Copyright, 1885, by Beadle & Adams, Entered at Post Office, New York, N.Y., as second class matter. Jan. 28, 1900.

 

M. J. 1VERS & CO. Publishers, . >,
No 56 Published | (James Sullivan Proprietor.) Hrete D Cems, Vol \.
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Copyright, 1885, by die & Adams. Entered at Post Office, New. York, N.Y., as second class matter. Jan. 28, 1900.
j M. J. 1IVERS & CO., P isher
_ _Published M i IV pit & bs 0. I Bbiishe ied: Price 5 Cents,
0, 5 SPuas ara TP GOTE (James Sullivan, Proprietor,) $2.50 a Year Olive
neLe, sn 379 Pearl Street, New York, BeOS ees >

 

THE SNOW HUNTERS; or, Winter in the Woods,

BY BARRY DE FORREST.

 

“HUMP ALONG, YOU CANADA THIEEVS!” SHOUTED THEIR DRIVER, ‘‘ HI! HOOP-LA{’
HOOP-LA! GIT!”

 
   

N

   

‘2

The Snow Huniezs,

 

The Snow Hunters:

>

WINTER IN THE WOODS.

BY BARRY DE FOREST,

CHAPTER I.

THE CAMP IN WINTER—DAVE PLODGETT’S
FRIEND,

Tue dark-green pines lifted their verdant
branches amid the snows of the North. Bal-
gam, spruce, pine and hemlock mingled here and
there with the leafless trunks of trees stripped
of their foliage, while, in front, a glassy lake,
locked in its covering of ice, glistened under the
rays of the declining sun.

This lake is many miles in length, and, look-
ing south, five dark, moving spots are seen,
coming up rapidly, growing larger and larger
each moment, until it is plainly apparent that
they are human beings. A gray. old wolf,
standing upon a point of Jand which looks down
the lake, regards them wisely as they approach
and seems to count them. Then, as if satisfied
that there is no hope of coping successfully
with them, he gives his gray old head an angry
shake and is off, through the woods,

“ At that long ealioe: which can tire

The hound’s deep hate or the hunter’s fire.”

He seems to say, ‘Excuse me; time presses,
and I have no time to tarry.” The spots grow
larger, and now the observer can ‘see that they
are skating. Thesharp-ring of steel comes up
through the clear atmosphere, and we cancatch
the glimmer of the blades. Four of thém are
skating in pairs, each drawing a large sled,
loaded down with camp equipage, rifles, snow-
shoes and provisions. ‘The fifth, who seems to
have a roving license, is larking about on the
ice, cutting strange figures with his agile feet,
and, in short, behaving like a boy. let. loose
from schoo!—as he is.

“‘Hyar’s the place, boys!” says a rough but
hearty voice, as the party come up to the en-
trance of the little bay which is guarded by the
poiut upon which the wolf had stood. “Look
sharp, little ’un; 1 heerd a wolf not five min-
utes ago, and I don’t want ye to git chawed up
the fust day.”

While they are dragging the laden sleds into
the bay, let us look at the party. First, the
speaker—for on him the success of the exps-
dition depends, A-man~vearly six feet in his
moccasins, with straight black hair and gleam-
ing black eyes, and a frame which is one supple
mass of cord and sinew. One look at his hard,
weather beaten face, his bronzed check and
ssinewy frame, and a mere tyro could read:
hunter,.scout, trapper and guide. His fingers,

 

from long use of the paddle and oar, are curved
inward like the claws of a vulture. He has the ,
hooked nos» which came to him ‘from the In- |
dian blood of another generation.

Such is Dive Blodgett, the guide, quick on the
trigger, perfect with the oar, master of all the |

Harnessed with Dave to the sled is Mr. Rufus
Tracey, an old amateur hunter, who had
tramped over many a mile and boated many
more, under the guidance of Dave Blodgett—a
man in the prime of life, with a determined-
looking faee, such as you or I would be glad to
see at our elbow ina struggle for life or death,

The two drawing the second sleigh are young
men of perhaps twenty years of age—twins;
the same curling dark hair and dark eyes—the
same broad shoulders and muscular frames,
They are Rufus and Henry Tracey, sons of the
gentleman first named—brave, manly college
boys, whose love of adventure had culminated
in this expedition, They look hardy enough for
anything, and count faithfully on doing yeo-
man service among the deer, bear and other
game of this Winter Land.

The fifth in the party is a mere boy, not more
than sixteen years of age—a jolly, frank, honeegy
face, curling brown hair and reckless eyes ar
his prominent characteristics. This is ‘‘Jack”
Edgel, a cousin to ‘‘ Harry” and ‘“ Rufe ”—as
the twins are called—who has been invited by
Mr. Tracey to join them in this expedition.
This comprises the party.

“T's a mighty good thing,” said Dave Blod-
ett, as they drew the sledges off the ice, ‘ that
ack Phelps and me built a cabin in this bay.

It'll save us a heap of trouble, I tell ye. I ain’t
had the heart to live in it since poor Jack went
under.” :

“* How did he die?” demanded reckless Jack,
as they parted the bushes and came up to an
old log-cabin, halt-hidden among the trees.

Dave Blodgett looked at the lad in silence for
& moment,

“Yes, yes,” he said. “It’s the boy’s natur’
to be ouri’s—he didn’t mean to burt the old
man’s feelin’s, you bet. Jest wait till nightfall
and I’ll tell you suthin’ that on’y a few men on
airth know.” /

They worked with a will, and in half an hour
had stowed away everything in the most con-
venient mannek, built up a fire, and Dave be-
gan to cook supper. A solemn-looking eagle,

“perched on the top of a lofty tree, looked down
on the unusual scene in wonder, and the same.

old wolf which had greeted their coming with
his howl came back and peered at them from
the cover. Lean, lank and hungry, he was just
in the state when he was desperate enough for
anything. Harry saw bim peeping out, and
seizing his rifle, sent a bullet whizzing into the
bushes, and instantly that wolf vanished, much
in the same manner as the coyote described by
“Mark Twain” in ‘‘ Roughing It.”

“ Don’t look so sheepish, my. boy,” said Dave.
‘‘Some say them cunnin’ wolves dodge at the
flash of a rifle, and sometimes I think they do,
durn’em. *Tain’t all in poppin’ off a shooter
that brings the game down; it’s holdin’ her on
the mark.”

“T guess that is so,” said Harry, laughing, as
Dave set out the supper on_a sort of bench
which served for a table. It was made by
splitting a section of pine as smoothly as possi-
ble, and setting in rough wooden legs on the
convex side—part of the furniture which was

forest arts which make life in the woods'so en- | left them by other occupants of the cabin.

viable,

“ Draw up,” ordered Dave, as he placed the

  

 

 

 
 

 

 

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The Snow

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Fag

Hunters. ; 3

 

{
coffee-pail on the table. “It ain’t much of a
lay-out, but what Ido give ye air good, and I-
know it: I don’t low every galoot to beat me
a-cookin’.”

They ate heartily, for the run over the ice
had given them appetites. Coffee, cakes and
ham disappeared before them and left no sign.
Then each went out with a hatchet and brought
in an armful of wood; a roaring fire was built
up, and drawing about it, clowely seated or re-
clining on the blankets and buffalo-robes, the
men [it their pipes, and Dave Blodgett told
them the story of Jack. Phelps’s tragic fate: |

‘‘T know’d Jack by the book, you understand.
He were a man, every inch; take him any |
way you like, an’he were a_bu’ster. Mr. !
Tracey—squire—you would hey died of joy to
see that man in a fight, whether with b’ar, pain-
ter or lujuns, He’d goin on ’em in a way to
make his pard’s heart leap fur joy. He were
my pard fur many a year, and when he died,
though mebbe I mourned for him in a rough
hunter’s way, it were real, squire—it were real.

‘We'd bin campin’ ou this bay a month, an’
it cum about this season of the year, when I
left Jack,in the camp and started out across
the ice arter deer. I were on skates- -I like ’em
better than shoes when the ice is cl’ar, fur they
ain’t nigh so clumsy. Mought be I went six
miles afore I see a buck crossin’ the glare ice,
an’ I put arter him, hot blocks, an’ arter a chase
of three mile, I plumbed him behind the shoul-
der an’ took his pelt off, cut off the saddle an’ |
some of the tid-bits, hung up the rest on a tree
on a little island clust by an’ started fur camp. |

“T didn’t hurry much, and mout hey bin two
miles from hum, when I-heerd suthin’ that’
made me git down to my work an’ skate ez I
never skated afore in all my life, What d’ye |

fur safe timber Jest ez I foddered my shooter,
I drawed a fine bead on him an’ he dropped.

‘** Rubbed out, Jack,’ I sez, turning te my
pard. His eyes were set in his head, an’ his
teeth chatterin’, an’ when Iran to lift him he
gave a groan an’ fell back dead. I berri’d him
yender under the trees, an’ when Iseea wolf I
shoot him, ef it’s the last charge in the flask an’ ,
the last bullet in the pouch.”

The guide was silent, and hisdark eyes turned
to the spot where, under the green pines, he had
made the grave of his friend.

CHAPTER II.
THE MIDNIGHT INTRUDERS.

Tim nights were piercing cold, but those who
built the cabin understood their business, and
the keen air outside could not penetrate its
walls, Besides this, Dave Blodgett arose at in-
tervals through the night and threw more fuel
on the blazing fire, returning immediately to
his blanket, which he. scarcly struck when a
prolonged snore proclaimed that he was already
In the Land of Nod. It was a peculiarity of
this man that he could fall asleep in a moment,
and awake as quickly. The third time he,rose
he heard a scuffling sound outside. Instantly
the hounds lying before the fire were on their
feet, and a single deep-mouthed bay from the
throat of the oldest dog proclaimed the pres-
ence of game. Every man was on his feet in
a moment, with a weapon in his hand, and
Harry was about to rush out into the darkness,
when Dave hurled him back,

“Hyar, you youngster, whar was ye goin’?
Never rush blindfold into trouble,my boy—
that ain’t the way. Keep yer eyes open an’ go
in to win. Let loose the dogs.”

The door was opened, and, like an arrow shot

'

 

s’pose I heerd down nigh the cabin, but the from a strong bow, the older hound rushed out
howling of a flock of wolves? I didn’t want to into the night, followed instantly by his com-
get the varmints arter me on the ice, fur I hap-' panion.

pened to know how they kin run. I made the} We have not noticed the gallant hounds
steel ring along the ice, when all at once, I which accompanied the party, but they were

heerd a man yell, an’ it were Jack Phelps; no.
man know’d his v’ice better than me. |

“ Boys, I skated; I didw’t fool with it, but let
myself loose an’ flew. Thar were a p’int of
woods atween me an’ the cabin, an’ afore I
rounded it I got my shooter reddy, an’ cum
round the p’int like a whirlwind. There I see
Jack in the midst of nine or ten hungry wolves,
swinging a club in his hands and fightin’ like a
man fur his life. I lifted old True-Blue an’ let
drive, an’ one of them wolves keeled over
bootiful, an’ ef you will believe it, the cowardly |
thieves ran maybe a hundred yards or so afore
they see it war only one man, But by the time
they turned, I had Jack in my arms—fur he were
a-staggerin’ like a drunken man—an’ afore them
dirty dogs could ketch me, I had closed the
cabin door, jest ez the fust wolf bumped ag’in’
it. I were jest in time.

“<Tay me down,’ sez Jack; ‘I ain’f no use to
no one, but | won’t rest happy unlest you lay
some of them cowardly brutes out.’

“J loaded his rifle and mine, an’ went to that
little window whar I commenced work. They
were howlin’? round the door, an’ every time
one dropped, they jumped on him and tore him
to pieces, The last one turned tail and started |

worthy of notice, The first was a cross be-
tween the Siberian bloodhound and English
mastiff, and while retaining the black color and
ferocious persistence of the bloodhound, was
possessed of the endurance and strength of the
mastiff. The second, a more graceful deer-
hound, marked by black spots upon a ground of
white, was an animal peculiarly adapted for
the chase of fleet-footed game, while the
older hound, Danger, was at home in the close
staple for life or death,

“Hunt ’em out, Spot!” roared Dave Blodgett.
“Pitch in, old Danger!” :

The hounds obeyed, gloriously, and through
the\open door the hunters could see three
heavy-bodied, clumsy anirhals, which, seeming-
ly confused by the sudden rush of the dogs
huddled together in a group. The dogs dashe

' in; there was heard the sound of a heavy blow,

and Spot rolled over on the snow, with a shrill
yell of agony, and through the open doorway
those inside saw two of the animals rise erect
upon their feet in a decidedly pugilistic atti-
tude, with Danger crouching in front ready for
a spring. ; .

“Bars! bars!’ yelled Blodgett. ‘*Come to
heel, Denger! I thought all the b’ar in the

 
  

 

4

The Snow Hunters,

 

kentry het gone into the’r holes an’ shet up fur
the winte:, Come_in, I say.”

Eyen w ien heated by the ardor of battle, the
well-trained hound obeys; and Danger, who
had gathered himself for a leap at the upright
figure in front, came back and took his station

. bebind his master. Instantly three rifles cracked
and one of the upright figures went down with
a crash, while the two others hastily scrambled.
up a pine tree close at hand, and were lost in
the thick green foliage.

“We've treed the critters, anyway!” cried
Blodgett. ‘Go, Danger!”

The black bound seemed to know his. busi-
ness, for he took his station at the foot of the
tree and began to bay furiously. He was an-
swered by low, sullen growls of rage, but the
ae for prudential reasons, did not come

own.

“Load up, boys,” said Blodgett. ‘*One thing
I wanter l’arn ye—never rush in on any game,
no matter how dead it looks, without fodder in
your rifle, if ye have time to load. Mennya
good man hez lost his life by a little ‘oolishness
like that ’ar’.”

Even while speaking rapidly, the guide was
forcing a charge into bis rifle, and as he fixeda
cap upon the tube, he rushed out. Mr. Tracey
was not far behind him, with his rifle at the
half cock and ready for action. Harry and
Rufe also followed, but were ordered back
from under the tree, while Jack, picking up
Spot, his especial favorite, carried him into the
cabin and laid him on a pile of skins, before he
dashed out again to join the party under the tree,

‘That boy. hez got a good heart,” said Dave
Blodgett. ‘'Show me the boy thet is kind to

_ dumb creetur’s, an’ Pil show you a boy thet
will make a man an’ a good hunter.”

“Queer theory that for a man who makes his
living by slaying dumb creatures,” said Mr.
Tracey.

“Thar’s many a good man was a ‘mighty
hunter,’ as you'll know if you s’arch the Scrip-
ter diligent,” retorted. Dave Blodgett, who
never read a book, good or bad, in his life.
“Don’t talk to me, critters, but git to work.
Mr. Tracey, you stand here; Harry, come this
way; Rufe, stand thar to the left; an’ you,
Jack, bring out that fire-pan ‘an’a bundle of
lightwood knots.”

Jack, hurrying away quickly, brought out
the blazing pan and placed it under the tree.
A space of about fifty yards was illuminated,
and the animals in the tree evinced their dis-
comfort by low growls of rage and_ terror,
There was a sound of crashing branches, and
fey could tell that the bears were going

ighber.

“It’s good» practice, boys,” said Dave,
“You'll never git a better chaince to arn how:
to sHoot in the dark.”

Harry and Rufe fired together, and the pine
cones came rattling down as the bullets whis-
tled through them.

“You'll hit suthin’ ef ye’r’ only keerful,” and
Dave chuckled joyfully. ‘‘Lemme give you a
lesson. Raise yer rifle slow, thusly, an’ when
the sights cross the objec’, let ’er drive, thusly.”

The crack of bis rifle accompanied the words,

tree and someting like drops of rain pattered
down upon the leaves,

‘‘Fust blood fur me!” shouted Dave, “I
drawed the color the fust lick.”

Mr. Tracey had reserved his fire, knowing
that a loaded rifle can be made very serviceable
at critical moments, As soon as the others had
reloaded he fired in his turn, and had the satis-
faction of knowing that his bullet had found
the mark. 2

Both bears had been hit, although it was im-
possible to say how badly, for the parts of the
animals seen through the openings in the foli-
age could scarcely be Ga eee in the light
of the blazing “Jack.” At last, as Dave looked
through the sights, he saw two sparks of fire
placed close together, gleaming in the light of
the fire. Changing his aim, he sighted between
these bright spots and a little above them and
pulled trigger.

“Stand from under!” he roared the next mo-
ment. ‘He got it that time, fur keeps,”

There came a terrible crashing above them,
and a huge body came down, making a perfect
lane through the branches in its course, The
light shining upon the animal showed the rag-
ged hole in the head made by the bullet from
the deadly twist-bore of the rifle. Dave Blod-
gett rarely missed his aim.

There yet was one more bear to be accounted
for. He had gained a position in the thick
foliage which made it impossible to get a shot
to reach a vital part. Dave fired from half a
dozen different positions, but without effect.
At last a bullet sent into the tree by Mr. Tracey
scemed to sting the bear to madness, for they
heard him coming down, growling furiously as
he came.

“Look out now!” cried Dave. “The ugly old
hugger hez got on his ear, an’ thar is goin’ ter
be a fight.”

Every rifle was loaded, and.as the bear came
down four bullets were planted in various por-
tions of the after parts of the brute, for he
came down backward, of course, showing his
white teeth in his rage. Dave Blodgett had re-
tained a charge in his rifle, and if everythin
had gone as he expected, he would have kill
the bear before he could turn. His rifle was at
the ear of the fierce brute when he pulled the
trigger, when, to the horror of all, the cap
failed to explode. There was no time to fix an-
other, and Dave signed to the others to run
while he drew a hatchet and struck full at the
head of the animal. The huge paw was lifted
and the hatchet flew into the air, and the next
instant Dave Blodgett was clasped in the deadly
embrace of his huge adversary. ‘

He knew his danger and struggled desperate-
ly, but he was held in such a way that he could
not reach his knife, and his very bones seemed
to crack as he was hugged in those powerful
arms, Mr. Tracey and his sons were loading
with all speed, but they feared that before they
' could finish the old hunter would be crushed to

death, for it was only by pressing closely to the
body of the bear that he could avoid being torn
into ribbons by the hind claws. His breath was
| coming thick and fast when a small rifle was
‘ suddenly inserted in the ear of the bear, and &

 

and instantly a hoarse grow! was heard in the, tiny crack was heard. The head of the bear

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drooped suddenly, the blood gushed from his
mouth, the muscles relaxed, and he dropped
dead at the feet of the guide, who, turning
quickly, saw Jack Edgel standing by his side,

with a little rifle smoking in his grasp.
“Shake!” he said, extending his hand, ‘ My
boy, you’ve saved the life of a man who ain’t
likely to forgit, an’ you’ve showed the sperrit
of a man. don’t say much, but ef the time
comes when I kin sarve ye, I’ll be thar /”

CHAPTER III.
AFTER MOOSE—OLD DAVE CURES A COWARD.

Jack EpGEL had been trained to manly ex-
ercises from his youth up and it is no wonder
that he developed into a muscular man. As
early as he could remember field sports had
been his delight and his father had taken plea-
sure in aiding his son in building up his frame
until now it required a hardy man to put him
on his back. e took the praises of the old
guide modestly and pooh-poohed them, saying
that he had done nothing more than could be
expected of-a fellow who was one of a party in
the woods.

“Thet’s so,” averred Dave, as he dragged
the last. bear close to the fire and looked atithe
place where the rifle ball bad entered. ‘ But
what I like an’ what I sw’ar by is the stiddy
way you put the shot in—see! Presence of
mind, ae young pard, will go furder to carry
a man through thé woods than a brass band
and a mountain howitzer. But take a roost,
you chaps, an’ ]’l] tell you suthin’ that happened
on this yer very spot, must be eighteen- years
ago. I were out with a party, boys, and takin’
them as they run it were a good party, and the
kind that stands by a man-in the woods, ’cep-
tin’ one, and he wur about the durndest
coward— But here goes fur the yarn.

“Tt wur about this season of the year, maybe
two weeks or a matter of thet later, and I took
two of my party, a -man named Ellerton and
Harry Forbes, and went after a moose. Harry
was a good hunter and I always liked to have
him with me, but Dick Ellerton was no good on
airth, We was on snow-shoes, acourse, and
plugged along pooty lively till we was mebbe a
matter of fifteen miles from camp as the crow
flies. This yer Ellerton kept up to us, but he
didn’t half like it and seemed to calkilate we
was a-getting a good ways from home. But
the sign was fresher all the time and me and
Harry was getting hot and it wouldn’t hev
made a durned bit of difference to us ef the
or’nery galoot hed giveitupaltogether. But at
last we cornered the game in a deadening ina
growth of timber and madea surround. I set
that fool Ellerton furst cause I didn’t have no
confidence in the long-geared looney, and then
me and Harry sep’rated and come in on the
game from the east and west as there wasa
Square north wind. ~ ‘

‘*Pooty soon we sighted them and it was a
noble herd of seven and among others two rat-
tling bull moose, as big fellers as I ever see in
all my life. I give the call for Harry and pulled
up and our two rifles spoke about the same
time. Jest as we fired, blame my cats ef that
Ellerton didn’t come blundering into the open
on a dead run, ;

 

 

 

 

The Snow YWunters, 5

‘*My moose took the suow and the one Harry
plugged staggered, and I see be had hit him
jest at the base of the horn and for the time
the critter was as mad es a halter. He caught
sight of Dick Ellerton and went af:er him hke
he was fired out of a gun,and ths poor fool
didn’t seem to know he had a gun in his hand—
beg pardon, Master Tracey: it waau’t the buck
fever thet troubled him, but he was skeered to.
death—durned ef he waan’t. s:

‘“‘He hoofed it kinder lively but he never
waan’t any great shakes a-running through the
snow and a mad moose can git over the: crust—
some! I see he’d sp’iled our hunt but I didn’t
want the poor lunatic tore all to pieces, so I just
slapped a charge into my rifle and started. in.
Toney headed away from me and J see Harry
coming out of the woods, and calculated it was
all right, when, whether you believe it or not,
the hull durned etarnal drove come at me tail
on end, and I had to tuke care of myself.

“J plugged one feller and he weut down and
then 1 calculated to get out of Gallilee as rapid
as I could until Icould git a chance to load.
All the moose broke away now ’cept one big fel-
ler and he tuk arter me in a way that would
hev done your heart good to see if you was
looking on, though I don’t reckon it would hev
pleased you too much, ef so be you was jist in
front of the horns, z

‘7 kinder slid along, wondering how Harry
and Dick was going to pan out, when I heerd
an awful yell in the open and knowed Bomactning
was wrong. Thet druv me sort o’ wild and
didn’t seem to care a copper fer the moose and
slipped in a charge as I went and then wkeeled
and give it to him. It’s mighty hard to put in
a bullet jist right when a bull moose is coming
at you head on, but it dropped him and while
he wuz on his knees I got my knife well in be-
hind his shoulder and that settled it. Jest as JT
pulled out the knife Dick Ellerton flew by like
the wind, his face the color of a picce of chalk,
and headed out of thetimber. I pwled on him.

