CHAPTER IV.

_Hunting adventures._

Some time now passed without any remarkable event. After a hunting or war expedition, the Indian men usually spend a large part of their time in idleness. For several weeks after their return, the warriors might be seen stretched at full length in their wigwams upon the beds of skins, and often, during the day, upon the bare ground, basking in the warm sunshine.

Thus they would repose day and night, sleeping a part of the time, and dozing away the rest of the hours. When hungry, they arose and ate the meal provided for them by the women, and then returned to their rest. At this period, they seemed like mere animals, such as wolves or foxes, idly slumbering in their caves, careless of the past, the present and the future.

Once in a while these men would rouse themselves from their indolence, and spend a night in a wild war-dance, or in other sports. When excited in their amusements, they shook off their lethargy and seemed totally changed from the stupid beings which they appeared to be, a few hours before. Their black eyes would now flash with fiery excitement; their parted lips would display their white teeth; their long, black hair would stream in the wind; their hands and arms would exhibit the most animated gestures, and their whole form seem to be animated by intense excitement. After the sport was over, these warriors would relapse into the same state of merely animal existence, as if they had no minds, no cares, no plans, no fears or hopes.

Thus some weeks passed away, but at last, it became necessary that a supply of food should be obtained. It is true that some small game was obtained by the boys, and some of the men, almost every day. This consisted of the heath hen, which resembles the partridge or pheasant of the Atlantic states; black and grey squirrels, rabbits and hares, wild turkeys, raccoons, prairie dogs, &c. These creatures were abundant, and I often accompanied the young Indians in hunting them.

There were some guns and rifles in the tribe, but the chief weapons were the bow and arrow. The boys and most of the young men had no other. It was surprising to see with what precision and force the arrows were thrown. I have often seen a squirrel, perched upon the limb of an aged tree, and being nearly a hundred feet in air, look down as if to laugh and jeer at the sportsman below; when the arrow was sent from the string, and, striking him in the head, brought him whirling and sprawling to the ground.

In these hunts I took a keen delight; and such was my enterprise and success, that I soon became rather famous as a hunter of the lesser game. My agility in pursuing a wounded bird or quadruped, and the facility with which I threaded the tangled forests, gave me the title of _Jumping Rabbit_, which long continued to be my name.

In these hunts, we seldom wandered to any great distance from the encampment, and rarely remained out over night. In a few instances, we were absent for two or three days, and extended our excursions to the distance of twenty or thirty miles.

I recollect that in one of these expeditions, we came to a considerable lake, entirely surrounded with dense forests. It was difficult even to peep through the woods, for the trees stood very close together, and the spaces between them were choked up with dead trunks and branches, woven and wedged together, as if the whole constituted one fabric.

With a great deal of labor, creeping and winding like serpents through the openings, we made our way through the forest, and came to the shores of the lake. Accustomed, as I then was, to nature in her wild moods, the scene that then presented itself, greatly surprised me. The forest that encircled the lake, consisted, to a great extent, of lofty firs, which stood close to the water, and formed, around its whole border, what seemed to be a dark green wall, rising almost to the clouds, and thus bestowing upon the spot an aspect of the most perfect protection and seclusion.

As if won to the place by its security and repose, myriads of aquatic birds were there, some resting upon its bosom, some wading in its depths, some standing along its borders, and thousands winnowing the air above its surface. There were flocks of swans, with arching necks and snowy bosoms; multitudes of pelicans, either darting down upon their prey, or lazily digesting their food as they stood upon the rocks along the shore; and wild geese, and ducks almost without number. There was the pensive heron, standing half leg deep in the water, and patiently waiting to snap up some luckless frog or fish; there was the tall crane, with crested head, and spiteful countenance, looking keenly into the mud for his meal; and red flamingoes, standing in rows that looked like files of soldiers.

The scene presented the idea of a paradise for water-birds; a spot unknown to man, and wholly secured to the use and behoof of its feathered tenantry. The birds themselves seemed so to regard it, for such were their habits of confidence, that when we approached them, they hardly noticed us, or moved from us. We shot a few arrows among them, and killed several, but this created no general alarm. One of our party had a rifle, and taking aim at the leader of a long file of swans that glided upon the water near us, he fired, and the noble bird, uttering a faint scream, spread his wings for flight, and fell dead upon the surface. His companions rose heavily from the lake, and sweeping round and round in the air, settled again upon the water, encircling their dead companion.

