To The West Part 42

"I sha'n't give them anything," said Esau sourly. "One of 'em tried to pull the hair off my head."

"Nonsense! It must have been to get you into the boat. Here we are."

He signed to us to go into our room in the shanty, and I felt puzzled at his quiet calm way of speaking now, just as if there had been nothing the matter that morning. But it was not so with Esau. The shock and its accompanying fright had had a peculiar effect upon his temper.

As we entered the room there was the bright fire with the boiling water; and the landlady had been busy for us, and broiled some bacon, the smell of which was very welcome at that time in the morning; but as Esau was about to take his place he looked sharply round.

"Where's my box?" he said. And as he spoke I saw that mine and the others were gone.

"In the canoe," said Gunson, quietly.

"What's it in the canoe for?" cried Esau. "Those Indian chaps will run away with it."

"If they do," said Gunson, who was busy making the tea, "they'll take your companion's and mine too."

"What's the good o' that to me?" cried Esau angrily. "That won't bring mine back. Here, I want my box."

"Sit down, and don't be stupid, my lad. You've given us quite enough trouble this morning."

"But I want my box," cried Esau. "There's lots o' things in that I wouldn't lose on no account."

He moved toward the door, but Gunson set down the kettle and stepped before him.

"Go and sit down," he said sternly.

"But I want--"

"Sit down!" roared Gunson. "Your companion here does not make an idiot of himself because his box is in the canoe. Do you think I want to run away with it?"

"No; but those Indians--"

"Are more honest than you are, my lad, or as honest."

"But who told them to take the boxes?"

"I did. For if you go and nearly drown yourself there is no opportunity for consulting you about matters. You want to go up the river, do you not?"

"Well, I don't know," cried Esau, whose anger was now comical.

"Then we know for you. As it happens, my first halting-place is at a settlement twelve miles up the river. I wanted my chests taken up there, and I ventured to think it would be doing you lads a good turn to take you and your boxes as well. So I engaged these Indians with their canoe. They will paddle us up there and land us."

"Oh," said Esau discontentedly. And I burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry you do not like it, Mr Dean; but if you wish it, I will apologise for the liberties my Indians have taken in saving your life as they came, as well as in taking your chest."

"Well, I--that is--if I'd--"

"Will you hold your mug this way for some tea, Mr Dean?" said Gunson, with mock politeness.

"Oh!" exclaimed Esau.

"There, help yourself to sugar and milk. Gordon, my lad, help the bacon, and give our much-injured friend the best piece."

"Look here," cried Esau fiercely, "you may hit me, or you may kick me, but I can't stand being made fun of. Say another word like that, and I won't eat a bit."

"I have said my say," cried Gunson, with a look at me. And after gulping down his tin mug of tea, Esau seemed to get better, and the meal was hastily finished in peace.

"Now, Gordon," said Gunson, "our landlady has been very civil to us, what shall we give her beside the pay for what we have had?"

"If I did what I liked, I should give her a little paper of tea."

"Well done, Solomon of wisdom," said Gunson, taking something from his pocket; "here it is, done up all ready. Now then, the sooner we start the better."

Our arrangements with the settler's wife were soon concluded, and it was still early morning when we took our places in the big skin canoe with all our personal belongings under our eyes now; and the Indians having been well fed, pushed off rather sluggishly. But they kept time with their paddles, and soon set up a low, sad, crooning kind of chorus as they carefully avoided the powerful stream by keeping well insh.o.r.e, where I gazed up in wonder at the magnificent trees which appeared in ma.s.ses and clumps at every turn.

It was a wonderful experience that first ride on the fierce river, whose snow-charged waters gave quite a sting to the fingers whenever they were immersed. And there was always something fresh to see. Now it was a vast shoal of salmon gliding up over the shallows, or collecting about the edges of one of the many falls we pa.s.sed, where some stream or another came down from the high grounds to swell the already full bed of the river. Then some bird flew up within tempting distance for one who handled a gun, and then there would be a little bit of excitement as we neared some fierce part of the river where the bed was dotted with rocks, a touch upon any of which must mean a hole through the bottom of our canoe, and her freight sent whirling helplessly down the stream.

It was at one of these rapids that Esau, who had been very quiet and rather ashamed of himself, suddenly half rose in his place, exclaiming--

"Don't let them go there; it isn't safe."

"They know best how to manage the canoe," said Gunson quietly.

"But you won't let them go up that bit of water? It's like a mill-race."

"Yes; only fiercer," said Gunson coolly. "Feel startled, Gordon?"

"I do feel a bit nervous," I said.

"And not ashamed to say so," he replied, laughing. "Well, you are a strange lad. Of course you are not frightened, Dean?"

"Why it's enough to scare any one," cried Esau. "We shall all have to swim for it directly, and nice chance we shall have. Get stunned with stones before we know where we are. Here, look! what are they going to do?"

"Sit still, and you'll see," said Gunson; and he joined me in looking eagerly at the men, who ran the boat as far as they could go toward the shallow rapids by energetic use of their paddles, and then, at a grunt from the one who seemed to take the lead, they dropped their paddles in the canoe, and, as if by one movement, swung themselves over into the rapids, and began to wade and drag the vessel against the surging stream.

"Look here," said Gunson, with his lips close to my ear, for the noise of the rus.h.i.+ng water was deafening, "if we do go over, make for that big piece of rock below there, and try to climb up."

"Yes," I said rather breathlessly; "but tell Esau too."

"Oh no; there is no need," he said sarcastically. "Your companion is too clever to want help."

Meanwhile we were being dragged slowly up and up against the fierce current, and in and out among rocks, any one of which would have overset the canoe; and as I looked forward and to right and left, where the sides of the river were formed by precipices which ran up so high that the trees growing here and there on the ledges looked quite small, I felt a kind of shrinking sensation at my own insignificance, and turned at last to see what effect all this had upon Esau.

He was seated holding on to the bottom of the canoe with all his might, and staring at the threatening rocks with eyes and mouth wide open.

"Afraid?" I shouted in his ear.

"Not a bit," he replied; "but be ready for a swim if some of those rocks up above don't tumble down and sink us."