“Come back here, durn ye,’ 1 sings out, ‘or
may I never chaw pemmican ag’in ef I don’t
drive you through the center. Don’t stop to
talk, but git back lively.’ }

“He wur afraid of the moose but he wur
more afraid of me and he knowed I could
shoot a leetle, and I reckon he made better time
back into the open than he made out of it. We
came back through the timber on arun, and the
minnit I looked in I see what had happened.

“Harry had run out to help Elerton when
the moose turned on him and then Ellerton let
out a war-whoop that was enough to wake the
dead and run likea thief, and left Harry to
work out his‘own salvation, It was pesky
mean to laugh, but I’d ’a’ done it if i died fur it.
There was two or three trees in’ ‘bunch, too
clust together fur the moose to get bis horns
through, and Harry was dodging in and out
among them while the moose danced and
whistled and made the snow fairly fly trying to
git at him. Harry didn’t git any chance to
load, fer the critter was right at bis heels, and if
he had stopped a minnit it would have gone

-hard with him. I don’t reckon you ever heerd

@ man swear as he did that time. Ginerally
Pm ag’in’ swearing, myself; it don’t do any

 
* me

    

  

é

 

The Snow Hunters.

 

good and as Johnny Slocum used to say, it’s
superfluous; but there’s times when a man
ment be fairly pardened if he tore off a few
and this was one of the times. Mad! It’s no
name fur it, cause Harry knew if Ellerton hed
stood his ground like a man he’d hey got a
chance to load, and it would have been all up
with the moose, I took a hand in,

“Jump in there, durn ye,’ I sin
plug thet moose; do it lively, and no fooling.’

** He didn’t half like it; but there was no help
with me a-looking at him, and he run in with
his rifleatacarry. Jest as he got in range the
moose come round the tree, hot-foot after
Harry, and durn me if that rifle didn’t come up
as regular as an old hunter, and he pulled. The
feller knew how to shoot; he could drive the
center of a target at two hundred yards every
time—but when it came to live meat it skeered
him. But when his rifle cracked, the moose
a one jump into the air and fell dead as a

oor-nail, and Dick dropped his rifle, and came
up to me with his hand out.
ee Want to fight? I asks. ‘No, not any for

out, ‘and

“«¢T want to shake hands,’ he says; ‘ you’ve
cured me of being a coward, and I’m obleeged
to you.’

“ Boys, it war so. Thet chap staid by us all
winter, and was as cool a hunter as ever you
see. And I don’t want no better man than him
at my back in a tussle in the big woods, But
look here; morning is coming, and we must git
ready for the first day’s hunt.”

CHAPTER IV.
ICu FISHING—UNWELCOME GUESTS.

Tu offal, which had beén carried a little dis-
tance from the camp, attracted a large flock of
wolves, and there’ was but little rest for the
party through the rest of the night, so furious
was the wrangling over the reniains of the three
bears, Even if this had not been the case, the
younger members of the party were too much
excited over the night’s adventure to sleep,
The twin brothers \were too good-natured to
envy their cousin for his good fortune, but, on
the contrary, patted him on the back and

- crowed over him, while Jack was too modest to
take even the credit which was his right. Dave
Blodgett said little, but looked at the boy from
time to time in an affecrionate, fatherly way,
and thought that he would make a hunter of
him before they went back to the haunts of civ-
ilization. Before morning every vestige of the
bears had disappeared, with the exception of
the meat, which had been hung so_ high as to
be out of reach of the hungry animals.

“ Oritters,” said Dave, as they sat over the
smoking steaks of bear-meat, cakes and coffee,
at breakfast, “I reckon 1’ll hev to think for you
in these latter days, I perpose we run a deer
on the ice, What d’ye say?”

“ We leave it all to you, Dave,” said Mr.
Tracey. ‘‘As Tom Dean used to remark—
‘You are the doctor.’”

“All right. Here, Spot, let’s look at them
ribs of yourn, When.I see thet blamed b’ar

cuff him, I thought he’d knock the iatrails out

of poor Spot, but it. ain’t quite so bad as that.

A

 

ittle gore, old fel’? Yaas—so I thought. You

 

won't run away from'Old Danger to-day. Now,
who'll keep camp?”

This was a puzzier, for every one wanted to

o out on the first hunt. Even Jack Edyel
ooked blank, for he had doneso well in his first
attempt that he was eager totry again, But, af-
ter a struggle with himself, he yielded.

“Pll stay,” he responded, ‘‘I had such good
luck last night that Ican afford to give Harry
and Rufeachance, You go on and leave me
here,”

“Pll tell you what, my boy,” said Dave; ‘Tl
fix it so that you kin have some fun while we
ar’ gone. Come withme.” |

Taking a hatchet, he went out on the ice, and
in a place selected carefully with reference to
the thinness of the ice and the depth of water,
he cut three holes and rigged ‘three lines, each
attached to an elastic piece of ash, that the
provident old hunttr had at hand. The lines
were baited with a small piece of bear-meat.

* Now, Jack,” admonished Dave, ‘ thar’s big
fish under the ice, an’ ef you hev good luck,
he hev a mess wuth lookin’ at when we come

yack, When you see the ash go down, jump fur
it. You’d better put on your skates, an’ then,
ef ye seo wolves, ye kin scratch fur the house,
rapid.”

ack was delighted with the prospect, and
without a pang saw his friends depart, spinning
along the ice to the north, Jack put on his
skates, slung his little rifle on his back for bet-
ter security, and went out to the holes to watch
his baited hooks. He was perhaps a hundred
yards from the cabin, and was satisfied that he
could reach it before any animal could get at
him. Besides, he was far from being a coward,
and had considerable confidence in his own
prowess. Harry and Rufa had hardly disap-
peared behind the first point of land, when one
of the pieces of ash bent down to the water.
Jack ree forward, and, after a struggle,
succeeded in landing a lake trout, weighing
perhaps three pounds. The lad uttered a shout
of delight at his success, as he atiministered the
tap on the head which ended the struggles of
the trout; then he Jaid his prize down on the
ice. rebaited the hook and threw it in again,

He soon had another fish to attend to, and in
the course of three hours had caught twenty
trout, the largest of which weighed nearly six

ounds., Itis hard to satisfy a boy when 8
ing, and Jack was still busy, when a ho:
voice hailed him from the bank:

‘‘ Hullo! who keeps camp?” *

He started up, and saw two men standing in
front of the cabin, looking earnestly at him.
He at once made for the shore, where, as he
took off his skates, he was confronted by two
men, whom at a glance he knew to be Indians,
or half-breeds, and ugly-looking fellows at that.

Jack felt an instinctive repulsion—you could
not call it dread, for he was not afraid—but a
feeling that these were bad men and not to be
trusted, They were clad in the usual hunter
garb, somewhat faded and worn, and carried
rifles, hatchets and knives.

“You keep camp, boy?” demanded one, who
seemed to have mosi white blood in his veins.

* Yes,” replied Jack, shortly. :

“We want suthin’ to_eat,”

   
 

ae

mys

 

pean Ste
 

= a
Seni oo

Saree aoe

 

i
fi

a

——
SS een:

The Snow Hunters. 2

 

‘Help “yourselves. There’s plenty of bear-
meat, and if you want a fish ortwol’ll get them
for you.”

“Short an’ sweet, ain’t ye, my flower?” said
the speaker, with a fierce look in his black eyes.
“Take keer, my little one. I’ve swallered little
white boys afore now when they. was sassy.
Now, you goan’ git them fish, and while you
are about it, you’d better clean ’em.”

‘ Jack gave a short, contemptuous laugh. He
was a
fathomed this man at sight. Taking his rifle
from his back, Jack coolly cocked and present-

it.
“Now, look out, young ’un,” bawled the,

braggart, ‘Who runs this hyar camp?”

“Tn Dave Blodgett’s absence, J run it,” re-
lied Jack, with anger in his tones. ‘‘I expect
ave back soon, buf you needn’t wait Come,

get out!”

“T guess we'd better go, ef it’s Dave Blod-

tt’s camp,” suggested the half-breed, hurried-

y. “Don’t pint the gun at us, boy; we're
a-goin! now.”

‘You'd better travel, or I'll help you on

your way.” Jack evidently was on his metal.

‘You'll git your comb cut some day, my lit-

tle rooster,” retorted the man, grinding his
teeth. «Come on, Alf.”

His companion turned as if to obey, but, in-

= of doing so, threw his arms about Jack

nd held him fast. Jack struggled with all his

might, but he was fast bound, and the scoun-
drels were masters of the situation.

“T orter cut your throat!” hissed the half-—

breed, “‘ but I ain’t got time. Git that sled u
to ther door. Iseeafew things hyar what
want te borrow.”

Jack lay helpless, and saw the two thieves
load the large sled with the choicest articles in
the cabin, including his rifleand twospare guns
belonging to Mr, Tracey.

“] reckon thar is grub enough to last us
through the winter,” sneered the half breed.
“You kin tell Dave Blodgett we borrowed a
few things, an’ we'll return ’em when We git
time.”

“Dave Blodgett will make you repent this,”
screamed Jack.

“Good-by, little ‘un,’ returned the half-
breed. ‘Don’t forgit to tell Dave that Bill
Becker hez been hyar.”

|
Jack heard the sled crunching over the snow,

and struggled vainly with bis bonds, After
awhile be managed to roll over and over until
he had reached a knife which had been dropped
upon the floor. After an effort, he succeeded
in getting this in his teeth, and, sitting up, he
forced the point between his wrists, which,
luckily for him, had beeti tied in front. The
cords dropped from his hands,

“The low-lived villains have robbed us, and
Iam to blame. I'll follow them, if they take
me to the Esquimaux country,” muttered the
irate lad,

Leaving his baits to take care of themselves,
the resolute boy put two hatchets and the knife
he had found into his belt, and took the trail.
It was easy to follow it, for there was no mis-
taking the heavy track of the sled,

 

oy of considerable penetration, and °

CHAPTER V.
JACK’S REMARKABLE THAIS.

THE two scoundrels who had robbed the cabin
“of the hunters traveled hard, for shey had a

feeling that it would be well for t1em not. to
fall into the hands of Dave Bloc gett, after
‘striking his cache.” They, knew ihese Cana-
dian forests well, and walked swiftly on, chuck-
ling over the success of their raid. After a
three hours’ toilsome march, they camped for a
rest, built up a fire, and prepared a meal from
the purloined bear’s-meat.

“We've beat Dave. Blodgett once, Alf,” said
the elder robber, ‘but ef it hadn’t bin for you,
the little cub would have driv’ us out.”

“Ugh!” grunted the other, whose Indian
blood was nearly pure, as he bent over the
bear’s-meat in his hand. ‘f We fool ’em, heap !”

The fire had been made in the shelter of a
huge rock nearly seven feet high. Each man
iu sitting down had placed his loaded rifle
against the rock just behind him and paid no
further attention to it,

| Both were ravenous eaters, and for half an
hour no sound was heard save the steady action
of their jaws. The half-hour which they had
spent so luxuriously proved a fatal loss to them,
for, when they arose and looked for their rifles,
| those useful weapons, with powder-flasks an
shot-belts attached, had disappeared entirely!
The two men looked at the imprints Jeft by the >
butt of each weapon on the snow, and uttered a
simultaneous howl of rage.

“ How him go?” demanded Alf. ‘If no hab
wing—how can fly?”

“Durn my jacket ef I know. The’r’ gone,
clean gone, that’s sartin, an’ it’s my ‘pinion
i some sneakin’ thief hez got’em, Thur’s a power

of wickedness in this world.”

Noble moralist! He only forgot where he had
been, and what he had that day done.

oe heap gun on sled,” suggested the In-
ian,

‘To be shore—to be shore!” said Bill Becker,
nodding bis head ys “Tis so, indeed,
Let’s get ’em an’ see ef they is all right. We
‘must be on our guard ef an inimy is sneakin’
around.”
| “Hold!” said.a quiet voice over the head of
the speaker, ‘‘Touch the sled; and you are
dead men!"

Both men started up to see, standing erect
upon the great rock, the bey they had left
bound and helpless in the cabin! by the lake
shore!

“‘T am in dead earnest, you black thieves!”
continued Jack, cool and confident as a veteran.
“Pve got two loaded rifles, and only need ‘an
excuse to‘put a ball through you both, What
is your name, you big thief?”

‘Bill Becker,” howled the half-breed.

“All right, Mr. Bill Becker. . Now take up
that piece of buckskin you see on the ground
and tie your pal’s hands behind him.” :

“TI won't!” roared Bill.

“Oh, yes you will. Lam going to count ten,
keeping the rifle on you all the time, If that
man is not tied when [ get done counting, you
are Bill Becker no more.”
| “Would you murder me, you little imp?”
| flercely demanded the ruffian.

 
8 The Snow Euniers.

 

*Oh, no,” replied Jack, coolly. “It is no
murder to shoot a wild beast. One!” a
“11 make you sweat—”

“ Two {??

“You may count until you ar’ black in the
face,” howled Becker.

“Three—four—five—sixz—seven—eight |”

Bill Becker saw a deadly purpose in the boy’s
eye. At the word “eight” he suddenly seized
his comrade and dashed him to the earth.

“Tye got ter do it, Alf,” he blubbered.
‘The little crank will shoot, sure as you live.”

“Nine!”

*“Stop counting, can’t ye; ain’t I tying him?”
and Bill Becker proceeded with his work.

“Gross his wrists; now draw a close knot!”
continued Jack,

And s0, while cursing his little enemy, the
ruffian worked nervously fast, and the Indian
was securely bound.

“Now lie down on the snow,” ordered Jack~
face down, mind you!”

After a moment’s hesitation the fellow did as
he was bidden, and Jack leaped down from the
rock, with a piece of buckskin in his bands, and
served him as bis comrade-had fared.

‘““You can get up, now,” said Jack. ‘‘ Don’t
you think you are a pretty pair of ground-hogs
anyhow? I'll teach you to rob my roost!”

‘What ar’ yer going ter do?”

Did you have lots of fun dragging that
sledload of goods from the lake?”

The men were silent, for they suspected what
was coming.

“You won’t speak? Now, as you have taken
so much trouble to draw it here, Pll have to ask
you to draw it back again.”

‘‘TIl be chawed, ef I do,” growled Bill
Becker.

“Let me persuade
he cocked his rifle.

ou,” and Jack smiled as
5 “Do it, if only as a slight
favor to me.

“ All right,” growled Alf. ‘‘ Why you fool,
Bill Becker? If must go, why you big heap
talk make—eh?”

“That’s good philosophy for a red-skin,”
suggested Jack; ‘what will be, will be. You
might as well come down gracefully, like
Crockett’s coon, Mister Bill Becker.”

The men took their places side by side; he
placed the draw rope over their shoulders, and
coolly mounted the sled.

“As you have made me walk all this dis-
tance, if is only fair you should draw me, back.
Get to the lake as soon as you van. Forward
aoe and Jack presented the rifle, at half-
cock.

.ae men had chosen the land path in prefer-
ence to the lake because they feared some of the
hunters might be below. They moved away in
solemn state, boiling over with fury, but not
daring to disobey. It was trying, no doubt,
that two strong men should be taken in this
ridiculous Fert Bev mere boy, but taken they
were, and completely in his power. Turning
aside from the path ‘they bad been pursuing,
they went down the slope to the lake, and

resently stood upon the firm ice. Bill at once
eaded to the south.

‘* Hold on, beauty!” ordered Jack, ~“ Right-
about face, if you please.”

 

Tho ‘team ” turned back, growling, and ag
they passed a growth of young seedling beeches,
Jack stopped them and cut a delicate lithe
switch, about eight feet long.

“Now, boys, put your best feet foremost.
I’m in a hurry to get home, for our friends may
need some of these articles you have borrowed,
Git up, Benny; g’lang, ‘red hide!’”

The beech whip whistled through the air

_and alighted with stinging force upon the legs

of Bill Becker. There. was no help for it, and
they started off at a long Indian lope, which
will almost tire a wolf.

It was maddening, but what could they do?
Their moccasins patted over the ice in a way
which astonished even themselves, and they
drew up in front of the cabin just as the other
party, who bad come back without game, were
searching wildly about for traces of Jack.

‘ Whoa, there!” cried Jack, ‘‘ Here we are
again, Uncle Davel”

Dave strode down to the beach, looked at the
load of stuff on the sled, and Jack perched 5
the top with a loaded rifle in one hand and a
whip in the other; at the refractory team with
their hands tied behind them, and the scout
owned himself mystified.

‘“‘ Now, this is a conundrum [ don’t want to
guess, Jack,” he said. ‘I know‘yvou, Bill Beck-
er, an’ ef this is whatI think, Pl take it out
of yer hide.” /

Jack told them briefly what had happened,
and, without a word, Bill Becker was seized. by
the irate guide.

‘Make that switch about four feet long, my
boy,” he said. ‘I wanter use it.”

Jack obeyed and handed the switch to Dave
and then applied himself to the task of watching
the Indian, while Dave, heaving his stout arm
in the air, administered to Bill Becker a casti-
gation, the marks of which he bore for many

@ day.
= hart? the guide roared, at the same time
‘lifting ” Bill Becker upon the toe of his moc-

casin, ‘ Now, git!”

‘What you do to me?” whined the Indian.
“Me sorry big heap now; no sorry den.”

‘Will you leave this big thief, an’ jine us,
Alf? said Dave.

“Ugh! yes. He big heap coward—that one.
Me no mad at boy; make big heap chief one

day.”

“Then you kin stay,” said Dave. ‘Bill
Becker, take yer rifle, an’ go. An’ ef I see ye
sneakin’ round any camp of mine—|”

He tapped his rifle significantly, and Bill Beck-
er understood him. He struck a line to the
south, and the party saw him no more.

“You needn’t fear to trust the Injun, Mr.
Tracey,” said Daye. ‘‘ He'll steal if he gits a
chance.” _

“Ugh! Big heap me steal!” said Alf, with
refreshing candor.

‘But he never steals from those who pay for
his work.”

Alf nodded approvingly, and was joined to
the party. And, surprising as it may seem, the
young Indian was faithful in all things and be-
trayed surprising zeal in the service of Jack
Edgel, who had won his honest regard,

 

 
 

 

   

The Snow

Hunters,

 

[8

 

 

CHAPTER VI.
OFF ON A HUNT—ON THE TRAIL—ALF AND BILL
BECKER,

Jack was in reality rather proud of his new
recruit Alf, and was of the epinion that he could
train him into something better. After supper
the boy threw his rifle over his arm and left the
cabin, and put on his skates after reaching the
lake. Just as he was about to start off Alf
came up.

“S’pose you let me go, all lite,” he said, ‘‘Do
you heap good, mebbe.”

**Oh, I won’t need you, Alf,” replied the boy.
“Pm just going to take a leetle run across the
lake to sve if I can’t strike a deer, There is no
danger.”

‘Can't most always be sartin,” was the reply
of the half-breed. ‘‘ Heap bad Injun in woods,
sometime; white men durn sight worse. Me
go, too.” :

But Jack was determined to go alone, and
started off, his steel skates ringing sharply on
the crisp air, until his form showed a mere
black moving spot upon the surface of the
lake.
“Darn dat boy,” muttered Alf. ‘ Mus’ hab
he own way, allee time; make Alf mad.”

He was uneasy and would have been more so
if he had known the actual danger which the
lad was running. It was only a vague uncer-
tainty which troubled the Indian, for, strange
as it may seem, the fellow had taken a real
liking to the brave lad, and would have gone al-
most any length to do him good. He went out
again and looked across the lake, but the boy
had now passed a point below and could no
longer be seen. He went#back again and met
Dave.

“Don’tlike him, Dave; dat boy go away, all
alone heself on ’ee lake. S’pose wolf come,

2

‘The durned, or’nery, no ’count little run-
away!” roared Dave, : , :

“Dat’s a lie, Dave!” replied the Indian quiet-

. * He mos’ awful smart boy, datone.”

“ll be durned ef you ain’t sassy. What did
you let him go for, Alf?’

“No could stop. Alf want to go an’ he no
hab him.” a

The old guide went back into the cabin and
staid a tew moments, and when he came back,
Alf had disappeared. Dave hurried in and
called out Mr, Tracey.

“Don’t say anything to the boys, Mr.
Tracey,” the_guide said, *‘but I’m afraid Jack
has got into some kind of a scrape, and we
must go after him, Get your skates and speak
to the boys.” i

Mr. Tracey hurried back into the cabin and
caaght up his skates, simply telling the twins
to stay where they were and not stray far from
the cabin, and then joined Dave outside. The

“two put on theirskates and darted away to-
ward the point where Jack was last seen, but
when they reached it the boy was nowhere in
sight,

cn Now look at that,” cried Dave, angrily.
“Bf Pye told that boy one’t, I’ve told him a
hundred times not to go a-mooning off by his-
self in the woods. When I ketch him durned ef

 

T don’t wallop him. Thar goes his trail north-

‘tard, and— Keep back a minnit. So help me
oe hyar ain’t another trail right atop of
ig.?*

It was true. The boy had eut out a new
course in a direction different from any the
party had as yet passed over, and above the
tracks of his skates, distinctly defined, were
those of another, evidently following him,
Dave rose with an angry snarl.

“I don’t like to suspect no man without any
cause, but by George, I do suspect one, and ef
it turns .out.ez I think, and any trouble hez
come to the boy, some one is going to get hurt
—you hear my loud bazoo, Never mind what I
mean, but come on,”

They were noble skaters, and for half an hour
flew on side by side, the clear ring of the steel
making weird music as they dashed on by the
side of the dark shores, covered with evergreen
trees. Thetrack was still plain, and close above
it still lay the skate marks of the pursuing man.
All at once the tracks turned and entered a
little sheltered cove, and they hurried-in. - Just
before reaching the bank there was a snot
where the snow was blown over the ice, and
Dave started, and pointed to certain dark
stains. ~

“Blood, Tracey!” he hissed.. ‘Fresh blood,
and the question is, are it human or brute?”

There was every appearance of a struggle,
‘and the snow was literally soaked in blood, and
scattered here and there, but it was impossible
to say in what manner the blood had been
shed. Dave darted up the bank, and found
that the bloody marks led that way, and soon
came to a small opening among the trees,
where there had been another struggle, and to
his surprise, the body of a large catamount lay
extended on the snow.

‘“Thet’s all right as fur as it goes,” he declared.
“The youngster got the best of itso fur, and
here he goes ag’in on a fresh trail. It makes
me sick when J think how much danger a crazy
poy will run into just for fun.”

Crack!

Far away in the distance they beard the re-
port of a rifle and thesound came booming
along the leke with startling distinctness,
Throwing off their skates they began to. run
along the trail, and both saw that the track of
a moccasined foot lay directly on top of that of
the boy.

“Ts it an Indian?’ inquired Mr, Tracey,
eagerly. ;

“Oh yaas,” replied Dave, ‘You can’t mis-
take an Injun trail, no watter whar you see it,
Yaas, it’s an Injun and what he’s doing on the
trail of the boy is more than I kin tell.”

