Chapter I: Front Matter

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TRACK'S END

Being the Narrative of Judson Pitcher's Strange Winter Spent There As Told by Himself and Edited

by

HAYDEN CARRUTH

Including an Accurate Account of His Numerous Adventures, and the Facts Concerning His Several Surprising Escapes from Death Now First Printed in Full

Illustrated by Clifford Carleton

With a Correct Map of Track's End Drawn by the Author

Harper & Brothers New York and London M - C - M - X - I

Copyright, 1911. by Harper & Brothers

Printed in the United States of America

Published September, 1911

TO

E. L. G. C.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. Something about my Home and Track's End: with how I
leave the one and get acquainted with Pike at the
other. 1

II. The rest of my second Night at Track's End, and part of
another: with some Things which happen between. 12

III. A Fire and a Blizzard: with how a great many People go
away from Track's End and how some others come. 22

IV. We prepare to fight the Robbers and I make a little
Trip out to Bill Mountain's House: after I come back I
show what a great Fool I can be. 32

V. Alone in Track's End I repent of my hasty Action: with
what I do at the Headquarters House, and the whole
Situation in a Nutshell. 43

VI. Some Account of what I do and think the first Day
alone: with a Discovery by Kaiser at the End. 52

VII. I have a Fight and a Fright: after which I make some
Plans for the Future and take up my Bed and move. 61

VIII. I begin my Letters to my Mother and start my
Fortifications: then I very foolishly go away, meet
with an Accident, and see Something which throws me
into the utmost Terror. 69

IX. More of a strange Christmas: I make Kaiser useful in an
odd Way, together with what I see from under the Depot
Platform. 79

X. A Townful of Indians: with how I hide the Cow, and
think of Something which I don't believe the Indians
will like. 88

XI. I give the savage Indians a great Scare, and then
gather up my scattered Family at the end of a queer
Christmas Day. 97

XII. One of my Letters to my Mother, in which I tell of many
Things and especially of a Mystery which greatly
puzzles and alarms me. 105

XIII. Some Talk at Breakfast, and various other Family
Affairs: with Notes on the Weather, and a sight of
Something to the Northwest. 115

XIV. I have an exciting Hunt and get some Game, which I
bring Home with a vast deal of Labor, only to lose Part
of it in a startling Manner: together with a Dream and
an Awakening. 128

XV. The mysterious Fire, and Something further about my
wretched State of Terror: with an Account of my great
System of Tunnels and famous Fire Stronghold. 141

XVI. Telling of how Pike and his Gang come and of what
Kaiser and I do to get ready for them: together with
the Way we meet them. 153

XVII. The Fight, and not much else: except a little Happening
at the End which startles me greatly. 162

XVIII. After the Fight: also a true Account of the great
Blizzard: with how I go to sleep in the Stronghold and
am awakened before Morning. 171

XIX. I find out who my Visitor is: with Something about him,
but with more about the Chinook which came out of the
Northwest: together with what I do with the Powder, and
how I again wake up suddenly. 185

XX. What the Outlaws do on their second Visit: with the
awful Hours I pass through, and how I find myself at
the End. 203

XXI. After the Explosion: some cheerful Talk with the
Thieves, and a strange but welcome Message out of the
Storm. 210

XXII. The last Chapter, but a good Deal in it: a free Lodging
for the Night, with a little Speech by Mr. Clerkinwell:
then, how Kaiser and I take a long Journey, and how we
never go that Way again. 220

ILLUSTRATIONS

KAISER AND I FIGHTING THE TIMBER-WOLVES _Frontispiece_

READING THE OUTLAWS' LETTER, DECEMBER SIXTEENTH 30

MY FAMILY AND I AT A MEAL, TRACK'S END 56

MAP OF TRACK'S END 64

THE BOIS CACHE INDIANS LOOTING THE TOWN ON CHRISTMAS DAY 91

MY MEETING WITH PIKE, TRACK'S END, FEBRUARY FIFTH 158

THE INDIAN GETTING MY RIFLE IN THE STRONGHOLD 183

PIKE HANDCUFFING ME IN THE DRUG STORE, MARCH NINETEENTH 205

MR. CLERKINWELL GIVING ME HIS WATCH AND CHAIN 229

NOTICE

Should any reader of this History of my life at Track's End wish to write to me, to point out an error (if unhappily there shall prove to be errors), or to ask for further facts, or for any other reason, he or she may do so by addressing the letter in the care of my publishers, Messrs. Harper & Brothers, who have kindly agreed promptly to forward all such communications to me wheresoever I may chance to be at the time.

I should add that my hardships during that Winter at Track's End did not cure me of my roving bent, though you might think the contrary should have been the case. Later, on several occasions, I adventured into wild parts, and had experiences no whit less remarkable than those at Track's End, notably when with the late Capt. Nathan Archway, master of the _Belle of Prairie du Chien_ packet, we descended into Frontenac Cave, and, there in the darkness (aided somewhat by Gil Dauphin), disputed possession of that subterranean region with no less a character than the notorious Isaac Liverpool, to the squeaking of a million bats. And I wish hereby to give notice that no one is to put into Print such accounts of that occurrence as I may have been heard to relate from time to time around camp-fires, on shipboard, and so forth, since I mean, with the kind help of Mr. Carruth, to publish forth the facts concerning it in another Book; and that before long.

JUDSON PITCHER.

LITTLE DRUM, FLAMINGO KEY, _July_, 1911.

TRACKS END

TRACK'S END