The Dog Crusoe and His Master: A Story of Adventure in the Western Prairies by - (e reader .txt) 📖

only a dandy," exclaimed Joe. "There's
lots o' them in every Injun camp. They're fit for
nothin' but dress, poor contemptible critters."

Joe accompanied his remark with a sneer, for of all
pitiable objects he regarded an unmanly man as the
most despicable. He consented, however, to sit down
on a grassy bank and watch the proceedings of this
Indian dandy, who had just seated himself in front of
his wigwam for the purpose of making his toilet.

He began it by greasing his whole person carefully
and smoothly over with buffalo fat, until he shone like
a patent leather boot; then he rubbed himself almost
dry, leaving the skin sleek and glossy. Having proceeded
thus far, he took up a small mirror, a few inches
in diameter, which he or some other member of the tribe
must have procured during one of their few excursions
to the trading-forts of the Pale-faces, and examined himself,
as well as he could, in so limited a space. Next,
he took a little vermilion from a small parcel and
rubbed it over his face until it presented the somewhat
demoniac appearance of a fiery red. He also drew a
broad red score along the crown of his head, which was
closely shaved, with the exception of the usual tuft or
scalplock on the top. This scalplock stood bristling
straight up a few inches, and then curved over and
hung down his back about two feet. Immense care and
attention was bestowed on this lock. He smoothed it,
greased it, and plaited it into the form of a pigtail.
Another application was here made to the glass, and the
result was evidently satisfactory, to judge from the
beaming smile that played on his features. But, not
content with the general effect, he tried the effect of
expression--frowned
portentously, scowled savagely, gaped
hideously, and grinned horribly a ghastly smile.

Then our dandy fitted into his ears, which were
bored in several places, sundry ornaments, such as rings,
wampum, etc., and hung several strings of beads round
his neck. Besides these he affixed one or two ornaments
to his arms, wrists, and ankles, and touched in a
few effects with vermilion on the shoulders and breast.
After this, and a few more glances at the glass, he put
on a pair of beautiful moccasins, which, besides being
richly wrought with beads, were soft as chamois leather
and fitted his feet like gloves. A pair of leggings of
scarlet cloth were drawn on, attached to a waist-belt,
and bound below the knee with broad garters of variegated
bead-work.

It was some time before this Adonis was quite satisfied
with himself. He retouched the paint on his shoulders
several times, and modified the glare of that on his
wide-mouthed, high-cheek-boned visage, before he could
tear himself away; but at last he did so, and throwing
a large piece of scarlet cloth over his shoulders, he thrust
his looking-glass under his belt, and proceeded to mount
his palfrey, which was held in readiness near to the
tent door by one of his wives. The horse was really a
fine animal, and seemed worthy of a more warlike
master. His shoulders, too, were striped with red paint,
and feathers were intertwined with his mane and tail, while
the bridle was decorated with various jingling ornaments.

Vaulting upon his steed, with a large fan of wild
goose and turkey feathers in one hand, and a whip
dangling at the wrist of the other, this incomparable
dandy sallied forth for a promenade--that being his
chief delight when there was no buffalo hunting to be
done. Other men who were not dandies sharpened
their knives, smoked, feasted, and mended their spears
and arrows at such seasons of leisure, or played at
athletic games.
"Let's follow my buck," said Joe Blunt.

"Oui. Come 'long," replied Henri, striding after the
rider at a pace that almost compelled his comrades
to run.

"Hold on!" cried Dick, laughing; "we don't want
to keep him company. A distant view is quite enough
o' sich a chap as that."

"Mais you forgit I cannot see far."

"So much the better," remarked Joe; "it's my
opinion we've seen enough o' him. Ah! he's goin' to
look on at the games. Them's worth lookin' at."

The games to which Joe referred were taking place
on a green level plain close to the creek, and a little
above the waterfall before referred to. Some of the
Indians were horse-racing, some jumping, and others
wrestling; but the game which proved most attractive
was throwing the javelin, in which several of the young
braves were engaged.

This game is played by two competitors, each armed
with a dart, in an arena about fifty yards long. One
of the players has a hoop of six inches in diameter.
At a signal they start off on foot at full speed, and on
reaching the middle of the arena the Indian with the
hoop rolls it along before them, and each does his best
to send a javelin through the hoop before the other.
He who succeeds counts so many points; if both miss,
the nearest to the hoop is allowed to count, but not so
much as if he had "ringed" it. The Indians are very
fond of this game, and will play at it under a broiling
sun for hours together. But a good deal of the interest
attaching to it is owing to the fact that they make it a
means of gambling. Indians are inveterate gamblers,
and will sometimes go on until they lose horses, bows,
blankets, robes, and, in short, their whole personal
property. The consequences are, as might be expected,
that fierce and bloody quarrels sometimes arise in which
life is often lost.

"Try your hand at that," said Henri to Dick.

"By all means," cried Dick, handing his rifle to his
friend, and springing into the ring enthusiastically.

A general shout of applause greeted the Pale-face,
who threw off' his coat and tightened his belt, while, a
young Indian presented him with a dart.

"Now, see that ye do us credit, lad," said Joe.

"I'll try," answered Dick.

In a moment they were off. The young Indian
rolled away the hoop, and Dick threw his dart with
such vigour that it went deep into the ground, but
missed the hoop by a foot at least. The young Indian's
first dart went through the centre.

"Ha!" exclaimed Joe Blunt to the Indians near him,
"the lad's not used to that game; try him at a race.
Bring out your best brave--he whose bound is like the
hunted deer."