Loaded with game, we now set out for our return; but this expedition was destined to be signalized by adventures. In our progress homeward, we had occasion to cross a deep valley, through which a small rivulet found its way. On the high rocky banks of this stream our party sat down to rest themselves for an hour or two, and then set forward. It happened that I had crept into the bushes and fallen asleep; and when my companions went away, not observing me, they left me soundly wrapt in repose.

They had been gone a considerable time when I was awoke by a noise, and looking up, I saw a huge grisly bear at a little distance, looking steadfastly at me. I knew that the next moment he would be upon me, and seizing my bow and arrows, I sprang forward, and at a single bound leaped over the high bank, into the stream. It was not more than forty feet in width――and I had hardly crossed it, when I heard the heavy plunge of the bear behind me. Clambering up the opposite bank with the quickness of a wild-cat, I seized upon the drooping branches of a tree, and rapidly mounted it. The fierce beast came close upon me, and seizing the boughs with its claws and teeth, tore them in a hundred pieces. By this time, however, I had ascended beyond its reach.

The grisly bear is twice the size of the common bear, and from its savage disposition and great strength, is altogether the most dreadful beast of the American continent. But, happily for me, it does not often climb trees. I therefore felt secure. Pausing on a large limb of the tree, I looked down at my shaggy acquaintance below. He had now got over his fury, and gazing in my face with a look of the deepest interest, he seemed to think, if he did not say――“Oh how I love you!”

After sitting upon the tree for some time, I began to grow impatient to be released――but Bruin seemed to have no idea of parting with me thus. He continued for several hours, sitting upon his rump, in a kind of brown study, but occasionally looking at me. At last, growing weary, I reclined against the trunk of the tree, and my grisly jailer, as if to torment me, lay down upon the ground, and putting his nose to his tail, seemed to say that he had made up his mind to stay till I should come down. I waited for some time in silence, to see if he would not fall asleep and allow me an opportunity of escape; but the moment I moved a foot or hand, I could see his keen eye twinkle, thus showing that the sentinel was awake and watchful.

At last I got out of patience, and selecting a good arrow, I sent it fiercely at his head. It struck him over the eye, and evidently gave him great pain, for he growled terribly, and rubbed the wounded place with his huge paw; and finally he looked up at me, at the same time curling his lip and showing a set of teeth that made me shudder. I could easily understand this pantomime, and I knew it to mean something like this: “Sooner or later, my lad, you must come down, and these teeth shall take due revenge upon you.”

Night at length came――and still the beast remained at his post. I caught a little sleep, but I was too fearful of falling to the ground to get any sound repose. In the morning I heard the call of my companions, and now knew that they had missed me, and were come to find me. I answered their shout with a cry that filled the valley with echoes. The old bear seemed startled; he rose, shook his shaggy coat, and gazed wistfully around.

Directed by my voice, my friends soon drew near; and when they came to the opposite bank of the river, I told them my situation and pointed out Bruin at the foot of the tree. In a moment the rifle was levelled at my tormentor, and the ball entered his side. Stung with pain, but not mortally wounded, the monster turned towards his new enemy. Leaping into the stream, he began to swim across; but his head being exposed, several arrows were aimed at him, some of which took effect. As he ascended the rocky bank of the river, the rifle being re-loaded, was again discharged, and, the ball passing through his heart, he fell backward, and rolled with a heavy plash into the stream.

But I have wandered a little from my track. I said that the necessity of obtaining a supply of food, at last roused the men of the encampment from their repose. After making due preparation, by providing themselves with knives, bows and arrows, &c., about twenty of them departed; and as I was now a tolerably expert hunter, I was permitted to accompany the party. The events which followed, will be described in the next chapter.

* * * * *

Always have a book within your reach, which you may catch up at your odd minutes. Revolve in your mind what you have last been reading.

LITTLE LEAVES FOR LITTLE READERS.

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Mamma’s Lessons.

I once knew two little children, who had a great deal of knowledge, for their age, and yet they were not taught altogether by books. They had a good mother, who took great pains with their education, and she managed in such a way as to make her lessons very pleasing.

I will tell you one method of teaching which she adopted――and it was this. She would get her two children around her, and then would ask them what creatures lived in the air? what lived in the water? what lived on the earth, &c. The children would give such answers as they pleased; if they were right, they were told so; if wrong, they were corrected.

