CHAPTER X.
GROPING IN THE DARK.
Larry Murphy, after his daring check of the Shawanoes in their attemptto leap the torrent, was sufficiently wise to see that it would not dofor him to remain where he was. The red men had located the dangerousmarksman, and would soon gain access to him.
If they chose, they could swim the stream below, as he had done, andthere must be other points above where the walls approached near enoughto allow them to jump across. If two or three succeeded in getting tothe rear of his position (and what was to prevent it?) he would becaught inextricably in a trap.
"I wonder what's become of Whart? What could he do without me? He'salways getting into trouble, and it's the bother of me life getting himout again. I ought to be with him now."
Nothing was clearer than that before he could do any more service forhis friend, or even learn his situation, he must place himself on theother side of the torrent. He could do this by swimming, as before, buthe shrank from repeating the performance. The Shawanoes were likely towatch for such an attempt, and he would be in a bad situation ifdiscovered in the water.
He believed, too, that at no distant point up stream there was someplace where the passage could be made quickly and without danger; hedecided to find out if such was the case.
"I hope Whart won't do anything rash," he mused, picking his way with nolittle skill and with the utmost care, "but he needs me with him all thetime. With all the speed he owns, if he only made a break for theblock-house, he'd be there in an hour or two; but it's just like him notto think of that, and if he did, mor'n likely the Indians would object."
A hundred yards above the point where young Edwards had leaped thetorrent, Larry began working his way back to it. It would have been amost fortunate thing had he arrived somewhat sooner, for then he wouldhave seen his friend starting on his memorable race with Blazing Arrow.The chance of bringing down the vicious Shawanoe by a shot from the rearwould have been so inviting that it is more than probable that the youthwould have nipped the contest in the bud. But, had he not done so, hewould have gained the information that would have changed his own lineof action, and the whole course of succeeding events.
But the torrent was wider than below, and not even Wharton Edwards wouldhave been able to leap it. Larry was careful to keep out of sight, andwithdrawing again from the bank, he cautiously made his way up stream,on the watch for some place to cross.
"I wonder whether any of them have got over yet?" he muttered, feelingeach step of the way; "they're sharp enough to follow me tracks where Ihaven't stepped on the stones--whisht!"
He stopped short, for he had heard something moving slowly among theundergrowth ahead.
"Some of them have come back----"
Instead of a Shawanoe warrior, the bulky form of an immense bear cameinto sight.
"And so ye want to mix in this business?" was the thought of the lad onidentifying the animal. "I'm sure neither Whart nor me would have anyobjections if you would only turn your attention to them that is makingus so much bother."
He surveyed the lumbering creature a minute or two, strongly tempted togive him a shot. He would have fired, but the report of the gun would beheard by the Shawanoes, some of whom could not be far off. The fallswere so distant that the sound was but a faint roar in his ears.
The bear did not seem to be looking for large boys just then, and, afterlumbering into sight, disappeared among the vegetation, which was rankin that section. He showed no sign of suspecting that one of his naturalenemies was so near. Had he known it, doubtless he would have given himattention.
In the effort to find a place where the stream could be crossed, Larrypushed on, never forgetting that he was in continual danger from theShawanoes. The day was waning, and night was not far off.
"If I don't strike the right sort of spot," he concluded, "by the timenight is here, I'll find a place where I can swim from one bank to theother. Halloo!" A dark object on the ground a short distance in advancecaught his eye. Stooping down, he found to his delight it was his lostcap, doubtless carried thither by this same bear.
It will be remembered that the torrent to which we have made referenceso often was not crossed by the trail leading from the settlement to theblock-house, although the two approached quite closely at severalpoints. The winding course of the path was mainly with the object ofavoiding a passage over the stream. The boys, therefore, knew littleabout it, and the slight journey Larry Murphy was making was in thenature of an exploration.
When he was about ready to give up hope of finding a method of crossingother than by swimming, a surprise greeted him. The high banks not onlydrew near together, but they were bridged by a fallen tree, whose basewas several feet away from the edge of the other shore. The branchesrested on the ground near the feet of the astonished youth, who feltlike throwing off his hat with delight.
"If I ever meet the gintleman that felled that tree for me, I'll givehim me heartfilt thanks."
Larry would have been pleased had the trunk been larger; not that itlacked strength, but it would have been much easier to walk it, for itis no light task to pick one's way along a comparative sapling,especially when a deep, rapid stream is sweeping beneath.
By this time the sun had set and the light was growing dim in the woods.He stood back just beyond the dead branches and meditatively scratchedhis head. He knew that in all probability the tree had fallen in thisposition of its own accord, and perhaps never had served as a bridge;but, if so, it was because the occasion did not arise, since nothingcould be more opportune.
"I'm wondering whether I'm equal to the job," he added, still scratchinghis scrubby hair. "If I step off I'll have to go over the falls, unlessI crawl out at the one spot, and I'm likely to miss that. If the sun wasshining it would be easy enough, and I guess maybe I can do it as itis."
This was a case where it was idle to delay. He therefore fastened hisrifle in the usual way behind his back, so as to leave his arms free,for more than likely he would need them before reaching the oppositeside.