They hurried on, keeping their rifles ready
and as they broke out of the pine woods they
came suddenly upon a form extended senseless
upon the snow, with the blood soaking into it
from a ghastly cut in the forehead. They
recognized him at a glance as Alf Lightfoot, the
half-breed. Mr. Tracey sprung to his side and
saw that he had received a crashing blow from
some heavy weapon which bad dashed kim
senseless to the earth. Making a ball of snow
Mr. Tracey began to cleanse the wound and
had decided that it was only a contusion, when
Alf opened his eyes.

  

 

 
 

  
  
  
  
   
    
  
   
   
   
  
   
   
    
  
 
 
 
 
 
   
  
   
   
 
  
  
   
   
 

    
  
    
  
 
  
 
   
   
   
   
 
 
    
 
  

 

10

You Bill Becker; you darn t’ief, Bill. Me
after you!” he screamed.

“What's the matter, Alf?’ demanded Dave.

“ole on; bead putty fick juss now; ugh.
Me tell in minnit. Now.me all right.”

He sat up on the snow, rubbing his head ina
confused manner. All they could get from
him was that he was troubled about Jack and
had started on his trail. He had followed him
down the lake and just as the trail was getting
fresh he met Bill Becker and another half-breed
who used to be with them and called himself
Toronto Charley. They bad asked him some
questions and he answered them, and finally
told them he was trailing Jack Hdgel, and
Becker wanted him to join them in running the
boy down, in order that Becker might take
vengeance on him. Alf refused, and Becker
struck him a swinging blow with the butt of his
rifle and left him for dead on the snow,

“Come on,” cried Dave hoarsely. ‘‘ Let’s get
after them, for if they catch the boy before we
get up to them it may go hard with him.”

The two started away, and, forgetting his
wound, Alf followed at his long Indian lope.

 

CHAPTER VIL.

BILL BECKER’S ULTIMATUM—THE VALUE OF A
CHECK—THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALF,

THE pursuers were wildly excited, now that
they were certain that Bill Becker was one of
the two who had met Indian Alf, and Dave
ground bis teeth together as he ran, and mut-
tered to himself what he would do when the-
scoundrel was under his hand. In the many

ears that he bad tramped the woods with

ave, Mr. Tracey had never seen him so-angry.
Now and again, as some chject showed in the
woods in front, the guide jerked his rifle to bis
shoulder, and then realizing that he was mis-
taken, dropped it again with an an:ry snarl,

“The villain foller Jack, you see,” hissed Alf,
“(Him ask me, ‘s’pose you come kill dat Jack
boy,’ and me say, ‘see you darn; won’t do it.
Jack debble of a boy, but me like bim,’”

“JT puess you are square enough, old man,”
asserted Dave. ‘‘ How is your head?’

“He all right; don’t stick by Alf long, leetle
rap like dat. Better let me take up trail.”

“Come on then.”

Alf sprung to the front and dropped his eves
on the trail, Tho moment ho did so he uttered
an angry cry. :

' “Here dey got him. Oh debble, Bill Becker,
what you do dat boy? Let Becker tak care.”

There was a gleam in the dark eyes of the
half breed which recalled the old days when his
warhior race, the great tribe of the Hurons,
fought the Iroquois along the green shores of
the beautiful Outario, His eye flashed, and the
hand which clasped the batchet-handle in his
belt opened and shut convulsively.

“ What’s the matter, Alf?’ demanded Dave,
in an excited tone.

The Snow Hunters.

 

eee got him, tell you,” replied Alf. “See
ere. }
Dave glanced at the trail and saw evidences
of a struggle, and there were drops of blood |
upon the trail—not much, but enough to-show
that some one had been cut, Then it could be

plainly seen that two men had moved awa
dragging some one between them, who was eyi-
dently disinclined to gos and a little further on
they found a broken belt which had been the
property of Jack. There were drops of blood
on this also,

“He isn’t hurt much, that’s one comfort,”
growled Dave, ‘but oh, holy smoke! just wait
till I get my hands on Bill Becker, and won’t it
go hard with him? Oh, I guess not.”

The trail was now very fresh, and.they could)

not be faraway. Just as the sun dropped be-
hind the trees they heard a step in front, and
Alf plunged into the bushes out of sight. A
moment more and the burly figure of Bill
Becker appeared in view. Dave uttered a
howl of rage, and his rifle sprung to his shoul-
der, but there was something in tho face of Bill
Becker which made him pause,

**} wouldn’t do anything rash, if I was you,
Dave,” he said, in a sneering tone, ‘‘ because ef
I don’t come back all right something bad will
happen to that boy, sure.” :

“You dirty hound!” gasped Dave, ‘What
have you got ag’in’ the boy?

‘*Didn’t he make me drag his sled nigh five
mile along the lake, and lash me like a dog
when I didn’t run fast enough to suit his lord-
ship? Oh, I’ve got a memory, Ihave. Iswore
then I’d get even with the young hound, and I
won’t forget it, either. I’ve got him, and now
a I ask is, what will you give to buy his
ife?’ ‘

“You wouldn’t kill him?’ demanded Mr,
Tracey. :

“Why not? Out hyar in the woods we don’t

‘think so much of a hige as you do in the cities.

I’ve said-once you cduldn’t buy revenge of me,
but ‘mebbe if you bid high enough it mout be
done, What do you say to a thousand dollars?”

‘tI will pay it,” replied Mr. Tracey, eagerly.
‘Bring the boy here, and I will give you my
check for the amount.” .

‘ ‘“ What’s a check?” demanded Bill Becker.

Mr. Tracey explained. :

“Checks ain’t no bait fur me, then,” declared
Bill, quietly, ‘‘First place, I don’t believe no
paper is worth a thousand dollars, and then,
again, I ain’t a-going to Toronto to be nabbed
that way. There’s too many in that festive
burgh that wants to see me; now you hear me.
No, | it’s money I want, and nothing else will do
me,

“You don’t suppose I carry a thousand dol-
lars into the woods with me?” said Mr. Tracey.

“Then send fur it, I kin take keer of the
boy a few weeks easy enough. When you git
it come to this yer place and fire three shots,
and it will be all right. Only you’ve got to
make it plain to me then thet you don’t mean
no tricks afore Jj!1 show up the boy.”

“J don’t see haw you kin help yourself,
squire,” asserted Dave, ‘‘only you just bear
this in mind, that when the boy issafe there
ain’t no law ag’in’ my taking your trailand run-
ning you tothe airth—and T'll do it, too, Bill
Becker.”

“You better look cut that you don’t foller ~

me too fur, old man,” replied Bill, in a sneering
tone. “ Alf Lightfoot follered me, and wouldn’t
listen~to reason, and.:mebbe you know by this
time what happened to him.” 5

 

   

|

 

 

 
  

|
i
/

 

 

 

 

 

The Snow

Hunters. ii

 

for the first time that Alf was keeping out of
sight, and he understood the motive of the
acute Indian. A queer look passed over the
face of the guide.

“Tt reckon you’d better promise the money,”
he said. ‘‘There ain’t no other way out of it,
squire.” ;

‘Very well,” replied Mr. Tracey, ‘ only if
the man would take my check it would save
time.” :

“Oh, he wouldn’t dare to go to Toronto,
squire. He’s stole more than a hundred horses
about thar, and thar’s a heap of men want to
see bim. No, I don’t know as I blame him-fur
not wantin’ to go there.”

“Then it is agreed. I will send to Toronto
after the money, and hope to have it here in
three weeks. In the mean time, take good care
of the boy.”

“Oh, Til take keer of him,” sneered Bill.
“Tis money in my pocket to keep the little
fool safe now, but 1 want you to hurry up with
the money, ’cause I ain’t over patient.” |

He turned on his heel and strode away, and to |
the surprise of Mr. Tracey instead of turning
back on the trail, the guide flung himself down
at the root of a tree, got out his pipe and lit up.

‘You take it rather coolly,” said Mr. Tracey. |

‘Waal, rayther. But don’t you see, squire, |
it ain’t much use crying for spilled milk, and 1
think I see my way out of this yet.”

“How; we can’t get at the boy, and dare not |
follow this ruffian?”

“No, I reckon not. He’d make mince-meat of
the boy if he see us on his trail again.”

“Then what are you sitting there for?” de-
manded Tracey in an angry tone.

“ Just bend your head and lemme whisper.
I don’t want to give anything away in the
woods.”

He whispered a brief sentence” in the ear of
Mr. Tracey who stared .at him a moment, ut-
tered a short laugh, and then quietly seated
himself on the root of a fallen tree and got out
his pipe, Neither of them said a word, but
smoked on in silence. . The twilight began to
come on and still they sat there, waiting. The
daylight faded and after the lapse of two hours
they heard a light crunching step on the snow
and both started up and grasped their rifles. A
moment later the long lithe figure of Alf Light- |
foot came gliding into view, and, raising his
hand, he beckoned them to come on, and they
followed him without a word,

 

CHAPTER VIII.

A TUSSLE WITH A CATAMOUNT—ENTRAPPED—
TURNING THE TABLES.

‘Wuere was Jack? .

As heskated away from the cabin, with his lit-
tie rifle slung, he had no idea of being absent
more thana Me minutes, but he had been on the
ice only a short time when he struck a fresh trail
which tempted him onward, It was evidently
an animal furnished with claws, for from time
to time the marks showed plainly on the ice
where the creature had slipped.

‘13 a catamount,” muttered the boy, ‘‘and
I'd like to get it for my museum.” i

 

Dave cast a quick glance behind, and realized He pushed along rapidly, the sparks flyin

from beneath the steel blades of his skates, an
in half an hour entered the little bay where the

_blood marks were first seen. He had scarcely

entered it, when, with a snarl and a shrill cry
a very large catamount bounded out of the
bushes and stood spitting and snarling on the
ice, the bair upon her back raising like the quills
ofa porcupine. The reason for this was soon
apparent, for there, just at her feet, lay the
body of a little fawn upon which she was feast-

ing.

Sow see here, old lady,” muttered Jack, as
he slowly brought his rifleeto a Jevel—‘“‘ is this
the way you thrust yourself upon the notice of
agenotleman? Toke that, will you!”

The rifle cracked and instantly Jack’s feet
flew from under him and he came down on the
back of his head with a sounding bump. He »
had entirely forgotten that he was on skates
and did not ‘‘ brace” himself and the conse-
quences were disas'rous in the extreme. No
sooner was he down than the spitting demon
was on him and Jack’s knife flew out. Fora
few moments the mountain cat made lively
work, but the boy was game to the core and at
last a home thrust stretched the creature on the

| grass, The boy leaned on his elbow, bloody

and scratched as he was, and looked at his prey.
“Well, may I never, if that wasn’t a queer
start. What did the old fool mean by coming

| at me, tail on end in that way? I'l] fix ber.”

He dragged the animal to a tree and hung
ber up, and just as he did so a deer went dash-
ing by and the boy gave it a shot and knew by
the convulsive bound which the creature made
that the shot told. Tearing off his skates, he ;
started in pursuit, and came up with the dee:
in the place where the trailer had seen evidences
of a struggle. The deer had been hard hit and
was moving feebly across the opening, and
Jack gave it) another shot and ran in without
waiting to clap a ball into the rifle, Another
shot mingled with his own and two men came
out of the bushes on the other side. Jack felt
a bullet cut the air close to hishead, as he recog-
nized the two men, Bill Becker and an almost
pure Indian whom he had never seen before.

“My deer,” cried Bill, planting his foot on
the body of the slain animal, *“‘and don’t you
forget it, either.”

“T reckon not,” replied the boy, ‘Don’t I
know when a ball whistles close to me in that
way, that it hasn’t found a billet? No,sir; Mr.
Bill Becker—this is my deer.” ’

“You'd better not claim it,” was the answer.
“Tt wouldn’t take much for me to climb_you,
you durned young hound. It’s my game and
you'd better hump along and let it alone.”

‘Maybe I would if I were afraid of you,” ro-
plied the boy, ‘‘but as Iam not Ill stand up
for my rights. Now you keep away from that
deer,”

Bill Becker said something to bis dark-
browed companion in the Indian dialect and
the two flung themselves on the boy. There
was a sharp struggle, but they were too strong
for him and he was quickly secured.

“Now I’ve got ye, durn ye,” bissed Bill. ‘TI
said I’d do it; thet time when ye drove me over
the ice arid cut me with a gad when I didn’t

J

4 ~

 
  

 

12

The Snow Hunters.

 

Jump to suit you. It'll go hard but I'll hev full

revenge on ye. Tie him to the tree, Charley,
while we cut up the game.”

The boy was tied to a tree, while the two

roceeded to butcher the deer and after select-
ing the choicest parts for immediate use they
hung up the rest on a swinging limb, and tak-
ing the boy between them, dragged him away
at a rapid pace.

After two hours’ walk through the woods
they came to the base of a bare hill, from which
the snow was entirely gone, and dragged Jack
up the slope. Here they stopped and tho eyes
of. the boy were bandaged.

*T don’t reckon I’m going to give away this
place to the young dog,” averred Bill. ‘Hf he
was to get away thet would spoil all the fun.
‘Nie that strap tight, Charlie. Now throw your
blanket over his head, All right; drag bim
along.”

Jack was hurried further up the slope, and
shortly after he heard the sound of moving
stone, and was compelled to stoop, and entered
& narrow passage between the rocks, For about
fifteen; minutes he was hurried along over a
rocky floor, now stooping, now standing erect,
and at last the blanket was thrown off his bead
and the bandage removed from his eyes.

“Make a light, Charley,” cried the white
man, In a short time a light glimmered, and
the Indian came back, bearing in his hand a
pitch-pine torch, which he thrust into a niche in
the wall. Jack looked about him curiously, and
could see that he was ina cave of vast dimen-
sions, with a lofty arched roof but no visible
outlet.

“Thar year’, assnug asa bug in a rug,” de-
clared Bill, witha grin. ‘Oh, I’m telling you
Bill Becker is mighty hard to beat. Knock a
fire together, Charley; £ can pick a few ribs of
thet venison.” :

The Indian set to work and built a fire of
wocd, which had been secured some time be-
fore, Jack noticed that the smoke rolled up-
ward and escaped through some unseen aper-
ture in the roof,

“Take them. things off his hands, Charley,”
said Bill, who seemed to give the laboring oar
entirely to the Indian, “I don’t reckon hell
try to run when I’m a-lookin’ at him, even if he
knowed the way. I give him fair warnin’,
right hyar, that ef he goes to'try that game I'll
drive a ball clean through his gizzard. Now
then, ef you want anything to eat, jist ketch
bold of one of them ribs of venison and roast
it yourself. You won’t git much help here in
laziness.”

The boy rose, and detaching a couple of the
ribs of the vonison, followed the example of
the others and roasted them over the fire, while
Bill glared at him with angry eyes, for he hated
him witha deadly hatred. Nothing saved him
but the thought that money might be made out
of him, The cool way in which the lad roasted
his venison, and laughed as he did so, made the
man almost frantic, and Jack could see that he
was getting more end more avgry. Shortly
afterward Bill Becker rose and lett the place,
after a consultation with the Indian, and the
two were alone together. Jack, after finishing |
his repast, looked more closely at his savage |

 

guard. He was a tall, sinewy man, with a face
almost black, with thick, hanging lips, savage,
bead-like eyes and gleaming white teeth, A
great scar, extending across his face from side
to side, did not add to his beauty.

“You are a handsome coon, ain’t you,
Charley?” exclaimed the boy, laughing. ‘It
does my heart good to see a pretty man.”

tS name no Bill,”replied the Indian,
with a savage look. ‘“‘ You make fun me, me
kill you.” gr

“Oh, Ireckon not. _I’veseen just such fellows
as you before. Come, when are you going to
let me out of this?”

“Bill come back, den me talk,”

“‘Then I guess I’d better sleep.”

Charley took a strap and fastened the hands
and -feet of the boy, threw a huge bear-skin in
one corner, and invited him to lie down. Jack
threw himself upon the skin, and was soon
apparently fast asleep, Two or three times
Charley came over and looked at him, but the
boy lay quiet, breathing softly. :

“ Boy go sleep,” muttered the Indian. ‘He
make brave.”

He went back to the fire and sat before it,
nodding. He did not know how long he had
been dozing, for a noise on the floor startled
him, and glancing up quickly, he looked into
the muzzle of a loaded rifle in the resolute
hands of Jack Edgel,

“ My turn, Injun,” he said.
me the way out of this,”

* Now you show

 

CHAPTER IX.
THE TABLES TURNED—OUT OF THE CAVE—BILL
BECKER UP A STUMP—A GENEROUS ACT.

NEVER, perhaps, were the tables more com-
pletely turned than in this instance. A few
moments before the boy lay bound and helpless,
upon the skitis; now he stood upright with a
rifle in his hands, and an expression on his face
which plainly showed that he meant to use it,
if necessary.

Toronto Charley was no coward; on the con-
trary, he was a brave, and if need be, a des-
rae man, but he was no fool, either, and he

new when he was beaten, .

“pose you want to get out, hey?”

‘“‘T reckon. Just put feathers.on your hoofs,

and show me the way.”

Grumbling to himself, the man took down the
endent torch, and started outin front of the
eveled rifle. Two or three times he half-

torned, but as often as he did so an ominous
“take care” from the lips of Jack Edgel
warned him that it wouldu’t do. He was half-
frantic with anger, fpr he knew how his friend
would rage when he saw what. had happened.
It was a thousand dollars out of their pockets,
and although the Indian did not care as much for
money he was savage enough at being beaten
by a boy. The course led through a long nar-
row passage among the rocks, covered with
ooze and slime, and once ortwice the young fel-
low slipped and nearly fell. The Indian
tramped sto:idly on in front, holding the torch °

| above his head and calculating the chances in

ease he turned and fought. How he wished

Bill Becker would suddenly appear. If he only...
did that, ip spite of the fifle he would turn aon!

 

 

 

 

 

 
   
 

 

 

i ena teagletetnoessctFetit mecoas oe lens fences np See int cataes So sapere en

ve

The Snow Hunters. i3

 

take his chances. His bead-like eyes snapped
angrily and he listened eagerly to hear the feet
of his friend in the passage, but no such sound
made him happy. At last he reached tbe open-
ing to the cave, which was closed only by a

Jarge stone which was so arranged that it could |

be easily pushed aside, The eyes of the savage
egan to zleam again, for ho thought that once
out 1 the cave he could hur! the stone back in
its place and bury his young enemy in a living
grave.
‘Open that hole, my big friend,” /said the

quiet voice of the boy, “‘ but don’t you try to go

out. It won’t be healthy for you.”

‘You devil, you devil!” hissed the Indian,

** You know what man’s, thoughts are don’t you?
Lucky you t’ink of dat, 1 teil you.”
. “Ob, don’t chin-chin, please,” replied Jack,
© Push the stone one side and fix itso it can't
swing back and then get back into thecave. I
don’t want you.”

The stone was swung aside and without a
word the Indian stepped back, the deadly muz-
zle covering every move, until he was buried in
the obscurity of the passage. Jack sprung out
of the opening at a bound, swung back the
stone and for the first time breathed more freely.

‘“Tought to have killed him, maybe,” he
muttered; ‘“‘he certainly deserved it, and if. it
had been Bill Becker there would have been a
prene temptation. Hullo! Who comes there?

tand, or take a shot!”

“You Jack boy, eh?’ cried the cheery voice
of Alf. ‘*Don’t I tell you he smart boy, Cap-
pen Dave?”

“ Durned ef he hain’t, Injun. Mr. Tracey, the
boy hez saved you a thousand dollars, but I
orter take an’ larrup him fur going off in the
woods alone. I wonder what happened to Bill
Becker; he orter bin here fust.”

“Never mind that now, Dave,” answered
wr, Tracey. ‘‘How did you get away from
the Indian, Jack?”

“Oh, they didn’t know my trick of clinching
the hands when they were tying me, and as
soon as Bill was off 1 slipped the cords and got
hold of my rifle. Then 1 wasn’t long in settling
the Indian.”

“The Indian is in the cave?”

“ Yes,”

“Then he’d better stay there until we settle
with Bill,” Mr. Tracey declared. ‘‘ Here, Dave;
let’s roll these big stones on top of the entrance.
It won't hurt the Indian to stay there a day or
two.

“Me go in an’ kill him,” asserted Alf, cheer-
fully.

“None of that, my boy,” replied Dave. ‘‘ We
don’t kill folks till we hev to; understand that.”

“Wait while an’ dey kill you; den you be
satisfied. S’pose me no kill Bill Becker when
me catch?”

“Don’t keer but durned leetie what you do to
him,” replied Dave. ‘‘Ketch on to this yer
stone.”

They rolled a great pile of stones over the
mouth of the cave and bad picked up their rifles
to depart when they heard, at some distance
from the cave, the sharp crack of a rifle and the
sound of a human voice calling for help, .

“ Away you go,” shouted Dave, ‘‘Thar’sa

| human critter in trouble, and we’re the boys te
help him.”

They dashed away atthe top of their speed
and as they went the cries for help were re-
doubled and they*h-ard the sbarp angry bark
of the Canada wolf mingled with the human
voice.

“Sling your rifles and git out your pepper
boxes as soon as you fire the furst shot,” shout
ed‘Dave. ‘It’s them blamed wolves hey treed
some one.”

As they ran the voice of the man in trouble
was more i heard and there was some-
thing very familiar in it, All at once Alf gave
utterance to an angry snarl, and stopped sud-

denly.

“Dat Bill Becker,” he asserted. ‘‘He good
enough wolf-meat, dat skunk. Let ’em hab
him.”

“ Nary timo, you durned Tnjun,” replied Dave.
“T don’t say but what Vl take it out’n his bide
when we clean out the wolves, but I ain’t the
man to stand by and see them varmints hev it
the’r own way. Iremember my pard Jack too
well, Come on.”

The party hurried on with their rifles ready.
The moon was*hining brightly, and as they
passed into a broad opening .they saw before
them a number of black spots moving about in
the snow, surrounding a stump of a pine-tree
perhaps ten feet high, upon the top of which,
in a rewarkably uneasy position, a man was
seated screaming for help.

The man was Bill Becker, and the oreatures
below him were wolves!

The savage animals leaped and snarled, some
of them almost touching the dangling feet as
they sprung at him. The top of the ping was
narrow and splintéred, and Bill was getting
colder at each moment, and it was only a ques-
tion of tinsie when he would be obliged to Joose
his hold and fall into the ravenous jaws below.

“Help, help, help!” screamed Bill,’ as. he
caught sight of the four friends emerging from
the shadow of the forest. ‘‘ Hyar’s a man in
trouble; help fur a human critter.”

“Tt takes a thousand dollars to help a human
critter nowadays, Bill,” roared Dave. ‘ Any-
how, thet’s your figure.”

Bill u tered a cry of dismay. He had not
known the party before, and judging them
by himself, be was satisfied that they would
pass him by and leave him to the mercy of the
wolves, He began to beg for mercy in a hoarse,
resounding voice, and the party stood motion-
less at the edge of the woods.

“T can’t stand this,” cried Jack at last. ‘‘ Let
them have it.”

