The Dog Crusoe and His Master: A Story of Adventure in the Western Prairies

THE DOG CRUSOE The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Dog Crusoe and His Master: A Story of Adventure in the Western Prairies This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org . If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title : The Dog Crusoe and His Master: A Story of Adventure in the Western Prairies Author : R. M. Ballantyne Release date : February 1, 2004 [eBook #10929] Most recently updated: December 23, 2020 Language : English Other information and formats : www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10929 Credits : Produced by Dave Morgan, Bradley Norton and PG Distributed Proofreaders *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DOG CRUSOE AND HIS MASTER: A STORY OF ADVENTURE IN THE WESTERN PRAIRIES *** THE DOG CRUSOE AND HIS MASTER A Story of Adventure in the Western Prairies By Robert Michael Ballantyne Author of "The Coral Island," "The Young Fur-Traders," "Ungava," "The Gorilla-Hunters," "The World of Ice," "Martin Rattler." Etc. 1894 CONTENTS . CHAPTER I. The backwoods settlement--Crusoe's parentage and early history--The agonizing pains and sorrows of his puppyhood, and other interesting matters . CHAPTER II. A shooting-match and its consequences--New friends introduced to the reader--Crusoe and his mother change masters . CHAPTER III. Speculative remarks with which the reader may or may not agree--An old woman--Hopes and wishes commingled with hard facts--The dog Crusoe's education begun . CHAPTER IV. Our hero enlarged upon -- Grumps . CHAPTER V. A mission of peace--Unexpected joys--Dick and Crusoe set off for the land of the Redskins, and meet with adventures by the way as a matter of course--in the wild woods . CHAPTER VI. The great prairies of the far west--A remarkable colony discovered, and a miserable night endured . CHAPTER VII. The "wallering" peculiarities of buffalo bulls--The first buffalo hunt and its consequences--Crusoe comes to the rescue--Pawnees discovered--A monster buffalo hunt--Joe acts the part of ambassador . CHAPTER VIII. Dick and his friends visit the Indians and see many wonders--Crusoe, too, experiences a few surprises, and teaches Indian dogs a lesson--An Indian dandy--A foot-race . CHAPTER IX. Crusoe acts a conspicuous and humane part--A friend gained--A great feast . CHAPTER X. Perplexities--Our hunters plan their escape--Unexpected interruption--The tables turned--Crusoe mounts guard--The escape . CHAPTER XI. Evening meditations and morning reflections--Buffaloes, badgers, antelopes, and accidents--An old bull and the wolves--"Mad tails"--Henri floored, etc . CHAPTER XII. Wanderings on the prairie--A war party--Chased by Indians--A bold leap for life . CHAPTER XIII. Escape from Indians--A discovery--Alone in the desert . CHAPTER XIV. Crusoe's return, and his private adventures among the Indians--Dick at a very low ebb--Crusoe saves him . CHAPTER XV. Health and happiness return--Incidents of the journey--A buffalo shot--A wild horse "creased"--Dick's battle with a mustang . CHAPTER XVI. Dick becomes a horse tamer--Resumes his journey--Charlie's doings--Misfortunes which lead to, but do not terminate in, the Rocky Mountains--A grizzly bear . CHAPTER XVII. Dick's first fight with a grizzly--Adventure with a deer--A surprise . CHAPTER XVIII. A surprise, and a piece of good news--The fur-traders--Crusoe proved, and the Peigans pursued>. CHAPTER XIX. Adventures with the Peigans--Crusoe does good service as a discoverer--The savages outwitted--The rescue . CHAPTER XX. New plans--Our travellers join the fur-traders, and see many strange things--A curious fight--A narrow escape, and a prisoner taken . CHAPTER XXI. Wolves attack the horses, and Cameron circumvents the wolves--A bear-hunt, in which Henri shines conspicuous--Joe and the "Natter-list"--An alarm--A surprise and a capture . CHAPTER XXII. Charlie's adventures with savages and bears--Trapping life . CHAPTER XXIII. Savage sports--Living cataracts--An alarm--Indians and their doings--The stampede--Charlie again . CHAPTER XXIV. Plans and prospects--Dick becomes home-sick, and Henri metaphysical--The Indians attack the camp--A blow-up . CHAPTER XXV. Dangers of the prairie--Our travellers attacked by Indians, and delivered in a remarkable manner . CHAPTER XXVI. Anxious fears followed by a joyful surprise--Safe home at last, and happy hearts . CHAPTER XXVII. Rejoicings--The feast at the block-house--Grumps and Crusoe come out strong--The closing scene . THE DOG CRUSOE. CHAPTER I. The backwoods settlement--Crusoe's parentage, and early history--The agonizing pains and sorrows of his puppyhood, and other interesting matters . The dog Crusoe was once a pup. Now do not, courteous reader, toss your head contemptuously, and exclaim, "Of course he was; I could have told you that." You know very well that you have often seen a man above six feet high, broad and powerful as a lion, with a bronzed shaggy visage and the stern glance of an eagle, of whom you have said, or thought, or heard others say, "It is scarcely possible to believe that such a man was once a squalling baby." If you had seen our hero in all the strength and majesty of full-grown doghood, you would have experienced a vague sort of surprise had we told you--as we now repeat--that the dog Crusoe was once a pup--a soft, round, sprawling, squeaking pup, as fat as a tallow candle, and as blind as a bat. But we draw particular attention to the fact of Crusoe's having once been a pup, because in connection with the days of his puppyhood there hangs a tale. This peculiar