"There won't be much use of saving mesilf without the gun, so we'll hangtogether or go down, if we must, with our colors flying."
He placed his foot on the upper part of the trunk, just beyond where thefirst branch appeared, and tested it. So far as he could tell, it wassufficiently strong to bear ten times his weight.
He now advanced inch by inch, but had gone less than a fourth of thedistance when he found that his rifle was balanced in such a way behindhis shoulder that it was unsteady, and liable to throw him at anymoment.
It was delicate and dangerous to retreat, but he did it, slowlystruggling until he was so near the shore from which he started that hewas able to turn quickly and leap to the solid ground.
He took several minutes to adjust his weapon, for the slight trial hehad made taught him it would be exceedingly perilous for him to run anysort of risk. It would be all he could do to get across under the mostfavorable circumstances.
In the gathering gloom, when everything was in readiness, he placed hisfoot on the narrow portion of the trunk and prepared to repeat theattempt, but at the very moment of doing so he made the discovery thatsome one else had started to cross from the other side.
Larry Murphy learned the truth in the nick of time. Ten seconds laterand he would have been on the trunk at the same moment as the other, andan advance by both must have caused them to meet over the middle of thestream.
As it was, Larry was uncertain whether he had been seen, or whether itwas a man or animal that was approaching. The doubt, however, lasted buta second, when out from the gloom advanced a Shawanoe warrior, who camealong the narrow bridge with the deliberate certainty of a Blondin. Nofear of _his_ making a misstep.
This of itself told the youth that the Indian had not seen him, for, ifhe had, nothing would have been more foolhardy than thus to placehimself at the mercy of the one who a short time before had shown hisnerve and marksmanship under more difficult circumstances.
B
ut for the displacement of his rifle, Larry Murphy would have walkedinto the arms of the red man. As it was, he had missed doing so, or atleast had missed discovery, by the narrowest margin conceivable.
With the coolness and cleverness of a veteran the lad moved back amongthe denser gloom of the trees, where he was confident no one could seehim unless close enough to touch his person. Then he paused and watchedproceedings. Hardly had the sun sunk below the horizon when the roundfull moon gave out its light, flooding wood and stream with radiance. Itwas the moonlight that revealed the sinewy figure to the watcher in thedarkness.
Larry could not but admire the surefootedness of the red man, who neverstepped off the trunk until standing over solid earth. Then he turnedabout and faced the side from which he had come. He was so close to theedge of the gorge that he was still revealed in the moonlight.
The temptation was strong to give him a quick shove into the water,leaving him to get out the best way he could; but before the youth couldact upon his mischievous suggestion a second Indian emerged from thegloom and carefully crossed the primitive bridge used by hispredecessor.
"What does all this mean?" Larry asked himself. "Is the whole partycoming over one by one? It may be that they will bring Whart with them.Halloo!"
A third Shawanoe crossed, but no more. The three stood for severalminutes so close to the youth that but for the noise of the torrent hewould have been sure of betrayal through the throbbing of his heart.
There was a moment when he believed they had seen him from the first,and intended to turn like lightning upon him. In case they did so hemeant to make a rush, with the hope of forcing them into the river.
The red men remained but a few minutes, however, when they disappearedas silently as phantoms. Whither they had gone, or what their businesswas and why three of them had come from the other side, were questionsbeyond the solution of the puzzled lad, who was certain that he hadnever stumbled into such a mixed condition of affairs.
He waited a long time, fearful of venturing to walk over the trunk, lesthe might meet others. When that did not take place, the likelihood ofthere being more of the Shawanoes in the vicinity, who would be quick todetect his approach, was not lessened.
It looked to Larry as though the three had come over to look for him,though why they should expect to find him in the darkness was hard tounderstand. If the sun were in the sky there would be ground for theirhope of outwitting him. The fact remained that, so far as he knew, youngEdwards was still on the other side of the torrent, and his friend couldnot hope to do him any service so long as they were thus separated.
"I must git across and put mesilf in such a position that he can lean onme, but I'm thinking it won't be the best thing to try it at this place,where so many may observe me."
It was only ordinary prudence that led Larry Murphy to make thisdecision. Brave as he was, and often so to the verge of recklessness, hewas not the sort of person to run into danger unnecessarily. While itwas not to be expected that he would find any more bridges to use incrossing the stream, there was reason to look for such a narrowing ofthe banks that he could make the leap, and he set out once more to findthe spot.
To his disappointment the ground over which he was obliged to make hisway changed for the worse. It became so broken that it was impossible insome places to progress without making detours that led him aconsiderable distance from the stream. As there was no saying whether ornot these diversions were not at the very places where the water couldbe leaped, he was in anything but an agreeable frame of mind. This wasnot decreased when he suddenly tumbled down a cavity deep enough tobruise him severely.
His efforts to save himself where his eyes gave no help probably madethe mistake worse.
"I'm thankful that I'm alive," was his honest thought when able to pullhimself together. "I've had the best luck--whisht!"
At that moment he became aware that he was not alone.