His rifle sprung to his shoulder and at the
crack the foremost wolf leaped high into the
air and rolled, over on the snow, dead. Mr.
Tracey and Dave each selected a victim and let
drive. The one at which Dave aimed fell dead
in his tracks, and another came down with a
ball through his shoulder. These were at once
torn in pieces by their bungry companions.

“Don’t shoot too keerless,” roared Bill, in an
agony of fear. ‘‘ You might hit me you know.”

“T’ve a good mind to give you one, anyhow,”
replied Daye, as he slammed another charge

 

 
  

  

14

 

The Snow Hunters.

   

 

{nto his muzzle-loader, © *‘ Durn them breech-
loaders; they get ahead of me, every time.”

Mr, Tracey and Jack had again discharged
their rifles with good effect, and Dave followed
suit. Upto this time the wild creatures had
not’seemed to realize that they were attacked,
and now, some twenty in number, they rushed
headlong on their assailants. Then the long
navy revolvers came into play, and they were
met by such a lively fusilade that they recoiled
and broke up, leaving several of their number
bleeding on the snow.

“Bully for the pepper-boxes,” cried Dave.
“They ain’t wortha popgun anywhere else, but
you can plug wolves with them. Load them
up again and give’em another taste of Hail
Columbia.” — . :

The wolves seemed to gather courage as they
once more made their desperate rush, and again
they were received by the deadly shower:
This broke their courage, and the small re-
mainder of the flock fled, leaving the greater
portion of their number extended on the snow.
At the same moment Bill Becker, no longer
able to sustain himself, came tumbling from
his perch on the stump.

‘*Oh, cooney, cooney, cooney, you come too
late,” shouted Dave, as he bent over the pros-
trate man. ‘‘Now you take a brace up, for I
want to talk to you. Mebbe you’ve got a thou-
sand dollars around your clothes.”

Bill Becker sat up on the snow, the most woe-
begone object in the’ Canada woods.

 

CHAPTER X.
BILL BECKER NONPLUSED—A DEER IN THE ICE
—JACK IN ‘TOW—IN AN AIR-HOLE.

“PLL bet a thousand dollars to a big kick
thet there ain’t a man between Toronto and St.
Jobn that feels as p’izen mean and small avd
or’nery as you do this blessed minnit, Bill.
Now look a-yer, how did you come up that ar’
stump?”

‘“Treed, I was,” replied Bill, in a dismal tone.
‘Them Kenady wolves got arter me afore l’d
left you ten minnits.”

**So I reckoned. Now I'd like to ask what
pe s’pose is the least we kin do for you? I

now this much, if I’d ’a’ known to be sartin of
it who the wolves hed treed, hope I-may die if
I'd ’a’ taken any trouble.”

“Oh, yes you would,” replied Mr. Tracey,
quietly. ‘“‘And more than that, Dave, you
knew who it was some time ago and yet you
tackled the wolves.”

“And so did I, Billy boy,” asserted Jack,
suddenly stepping to the front. ‘You see ’m
out of your trap.” x

Bill Becker’s jaws dropped)~ Up to this time
he bad depended on the boy as a hostage for
his own safety, and now, as he saw him free,
he realized that the hunters were at liberty to
use him just as they saw proper.

“*T reckon I’d better cave, Dave,” he said,
quickly. ‘‘Long as I had a snap on that boy I
was all right, but the minnit he got clear my
goose was cooked, I’ve only got to stand what:
ever you lay out for me,”

“*T like to seo a feller take his gruel like a lit:
tle man,” replied Dave, admiringly. “I say,

eZ

 

Alf, got a piece of rope handy? I judge tha
_ use we can put this feller to is to hang
im,

‘Oh, I say, Dave!” cried Jack.

“You shet up! Didn’t he half kill Alf here?
Didn’t he git a hitch on youand swear he’d have
your life if we didn’t come down with a thou-
sand dollars?”

‘7 don’t hit a man when he’s down,” was the
indignantreply, ‘‘and what’s more, nobody shall
while I’m with this party. What do you say,
uncle?”

“Tsay as you do, this time,” answered, Mr,
Tracey, quietly. ‘‘ But I don’t think you quite
understand Dave, I don’t believe he means to
hang the fellow, although he richly deserves
it.’

‘* Hang up high,” insisted Alf, in a de-
termined tone. ‘Me like to scalp, too. Say,
you Bill; what you hit me with rifie for?”

“T ain’t going to talk about it, Alf,” said the
villain quietly. ‘*‘ You’ve got me; now do your
durndest.”

Dave caught the fellow by the collar and
dragged him to his feet.

‘“You’ve got a nose,” he said, ‘and you jusé
a it at the moon and git. And so help me

ohn Rodgers, the next time I see your face
around hyat again Pll mark it with a bullet.
You just git.”

Bill Becker needed no second bidding, but
went leaping up the slope at bis best speed for
his rifle was now empty and he had lost his bul-
let-pouch, and he did not know at what mo-
ment Dave might change his mind.

“You pooty smart, Dave,” averred Alf,
elevating his nose, ‘‘ bub you no smart’nuff, now
min’ I tell you. Dat bad man, Bill Becker;
you see him ’gin.”

“T reckon we’d better strike for home,” de-
clared Dave. ‘Them two hoys we left behind
us are bright fellers, but they ain’t none too
patient and they mout take it into their heads
to foller us and get the wolves arterthem. The
critters are ’specially hungry, juss now. Where
did you leave yer’skates, Jaek?”

The boy named atree near the spot where he
had hung up the body of the cat, and as their
own skates were near the same point, they
headed at once for the spot. They found the
skates where they left them, put them on and
went out of the cove into the open lake.

They skated on side by side, the ring of the
steel sounding strangely on the frosty air. _ All
at once they were startled by the crash of the
bushes on their right and then came bounding
down upon the ice a giant stag, with wide
spreading antlers thrown back upon his. shoul-
ders, and his eyes flashing with terror. At the
sight. cf the party on the ice he uttered a sbrill
whistle and bounded three feet in the air, and,
whirling on his hind hoofs, went charging
down the ice at break-neck speed.

“Whoop!” yelled Alf, dancing wildly on the
Ico. ‘‘ Catch him, catch him, you Jack boy!”

He seemed to have the utmost faith in the
ability of Jack to perform any task in the way
of hunting and he knew well that on skates not
one of the others could touch him. Dave fired
almost without thought and the bullet glanced
from the broad antlers, only making the swift

   

  

 

 

 
   
 

 

os

2 pe E ct panning whe rn

he na cA ae RN TE OE et OEE, EPR GE GEL LEAS

™%

The Snow Hunters. 15

 

beast run all the taster, and Jack sprung out | **No, you don’t,” shouted the boy, in reply.

with a speed which quickly left the others far |

behind,

“Ob, he'll run into another trap, will that
onlucky boy” shouted Dave angrily. ‘t Keep as
close to him as you kin, Mr. Tracey; I can’t be-
giv to touch you critters on skates,”

Mr. Tracey darted out with his rifle ready,
but Jack bad already gained about five bun-
died yards and was close on the track of the
flying deer, which, \in spite of its swiftness,
could not keep pace with arapid skater. Nearer
and nearer came the boy, and the heart of the
doer gave a great throb of terror, as he had be-
fore this fled from his relentless enemy, man,
and knew well that. there was little hope of es-
cape when he was on the track. Jack diverged
a little from the direct trail of the deer and
ranged alongside and had drawn up his rifle‘for

ashot, when tho deer wheeled suddenly and |

dashed straight at him with leveled antlers. In
all bis experience of the deer Jack had never
heard of such a thing as this, and it was no
wonder that his aim was a little unsteady and
had no worse effect than the shot of Dave. He
threw his weight backward designing to de-
scribe a circle and load again when his foot

caught in a piece of stick in the ice and he came |

down fairly on bis back and tho deer went

blundering over him at the rate of forty knots |

an bour, :
The creature was frantic with rage, for. the
last bullet had’ struck the base of the horn in

such a way as to cause the animal exquisite |

pain, and for the time being drive him nearly
mad, :

He. braced his feet on the ice and tried to stop
himself, but his feet slipped along the smocth
surface, and springing up, Jack caught him by
the short stumpy tail with his right hand and

ungon. This peculiar mode of attack took all
the tight out of the stag, and he again turned
to fly, and went racing down the ice, towing
the boy after him at a high rate of speed, while
Jack, to whom this was a new experience,
sbouted in delight and hung on to tho tail.
Close behind him Mr. Tracey skated, but he
dared not fire, fearing to injure the boy, who
would not release his hold, but swayed back

from time to time and tried to throw the deer |

off his balance. But as often as he tried this, he
found himself jerked nearly off his feet by a
sucden bound on the part of the frightened
brute,

Go it, long-legs!” yelled Jack, feeling for a
revolver with his left hand while he stuck to his
hold with the right. ‘Dll have to cripple the
big brute.”

The deer, turned into a cove where a strong
growth of flags showed through the ice—a place
which & skater would have avoided as unsafe,

But Jack’s blood was now heated and nothing |

earthly would have stopped him, and he finally
got the revolver out of his belt, but could not
get a chance to use it.

He heard Dave shouting sopfething to bim in _

the distance, but. could not make out what he
said, On one thing he was determined—as long
as the tail held on so would he!

“Drop your hold, Jack,” cried Mr. Tracey.
“Let me get a shot at him.”

| This is my deer, uncle; no one else shall kill
| him,”

| “ Cripple him with a shot, then, you obstinate
young blockhead!”

‘No, I want to head him out of this cove, and
make him tow me hence. It will save carry-

“You will get into trouble, Jack. Dave is
shouting something back there, but I can’s
make it out. Let go your hold or break his
leg, one or the other.”

Jack swayed hard on the tail, and tried to get
the deér to turn so as to give him a shot at the
unprotected sice, but the animal would not
turn, heading obstinately for the bank. All at
once there came a crash, and Jack, still cling-
ing to the tail, disappepred in an air-hole in the
ice,

 

CHAPTER XI.
|& COLD BATH—A RACE FOR LIFE—SAFE IN

CAMP. ’

Tus was the danger which the old guide had
feared, and about which be was trying to sheut
a warning, but the obstinate determination of
the boy had baffied him.

By some peculiar freak of Nature the ice in
' this cove was always rotten, and at times when
other parts of the lake were perfectly firm, this
would hardly bear the weight of a man. No
oue knew this better than Dave, hence his warn-
ing cries,

Deer and hunter went out of sight in the cold
| water, but when the animal rose, there was

Jack clinging to the tail, and doing his best to

strike the animal with a knife, for his revolver
had been lost in the firsticy plunge. The deer
threw his fore feet up on the ice, and bore his
| weight upon it, when the rotten ice gave way,

and was shattered for a distance of six or eight
feet.

Tte animal, as if be had been in such danger
before, pushed his way in among the broken
ice, and again flung his‘feet upon the broken
part. “Ii gave way as before, and the animal
| gained a few feet further. By this time Jack
began to realize that the water was rather cold,
and that unless he got out of it pretty quick it
would not be healthy for him, and he made a
sudden spring, which carried him nearly
astride of the deer, and therey he clung for a

moment, while thé stag pushed his way through | -

| the broken ice. Just then Dave and Alf came
flying up, the Indian uncoiling from abowt his
waist a coil of strong raw-hide rope, which he
always carried with him. Skating as closely as
he dared to the broken ice, he flung the rope,
which was coiled into a noose at the end, and
had the satisfaction of se¢ing it settle in the
hand of the boy.

‘Put it round you,” bawled Alf: ‘We drag
you out.”

Jack bent forward, and with a quick turn
; made the rope fast around the antlers of the
deer, Then throwing himself flat upon the
back of tho animal, and clasping it about the
neck, be shouted to the rest to haul away,
| Three strong meh, exerting all their strength,
| dragged the animal out on the firm ice, Jack
| clinging to the antlers until on strong ice, when,

S

 
  

Va

   

16 The Snow Hunters.

 

knifo in the vertebra of the animal, driving the
eight-inch blade to the very hilt,

**There!” he shouted, ‘‘I told you that was
my deer, uncle Tracey.”

Daye ran up and passed bis hand over the
clothing of Jack Edgel and found that it was
already congealing in the cold night air.

“Tear off them wet rags!” he cried, ‘Do
gon, want to freeze to death, you young skulp-

n

“Won't I be as likely to freeze if I take off
every rag?’ replied Jack, his, teeth chattering
in his head,

“You be durn! Off with them, I say!” was
the command.

Jack obeyed, assisted by Alf. They got off
his clothing, which was already covered with a
thick scale of ice, and Alf tore off his own thick
and warm hunting shirt and threw it over the
bare shoulders of the young hunter.

‘Hang up the deer and come on, Alf!” cried
Dave, catching Jack’s hand in hisown. ‘‘Take
the other side, Mr. Tracey. It will be a marcy
if we get the young scallion into camp without
en I pray the Lord the boys have got a

re!

Even as he spoke, himself and Mr. Tracey
were dragging Jack over the ice at their best
speed, heading toward the eabin on the point.

ack found it difficult to move his limbs, and
he felt a delicious languor stealing over him.
He was in no pain, only thé impulse was strong
upon him to lie dawn and sleep, But the old
guide berated -him roughly and jerked bim
abead at a surprising rate of speed. Soon the
cabin appeared in view, the barking of the dogs
could be heard in the distance, and the two
prothers came bounding toward the shore.

“Got a fire, boys?” gasped the guide, as they
dragged Jack up the bank witbout stopping to
takeoff their skates, ‘‘ All right; get a kettle
of water over.”

He suddenly caught Jack in his arms and ran
into the hut and laid him down upon a pile of
skins and tore off bis icy pants. The limbs
were as white as snow, and there did not seem
to be any circulation inthem. Old Dave caught
up a handful of snow and commenced to rub
them vigorously, and the boys objected.

“That will make him worse, Dave,” declared
Rufus.

“Hair of the dog good for the bite,” replied
Dave, continuing to rub. ‘Now. you teke and
warm the inside of that there bear-skin, good
and hot, That’s right. Wrap it around his
body. There ain’t any freeze in that—only a
chill. I’m getting scme life into these legs too.”

In a short time the circulation began to re-
turn to the limbs of the boy, and he was rolled
in the warm ‘bear-skins and tumbled into a cor-
rer, while the rest, sitting around. a roaring
fire, discussed hot venison steaks while the boys

heard Jack’s adventures related.

‘There’s one thing I will tell you,” declared
Ralph; ‘‘the time is coming when you'll be
sorry you let that villain go.”

“Dat too true,” interjected Alf. ‘Tell ’em
bo myself. S’pose you let me go out and kill
him.”

“‘That won’t do, Alf,” replied Mr. Tracey,

:
‘with a sudden spring, he buried bis Tong-bladed |
| not with the Becker gang now.”

sternly. ‘You must remember that you are

“Me ’member,” answered Alf. ‘‘‘Me: quit
’em, and dat’s reasdn me say go kill ’em. ou
don’t kill Bill, Bill kill you some Cea
‘‘Nonsense; we shall never see him again,”
averred Mr, Tracey.

Alf shook his head in a rebellious manner. He
considered that Jack’s sufferings were due to
the actions of Bill Becker, and the wild fellow
could see nothing wrong in tomahawking a foe
because he injured a friend. But as he saw
that the other objected, he said no more about
it, although a certain snake-like gleam in his
eyes showed that if he met Bill Becker alone it
would go hard with one or both of them,

“Drop this talk,” cried’Dave. ‘It don’t do
no good, and wesha’n’tagree. I own l’ma good
deal of Alf’s opinion about the skunk, but he’s-
gone, and there ain’t nothing to be done, only to
keep watch. We know the hole he hides in,
too, and if he cuts up too rough we'll just about
drive him in and pile stone over him until he
has to stay there till Gabriel toots bis horn,
Oh, hullo, Jack; concluded to come back and
see us?”

Jack was sitting up, rubbing his eyes vigor-
ous
“* My deer, remember,” he gasped,

“Waal, of all the obstinate galoots, you beat
the bileing,” replied Dave, in an angty tone.
‘‘ Now the next time I sing out to you, I reekon
you'd better stop, ’stead of sailing along fast to
a deer’s tail.”

“Oh, let up, old honesty,” replied Jack,
laughing. ‘‘I feel all right now, but I tell you
it was a close shave, whether I froze or not.”

“T never see but one man freeze in this
kentry,” said Davo, as he crowded the fragrant
tobacco into the bowl of his pipe. ‘I say this
kentry, but I reckon it was seventy mile to the
northerd, and it was an awful cold winter. I
had been out arter moose with Jim Richards
and Tony Devine. You never knowed Tony,
Mr. Tracey; this yer happened afore you furst
came into the woods. Tony was a Frenchman,
and just as good a lad as I ever want to sea; a
crack shot, a jolly companion, and a man thet
didn’t have a coward hairin his head.

“Waal, we tracked moose all day, and run
down a big bull moose, and took his sculp,
When we killed it it was nigh sundown, and the
sun had a queer look when it. went down; it
seemed like you could see leetle pieces of ice
dancing in the air. Cold! It would freeze the
ice off a dog—it would make an Eskemo hunt
his hole. There wasn’t much wind at furst,
but jest a dead freezo that made everything
crack. We packed our moose on the sled, har-
nessed up, and away we started over the snow,

“It war fifteen miles to our camp by the
lake, and when we got down on the leVel ice, I
heerd the wind begin to tune up, and I didn’t
like it, for it was cold enouzh before. Ten
minutes arter we got on the ico it war jest
| a-roaring, a wind thet cut like a knife, «

“J begun to. feel kinder queer, and Jim
and Tony were slapping their, hands trying to
keep up the circulation, Tony was rather ten-
der that way, anyhow, and it told om him more

 

: than the rest, He had a skin like a baby, and

   
         
   
        
      
   
       
       
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
  
 
 
   
   
  
   
   
  
   
   
  
   
  
  
    
  
   
   
  
  
   
  
 
   
  
 

OR

  
The Snow

Ene iets SO nga a octane See

Hunters. : iv

 

the wind cut it fearful. Ill never forget the
look on his face as the cold got worse and

“worse and he begun to think he couldn’t stand

it through. ’Twasn’t that he weakened the
least bit, but it was as much as to say he
couldn’t help but give up, but would try to
stand it like a man.

*<T have to give up, mon frere,’ he sez to me
—he always called me brother thet way. ‘ Bet-
ter go on and leave me; I feel that I must lay
down.’

“ Jin and me caught hold of him and dragged
him along. We hated to let the meat go for
we knew that it would be nowhere when the
wolves got scent. It was six miles yet to camp
and if I ever did tall skating I did it then. Two
miles from camp he dropped like a dead weight
under our hands.

“*Tnto the sled with him,’ says Jim. We
tumbled the moose out and him in and covered
him with the skins. He looked up at me with
that strange, pitiful smile of his and couldn’t
speak, but be madea motion with his hand to
the east and I knowed he meant something
about his wife and children down there by St.
Catherines. I felt awfulsorrow for him. Then
we grabbed the drag-rope and away we went.
Pye skated fast afore now, but I never went
as I did then, dragging that poor Frenchman.
At last we run up into thé cove and lifted Tony
out, and, boys, he was an icicle! I never saw
anything like it in my life, All the blood
seemed drove out of his body and nothing we
could do would bring him back to life, and two
jays after we buried him, with that pitiful
ymile frozen on his face. I’ve never forgot poor
Jony and when I see Jack go under water I
thought of him and reckoned we’d better make
good time to the cabin.” ‘

“ Thank’ you, Dave,” said Jack, gratefully.
“ As near as I can figure it out, you have saved
my life.” :

“Oh, I dunno; any one could do it thet knew
what todo. You may thank Alf for having a
rope with him, ’cause we couldn’t ’a’ got nigh
you on thet rotten ice. Now put down this cup
of hot coffee and Jet me look at yer feet.” -

While Jack drank the coffee the old man
carefully examined his feet and legs, and rose
with a satisfied grunt. 3

“ Good efiough,” he said. ‘You ain’t frost-
bit, but it was a mighty close call. Only look
out fur air-holes iu the future.”

“Tl keep my weather eye open,” answered
Jack, laughing. ‘Thank you again, old true

blue.”

CHAPTER XII.

CHASED BY A DOG—THE DEATH OF DANGER—
THE CABIN ON FIRE—IN THE NICK OF TIVE,
Two days later the party went out on a hunt,

leaving Jack, who for some reason did not care
to go out, in the cabin. They had seen nothing
more of Toronto Charley or his white com-
panion, nor had they heard from him in any
way and began to think that they would have
no more trouble with thom. But Alf did not
agree with them. He was apt to sniff disdain-
fully when cheir names were mentioned, and
eharacterize them as ‘‘no good,” ‘‘bad medi-
eine,” and the like, and hint that they were
likely to turn up at the wrong moment,

 

 

The party were after ducks and their course
led them to the upper end of the lake at a place
where a mountain stream ran down and being
always in motion did not freeze.

There were immense flocks of the game birds
here, and it did not take long to make a bag
and the party built a fire in the shelter of a
pine, forest and roasted two or three young
ducks for their dinner.

They had finished the feast and cleared the
table by throwing away the pieces ef bark
which they had used as plates, when they
heard the distant baying of a hound.

“ That’s Danger,” declared Mr. Tracey. ‘I'd
know that dog’s note any where.”

“Tis raal music, Danger’s note is,” replied
the guide. ‘’Pain’t many dogs I cotton toasI *
do to him. I wonder what he’s arter?”

“Wait a moment,” answered Mr, Tracey, as
he bent- forward to listen. ‘“‘Ha! As I live,
Dave, he is on the trail of a man,”

The clear notes grew louder and louder and
they knew that it was on the mountain to the
right. And soon, borne on. the frosty air, they
heard the clink of steel and in a moment more
Toronto Charley, his face livid with fear, burst
in upon them,

‘Look hyar, Injun,”' shouted Dave, “what
the dogs do you -mean, tearing in on us that
way?~ What’s arter ye?”

‘“Ourse the dog!” hissed Charley.
at me like wolf.”

‘ He don’t low no fooling, Danger don’t,” re-
plied Dave, laughing. ‘‘ You was aiming to
steal suthing, I'll bet a two-cent bit.”

“‘ Here be comes,” said Mr. ‘Tracey,

“Yah!” screamed the half-breed.
him away!”

Danger came bursting down the forest path,
his eyes gleaming like stars, and but for the in-
terposition of Mr, Tracey would have leaped
straight at the throat of the Indian, But at
the lifted band of his master he crouched at his
feet, lolling out his red tongue and looking at
the Indian with blazing eyes.

“Now if thet critter could talk he’d tell of
some plaguy mean trick you’ve played, Toronto;
you know that’ durned well,” asserted Dave,
“ But thet don’t make much difference now; tha
question is, shall we let Danger get at him?’

Yes, yes,” cried Alf. ‘+ Danger eat him half
a minnit.”

‘YDo what you like,” replied the half-breed,
coldly. He had now regained his self-posses-
sion and was perfectly aware that the white
men would not allow the dog to injure him.
Dave raised his finger to the Indian in an ad-
monitory manner.

