CHAPTER X
AN ADVENTURE AMONG THE PEAKS
SEVERAL days after the great buffalo drive, White Otter and his two friends set out to explore the gigantic snow-clad peaks which showed against the sky, a day's journey to the westward. Sun Bird and Little Raven had told the Ogalala many wonderful tales about a mysterious rocky cave, whose walls were decorated with all sorts of queer drawings representing animals and birds and reptiles. These fanciful stories had aroused White Otter's curiosity, and he was anxious to see this strange place, which Little Raven solemnly declared was the abode of all sorts of uncanny monsters.
"I have never seen it, but I have heard the old men tell about it," Little Raven said, very seriously. "Yes, old Spotted Face was there a long time ago. I have heard him talk about it. He says he met some funny little people way back there in the darkness. He did not see them, but he saw their eyes shine and heard them squeak like ground dogs. He says they told him if he came any nearer he would be killed. Then he ran out."
"Yes, what Little Raven says is true," agreed Sun Bird. "My people know about this place. Short Bear once went far inside. Then he heard a great noise, and he ran out. I have seen this place, but I have never gone in so far."
These superstitious tales made a deep impression upon White Otter. Like all his people, he had implicit faith in the weird stories which the old men told around the fires on winter nights, and he had no doubt that the queer hobgoblins of their imaginations really existed. It was part of his life and faith. To have doubted the existence of both those good and evil spirits which his people believed were constantly interfering in their daily affairs, would have made him an object of ridicule and distrust among his tribesmen. Therefore, having had his mind filled with these simple superstitions since early infancy, White Otter saw no reason to doubt the stories about the rocky den on the distant snow-capped peak.
The three lads left the village soon after sunrise, and made their way to the foothills. They followed the elk trails over the low ridges, and descended into a beautiful wooded valley that extended to the base of the great peaks they wished to reach. It was watered by the stream which flowed past the Minneconjoux village, and well timbered with aspen, birch and pine. This sheltered vale fairly teemed with game, and the Sioux found themselves in a veritable "Happy Hunting Ground." They saw many elk, the cows with long-legged spotted calves beside them, and the bulls with their short, knobby velvet-covered horns of early spring; deer bounded from the thickets; wild turkeys rose from beside the stream; antelope appeared in the open parks; beavers swam about the flooded meadows; song birds filled the balmy air with melody; and far above in the azure sky a great golden eagle, the war bird of their people, soared about on motionless wings.
The Sioux traveled slowly through this wonderful valley, and at the end of the day they camped in the timber at the base of the mountains. Just before dark White Otter killed a yearling black-tail deer, and they immediately made a fire and broiled some of the meat. Then, as the night closed in about them, they sat in the ruddy glow of the fire, talking about the great peaks among which they intended to venture on the following day. Sun Bird had explored their grim fastnesses many times, but White Otter was a lad of the open prairie, and had only reached the mountains on one other occasion, when he unexpectedly met Sun Bird. Little Raven had never been above the foothills and pine-clad ridges.
The night passed without incident, and shortly after daylight the lads picketed their ponies in an open park half-way up the steep wooded slope, and set out to explore the snow-topped peaks that towered above them. They followed a well-marked game trail up through the timber until they reached the desolate reaches of slide-rock. Then they climbed laboriously over the confused jumble of slabs and bowlders until they were halted by a great precipitous field of snow. Sun Bird said that the mysterious cave was above it, and the lads stopped and gazed thoughtfully at the rugged pinnacles of rock that rose from the treacherous white barrier like the warning fingers of some buried giant.
"Have you been up there?" White Otter asked Sun Bird.
"Yes, I have been there many times," replied Sun Bird.
"Then we will go," declared the Ogalala.
Sun Bird led the way, Little Raven followed, and White Otter brought up the rear. It was slow, difficult climbing, and to guard against accident Sun Bird continually tested the uncertain footing by thrusting his bow into the snow ahead of him. When they were half-way to the top they stopped to rest. As they stood gasping for breath they heard an ominous rumble above them, and looking up they saw a large bowlder bounding down the incline directly toward them. For an instant they seemed paralyzed with fear. Then Sun Bird called a warning, and moved carefully to one side. Little Raven and White Otter followed his example.
