CHAPTER IX

ALONG THE BANK OF THE MISSOURI

"WHAT a shame!" exclaimed Roger, as soon as he could speak.

"Oh! well, it might have been a lot worse," remarked Dick.

"You mean that we didn't care very much for old Peter, after all; is that it, Dick?" demanded the other.

"Yes; and, besides, just think what a mess we would have been in if it had been a party of Indian thieves, and they'd made a clean sweep of _all_ our horses," was the way Dick consoled himself.

Of course his cousin quickly saw things in the same light, as he generally did after Dick had explained his views.

"How lucky," he went on, "that we were smart enough to build our little cooking fire last night in that hollow, so it couldn't have been seen a hundred feet away. Only for that this same horse thief must have found out where we had our camp, and tried for the balance of our horses."

"Well, how can we blame him for picking up a stray animal that seemed to be wandering around without an owner?" asked Dick. "I heard an old trapper and trader tell Captain Lewis one day, when I was hanging around the camp near the settlement, that he would always have lots of trouble keeping his horses; for that was one thing the Indians coveted. After this, we must not let our two animals wander away."

"I should say not," Roger returned, vigorously. "Why, it wouldn't take an Indian ten seconds to throw a leg over one of our fine horses, and be off like a flash. What would be the use of firing after him, when we'd be just as apt to hit the running animal? No, we'll simply have to be careful--more than ever, now. To lose a horse would ruin our chances for overtaking the expedition, wouldn't it, Dick?"

"I'm afraid it would," replied the other, as he started to take off the huge packages with which each of their animals had been burdened.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Roger.

"The first thing is to look over all this stuff, and see what we can do without."

As he said this Dick cast aside the Indian tent that made quite a good-sized package of itself, even when carefully folded.

Roger gave it a rueful glance, for he had thought more than a little of that old affair. Then he laughed in his quick, nervous way, and on his own account began to toss things from the back of the other horse.

Whenever he came to something concerning which he seemed to be in doubt, Roger would hold it up, and say:

"What about this, Dick; think we really need it?"

In several cases his cousin was able to decide without any consideration, for the boys had thrust in a number of things that, so far, they had found no need for, and probably might not use at all. Some of these had associations that they hated to break; but it seemed absolutely necessary to reduce the stock they carried. And so Dick would grimly nod his head, and say:

"Throw it aside, Roger; no use talking, it's got to go. Our horses couldn't undertake to carry us and all this stuff, too. But I tell you what we might do with it, and take a chance of getting it back some time."

"You must mean _cache_ it, like the trappers do some of their pelts, when they have more than they can carry, and mean to come back after the rest at some future time; is that it, Dick?"

"Just what I meant," the other replied. "You see, we can do up the lot inside this old tent, and find a hollow tree to hide it in."

"Close by the river, you mean, of course," added Roger, eagerly; for anything like this always appealed to him.

"Yes, so that, when we come down again, we can look for the mark we'll remember, and which may be a crooked tree bending over the water, or something like that. Then we could come ashore to get the package, if we're drifting in a boat, as may be the case. Captain Lewis might want to buy our horses, you know, if he has lost a number of his animals through wild beasts, and thieving Indians."

"But let's be sure the hole in the tree is a _small_ one," observed Roger, turning a laughing face on his cousin.

"We will, you can be sure of that," the other assured him; "because, they tell me that bears are apt to make their dens in some of these hollow trees; and we don't want our traps to be used for a bed quilt."

So they sorted all the stuff over; and it was wonderful how little they deemed indispensable. Friends had brought so many things as presents for the adventurous boys, when they learned of the long journey which they projected, that there were numerous duplicates in their outfit, such as frying-pans, kettles and even blankets.

Finally the task was completed, and the tight bundle tied with cords, so that it could be stowed away in some secret hiding-place, when they discovered one that seemed to suit their ideas.

After that the forward march was resumed, though they made certain to keep close to the bank of the river.

Before they left the spot Roger was seen to once more bend over that imprint of a moccasin, as though examining it.

"What new idea has struck you?" asked his cousin, watching him closely.

"You may say it is foolish," replied the other, "but, do you know, Dick, I was wondering whether this might not have been either François Lascelles, or his son, who had stolen our horse, thinking to cripple us, and in that way keep us from overtaking the expedition of Captain Lewis."

The suggestion caused Dick to knit his brows, but he quickly shook his head.

"In the first place, while I've never met this French trader, still, I've heard so much about him that I feel sure he would never have rested content until he had found our camp, so that he could steal all our horses. No, Roger, this was only a wandering Indian, who happened to run across old Peter, and gobbled him up. Look more closely at the footprint, and you will see that it toes in very much. All Indians walk that way, you know. Yes, some white men do, I admit, but the wearing of moccasins never makes them turn their toes in as Indians do. This was a copper-colored fellow, I'd be willing to stake my reputation on that."