“Pye told ye to keep gool, Alf,” he said.
‘“Now, Toronto, you don’t seem to want to tell
how Danger happened to take arter ye.”

‘Boy set him on!” roared Toronto, furiously.

“Do you know I reckoned that Jack had
suthin’ to do with it? Now see here—what was
you doing nigh the cabin?”

“Look for Bill,” was the reply. ‘‘ He lost;
no ean find him.”

** And the boy see you gallooting around the
cabin-and let the dog loose. That’s pretty good
medicine, I tell you. Now you can get up and
dust, Injun,” :

“He come

Keep

~

   

 
 

e

18 The Snow Hunters.

 

"You keep dog back?”

“T reckon; you kin go,”

The half-breed rose slowly and walked up the
mountain side, Danger would have followed
him, but was called back, Half an hour later
the hunting party took the trail of a bear, and
were soon deep in the mountains. Danger was
far ahead, working the trail of the bear, when
his baying suddenly ceased.

“TI don’t like that,” said Dave, uneasily.
“Why don’t the dorg give mouth any more?”

“It ts strange,” replied Mr. Tracey. “I
wouldn’t have anything happen to Danger for
the world.”

They hurried on over the trail, the fleet-
footed Indian in advance. “All at once they
heard a savage cry, and hurrying on, saw Alf
standing over the prostrate body of Danger.
It lay under a high bluff, partly crushed under
a huge rock which had fallen on it from above.

“See that now,” cried Dave. ‘' What does a
man git when he tries ‘to go light on a feller?
That durned Injun' has killed the dorg.”

“ He kill you next,” declared All, rolling the
stone away from the body of poor Danger.
“Dat good dog. Dave; him like Alf; nebber try
to hurt him. ’Member I kill Toronto Charley
first time I see him.” -

“T sha’n’t cry,” was the answer. ‘I'd hate to
jump up and tell Jack what has happened, he
thought so much of Danger. But it’s no usé
eryivg for spilled milk, and we’ll dig .a hole in
the snow and bury the poor old fellow. Only
don’t ask me to let either of them scallawags
go when we meet ag’in.”

A grave was scooped out for Danger in the
side of an icy cliff, and he was buried. The
party thought no more of huntirg, but shoul-
dered their rifles, and in gloomy silence began
their backward tramp over the ice and snow.
Reaching the lake, they bound on their skates
and headed south, carrying as many ducks as
they could draw on the sled.

Dave appeared to be uneasy, and hurried his

ce.

It was five miles to the cabin, and he skated
on swiftly, and at last called to Alf.

“You come along, old boy,” he said, ‘* Mr,
Tracey and the young fellers will foller with
the sled, and welll go on together. I’m anxious
about Jack.”

The two hurried’ away, and the cabin was
soon in view, but when within half a mile both
of them started, for they saw a dense cloud of
smoke rolling up in front, and could not under-
stand it. Nearer and nearer they came, when
suddenly a bright flame shot up toward the
zenith, and an agonized cry burst from the lips
of the guide as he saw that the cabin was
wrapped in flames. The strokes the two men
took were terrific, and in ten minutes more they
were rushing wildly up the slope. As they did
80 they saw with what devilish cunning the fire
had been built. A large number of birch logs,
which burn like tinder, had been piled against
the door and set on fire, and others had. ‘been
braced under the eaves, so that the whole build-
ing was in flames.

‘The boy, the boy!” gasped the old guide.
“He is inside.”
‘* He ain’t fool,” replied Alf; ‘‘he come out,”

 

 

‘““What d’ye s*pose they killed the dorg for,
blame ye?” roared Dave. ‘‘Didn’t they do it
so they could snake up on him and not skeer
him? I tell yeJack isinthehouse. Bill Becker
and Toronto have been here.” .

The Indian dashed forward and began to haul
away the logs which obstructed the doorway.
He cared nothing for his burned hands, and the
door was soon exposed, The cabin was old and
dry, and the fire had taken hold at once and a
pyranzid of flame shot upward, and it seemed
impossible that the boy could be alive. Dave
caught up a huge log and dashed it against the
door, and it flew open. Without a word, shield-
ing his face with his blanket, Indian Alf
plunged into the furnace of fire. A second later
be reeled back, blinded and confused, It-was
only for a moment he was baffled, for as the
smoke lifted he ran in again, and this time
gained the center of the room, when he stum-
bled over a body on the earthen floor, where it
lay face downward. Grasping the prostrate
form by the shoulders, Alf ran out, and gave a
delighted yell as he saw that he had saved Jack
Edgel. Dave dashed snow into his face, and
the boy recovered consciousness and sat up,

““By George!” he gasped; “‘that was a close
shave.” z

“JT don’t ask who dun it,” declared Dave, bit-
terly. ‘I know it must be Bill Becker and
Toronto.”

“Sure as I live, I don’t know,” replied the
boy. ‘*Some-one crawled up behind me as I
sat by the cabin, and hit me over the head.
When I began to come to myself, I was laid in
my bunk, tied hand and foot, and the place wag
gutted. They didn’t leave a thing that was
worth sixpence. “Then the fire was set, and the
wall got hot, and Lrolled out and tried to get
to the door; and after that I don’t remember
anything until I came to out here in the snow.”

“What say, Alf?’ demanded the guide.

“Bill Becker-an’ Toronto,” replied the Indian,
serenely. ‘‘ You let ’em go ag’in, perhaps.”

“T reckon not,” was the reply. “‘I guess
we'd botter be trotting, hadn’t we, old pard, ef
we take ther trail to-night?” :

“Let Alf go,” answered the Indian, ‘Run
’em to hole; den come back.” fs

“ Away you go, Alf,” replied the guide, stern-
ly. ‘And I swear to eat no fish till I’ve took
sevanes for this here deed.” :

Alf glided away like a hound upon the trail.

 

CHAPTER XIII.
BUILDING A SHELTER—THE ROBBERS RECAP-

TURED—RIDING AN BLK. ‘

THERE was no hope of saving the cabin as th
logs were very dry, and by the time the others
had arrived upon the scene the structure was
leveled to the eapth, and the party stood look-
ing in dismay At the ruin which had been
wrought, Many things bad been destroyed
which could not be replaced, and others carried
off. Luckily for them, Dave had ecaihrd a
quantity of provisions, blankets, and ammuni-
tion, together with the spare guns,in a hollow
tree just back of the cabin, aud these had been

overlooked in the haste of the villains,

‘We've got to have a place to hang out to.

 

 

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aN

The Snow Hunters. <= gD

 

‘night,” declared the guide, ‘* and a brush shanty

is the only thing. Come—let’s get to work.”

Often, in the course of their woodland tramps, |

Mr. Tracey and Dave had been obliged to resort
to this primitive means for shelter. They

found a place where a clump of low pines grew, |

and selected four about equally distant from
each other, in the form of a square. Those in
the center were cut down close to the earth,
and, using the small trees as uprights, they
wove in branches until four sides were com-

plete, and quickly had a shelter which would |

do in ordinary times, but was hardly the thing
when the weather was at ali tempestuous. The

floor was framed by cutting off a large quantity |

of small pine boughs and strewing them on the
ground, and the party rolled themselves in
their blankets and lay down to rest, for they

could do nothing until the return of the Indian. |

Just as day was breaking they were aroused by

loud whoops, and rushing from their shelter, |

found Indian Alf and a large party of his tribe,
dragging io their midst Toronto Charley and
Bill Becker, The spare sled, loaded with their
goods, stood in the midst. Both scoundrels

wore sullen looks, and seemed to have braced |

themselves to meet any fate.

Dave walked up to Bill Becker and looked
him in the face with such a steady and con-
cenirated stare of rage'that the man quailed
before it.

“TJ quit, Dave,” he gasped, breaking down.
“TY own I didn’t orter done it, but that cussid
boy drove me ma.”

You coward!” hissed Toronto Charley,

** Ts that so?’ replied Dave, ‘* Waal, if I don’t
hang you like a oo cone may I never run
down a moose. Say, Alf; how did you trap
the skinks?”’

“Meet warrior on trail and dey see Charley
and Bill-in camp.. We go dere, catch ’em,
bring ’em here.” '

“JT dunno what you wanted to take all that
trouble for. All we wanted was the truck they
stole. Why didn’t you leave ’em whar you
found ’em?” ;

“Thought you want to burn ’em, maybe,”
was the cheerful reply, as the Indian half drew
his knife. ‘‘ All right; me scalp ’em now.”

“Hold on; seeing you’ve got ’ém here, we
may as well have a little fun. Injins, I’m

reatly obleeged to you, and I’ll make it right.
Row where’s them cans of powder?”

They had a large quantity of powder, more
than they could use, and each Indian was pre-
sented with a half-pound can, and a number of
other presents were made them. They offered
to take the task of finishing the two thieves off
the hands of the hunters, but Dave politely de-
clined.

“Now see hore, Bill,” he said, “you don’t
deny that you come*yer and burned my cabin
and stole my traps?” ‘

Bill looked at him savagely, but did not re-
ply, and Toronto only smiled. A

“ve heerd you brag, you Bill Becker, that
be could build a cabin in a‘day fit for any one

live in. Now I want you to do it, and our
friend Charley will help you. Where was you
going, chief?”

| ‘* Hunt elk,” replied the. chief.

| “Allright. I wish you'd take my party with
you and show ’em how to do it, They’ll pay
well. Alf and me will stay here and see this
cabin built.”

“ Hadn’t we better stay and help?” asked Mr.
Tracey, doubtfully.

‘““When Alf and me ain’t ekal to taking care
of two p’izen thieves like these yer, then we’ll
sell out. You go ’long!” 5

The party took their rifles and started out on
the ice. The Indians had snow-shoes and made
good time, though the white men on their skates
had much the best of it, They left the lake at
the north end and passed along the-course of
the river, the white men keeping the ice and
the Indians skimming along on the crust, About
ten miles from camp the chief, who was acting
as trailer, stopped and yaised his hand.
| .They halted and listened, and soon heard a
sharp clicking souud—the beat of the hoofs of
some heavy animal on the snow—and the party
prepared their rifles, and taking the direction
of the wind, plunged into the cover at places
where the wind came from the herd in their di-
rection. They had scarcely done so when a
| dozen huge animals crossed the swell directly in

front and came bouncing down upon them at a
| strange,dumbering gait.

“Rik!” whispered Mr. Tracey, ‘‘and beauties
at that!”

There is nothing on earth so like the Ameri-

; can moose, with his ponderous horns, broad
| feet and heavy body; but if any one has the
{impression that they are’very slow on foot he
| is very much deceived. On the crust the huge
| creatures can cut out a lively pace for any one,
| and it is only when driven into soft deep snow
| that the Indians on their snow-shoes can easily
| run them down, The crust was hard now, and
they were coming at a rattling pace. The
| leader was a huge Sul, with a great head and
broad horns, which lay nearly on his,shoulders
‘asheran. As they came on each hunter men-
_ tally selected his prey, and as the drove came
' abreast the cover the rifles cracked together,
| Mr. Tracey selected the leader, He was a
splendid shot, and as the moose ran he pre-
sented his broad side to the fatal bullet. Mr.
Tracey aimed at a little tuft of grayish hair
just back of the left shoulder and let drive.
The creature gave utterance to a hoarse bellow,
which was stopped short by the blood which
poured from his mouth, and hé came crashing
down on the crust. ;

Rufe took aim at a cow, which looked so fat
that he suspected some good steaks lay hidden
along the broad back. ‘The creature dropped
at the shot and did not move again.

. Henry was not so lucky. As he pulled, the
animal sprung suddenly ahead at increased
speed, and tho ball,. instead of piercing the *
heart, was planted in the flank of the animal,
and he leaped on over the crust, leaving a
broad trail of blood behind. ‘ - :

Jack had let the big leader go by, for he saw
that Mr. Tracey had his heart set upon its cap-
ture, and the’boy fixed upon the rear guard, an
ugly, rakish-looking animal, who appeared to

| be spoiling fora fight. ‘The boy was the last to

 
 

20

The Snow Hunters.

 

fire, but the creature had been startled, and |
bounded and whistled in such an erratic way |
that it was impossible to get a square shot, |
But when he pulled at last Jack was surprised |
to see the creature drop with lightning swift |
ness and lie prostrate on the snow. Drawing |
his knife he gave a whoop and darted out to ad- |
mniniscer the finishing blow.

Had Jack been an older hunter he would
have known better, and he never repeated the
offense,

In his haste he forgot to load his rifle and de-
pended on the knife.

He was almost up to the elk when he saw some-
thing which made him hastaghis steps. As he
afterward said, he would Have shown great
presence of mind if he had hastened in the other
direction.

The change was this: the elk was gathering
his fore-feet under him, preparatory to spring-
ing 's In reality, it had not been burt. much,
aud the cause of its sudden downfall was the

fact that when he :pulled the shot had passed

along the back of the neck, ‘‘ creasing” it in the
manner in which wild horses are sometimes
captured.

ack caught the twinkle of the savage eye,
and understood that he was in for a fight.

But he was not on snow-shoes, and did not
understand the use of them if he had been, and
he followed his first impulse, which was to
spring upon the back of the animal and bury
his knife in his throat.

The first part of the programme was carried
out to the letter, and he was about to complete
the work when the elk bounded suddlnly to his
feet, raising the Eo. on bis back.

Jack caught the long horns with both hands
and hung on, for ho knew if he was thrown he
would have little chance of life.

But the animal developed great activity. He

-leaped, whistled, reared, and in every way ex-
cept relling tried to shake off the active boy,
but Jack had decided that be was better off in
the saddle than on foot, and clung likea burr, At
last, seeing the bunters closing in, for they
dared not fire at long range while Jack was on
the back of the elk, the animal suddenly wheeled
and started across the snow at a rattling pace,
pursued by the Indians on their snow-shoes,
while Jack, having notbing else to do, and not
caring to jump off at the speed at which his
“steed” was going, could only cling to the
antlers and hope for the best.

 

The creature turned and dashed into a growth
of timber with Jack still upon his back. Two |
minutes after he emerged without a rider, and
headed past the hunting party, only to be
shopped. y a bullet from the unerring rifle of
Mr. Tracey.

Jack had come to grief again.

CHAPTER XIV.
A NEW CABIN—TORONIO’S COWARDLY SHOT—

 

BAFFLED BY A STORM.

Tue party hurried up expecting to find the
body of Jack Edgel extended on the snow, just
is ae Las been dashed from the back of the fly- |

ng elk,
Aneir figures were not exactly correct, for the
body of Jack Edgel, perfectly healthy in every ,
‘ uf

‘
3

| horizon as they approached the

respect, suddenly ere from the boughs ovef-
head and came toward them, The chief stared
and uttered a cry of admiration, while Mr.
Tracey broke into a short laugh.

“Well, I vow,” cried Rufus, as he slapped the
butt of his rifle, ‘if I didn’t think you’d gone
straight to kingdom come, Idon’t want a cent.”

“What are you all blowing about, anyhow?”
demanded Jack, in a tone of sovereign con-
tempt. ‘‘ Will you please tell me if a gentle
man cannot take a ride for the benefit of his
health without making so much trouble?”

“How did you manage it, Jack?’ asked Mr.
See

“Well, I just caught on to_a limb over my
head and swung myself up, and as you see, I’m
all right. It was a nice ride, but I guess I don’t
want any more of it.”

“T thought you wouldn’t, young man,” re-
plied Rufus, with a short laugh. “Say, Jack,
if you could only have seen yourself as you
were going over the snow!”

‘*T should have smiled, doubtless,” was the
ye te “How many of the brutes did we

et?

“Father brought his down and I fetched
mine,” answered Rufus, ‘‘ and this fellow makes
three. Harry drove a ball through the flank of
his, and the Indians are after it. Father drop-
ped your bird when he came out of the woods.”

“Come on, then,” eried Jack, eagerly, ‘‘I
want to have another crack at them before I
give it up, You can’t say I’ve killed one any
more than Harry did.”

The party began to cross the snow at a rapid
rate, following the bloody track left by the
bleeding elk. The wild shouts of the Indians
were soon heard, and as they came nearer, they
saw the red-skins surrounding the herd, which
they bad driven into a neck of the woods
bemmed in on three sides by the slippery sides
of the mountain, which they could not climb,
The wounded elk had already fallen before
their weapons and a second animal was sinking
under many wounds, when Jack Edgel and the
rest came in. The animals saw that they were
being hemmed in and made a break for liberty,
bursting their way through the ranks of their
enemies. This time Jack did not miss, and ona
of the best of the herd came crashing to the
snow. ‘The rest were not so lucky, and the
balance of the animals broke through and es-
caped.

The Indians were in eestasies, for they had not
been able to make sucha battue in many a day,
and the meat taken would furnish their abste-
mious villagers with food for many weeks. The
whites cared nothing for the game; all Mr.
Tracey asked was the heads of the two largest
bulls, as he wished to preserve them for his
museum, and a little of the meat, as they had
game enough in the camp. He had lost a num-
ber of specimens in the fire, and must find some
way toreplace them. me

The Indians dragged the game together, and

’ leaving them to secure it, and taking only one

of them as a guide to the lake, the party set out
on theirreturn. The sun was low down on the
t where their
cabin had stood, and every one felt sad as they
thought of the fate which bad overtaken tm.

 
|
ih
|
H
i

 

1

 

 

The Snow Hunters.

2%

 

* comfortable quarters. As they rounded the

point cries of surprise burst from their lips, for
a new cabin stood over the ruins of the old
structure, a much larger and more comfortable
one than that which had been lost, and Bill
Becker and the Indian, with sullen faces, were
engaged in putting the finishing touches on the
roof, while Dave, with his rifle resting on his
knees and his pipe in his mouth, was calmly
seated on a pile of skins, watching the pair.

“*Oh, howdy, howdy, boys,” he said, as they
cameup. ‘ How doyou like the looks of things
‘round here?”

“‘You area brick, Dave,” declared Jack, as
he slapped his thigh. ‘TI say, Bill, you are a
pretty good carpenter.”

“Beats all how a man kin work when he’s
working for his life,” said Dave coolly. ‘“ Fact
is, I told the skunks if they didn’t get the work
done by sundown, I should feel obligated to
hang ’em. Consequently, you see, the work is
done and mighty neat work it are, too, That
will do, Bill; I reckon ‘you may come down.”

Alf, who had been reclining in an indolent
fashion-on a large pile of brush, but with his
rifle handy, rose with a queer smile upon his face.

‘Dey good workers, dem fellers,” he de-
clared, ‘Build good cabin, Bill Becker (can.
Now Is’pose dem may as well be kill.”

“Nary,” replied Dave, .‘‘Come down hyar,
you two,”

The two baffled villains came forward slowly.

“ T ain’t doing right and I know it,” Dave ad-
mitted, ‘‘but:l’m going to give you one more
chance. You've fooled ’round this kentry long
as I'm going to have you and it’s time you
scratched gravel. You two turn your face, to
the south and git.”

“Tl do it,” replied Bill Becker, promptly.
“T ain’t easy beat, but when I am fixed I allow
it. I don’t say I'l forgit all about this if I git
a chaince, but I’m going now.”

Toronto did not say a word but there was a

rim Jook in his face as he beckoned to Bill

ecker to come on. Their rifles were in the
hands of the old guide and both of them knew
better than to ask forthem. After they had
gone a few paces Dave called them back.

“J don’t want none of yer truck,” he declared,
tossing out their weapons. ‘‘ Thar’s yer guns
and enough for about five loads, but you can’t
have no more.”

“That’s more than I'd give you if I had you
foul,” asserted Bill, as he took up his rifle.
“Come along, you Toronto,”

The two started across the ice at a rapid pace
and at the point stopped while Bill got their
skates out of a cache where he had hidden
them. They put them on and rose, while the
hunters watched them and both men began to
load their rifles standing face to face. They
appeared to have a controversy, for angr
motions were seen, and then Bill raised his
hand-and struck Toronto in the face. The In-
dian sprung back, wild with rage, his rifle came
to his. shoulder, the weapon cracked, and the
next moment Bill Becker lay extended on the

ice.

“By mighty ! screamed Dave, forgetting how
much evil had been done them by this ruffian,
“ that’s a dirty murder.”

‘Alf, but they did not seem to gain much,

 

“Save time,” averred Alf, quietly. ‘Some
one have to do it—why not Toronto?”

“Durn you, Alf, shut up,” roared Dave, as
he spru.g to his feet. ‘* Git your skates, blame
ye. We must chase the Injun hound.”

The party started out at furious speed but by
the time they gained the ice Toronto was at
least three milesaway. The party went after
him with all their speed, headed by Dave and
As
they neared the head of the lake Dave suddenly
paused and called the party back.

“This won’t do,” he cried. ‘‘Come in, Alf;
back you go, Jack—here comes a storm.”

The sky was suddenly obscured, and there
was a strange-hush in the air, and the expe-
rienced guide knew too well that the storm was
not far off, and that it was not good to ke
caught in the open lake in a northern storm.
Not a word was spcken as they flew on side by
side, forgetting all about the flying Toronto,
until the sullen roar bebind them warned them
that the enemy was close upon them.

“Tucky it comes from the rear, said Mr. ,
Tracey. ‘‘We haven’t got far to go now, and
the wind will help us along.”

You won’t thank the wind when it comes,”
growled Dave, as he plied his active feet.
“ Hyar it comes, and it’s a roarer.”

With a perfect howl the storm burst sud-
denly upon them, and it was with the utmost
difficulty that they could keep their feet. The
air seemed filled with ice-bolts, which pierced
to the marrow, and chilled the limbs through
and through in spite of their thick clothing.
ae could scarcely breathe, and felt an icy
chill creeping into their frames.

“Keep it up,” shouted Dave, “and keep
together, too. Here, take hold of hands.”

he party clasped hands, and skated on to-
gether. The storm was now at its hight, and
they could not see a foot from their faces. The
snow was coming, too, and drifting, and even
stout-bearted Dave began to feel blue, when he
suddenly stumbled over a prostrate form, The
moment he did so he uttered a loud hurrah.

4 Saved, boys—saved!” he cried. ‘‘ Hyar is
the body of Bill Becker. Keep the wind on
your right cheek, and on you go, I know how
the Jand lays, now. Take hold here, Alf.”

The two caught the body of Bill Becker by
the shoulders, and dragging it after them,
reached the new cabin. While Alf started a
fire Dave rolled the body in a bear-skin, and
laid it in a corner, and the party drew around
the fire leaping up in the wide fire-place. They
were safe at home.

CHAPTER XV.
TOKONTO CHARLEY'S GRAVE—THE LAST OF BILL
BECKER.

Ir was some time before the hunters were
sufficiently warmed to feel at all comfortable,
and then the guide produced ribs of venison,
and all took a share in the feast. From time to
time old Dave-east a peculiar glance at the still
fone of re ‘s E * in sn

“T s’pose it’s all right, e said, quietly.
“Sich inen as Bill Hecker gi slong right
enough with the’r chums when everything is

 
  

The Snow Hunters.

