious. Evidently her faith had made her believe that the more fantastic the costume of the healer, the better chance there would be of success; and how then could this boy with the white skin frighten away the evil spirit when he made no attempt to disguise himself?

Both brave and squaw looked anxiously on as Dick took out a little case from his pocket and extracted a tiny bottle. It was only camphor that the phial contained, but Dick felt positive it would work wonders, if only he could get the child to swallow a dose.

This was finally managed with the help of the squaw. Since they had consented to allow the "paleface wizard" to try to charm the evil spirit out of the papoose, she meant that the experiment should be carried out regardless of the child's whims; and so with her finger she thrust the medicine down the little one's throat.

Dick then went on to talk with his fingers. He was trying to find out whether the village of the brave was nearby, and finally succeeded in learning they would come upon it in one day's walk, or the sweep of the sun from the east to the west.

From what the other said in his native fashion Dick was not quite sure about its position. He cut a piece of bark from a tree and held it out to the Nez Perces brave, together with a nail, showing him how to mark upon the smooth surface.

Apparently the Indian was shrewd enough to grasp his meaning, for he immediately commenced to make crude figures. Roger watched his efforts with growing eagerness.

"I do believe he's caught what you've been trying to say to him, Dick!" he exclaimed in glee. "See there now! he's gone and made a lot of cone-shaped things that I'm sure must stand for wigwams. That's meant for his village; and now he's making a wriggly line past it. Do you think that can stand for a river?"

"No question but that it does, Roger. There, now he makes a broader line of the same kind, which must mean a big river that the first one flows into."

"Watch him now, Dick; what does he mean by all that curly stuff? To me it looks like waves rolling up onto the beach, just as we've seen them at that lake near which we passed the winter on the Yellowstone."

"I really believe he means that the broad river empties into the sea!" announced Dick, at which Roger could hardly repress his feelings of exultation.

"Hurrah!" he cried, "we have struck something worth while at last, if only we can coax this brave to go to camp with us. And Dick, your medicine has worked wonders already, for the papoose seems to be kicking no longer. I guess the cramps have been settled."

The squaw beamed on them now. She was evidently awed by the wonderful success of the "paleface medicine man," who found no necessity for indulging in fantastic dances and such things, but chased the evil spirit out by simply sending a message down the child's throat that he must vacate!

Again Dick endeavored to tell the brave that, if they would accompany the boys to where they had companions, all of them on the following day would go to the Nez Perces village with the Indians, and enjoy the hospitality of the red men.

It ended in the others accepting, so that, half an hour later, they reached the camp, where their coming created no end of excitement; for every one expected it would soon lead to great things.

If the boys had failed to secure any game in this, their last hunt, at least they had accomplished what was better; for, with the new prospects ahead of them, it began to look as though their troubles might all be in the past.

Captain Lewis spent almost two hours in sign talk with the Indian that evening, after they had smoked the peace pipe between them. Together with what he was able to pick up, and the crude map fashioned by the brave on the smooth bark, he felt convinced that they would soon arrive at a river that eventually emptied into the great ocean which they had traveled thousands of miles to gaze upon.

No longer were the weary explorers given over to hopelessness, as had begun to be the case of late. The future began to assume a rosy hue, and both boys felt certain the success that had been dangling before them as a tempting bait all these long months was about to become a certainty.

When morning came they once more set forth, but now laughter was the rule instead of silence and long faces. The brave and his squaw had by degrees overcome their feeling of awe, and were quite friendly with the men.

"I think," said Dick to Roger, as they rode slowly on, "I heard him trying to explain to the captain that his chief and most of the men in the village would be away at this time, for they expected to start on a big hunt, to lay in a store of jerked meat for the winter season. But that will not make any difference. He says his people will welcome us, especially after they know what a great medicine man is coming."

At that both boys laughed aloud.

"If you are wise," said Roger, "you will get ready to do a big business, because every old squaw that has an aching tooth will call upon you to chase the demon of pain away."

"Oh! very well," replied Dick, carrying his honors easily, "I'll draw out the aching molars, and in that way bring freedom from pain. But all of us will be glad to rest for a while in the Nez Perces village."

"Yes," added Roger. "And, moreover, we hope they will be free with their food, because our stock has by this time got down to nearly nothing. For once I think I could enjoy some Indian cooking."

"Even if it has to be a feast of baked dog!" added Dick, at which the other made a grimace, though he immediately replied:

"Yes, even that, if the rest of you try it. I don't hold myself to be any better than my comrades, and what they can stand I ought to. Perhaps, who knows, all of us may yet take a great liking for the dish. The first man who ever swallowed a raw oyster must have had a strong stomach, I should say."

Late that afternoon they came upon the Nez Perces village, which they found located upon quite a noble river. This stream the explorers immediately called the Lewis River in honor of their intrepid leader. Sad to say in later years this well-earned name was changed to that of Snake River, showing what short memories those who came after must have had, in forgetting how much they were indebted to Captain Meriwether Lewis.