dog may thus be said to have had two tails--one in connection with his body, the other with his career. This tale, though short, is very harrowing, and as it is intimately connected with Crusoe's subsequent history we will relate it here. But before doing so we must beg our reader to accompany us beyond the civilized portions of the United States of America--beyond the frontier settlements of the "far west," into those wild prairies which are watered by the great Missouri River--the Father of Waters--and his numerous tributaries. Here dwell the Pawnees, the Sioux, the Delawarers, the Crows, the Blackfeet, and many other tribes of Red Indians, who are gradually retreating step by step towards the Rocky Mountains as the advancing white man cuts down their trees and ploughs up their prairies. Here, too, dwell the wild horse and the wild ass, the deer, the buffalo, and the badger; all, men and brutes alike, wild as the power of untamed and ungovernable passion can make them, and free as the wind that sweeps over their mighty plains. There is a romantic and exquisitely beautiful spot on the banks of one of the tributaries above referred to--long stretch of mingled woodland and meadow, with a magnificent lake lying like a gem in its green bosom--which goes by the name of the Mustang Valley. This remote vale, even at the present day, is but thinly peopled by white men, and is still a frontier settlement round which the wolf and the bear prowl curiously, and from which the startled deer bounds terrified away. At the period of which we write the valley had just been taken possession of by several families of squatters, who, tired of the turmoil and the squabbles of the then frontier settlements, had pushed boldly into the far west to seek a new home for themselves, where they could have "elbow room," regardless alike of the dangers they might encounter in unknown lands and of the Redskins who dwelt there. The squatters were well armed with axes, rifles, and ammunition. Most of the women were used to dangers and alarms, and placed implicit reliance in the power of their fathers, husbands, and brothers to protect them; and well they might, for a bolder set of stalwart men than these backwoodsmen never trod the wilderness. Each had been trained to the use of the rifle and the axe from infancy, and many of them had spent so much of their lives in the woods that they were more than a match for the Indian in his own peculiar pursuits of hunting and war. When the squatters first issued from the woods bordering the valley, an immense herd of wild horses or mustangs were browsing on the plain. These no sooner beheld the cavalcade of white men than, uttering a wild neigh, they tossed their flowing manes in the breeze and dashed away like a whirlwind. This incident procured the valley its name. The new-comers gave one satisfied glance at their future home, and then set to work to erect log huts forthwith. Soon the axe was heard ringing through the forests, and tree after tree fell to the ground, while the occasional sharp ring of a rifle told that the hunters were catering successfully for the camp. In course of time the Mustang Valley began to assume the aspect of a thriving settlement, with cottages and waving fields clustered together in the midst of it. Of course the savages soon found it out and paid it occasional visits. These dark-skinned tenants of the woods brought furs of wild animals with them, which they exchanged with the white men for knives, and beads, and baubles and trinkets of brass and tin. But they hated the "Pale-faces" with bitter hatred, because their encroachments had at this time materially curtailed the extent of their hunting-grounds, and nothing but the numbers and known courage of the squatters prevented these savages from butchering and scalping them all. The leader of this band of pioneers was a Major Hope, a gentleman whose love for nature in its wildest aspects determined him to exchange barrack life for a life in the woods. The major was a first-rate shot, a bold, fearless man, and an enthusiastic naturalist. He was past the prime of life, and being a bachelor, was unencumbered with a family. His first act on reaching the site of the new settlement was to commence the erection of a block-house, to which the people might retire in case of a general attack by the Indians. In this block-house Major Hope took up his abode as the guardian of the settlement. And here the dog Crusoe was born; here he sprawled in the early morn of life; here he leaped, and yelped, and wagged his shaggy tail in the excessive glee of puppyhood; and from the wooden portals of this block-house he bounded forth to the chase in all the fire, and strength, and majesty of full-grown doghood. Crusoe's father and mother were magnificent Newfoundlanders. There was no doubt as to their being of the genuine breed, for Major Hope had received them as a parting gift from a brother officer, who had brought them both from Newfoundland itself. The father's name was Crusoe, the mother's name was Fan. Why the father had been so called no one could tell. The man from whom Major Hope's friend had obtained the pair was a poor, illiterate fisherman, who had never heard of the celebrated "Robinson" in all his life. All he knew was that Fan had been named after his own wife. As for Crusoe, he had got him from a friend, who had got him from another friend, whose cousin had received him as a marriage-gift from a friend of his ; and that each had said to the other that the dog's name was "Crusoe," without reasons being asked or given on

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