CHAPTER XXIII.
A SERIOUS QUESTION.
Larry Murphy was in no mood for trifling. He had spared Arqu-wao twice,and he did not mean to do it again.
He noticed his suspicious action, and raising the hammer of his rifle,he held the weapon half lifted to his shoulder, while he kept histhreatening gaze fixed upon the guide, who was equally intent inwatching him.
The Irish youth understood what he must do in order to discharge thearrow, and all he was waiting for was to detect the first preliminarymovement on the part of the singular being.
"Drink away, Whart," he replied; "he won't fool me."
With no fear, the younger lad knelt down and drank deep from the cool,refreshing brook. Then he rose to his feet, replaced his cap, and pickedup his gun.
"I don't think he'll fool me either," he quietly remarked, imitating theattitude of his companion.
"I believe he's up to some mischief," remarked Larry, who, nevertheless,fully slaked his thirst before rising to his feet.
The few moments thus occupied were trying to Wharton Edwards, who wassuspicious of the Indian. He could not explain his peculiar position onany theory other than that he was seeking a chance to use his bowagainst them. He believed that if he once removed his gaze from theIndian, that instant he would drive an arrow through his body, and thenlaunch another at Larry before he could rise or bring his gun to bear.
Needless to say, therefore, he closely watched the Shawanoe until Larrystood at his side.
"Lead on," said Wharton, with a wave of his hand, "and don't walk quiteso fast."
"Me walk just so," replied Arqu-wao, accommodating his gait to that ofhis captors.
"I don't know what to make of him," remarked Wharton, when the advancewas resumed. "I have half a mind to take his bow away from him."
"Ye haven't observed him doing anything wrong yet," was the response ofLarry.
"What of his manner just now?"
"It looked bad, but we ain't sartin that it meant anything at all."
"We would be more certain if he had no weapon."
"Hold on a bit; if we stop for dinner or anything else, we won't givehim a chance. I think, between ourselves, we can watch him so sharp thathe won't do any harrum."
Wharton consented to this arrangement, though he could not free himselfof a strong misgiving in doing so.
Arqu-wao continued his guidance as though no thought of anything but thestrictest loyalty to his captors had ever entered his brain, all awrywith its unimaginable fancies.
Perhaps there had not. The truth must become known before the set ofsun.
At intervals the guide turned his head far enough to glance back, butthis was so evidently for the purpose of learning whether his pace wassatisfactory that no suspicion was excited. His conduct could not havebeen more satisfactory, so far as appearances went.
The party were abroad in the woods, and the youths had only a verygeneral idea of where they were. They had made many windings andturnings, and at last had forsaken the only reliable guide--thegorge--by which to find their way back to the trail.
This, as we have shown, was a matter of no moment, provided the Shawanoewas not meditating treachery against them; but how easy for him, if hechose, to lead them into a trap.
"Halloo, what's up now?" asked Wharton.
"Hold your gun ready!"
The Indian had come to a sudden stop, and, looking back, raised onehand, which the lads accepted as a request for them also to halt. Theyobeyed him.
Standing thus, with his body as rigid as iron, Arqu-wao slowly turnedhis head so as to look at each point of the compass in turn. Thosebehind him did the same, not forgetting to use their hearing as bestthey could, but with no result.
The Shawanoe next knelt down and applied his ear to the ground, as hispeople do when suspecting the nearness of an enemy whom their eyes failto detect. It was possible, of course, that this pantomime was part of acarefully laid plan to put them off their guard. If so, though cleverlydone, it failed to succeed.
The result of the guide's test seemed to be satisfactory, for he quietlyassumed the perpendicular again and resumed his walk. He did not lookback, evidently concluding that they knew enough to follow without anydirection from him.
"Larry," whispered his friend, "let's fall a little more to the rear, sothat, if he tries any of his tricks, we'll have a better chance forourselves."
"I was thinking of the same thing," said the other, acting at once uponthe suggestion.
They doubled the space heretofore separating them from the guide, whotook no notice, apparently, of the change in their relative situations.
The thought in the minds of the boys was that, if Arqu-wao shouldattempt to take them into a camp of their enemies, or to reveal them toa war party, or, in fact, to attempt any form of betrayal, they wouldhave a much better chance of saving themselves by a rapid retreat. Theymight well doubt whether the prospect of their guide benefiting them wasworth all their mental disquiet. It is probable that, had they takenmore time to consider the matter at the beginning, they would havedisarmed the Shawanoe and allowed him to go in peace.
All at once he made a sharp turn to the left. As he did so, he lookedaround, so that his face was in full view, and to the amazement of thelads they saw a distinct grin upon it.
"That's the first time he has tried to smile," remarked Larry, "and I'mafeered of it."
"Don't you understand what it means?" asked his friend a minute later.
"No, do you?"
"There it is."
As Wharton spoke he pointed to the ground in front. Larry at once sawthe significance of the words. They were following a distinctly markedtrail.
"But is it the right one?" whispered Wharton.