The Young Trailers

hysical ills, notably lassitude and a lack of appetite; their food, which consisted largely of the g

precious as gold; it was obtained in two ways, either by bringing it hundreds of miles over the mountains fr

ll salt spring but the supply was inadequate, and they decided to go a considerable distance northward to the famous Big Bone Lick. Nothing had been heard in

palisade, and it was a beautiful day, in early spring. Already kindly nature was smoothing over the cruel scar

Big Bone Lick is, Henr

y, wondering at hi

out it. I didn't believe him then, it sounded so wonderful, but Mr. Pennypacker says it's all true. There's a great salt spring, boiling out of the ground in the middle

ears with mush like that. I guess you were reading one of the

e every w

mals, why don't we see 'em somet

the marsh. They lived in another geologic era-that's what Mr. Pennypacker calls it-and a

s and emitted a long w

ngly, "you do certainly

offended at his

ever tells a falsehood and he's a scholar, too. But you and I have got to go with the salt-maker

enry, "and of cours

in itself, without the addition of the fields of big bones, and that night in both the

e just now, and they'll want me up at Big Bone Li

ys, seldom showed much zeal for manu

ians are in Kentucky now and,

another home another boy was saying almost exactly the same things, and another father

and experienced men who will not let you get into any mischie

ying huge pack saddles for the utensils and the invaluable salt. Mr. Silas Pennypacker who was a man

ry and for the sake of learning I'm bound to see it. Think of all the gigantic skeleto

lightful comrade, able always to make instruction entertaining, and the superiority of his min

nd the men, as eager to start, everyone with a long slender-barreled Kentucky rifle on his shoulder, the fringed and brilliantly colored deerskin hunting shirt falling almost to his knees, and, below that deerskin l

d their hands in another, and, this time, in a last good-by to the watchers at the fort. Then t

ion ceased. The spell of the dark and illimitable woods, in whose shade they marched, fell upon them, and there was no noise, but the sound of breathin

him, the tale that Paul told of the giant bones and the great salt spring, the dark woods full of mystery and delightful danger, and his own place among the trusted band, who were sent on such an errand. His heart s

to be along?" he

," replied Paul i

from Ross all halted at a beautiful glade, across which ran a little brook of cold water. The horses were tethered at the edge of the forest, but were allowed to graze on t

body in the forest can see it. There may not be an Indian south of the Ohio, but th

phy! your logic is irrefutable,

futable" meant, but he did know that Mr.

l lighted the fire, which they permitted merely to smolder. But it gave out ample heat and in a few minutes they cooked over it their venison and corn bread and coffee which they served in tin cups. Henry and Paul ate with the

air of satisfaction against the

said, "and just to think that we're among the

rd we go, we mustn't waste time by the

boys to ride three of the pack horses. Henry at first declined, not willing to be considered soft and pampered, but as the schoolmaster promptly accepted an

vement of the forest about him, and listened for every sound; he knew with the eye of second sight what was natural and if anything not belonging to the usual order of things should appear, he would detect it in a moment. But they saw and heard nothing that was no

rich dark soil and the beautiful clear streams. Once they came to a river, too deep to wad

the rest of you do," said the schoolmaster

ck, and reached the opposite bank, untouched by a drop of water. No one begrudged him his dry and unlabored passage; in fact they thought it right, because a schoolmaster

s did not remount, after the passage of the river, but, fresh and full of life, walked on with the others at a pace so swift that the miles dropped rapidly behind them. They were passing, too, through a country rarely trodden even by the red men; Henry knew it by the

that seem to have no end those animals are

t from the Indians," c

was so plentiful all around them, Ross said he would shoot a

the others are making the

nowing that silence would recommend him to Ross far more than words, and took care to bring down his moccasined feet without sound. Nor did

rest and undergrowth, and looked down into the glade beyond. Here they saw several de

ere on the right," wh

his rifle cracked, the deer bounded into the air and dropped down dead. Ross, all business, began to cut up and clean the game, and with Henry's aid, he d

d the deep ruddy glow over the fringe of the forest. Then it suddenly passed, as if whisked away by a magic hand, and all the wilderness was in darkness. But it was only for a little while. Out came the moon and the stars flashed one by one into a sky of silky blue. A south wind lifting up itse

e they were afraid lest an errand similar to theirs might have drawn hostile red men to the great salt spring. But as

marsh lands were fairly littered with bones, and from the mud beneath other and far greater bones had been pulled up and le

and Paul are looking upon the remains of animals, millions of years old, killed perhaps in fights with othe

f no help in making the salt, because he was far too much

lt, since they crave salt just as we do, but it seems strange to me that salt

s over all this part of the world. When it receded, or the ground upheaved, vast subterranean reservoirs of salt water were left, and now, when the rain sinks down into these full reservoirs a portion of the salt water

made tripods of them on which they hung their kettles for boiling the salt water, and of others they devised comfortable seats for themselves. To such modern uses did the mastodon come! But to the schoolmaster and the two boys the b

the known presence of strange, new creatures, would come down to the springs, so eager were they for the salt, and the men rarely molested them. Only a deer now

youth of great promise, was sometimes taken with them on these silent trips through the woods, and the first time he went he felt badly on Paul's account, because his comrade was not chosen also. But when he returned he found that his sympathy was wasted.

Paul and the master toiled zealously at the gigantic figure that they had up-reared, supported partly with stakes, and bearing a remote resemblance to some animal that lived

ed a piece of juicy venison into his mouth and then looked with e

n't git it through my head why anybody would want to work with a lot o' dead old

psed. The figure that they had built up with so much care and labor suddenly slipped loose somew

t them together away out

ate hungrily. The steak was very tender, and gradually a

a scholar here, one can have a glorious app

the salt the horses could carry, and then it would be best to depart promptly a