That you may understand how this affair went on, I will give you a dialogue, which will set the matter clearly before you. You will remember that the children were named Dick and Lydia.

_Mother._ Now tell me, my children, what animals live in the air?

_Dick._ Birds.

_M._ Do all birds live in the air?

_Lydia._ No, mother; the ostrich is said never to fly, and it seems to me that many other birds, such as hens, partridges, quails, and others, rarely fly, and therefore cannot be said even to live in the air.

_M._ What birds live most in the air?

_D._ I should think the swallows, for they seem to me to be dodging about from morning to night. And, mother, I have heard Ben Halliard, the sailor, say that there is a sea-swallow that is always flying; he declares that the creature never lights and that he hatches his eggs under his wing!

_M._ The sea-swallow, or mother Cary’s chicken, is a bird that can remain on the wing for a long time; but like all other birds, it goes sometimes to the land. It builds its nest on the uninhabited islands of the sea; many of them may be seen in the unfrequented rocky islands near Florida.

_L._ Mother, it is said the birds of Paradise live always on the wing.

_M._ This is also an error; the sailors, who frequented the seas near the Asiatic islands, where these lovely birds are often seen on the wing, fancied them to be creatures of the air; and being always in the spicy breath of those charming regions, they called them _birds of Paradise_. But now, that we are better acquainted with the islands of the Pacific we know that the birds of Paradise live chiefly on the land, and sport, like others of the feathered race, amid the branches of the trees.

_L._ Well, mother, I think there are other creatures that live in the air, beside birds. I mean insects, such as butterflies, bees, wasps, and other little flying creatures.

_M._ You should rather say, my dear, that these animals live _a part of the time_ in the air. It is with these insects, as with birds, that though we see them often on the wing, they really spend but a part of the time in flying. Let me now ask you to tell what animals live in the water?

_D._ Fishes.

_L._ Beside fishes, there are other things; such as lobsters, crabs, oysters, clams, and many other creatures.

_D._ Yes; but these are fishes,――are they not, mother?

_M._ They are called shell-fish, but they are quite distinct from fishes, properly so called. The latter have no legs, and possess fins, by which they push themselves along in the water. They have a long skeleton, upon which the flesh is formed; whereas, in the shell-fish, there is no interior skeleton, but the flesh and muscles are attached to an exterior shell. Thus you see that the whole structure of the proper fishes and of the shell fish are very distinct.

_D._ That is very curious, indeed; but there are some creatures that live partly in water and partly on the land.

_M._ Yes; and these are called amphibious.

_L._ That puts me in mind of a story, mother. A traveller went once to the Tower of London, to see the wild animals. There was a man there who made it his business to show them and describe them. Well, there was a young alligator among the animals, and when the showman came to describe him, he said, “Here, ladies and gentlemen, is a halligator, which came from Merriky, in the state of Georgia; it was ketched in the great river Mississippi, which runs all the way up hill. This creature is amphibious, which means that he cannot live in the water and dies on the land; he is six feet and a ’alf from the tip of his tail to the tip of his nose, and seven feet ten inches from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail. Like all Merrikens, the halligator is fond of young niggers, and the night afore he was ketched, he made his supper upon two of them!”

_M._ That story is absurd enough; though it is quite true that the showman at the Tower of London, does tell some queer stories. If he makes such mistakes and shows such prejudice, in respect to our country, as the story represents, he is certainly like many English travellers, who ought to know better. I think Mr. Dickens, who writes such nonsense about our country, should be employed to show the animals at the Tower. But let me now ask what class of animals live entirely on the land?

_L._ Quadrupeds, or four-footed beasts.

_M._ That is right; most quadrupeds spend their time wholly on the land; the only one of them that can fly, is the bat; and this creature is formed almost as much like a bird as a four-footed beast. Some of the amphibious animals, such as lizards, toads, frogs and tortoises, are quadrupeds; and though these creatures live a part of their time in the water, most of them still spend the greater portion of their time on the land.

Questions.

I should like to have my little readers send me answers to the following twenty questions. They must be careful to direct all their letters to the care of Bradbury & Soden, and they must also pay the postage.

