Girl Scouts in the Rockies

“While we are traveling along a good trail, let me tell you what I have gathered from scientific books on the subject,” returned Mr. Gilroy.

“It is evident that the Rockies were the first points of land to lift a head above the sea of water when the American Continent was born. As often happens in the families of mankind, where the youngest-born embraces all the points of beauty and abilities that are manifested in individual allotments to all other members of the same family, so it is with Nature’s mountain-children.

“The Rockies, being the youngest born of mountain ranges of the earth, inherited, as it were, the combined beauty and strength and characteristics that were the best in all the others. But there was no jealousy on the part of the older mountains of earth, and it is doubtful if any one of them even knew of this new-comer to the family group. Each had all it could do with its own affairs, in those by-gone cycles.

“Of Earth’s large family of mountains, the first-born to lift a head from sleep on the bosom of the ‘mighty waters’ were the British Isles. They were not high or mighty in geography, but they were destined to raise the highest and mightiest race of people on earth.

“Then the Norseland awoke, and yawned so widely, that the pinnacles of its jagged shore-lines instantly molded themselves into barriers to protect the land from the inundation of the sea. Then while this awakening took place, the marvelous Antilles sat up from the cradle of the ocean and cried to Mother Nature to be lifted out of their bed. And Nature, who abhors a vacuum, gave her eager help to South America.

“Having given birth to these fine prominences, Nature seemed disinclined to cease from her creative activity. She believed it best to finish the allotted number of children, and then raise them all together. So the mountains of Labrador appeared, closely followed by the Atlantic Coast mountains.

“Then something happened in the bowels of the earth-planet that caused it to swallow so much salt-water from the seas that had covered its surface, that the great ranges of the Rockies stood up.

“Aeons passed during this great upheaval, and aeons more passed before islands dotted the ‘face of the waters’ and God said ‘Let there be’ and there was!

“It is said that the tremendous struggle in the womb of Mother Earth to give birth to the Rockies was Nature’s hardest labor. As we gaze on the result of the mighty upheaval that has given us these wonderful mountains, does not your imagination paint ’cause and effect’ better than mere words ever can?”

With many eager questions from the scouts, about cataclysms, glaciers, volcanoes, and other forces that helped build the dry land above the face of the seas, and with Mr. Gilroy’s lucid and interesting descriptions of such work, the party reached the beautiful tract known as Estes Park.

“Here’s where we camp for the night, Scouts, – unless you have something more important to do,” announced Mr. Gilroy.

They laughed. “Now, Gilly! What more important date is there than to eat a good supper,” added Anne.

The scouts teased her at that, but Mr. Vernon said, “I have an important date for those who will go with me.”

He took up his fishing tackle, and instantly the scouts signified their eagerness to “keep the date” he had with the fish. Mr. Gilroy remained with Tally to look after camp arrangements and unload the mules. Then the horses and mules were turned out to pasture, while supper was prepared.

Because of the heavily wooded country they were to go through, Tally had not bothered to carry any tentpoles. It was an easy matter to run the ropes through the eyelets of the canvas, and string up the shelter to handy tree trunks. Hence the tents were up, and Mrs. Vernon was asked to weave the balsam beds upon the ground, inside them, before the girls returned.

Fuel was plentiful and a fire was soon burning, whereby supper could be cooked. Tally now began preparing his various dishes for the meal, while the Captain spread out the cloth on the grass for a table.

So excellent is the fishing in these forests, that the two camp-cooks had not had time to complete baking the bread-twist, or boil the potatoes, before the anglers arrived with a fine mess of fish. These were cleaned and placed in the large frying-pan where red-and-white streaked slices of bacon were crisping.

The savory odor that soon arose to mingle with the immediate surrounding air made every one sniff audibly, and wish supper was ready to eat. While the Captain added the finishing touches to the supper, she remarked to the scouts:

“I keep brushing so many little black insects from the cloth, and yet they seem to swarm about more than ever. Ask Tally what I can do to drive them away.”

Mr. Gilroy overheard her, and replied, “I guess we are in for a plague of midges. No use trying to get rid of them by hand, and no use moving camp, as they infest the woods all about, when they do appear; and they last, sometimes, for several days, then they disappear as suddenly as they came.”

As the scouts began to scratch at faces, necks, and limbs, Tally remarked, encouragingly: “De’s not so badder.”

“I hope you don’t raise any worse pests than these in your Rockies!” cried Ruth, her hands and face red from irritation.