However, in his eagerness to escape from the bowlder, Little Raven threw caution to the winds, and promptly lost his footing. With a wild cry of alarm he sped down the steep descent, toward the rocks below. His dismayed companions realized that he would be dashed to death unless he checked his wild slide in time to save himself. They shouted instructions, but the terrified young Minneconjoux failed to hear them. Instinct, however, came to his aid, and, pressing with his feet and clutching with his fingers, he finally stopped himself two-thirds of the way down the slide. Then, waiting until he had regained some of his confidence, he again began the laborious climb. Warned and encouraged by his anxious comrades, he finally reached them without further mishap.
Once at the base of the massive granite peaks, the lads hurried on in the direction of the mysterious cave. As they were moving carefully along a narrow ledge, Sun Bird suddenly stopped and stooped to examine something which had attracted his attention. He saw by several indistinct marks on the rock, and several dislodged fragments of stone, that something had passed across the narrow trail ahead of him.
"My brothers, something has gone along here," he said, soberly.
The announcement instantly aroused the interest of his comrades. Having failed to discover a trail on the snow-field, they were at a loss to account for the evidence discovered by Sun Bird. As they stopped to study his find, they immediately began to think of the weird tales connected with the rocky den.
"We have seen no footprints. Perhaps we have found the trail of the mysterious people who live in the cave," suggested Little Raven.
"Well, perhaps it is so," replied Sun Bird. "But we will go on and find out about it."
They moved cautiously along the narrow ledge, and although they examined every foot of the rocky trail with great care they failed to discover any further clews. Then a sudden explanation flashed across White Otter's mind.
"My brothers, I have been thinking about that thing," he said. "I will tell you about it. Perhaps the great war bird made those marks. See, he is flying up there above us. I believe his lodge is near this place."
"Yes, that is true," replied Sun Bird. "But we have not seen the thing. What we see we know about. Perhaps you have told how it happened. I do not know about it."
"No, I do not believe it is that way," declared Little Raven. "I believe that some of the mysterious Thunder People went along there."
A few moments afterward they came to a wider shelf of rock, and Sun Bird stopped and pointed to a large cavern, which he declared was the mysterious cave. They stood and gazed upon it for some time, and then Sun Bird led them toward the entrance. When they reached it they found that it apparently extended some distance into the granite cap of the mountain. The smooth rock sides were decorated as described by Sun Bird. White Otter saw all sorts of queer emblems and crude imitations of animals, birds and reptiles. These mysterious picture-writings appeared to have been chiseled into the rough granite, and some of them were apparently very old, as they were dim and scarcely discernible. The lads examined them with eager interest, for they had little doubt that they had been made by the wonderful beings who were believed to dwell upon the bleak, inhospitable peaks of these great mountains. Sun Bird declared that his people had no knowledge of their origin, but he said that his father had often told him that he understood their meaning.
"Perhaps he will tell us about it," suggested White Otter.
"No, that would break his medicine," Sun Bird assured him. "It is bad to tell such things. My father is a great medicine-person. That is why he knows those things. But he will not talk about it."
After they had spent some time studying these baffling decorations, the lads advanced a little farther into the cavern. They moved very cautiously, peering expectantly ahead of them, and straining their ears to catch some of the strange noises which they had heard described. At first they were able to stand upright, but after going a short distance they found the dimensions of the cave shrinking, and they were compelled to crouch to avoid striking their heads on the rocky roof. Sun Bird said that he had never penetrated farther than that point, and he showed no inclination to continue.
"If we stay here and listen, perhaps we will hear something," he said, somewhat uneasily.
They squatted down close together, and waited in considerable suspense to hear some strange sound from the interior of the cave. Ahead of them all was dark, and still and mysterious. Behind them they still saw the light of day streaming in at the mouth of the cave, and weakening as it followed the rocky passageway until it faded to a dim, misty twilight at the spot where they had stopped. When they had waited some time without hearing anything, White Otter proposed that they should proceed to explore the black recesses beyond them.
"No, my heart tells me that it would be a bad thing to do," declared Sun Bird. "I have never gone beyond this place. Back there in that black place are the Evil People. Yes, I have heard my father tell about them. If you go back there, I believe something will happen to you."
"Well, now I know how you feel about this thing," said White Otter. "You must do as you find it in your heart. But, my brother, I must tell you that I am going back there. Yes, it is in my heart to do this thing. Perhaps if I hear something I will run out. But I am going to start in there. Perhaps I will meet those Evil People. I believe that this is a very mysterious place, but I am going to find out something. Now I am going ahead. My brother, Little Raven, how do you feel about this thing?"
