Frontier and pioneer life -- Juvenile fiction; Shawnee Indians -- Juvenile fiction
He succeeded sooner than he expected, for he ran directly into a growth
of raspberries, many of which were purplish black in color, soft, mild
and delicious to the palate. He called to Victor and the two enjoyed a
veritable feast. In the midst of it they were joined by Mul-tal-la and
Deerfoot, who partook as bountifully as they. Later in the season they
found an abundance of plums, wild apples and no end of mulberries.
The journey continued for several days without special incident. When
they reached the stream now known as the Great Horn they faced a serious
problem. The current was rapid and deep, coursing violently between high
ridges, some of which were so lofty that a regular cañon was formed.
Mul-tal-la said they had come upon this river a considerable distance
above the place where he and his companion forded it, and on the
suggestion of Deerfoot he began searching for the ford or ferry, as it
might prove. When nightfall came it had not been found, and the
Blackfoot expressed doubts of his being able to locate it.
This unexpected difficulty gave Whirlwind an opportunity to display his
skill and intelligence. The party had paused at a place where the stream
was a hundred feet or more in width, and with the current so roiled that
there was no way, except by actual test, of ascertaining its depth. By
hard work the horses might be able to swim or work their way across, but
the necessity of taking care of the property on the back of Zigzag added
to the difficulty. It was important that it should be protected from
wetting. It would take a long time to build a raft on which to carry the
stuff to the other side, and even then there would be risk of its being
swept down stream. A dull roar that came to the ears of our friends
through the solitude showed that there were falls or violent rapids at
no great distance below, into which the raft would be likely to be
driven with the loss or irreparable injury of much of the merchandise.
Deerfoot was disposed at first to divide this among the four, who could
hold the articles above their heads while their horses were swimming,
but he distrusted the ability of the boys to do their part.
The important thing was to learn the depth of the stream. He therefore
asked Whirlwind to cross to the other rocky bank. If he could do this
without swimming all difficulty was removed. The stallion was quick to
understand the request made of him, though it is hardly to be supposed
that he comprehended its full significance. When told to enter the
stream he did so with only natural hesitation, feeling his way as his
kind do when the ground in front is uncertain.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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