“Jus’ wait. De’se meegies go wid sun, but moskeet – he come an’ sing all night, an’ bite all same.”

In spite of the discomfort the little black imps caused, the scouts had to laugh at Tally’s form of condolence. Evidently he, with his tough skin, preferred midges to songsters at night.

“Why should they swarm about now, when we never saw one on the way here?” asked Joan, in an aggrieved tone.

“It’s going to rain, and that always drives them up from the underbrush and wet places where they live during the dry hours,” explained Mr. Gilroy.

He had been occupied in crushing caribou leaves between his palms, and now the scouts turned to watch him. When he had extracted the juice from the leaves, he showed the girls how he rubbed it over his neck, face, and arms. This was very effective to keep away the pests for a time; but one had to keep on rubbing the fresh leaf-juice on the skin at intervals because the moisture evaporated with the heat from the body.

Supper – and it was a delicious one – over, Mr. Gilroy said to the guide, “Tally, we’ve got to make a smudge fire all right.”

“Um!” agreed Tally, “see tent; him all cover wid bites.”

The girls laughed at the Indian’s graphic words, for the canvas was black with pests, – mosquitoes and black flies, as well as the midges.

Every available pan was requisitioned for use as braziers. And movable smokes, that Tally manufactured of pine shavings, smudged with damp material, effectively fumigated the camp and drove away most of the insects. But the scouts had to wave balsam fans quite vigorously to make the choking smoke that circled about them eddy away.

Tally arranged a chain of these smudge-fires about the camp ground, and provided elaborate means of keeping the pests away through the night. But all precautions were useless when the mean little mosquitoes got in between the open places in the canvas, and began their songs. Every one was healthily tired, though, and all the needlelike thrusts of the insects could not keep the girls awake.

In the morning, Julie said, “What should we have done if Tally had not smoked away millions of the creatures!”

And Joan said, “Why, infinitesimal atoms of Dandelion Troop would now be flying all over Estes Park to await Judgment Day!”

CHAPTER SIX – A MULE’S PLEASANTRIES

Long’s Peak had been “done” to every one’s satisfaction, and other neighboring peaks had been scaled. Estes Park was now becoming so familiar an environment that the scouts no longer thrilled at each new experience, but were eagerly looking forward to fresh excitement.

“Well, Tally, how about trekking northwards?” asked Mr. Gilroy of the guide, one night after supper.

“All ’leddy,” returned the Indian.

“Frolic and Jolt seem to be deucedly gay after this long vacation,” ventured Mr. Vernon, eyeing the frisky pack-mules.

“Um – Jolt him big kick,” said Tally, signifying with a hand held above his head, how high the animal kicked that day.

“Our next lap of the journey will take all this freshness out of him, never fear!” laughed Mr. Gilroy.

That night while the scouts slept heavily, Tally heard a sound from the corral where he kept the horses and mules. He jumped up and ran over, but Jolt had broken his halter and had disappeared. He roused Mr. Gilroy and told him the news.

“Oh, let the old rascal go!” mumbled he, then turned over on his side and was fast asleep again. So Tally literally obeyed.

In the morning, however, Mr. Gilroy thought differently about his advice. Jolt was the best and strongest of the two mules, and the luggage of so many tourists was too much for Frolic, the smaller of the pack-animals.

Mr. Gilroy sighed heavily. “Well, the only thing to do is for all hands to turn out and hunt for Jolt.”

“Why not have Verny and Betty, the two tender scouts of the troop, stay and strike camp?” asked Mr. Vernon. “We can go for the mule, while they pack everything and get ready for a start along the trail when we return.”

In spite of the Captain’s vehement declarations that she was not to be classed as too young or tender to enjoy a wild hunt for a fractious mule, the two were left behind, and the others started down the trail.

After many wanderings along side trails that offered temptations to such a wayward beast as Jolt, the hunters found him. Yes, Jolt was found, but it was another thing to catch him! After many vain attempts, Tally finally lassoed him, but the kicking, jumping animal seemed to think the more he performed the better the scouts liked it. After an absence of an hour, the captors filed back to camp, where Frolic – contrarily named – stood meekly waiting to be harnessed with the packs.

While Tally placed the two wooden crates on Frolic’s back, Mr. Gilroy essayed to do the same with Jolt. But the mule had other intentions. The moment he felt the touch of the pack-frame he lit out with both hind legs. Poor Gilly not only caved in suddenly in the region under his belt, but he also sat down unceremoniously several paces behind Jolt.

“Um! Some bad Jolt!” declared Tally, scowling at the mule.