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139 pages

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Jack Danvers is a sickly teenager more apt to spend his days inside reading rather than outside roughhousing and exploring. When his doctor recommends some outdoor time to allow Jack to build up his strength, it is decided that he should spend a few months helping out at his uncle's ranch in the Rockies. Will this bookworm be able to adapt to life in the Wild West?

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Adventure (Guyana)

Adventure

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Publié par	The Floating Press
Date de parution	01 avril 2016
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781776598236
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0134€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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JACK, THE YOUNG RANCHMAN
A BOY'S ADVENTURES IN THE ROCKIES
* * *
GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL

*
Jack, the Young Ranchman A Boy's Adventures in the Rockies First published in 1899 Epub ISBN 978-1-77659-823-6 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77659-824-3 © 2014 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
*
Preface Chapter I - Jack Danvers Chapter II - Prairie Wolves and Antelope Chapter III - The Road to the Ranch Chapter IV - A Grizzly Killed Chapter V - Roping and Riding Chapter VI - An Ancient Massacre Chapter VII - Hugh Chased by Indians Chapter VIII - Jack's First Antelope Chapter IX - John Monroe, Half-Breed Chapter X - Cows in a Snow-Drift Chapter XI - Jack's First Elk Chapter XII - Antelope Kids Chapter XIII - Jack Kills a Lion Chapter XIV - Wolves and Wolf-Hounds Chapter XV - Digging Out a Wolf's Den Chapter XVI - Birds and Their Nests Chapter XVII - Hunting on the Mountain Chapter XVIII - With the Horse Roundup Chapter XIX - Busting Broncos Chapter XX - A Trip to Smith's Hole Chapter XXI - Jack's First Camp-Fire Chapter XXII - A Load of Blacktail Chapter XXIII - Occupations of a Cripple Chapter XXIV - A Berrying Party Chapter XXV - An Elk Hunt Chapter XXVI - Jack Rides a Wild Horse Chapter XXVII - A Mysterious Cave Chapter XXVIII - What the Cave Held Chapter XXIX - Swiftfoot in New York
Preface
*
Far away in the west, close to the backbone of the continent,lies the sage-brush country where the happenings described in thefollowing pages took place.
The story is about real things and about real people, many of whomare alive to-day. The ranch lies in the Rocky Mountains, in a greatbasin, walled in by mountains on every hand, and 7,500 feet above thelevel of the sea.
The life there was exciting. There was good hunting—antelope andelk and bears and buffalo; and, far away—yet near enough to be veryreal—there were wild Indians.
It is a pleasure to review those days in memory.
Chapter I - Jack Danvers
*
The door-bell rang, and from the library Jack heard the soft tread ofAunt Hannah, as she walked through the hall to answer it. There wasa murmur of voices, and then Hannah's tones, loud and high pitched:"Guns! no indeedy, chile, ye can't leave 'em here. Not here, chile.Take 'em away. No, I don't keer if they is Mr. Sturgis'. Go 'way. Iwon't take 'em. Gib 'em to the policeman; ye can't get me to tetch'em. Go 'way."
"What is it, Hannah?" said Jack, as he went to the door.
"Don't ye come here, honey. This man here, he's got some guns hewants to leave. Says they're for your Uncle Will. Don't ye go near'em."
"These are two rifles that Mr. Genez has been sighting. Mr. Sturgistold him to deliver them here to-day," said the messenger.
"All right; give 'em to me," said Jack, as he took them; and themessenger ran down the steps.
"Oh look out, honey, look out," said Aunt Hannah, shrinking away fromJack; "they'll go off and kill you, sure."
"Pshaw, Hannah," said Jack, "what are you talking about? Theywouldn't go off of themselves, and anyhow they ain't loaded."
"There, what'd I tell ye?" cried Aunt Hannah. "Do be keerful. Many'sthe time I heard your grandpaw say them's the most dang'ous kind. Heallus did say that it was the guns that wan't loaded that went offand killed folks. 'Deed he did."
Jack took the guns up to his uncle's room, and put them on the bed,and went back to the library. He had hardly got there, and gone tothe window to look out into the darkening street, when he heard thefront door close and a quick, light footfall in the hall.
"Oh, Uncle Will," he said, "is that you?"
"Hello, Jack, are you there?" was the reply. "I want to speak toyou," and a moment later Mr. Sturgis entered the room and steppedover to the fireplace.
"Well, Jack," said he, "are you ready to start in to-morrow to be acowboy?"
"Yes, Uncle Will, I'm all ready," was the reply.
"You're sure you don't want to back out now? You know," added Mr.Sturgis, "that you may see some rough times. Some days you will bewet and cold and hungry, and will wish that you were in a good houseand by a warm fire, with a hot meal ready for you. It isn't all funand play and good times out on the ranch."
"I know that, Uncle Will," answered Jack, "but there must be plentyof fun, too, and I think I am going to like it."