"I believe that you are very brave, but it is a foolish thing to do," replied Little Raven. "You do not know about this place. I have heard some very brave warriors tell about it. If you go in there, I believe that you will surely come to harm. No, I will not go any farther."
"Well, my brothers, I must do what it is in my heart to do," declared White Otter, as he prepared to advance into the black depths of the cave.
Aware that it would be useless to attempt to dissuade him, Sun Bird and Little Raven remained silent. Their hearts filled with gloomy misgivings, however, as White Otter drew several arrows from his quiver, and crawled slowly forward into the dark, forbidding interior of the cavern. When he had disappeared from their sight they sat in glum silence, listening fearfully for some sound which might warn them of the fate of their comrade. When they heard nothing their fears increased, and Sun Bird called softly into the darkness. Then they waited in nervous suspense as the moments passed and their eager inquiry went unanswered. Tortured by a multitude of alarming possibilities, Sun Bird again sent an anxious inquiry into the black depths of the cavern. This time they received a short, indistinct reply. It assured them that for the moment their comrade was safe, and their hearts bounded with joy.
"White Otter is very brave to do this thing," declared Little Raven.
"Yes, he is very fearless, but it is a bad thing to do," replied Sun Bird. "Perhaps he will make the Evil People mad. Then they may bring trouble to our people."
In the meantime the young Ogalala was advancing cautiously into the unexplored depths of the cavern. As he continued he found that the cave shrunk greatly in height, while it lost little in width. Therefore, although he was compelled to crawl painfully along on his hands and knees, he still had plenty of room if he cared to turn around. White Otter found himself in a smother of darkness, which made it impossible to see a bow-length before him. As his eyes were of little avail, he depended upon his ears to warn him of peril. Keeping in mind the tales which he had heard from Sun Bird and Little Raven, he moved forward very slowly, stopping after every short advance to listen for the strange noises which he expected to hear at any moment.
Then from somewhere in the impenetrable blackness came a peculiar whimpering cry that sent a thrill through him, and made his heart beat wildly. After waiting some moments in trying suspense he again heard the uncanny sound, and located it some distance ahead of him. For some time White Otter was undecided just what to do. His first impulse was to turn about, and retreat from the weird place into which he had so rashly ventured. Then curiosity overcame fear, and he determined to at least have a look at these unknown demons that created such fear among the superstitious Minneconjoux. He recalled that whoever claimed to have ventured into the depths of the cave had escaped unhurt, and old Spotted Face even declared that he had actually seen the eyes of these mysterious creatures before he was warned to retreat from their stronghold. Therefore, White Otter believed that he, too, would be equally fortunate, and he decided to hold his ground and await further developments.
Convinced that whatever threatened him was still in front, White Otter peered anxiously forward into the darkness. The sounds had ceased, however, and he wondered whether he had been discovered. Fitting an arrow to his bow, he waited to be attacked. Then, as nothing came to disturb him, he became bolder. Determined to learn what had made the strange noise, he again crawled forward to investigate.
White Otter had not gone a bow-length when the same strange whimpering cry brought him to a stop. Then, as he listened to hear it repeated, another sound reached his ears. It was a low rumbling growl, and the young Ogalala immediately read defiance in the tone. At first he failed to recognize it, and all sorts of superstitious fears crowded into his mind. He wondered if he had actually invaded the home of some great Thunder Being. His confidence weakened at the thought, for he knew that the bravest warrior could not survive an encounter with one of those terrific monsters. Then he again heard the angry challenge, and at once it became familiar. A few moments later he saw two spots of greenish light shining in the darkness, and he realized that he was confronted by one of the great mountain cats. Once before he had fought a fierce encounter with one of these savage creatures, and he knew what to expect. However, he was greatly relieved to know that he was threatened by an adversary that was without magic power to turn aside his arrows, as the mysterious Thunder Beings were said to do.
Realizing that this fierce beast had its den somewhere in the back of the cavern, the young Ogalala believed that the strange noises had been made by the kittens of the great cat. He felt sure, therefore, that the latter would attack him with great fury, and he determined to kill it before it came sufficiently near to spring at him.
