Dick soon proved himself to be the best
hunter of the party, and it was not long before he fulfilled his
promise to Crusoe and decorated his neck with a collar of grizzly bear
claws. Well, when the trappers came to a river where there were signs
of beaver they called a halt, and proceeded to select a safe and
convenient spot, near wood and water, for the camp. Here the property
of the band was securely piled in such a manner as to form a
breastwork or slight fortification, and here Walter Cameron
established headquarters. This was always the post of danger, being
exposed to sudden attack by prowling savages, who often dogged the
footsteps of the party in their journeyings to see what they could
steal. But Cameron was an old hand, and they found it difficult to
escape his vigilant eye.
From this point all the trappers were sent forth in small parties
every morning in various directions, some on foot and some on
horseback, according to the distances they had to go; but they never
went farther than twenty miles, as they had to return to camp every
evening.
Pages:
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333