 

ot to stand from under. I say, Mr. Tracey,
het Bill was a mean coyote—I’ve licked him
times ’ithout number, but’ all the same Pm
going to take the trail of Toronto Charley when
the wind goes down, and run him to airth.”

No one said a word, for they knew it was
useless, Indian Alf grinned, for it pleased him
not so much because he cared anything for Bill
Becker, but he wanted a chance at Toronto
Charley, who had killed Danger.

They were afoot early next day, as soon
as the sun showed in the sky, and were
off across the ice.
them and taking a broken belt which, Toronto
Charley had dropped in his race, the old guide
gave the dog the scent. It did not lie very
well on the ice, but Spot took it up and was off
across the lake, the hunters following with fly-
ing feet. The course led Wp the lake to the
north and entered the creek. where they had
got the ducks,

“Aha,” cried Indian Alf. ‘‘ Me know where
Toronto hide; catchum quick now, allee same.”

The dog followed the course of the creek for
half a mile and then turned to the left and
went up a gorge which ran down to the bankof
the creek. All at once the animal paused, and
elevating his nose, uttered a long, low, mourn-
ful howl. j

“By George!” gasped the old guide—‘ the
critter ain’t dead, I hope. I caléulated to larrup
him until his hide sung glory.”

They dashed into the pass together, and, just
at the base of a great tree, they found all that
remained of Toronto Charley lying in the
snow crushed under the weight of a giant pine
which had fallen on him as he passed. The ter-
rible wind of the night before bad overtaken
him just as he entered the pass and the old
pine, the foundation of which had been sapped
for many a year, came crashing on his bead,
killing the Indian murderer instantly. He lay
there with a look of horror frozen on his
bronzed face, and Indian Alf knew that some
greater power had taken revenge out of his
hands. The body was frozen stiff and they
know that it would take a long time to remove
the tree and get him out,

“Tet him lie,” said Alf. ‘“Bymeby wolf

yeome, dey bury him, all same.”

“Tf I thought you was half so mean a coot as
you try to make out, Alf, durn my hide if I
wouldn’t kick you out of the Synagogue,” aver-
red Dave. ‘‘I reckon I kin think of a way to
get the body out.”

There was a thick crust in the pass and a close
examination showed that the body had not
been pressed through it, as one end of the
broken pine rested on higher ground. By dig-
ging away the crust under the body, after an

our’s hard labor, the iunters were able to
draw Charley out.

** Where shill we bury it?” demanded Dave.
“ He’s a heathen and I don’t like bim, but he’s
got to be buried.”

. “Me show good grave,” replied Alf, his white
teeth gleaming. ‘Cave close by, you bet.”

They made a litter of the branches of the

pee, aid the body on it, and followed Alf, who
led them up the side of the pass a little way,

Ea
smooth, but when trouble comes some onehas |

|
|

This time Spot was with |

 

and, pushing aside some tangled vines, showéd
them the entrance to a large cave.

“Where big light, you Jack boy?’ the Ia-
dian demanded; ‘‘light him up.”

, Jack produced his dark lantern and lighted .
| it, and Alf took it from his hand and stepped

into the cave. In the middle of the room was
a great hole and as the Indian held the light
over it, they saw that it went down to un-
known depths,

“Bury him dere!” cried Alf. ‘‘ Wolf can’t
come, you bet!”

‘‘May the Lord hevy marey on his sinful
sg said the guide, reverently. ‘‘ Toss him
in, boys.

They lifted the body by the shoulders and let
it drop, and after sonse seconds heard it strike
ata great depth, That was the end of Toronto
Charley!

“It’s been a crooked trail he’s follered,”
averred the guide, ‘“‘ and he come to a bad eend.
But he’s safely buried, and thet’s all he can ask
of us. Come along, boys.” |

They went back to the lake, and putting on
their skates, started on their return,
came near the cabin they were startled™“to see
smoke rolling out of the chimney, and as they
had made no fire, they could not understand it.
Indian Alf and Dave hurried on, and flinging
open the door, saw a strange sight.

Seated on a pile of skins close toa blazing
fire was the man they had expected to bury on
their return—Bill Becker. There was a bloody
track along his scalp, and his face was streaked
with gore, but yet he was, to all appearance,
the most lively corpse they had ever seen. He
was roasting venison ribs over the fire, and evi-
dently enjoying bimself.

‘Waal, I'll be durned!” growled Dave, “I
say, Bill, make yerself to home, won’t ye?”

“‘Thet’s what I’m doing,” replied Bill, coolly.
“T s’pose you thought I’d handed in my
checks?”

““T should remark a few words to thet effect.
If you waan’t a durned mean snake, you’d be
deader than a pickled salmon. Hyar, Alf;
what in thunder you going to do?”

The Indian had drawn his knife and was
creeping up on Bill with hostile intentions.

‘Make him dead dis time,” replied the In-
dian. \ ‘‘ Him no good alive.”

“You put up that toad-sticker and let him
alone!” cried Dave. ‘‘I spose you know you
can’t stay here, Bill?”

‘I'd hev been off in an hour or so ef you’d
only staid away,” was the answer. ‘‘Say, hev
you seen anything of Toronto?”

** He’s dead,” answered Dave.

“All right; that saves me a job, The fool
shot me because I said 1 wouldn’t stay round
here any longer, and ef he’s got his gryel, 1m
satisfied. Give me my rifle aud some aypmuni-
tion, and you won’t see no more of Bill Becker
round here.” fi a

Dave handed him what he required, and Bill
left the cabin, They saw him turn bis face te

| the north, and from that hour none of them

ever saw him again, and the whole party
breathed ‘more freely as they realized that no
more trouble would come to them from Bill
Becker and his Indian chum.

 

s they '

eS

 

Sener toca nla lnameclnestia

Oe re
 

——)

ser ae aa

.

The Snow Hunters, 23

 

. After the departure of Bill Becker, two days

were spent in quiet, for the storm raged fiercely, |

end there was no chance of hunting. On the

third day they were ready for work again; buf.

unfortunately, Jack had managed to wrench
his foot, and could not walk, and had to be left
behind, But he did not complain, for he had
had most of the good luck so far, and he saw
them depart with hardly asigh. The day was

a long one to him, however, but when it was |
nearly time for the hunters to return, he got up |
a good supper, and just as the kettle was |

beginving to boil, Spot came bounding in, and
shortly after the party came up, carrying two

beautiful bucks, while Alf dragged after bim a |

strange-looking creature, with the marks of the
dog’s teeth upon his shaggy hide.

“Wolverine,” said Dave, in reply to Jack’s
inquiring glance. ‘Tell you about it after
supper; we want hash now, and I’m mighty
glad you’ve got it ready. 4

They did ample justice to the meal, and whe
all were satisfied, Dave prepared to tell the

-story of the day’s hunt. .

 

CHAPTER &VI.
THE WAPITI AND THE WOLVERINE.

Mr, TRAcEY told the story of the day’s hunt

when the-pipes were lighted after the evening
meal.
“J want Jack to know all that we have done
to-day, or else he will begin to think that he is
getting allthe glory. For, if the truth must be
told, he is getting the best of us, every time, for
no one dreamed when we wentaway this morn-
ing that he was destined to distinguish himself
as he has done.”

“Boy heap brave!” said Alf, who was
stretched upon a blanket, smoking, ey
oblivious to the fact that he had ever been at all
conterned in the robbery. ‘‘Scare Bill Becker
like fun—you bet!”

Alf had picked up some few phrases in use
among the whites, gnd dropped them into his
conversation where it seemed good for him. His
coolness, considering the circumstances of the

‘

case, tickled Jack immensely, and he burst into |

aroar of laughter.
“You are a cool hand, Alf,” he managed to

say.

Mare a good deal cool hand, bet you,” was his
proud reply. ‘‘ Look that wapiti—look that
wolverine. Where you catchum?”?

“Tam going to tell you,” explained Mr, Tra-
cey. ‘‘We had dftermined to make a drive of
it, and when we reached a point on the lake
over which Dave expected to. make the drive,
skated to our several stations, while Dave, tak-
ing Spot with him, threw off his skates and
made a circuit in the woods with the intention
of starting the deer, if possible, foward the lake.
The station was in the edge of a point of land
running out into the water, where the pine and
balsam grew down to the shore, A rare cover
—such asa huntsman seldom finds. Spot was
ranging the woods with Dave, and after half an
hour I heard him give tongte, the hound’s hol-
low note bursting out like the boom of a fog-
bell. Such sounds as these ringing through the
frosty air are heavenly music to the bunter.
Then I heard the rattle of hoofs upon the ice,

| far to the south, and, peeping out with my rifle
at the ‘ready,’ lsaw such a sight as made my
, hunter’s blood fairly tingle in my veins, A no-
ble stag, with his branching antlers thrown
| back upon his very shoulders, his delicate muz-
zle extended,.and his broad breast heaving with
excitement, came bravely down the ice, with
Spot, straining every. nerve, close upon his
haunches. It was a glorious sight to see the ef-
forts of the stag, fresh from his morning>couch,
and full of life and vigor. Itseemed to me that
he gloried in his strength and speed, and laughed
at the efforts of the hound.

<Forward, all! Scarce a pace from the flying
deer brave Spot ran, but not an inch could he gain
upon the flying stag. Yet I watched in breath-
less anxiety to. see how it would end. Would
the dog gain, or would the gallant steed throw
him off? It seemed to me that Spot was losing
—almost imperceptibly, but still losing. They
were now so near that I could mark each move-
ment of the powerful muscles in the haunches
and breast of the deer‘and the noble hound upon
his track.

“On swept the deer; it carne up to my cover,
and flew by with the swiftness of the wind,
showing me his dappled sides as he ran. I
turned slowly, with my eyes fixed upon the
heaving shoulder and—”

2 ae him?” cried Jack, eagerly.

0.
© Spot eee him down; I know it was Spot.”

‘Mistaken again; it was not Spot.

“No,” continued Mr. Tracey, ‘none of these
things happened. I turned, as I said, and saw
deer and hound sweep by gallantly, and thought
what noble animals they were, und how everly
matched. And, boys, it was not until that deer
was far out of range that I remembered that J
had a rifle! I am ashamed to confess it, but
so much was I interested.in the chase that I did
not think I had been stationed there to shoot
the game!” ;

“Haw, haw, haw!” roared Dave. ‘‘Thet’s
the best thing I ever heered in my life. Oh,
square, won’t I roast you when we get back to
Belleville! What will Quinn say when I tell
him? Won’t Tom Martin bu’st bisself a-laugh-

: ing! To stand there with a rifle that don’t

| of’en fail, an’ see that deer lope by an’ never
fire! Haw, haw, haw!”

| : _ Tracey and the others all joined in the

| laugh. \ ;

| “That’s the deer I shot, then. He was Jeay-
ing Spot behind him whenI stopped him—as
pretty a shot as [ever made. To think ‘that I
should ‘ wipe father's eye) in that manner!” put
in Rufe,

[The hunter’s phrase, ‘‘ wiped his eye,” has a
meaning in itself unknown to some of my read-
ers, it may be. Ifa hunter fires at any game,
and his companion, firing after him, brings
down the quarry, the phrase may be applied to
the unlucky man who missed.]

‘That is the deer, nearest the door,” said Mr.
Tracey, when the laughter had in a measure
subsided. ‘‘ Not until it was too late did it oc-
cur to me that I was foolish to stand there if I
did not intend to shoot the game which passed
me. But I had lost the last chance of game for

_ that day. Now, Harry, tell your story.”

 

 
24

The Snow Hunters.

 

My station was on the other side of the lake,
in the mouth of a little creek shaded with
bushes,” replied Harry. “I heard the music of

the hounds, and saw from my cover the death |
of the, deer, and I'll own I felt a little impatient |

that Rufe alone should have such luck. It
seemed as if I was fated to have no chance,
After the deer dropped, and while Rufe was
loading, I saw Dave come out on a high bluff,
and heafd him whistlefor the dog. Spot heard
him first, and started across the ice. Dave had
ok a fresh trail somewhere and wanted the
og.

“T advanced from my station and waved my
cap at him, but he shook his coon-skin cap in
return and disappeared, followed by the dog.
Ten minutes later I heard Spot give tongue, and
Ababa an animal, such as I had never seen,

ounded from a biuff ten feet high. Alighting
on the ico, it headed directly toward my cover.
As he neared, I saw that it was a Wapiti stag,
the American elk; and I called to mind instinct-
ively my Natural History knowledge of the
species. I saw an animal perhaps four feet and
a half high at the shoulder, of graceful form—
one of the most beautiful creatures I ever be-
held. The color was a deep;chestnut-red, dark-
er on the under side of the throat and belly; the
chin dark, with a patch of light-yellow on eitier
side, and a broad one of the same color under
the head. But the antlers! Youknow thatthe

deer will not begin to drop their horns for two

weeks, There they are—four feet high, cylin-
drical in form. The beauties! I mean to hang
them in my room, as a proof of my prowess,
when I go back to college,

‘But, what is this? Clinging to the shoulders
of the stag is a shapeless masslike a great hairy
hump. Before I had time to think much about
it, the stag was so close that I had to fire, and
to my surprise he came at me, against the wind,
evidently mad with terror. I could not under-
stand this, for the hound was not yet in sight,
but [levelled and brought the animal down,
by a shot fair between the horns.

‘As I did so the hairy mass upon his back re-
solyed itself into form, and I saw a powerful-
looking animal of the cat kind, which-I recog-
nized at once as the wolverine, I don’t know
why I did it, in the face of all which Dave has
taught me, but I rushed out and attacked the
animal with my rifle-butt. Generally speaking,
es the wolverine may not attack man;

ut in this case, mad with hunger, it turned
upon me with the ferocity of a tiger. Twice I
struck it down with the butt of my rifle, and
twice it sprung at my throat with a furious
snarl. The third time I stumbled and slipped,
and, before I could recover, the wolverine was
upon me. To get my knife out and strike with
all my force at the furious beast/ was my first
thought, and the next moment I was down on

the ice, my left hand wreathed in the thick ,
| like logs.

skin upon the neck of my enemy, and my knife
busy.

ears, and tho weight was off my breast, The
dog soon won, and that is the reason we havo
that wolverine-bide to show.”

‘Enough for to-night,” said Mr, Tracey.
“Let us get to rest.”

%

 

How it would have ended I don’t know, |
but just then old Spot’s furious bay rung in my |

CHAPTER XVII
BOILING A TUNNEL

For two days after the punishment of Bill
Becker, and the addition of Indian Alf to the
party, very little was done, for a heavy snow
fell which made hunting impossible. It was
not so much the quantity of snow which fell
but a heavy wind was blowing, and for nearly
forty-eight hours you could hardly see ten feet
from the door. Luckily enough they had fire-
wood in abundance, as well as a great quantity
of fresh meat, and therefore could afford to
laugh at the storm outside. Sitting before the
glowing fire they feasted,upon the savory ribs
of the wapiti and listened to the tales of hunter
life as they fell from the lips of old Dave Blod, .
gett. This man, in his adventurous life, had
seen much of peril, and had shared in. dangers
almost beyond belief, He had starved with a
party on the alkali flats of the West, and been

‘snowed in” among the Sierras; had canoed it
upon the waters from the mouth of the St.
Lawrence to the Gulf of California; had fought
with the desperate Indians of all tribes over
this broad land, and had dropped game before
his deadly rifle upom nearly every State in the
Union and every division of Canada. Such a
man must have laid up great stores of knowl-
edge, and through these stormy days the party
never thought of becoming weary with listen-
ing to the stories of his wild adventure.

“Well, boys,” said the guide, ‘seein’ we ar’
snowed in, I reckon I'll hev to tell you about a
trip I took one time up on the Red River of the
North. I had two companions, boys, that
knowed the kentry like a book, an’ had seen
nigh ez much of it ez I had, an’ thet ain’t sayin’?
a little, I allow. Jim Johnson was one, an’
Ned Fobes the other. ‘ We’d bin trappin’ an’
hed b’ilt up quite a cache, but we hed to keep
mighty eclust on account of the Crees, Them
Plain Crees ar’ p'izen, now mind fF tell ye. A
lot of hungry, lazy, wicked coyotes, that don’t
think no more of a man’s life than you would
of snuffin’ outa candle. I’@e fou’s ’em in every
shape, an’ I know wher’of I speak.

‘““We hed a mighty nice winter, and the
beaver seemed to walk into our’ traps of the’r
own accord. We kalkilated on makin’ our pile
that winter, an’ it seemed likely we might.
We'd made our camp in a canyon among the
Mountains, a piace hard to git at, an’ thar we

| Staid nights. We b’ilt a cabin clust to the
| rocks, and trained some mountain vines to run

ovor it in sech a way thet a stranger would
hardly know the cabin war thar,

“The night I speak of I didn’t like the look
of the sky. It wasn’t cold, you understand,
bub the sky looked like lead,.an’ I knowed we
war i to hev snow, an’ I told the boys so.
But they laughed it off, an’? I sed no more, an’

_arter we smoked our pipes out three or four

times, we laid down in our blankits, an’ slept

““T war the furst thet woke in the mornin’ an’
when I tried to push open the door it stuck,
somehow.

‘**'This door is bulged some way, Jim,’ I sez,
‘Come an’ give us a lift, will ye?

‘Jim come an’ set his shoulder against the
door, an’ turned pale when it didn’s budge.

 

 
 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 

 

  

 

 
 
 
 

 

  
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

The Snow

   

Hunters. 25

 

 

 

Then he ran to the window, an’ could see fhe
white snow piled up higa above the window,
how high he could not tell.

 Snowed in!

“Boys, thet meant biziss. Thar we war,
in a cabin in the midst of a deep canyon, an
with hardly enuff of food to last a month. It
war an awful thought thet we three, who only
wantid to make an honest livin’, an’ then die
like men, should be cooped up in this hole to

ie.

“<¢Y'm bound to see whether this snow is
over the roof,’ I sez. They lifted me up an’ I
clipped away the bark with my knife, an’ ef
you will believe it, the snow war over the
roof! It had drifted, and the canyon war full,
an’ we five hundred feet from the open kentry
—where we could bev got along well enough—
es up in a livin’ grave.

‘Jim Johnson sot down and thought about
it. He war a noble fellow, an’ one thet never
give up when thar was a way out?n tho scrape.

could see by his face that he didn’t perpose to
give up—not ef he know’d it. _

“‘Dave,’ he sez, ‘how fur is it out of this
durned canyon?

“¢Five hundred feet mebbe. I reckon we
ar’ dished, old man,’

““Don’t give it up, yit,’ sez Jim. ‘Ef the
snow wa’n’t so durned light I’d laugh at it, but
théé yer tumbles in too easy. How much wood
hey we got?’

“* Wood enuff to last all winter. I only wish
we hed ez much grub.’

‘** Hey we got a week's grub?

‘© «Yes; a month’s, sartin.’

“Then take it easy. Let’s play a game of
seven-up. I kin beat the boss at the picters.”

“Under the sarcumstances, it war rather
rool in him to ask me to play keerds, and the
look of horror in my face made him laugh.

“Don't look like yow was goin’ to sink inter
the grave, Dave,’ he sez. ‘ Only let this snow
settle an’ D'll git you out of this. An’ when I
say that, [ mean bizniss. We ar’ all right, I
tell ye. Anyway, I’ll bet ten beaver-pelts we
ar’ out’n this in a week.’

“<Oh you think we ar’ goin’ ter hev a thaw”

a“ ‘Nixy.’ .

“<Then, how d’ye mean ter git out?

“*Never you mind. Git them picters an’ let
us hev some fun?’

“7 don’t think I ever played a hand at old
sledge when the picters interested me less; but
somehow, Jim’s calm face infected me, an’ t
felt better, We didn’t do much fur two days
but play keerds, an’ on the third mornin’ Jim
pushed the door an’ got a handful of snow. It
were quite wet, an’ Jim looked pleased.

“ «What ar’ you goin’ ter do? I sez.

“<Pm goin’ ter make a tunnel.’

“« Why, Jim,’ sez I, ‘ yer lame on thet, yer
awful lame. This yer tunnel bez got ter be five
hundred feet long: Now, what ar’ ye goin’ ter
do with the snow?

“Looks like I couldn’t fetch it, eh? You
build up a roaring fire an’ put out all the kit-
tles. D’m goin’ ter b’ile my way out.’

“JT minded him, not thet I see’d his little
game yit. I got the fire roarin’, an’ he took
the kittles out—the snow had melted away

 

  
  

from the door so that he could open it—ati’
filled them with snow, While it was melting
he war digging at his tunnel, an’ throwing the
snow in on the floor. We scooped it up an’
threw it inter the kettles, an’ when they was
full, Jim took the hot water out and threw it
on the snow in front of him, an’ every kittle-
ful dug a mighty big hole in the snow.

“ ‘Looks like we mout fotch her, Dave,’ say‘
Jim. ‘What d’ye think now? ;

‘¢¢ Won’t she cave in? I sez, lookin’ up at the
roof of his tunnel. ;

‘He didn’t answer, but, after he had dug
the tunnel about ten feet long, he took out the
water and threw it-onthe roof, where it formed
a sort of cake, so that it did not fallin worth a
cent,

“Hooray, Jim!’ Isez. ‘ You'll fotch it this
time!’

“The fust day he dug a hundred feet, an’
had a nice tunnel two feet wide an’ six feet
high, an’ when we went into it in the morning
the roof was hard ez ice, an’ didn’t show the
fust sign of caving in. We worked like heroes
now, an’ that day we did two hundred feet.
We couldn’t go wrong, fur the canyon wa’n't
more’n twenty feet wide.

“Jim war proud of his tunnel, an’ I ain’t
fully satisfied he didn’t git up nights to look at
it, Not thet we \sleptall night, but we took
spells of sleep while the outber two worked.

ne thing troubled me; s’pose this wa’n’b a
drift in the canyon—s’pose the snow were that
deep on a level. On the fifth day we bad dug
over five hundred feet, an’ no sign of daylight
yit. Jim still kept whistling at his work.

: “How long ar’ you goin’ ter keep this up?

says.

While the wood lasts, boyee. I thought
ee - me it war five hundred feet to day-
ght

‘““«T thought it war nigh about that.’

“*T don’t keer ef it’s eight; I’m bound to tun-
nel out. I seem to feel that we'll succeed.
For—hooray—bip, hip, bip—hooray!’

“Sure enough, we saw daylight ahead, an’
we know’d thet we was nigh liberty. Ned went
back fur the rifles an’ traps, an’ Jim made the
snow fly afore him. Five minnits arter we
stood in the open air, free men, after seven
days spent under the snow. _What’s the time,
Square! Ten o’clock, eh? Blankit-time with

e, ”

And the party lay down to rest by the gleam-
ing fire. :

 

CHAPTER XVIII.
THE MOOSE “RAVAGE,”

For two days after the storm the party went
but a little distance from the cabin, spending
their time in bunting the rabbit, partridge, and
the snowy owl, and in fishing through the ice,
The high wind had cleared the ice. ¢f snow, and
its surface was as bright and sparkling as ever,
One day Indian Alf borrowed snow-shoes from
Dave, and went out across the snow. Mr.
Tracey said that he would never come back,
but the guide shook his head.