In the meantime the weird glowing eyes had disappeared, and White Otter wondered what had happened. He wondered whether the snarling brute had slunk farther back into the cave. Then a more alarming possibility entered his mind—perhaps the great cat was attempting to slink past him to make an attack from the rear. He looked anxiously on both sides of him, but saw nothing. Then he heard the whimpering cries ahead of him. Holding his arrow ready for instant use, he peered expectantly forward into the blackness. In a few moments he caught a flash of the blazing eyes; they were considerably nearer. However, they disappeared before he could release his arrow. Long, anxious moments passed before he again saw the glowing signals. Then, as he aimed his arrow, a defiant, deep-throated growl warned him that the fearless creature was about to attack him. Aware that a moment's hesitation might prove fatal, White Otter released his bow-string and sent his arrow at the tempting target.
The next instant the cave echoed with the piercing scream of the dying lioness, and Sun Bird and Little Raven looked at each other in wild alarm. For an instant they hesitated, as a confused babel of sound came from the black interior of the cavern. Then, as they realized that something was happening to their comrade, they overcame their fears and determined to go to his aid.
"Something has happened to White Otter!" cried Sun Bird. "Perhaps he has met the Evil People. I am going in there to help him. If I do not come out, you must tell our people about it. Now I am going."
"Well, I am going with you," declared Little Raven. "I am afraid of those Evil People, but I will go in there to die with you. You are my brother; White Otter is my friend. It is enough."
The excited lads hurried back into the cave, calling nervously to White Otter. However, their frantic appeals were drowned by the fierce bedlam of sound ahead of them. Screams, snarls and choking sobs were echoed along the rocky passageway, and it really seemed that the mysterious black cavern was indeed the abode of all the demons with which the vivid imaginations of the Minneconjoux had peopled it. Still the loyal lads continued to advance. They had little doubt that they were going to some horrible death, but they were unwilling to save themselves by abandoning their friend.
Then the sounds ceased as suddenly as they had begun, and Sun Bird and Little Raven stopped in bewilderment. For a moment the unexpected stillness was even more alarming than the wild outburst that had preceded it. A sickening fear gripped their hearts. They believed that White Otter had met some terrible fate. As they lay one behind the other in the low black passageway, they felt that the last ray of hope had fled. They would not retreat, and yet they had little doubt that to continue meant death.
"We must go on," Sun Bird declared, resolutely.
"I will follow you, my brother," Little Raven said, quietly.
As they crawled slowly forward, Sun Bird again called the name of the Ogalala. The next instant he heard his friend's voice from the blackness directly ahead of him.
"Ho, my brother, you have come to see about this thing," cried White Otter. "Well, I will tell you that I have had a great fight, but I am alive. Yes, I will show you something."
"Have you met the Evil People?" Little Raven asked, excitedly.
"Ho, Little Raven, you are very brave to come in here. No, I have not seen those mysterious people. But I have killed a very fierce animal," replied White Otter.
When his companions crawled to him, he told them how he had killed the lioness. He said that the latter had destroyed her two kittens in her dying rage. As Sun Bird and Little Raven could not see the great beast in the impenetrable darkness, they crawled forward and passed their hands over the carcass. Then White Otter said that after killing the lioness he had crept forward to the den, which was in a rocky recess at the end of the cave. A short distance beyond the body of his victim he had found the mutilated bodies of the two kittens.
"Now we will pull this animal out of here," proposed the young Ogalala.
It took them a long time to drag the heavy body of the mountain lion to the mouth of the cave. Once outside, however, they each counted coup upon the carcass, and danced joyfully about the trophy. Then White Otter cut off the claws, and removed the coarse tawny pelt. He also cut out the heart, which he said they would eat at their fire, as old Yellow Horse, the Ogalala medicine-man, declared it would give the hunter the strength and courage of the great cat itself.
"Yes, it is true," declared Sun Bird. "I have heard my father say it is a good thing to do."
The day was far spent when the lads finally returned to the ponies. Realizing that they could not reach the Minneconjoux village until long after dark, they moved farther down the wooded slope, and camped at the spot where they had passed the previous night.
"I am thinking about that mysterious place up there," said Sun Bird, as they sat before their fire. "I have heard my people tell how the Evil People change themselves into animals. Perhaps that great mountain cat was one of those people."
"I believe it is true," Little Raven declared, impulsively. "White Otter, perhaps you have done a bad thing. Those people may find out that you have killed a great chief. Perhaps they will do something bad to our people."
"No, I do not feel that way," replied White Otter. "We cannot kill those people with our arrows. No, I am not afraid about that."