1. What are the five most remarkable quadrupeds in Africa?

2. What are the three most famous animals in Asia?

3. What is the largest of quadrupeds, and of what countries is it a native?

4. What is the tallest animal in the world, and where is it found?

5. What is the largest kind of bird, and where is it found?

6. What is the largest kind of serpent, and where is it found?

7. What is the smallest kind of bird, and where is it found?

8. What is the largest of animals, and where does it live?

9. What animal most resembles man, and where is it found?

10. What animal is most useful to man?

11. What is the largest quadruped found wild in America?

12. What is the most fierce and formidable wild quadruped in the United States?

13. What celebrated poisonous serpent belongs to the United States?

14. What is the largest bird of prey in the world and where is it found?

15. What are the two most remarkable animals of New Holland?

16. What bird is called the king of birds?

17. What is generally esteemed the most beautiful of insects?

18. What is the most useful insect to man?

19. What animal seems most attached to man?

20. What is the most powerful known quadruped?

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Old Age.

Here is a picture of an old man, walking in the woods, and a little bird, on the tree, seems to be speaking to him. What do you think the little bird says to the old man? I will try to tell you. Thus speaks the little bird:

“Come, good old man, and speak to me, For I am young and thou art old; Full many a year hath passed o’er thee, And many a tale of wisdom told.

Give me thy counsel, aged wight; For here the hawk doth prowl by day, And many a cruel owl by night―― Seeking on little birds to prey.

Oh, tell me how these things to shun, Or teach me where to find some zone, Beneath a far-off southern sun, Where hawks and owls are all unknown.”

Thus urged, the old monk spake: “Sweet thing, I love to list thy pretty words, And gather from thy twittering, That there is wisdom with the birds.

And I will give thee counsel true, And if thou heed my word with care, In pleasures ever sweet and new, Thy life shall pass――but, bird, beware!

Far o’er the deep an islet lone, Is circled by the briny wave; No grief or sorrow there is known, No grisly death, no ghastly grave.

Depart and win with earnest flight, This peaceful region of the blest; But mark――a bosom fair and bright, Alone can reach that land of rest!”

Now these lines tell a fancy tale, or allegory, which has some meaning. In the first place, I wish my readers to observe that the little bird does not laugh at the old man and make fun of him, or run away from him. On the contrary, the bird seems to think that as the man is old, he has a great deal of wisdom, and is therefore capable of giving good advice.

Now the bird here shows good sense. Instead of avoiding old people, children should always love to be with them, and should always treat them with kindness, attention and respect. Old people are usually very fond of children, and they can tell them many pretty tales, and many curious things they have seen.

It seems that the bird is troubled by hawks and owls, and desires to go to some happy land where it may be free from such dangers, and may dwell in quiet and content. And the old man tells the bird, of a far-off isle, where those who are pure and good may live forever in a state of unbroken felicity. This part of the allegory means that there is a another world, in which the pure in heart may see God and dwell with Him forever in happiness.

The Sun, Moon and Stars.

Here is a picture which represents the earth in the centre, and the sun, moon and stars around it. It also represents clouds around the earth.

We suppose that all our readers know that the earth is a vast globe, or ball, eight thousand miles in diameter and twenty-five thousand miles in circumference. It is suspended in space, and makes a vast circuit around the sun, every year. It also turns round on its axis once in twenty-four hours.

Some people cannot conceive that the earth turns round every day, and I know of a man who insists that it is impossible. “Why,” says he, “if the earth was to turn round, my well would be bottom upwards, and all the water would run out!” The fact that the earth revolves like a wheel, is just as certain as that there is a sun or a moon.

In the picture, the sun appears very near to the earth; but this is only to show how the sun shines on the earth. The sun is actually ninety-five millions of miles from the earth. The moon is also a great many thousand miles from the earth. The stars are likewise very distant, some of them being much farther off than the sun.

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The science of the heavenly bodies is called astronomy; and a very interesting study it is. It tells us the size, the distance, and the motions of the sun, moon and stars, as far as we can learn them. In the study of the stars, a telescope is used, which enables us to see a great many more stars than are visible to the naked eye; it also enables you to see little moons around some of the planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn; it also enables you to see a bright ring around Saturn.

By the study of the heavens, wise and learned men have come to the opinion that all these bright orbs which you see in the sky at night, are worlds, covered with people, like our own world. They suppose that, to the people in these stars, our world looks like a little bright star. What a great subject of contemplation is this! And how mighty and glorious must be that Being who has created, and who sustains so many worlds, with all the living beings that dwell upon them!

Inquisitive Jack.