"I believe so, too, my boy, but I want you to remember that thereare two sides to almost everything. You will have lots of fun on theranch, and that is what you think most of now, but you must rememberalso that it will not be all pleasure and no pain."
"Why, Uncle Will, don't you suppose I know that? A fellow's bound tobe too hot or too cold sometimes, and to hurt himself now and then,but I guess I can stand it, and I don't think you need feel afraidthat I'll want to come home before I have to." As he said this, Jacklooked quite injured, and stood very straight.
"No, no, my boy. I don't doubt your pluck; but I want you tounderstand well before we start what it is that you have to lookforward to.
"Now," continued Mr. Sturgis, "everything is ready for our start, andall we have to do to-morrow is to go to the train and get into thesleeping-car."
"Let's sit down in front of the fire and talk a little, Uncle Will.You have plenty of time before dinner, haven't you?"
"Yes, I have half an hour before it will be time to dress; I'll smokea pipe and talk to you for that time. Now, ask your questions."
Jack Danvers was a New York boy about fourteen years old. He livedin East 38th Street, near Park Avenue, and Mrs. Danver's brother,Will Sturgis, had a ranch out on the Plains, on which were manyhorses and cattle. Mr. Sturgis spent the summer on the ranch, butoften came to New York for the winter. The ranch was in a wildcountry, where there were bears and elk and deer and antelope, andsometimes buffalo and Indians.
Jack was not a very strong boy. He was slim and pale and spent mostof his time reading, instead of playing out of doors as all boysshould. In the summer when he was in the country and in the open airhe grew brown and hearty, but through the winter he became slenderand white again.
Jack had no brothers and sisters, and his parents were often anxiousabout his health. They had thought several times of moving to thecountry to live, so that Jack might have an out-door life all theyear round, but Mr. Danvers' business was so confining that he wasobliged to be in town constantly, and Mrs. Danvers was not willing toleave him.
Dr. Robertson, whom Mr. Danvers had consulted, had given much thoughtto the boy's case, and at last had advised his mother to send him outto his uncle's ranch for a year, or at least for a summer, tellingher that a few months of rough life in the open air would do him moregood than all the medicines in the world. When Dr. Robertson toldher this, Mrs. Danvers at first thought the advice dreadful. Shesaid, "Oh, doctor, I couldn't think of doing that. Why the life outthere is one of constant danger and hardship. There are cowboys andIndians and wild animals of all sorts. I should never have an easymoment while Jack was away."
"My dear madam," said the doctor, "medicine is often very unpleasantto take, unpleasant for the patient and sometimes for his friendsas well. I can build your boy's system up from time to time withtonics, but I can do him no permanent good. My medicines are onlypalliatives; the real trouble is with his environment. If theconditions of his life are changed, he will be certain to throw offthe lassitude and weakness which he now feels, and to become a stoutand hearty boy about whose general health you need have no fartherconcern; but it is important that now, when eight or ten years ofschooling and study are before him, he should have a well-nourishedbody. I know of nothing that promise so much in this direction as acourse of open-air life and vigorous exercise. Now he stays too muchin the house and cares for nothing but books. This is not natural fora boy of his age. He ought to be full of animal spirits and to beworking them off by climbing trees, running races and fighting. Thinkthis matter over carefully, Mrs. Danvers, and let me know what youand your husband decide."
After much thought and many long talks, the parents had at last madeup their minds to let their boy go. All preparations had been made,and on the next day Jack and his uncle were to take the train for theFar West.
"Well, Uncle Will," said Jack, "first, I want to know how long itwill take us to get out to the ranch?"
"Five days, unless something happens to delay us," said Mr. Sturgis.
"Next," said Jack, "I want to know what I can do on the ranch. I wantto help in the work, you know, but I don't know how to ride, or howto do anything that you have to do out there among the cattle andhorses. I'll have to learn a great deal before I can be of any use."
"Yes, of course, you will have to learn. You will pick up ridingand roping readily enough, but to learn the ways of the prairie andthe mountains is not so easy, and unless you are with some one thatknows all that and tries to teach you, it will take you a long timeto learn. You can easily learn the cowboy part of your education fromalmost any of us out at the ranch, but there is only one man therewho can teach you how to become a good mountain man; that is old HughJohnson. He has lived on the plains and in the mountains for morethan forty years, and has hunted, trapped and fought Indians fromthe Mississippi to the Pacific, and from t