Stop, you young scoundrel! he shouted, shaking his fist at Charley as he passed.
Charley was past stopping, either by inclination or ability. This sudden and unexpected accumulation of disasters was too much for him. As he passed his sire, with his brown curls streaming straight out behind, and his eyes flashing with excitement, his teeth clinched, and his horse tearing along more like an incarnate fiend than an animal, a spirit of combined recklessness, consternation, indignation, and glee took possession of him. He waved his whip wildly over his head, brought it down with a stinging cut on the horses neck, and uttered a shout of defiance that threw completely into the shade the loudest war-whoop that was ever uttered by the brazen lungs of the wildest savage between Hudsons Bay and Oregon. Seeing and hearing this, old Mr Kennedy wheeled about and dashed off in pursuit with much greater energy than he had displayed in chase of the wolf.
The race bade fair to be a long one, for the young horse was strong in wind and limb; and the gray mare, though decidedly not the better horse, was much fresher than the other.
The hunters, who were now joined by Harry Somerville, did not feel it incumbent on them to follow this new chase; so they contented themselves with watching their flight towards the fort, while they followed at a more leisurely pace.
Meanwhile Charley rapidly neared Fort Garry, and now began to wonder whether the stable door was open, and if so, whether it were better for him to take his chance of getting his neck broken, or to throw himself into the next snow-drift that presented itself.
He had not to remain long in suspense. The wooden fence that enclosed the stable-yard lay before him. It was between four and five feet high, with a beaten track running along the outside, and a deep snow-drift on the other. Charley felt that the young horse had made up his mind to leap this. As he did not at the moment see that there was anything better to be done, he prepared for it. As the horse bent on his haunches to spring, he gave him a smart cut with the whip, went over like a rocket, and plunged up to the neck in the snow-drift, which brought his career to an abrupt conclusion. The sudden stoppage of the horse was one thing, but the arresting of Master Charley was another and quite a different thing. The instant his charger landed, he left the saddle like a harlequin, described an extensive curve in the air, and fell head foremost into the drift, above which his boots and three inches of his legs alone remained to tell the tale.
On witnessing this climax, Mr Kennedy, senior, pulled up, dismounted, and ranwith an expression of some anxiety on his countenanceto the help of his son; while Tom Whyte came out of the stable just in time to receive the noo oss as he floundered out of the snow.
I believe, said the groom, as he surveyed the trembling charger, that your son has broke the noo oss, sir, better nor I could ave done myself.
I believe that my son has broken his neck, said Mr Kennedy wrathfully. Come here and help me to dig him out.
In a few minutes Charley was dug out, in a state of insensibility, and carried up to the fort, where he was laid on a bed, and restoratives actively applied for his recovery.
Chapter Five.
Peter Mactavish becomes an amateur doctor; Charley promulgates his views of things in general to Kate; and Kate waxes sagacious
Shortly after the catastrophe just related, Charley opened his eyes to consciousness, and aroused himself out of a prolonged fainting fit, under the combined influence of a strong constitution and the medical treatment of his friends.
Medical treatment in the wilds of North America, by the way, is very original in its character, and is founded on principles so vague that no one has ever keen found capable of stating them clearly. Owing to the stubborn fact that there are no doctors in the country, men have been thrown upon their own resources, and as a natural consequence every man is a doctor. True, there are two, it may be three, real doctors in the Hudsons Bay Companys employment; but as one of these is resident on the shores of Hudsons Bay, another in Oregon, and a third in Red River Settlement, they are not considered available for every case of emergency that may chance to occur in the hundreds of little outposts, scattered far and wide over the whole continent of North America, with miles and miles of primeval wilderness between each. We do not think, therefore, that when we say there are no doctors in the country, we use a culpable amount of exaggeration.
If a man gets ill, he goes on till he gets better; and if he doesnt get better, he dies. To avert such an undesirable consummation, desperate and random efforts are made in an amateur way. The old proverb that extremes meet is verified. And in a land where no doctors are to be had for love or money, doctors meet you at every turn, ready to practise on everything, with anything, and all for nothing, on the shortest possible notice. As may be supposed, the practice is novel, and not unfrequently extremely wild. Tooth-drawing is considered childs playmere blacksmiths work; bleeding is a general remedy for everything, when all else fails; castor oil, Epsom salts, and emetics are the three keynotes, the foundations, and the copestones of the system.