We need scarcely remind the reader that Joe spoke
in the Indian language, and that the above is a correct
rendering of the sense of what he said.

The name of Tarwicadia, or the little chief, immediately
passed from lip to lip, and in a few minutes an
Indian, a little below the medium size, bounded into
the arena with an indiarubber-like elasticity that caused
a shade of anxiety to pass over Joe's face.

"Ah, boy!" he whispered, "I'm afeard you'll find
him a tough customer."

"That's just what I want," replied Dick. "He's
supple enough, but he wants muscle in the thigh.
We'll make it a long heat."

"Right, lad, ye're right."

Joe now proceeded to arrange the conditions of the
race with the chiefs around him. It was fixed that the
distance to be run should be a mile, so that the race
would be one of two miles, out and back. Moreover,
the competitors were to run without any clothes, except
a belt and a small piece of cloth round the loins. This
to the Indians was nothing, for they seldom wore more
in warm weather; but Dick would have preferred to
keep on part of his dress. The laws of the course,
however, would not permit of this, so he stripped and
stood forth, the beau-ideal of a well-formed, agile man.
He was greatly superior in size to his antagonist, and
more muscular, the savage being slender and extremely
lithe and springy.

"Ha! I will run too," shouted Henri, bouncing forward
with clumsy energy, and throwing off his coat
just as they were going to start.

The savages smiled at this unexpected burst, and
made no objection, considering the thing in the light of
a joke.

The signal was given, and away they went. Oh! it
would have done you good to have seen the way in
which Henri manoeuvred his limbs on this celebrated
occasion! He went over the ground with huge elephantine
bounds, runs, and jumps. He could not have been
said to have one style of running; he had a dozen
styles, all of which came into play in the course of half
as many minutes. The other two ran like the wind;
yet although Henri appeared to be going heavily over
the ground, he kept up with them to the turning-point.
As for Dick, it became evident in the first few minutes
that he could outstrip his antagonist with ease, and
was hanging back a little all the time. He shot ahead
like an arrow when they came about half-way back,
and it was clear that the real interest of the race was
to lie in the competition between Henri and Tarwicadia.

Before they were two-thirds of the way back, Dick
walked in to the winning-point, and turned to watch
the others. Henri's wind was about gone, for he exerted
himself with such violence that he wasted half
his strength. The Indian, on the contrary, was comparatively
fresh, but he was not so fleet as his antagonist,
whose tremendous strides carried him over the
ground at an incredible pace. On they came neck and
neck, till close on the score that marked the winning-point.
Here the value of enthusiasm came out strongly
in the case of Henri. He felt that he could not gain
an inch on Tarwicadia to save his life, but just as he
came up he observed the anxious faces of his comrades
and the half-sneering countenances of the savages. His
heart thumped against his ribs, every muscle thrilled
with a gush of conflicting feelings, and he hurled himself
over the score like a cannon shot, full six inches
ahead of the little chief!

But the thing did not by any means end here. Tarwicadia
pulled up the instant he had passed. Not so
our Canadian. Such a clumsy and colossal frame was
not to be checked in a moment. The crowd of Indians
opened up to let him pass, but unfortunately a small
tent that stood in the way was not so obliging. Into
it he went, head foremost, like a shell, carried away the
corner post with his shoulder, and brought the whole
affair down about his own ears and those of its inmates,
among whom were several children and two or three
dogs. It required some time to extricate them all from
the ruins, but when this was effected it was found that
no serious damage had been done to life or limb.



CHAPTER IX.


Crusoe acts a conspicuous and humane part--A friend
gained--A great feast.

When the foot-race was concluded the three
hunters hung about looking on at the various
games for some time, and then strolled towards the lake.

"Ye may be thankful yer neck's whole," said Joe,
grinning, as Henri rubbed his shoulder with a rueful
look. "An' we'll have to send that Injun and his family
a knife and some beads to make up for the fright they
got."

"Ha! an' fat is to be give to me for my broke
shoulder?"

"Credit, man, credit," said Dick Varley, laughing.

"Credit! fat is dat?"

"Honour and glory, lad, and the praises of them
savages."

"Ha! de praise? more probeebale de ill-vill of de
rascale. I seed dem scowl at me not ver' pritty."

"That's true, Henri; but sich as it is it's all ye'll git."

"I vish," remarked Henri after a pause--"I vish I
could git de vampum belt de leetle chief had on. It
vas superb. Fat place do vampums come from?"

"They're shells--"

"Oui," interrupted Henri; "I know fat dey is. Dey
is shells, and de Injuns tink dem goot monish, mais I
ask you fat place de come from."

"They are thought to be gathered on the shores o'
the Pacific," said Joe. "The Injuns on the west o' the
Rocky Mountains picks them up and exchanges them
wi' the fellows hereaway for horses and skins--so I'm
told."

At this moment there was a wild cry of terror heard
a short distance ahead of them. Rushing forward they
observed an Indian woman flying frantically down the
river's bank towards the waterfall, a hundred yards
above which an object was seen struggling in the water.

"'Tis her child," cried Joe, as the mother's frantic cry
reached his ear. "It'll be over the fall in a minute!
Run, Dick, you're quickest."

They had all started forward at speed, but Dick and
Crusoe were far ahead, and abreast of the spot in a few
seconds.

"Save it, pup," cried Dick, pointing to the child,
which had been caught in an eddy, and was for a few
moments hovering on the edge of the stream that rushed
impetuously towards the fall.

The noble Newfoundland did not require to be told
what to do. It seems a natural instinct in this sagacious
species of dog to save man or beast that chances
to