“Bf the boy ain’t killed he’ll come back, Mr,
Tracey. You must larn one thing abovt an

    
   

 

The Snow Hunters,

 

Injun; when he’s got a good thing he'll try to |
keep it. He stuck to Bill Becker ’cause he was |
the best pardner he c’u’d git, but he ain’t fool |
enough to put Becker ’longside o’ me, Alf ain’t. |
He’s got hopes thet, ef he behaves hisself, 1’ll |
take him fur a pardner, an’ so I will fur he’s a |
born son uv the forest an’ knows His little biz on
araft, Alf does.” : |
The guide was right. When the day was |
nearly spent, Alf came flying’ back across the |
. snow, at a rapid pace, bearing upon his shoulder |
a string of beautiful partridge, which he threw
down before the fire,

“Any noos, Alf?’ demanded Dave, quietly.

“‘Big heap noos!” answered the Indian, ina
burried tone. ‘ All’e time big heap moose ina
ravage. Mesee’um, All yite, you bet ye; I
say sol”

A “ravage!”

Not many of my readers, perhaps, but have
heard something of the peculiar habits of the
giant denizon of the northern woods and
forest—the moose, In passing through the forest |
in winter, the hunter will come upon a sort of
circular pen where the snow stands in a bank
around a piece of ground from which the snow
has disappeared, and the grass beneath cropped
short by some animals. Vf is a moose ravage,
where the herd have trampled down the snow
and then reoted it aside, to get at the grass. be-
neath, The place generally issome sheltered
valley, where the grass has grown rank during
the summer mopths, for the moose seems to re-
member his bést stamping ground during the
summer season, andy to return to it in winter,
Alt, in his tramp through the woods, had acci-
dentally ‘‘lighted” upon such a place, and had
returned to tell his new friends of the sport be-
fore them,

Dave Blodgett started to his feet, all the old
hunter’s ardor aroused by the thought of what |
was before him. The blood tingled in his veins
as he recalled old-time struggles with the giant |
of the woods—the moose. ‘ |

“Yah, hip!” he yelled, ‘* Alf, I’m yer friend
fur life. A moose ravage! Whar is it—whar
is it? Why don’t we git fur it now?”

“Stop little, Dave!” rejoined the Indian;
‘good ways to ravage, you bet ye. Mornin
wego. To-day we no go.”

“TJ kain’t wait,”ymuttered Dave. ‘* War they
big fellers, Alf—lots of old buck moose, with
horns Jike fan coral an’ feet like gun-boats?”’

‘Big heap moose, you much bet!” was the
reply. ‘‘Mescee’um, root round like pig. Lit-
tle pappoose moose, squaw moose—all ’e same—
mighty big heap me catch.”

_ Dave was on nettles all that night, and at
early morning the party, equipped withsnow-
shoes, took their way across the snow, guided

 

If you have never seen a snow-shoe, imagine
an oval frame-work, from thirty-five to forty
inches in length, by eighteen broad near the
center, with a couple of transverse bars to add
strength to the frame, which is of the lightest
and tougbest wood, generally ash. The whole
is covered with a net work of moose or caribou-
skin, cut into fine strips and so interlaced as to
prevent the feet from sinking into the softest
mow, When not in use, the shoes are slung ,

 

upon the neck, and from their extreme light-
ness, incommode the wearer but little.

To the uninitiated, snow-shoeing is slow and
clumsy work. But Dave Blodgett had taken
the opportunity, in these stormy days, to teach
his party their use. And now, if not adepts
in the exercise, every one could use them
handily, and they moved over the snow at a
ae pace, with Alf in advance. .The Indian
felt his importance, for was not even old Dave
under his rule for the present?

“The durned Injun feels his oats,” muttered
Dave, in an aggrieved tone; “but I forgive
him on account of the ravage. How fur is it,
Alt?”

“Two hours.”

“Fur from the lake?”

Half mile.”

Dave was dragging one of the sleds after
him, for they calculated on bringing~-home
heavy game. For two hours they went on

, over the snow until Alf halted and held up his

hand, -

“ Moose thar!-he whispered.. ‘‘ You be boss
now, Dave.” :

Dave held up his hand to get the direction of
the wind, which was very light. '

‘Whar is the gate, Alf?”

“This side,” replied Alf.

“ We've got the wind in our favor. I don’t
reckon they kin git over the drift, Alf?’

The Indian shook his head.

‘* Now you take yourself round to t’/other side
of the yard, an’ when you hear the coon holler
three times, you show yerself on the bank,
We'll be ready by that time at the gate,” said
Dave, addressing the Indian,

Alf disappeared rapidly, and the party ap-
proached the opening called ‘the gate,” which
always breaks the bank of the yard, Soon they
came to a hard-benten track, ten feet wide, the
path of the moose in leaving the ravage. Peep-
Ing through the trees over the edge of a huge
drift, at-least ten feet high, the hunters saw a
sight which filled them with wonder.

t-was a circle of perhaps ten acres, which
had grown up with small trees—the maple,
mountain ash and buttonwood, for the must
part. These trees were stripped of bark, small
branches and leaves, in a manner almost be-
yond belief. Even the larger trees were de-
nuded of their bark in the same manner. A
few solitary spruce, scattered here and there,
had alone escaped the hunger of the moose,
who seem to be averse to the taste of the
spruce, '

But the objects upon which their eyes rested
with the greatest delight were a group of near-
ly fifty moose, congregated at the upper end of
the ravage, where they were feeding. Some
were stripping the bark and leaves from the
trees; others were forcing aside the snow with
the muzzle and forehoof to find the grass below,
while others, fully satisfied, were lying at their
ease upon the snow, unthinking of danger, All
about the circle of the ravage the snow was
dotted with the marks of wolf-tracks, for these

_ cowardly, gaunt wretches or about the
g

moose yard, night after night, howling with

popcte fury, but dare not attack the moose
in his home, or even cross the yard, ,

 

 
    

   
   
  
  

 

 

 
   
  
   
  
  
  

  

  

The Snow Hunters, 27

 

At the sight of this noble go the younger
members of the party could hardly suppress
cries_of joy. But.there was ‘‘no time for

foolishness,” Dave said, and he stationed them |

upon the edge of the track through which the
moose must pass to get out into the open
country. The spare guns were laid beside
them, and Dave, raising his hand to his-lips,
uttered the note of the “coon” with such
startling distinctness and truth that Harry and
Rute looked up into the trees overhead to see
where the coon was perched. At the same
moment Alf’sprung out upon the-snowy ram-

art and dropped one of the fattest of the herd ,

yy a well-directed bullet.

A wild scene of confusion ensued as the
startled herd, heedless of every obstruction
which might bar the way, rushed down upon
the leveled rifles of the hunters, That shuf-
fling, deceptive, awkward trot carries the
moose over the ground a. more rapidly
than one would. suppose.4 With the head
rested upon the shoulder, they came down up-
on the track out of the ravage. Crack! The
foremost plunged forward and lay dead upon
the snow, for the unerring eye of Dave
Blodgett was looking through the sights. The
shot did not turn them, for they were wild
with terror. Dave had time to load and fire
again before they could crowd through the
narrow passageway. Again and again the
double-barreled rifles cracked, while the wild
shouts of the hunters struck terror to the

hearts of the fated game. A moment more.

and the herd are. away across the snow, leav-
ing four dead in the narrow way. But. fol-
lowing on the traces of the herd came the
hunters, loading as they ran, Hach man se-
lected an animal and was away in pursuit, and
Alf could hear the shouts die away in thedis-
tance,

“ Big heap fun!” muttered the Indian. ‘“ Bill
Becker—(aujective)—fool! Me stay here ali ’e
time, you much bet!”

And he began to butcher the moose left in
his care, awaiting the return of the party.
They came in, one by one, tired out. Jack
alone was nowhere in sight. They shouted,
and the icy forest only echoed back the sound.

CHAPTER XIX.
JACK EDGEL’S ADVENTURES,

Tum boy had followed persistently upon the
steps of the particular moose which he bad
marked down as his prey, forgetting all else but
the cetermination to kill that moose, if he fol-
lowed him to Labrador. Jack Edgel hadin bim
the stuff of which we make our heroes—a de-
termination which stood him in good stead in
manhood, when we stood shoulder to shoulder
in a struggle for life or death under sunnier
skies than these. Then I saw Jack Edgel, when
the regiment, riddled by grape and torn by
shell, was wavering—when the color-guard had
fallen, man by man—when the colonel, shot
through the heart, fell, with his colors in his
stiffened hand, and all seemed lost—then the
stern determination of the man, as shadowed in
the boy, flamed out,

“ Steady,

 

“Give me the flag!” he cried.
Twenty-fourth! Old Jack.is with you!”

| * They followed him with cheers and inscribed
“anew name upon their colors, This was the
Jack Edgel of other days.

Look at bim now, flying on the track of the
moose over the snow. There was no crust, and
the heavy animal broke through at every leap,
and yet he held his own, gallantly. Once Jack,
was tempted to fire at him from behind, but
knew that only a chance shot could reach @
vital part, in his present position, He toiled
on, the white dust flying from his shoes, while!
the maddened moose plunged forward through
the snow, staining it with bis blood—for he had
been hit while coming out of the “ ravage.”

Jack was gaining, almost imperecptibly, but’
still gaining, inch by inch. The moose knew
| this, and redoubled his efforts to escape, He
| literally palpitated with fear and rage, as the
| rapid click of the snow-shoes told that the tire-
less pursuer was still upon the track. Animals
are not reasoning beings, but there are times
when they seem to reason, as in this instance,
for at a place where the snow was not quite so
deep, the desperate moose turned suddenly and
charged Jack Edgel, his broad, palmated -horns
lowered,’ and the blood dropping from his muz-
zel staining the white drifts,

Jack was taken completely by surprise, and
being new in snow-shoes, could not turn as
rape as he would have liked. He knew bet-
| ter than to fire then, with the chance only at
| the guarded front of the infuriated beast; but,
in turning, he caught bis foot and plunged bead-
foremost into the drift. The moose, utterly as-
tonished at this movement of his enemy, paused
but a moment and then broke away again in
his flight, and Jack arose to see his game speed-"
ing away again at his best speed.

“Confound the luck,” muttered Jack, as he
recommenc:d the chase. ‘*Who expected the
big thief to charge in that way? Go it! Tl
foilow if it takes all winter.” f

Again Jack began to gain, and once more the
moose turned at bay and charged. This time
the young huntsman was ready, for as the
game wheeled, Jack sighted fairly behind the
shoulder and gave it tohim. He knew how to
shoot, for Dave had been tireless in his teach-
ing; the great beast gave a sort of half-human
groan, and dropped lifeless on the snow.

Jack drew a long breath of relief, loaded his
rifle carefully, and again advanced to satisfy
himself that his work was well done, He drew
his knife and opened the throat of the dead ani-
mal, and then sat down on the warm body to
rest. As he did so, he noticed that the wind
was rising.

“This won’t do,” he thought. ‘Tha tracks
will be filled. up, and I can’t find my way
back.” :

He again drew his knife and succeeded, after
a great effort, in severing the. head of the
moose, a trophy which he would hot give up,
and swinging the rather heavy burden across his
shoulders, he started back. He had nof gone far
when he became satisfied that it would not be
easy to get back Joaded down with the head,
so he hung it cn a limb, after cutting out the
tongue. Boy-like he did not propose to give up
every token.of his victory. By this time the

 

 
   

   

28 The Snow

Hunters.

 

wind was blowing furiously, and Jack realized |
that he was in danger. |

He paused and looked about him, for he could |
no longer see the tracks which the moose had |
left in the snow. The wind was blowing from |
east to west,,and he was traveling north, so |
that if his friends were within hearing distance, |
“their shouts would never reach his ears. |

“Tts no use fooling,” thought Jack, ‘I’ve
got to get somewhere or I’ll have trouble.”

He kept on for an hour, until satisfied that he
was out of his latitude. Close at hind was a
low range of rocky hills, and he hurried to-
ward them, hoping to find shelter from the
storm by getting in the lee of the rocks, When

reached them he was surprised to findan
opening in the rocks forming the entrance to a
sort of cave.

“‘T’m in luck,” cried the boy hunter, joyfully.
“Hip, hip, bip hurrah, Now, where is my lan-
tern?” 3

Jack had been laughed at in the city when he
bought a dark lantern, but he had it, and al-
ways varried it ready to light. It was a very
diminutive affair, and getting in the lee of the
rocks, he struck a match and lit its little lamp,

Then, slinging his rifle to his back, he stepped
into the entrance, and in a moment more was
in a room perhaps twelve feet square, with a
hard stone floor and stalactites hanging from
the roof, ;

“ Hooray !” exclaimed Jack; ‘Vl bring ina lot
of wood and light # fire and makea night of it.”

Leaving his lantern on the floor, Jack went
out and succeeded in dragging a quantity of
wood into the cave. Having done this, he be-
gan to Jight a fire, when he beard a purring
sound, like the breathing of a cat, at the upper
end of the cave.

** What in the world is that?’ thought Jack,
ae up the Jantern. ‘‘ Let’s investigate a lit-

e

 

“Walking quickly in the direction of the,
sound,-he saw two beautiful little animals |
about the size of cats lying upon a pile of dry
leaves, The moment he saw those animals the
boy-hunter was seized with a desire to get out
of that cave as quickly as possible, for these lit-
tle creatures were young panthers!

Jack caught up his lantern and started for
the mouth of the cave, but he had hardly done
so when he heard the cry of a panther close at
hand,

There was no chance of escape; so, springing
back into the cave, he pushed the blazing heap
which he had lighted into the entrance of the
cave, and dropping on one knee, laid his riflo in |
the hollow of his hand and waited. He was!
not a moment too soon for he heard the sharp
ery of the panther again, and saw a long grace-
ful body glide into the outer opening to the |
cavern, lt was a female panther bearing “in
her mouth a piece of meat, doubtless torn from |
the moose which he had killed.

Few wild animals are to be found which do
not dread the sight of a blazing fire and the

ther was no exception to the rule. Seeing

he fire she bounded suddenly back into the

Joom and Jack could see two fiery eyes gleam-

fe like stars while a flerce yell broke the si- ,

is

lence, answered by a shrill snarl from the little
animals in the leaves.

 

CHAPTER XX,
“CALLING” THE MOOSE—THE GIANTS’ BATTLE,

JACK coolly laid two or three large sticks
upon.the fire, In spite of his danger the lad
was steady, and was trying to satisfy himself
whether he had better fire when the panther
crept closer to the fire. The young hunter
could not withstand the temptation; so, laying
hi: knife on the rock by bis side, he raised his
rifle, steadily sighted between the flaming eyes,
and pulled the trigger, For a moment he was
stunned by the report in the confined space,
but he retained his senses enough to grasp his
knife and hold it out before him. The next
moment he was prostrated by the rush of a
heavy body, and felt that his keen knife had
penetrated to the hilt in the body of the pan-
ther. As he raised the knife to strike again,
expecting every moment to feel the terrible
teeth and claws, he saw that the beast lay qui-
etly upon its side,

“Rubbed out, as sure as I am Jack Edgel,”
hecried. ‘If I ain’t having the best luck of
any one— Ah! there comes the old ebap!”

e heard, far off, the scream of the male pan-
ther calling to his mate. Loading his rifle rap-
idly, he replenished the fire and waited for the
coming of the foe. He had not long to-wait,
for he heard the rattle of the sharp claws upon
the hard rock, and the huge form of the male
panther glided into the outer cavity.

‘Come on, old chap!” cried Jack, ashe hurled
a blazing fragment at the new-comer, ‘‘ Make
yourself at home—do.”

Tbe panther leaped back out of reach and
bounded outof the opening. Jack, now grown
utterly reckless, dashed after him and arrived
at the mouth of the cave just as the panther
got over his first fright. As the muzzle of the
rifle was. thrust forward, the panther seized it
in his white teeth, the muzzle resting against
the roof of his mouth. Jack pulled the trigger
at the right moment, and the panther fell at his
feet, his head literally blown to atoms,

“What took your roof off?’ shouted Jack.
“Hip, hip, bip, hooray! I guess I’ve cleaned
out the femily!” ‘

He went back into the cave, pushed his fire
out into the center, cooked the moose tongue
which he had brought, and made a royal meal.
This done, he blocked up the mouth of the cave

with loose stones, replenished his fire, and slept

soundly until morning. As he went out of the
cave he beard near by the report of a rifle, and
fired his own in return. Half an hour later he

| was joined by Dave Blodgett, who made the

welixin ring with shouts of joy. They had not
left the trail since they missed him, and had
found him at last.

The whole party quickly came up and crowd-
ed about Jack, as he exbibited the trephies of
his skill—the two panthers and _ the living cubs
—which be had determined to keep alive. The
hunters had ‘‘cached” their moose meat near
the ravage, and taking the sled, had followed
upon Jack’s trail, Jed by the Indian, who had

   
     
   
   
    

 

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evinced the utmost anxiety for the, safety of
the boy. He now danced about Jick, raptur-
ously, slapping him on the back with his Open
palm ani striving in every way tou suow how
delighted he was.

“Tam almost willing to be lost again, for the
sake of finding out whether I’ve got friends,”
said Jack, as he returned the boisterous greet-
ing of the twins and shook his urcle warmly by
the hand, ‘‘I don’t see what reason Alf has to
like me, after all I have done.”

“What me care?’ roared Alf. ‘‘You takee
me—all good; me catchum good master that
day. Bill Becker big heap fool, you much bet!
You big chief one day, come up hunt, take Alf
for guide, eh?”

“That’s the kind of talk, Alf,” said Dave
Blorgett. ‘I knowed you hed the clear grit
even when you consorted with that besum of
destruction, Bill Becker. Now we're all to-
gether an’ in the thick of the moose kentry, I’m
goin’ to show ye a little sport of another kind.
See yer, my Injun friend, kin ye call moose?”

Alf answered by so exact an imitation of the
lowing of the cow moose that Jack involuntari-
ly reachod for his rifle.

“That’s good,” said Dave, with a delighted
chuckie, ‘That’s the best I ever heerd—that
beats me. We'll hev another moose hunt to-
day, of another kind.”

They were all equipped with snow-shoes, and
following closely on the heels of Alf, entered a
sheltered bay in the woods, where the pine trees
stood so thick that convenient covers could be
readily formed in adozen p.aces. Here they
took their stations, and Alf, stepping out into
the open space, sent a loud, musical lowing
echoing through the forest, So well was if
done that it was heard at quite a distance in the
keen, frosty atmosphere. He repeated the call
twice, when an answer came back from the dis-
tant forest.

“Come in, Alf,” said Dave, quietly. ‘The
old bull hears your musical voice, you bet.”

Alf stepped back into the cover, and they
waited quietly.

‘Tle won’t come,” asserted Jack. :

“Thats it, little critter,” said Dave. ‘‘It
does beat all how -consaty a boy gits when he
has a trifle of gcod luck. Any other chap on
airth would hey bin chawed ifter minute frag-
ments by them painters, but you scraped cl’ar.
Tuem moose won’t come, eh?”

‘“J don’t believe they will.”

“T's flyin’ in thé face of Proverdence to
prove anythirg to a critter like you,” sighed
buve ‘Hark to that, boy!” ;

The Lellow of the moose was now heard close
“At hand, and Dave burst into a fit of chuckling
f:om which he only roused himself to caution
them all.

“Take keer now, boys. Thar ain’t a more
s’epicious animile on the airth than the moose,
Ef a leaf stirs bcs bound tofind out what stirred
it, Silent, all.”

Every one had cocked his rifle, and, resting
on one knee, peered through the leafy cover for
the giant game. The suspicious bull~stopped
soon, and Alf gave an imitation of the low
beet of the cow moose, which took even

ave by surprise, and he looked at the Indian

1

 

The Snow Hunters. . 29

in mute admiration. A. stentorian bellowing
announced that the cautious animal was satis-
fied, and, to the astonishment of every one, @
second bellow was heard in the forest, close at
hand, like an echo of the first. The call of the
moose had resulted much better than they
boped. Dave Blodgett held up two fingers, and
as he did so, two noble specimens of the male
moose stepped out into the opening,

The bulls, as they came out on opposite sides
of the opening, glared furiously at each other
and began to snuff the air angrily. A grin of
delight ovérspread the face of Dave, and he
signed to his friends to lower their weapons, for
they were to witness a duel between the giants
of the north.

- The. moose, as old age approaches, becomes
misanthropic. First, he breaks away from the
large herds and wanders about with two or
three companions. Then, even this compan
grows offensive to him, and, like the ‘‘ rogue”
elephant, he wanders alone in the forest, a per-
fect Ishmaelite of bis race, These solitary bulls
are pbeoliely. fearless, and if they meet b
chance a battle is sure to result, which pousrer
ly ends fatally for one or both.

The bulls now in the ‘opening were solitarys.
Trritated at finding a rival in the way, the
natural ferocity of their tempers was quickly
augmented, and they began to paw the snow
and send it flying backward, while they ap-
proached each other with the sideling, peculiar
motion common to the domestic bull, their teils
erected and their eyes flashing fire,

Just at the right moment, Alf uttered anotLer
low ‘‘moo!” and as he did so, the animals
clashed together with the fury of giants, and
locking in a close grapple, each strove to foice
the other backward.

The call which Alf had imitated so well in-
spired them with the utmost fury, Snorting
wildly, and exerting all their strength, they
struggled for the mastery. Never, in the
course of a long life, had even Dave Blodgett
witnessed a scene like this, for the bulls were
true monarchs of their species.

Once they staggered apart, glaring with

looks of mutual animosity, aud stood-panting
while gathering breath for a new struggle.
Their wrinkled fronts, under which gleamed
eyes like living coals, lent new terrors to the
scene.
- Dave raised his hand warningly, and Alf
repeated the call, and at the sound the bulls
rushed together with greater violence thay
ever, So terrible was the shock that then
bounded back like two. balls colliding with
equal force, The blood was now streaming
froma great gash cut by the sharp fore-hoof
of the first moose in the neck of his adversary.
They reared upright like two dogs, grappled,
striking like gladiators.

“End it, Square,” whispered Dave. ‘You
and your sons take the one on. the right, Wait
for the word.”

Six rifles cracked as the giants were reared
on their bind-feet, contending furiously, As
if stricken by bolts from heaven, the brute
gladiators sunk down, and the snow was crim-
soned with their flowing bleod,

“Sometimes 1 feel right sorry for_the work

 
  

 

30

The Snow Hunters.

 

3 tave to do,” said Dave, as he stepped out and
administered the coup de grace to the strug-
ling animals. ‘But, you’ve got two heads
ur your cabinet, Mr. Tracey, sech as men
don’t gitjonce in a lifetime. But I wouldn’t
eat a piece of the meat sooner then I would eat
a side of sole-leather. Ill git the heads fur
ou an’ then we'll toddle home, It’s mighty
lucky we got here afore deer begin to drop
othe’r borns.”
It was nearly noon when the loaded sled
reached the ravage, where they took on such
parts of the moose first shot as they fancied,
and left the rest to the wolves.