In Red River there is only one genuine doctor; and as the settlement is fully sixty miles long, he has enough to do, and is not always to be found when wanted, so that Charley had to rest content with amateur treatment in the meantime. Peter Mactavish was the first to try his powers. He was aware that laudanum had the effect of producing sleep, and seeing that Charley looked somewhat sleepy after recovering consciousness, he thought it advisable to help out that propensity to slumber, and went to the medicine chest, whence he extracted a small phial of tincture of rhubarb, the half of which he emptied into a wineglass, under the impression that it was laudanum, and poured down Charleys throat! The poor boy swallowed a little, and sputtered the remainder over the bed-clothes. It may be remarked here that Mactavish was a wild, happy, half-mad sort of fellowwonderfully erudite in regard to some things, and profoundly ignorant in regard to others. Medicine, it need scarcely be added, was not his forte. Having accomplished this feat to his satisfaction, he sat down to watch by the bedside of his friend. Peter had taken this opportunity to indulge in a little private practice just after several of the other gentlemen had left the office, under the impression that Charley had better remain quiet for a short time.
Well, Peter, whispered Mr Kennedy, senior, putting his head in at the door (it was Harrys room in which Charley lay), how is he now?
Oh! doing capitally, replied Peter, in a hoarse whisper, at the same time rising and entering the office, while he gently closed the door behind him. I gave him a small dose of physic, which I think has done him good. Hes sleeping like a top now.
Mr Kennedy frowned slightly, and made one or two remarks in reference to physic which were not calculated to gratify the cars of a physician.
What did you give him? he inquired abruptly.
Only a little laudanum.
Only, indeed! Its all trash together, and thats the worst kind of trash you could have given him. Humph! and the old gentleman jerked his shoulders testily.
How much did you give him? said the senior clerk, who had entered the apartment with Harry a few minutes before.
Well, Peter, whispered Mr Kennedy, senior, putting his head in at the door (it was Harrys room in which Charley lay), how is he now?
Oh! doing capitally, replied Peter, in a hoarse whisper, at the same time rising and entering the office, while he gently closed the door behind him. I gave him a small dose of physic, which I think has done him good. Hes sleeping like a top now.
Mr Kennedy frowned slightly, and made one or two remarks in reference to physic which were not calculated to gratify the cars of a physician.
What did you give him? he inquired abruptly.
Only a little laudanum.
Only, indeed! Its all trash together, and thats the worst kind of trash you could have given him. Humph! and the old gentleman jerked his shoulders testily.
How much did you give him? said the senior clerk, who had entered the apartment with Harry a few minutes before.
Not quite a wineglassful, replied Peter, somewhat subdued.
A what! cried the father, starting from his chair as if he had received an electric shock, and rushing into the adjoining room, up and down which he raved in a state of distraction, being utterly ignorant of what should be done under the circumstances.
Oh dear! gasped Peter, turning pale as death.
Poor Harry Somerville fell rather than leaped off his stool, and dashed into the bedroom, where old Mr Kennedy was occupied in alternately heaping unutterable abuse on the head of Peter Mactavish, and imploring him to advise what was best to be done. But Peter knew not. He could only make one or two insane proposals to roll Charley about the floor, and see if that would do him any good; while Harry suggested in desperation that he should be hung by the heels, and perhaps it would run out!
Meanwhile the senior clerk seized his hat, with the intention of going in search of Tom Whyte, and rushed out at the door; which he had no sooner done than he found himself tightly embraced in the arms of that worthy, who happened to be entering at the moment, and who, in consequence of the sudden onset, was pinned up against the wall of the porch.
Oh, my buzzum! exclaimed Tom, laying his hand on his breast; youve amost bust me, sir. Wats wrong, sir?
Go for the doctor, Tom, quick! run like the wind. Take the freshest horse; fly, Tom, Charleys poisonedlaudanum; quick!
