The Young Trailers | Page 4

their hands.
Henry dropped the canvas edge and sought sleep, but it would not
come. Too many thoughts were in his mind. He was trying to imagine
the beautiful valley, described by Ross, in which they were to build
their houses. He lifted the canvas again after a while and saw that the
fires had sunk lower than ever. The two men were still sitting on the
logs and leaning lazily against upthrust boughs. The wilderness around
them was very black, and twenty yards away, even the outlines of the
trees were lost in the darkness.
Henry's sister who was sleeping at the other end of the wagon awoke
and cried for water. Mr. Ware raised himself sleepily, but Henry at
once sprang up and offered to get it. "All right," Mr. Ware said.
Henry quickly slipped on his trousers and taking the tin cup in his hand
climbed out of the wagon. He was in his bare feet, but like other
pioneer boys he scorned shoes in warm weather, and stubble and
pebbles did not trouble him.
The camp was in a glade and the spring was just at the edge of the
woods--they stopped at night only by the side of running water, which
was easy to find in this region. Near the spring some of the horses and
two of the oxen were tethered to stout saplings. As Henry approached,
a horse neighed, and he noticed that all of them were pulling on their
ropes. The two careless guards were either asleep or so near it that they
took no notice of what was passing, and Henry, unwilling to call their
attention for fear he might seem too forward, walked among the
animals, but was still unable to find the cause of the trouble. He knew
everyone by name and nature, and they knew him, for they had been
comrades on a long journey, and he patted their backs and rubbed their
noses and tried to soothe them. They became a little quieter, but he
could not remain any longer with them because his sister was waiting at

the wagon for the water. So he went to the spring and, stooping down,
filled his cup.
When Henry rose to his full height, his eyes happened to be turned
toward the forest, and there, about seven or eight feet from the ground,
and not far from him he saw two coals of fire. He was so startled that
the cup trembled in his hand, and drops of water fell splashing back
into the spring. But he stared steadily at the red points, which he now
noticed were moving slightly from side to side, and presently he saw
behind them the dim outlines of a long and large body. He knew that
this must be a panther. The habits of all the wild animals, belonging to
this region, had been described to him so minutely by Ross that he was
sure he could not be mistaken. Either it was a very hungry or a very
ignorant panther to hover so boldly around a camp full of men and
guns.
The panther was crouched on a bough of a tree, as if ready to spring,
and Henry was the nearest living object. It must be he at whom the
great tawny body would be launched. But as a minute passed and the
panther did not move, save to sway gently, his courage rose, especially
when he remembered a saying of Ross that it was the natural impulse
of all wild animals to run from man. So he began to back away, and he
heard behind him the horses trampling about in alarm. The lazy guards
still dozed and all was quiet at the wagons. Now Henry recalled some
knowledge that he had learned from Ross and he made a resolve. He
would show, at a time, when it was needed, what he really could do. He
dropped his cup, rushed to the fire, and picked up a long brand, blazing
at one end.
Swinging his torch around his head until it made a perfect circle of
flame he ran directly toward the panther, uttering a loud shout as he ran.
The animal gave forth his woman's cry, this time a shriek of terror, and
leaping from the bough sped with cat-like swiftness into the forest.
All the camp was awake in an instant, the men springing out of the
wagons, gun in hand, ready for any trouble. When they saw only a boy,
holding a blazing torch above his head, they were disposed to grumble,
and the two sleepy guards, seeking an excuse for themselves, laughed

outright at the tale that Henry told. But Mr. Ware believed in the truth
of his son's words, and the guide, who quickly examined the ground