The heads ‘were preserved, and Dave Blod-
gett volunteered to used a certain preparation
when they reached the cabig which would pre-
serve them for all time. Parniag down the
hills, they reached the bed of tho lake, laid
their snow-shoes on the sled, strapped on. their
skates and started for home. As they did so;

|

the long, tremulous how] of the wolf arose on |

the southern shore of the lake,

‘*Move yer paddles, boys,” said Dave Blod- |

‘*T ain’t anxious fur a fight with wolves

gett.
Ax’ ye all loaded? Then git up

on the ice.

ee

r. Tracey and Dave drew the sled; Alf
pushed it behind, and the twins skated on the
right and left, while Jack, with his panther-
skins thrown over his shoulder, skylarked in
front. Dave Blodgett, glancing uneasily to
the right and left, saw a number of black spots
coming up from [all directions, concentrate in
one m?ving mass, and come on with lightning
speed.

Pe Wolves, by the big rocker in which Fingal
was rocked!” shouted Dave. ‘‘Come in hyar,
Jack!”

The boy obeyed, and every one {prepared his
weapon in silence,

“You've all got double rifles ’cept me an’
AA eaauannd Davis ‘Now, look here: you
four fire together when I give the word, an’
Alf an’ me will hold our fire. Then don’t you
fire ag’in unless they pitch in too lively. Hyar,
Spot, byar, come to heel!”

The dog obeyed—uttering low growls of
discontent and wrath. The wolves came on,
barking savagely, and evidently mad with hun-

ger. ~

“Halt!” cried Dave. ‘Give it to’ m!”

Four rifles cracked, and discharged into the
compact flock, no wonder they did awful exe-
eution, Then Alf and Dave let fly, and added
to the slaughter.

“On—-on!” cried Dave. ‘Give the dirty

thieves time to chaw up the’r own friends,
They'll do iv, never fear.”
f They had passed over half a milo of ice before
the wolves again took up the pursuit, By this
time every rifle was reloaded, and as the snarl-
ing band galloped up to the sled, they received
© warmer reception than ever, aud again the
sled dashed on. ‘

“Give me that big panther-skin,” said Dave.

Jack handed out the article, and when the
wolves came on again, and the rifles again be-
gan to play, Dave sprung’out on all fours, with
the shrill scream of the panther. Instantly

every tail was turned, and every wolf was seen ,

 

   

madly dashing up the lake in furious flight,
leaving Dave Blodgett extended on the snow
laughing like a hyena. The panther-skin had
done its work!

CHAPTER/XXL

CANADA HARES —THE CUNNING GLUTTON—
SOUTHWARD.

We might follow our hunters in the pursnit
of: the smaller game with which the woods
abounded, and tell of the mink, the beaver and
the otter which became the prey of stout Dave

Blodgett and his new chum, but time does not ©

permit, It is enough to say that they passed
a pleasant month in the region of snow, and
the sides of the cabin were hung with a hun-
dred trophies of the chase. Heads of wapiti,
moose and elk adorned the walls. The two
panthers and the wolverine, beautifully pre-
served and stuffed, glared at the intruders from
the roof of the cabin, and the two cubs, now
playmates of Jack Edgel, played tricks with
each other in a wooden cage in the corner, op-

osite two beautiful small ‘silver fox,” which

ad been trapped by Alf especially for Jack
Edgel. All this curiosity-shop was called by
Rufe ‘‘Jack’s Museum.”

Dave came in one morning in a fury, A
wolverine had been stealing beaver out of bis
Peed and he was determined to punish the
thief, ~

“Tm goin’ out to rig a deadfall, Jack,” he
said, ‘‘an’ I'll catch that bloody thief, some-
how. Come with me.” :

They started out and reached the place where
the first trap had been robbed. In the path of
this Dave set a large bear-trap, which he care-
fully concealed among the brushwood. Near
the other trap which had been robbed, he rig-
ged a deadfall baited with scented pemmican,
To reach the bait the animal must crawl under
the log, and the moment the bait was touched
the log would:fall.

“Dave,” suggested Jack, when these- prepa-
rations were concluded, ‘‘I have heard a great.
deal about the cunning of the wolverine, and I
want to see them work. Can’t,we hide some-
where and watch him?’
~ “TN de it,” said Dave, ' “Cunning ain’t no
name for ’em. You'll see one of the cutest
critters on the face of the airth, ef you see him
at all. Let’s go an’ knock over a few rabbits
before supper, an’ I’ll make you a stew that'll
make your eyes stick out of your head.” a

They tramped away througl’ the snow for a
distance of two miles, where they met Alf,
who was leading Spot.

“ All’ee time me catchum Canada hare,” he
said. ‘You got gun? All right— you
watchee,”

He loosed Spot on a fresh trail, and be bound-
ed away on a hot scent, making the forest rirg
with his cries as he bowled over the snow,
The cries receded, and the men advanced in
the direction of the sound.

Jack was in advance, when he saw a great
hare, leaping like a kangaroo, come flying over
the logs, while close behind came Spot, yelp-

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{ng as he bounded through the snow. Jack
fired when the hare was in tho air, and Cropped
his game neatly.

“Quick eye, steady band,” exclaimed Dave,
approvingly. “Yeu are the stuff we make
hunters of, my chicken, Cull in the dog, Alf,
and let’s try another.”

The hound was. again started on a fresh
scent, which took him some distance into the
forest. As they advanced, a great white bird,
gleaming like snow in the sun, rose over them.
The ready rifle of Dave Blodgett came up
and the great white bird came tumbling down,
Davo caught it up and held it in such a way
that the blood could not drop on its white
plumage.

‘“Thar’s a specimen that'll do yer heart
good,” cried Dave. ‘‘ The ‘great snowy: owl!
my boy!”

it was indeed one of the most magnificent
specimens of this rare bird ever secured by &
hunter. White as the driven snow, with spread-
ing wings and staring eyes, the great bird hung
in the powerful hand of the hunter.

By this time the dog was on the scent again,
and long before nightfall the hunters bad se-
cured a goodly “bag,” and returned to the
cabin, where they feasted gloriously.

Alf volunteered to take Mr. Tracey and the
twins out on a farewell “ fire bunt,” while Jack
and Dave started out to watch their wolverine,
They reached tle place early, and Dave cop-
structed a cover near the first trap from which
they could watch unseen the movements of the
glution.

The creature came two hours after, stealing
along with cat-like steps until he came to the
spot where Dave had thrown tke brush care-
lessly over the trap. Here the »nimal paused
and looked dubiously at the leaves and brush.
There was a studied carelessness about the ar- |
rangement of this cover which did not suit the
suspicious beast. He seemed to say—''My
friend was tabbed in just such a spot as that,
and J strongly suspect iron under those bus‘es.
Ido, upon my word.” .

Some such idea as this must bave passed
through the head of the wolverine as he stood
with his short ears working industriously, and |
his head thrown upon one side like a cat.

He evidently deemed it highly ampronee to.
pass over those leaves and brush without first
making an examination; so he searched about
and found upon the ground a stout stick about
three feet long and about an inch thick. his
the wolverine took in his raouth, and allowing |
one end to rest upon the bush, pushed it before |
him in every direction, while Dave, in anagony
of rage, made ready his rifle. Just then the ,

* stick bappened to strike the spring, and be-

hold the bear trap dangling in the air, while
the wolverine walked serenely beneath, and
robbed the beaver trap before their very eyes!
Having devotired the game, the glutton began
to search about for the second trap, which he
had robbed the nigbt before, and Jack, follow-
{ug“Dave Blodgett, glided after in silence, and |

'‘ haunts of civilization.

they crouched in the bushes just as the wol-
verine caught sight of the bait beneath the
dead-fall, -  ~ ‘

One cov mon-sized beaver isa mere fiea-bité
to a healthy wo.verine, and this one was still
as hungry as ever. He lcoked at that spiced
“pemmican” with longing eyes. He knew
that-it was spiced pemmican—he could smell it.
even at a distance, and knew that it was good.
But, was there not something remarkable
in the manner in which this food was bung
under the log? Was not the log itself in rather
a tottering position? and would it be at all
healthy for a wolverine to creep under that log
without first ascertaining that it was not going
to fall down? The meat was good—but would
it aay for the getting?

‘he wolverine considered the matter in all
its bearings. He wanted the meat badly
epaugh. but that was a heavy log.

“Hell study out some way, the mean old
trap-thief,” hissed Dave; ‘* but he don’t git away
this time. You jest wait.”

The wolverine at last leaped upon the log,
and digging his claws into the bark, reached
down and pushed the meat hard. The dead-
fall came down, but the wolverine sat triam-
pbant on the top, seeming to exult over his own
acvteness, but, just then came the crack of tre
never failing rifle, and the animal dropped life-
less on the log.

“ Chaw that, durn ye!” reared Dave. “ That’s
a dead-fall ye kain’t dodge, an’ 1 know it.”

They returned quite late to the cabin, -~d@
began their preparations for the return to |.e
The hunters came back
with two deer which they had taken by fire-
hunting on the ice.

The time for their tarry in the North was
up, and they must return to their duties in tbe
South. When morning broke they loaded tbe
sleds, leaving many heavy articles in the cabir
for the use of otber hunters, Alf and Dave had
built a third sled, and it was necessary, for
Jack’s trophies filled one sled té overflowing;
and so, one bright morning they bade farewell
to the winter camp, and sped away along the
ice toward the South. Dave and Ajif went
with them, and did not part from them until
two weeks later, they shook, hands at the G. T.
depot/in Toronto. \ -

“@Good-by, Square; good-by, boys,” said
Dave. ‘‘Ef you want me next year write to
me at Lower Saranac. I’m going down thar
to see Antoine Castler—me an’ Alf. He’s my
pard now.” :

“ All ’ee same,” said Alf. ‘‘Me catch Bill
Becker me lickee him. Good-by!”

So they left the hunters standing on the plat-
form as the train, bearing the trophies of their
skill, safely packed in the baggage cars, move”
off. And if Providence is good to them it v
not be long before, with rifle and ax, with T
Blodgett and Alf in front, they will
tramp the snows of the North, on the
the giant moose, z

‘THE END.

 
 

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OT Buffalo Bill’s Swoop; or, The King of the Mines,
By Col. Prentiss Ingraham,

2 Buffalo Biil’s Secret Service Trail; or, The Mys
terious Foe By Maj. Dangerfield "Burr,

91 Buffalo Bill’s Blind Trail; or, Mustang Madge,
the Daughter of the Regiment. By Ingraham

897 ing Bill’s Buckskin Brotherhooa ; or, Open-

vp a Lost Trail. By Col P. Ingraham,

710 Butta, o Bill Baffled; or, The Deserter Desperado’s
Deflance, By Col. ’P. ingraham,

716 Buffalo Bill’s Scout Shadowers; or, Emerald Ed
of Devil's Acre. By Col. P. Ingraham.

722 Buffalo Bil! on the War-Path, By Col. Ingraham

127 Buffalo Bill’s Body-guard By Col, P. lygraham,

‘* Buffalo Bill’s Beagles. By Col. P. Ingraham.

. Buffalo Bill and His Merry Men, By Col. P.
* Ingraham

uJ Buffalo Biil’s Blind. Ry Col. P. Ingraham.

48 Buffalo Bill’s Flush Hand; or, Texas Jack’s
Bravos, By Col, P, Ingraham,

%50 Buffalo Bill’s Big Four. By Col. P. Ingraham,

757 Buffalo Bill’s Donble; or, The Desperado Detec-
tive. By Col. Prentiss Ingrabam,

#61 Buffalo b I’s Mascot; or, Death Valley Victim

0. 18. By Col. Prentiss Ingraham.
785 Buffalo Bill’s Dozen; or, Silk-Ribbcn Sam. By
Col Prentiss Ingraham,

#69 Buffalo Bill’s Sweepsiake. Ry Col. Ingraham,

*73 Buffalo Bill’s Ban , or, Cody to the Rescue, By
Leon Lewis

977 Buffalo Bill’s Spy-bhadower. By Col. Ingraham

#81 Buffalo Bill’s Brand. By Cc P. Ingraham. fs
wz Pnttely biota Dead Shot. a 2h. Prentis® ™~~

 

794 Buffalo Bill’s Winuing Hand. By Col. Ingrahau,

80U Wild Bill, the Dead-Center Sho or, Rio Grande
Ralph the Cowboy Chief. By Buffalo Bill,

80? Wild Bill, the Wild West Duelist; or, The Giri
Mascot of Moonlight Mine. By Buffalo Bill.

812 Buffalo Bill’s Death-Knell; or, The Red Rand
Riders of the Rockies By Col. P Ingraham

816 Buffalo Bill’s Red ‘rail; or, The Road-Rider
Renegade’s Run-Down. By Col. P. Ingraham.

820 White Beaver’s Still Hunt; or, The Miner
Marauder’s Death-Track, By Buffalo Bill.

822 Buffalo Bill’s Best Bower; er, Montebello, the
Gold King. By Col. P. Ingraham.

826 Buffalo Bill’s Sharp-Shooters; or, The Surgeon
Secut to the Rescue. By Col, P. Ingraham,

830 Buffalo Bill’s Boys in Biue; or, The Brimstcne
Bund’s Blot-out. By Col. Prentiss Ingraham.

839 The Ranch King Dead Shot; or, Texas Jack’s
Proxy. By Buffalo Bill.

845 Buffalo Bill’s Redskin Ruse; or, Texas Jack’
Death Shot.. By Col, Prentiss Ingraham.

851 Buffalo Bill’s Double Dilemma; or, The Gro@r
Scout’s Big Three. By Col. Prentiss Ingraham

857 Buffalo Bill’s Royal Flush; or, The Pony Rider's
Death-Run. By Col. Prentiss Ingraham.

863 Buffalo Biil’s Death-Charm; or, The Man Wiih
aScar. By Ool. Prentiss Ingraham,

869 Buffalo Bil’s Road-Agent‘Ronad-up; or The Mys-
terious Masked Manin Black. By Ingrahem,

874 Buffaio Bil’s Buckskin Braves; or, The Card-
Queen’s Last Game_ By Col, P, Ingraham.

882 The Thre< Bilis: Bnffalo Bill, Wild Bill and Band
box Bill; or, The Bravoin Broadcloth, Ingraham

890 Buffalo Bill's Life- Stake; or, The Pledged Tnree,
By Col. Prentiss Ingraham.

§95 Buffalo Bill’s Secret Ay or, The Yexan”
Double, By Col. Préntiss Ingraham.

900 Boffalo Bill’s Rough Riders; or, Texas Jack’
Snarp-Shooters. By Ccl. P. Ingraham.

004 Buffalo Bill’s Tangled Trail; or, Gentleman
Jack, the Man of Many Masks. By Ingraham,

909 Boffalo Bill’s League; or. Red Butterfly, B
Col. Prentiss Ingraham,

915 B ffalo Bili and the Surgeon Scout; or, Go wan:

o, the Redskiv Rider. By Col, P. Ingraham.

921 Buffalo Bill’s Quandary; or, Velvet Bill’s Vow,
By Col, Prentiss Ingraham.

927 Buffalo Bil’s Biuff; or, Dusky Dick, the Sport
By Col. P. ingraham.

936 Buffalo Bill’s Black Pard; or, The Gold Boomew
of the Big Horn. By Col. P. ‘Ingraham.

943 Buffalo Bill’s Block Game, By Colonel P,
Ingraham,

950’ Buffalo Bill at Bay. By Colonel Prentiss

“Ingraham,

956 Buffalo Bill’s Volunteer Vigilantes. By-Col,
Prentiss Ingraham.

960 Buffalo Bill’s Blue Belt Brigade. By Colonel
Prentiss Ingraham.

964 Buffalo Bill’s Invincibles. By Col. Prentise
Ingraham.

869 Texas Jack, the Lasso King; or, The Rob-

ber Rangers of the Rio Grande. By Buffalo

Bill.
973 The Dread-Shot Four. By Buffalo Bill
978 Buffalo 3ill’s Relentless Trail. By Col.

Prentiss Ingraham.

84 Buffalo Bill’s Life Raffle; or, The Doomed
Three. Ready Sept. 1.

189 Buffalo Bill’s Marked Bullet. ‘By Col. F,

Ingraham. Ready Oct. 6.

94 Buffalo Bill’s Lone Hand. By Col. P. Ine
graham

000 Buffalo Bill’s Grim Guard. By Col. P. Ine
graham,

The above Dime Libraries are Bor outs. bE
, &L NEWSDE \?. ERS, ten cents per cop,
o ent by mail on™

 

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to Library @

LATEST AND BEST.

HANDSOME TRI-GOLORED COVERS.

82 Pages, Issued Every Wednesday.
Price 5 Cents.

 

 

txiracts from the New York Evening Sun.

TWO REMARKABLE

in only one sense of the word can it be regarded as a
aovel statement when. the fact is here recorded that litera-
ture has given many heroes to the world, and perhaps
more than one reader will have to think a moment over
this remark before the subtle delicacy of its genial wit
strikes home,

But it is most essentially a half dime novel statement
shat will be news to many when it is added that litera-
ture, if traced from the dimly distant days when Adam
was a mere child down to the present day, would show
but few heroes that in the eyes of boyhood would be
even judged worthy of comparison with the two greatest
heroes known to American literature, or, to promptly re-
veal them, Deadwood Dick and Deadwood Dick, Jr.

* * * The modern heroes of fiction for young America,
who are now as countless as the sands of the sea, and of
whom the Deadwood Dicks are much the most important
* * * it is but natural that their * * * should bear
away the palm of popularity, and suchas * * * be left
lar “ehind in the race.

.v can be easily believed, therefore, that the two Dicks

e 80 firmly engrafted on the tree of popular literature

r boys and young men, that their position is assured
* * * and that they stand to-day head and shoulders

 

Buy One and You Will Buy the Rest!

HEROES.

above all rivals in the eyes of the public for which they
have lived, and for which one of them has died,

American boyhood, and that is a tremendous factor in
the land, now knows Deadwood Dick, Jr., a good beal bet-
ter than it knows its catechism, and millions of young
minds absorb the thrilling incidents of his career in bis ©
everlasting warfare against crime and his never-ending
solving of impenetrable mysteries.

Millions of boys follow his stealthy footsteps as he tracks
his vicious victims to their undoing, and then, when the
victims are thoroughly undone, the millions wait hungrily
for the next volume, which on every Wednesday appears
with the certainty of the Wednesday itself, and a new set
of Pe ore thrills go thrilling away from Maine to Call-
fornia,

There are the volumes each so crowded with thrills and
heart-tugs that it were madness to hope to do justice to
them collectively and rank injustice to discriminate be
tween them,

To abandon the idea of giving a few extracts causes in-
finite pain, but if once a start were made in that direc-
tion, if would be cruel to The Evening Sun’s readers to
stop, and it is therefore better not to relate one single
adventure, Suffice it to say that the stories are clean and
well written,

 

DEADWOOD DICK LIBRARY.

1 Deadwood Dick, the Prince of the Road

2 The Double Daggers; or, Deadwood Dick’s Defiance

8 The Buffalo Demon; or, The Border Vultures

4 Buffalo Ben, Prince of the Pistol

6 Wild Ivan, the Boy Claude Duval

6 Death-Face, the Detective

? The Phantom Miner; or, Deadwood Dick’s Bonanza

8 Oid Avalanche, the Great Annihilator; or, Wild
Edna, the Girl Brigand

§ Bob Woolf, the Border Ruffian

$0 Omaha Oll, the Masked Terror; or, Deadwood Dick
in Danger

{1 Jim Be Jr., the Boy Phenix; or, Through to

Deat:

& re a Dick’s Eagles; or, The Pards of Flood
sar

18 Buckhorn Bill; or, The Red Rifle Team

14 Gold Rifle, the Sharpshooter

15 Deadwood Dick on Deck; or, Calamity Jane

{6 Corduroy Charlie, the Boy Bravo

7 Sees Rob; or, Nugget Ned, the Knight of the
Gulch

18 Idyl, the Girl Miner; or, Rosebud Rob on Hand

19 Photograph Phil: or, Rosebud Rob’s Reappearance

90 Watch-Eye, the Shadow

81 Deadwood Dick’s Device; or, The Sign of the Double
Cross

% Canada Chet, the Counterfeiter Chief

98 Deadwood Dick in Leadville; or, A Strange Stroke
for Liberty

#1 Deadwood Dick as Detective

% Gilt-Kdge Dick

26 Bonanza Bill, the Man-Tracker; or, The Secret Twelve

97 Chip, the Girl Sport

38 Jack Hoyle’s Lead; or, The Road to Fortune

90 Boss Bob, the King of Bootblacks

8 Deadwood Dick’s Double; or, The Ghost of Gorgon’s

Gulch
61 Blonde Bill; or, Deadwood Dick’s Home Base
® Solid Sam, the Boy Road-Agent

 

83 Tony Fox, the Ferret: or, Boss Bob’s Boss Job

34 A Game of Gold; or. Deadwood Dick’s Big Strike

85 Deadwood Dick of Deadwood; or, The Picked Party

86 New York Nell. the Roy-Girl Detective

87 Nobby Nick of Nevada; or, The Scamps of the Sierras

88 Wild Frank, the Buckskin Bravo

39 Deadwood Dick’s Doom; or, Calamity Jane’s Last
Adventure

40 Deadwood Dick’s Dream; or, The Rivals of the Road

41 Deadwood Dick’s Ward; or, The Black Hills Jezebel

42 The Arab Detective; or, Snoozer, the Boy Sharp

43 The Ventriloquist Detective. A Romance of Rogues

“4 es Josh Grim; or, The Young Gladiator’s
jame

45 The Frontier Detective; or, Sierra Sam’s Scheme

46 The Jimtown Sport; or, Gypsy Jack in Colorado

47 The Miner Sport; or, Sugar-Coated Sam‘s Claim

48 Dick Drew, the Miner’s Son; or, Apollo Bill, the
Road-Agent

49 Sierra Sam, the Detective

50 Sierra Sam’s Double; or, The Three Female Detect
ives

51 ae Sam’s Sentence; or, Little Luck at Rough
Ranch

52 The Girl Sport: or, Jumbo Joe’s Disguise

58 Denver Doll’s Device; or, The Detective Queen

Denver Doll as Detective

55 Denver Doll’s Partner; or, Big Buckskin the Sport

56 Denver Doll’s Mine; or, Little Bill’s Big Loss

57 Deadwood Dick Trapped

58 Buck Hawk, Detective; or, The Messenger Boy’s
Fortune

59 Deadwood Dick’s Disguise; or, Wild Walt, the Sport

60 Dumb Dick’s Pard; or, Eliza Jane, the Gold Miner

61 Deadwood Dick’s Mission

62 Spotter Fritz: or, The Store-Detective’s Deco;

63 The Detective Road-Agent; or, The Miners of Sassa.
fras City

64 os Charlie's Detective Dash; or, The Cattle

ings

 

M. J. LIVERS & CO., Publishers (James Sullivan, Proprietor),
879 Pearl Street. NEW YORK.