"Oh, well," remarked the other, giving up, as he usually did after arguing for a short time with Dick, "it doesn't matter much, anyway. The packhorse is gone, and we'll never see him again. Shall we start on, now, Dick?"

"We might as well," replied the leader of the little party, as he climbed into his seat with some difficulty on account of the other burdens loaded on the horse, "and remember that we must keep our eyes on the lookout for some place to hide that package."

Roger had insisted on loading the "cast-offs" on his horse, while he walked. It was not going to be for long, he asserted, and he could stand it; and so the other had let him have his way, because he knew that Roger was always happy when he could be doing something for others.

They were not long in discovering the very hiding-place they wanted in which to conceal the tent and other things. And, as usual, it was Roger's keen eyes that caught sight of it.

"Look over there, Dick. How would that suit us?--that tree with the hump on its trunk, I mean; see the hole just above the ground, which, I take it, is large enough to hold all we want to put in it. Then we can stuff stones in afterwards, and block any animal from spreading himself on our property."

"Yes, and after that we must efface all signs of what we've been doing," declared Dick; "because some Indian might happen to cross our trail and take a notion to follow it a space. When he came up to this place he'd notice that we had done something to that tree, and take a look in. But then, we ought to know how to do that, or else we're mighty poor hunters."

They had little difficulty in pushing the bundle into the hollow, and then filling the balance of the cavity with stones; finally removing all traces of the fact that any human being had been close to the marked tree.

After that they found a peculiar tree growing on the river bank, which both noted carefully, so that they believed they would have little or no trouble in recognizing it again, should the chance ever come to them, when returning home. For at that time neither Dick nor Roger dreamed how far afield they were fated to roam before once more seeing the dear ones they had left behind. It was their avowed intention to overtake the expedition, find Jasper Williams, get his signature, duly witnessed, upon the paper; and then start back down the river as fast as horses or current could take them. The young pioneers did not suspect how they would be tempted by circumstances, and possibly continue in the company of those gallant captains, Lewis and Clark, to the end of their long journey toward the distant Pacific.

Once more they were able to move along with something approaching speed, where the buffalo trails through the forest followed the river, as often happened. These animals did not confine themselves to the vast plains altogether, though they were to be found there in great herds; pairs of them, often with young, sometimes frequented woody spots, as though they sought them to be free from the companionship of their kind.

Several times, now, the boys had seen these great animals crashing through the brush to one side. They had not attempted to shoot one, because it was thought best, while in the country of hostile Indians, not to fire their guns if it could be avoided, lest the unusual sound bring trouble upon their heads. At this time the redmen west of the Mississippi had none of the "sticks that spit out fire, and sting," their weapons being chiefly bows and arrows, spears, and war clubs; though most of them carried rude knives, and tomahawks made out of either stone, copper or some flint-like wood.

Among the things which Roger had insisted on retaining, there happened to be an Indian bow and arrows, which he had traded for a year and more back. By dint of much practice Roger had become quite expert in the use of this stout bow, and could send his feathered shafts with considerable accuracy. At home he had brought down more or less game with his arrows, including a savage hawk that had seized a young chicken, and flown to a tree to devour its prey.

Roger had insisted on fetching this outfit along. He had ventured the prediction that it would come in very handy, some time or other, when they wanted to secure a stock of fresh meat, and disliked using their rifles.

During the balance of the morning they continued to follow the river pretty closely, though at times they had to turn their backs on it, since the buffalo trail they chanced to be following at the time left the vicinity of the Missouri. Both boys were willing to be guided by the instinct of these animals, knowing that in all probability there must be some swampy section of ground ahead, which was thus avoided.

At about noon they halted, and ate, though not going to the trouble of starting a fire; though either of the boys could have made one out of wood so dry and well seasoned that the smoke would not have been seen at any distance away, such had been their forest training.

Then once more they were on the go. The fact that the expedition had passed here only a week or ten days ahead had given them considerable satisfaction, for it told that they were rapidly overtaking those whom they wanted to join.

It had been their intention to keep moving until nearly dusk, when they expected to look for a suitable camping-place and settle down for what they hoped would be a peaceful night.

The sun was quite low in the western heavens when Dick, who happened to be in the advance, drew in his horse, and made a movement with his arm that brought the other to a full stop. Both boys slipped from their saddles, and came together, Roger with alarm written upon his face, until he saw that his companion, while excited, looked rather pleased.

"Then it isn't Indians?" whispered Roger, laying a hand on the other's arm.

"No," came the low reply; "but I just happened to glimpse a little band of elk, feeding in an open glade. And as we haven't had any fresh meat for three days the idea struck me, Roger, that perhaps this is the chance for you to make use of your Indian bow and arrows!"