Eavens an arth! ejaculated the groom, wheeling round, and stalking rapidly off to the stable like a pair of insane compasses; while the senior clerk returned to the bedroom, where he found Mr Kennedy still raving, Peter Mactavish still aghast and deadly pale, and Harry Somerville staring like a maniac at his young friend, as if he expected every moment to see him explode, although, to all appearance, he was sleeping soundly, and comfortably too, notwithstanding the noise that was going on around him. Suddenly Harrys eye rested on the label of the half-empty phial, and he uttered a loud, prolonged cheer.
Its only tincture of
Wild cats and furies! cried Mr Kennedy, turning sharply round and seizing Harry by the collar, why dyou kick up such a row, eh?
Its only tincture of rhubarb, repeated the boy, disengaging himself and holding up the phial triumphantly.
So it is, I declare, exclaimed Mr Kennedy, in a tone that indicated intense relief of mind; while Peter Mactavish uttered a sigh so deep that one might suppose a burden of innumerable tons weight had just been removed from his breast.
Charley had been roused from his slumbers by this last ebullition; but on being told what had caused it, he turned languidly round on his pillow and went to sleep again, while his friends departed and left him to repose.
Tom Whyte failed to find the doctor. The servant told him that her master had been suddenly called to set a broken leg that morning for a trapper who lived ten miles down the river, and on his return had found a man waiting with a horse and cariole, who carried him violently away to see his wife, who had been taken suddenly ill at a house twenty miles up the river, and so she didnt expect him back that night.
An where has e been took to? inquired Tom.
She couldnt tell; she knew it was somewhere about the White-horse Plains, but she didnt know more than that.
Did e not say wen ed be ome?
No, he didnt.
Oh dear! said Tom, rubbing his long nose in great perplexity. Its an orrible case o sudden and onexpected pison.
She was sorry for it, but couldnt help that; and thereupon, bidding him good-morning, shut the door.
Toms wits had come to that condition which just precedes giving it up as hopeless, when it occurred to him that he was not far from Mr Kennedys residence; so he stepped into the cariole again and drove thither. On his arrival, he threw poor Mrs Kennedy and Kate into great consternation by his exceedingly graphic, and more than slightly exaggerated, account of what had brought him in search of the doctor. At first Mrs Kennedy resolved to go up to Fort Garry immediately, but Kate persuaded her to remain at home, by pointing out that she could herself go, and if anything very serious had occurred (which she didnt believe), Mr Kennedy could come down for her immediately, while she (Kate) could remain to nurse her brother.
In a few minutes Kate and Tom were seated side by side in the little cariole, driving swiftly up the frozen river; and two hours later the former was seated by her brothers bedside, watching him, as he slept, with a look of tender affection and solicitude.
Rousing himself from his slumbers, Charley looked vacantly round the room.
Have you slept well, darling? inquired Kate, laying her hand lightly on his forehead.
Slepteh! oh yes, Ive slept. I say, Kate, what a precious bump I came down on my head, to be sure!
Hush, Charley! said Kate, perceiving that he was becoming energetic. Father said you were to keep quietand so do I, she added, with a frown. Shut your eyes, sir, and go to sleep.
Charley complied by shutting his eyes, and opening his mouth, and uttering a succession of deep snores.
Now, you bad boy, said Kate, why wont you try to rest?
Because, Kate dear, said Charley, opening his eyes againbecause I feel as if I had slept a week at least; and not being one of the seven sleepers, I dont think it necessary to do more in that way just now. Besides, my sweet but particularly wicked sister, I wish just at this moment to have a talk with you.
But are you sure it wont do you harm to talk? do you feel quite strong enough?
Quite: Samson was a mere infant compared to me.
Oh, dont talk nonsense, Charley dear, and keep your hands quiet, and dont lift the clothes with your knees in that way, else Ill go away and leave you.
Very well, my pet, if you do Ill get up and dress and follow you, thats all! But come, Kate, tell me first of all how it was that I got pitched off that long-legged rhinoceros, and who it was that picked me up, and why wasnt I killed, and how did I come here; for my head is sadly confused, and I scarcely recollect anything that has happened. And before commencing your discourse, Kate, please hand me a glass of water, for my mouth is as dry as a whistle.
Kate handed him a glass of water, smoothed his pillow, brushed the curls gently off his forehead, and sat down on the bedside.
Thank you, Kate; now go on.